THE ASHLEY CODE

A simple mailer sent out by the North Greenbush Democrats Club for their June 5 fundraiser? Or something more sinister?

At first blush the mailer for the NG Democrats Club seems harmless enough. They want to raise money to support their candidates. To that end they are sponsoring a golf outing. A closer look reveals what can only be characterized as disturbing imagery.

1. Sponsered - The event is not sponsored but "sponsered." A spelling error or an anagram for "red spoons?"

2. The Golfer - A white line just below the golfer's waist makes it appear that his pants are falling down. Is someone's ass going to be left hanging out in the breeze or is it a copier flaw?

3. The golf tee isn't planted in the ground but instead hovers eerily above the ground. Not only that, but the size of the tee and ball is grossly out of proportion to the golfer. Can a club that small drive a ball of that size?

4. The golf ball has a name, Dan, and the golfer is poised to drive the ball (or Dan) to the hole.

5. The green and flag are tiny. Is this intentional or a crude attempt at perspective. And what to make of the ominous crow (or raven) perched on the flag. If the flag and green are small because they are in the distance, the raven (or crow) must be enormous. Does Poe hold the answer? In Norse mythology the raven is a symbol of wisdom. In Native American tradition the raven is the trickster, a cunning, unbeatable foe. In Stephen King's The Stand, the Crow is Randall Flagg, a sort of devil.

6. A fluffy, white cloud floats over the hole. Just beneath it, however, a black cloud! What does this daring juxtaposition tell us? Is a storm on the horizon? Did they run out of white?

7. Who is Mark Primo? Another spelling error or a reference to the gospels (Mark 1). Which verse?

We don't have the answers but something tells us the Freemasons are involved.