First, that Pravda link did not unequivocally claim that the "Order of St. Stanislaus" or whatever it was is in fact a Masonic organization. Indeed, it went so far as to say "even if it isn't its charter is so much like the masons...." Second, the article didn't claim these guys were doing anything wrong; only that a whole buncha folks were getting their knickers knotted about the fact that they belonged to a Masonic-like organization. Third, I'm well aware of the multiplicity of rites & chapters and so on of Freemasonry. The Shriners, for example, ooh, what a badass bunch they are, providing free medical care to kids. Fourth, the Masons have been getting flak for about 300 years, partly as a result of their claimed (sometimes by them, sometimes by others) association with the Knights Templar, (q.v.) You can search the web and find all KINDS of weird-ass stuff about the Masons - do a google on "baphomet" and you'll end up crawling under the bed. The point is, none of this bullshit has ever been backed up; books have been written, sure, but books have been written about other "bad" groups too (see "The Protocols of the Elders of Zion") and there are folks like you who are willing to lend it credulity simply because you think there must be SOMETHING to it or else why are all these peopl making so much noise about it? The Masons are a harmless, service oriented fraternal order, unaffiliated with any conspiracies to rule the world, believe me. I'd be delighted to see any "credible" (ooh, there's that nasty word again), empirical evidence to the contrary.