Some of the Founding Fathers do indeed seem to have been Masons, and Washington has some interesting architecture.

But given that the Teabaggers have some very obvious funding and support, invocation of the Masons isn't necessary.

In this case I'm more amused by how transparently predatory the biz-op people are - but that's not new for biz-op culture. (Diary soon...)

The UK has different associations. The typical mainstream assumption here is that if you know the secret Masonic handshakes (etc) you're likely to be treated rather leniently by the police and judiciary, should you happen to find yourself on the wrong side of them.

A few fringe CTers have built this up into a general theory of Masonic corruption, complete with paedophile rings, soul-eating alien lizards, and a wink to the Protocols of Zion - but it all gets a bit odd at that point, and I don't usually find myself nodding along in agreement.