The Girl Scouts are brilliant.

Get some Girl Scout Cookies with your GSC today until 4pm! 🍃🍪 Have a friend that wants to #tagalong? Bring them with - shopping is more fun with friends anyways. 👭👬👫

A post shared by Urbn Leaf (@urbnleafca) on Feb 2, 2018 at 1:43pm PST

Courtesy of Raw Story: 

One enterprising Girl Scout saw that Girl Scout cookie season started around the same time as California legalized recreational marijuana and had an idea. 

She set up shop outside the Urbn Leaf marijuana dispensary in San Diego and sold her treats to customers who were about to have the munchies anyway, with the blessing of the store, KGTV-10 reported.

The store cleverly encouraged people to buy Girl Scout cookies from the girl after they bought GSC (a weed strain named after Girl Scout cookies) from the store. The scheme was a success, as the scout sold more than 300 boxes of Girl Scout cookies to Urbn Leaf customers who wanted something to snack on after they lit up later. 

Officially, the Girl Scouts are not huge fans of this practice, which has happened a few times since marijuana legalization has become more and more popular around the United States. The Colorado chapter forbids its scouts from selling outside of dispensaries, but the organization told the Los Angeles Times in 2014 that the rules vary by region.

Yeah, "officially" they are not for the practice, but you know they loved getting all of that sweet, sweet, stoner money. 

Some day this young lady will be running a Fortune 500 company, you wait and see.

The Boy Scouts will now allow girls to join.

Courtesy of NBC News:  

The Boy Scouts of America announced on Wednesday that girls will soon be allowed to become Cub Scouts and to earn the coveted rank of Eagle Scout, the organization’s highest honor. 

"We believe it is critical to evolve how our programs meet the needs of families interested in positive and lifelong experiences for their children," said Michael Surbaugh, chief executive of the Boy Scouts. 

The scouting board of directors voted unanimously to make the historic change in an organization that has been primarily for boys since its founding more than 100 years ago.

Starting next year, young girls can join Cub Scout units, known as dens. Local scouting organizations can choose to have dens for girls and dens for boys. "Cub Scout dens will be single-gender — all boys or all girls," the organization said in a statement. 

A separate program for older girls will be available in 2019, the Boy Scouts said, enabling them to earn the rank of Eagle Scout.

Lots of progressives are really excited about this, and of course the conservatives are in a snit, but is it really a good thing?

When I was a kid and joined the Boy Scouts my complaint against them was that they were too militaristic, and at a time of protests against the Vietnam War I was simply uncomfortable in that environment.

However these days the Boy Scouts have devolved into an indoctrination program seemingly focused on bringing children into the religious fold.

I much prefer the philosophy of the Girl Scouts which is more clearly focused on helping their communities, learning useful skills, and of course cookies. (God I love their cookies!)

Besides the Girl Scouts have been allowing boys to join since 2011.

And by the way the Girl Scouts are not in any way thrilled with this new policy.

Courtesy of ABC News:  

The Girl Scouts of the USA has issued a blistering rebuke of the Boy Scouts of America's decision to begin letting girls into the ranks of its troops. 

"The Boy Scouts' house is on fire," Girl Scouts told ABC News in a statement today. "Instead of addressing systemic issues of continuing sexual assault, financial mismanagement and deficient programming, BSA's senior management wants to add an accelerant to the house fire by recruiting girls."

Yeah, exactly. 

No if the Boy Scouts want to signal a real change, they should give up their charters, let the Girl Scouts absorb them, and start learning some real skills in how to be positive contributing members of society.

Oh, and learn to make cookies too. (Damn I love those cookies!)

Okay I think we can all agree, the Girl Scouts are pretty awesome.

Courtesy of CNN Money: 

The organization on Tuesday announced it is adding 23 new badges related to science, technology, engineering, math and the outdoors. 

Girl Scouts can now earn badges through activities like programming robots, designing model race cars, writing code and going on environmentally conscious camping trips. 

The Girl Scouts of the USA, founded in 1912, has created badges with the help of organizations like Code.org, SciStarter, GoldieBlox and the Society of Women Engineers.

The new experiences are meant to address "the lack of exposure many girls have to STEM," Girl Scouts CEO Sylvia Acevedo told CNN Tech in an email. 

The new STEM badges come a month after the organization added cybersecurity badges. Those badges will be available to girls in kindergarten through 12th grade over the next two years.

Gee support for young girls to pursue their interests in science and technology without all of that religious baggage that the Boy Scouts are burdened by.

And here we thought they were just a front for a cookie selling operation.

St. Louis Archbishop wants to kick the Girl Scouts off of church property because essentially they do not hate on women and gays nearly enough.

Courtesy of St. Louis Post-Dispatch:  

St. Louis Archbishop Robert Carlson has issued a letter calling on parishes to seek alternatives to Girl Scouts, arguing that the program and related organizations conflict with Roman Catholic teaching. 

The Archdiocese of St. Louis isn’t directly kicking Girl Scout troops and activities off church properties (Yes he is.), but is suggesting they and their cookies may no longer be welcome in the fold. 

“Girl Scouts is exhibiting a troubling pattern of behavior and it is clear to me that as they move in the ways of the world it is becoming increasingly incompatible with our Catholic values,” Carlson wrote in a letter dated Thursday. “We must stop and ask ourselves — is Girl Scouts concerned with the total well-being of our young women? Does it do a good job forming the spiritual, emotional, and personal well-being of Catholic girls?” 

The letter said issues such as reproductive rights and abortion separate the church from Girl Scouts and related organizations. 

The letter was a disappointment to Girl Scouts of Eastern Missouri CEO Bonnie Barczykowski, who said by email Friday the organization “has enjoyed a history of cooperation with the Archdiocese of St. Louis for almost 100 years.”

"Well you had a good hundred year run Girl Scouts, but if you insist on being so damn reasonable you are going to have to get the fuck off of church property right now. But hey, leave some of those delightful cookies."anti-a

Personally I think that the Girl Scouts should remove themselves from church property, but not because this Archbishop is so intolerant, but because the Catholic Church is bulging at the seams with pedophiles.

The Comforter-in-Chief.

Girl Scouts were evacuated from the White House lawn due to a storm. But first: group hug http://t.co/kusNeWsojz pic.twitter.com/oHPx7BhFOQ

— CNN Politics (@CNNPolitics) July 1, 2015

Courtesy of CNN:  

The Girl Scouts ended up sleeping in the Eisenhower Executive Office Building, according to a White House official. 

But before the weather took a turn, the Girl Scouts sang campfires songs like "Love Being a girl Scout" with the President and the First Lady, practiced pitching tents, tying knots, and got a star-gazing lesson from NASA astronaut Cady Coleman. 

As the President got ready to leave for the night, he told the girls "You guys are having so much fun, but unfortunately, I've got to go to work." 

Some Girl Scouts were not pleased but Obama quickly added "but we can have a group hug," and all fifty scouts swarmed around him.

Hey just for fun imagine these Girl Scouts wanting to hug ANY of the current crop of GOP hopefuls.

Ted Cruz?

Lindsey Graham?

Little Rand Paul?

Donald Trump?

Yeah I wouldn't let my daughter anywhere near Donald Trump!

No I think the hug-ability factor would drop significantly if any of these guys were to take up residence in the White House.

 

Girl Scouts openly accept transgendered children. Just another reason why the Girl Scouts are far superior to the Boy Scouts these days.

This from the FAQ page of Girl Scouts.org: 

Q: What is Girl Scouts' position on serving transgender youth? 

A: Girl Scouts is proud to be the premiere leadership organization for girls in the country. Placement of transgender youth is handled on a case-by-case basis, with the welfare and best interests of the child and the members of the troop/group in question a top priority. That said, if the child is recognized by the family and school/community as a girl and lives culturally as a girl, then Girl Scouts is an organization that can serve her in a setting that is both emotionally and physically safe.

Well that is certainly light years away from the homophobic attitudes expressed by the Boy Scouts, now isn't it?

I also found this on the FAQ page:

Q: Does Girl Scouting support families of faith? A: Yes. Girl Scouting supports girls from all backgrounds and beliefs. While we are a secular organization that refrains from teaching religious or spiritual beliefs or practices, we believe that the motivating force in Girl Scouting is a spiritual one, and we greatly value our longstanding partnerships with religious organizations across many faiths that share the values of the Girl Scout Promise and Law.

Damn, I may have to buy extra boxes of thin mints this next time around. 

(H/T to danthropology.)

President Obama wears crown. Republican heads heads to explode in 3..2..oh let's face it they're still all 'sploded from the last thing he did.

Courtesy of Politico:  

Sporting a tiara in a photo posted Wednesday, President Barack Obama seems to have broken his own rule of “you don’t put stuff on your head if you’re president.” 

But that’s the power of the Girl Scouts.

White House photographer Pete Souza shared a photo on Instagram on Wednesday of the president donning a tiara with a group of Girl Scouts from the White House Science Fair earlier this year in May. In the caption, Souza wrote the girls from Tulsa “convinced” Obama to join in on the fun. 

Yeah let me tell you as the father of a daughter of my own, little girls can talk dads into doing ANYTHING.

I myself have attended more than one tea party where the only other attendees were my daughter and her stuffed animal collection. (Sat in chairs so tiny that my knees were up my nose the entire time.)

Personally I like Michael Cohen's take on this:

There's really no getting around the fact that Obama no longer gives a f**k: pic.twitter.com/NVtjsUD9Uj
— Michael Cohen (@speechboy71) December 24, 2014

And let's hope he spends the rest of his presidency not giving a f**k. (You know about conservative opinions, not the American people.)

P.S. Don't bother pointing out the difference between tiaras and crowns, like I said I have a daughter.

I just thought the word "crown" made a better headline. 

Man stands his ground against Girl Scout. Oh the Founding Fathers would be SO proud!

Courtesy of Riverside Country Sheriff's Department:

On February 2, 2014, officers from the Temecula Police Department responded to the 31000 block of Strawberry Tree Lane, in the city of Temecula in regard to an assault with a deadly weapon. The victim, who is a minor, was going door-to-door selling cookies. When the victim knocked on the suspect’s door, he opened the door and pointed a gun at her. The victim’s father witnessed the incident and called the police. The suspect was identified as John Dodrill, age 59 of Temecula. Officers took him into custody without incident and seized the weapon as evidence.

Yeah you know you can simply say you don't want any cookies and the little girls will just walk away. You don't actually have to chase them off with a gun.

Of course that was before they started demonstrating respect for Wendy Davis and scared these idiots out of their 2nd Amendment loving minds.

Anti-choice groups decide to boycott Girl Scout cookies because the Girl Scouts don't hate Wendy Davis.

Courtesy of Think Progress:  

Toward the end of December, Girl Scout USA’s official Twitter account tweeted out a Huffington Post story about the inspiring individuals who should be considered to be 2013′s “women of the year.” The article included figures like Beyonce, Malala Yousafzai, and Wendy Davis — and the organization asked its followers who else should be added to the list of “incredible ladies.” That was enough for anti-choice activists to call for a national boycott of the organization’s popular cookies, claiming the Girl Scouts have endorsed “pro-abortion politician Wendy Davis.” 

“We’re asking you to boycott Girl Scout cookies in 2014,” reads a new site dedicated to the boycott, explaining that Davis should not be lifted up as a “worthy role model for our children.” The same accusation is being leveled against the group in regards to HHS Secretary Kathleen Sebelius, who was included in a different news article about influential U.S. women that the Girl Scouts shared on its Facebook page. 

The controversy has been building for several weeks. At the beginning of this month, Fox News’ Megyn Kelly hosted a panel discussion about the organization’s tweet. Panelists suggested that sharing any material related to Davis violates the Girl Scouts’ policy to remain uninvolved in politics.

I'm confused, I didn't know the LAST Girl Scout cookie boycott was over, that was launched in response to their supposed ties to Planned Parenthood.

And we all know how well THAT worked out.

Well I for one am going to purchase several boxes of Girl Scout cookies to go along with my donation to the Wendy Davis for Governor campaign.

Ellen scolds the Boy Scouts for not allowing gay members.

You know what I like about Ellen DeGeneres? She can get very upset about something but always seem so reasonable.

It seems she is constantly under attack by one fake million member group or another but she just stands there saying completely reasonable things, and asking people to be reasonable with her, and it just makes those on the other side seem...oh what's the word for it? Oh it will come to me later.

And of course this time she is right again.  None of us can truly rejoice in our many freedoms if they are not shared by ALL of us.

Catholic opinion piece attempts to damn the Girl Scouts of America for being TOO progressive, may in fact have just written the best endorsement for joining that organization ever!

This is an excerpt from an opinion piece written by a female contributor for Catholic Online:  

What I've learned over the last year tells me that the Girl Scouts organization has taken a very liberal feminist and pro-homosexual turn, and more disturbing, a sharp turn away from acknowledging God. For example, since 1993 the Girl Scouts USA curriculum now reads, "Girl Scouts of the USA makes no attempt to define or interpret the word "God" in the Girl Scout Promise. It looks to individual members to establish for themselves the nature of their spiritual beliefs. When making the Girl Scout promise, individuals may substitute wording appropriate to their own beliefs for the word "God." 

While many will argue that Girl Scouts is simply respecting the beliefs or non-beliefs of its members, who come from varied backgrounds, this "tolerant" oath denies the One True God, allowing a girl to swear her oath to a tree or an animal or anything else she chooses to substitute for the word "God." 

I'm also disturbed by the treatment of our nation's flag at the 2008 Girl Scout National Council Session and Convention. The traditional flag ceremony was trashed, as was the playing of our National Anthem. Flags of all nations were brought in bunched together to Chicago and Earth, Wind and Fire tunes. That just doesn't' sit well with this Army wife. 

My greatest concern lies with the Girl Scouts curriculum called "Journeys." This new program steadily leads the girls down a path of moral relativism toward the New Age. (An excellent review of "Journeys" can be read here.) Having read through the highlights on the Girl Scouts website, I'm left with the distinct impression I've just joined a Zen-yoga, environmental, defeat global warming, free choice, girl-power, modern feminist think-tank. There's lots of talk about "women's issues", environmental issues, empowerment, and the new "globalism", but no mention of God and very little of country. 

By the time the girls reach grades nine and ten, they are introduced to "Girltopia." This book emphasizes the disparity between the sexes, particularly when it comes to jobs and wages, and asks, "How could everyone create a Girltopia?" The text then praises three different books on the subject of utopias, including, "The Gate to Women's Country," by feminist author Sheri S. Tepper, who also happens to be the Executive Director of Rocky Mountain Planned Parenthood. 

In grades 11 and 12, the curriculum is called "Your Voice, Your World: The Power of Advocacy." The most disturbing part is that at the bottom of each page is a "Voice for Good" featuring women meant to be role models for the girls to follow. More than 50 women are named, and only 3 are women of faith, including Mother Teresa. 

Mainly, these "role models" are feminists, lesbians, existentialists, communists, and Marxists.

Now if you are anything like me you are right now thinking, "Holy crap I just thought the Girl Scouts made kick ass cookies, but this organization is awesome!"  Which undoubtedly is NOT the response this author was hoping to inspire.

Of course while this is taking place within the Girl Scouts, the Boy Scouts are actively pushing a fundamentalist Christian agenda that does not accept ANY deviations from their strict interpretations of human love or morality.

While the Girl Scouts are promoting openness, progress, and nonconformity, the Boy Scouts are stressing obedience, militarism, and conformity. Today there are lifelong scouts being driven from this organization due to their biology, while everywhere else in the country their sexuality is increasingly becoming a non-issue.

This has inspired me to ask the question, what the hell is wrong with the males in this country?

Why does it seem that we, as a whole, are ALWAYS several beats behind the women when it comes to accepting change, or moving forward in our thinking?

Yes I know that we are not monolithic. There are of course VERY progressive men, just like there are many close minded (This author for example) women out there who would give even the most Neanderthal like man a run for his money when it comes to prejudicial thinking.

But as a whole it just seems that we are always taking up the rear, and I for one am goddamn sick and tired of it!

Women are the most ardent supporters of health care reform in this country, the most vocally anti-war, and the most open to embracing new ideas and differing points of view. No WONDER there are so few of them in the RNC!

If my daughter was a little younger I would sign her up for the Girls Scouts immediately. But if I had a son I would definitely suggest another, less antiquated,  organization than the Boy Scouts of America for him to join.

However you know that progress is coming. And someday, despite how hard they fight against it, the Boy Scouts WILL open up and become the welcoming, progressive, and open minded organization that EVERY boy in this country deserves the opportunity to join.