Posted on 06/01/2003 6:33:34 AM PDT by TLBSHOW
The End of the Boy Scouts in Philadelphia
By.... Hans Zeiger
Philadelphia’s Cradle of Liberty Boy Scout Council self-destructed last week. Its executive board voted unanimously to include "sexual orientation" in its nondiscrimination code. The outrageous move came after years of intense pressure from radical homosexual and atheist rights groups in the area and nationwide.
The Philadelphia Council is the third largest local council in the country, serving 87,000 boys and men. It is an unfortunate addition to a list of councils that have eagerly given the finger to the Boy Scouts of America and its associated moral codes. Last year, San Francisco and Boston became the first branches to reject the concept of “moral straightness.”
We must be reminded that the Boy Scouts are not an intolerant, homophobic, racist, anti-Semitic bunch. In fact, the Boy Scouts have always taught tolerance and have been at the forefront of celebrating diversity. Since 1911, the BSA has reached out to disabled youth, racial and ethnic minorities, Native Americans, and inner city children.
And Scouting has also taught the difference between right and wrong, between honor and indecency, between justice and perversity.
When it comes to a Scout troop, sexual orientation is an issue that goes beyond differences in skin color or economic status. It affects such matters as tenting arrangements and the development of pre-teenage masculinity in a close-knit group of boys and men. But the BSA’s position against homosexuality is not just an issue of moral principle in an effort to affirm the Scout Oath and Law, it is a serious safety effort to prevent cases of sexual abuse and harassment.
To the vast majority of Americans who understand the importance of Scouting in every community across the nation, preserving the traditional moral code of Scouting is a no-brainer. It is time for families in Philadelphia to show that they oppose the leadership of their local council by leaving the organization.
Furthermore, the BSA national office must entirely disconnect itself from the Philadelphia, Boston, and San Francisco Councils. And Boy Scout councils around the country must take notice that their entire mission is staked upon the moral character of the boys and men involved, and that if they sever those core principles from the program they will destroy the entirety of Scouting.
The pressures from the radical Left must be dealt with as well. As the Left has opened fire on the Scouts, the reaction of Americans has been interesting. I’ve heard some say that the Scouts don’t need to be defended because they are strong enough. Many would argue that ignoring the opposition is the best thing for the Scouts. Perhaps that would be true in a small-scale conflict, but those who lead the drive against the Scouts have proven their capacity for a dangerous perversion of morality when, in a hundred other scenarios they’ve struck deepest when decent Americans chose not to fight back. They didn’t fight back because they weren’t looking in the first place.
Now, America - now is a time to turn our sullen eyes on Philadelphia. Now is the time to awaken to the awful stench that arises from the moral relativism condoned by Boy Scout Councils in Boston and San Francisco. Now is the time to fight back and defend the Boy Scouts from further damage.
As an Eagle Scout and an assistant Scoutmaster, I cannot couch myself in the dark chamber of apathy as my organization is taken over by special interests whose political agenda contributes to a breakdown of character and the family. The Boy Scouts have the God-given right to establish standards for membership, and those standards have been highly respected for over 90 years. Citizens across America have the God-given obligation to see to it that the Boy Scout Oath and Law are upheld for another 90 years.
Hans Zeiger, 18, is an Eagle Scout and an outspoken advocate on behalf of Scouting with the Scout Honor Coalition. He is a Seattle Times columnist and chairman of Washington Young Americans for Freedom.
Besides the disassociation from the Philadelphia Council's position on homosexuals, the National Council must consider the liability issue that will sooner or later come out of the closet when the molestation lawsuits hit. The National Council would not want to pick up the tab for Philadelphia's irresponsible practices. A prime example is the Catholic Church, which has certainly suffered great financial loss from its "tolerance" of gay priests.
It is blatantly obvious to me, not just on the part of the militant gays, but all liberals as well. They want to destroy our basic precepts of freedom and self-reliance in order to create another communist/socialist Big Brother USA.
When you stop and compare where we are now compared to even a few decades ago, you can see that they are succeeding.
The title to G Gordon Liddy's latest book says it all: "When I was a Kid, This was a Free Country."
The real point of all this is GAYS MUST RECRUIT. They do not reproduce other than by this means. The Catholic Church has been severly damage by the Gay Priesthood,gay Scoutmasters will bring the same tragic results to the Scouts.
The Gaystappo strikes again, ugh.
SANTORUM/TANCREDO?
I still like: JEB/CONDI in 2008!
I couldn't resist, LOL de ja vu?
He LOVED being a Boy Scout and learned many practical skills he continues to use to this day. He saw there was a different way of life than what he experienced at home. He saw that kids actually had dads who showed up at functions and liked being with their kids. These dads took care to help him, since his was never there. He decided that was the kind of father he would become. He learned about God and faith and being a good citizen and an honest, honorable man...things he'd never have experienced in a way that was positive, without Scouts.
How disgusting that this wholesome source of rescue is being taken away from today's kids living in similar circumstances.
"How disgusting that this wholesome source of rescue is being taken away from today's kids living in similar circumstances."
True. I agree with some of the other posters that it is a part of the leftist effort to destroy traditional America. As David Horowitz has said, they must first destroy that which they wish to replace, America as we know it, and as the founders designed it.
Or you could use your head for a moment.
Rather than a kneejerk boycott of the scouts for the actions of rouge members, you should consider that you only drive the scouts further into financial hardship and make them more vulnerable. To deny the BSA a revenue stream is not going to help them combat this assult.
You should instead write a letter encouraging the BSA to revoke Philly's charter and deny permission to use all seals, uniforms, and name branding associated with the BSA until such a time that they repeal this policy.
Rainbow Scouts.
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