The Boy Scouts of America will accept openly gay youths starting on New Year's Day, a historic change that has prompted the BSA to ponder a host of potential complications — ranging from policies on tentmates and showers to whether Scouts can march in gay pride parades.
Some churches are dropping their sponsorship of Scout units because of the new policy and some families are switching to a new conservative alternative called Trail Life USA. But massive defections haven't materialized and most major sponsors, including the Roman Catholic and Mormon churches, are maintaining ties.
"There hasn't been a whole lot of fallout," said Haddock, a lawyer from Wichita, Kan. "If a church said they wouldn't work with us, we'd have a church right down the street say, 'We'll take the troop.'"
Of course the Boy Scouts have already openly accepted the idea of LGBT members as demonstrated by the fact that Sand Lake City Boy Scouts brought pizza to city workers who were working through lunch to process marriage licenses for gay couples.
I think this is going to be a REALLY big year for progressive agendas.
I just feel that in my bones.
My liberal, liberal bones.
Franky, if I were a parent, my son would never go near a Boy Scout troop. Our son never had the slightest interest in that organization. We had a gungho leader at our church, whose sons had to follow daddy. Funny thing. Daddy cheated on his wife with her sister, and he went from a leader at church and in the BSA, to a guy who lost his high-powered job and had to leave town. Their daughter got into drugs. Mom and daughter live in yet another state. Daddy Leader married the sister. Ah yes. Christian family values on display yet again. And I bet if the guy is still involved with BSA, he is against this change. But i'm sure he's just a bad apple.
ReplyDeleteRegardless, I'm glad my son never got hooked up with a group like this. He was in band, got a great education at a Big 10 school, and is an engineer for a major chem company who has gotten four promotions in the past two years. His kids are great students and awesome people, and he loves his wife of 9 years passionately.
I guess that you can find disastrous human beings in any organization. You know, because us flawed humans make up those organizations. Though I've never been a joiner and am not a christian I know many people who loved the Boy and Girls Scouts and participated in them for many years. A few of them are good christians(I know one when I see one), a couple I wouldn't let walk my dead dog--- but most are now amazing adults. Just as I'm sure there are many on the opposite spectrum who are messed up who had participated in one way or another in scouts
Delete(like the no walking of my dead dog pair.)
But I have so much respect for the Eagle Scouts who turned in their badges to protest the homophobic views the scouts were perpetuating.
There will always be those who shame their organizations, parties, families, professions, religions ----what have you.. I suppose sometimes it makes us cynical. I know I am. But I am trying not to let it overwhelm me. Sadly, drugs, marital indiscretion, broken families , etc., happens—everywhere, and in families without one boy scout in them.
Lets just hope for better humans all the way around
who take on the responsibility of being a mirror for our children. And it reminds us to be our own children's mirrors first. You seem to have done one hell of a job with your own child who seems to be a GDI and making the earth a better place.
Ok, Pollyanna rant is over.
Peace.
Not a big deal, really; it isn't anything new. The wheel of history is just turning and once more there will be change.
ReplyDeleteObviously the world didn't end before and it won't end now, much to the surprise of bigots everywhere.
With mid-terms on the horizon, I expect the crazy to be ramped up to critical mass. One can only hope that by November the voting public will have had enough and toss the loons out on their collective ears.
ReplyDeleteWe had a huge disagreement with the BSA in Philadelphia. They "rented" a building and land for a dollar a year since 1928. This was when the BSA wouldn't allow gay troop leaders, the city was forced to stop the cushy treatment because it's unconstitutional for the city to support any group that discriminates, and somehow they survived. More here:
ReplyDeletehttp://articles.philly.com/2007-10-18/news/25233556_1_liberty-council-local-scout-council-expressive-association
They also discriminate against people who have no faith, making the kids pledge to live by God's rules, etc. etc.
I think they'll survive this new change, What's great about this country is if you don't like an organization, you shouldn't have to support them. I wish they collected back rent, 199,999 k a year isn't chump change, and could have gone to some other organization that provides activities and role models for kids.