Posted on 01/18/2012 4:03:31 PM PST by Morgana
anuary 18, 2012 (LifeSiteNews.com) - Cathy Ruse’s article yesterday urging pro-life and pro-family advocates not to buy Girl Scouts of America (GSA) cookies, both because of the organization’s ties to Planned Parenthood and an overall “progressive” agenda, has ignited quite the debate. Not only is the article LifeSiteNews’ most read article of the week, it has also drawn an enormous amount of commentary, both supportive and critical.
Lots of readers agree that GSA’s ties to Planned Parenthood disqualify its cookie initiative from receiving support, while others argue it’s unfair to tar the whole organization with the actions of some GSA bureaucrats and councils, pointing out that the pro-abortion activism doesn’t necessarily (and often doesn’t) filter down to many of the individual troops, which still do a lot of good. One impassioned reader wrote:
I am a Girl Scout leader and I can attest to the fact that I have never heard of any comments about pro-choice or abortion rights from my council or anyone else in the organization and this is certainly not talked about with the girls. We are an all volunteer organization and there are some people that have made mistakes with certain topics, but we are not all that way and certainly do not all support abortion.
The first thing worth noting is that Cathy didn’t say Girl Scouts should get no support at all, but confined her remarks to the cookie sale, pointing out that most of the funds don’t even go to the local troop (troops receive as little as 10% of the profit). Instead, they fund Girl Scout councils or the head office, where the problems originate.
Hence the question that immediately occurred to me after reading Cathy’s article was, would it be all right to directly support your local girl scout troop, in lieu of buying cookies?
But the whole thing might remind some of the “fungibility” problem we see in the Planned Parenthood tax-funding debate: even though they are technically forbidden from using our money for the objectionable stuff (i.e. abortions), any support at all means we’re freeing up money for the organization to do those things we disagree with. Some might say this is what funding any part of GSA amounts to as well.
However, I’m not sure I buy that, since Girl Scouts isn’t a business the way Planned Parenthood is: it’s an organization with largely autonomous troops, with the character of the individual troops largely determined by volunteer troop leaders and the girls in the troop. The direct financial relationship between the cookies initiative and the GSA hierarchy is obvious: but I see no such relationship when giving money to a local troop. Will such money end up at the head office, and ultimately at Planned Parenthood? It seems unlikely.
In fact, to me there might be a valid argument that getting involved with and supporting your local Girl Scout troop is a good way to protect it from some of the nonsense coming from head office. Of course, if you know that the leadership of your local troop is already taking its cues on social issues from head office, then it might be better not to support that troop, and to support an alternative, unless it looks like there is some hope for change in the troop.
My fear is that in this case the “spotlight fallacy” may be at work: that is, we may be judging the whole organization based upon a few high-profile instances of pro-abortion activism by a small, if powerful, segment of the organization. But just because the GSA leadership is promoting abortion rights at the UN doesn’t mean that your local troop has in any way contributed to that initiative.
Hence, the question seems to come down to just how systemic the rot in GSA is. Is it so widespread that the whole organization is compromised, or is it contained enough that we can work in good conscience with the good sections, ensuring that no anti-life rot enters into them, and perhaps pushing the rot further back?
A 2004 survey conducted by STOPP International gives us some information on this question. That survey found that around 25% of councils who responded to the survey said they were partnering with Planned Parenthood in some way. That’s a considerable number. However, only 65 out of 249 councils responded to the survey, leaving the vast majority of them unaccounted for. And keep in mind that these are councils rather than individual troops, which are even more numerous.
Personally, I would like to see more information before I make up my mind about GSA. I absolutely condemn the anti-life actions that have been performed in GSA’s name by its members, and I condemn any partnership of any kind with Planned Parenthood, but I must ask, is there still some way that we can in good conscience support GSA, or is it beyond hope?
What do you think?
Some links with more info about Girl Scouts’ anti-life activism:
100 Questions for Girl Scouts
As noted in the Girl Scouts and Pro-Abortion WAGGGS section, GSUSA also supports abortion rights through their membership in, substantial funding of, and close relationship with the World Association of Girl Guides and Girl Scouts (WAGGGS), which aggressively promotes accessible, affordable and safe abortions.
Girl Scouts partner with Planned Parenthood:
On March 5th [2004] Kathy Cloninger, CEO of the Girl Scouts of America, appeared on NBC’s “Today” show to discuss the boycott. … Cloninger explained that Girl Scouts of America addresses the challenges girls face in today’s world, including issues regarding sexuality and body image. She then added, “We partner with many organizations. We have relationships with our church communities, with YWCAs, and with Planned Parenthood organizations across the country, to bring information-based sex education programs to girls.”
It is the same cookies, made by the same company which is Keibler, it is only packaged as a store brand.
At Dollar General it is packaged under the name "Clover Valley". Not sure about Family Dollar.
I have had the GD and FD cookies and they taste exactly the same.
For the record they are cheaper at both stores too. About $1.80 per box compared to about $4.00 by the Girl Scouts.
It’s time to stop supporting Leftist organizations such as the Girl Scouts and AARP and join alternative ones.
It’s immaterial if the local troops have nothing to do with supporting Planned Parenthood or the abortion agenda directly. The local troops support the national organization, so they are supporting the agenda just the same. Since they’ve taken no action on their own to rectify that, obviously the only thing that will spur them to action is outside pressure. If they don’t like it, then they need to complain to the source of the problem, the national organization, not to those applying the pressure.
Local troops have spread the message of Planned Parenthood to the girls by way of birth control and abortion. Think they will have a baby killing badge for that?
(I’m walking up to a place of business where Girl Scouts are selling cookies.)
Girl Scouts: “Would you like to buy some Girl Scout cookies, Mister?”
Me: “I’m so sorry, ladies, but I won’t be purchasing Girl Scout cookies anymore even though they are very tasty!”
Girl Scouts: “Why not?”
Me: “Because GSHQ now allows boys who dress like girls to become Girl Scouts. Plus, the people at GSHQ like to kill babies with the help of Planned Parenthood. You can always join the American Heritage Girls who don’t think that way.”
Saying it that way would freak the girls out and more than likely upset the troop Mother. Then I’d give the troop mother the websites where she can find out more information.
http://www.100questionsforthegirlscouts.org/100/
http://www.ahgonline.org/
A second chance? Sure, I’m always willing to give folks a second chance.
Let ‘em discontinue and disavow their evil ways, and I’ll start buying their cookies again.
“Me: “Because GSHQ now allows boys who dress like girls to become Girl Scouts. Plus, the people at GSHQ like to kill babies with the help of Planned Parenthood. You can always join the American Heritage Girls who don’t think that way.””
Sometimes they need to be told the truth. Never mind the looks from the mothers, more than likely they aborted either the girl’s brother or sister or else they would not give you a dirty look.
Girl Scouts anymore is merely a front organization for radical lesbians who use the group to shield their predation on young girls.
I know this from personal experience.
I won’t buy their cookies and I certainly won’t support their organization anymore than I would support NAMBLA if they sold overpriced cookies.
Well to be fair regarding the $4 price. Part of the proceeds go to the GSOA. But on the other hand ....
why would local GS troops need to replicate what the kids already get in school and often in church, too? (sarc)
BTW, what an uninformed irrational comment.
I will give the local girls the $4.00 and tell them to send the cookies back to the national Organisation with a note saying we don’t approve of abortions.
“Well to be fair regarding the $4 price. Part of the proceeds go to the GSOA. But on the other hand ....”
In this economy you really have $4.00 to blow on endless carbs that supports Planned Parenthood and the homosexual agenda? In some places a gallon of gas or milk costs $4.00.
Those things are over inflated.
This isn’t about the kids!
It’s about the hijacking of a once admirable organization, by a bunch of liberals, seeking to undermine our culture.
They must be stopped.
I can’t in good conscience buy GS cookies. The agenda of the parent organization is evil; that’s an automatic disqualifier.
“This isn’t about the kids!”
That is where you are wrong. Planned Parenthood and others are using the GSA to get to kids while they are young and impressionable. GS Cookies are funding the leftist organization that corrupts young girls.
Well I was just saying that their cookie sales are a fund drive. True they’re high priced but again it’s a fund raiser. OTOH I do not like where some of those funds go; as you said, their agenda. You can choose not to buy them. As for gas or milk you can’t.
not just no but HELL NO.
the GS should die an ignoble death on the ash heap of history.
Local troops support themselves first (we start a troop with nothing)
The only official money-earning the girls can do is cookie sales to pay for their troop activities, so that is how the 8 yr olds pay for camp and most also vote to give money away to charity. They earn .50 -.80 a box depending on incentives, the more the troop sells, the more profit. Many troops subsist on a couple hundred bucks for the year. Yet our 20+ community troops spent some of their cookie money on at least 36 Christmas gifts for homeless kids and many troops drove up to BWI and handed out cookies to troops coming back from overseas and at the USO. If you ever pass by a USO ask how many boxes of donated GS cookies they have.
Next level up, we support the Councils, they run the camps and our programs for training and fun. Councils could accept program help from PP if the members wanted it, ours do not and our Council does not.
No interaction with National except to buy books badges and uniforms. National benefits from cookie sales only through the licensing fees companies pay to use logo and brand
The membership dues are $12 a year BTW (includes national and international membership) So no one who joins GSUSA is funding much of anything
Your federal taxes fund Planned Parenthood. So do your church offerings and corporate donations from many of the products you buy every day. Talking tough about boycotting the IRS? AT&T? Exxon?
Local troops support themselves first (we start a troop with nothing)
The only official money-earning the girls can do is cookie sales to pay for their troop activities, so that is how the 8 yr olds pay for camp and most also vote to give money away to charity. They earn .50 -.80 a box depending on incentives, the more the troop sells, the more profit. Many troops subsist on a couple hundred bucks for the year. Yet our 20+ community troops spent some of their cookie money on at least 36 Christmas gifts for homeless kids and many troops drove up to BWI and handed out cookies to troops coming back from overseas and at the USO. If you ever pass by a USO ask how many boxes of donated GS cookies they have.
Next level up, we support the Councils, they run the camps and our programs for training and fun. Councils could accept program help from PP if the members wanted it, ours do not and our Council does not.
No interaction with National except to buy books badges and uniforms. National benefits from cookie sales only through the licensing fees companies pay to use logo and brand
The membership dues are $12 a year BTW (includes national and international membership) So no one who joins GSUSA is funding much of anything
Your federal taxes fund Planned Parenthood. So do your church offerings and corporate donations from many of the products you buy every day. Talking tough about boycotting the IRS? AT&T? Exxon?
$4 for third rate cookies with all those fats and taste of sawdust? I don’t think so.
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