Another worrisome aspect of the hand signal

No idea.  If there was one it would have likely been along the lines of the Skull & Bones, Higher Degree Masoni or Bohemian Grove kind of ritual.

Back to those hand signs - another thing strikes me as odd about them is how they seem to be used by so many major leaders and figures all over the world but, short of Longhorn fans and ASL users, almost never see it in everyday life.  The mere fact that this is a signal popular among the elite and the powerful is to me plenty of reason to worry.  It is obviously something known and used mostly by a rather exclusive group (especially the signal that does not have the thumb to the side and thus is neither a Longhorn sign nor an ASL love message).

Whatever and whoever the group is that use these signs, it seems pretty clear that the rest of us are outsiders.

DQ