I belong to a fraternal order whose dreams of global domination have resulted in nothing but success upon unchecked success

Incidentally we're also selling shares in a bridge that connects Manhattan to Brooklyn, as well as some delightful time shares in the Everglades as part of a fundraiser for our next big project.

It's been an epic 14 years since the ushering in of Our Millennium®, hasn't it dear brothers and sisters?

A special belated thanks to those who helped bail water out of the basement of our crowing achievement, One World Tower. It was ironic that such an unprecedented weather event ushered in the unveiling of our architectural representation of the human consciousness rising above the elements. [I hope they solve the mold problem before it circulates throughout the building for the next 22 years or so.]

In fact, it hasn't been a good couple of years for our favorite symbolic monuments. Of course there was the earthquake damage to our favorite obelisk down in DC which we kept muted until it was time to erect scaffolding to make repairs. And then the same hurricane that flooded lower Manhattan (the aforementioned tower and wall street, too) did a real number on Ellis Island. Shut that tourist attraction down for 9 months, if I recall correctly.

If we were superstitious — instead of Illuminated — we'd think the universe was taking some shots directly at us and our symbols. But that's probably just remnants of the outdated mental mechanism called 'conscience' nagging at us.

Some people just don't realize that destruction always must precede creation, and how can we build an important symbolic tower without clearing a bit of prime real estate first? We'' leave it to the unenlightened to debate antiquated concepts such as morality and constitutional law.

But I digress. We are Lions, not Lambs. We always get our way, except when we don't. Then we whine online like spoiled little psychotic brats.