Posted on 06/01/2007 5:08:40 PM PDT by wagglebee
PHILADELPHIA, Pennsylvania, June 1, 2007 (LifeSiteNews.com) - Philadelphia City Council voted yesterday to end a nearly 80-year-old lease held by the Boy Scouts local branch over the group's adherence to a national policy banning actively homosexual leaders.
The ongoing dispute pitted the Scouts' Cradle of Liberty Council against homosexual activists over the organization's refusal to adopt an official policy welcoming homosexuals into leadership. The City, under pressure by activist groups, wants the Scouts to either alter the organization's policy or start paying market rent for the use of the historical Beaux Arts building, where the Scout headquarters has been housed since 1928 for a nominal rent.
The resolution permitting the city to end the lease was introduced unexpectedly, according to coverage by the Philadelphia Inquirer, and passed 16-1 with no debate. City councilors stated their hope that the resolution would generate leverage for the city by and open the door to talks resolving the dispute.
Homosexual activist organization Equality Advocates Pennsylvania pushed the city to act on the scout's lease, the Inquirer reported. Executive director Stacey Sobel said yesterday that the Boy Scouts should not be able to use taxpayers' dollars to discriminate against homosexuals.
Scouts take an oath of duty to God as part of their membership, and actively homosexual individuals are not permitted as leaders. Although the Supreme Court ruled in 2000 that as a private organization, scouts could restrict homosexuals from leadership, scout groups have faced opposition from local officials revoking privileges where they have refused to alter policy based on the demands of homosexual activists.
The American Family Association of Pennsylvania said the city was caving to the pressure of homosexual activists, in a press release earlier today.
"With an alarming number of children facing violent deaths on the streets of Philadelphia, the city's answer is to target one of the few organizations that offer purpose and meaning to these children. Of the 64,000 members the Cradle of Liberty Scout Council serves, 40,000 are in Philadelphia alone," said Diane Gramley, president of the AFA.
"The Scouts' policy banning open homosexual leaders is the right policy. Would the parents of Girl Scouts want a man to be their daughter's Scout leader? No and neither do parents want a man who is sexually attracted to other males to be Boy Scout leaders. Common sense should prevail here, but it's not."
"Efforts to appease never work. Homosexual activists want a pro-gay policy expressly stating that the Cradle of Liberty Scout Council will accept open homosexuals. They are not concerned with the well-being of the children of Philadelphia and surrounding counties, but instead choose to use them in an effort to make an example out of the Boy Scouts," Gramley said.
To respectfully express concerns to the Philadelphia City Council
Council Chair Anna C. Verna
City Hall, Room 405
Philadelphia, PA 19107-3290
(215) 686-3412, (215) 686-3413
FAX: (215) 686-1932
Vice-Chair Jannie L. Blackwell
City Hall, Room 408
Philadelphia, PA 19107-3290
(215) 686-3418, (215) 686-3419
FAX: (215) 686-1933
Email:
http://www.phila.gov/citycouncil/blackwell/feedback.html
Philadelphia is a rotting corpse.
Scouting isn’t about sex. They should ban overtly lewd heterosexuals also. If the details of the scoutmaster’s orientation is so important to him that he has to proclaim it, he shouldn’t be a scoutmaster.
The “voters” are chronically un-employable welfare saps. The only thing they vote for is more give-aways.
Philadelphia is dead, dead, dead.
That is why most councils are smart enough to own their land and headquarters usually by donation then when things get tight and land prices have skyrocketed they sell for all the market will bear. Think of the appreciation since 1928!
http://www.scouter.com/forums/viewThread.asp?threadID=158756
Above is my post on the Scouter forum discussing this.
There is and I maintain it. Would you like on it?
Independence Hall needs to be preserved also.
Please. I have no real interest in the Boy Scouts per se, but I am extremely concerned about how the left is trying to destroy them and their mission.
Done
Show me just what Mohammed brought that was new, and there you will find things only evil and inhuman, such as his command to spread by the sword the faith he preached." -Manuel II Paleologus
Instead of the ‘Gay Scounts’ how about the “Rump Rangers”?
:-)
dvwjr
Philadelphia disagrees.
Scouting is about sex.
Keeping your sons safe from those homosexuals seeking some private time with young nubile boys just isn’t something they find acceptible.
>>The resolution ... passed 16-1 with no debate. City councilors stated their hope that the resolution would generate leverage for the city by and open the door to talks resolving the dispute.<<
First of all, this sentence makes no sense. Would generate leverage for the city by and open the door? What?
Second, I see how they want these talks about resolving the dispute to end: that the Boy Scouts capituate to all demands by the Gay Mafia.
The world has turned completely upside down. It amazes me to no end. To simply pick up a 19th to early 20th-century novel or autobiography of the likes of Henry James or Edith Wharton all too quickly informs you how dramatically our society has decayed.
This really burns me up. This is our council. It was formed when the Philadelphia Council was merged with the Valley Forge Council, creating the Cradle of Liberty Council. COL Council serves youngsters from the inner city as well as the suburbs. When the United Way of SE Pennsylvania cut funding to the COL Council of BSA, it had a huge impact on support of inner city youth. Brilliant, just brilliant. I hope this can be fought successfully. I’d love to see some Eagle Scout lawyers donate some time to help with the battle.
Fortunately the great majority of GS troops operate pretty traditionally with the support of a great many traditional minded volunteers at the grassroots level and pay only polite lip service (if that) to the rampant liberalism among the paid employees at national and council
The reason for requiring a GS troop to have at least an adult female to be co leader with a male leader are self evident to most people. Additionally men (leaders or Dad chaperons) are not permitted to share accommodations or bathroom facilities with girls on overnight trips.
Now that the elected officals are handleing important business, somewhere in the vast distance future they’ll do something about all the murders.
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