This has to be one of the weirdest — well, weirdest something. I’m not sure what.
The folks involved aren’t conspiracy theorists, apparently; they’re what you might call conspiracy impersonators. Others may fear the shadowy reach of the Freemasons and the Illuminati. These guys call themselves Masons and say they are the Illuminati.
They do seem to have their historical timeline a bit out of whack. (There’s always the chance that they claim everyone else has the timeline wrong.)
Will this presidential election be the most important in American history?
Brandon Kiel, David Henry and Tonette Hayes were taken into custody last week on suspicion of impersonating officers as members of the so-called Masonic Fraternal Police Department, Los Angeles County sheriff’s officials said.
Kiel, 31, has worked as deputy director of community affairs at the California Department of Justice. …
An investigation into the Masonic Fraternal Police Department was launched after various police chiefs in Southern California received a letter in late January that announced new leadership for the group, sheriff’s officials said. …
Capt. Roosevelt Johnson of the sheriff’s department’s Santa Clarita Valley station said he met with members of the Masonic Fraternal Police Department in February.
Henry and Hayes showed up in black jumpsuits wearing patches with their department name on them, along with stars indicating they were brass. Hayes was carrying a handgun and wearing a utility belt, Johnson said.
Kiel was there too, wearing a dark navy business suit. They told Johnson they were opening a new Canyon Country police station.
Johnson said he grew wary when they couldn’t answer questions about where they derived their authority, or jurisdictional issues.
“Brandon Kiel gave me a business card from the Department of Justice, showing he worked out of Kamal Harris’ office,” Johnson said. “That really raised red flags for me.”
Kiel, who was hired in July 2013 in a civil service job, “worked with members of the public basically on issues and questions regarding the work of the department,” Beltran said.
A website for the police force says the group was created by the Knights Templar in 1100 B.C.
“When asked what is the difference between the Masonic Fraternal Police Department and other Police Departments the answer is simple for us. We were here first!” the site says.
1100 B.C. would be some 2,200-odd years prior to the actual emergence of the Knights Templar, who formed during the Crusades. Crucially — as you might say — the life story of Jesus was a necessary precondition for the Crusades and the formation of the Knights Templar group.
Minor detail? You decide. In the meantime, maybe some of our conspiracy-theory cognoscenti can tell us if the lore of the Illuminati attributes to them mystical origins that predate the Christian era. However that may be, I think at least some of the heads in this image have been photoshopped. (That’s aside from the fact that one individual’s head has simply been blacked out. Perhaps because he’s a juvenile. It’s a nice, creepy touch.)
The image may not be real, but the arrests clearly were.
