I agree with you 100% wbill. Some sanctimonious idiot flamed me on FR over the weekend because by not leaving immediately, in his eyes, I joined the enemy (his words). My response was that when he gives 10-15 hours a week in volunteer time and has two boys who have worked for 8-10 years to earn Eagle, including one who just needs to finish his project, then he has the right to judge me. Till then, he can shut up.
I was proud to be a Scoutmaster. I’m not sure I can in good conscience wear the uniform any more. I am ashamed of the organization. Our troop is strongly Christian and mostly home educated kids. Me and the Committee Chair are meeting with our church sponsor tomorrow night to discuss the future. I suspect we’ll continue for a year or so then join one of the new groups. There is a brand new one setting the stage.
Yep, it's too soon to make a decision like that, but that's what I'm leaning towards. Seeing the storm clouds on the horizon earlier in the year, I started getting my feet wet in all of political mechanations. I'm also "the new guy", so I'm still feeling out the rest of the troop.
It's a small group, informal, and not as strongly faith based, but the parents are active and interested and really want to make the right decisions for their kids. It's not just a drop-off babysitting service for single moms, every Monday evening. That's why I'm not as concerned as others about the "gay youth scouts", or whatever you'd like to call it. People who are there just to score social and political points would get weeded out very quickly, I think. Peer pressure, both at the kid and adult level, can be a pretty good thing, at times.
I feel for those troops who don't have the active parent participation - those who just have single moms, or grandmoms, or whoever, that drop their kids off once a week and get the occasional trip in. They're going to attract predators like bees to honey. Absolutely -nothing- good can come from any of this, IMHO.