Portland School officials consider ban on Boy Scout recruiting

Associated Press ^ | 12/3/2004 | RUKMINI CALLIMACHI

[Clint N. Suhks]

Lord, please help elect conservative justices to the Supreme Court and for once overturn the wrong headed misinterpretation of "Separation of Church and State". Please overturn the 1947 Everson v. Board of Education ruling which took the matter of religion out of the hands of the states (in direct conflict with the 1st amendment)and allow the healing to begin.

amen

[NYer]

Let's put this all into perspective.

THE SCOUT OATH:

On my honor I will do my best

To do my duty to God and my country

and to obey the Scout Law;

To help other people at all times;

To keep myself physically strong,

mentally awake, and morally straight. 

Catholic Ping - please freepmail me if you want on/off this list

[Siobhan]

Thank you for the ping, NYer. But these stories make me so furious I just want to take my handbag (a registered weapon in some states) and play whack-a-mole with some of these idiots of the godless, perverse, diabolical left.

[SandRat]

Under the proposal, non-school groups would be allowed to send literature home with children, but the flier or pamphlet would need to be accompanied with a disclaimer, warning parents that the groups' values may be offensive.

Now that statement and attitude is what's offensive. Just because the Scouts teach values, citizenship and duty to nation and God.

[26lemoncharlie]

When are we going to Boycott the Homosexuals!!

[airborne]

Mindless hate from cruel hetrophobes!

[airborne]

We will fight them in the churches,

We will fight them in the schools.

We will fight them on military bases

and public parks.

We will never, never surrender!

[Myrddin]

Cub Scouts and Boy Scouts used the auditorium for meetings at my elementary school as well. I made Eagle Scout at 15. The school auditorium served us for meetings during the weeknights. We had little money for activities, so we raised money by collecting newspapers and running movies in the auditorium on the weekends. I would rent the movie and make flyers to send around the school during the week. We packed them in. Parents were pleased to have a good movie in walking distance. My skills as the school audio-visual geek paid dividends to my troop.

For any in the Chula Vista, CA area, the troop was 857 at Hazel Goes Cook Elementary.

[little jeremiah]

If GWB appoints (and the reprobate Senators ok them) a couple of conservative justices, the collective sigh of relief issuing from millions of conservatives will probably increase global warming by several degrees.

Folks in North Dakota won't mind.

[little jeremiah]

Thank you for that touching post. Only someone who has totally surrendered to evil could be offended by the Boy Scout oath.

I'm just shaking my head. How can anyone be against virtue and good character?

[tob2]

If the gay and lesbian parents are so offended by the moral background of the Boy Scouts, let them form their own troops. IMHO, this entire thing about God, separation of church and state has gone too far! There IS A GOD and we are expected to live our lives according to the teachings in the Holy Bible. Period.

[EdReform]

BTTT

[Eric in the Ozarks]

I was in Cubs and Boy Scouts in Yokohama, Japan. My dad supported the Scouts with helping pay for .22 ammo. Mom was a den mother in Cubs.

[Myrddin]

My dad was an Eagle Scout too. He set a good example in that achievement, but he was always out with his Navy responsibilities. My mom gets credit for tireless support transporting me to merit badge counselors...at least those over 15 miles from the house. I rode my bicycle to the appointments within a 15 mile radius. The Boy Scout program provides a great opportunity to learn life skills and develop leadership qualities. It is a shame to see the gays and atheists activity trying to destroy the program.

I envy your opportunity to spend time in Japan. My dad almost took a billet in Japan in 1969. After weighing the options, he accepted a position as Executive Officer of the 32nd St Naval Station, San Diego. He served in that position until retirement in 1977. Can you imagine 7 years as XO with 4 different commanding officers?

[Eric in the Ozarks]

A customer of mine who had kids in Scouts and who had donated time as a Scoutmaster, explained what Scouts do (and I've kept this in the back of my mind since he said it).
There are plenty of programs for the above average kid, the super achievers, the children who live in wealthy homes. Scouting gives the ordinary kid a chance to excel like no other youth program. Some small achievment, some new knowledge of wood craft will light a creative spark. That is all it takes.

[Myrddin]

Scout organizations come in a large variety of implementations. My troop was sponsored by an elementary school PTA before the gays, atheists and ACLU coerced the PTA organizations to drop support. The only "support" we actually had was a place to meet. Nothing more. We did our own fundraising efforts and enjoyed a few fun, but inexpensive outings each year. Our troop had a full range of ages, experience and religious affiliations. The older boys learned leadership and mentoring skills.

I experienced the variety of Scouting supported by the LDS (Mormon) church. The troops consisted of just the boys in a given ward. In practice, the "troop" was smaller than any "patrol" in my own troop. The scout leaders are "called" to the position by the ward Bishop. This approach produces lots of Eagle Scouts because the ratio of adult leaders to scouts is fairly high. Lots of help. Budgets tend to be paltry, thus a few small outings and a run to summer camp is the norm. Very little opportunity to build leadership skills.

My middle son wasn't jazzed by the small LDS troop at our church, but had lots of friends at the troop sponsored by the local Catholic church. I knew most of the parents of the boys at the Catholic sponsored troop. It looked like an ideal choice. Large troop, large span of ages, lots of activities planned. The reality was that the troop was constantly focused on fundraising and engaging is VERY expensive outdoor activities. The fundraising was never enough to cover the costs of the outings. As such, parents were expected to constantly pour large amounts of money to cover the difference. We couldn't afford it. My son was doing well. He actually earned Tenderfoot, Second Class and First Class so quickly that all 3 were award at the same Court of Honor. The scoutmaster suggested he should slow down and take time to "mature". He did. Full stop. End of scouts. He redirected his efforts at school and left with a 4.33 GPA.

As you can see from just 3 anecdotal experiences, there can be a wide variety of experiences in what constitutes a scout troop. You really need to explore and understand the organization you intend to join. The organization leadership makes all the difference. The national organization just supplies the framework, policies and materials. The end results are highly dependent on the local organization.

[Eric in the Ozarks]

They're committed or they aren't.

[Salvation]

Oregon Ping

Please notify me via FReepmail if you would like to be added to or taken off the Oregon Ping List.

[Salvation]

Boycott the sschools? And home school or send the children to private schools.