Skull and Bones

bibliotecapleyades.net | Feb 9th 2004

"New members of are assigned secret names, by which fellow Bonesmen will forever know them. George W was not assigned a name but invited to choose one. According to one report, nothing came to mind, so he was given the name Temporary, which, it is said, he never bothered to replace."

Conspiracy theories and hysteria surround the reporting of the influence of the society. Its rituals are said to be bizarre. Initiates must masturbate in a coffin while recounting their sexual exploits, for which they will be rewarded with a no-strings-attached gift of $15,000.

Kerry often told his fellow Bonesmen of his political ambitions. Even then, he knew he would pursue a career in public service and aim for the top.

Clark Abbott remembered a short exchange with Kerry during their first week at Yale.

"I met this tall, athletic-looking fellow from St Paul’s [an elite boarding school in New Hampshire] and I asked him: ‘What do you want to do?’" Abbott said. Kerry’s response stunned Abbott: "I’d like to be president of the United States."

Kerry worked hard and played hard at Yale. He often woke up at 5am to study and went to Pamplona in Spain to run with the bulls with classmate David Thorne.

Dean was at Yale from 1967 to 1971, the type who invited you back to his room to finish off the keg that was left over from the social events he helped organize, said friend Richard Willing, a national correspondent for newspaper USA Today.

As for politics, there were no indications that the aspiring doctor from the Upper East Side in New York was headed for a career in government.

"He was political, but he certainly wasn’t thinking about being a political office holder, let alone a president," said roommate Ralph Dawson, 54, a lawyer in New York.

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