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After today's tragic events it is very comforting to be reminded that there are many among us who demonstrate such great compassion and a desire to stand up for the rights of others.
I hope his parents are proud, because they have every right to be.
Update: I sense a trend.
Considering the hard work and honor, this says a lot. Good for him, but I don't think it will make a difference to the organization. They are "true believers" and heavily supported by LDS and other religious groups. I know there are some good local troops that support inclusion, but overall fuck the BSA and their overpriced popcorn.
ReplyDeleteThe BSA National Leadership is LDS. They worked for years to infiltrate the Scouts & when they succeeded, bigotry walked in the door.
DeleteThey've been doing the same thing with politics - enter Romney - the anointed one to fulfill Joseph Smith's White Horse Prophecy to bring the Country under the "Kingdom of Zion." And the ultra RW Dominionists will vote for him because he's "anyone but Obama." Won't they be surprised if they find themselves under a Mormon Theocracy rather that the Dominionist Theocracy they want?
As one who has spent many years devoted to Scouts and one who has completed my Woodbadge training, I salute this Eagle Scout and his bravery.
ReplyDeleteThe exclusion of any young man due to the way God made him is one of the reasons I no longer devote any time or money to Scouting.
The young man who gave up his medal is exactly the type of Eagle Scout the BSA hopes to turn out....he is the epitome of honor. Too bad those in the upper ranks of the BSA lack it.
In Scouting, boys are required to believe in a higher power, they are not required to believe in a "christian" God and therein lies the confusion.
So, the Higgs Bosun will do?
DeleteHiggs Bosun is not yet a 'theory of everything' but it is well on its way.
DeleteI applause that young man. To give back the medal he's worked so long to get in order to fight for what's right. That young man is a hero in his own right. Good luck and god bless you! My little corner of the world is proud of you.
ReplyDeleteI doubt very seriously it will have any affect! There is no backbone there any longer. No foresight. No joy in the learning. Not like there used to be. Now we have cowards who are fearful of their jobs and won't stand up to defend the people as a Republic.
ReplyDeleteYou remember what a Republic is, right? Where the government stands between the majority and the individual - to defend the rights of the individual.
They have forgotten that the oath states God AND my country!
Good for him. He doesn't need an Eagle bade to soar, he already is.
ReplyDeleteI have two sons who would have liked Scouting. Haven't ever done it because of their homophobia. Like the RCC and their misogyny, neither my support or my money will ever go to either. I refuse to be complicit in hate.
ReplyDeleteI really applaud this young man! Perhaps he'll start a trend. My son is 32 and was/is an Eagle Scout. That actually landed him a couple of jobs. I need to discuss this with him. What would the BSA do if a large percentage of their Eagle Scouts did the same thing this young man did?
ReplyDeleteWould you ask your son to give back his Eagle Scout deal if it meant a good job offer
DeleteAnonymous 8:08 - That is exactly the attitude which keeps us locked into getting NO change for the better.
DeleteFear should not prevent us from doing what is right. It should drive us harder!
When good people speak out positive change is possible.
ReplyDeleteWell done Eagle Scouts, Cizmar and Morrison!
The Question of the Day on MSN the other day asked whether the BSA should be allowed to ban gays as members or leaders. I was dumbfounded when the vote total showed an overwhelming % saying 'yes'.
ReplyDeleteNo doubt the poll was spammed.
DeletePaylin may claim polls are for strippers, but according to Frank Bailey, $arah shamelessly recruited her own FUCKING staff to spam polls in Alaska.
DeleteNo doubt, the same was done there.
I am waiting for an Eagle Scout to not only return the medal, but to go on Youtube with a video, and have it go viral.
Delete100 years from now people in the USA will read the shameful history of a time
and shake their heads that such a travesty could have happened.
They will read in their history how we sanctioned slavery, repressed women, believed in segregation by race, by creed, by sexual orientation, and be in total disbelief that such things were the norm.
"Should they be allowed to" and "should they" are very different questions.
DeleteI know many liberals who push there kids to become Eagle Scouts because it looks good on their resume.
ReplyDeleteSUUUUUUUUUUUUUUURE you do.
DeleteYou sound JUST like the kind of person who "knows many liberals."
NOT.
Dumbass.
I doubt you know many people well enough to know something like that. A million other things look good on resumes. Once a boy gets to that level, he has to be self-motivated. A parent's pressure isn't going to do anything.
Deletethere kids *dead giveaway*
DeleteStay calm and carry on...
It's lonely being you, isn't it?
DeleteFour years ago my son wanted to go into cub scouts but we put him into Kung Fu instead because of their homophobia. The other day he said he was glad we did!
ReplyDelete"History will shame you."
ReplyDeleteMan, that is as heavy as it is well-put.
I commend these young men for the courage of their convictions. They put a lot of hard work in to get to that level, it's a lot to sacrifice.
ReplyDeleteI hope this trend continues!
my son was kicked out because he didn't belong to a church.
ReplyDeleteThe BSA have always been exclusive and a religious group. They met in the church basement.
Shame on them for discriminating against so many children.
That wasn't the BSA that kicked your son out, that was the church group, and they should have been reported to the District. There are decent Troops that are sponsored by Rotary Clubs, Elks Lodges, PTAs, and those are the REAL Boy Scout Troops. The church ones are generally run by the church for the church as their youth "outreach" (indoctrination) group.
Deletei honestly believe there is a change happening when all race and sex are equal,we as american public can make that happen with our right to vote
ReplyDeleteVoting will help, but regardless, the change will happen. It has in the past and will again.
DeleteHistory is well-documented for repeating itself.
On the issue of gays, I'm just glad we're entering an age of enlightenment.
I think you're right 6:22. All my kids (straight) have gay friends and it's no big deal. One of them lived in a gay neighborhood in a large city and loved the diversity she found there. No big deal.
DeleteBoth my children have friends with same sex parents and my kids don't have a second thought about (some people have a mom and a dad, some people have two moms or two dads, etc).
DeleteMy son earned the Eagle Rank in 2002, and it is indeed a proud moment. He left his Troop shortly after that, but his dad and I remained active in the Scouting community for an additional 8 years. Our primary concern was that the LDS "church" had literally taken over Scouting. It was and is their weekly youth activity. Their numbers are HUGE because every young man registered with a Stake is enrolled in Scouting on his 11th birthday, and every year like clockwork they are advanced to the next rank regardless of their activity. Eagle Scout Service Projects are planned for them by Stake leaders, and sometimes carried out for them by Stake leaders. They made a mockery of what it means to be an Eagle Scout. Virtually all LDS boys become an Eagle Scout when they turn 18.
ReplyDeleteI like to think that we made a difference in that community. We left when the District finally agreed that the largest Stake/Troop in the District had to stop doing Eagle Scout projects on their church property and that it had to benefit the community outside of their Stake. It literally took the entire 8 years to fight that battle.
Why is BSA anti-gay? The only people in BSA in my area who cared about that were the Mormons, and they had wormed their way up to the highest volunteer positions in the State. Mormons gonna hate.
It is admirable of these young men to stand by their principles.
ReplyDeleteI believe that in many things, Eagle Scout being only one, you don't do it for the medal, the degree, the certificate, the trophy. You do it for yourself. These men accomplished this and they don't need a medal or anything from the Boy Scouts of America to remind them of this. Medals and trophies are to other people. Tangible proof. These young men don't need to prove anything to anyone. In fact, their returning of their medals in such a manner is further proof that they didn't do this for status or for the approval of others. They not only attained the level of Eagle Scout for themselves, but went beyond that and have denounced the level of Eagle Scout for others. That puts them on a plane way above Eagle Scout.
Is there an Angel Scout?
Those letters were very moving. I applaud their initiative and sense of honor. I'm very proud of my Lifetime Membership in the Girl Scouts and especially glad that GSA does not discriminate based on sexual orientation.
ReplyDeleteSeparately, I had no idea that the Mormon Church was so tied up with BSA. The way they handle the Eagle project is outrageous. It diminishes the value of all Eagle awards. It's disgraceful.
I am an active member of the LDS Church. My oldest son is an Eagle Scout and very proud of it. My second olders son is sitting next to me, typing up his Eagle Scout project that he has been working on for over a year. No one did anything on his project for him and in my 30 years as a Mormon (I am a convert from Catholicism) I have never seen a Stake or Ward do an Eagle project for anyone. Yes, the members of the Church help out with the project on the day (or days) that it is accomplished, but that is true for all Eagle Scout projects. The local BSA leadership makes it harder on LDS kids to complete their Eagle projects because they share some of the same biases that you all do. And guess who has to suffer? My sons and the other LDS scouts. So, please take your hippocritical Mormon bashing somewhere else. You are doing exactly the same thing to the Mormon kids that you claim the BSA does to you. My name is Mark Gorman. I am not an Eagle Scout, but I am proud of my sons for spending hundreds, let me repeat HUNDREDS of hours working on their Eagle projects. And that is something you will never take away from them. Now, go ahead and delete my comment. I understand that you are not looking for the truth. You just want to grind your ax.
DeleteOn my honor, I will do my best
ReplyDeleteTo do my duty to God and my country and to obey the Scout Law;
To help other people at all times;
To keep myself physically strong, mentally awake and morally straight.
Our troop, 502 in Amherst, Ma was nothing but a holding pen for the child abuser scout master, George Roswenc. Although I have never said anything about this to anyone, I can't believe this went on without anyone knowing or doing anything about it. The Boy Scouts should be ashamed.
ReplyDeleteIs that true? My brothers and I were in 502 for years and did not sense anything like that. What years were you in? Man that would shock me about George.
DeleteIt was very true and worse than you can imagine . He destroyed many young lives. I was one.
DeleteI, too, had early experiences with George, from approximately 1964-1966. Now, on a quest to better understand some things I've found online articles confirming the rumors that his wife killed their two sons & attempted suicide in 1957. I have to believe that, however totally misguided, she was trying to protect them from him. Charlie, if you have any interest in a 'long after the fact' conversation, reply to this and I'll find you.
DeleteI was in 502 from 1970 to1975. George was horrible pedophile. He raped and worse the scouts as a reward. Being taken into the green cabin was prestigious. What happened secret. I would track him and kill like a dog today if he wasn't already dead.
ReplyDelete