Free Republic

Pierce Flanigan died suddenly of a stroke. Wednesday of this week. He was my lifelong friend. But this is about his life, not his death. To save much time in a complex story about the Flanigan men, I wrote part of this story in 2005, with the title, “Condi Rice & Pierce Flanigan’s Father’s Hat,” about Pierce’s father’s death. It also introduces the one story about Pierce when he was 12 years old, that I offer as a symbol of the man, Our fathers, who were friends, had installed us both in Troop 35 at the Church of the Redeemer...

What youth groups did Obama belong to? Boy Scouts, Royal Rangrs, Young Pioneers? I got to thinking, he never join the military, was he even a boy scout?

WATERLOO, NY--A former Boy Scout leader from Cayuga County has pleaded guilty to felony sex act charges he was facing. Charles Seamans, of Weedsport, was facing charges in Seneca County for sexually abusing a 12 year old boy at Camp Babcock Hovey in Ovid last July. Seamans was sentenced to 10 years in State Prison and will also have 5 years of post release supervision. He'll be required to register as a sex offender. Seamans also plead guilty to similar charges in Cayuga County earlier this year.

It was planned down to the most minute detail. The food, the biodegradable paper signs and banners, everything was planned to delight the greenest of green environmentalists. Along the way, they forgot just one minor thing, the Red White and Blue. On the floors of convention halls, our Colors were trashed and abandoned. Workers, Boy Scouts, and perhaps even a few embarrassed Democrats had to clean up the mess. The metaphor should be evident to all, and it is a shame that our Boy scouts have to witness such disrespect to our country and its flag. I hope they take...

At a campaign event at 11:00AM PST Boy Scouts will recycle 12,000 American Flags that were thrown in the trash after the democratic convention.

John McCain’s presidential campaign appears prepared to chastise Democrats over leaving behind piles of miniature American flags after Barack Obama’s nomination acceptance speech last Thursday in Denver. Boy Scouts reportedly have arrived with at least two dozen trash bags full of the flags at the site of a McCain rally scheduled to begin at 12:30 p.m. in Colorado Springs.

This will not sit well with many. Here’s a rundown of my night at convention: 2:55 p.m. — After a long walk, I reach the huge white tents where we have to go through the scanning and search routine. There are dumpsters filling up with stuff people can’t take into the stadium. I notice umbrellas and even American flags thrown in the trash cans. (Ironically, everyone inside was handed an American flag.) This story is now breaking.

Just heard on Fox News. The Boy Scouts filled dozens of large trash bags with US Flags that were trampled on the ground or thrown near trash receptacles at the Democrat Convention. They are going to hold a flag-retirement ceremony to properly honor those flags that were dishonored.

I read with great appreciation Phil McBride’s article on the Mountain Man Rendezvous recently held by the Boy Scouts of America at Snow Flat on Mount Graham. The article evoked fond memories of the many times I attended what was then the 3G Council’s annual summer camp at Snow Flat. Lessons then learned from the Boy Scouts remain with me today, as do the many friends I made in Scouting. In those days and for many years thereafter, no one believed that the BSA could become the focal point of controversy. But that was then, and this is now. And...

When the six Boy Scouts from suburban Maplewood, N.J., went camping in the Grand Canyon, they expected an adventure they would long talk about, but they did not expect to be clinging to treetops and praying to survive a flash flood. The six Scouts and three adult leaders were eventually guided to safety by American Indians who live in the area, and plucked out of the wilderness by a Black Hawk helicopter. By the time they flew away, the 10-yard-wide canyon next to a stream where they had been camping had become a 300-yard-wide raging river. The scouts and their...

Members of the honor society for the Boy Scouts of America who had to change their service project plans in Wyoming when the U.S. Forest Service instead allowed the Rainbow Family hippie group to use a location the Scouts had sought now are helping the federal agency fight a forest fire in the state. According to a report in the Casper Star-Tribune the Scouts, some of an estimated 1,000 members of the Order of the Arrow in the state, have "stepped in" to help firefighters in the Bridger-Teton National Forest fight the New Fork Lakes fire, about 19 miles north...

Today President George W. Bush addressed remarks on Iraq to reporters on the Colonnade at the White House. President Bush said it has been a month of encouraging news from Iraq, with violence down to its lowest level since the spring of 2004. President Bush Discusses Iraq(Synopsis by Daisy: The surge is working, we are winning the war in Iraq, Iraqi forces are gradually taking over the defense of their country, our troops are slowly coming home. This is not news but W has to keep explaining it to the obtuse MSM, most Dems and, sadly, a few Republicans.) President...

Unfair Demands On Boy Scouts http://www.theday.com/re.aspx?re=33a46ad1-5d62-4201-98b5-dd7602900835 By The Day Published on 7/29/2008 We are at a loss to understand why the state Department of Transportation wants to give East Lyme Boy Scout troops such a hard time over doing a good deed. For 25 years on Labor Day weekend the Scouts have served coffee and doughnuts around the clock to weary drivers at the weigh stations on Interstate 95 in Waterford. Drivers get a needed break. The Scouts take pride in providing a service. Donations collected help the Boy Scouts and other local groups. Who could object? Unfortunately, the bureaucrats...

No excerpting per copyright restrictions. Copy/paste link: http://www.usatoday.com/money/companies/management/2008-07-20-boy-scouts-advice_N.htm#uslPageReturn Worth the click-thru, Chief Scout Executive gives good answers when the interviewer tries to make it all about the Scouts vs. homosexuals: the Scouts will no longer allow others to define them.

A youth chaplain at a Gastonia church who mentored Boy Scouts in south Charlotte was arrested Monday. Charles Franklin Knight, 62, faces six counts of third-degree exploitation of a minor. He is in the Mecklenburg County Jail. No bond was available. On July 2, a woman told Charlotte-Mecklenburg police that Knight had material depicting sex acts with youths under 18, according to a police report. Investigators questioned Knight, who turned over some child pornography, which included “inappropriate Internet images,” the report said. Detectives also seized a laptop computer from his home on Harrowfield Drive in Charlotte. Knight told police he...

By CHRIS MERRILL Star-Tribune environment reporter Tuesday, June 24, 2008 > LANDER -- Since Rainbow Family participants have chosen to stay put at Big Sandy in Wyoming's Wind River Mountains, leaders with the Boy Scouts of America have decided to alter plans for a major service project that had been scheduled to take place in the same general area. > > Leaders with the Boy Scouts' Order of the Arrow have decided to cancel a long-planned forest restoration project near Dutch Joe Guard Station in the Wind Rivers, said Mary Cernicek, spokeswoman with the Bridger-Teton National Forest. > > The...

I'm marking this "Caring for the Defenders," because of what the Boy Scouts did for their fallen companions after the tornados at Little Sioux. These boys have done far more than many for the common defense. Jim Cannon, of the Letters From Home project, writes to let us know about an effort to help rebuild the Little Sioux Scout Ranch.

I'm not sure where to publish this so I put it in Personal and Misc. This is a link to a sermon that Sam Thomsen (one of the Scouts that died in the Little Sioux tornado) wrote and delivered to his church. He wanted to be a minister. He was my son's patrol leader. Here is another link to a page about all of the Scouts that died. Please remember them and their families in your prayers.

A possible tornado has struck the Litle (spelling from site?) Sioux Scout Camp in Iowa. Very large response is being reported by media. Large number of injuries.

A number of veteran events are coming up in the Sierra Vista area. “The one-year clock is ticking and the name of the game is fundraising,” said Joe Larson, administrator of the Southern Arizona Veterans Memorial Cemetery. He was speaking about next May’s reburial of remains of soldiers from the late 1800s from a Tucson cemetery to the Sierra Vista site. Larson spoke at the monthly meeting of the Grater Sierra Vista Area United Veterans Council meeting on Saturday. The Historic Soldiers Relocation Project will involve the reburial of 70 sets of remains, of which 53 are known, in an...

CULTURE WATCH, Volume 17 by Nancy Morgan Right BiasLast week saw lots of good news from Iraq and Afghanistan. The most amazing news of all, however, is that this news is being reported by the likes of the New York Times and the Washington Post. Now that they're reporting it, I guess its officially: GOOD NEWS:Less than a year after his agency warned of new threats from a resurgent al-Qaeda, CIA Director Michael Hayden now portrays that terrorist movement as essentially defeated in Iraq and Saudi Arabia. His sentiments are echoed by the commander of British forces in Iraq who...

The Boy Scouts of America's Philadelphia chapter has sued the City of Philadelphia in federal court to block the city's May 31 deadline for the scouts to open membership to gays and atheists, or vacate their historic 1928 headquarters off Logan Square. The civil rights lawsuit, filed Friday in federal court in Center City, contends that the city's ultimatum violates the scouts' rights under the U.S. and Pennsylvania Constitutions. "The City has imposed an unconstitutional condition upon Cradle of Liberty's receipt of a benefit that Cradle of Liberty has enjoyed for nearly eight decades, and that many other organizations that...

Boy Scouts File Federal Lawsuit Over Dispute with City of Philadelphia by KYW's Mike Dunn The local Boy Scouts organization has filed a federal lawsuit against the Nutter administration over the mayor's ultimatum that the scouts renounce the group's national policy on gays or leave their city-owned headquarters. Mayor Nutter has told the "Cradle of Liberty" Boy Scout council to renounce the Scouts' national policy on gays, start paying fair-market-value rent, or vacate its city-owned headquarters -- on Winter Street near 22nd, just off the Benjamin Franklin Parkway -- by June 1st. Currently, the scouting group gets the office space...

Sessions Leads 100th Year Boy Scout Recognition Efforts http://sessions.house.gov/News/DocumentSingle.aspx?DocumentID=89413 Introduces Commemorative Coin, Garners Support for Commemorative Stamp Washington, Apr 23, 2008 U.S. Congressman Pete Sessions (R-Dallas) is leading congressional efforts to recognize the 100th Anniversary of the Boy Scouts of America in 2010 by introducing legislation for a “100 Years of Scouting” commemorative coin. “Boy Scouts are a significant part of American culture, shaping the values, citizenship, and skills of millions of young men,” Sessions stated. “As an Eagle Scout with four generations of Boy Scouts in my family, I strongly value the Boy Scouts’ history of instilling a sense...

Bay Area Brothers Welcomed Home from Iraq Written by Melanie Morgan    Friday, 11 April 2008 This story makes my heart skip a beat. Two brothers, both Marines, serving their country in Iraq, came home safely to the San Francisco Bay Area last night. And they were greeted as heroes at the airport by the Patriot Guard Riders, EaglesUP West Coast coordinator Doug Lyvere, family and soon- to- be friends. KPIX News covered it here.250 people showed up! The Boy Scouts waited anxiously to say hello.I know that readers of this blog from the South, the Midwest and other parts...

Don’t Scout Don’t Tell by: Bethany Stotts, April 01, 2008 Despite the lack of media coverage, Philadelphia’s local Boy Scout chapter still faces the same choice which sparked so much controversy this Fall: suffer a $199,000 rent hike or vacate their headquarters. Jeff Jubelirer, spokesman for the chapter, told reporters in 2007 that the new expenses “would have to come from programs. That’s 30 new Cub Scout packs or 800 needy kids going to our summer camps.” Spokeswoman Kera Walter recently provided an update, saying that the chapter is still trying to work with the city for a compromise. Options...

Ask Candidates about the Boy Scouts Dear Member of the Media: The city of Philadelphia is a war zone. Philadelphia has the highest murder rate of all major U.S. cities and one of the highest overall crime rates. One in thirteen young black males in the city was shot or killed in the past 5 years. Over 1,000 youth under age 24 were shot in 2006 alone. Philadelphia has one of the highest high school dropout rates of all major cities and is among the highest in gang membership, gang violence and drug use. One answer to this crisis facing...

President Bush met this morning with his Majesty King Abdullah of Jordan in the Oval Office Transcript President Bush discussed Colombia, and urgesd Congress to Pass Trade Agreement President George W. Bush welcomed Boy Scout representatives to the Oval Office Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice met with Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas, in Ramalla, in the West bank, Prime Minister Ehud Olmert of Israel in Jerusalem, and Egypt President Hosni Mubarak in Cairo Enoy your visit to Sanity Island

Q: Let’s talk about your new book, “On My Honor,” which draws on your experience as an Eagle Scout and champions the values of the Boy Scouts of America, to whom you are donating your royalties. A: Yes, to their legal-defense fund. Q: Which has been fighting the A.C.L.U., to keep gays out of the scouts. Why do you see that as a worthy cause? A: I am pretty clear about this one. Scouting ought to be about building character, not about sex. Period. Precious few parents enroll their boys in the Scouts to get a crash course in sexual...

Texas Gov. Rick Perry's 'On My Honor' Explains Attack on the Beloved Youth Organization and Leftist Attempts to Redefine American Values In his new book, On My Honor: Why the American Values of the Boy Scouts are Worth Fighting For, [Stroud & Hall Publishers] Texas Governor Rick Perry, examines the "scorched earth" attacks on the Boy Scouts of America over the last three decades by the secular leftist forces, explains the wider impact of this battle on the culture, and offers a rousing defense of this iconic institution and its impact on millions of young American men. As a governor...

Alex “Flagman� Kapitanski in his home in Oceanside. Kapitanski has been described as a ‘super patriot,’ having dedicated 74 years to promoting America’s spirit of freedom. He has displayed almost 9 million flags at ceremonial functions all over the United States. Alex Kapitanski reflects on his collection of plaques in his Oceanside residence. The plaques represent decades of dedicated volunteer work promoting patriotism and military support. An 1808 liberty bell. Patriot Alex “Flagman� Kapitanski, seen in the background, has volunteered the use of the bell and his services to memorial ceremonies for decades. At 85 years old, Kapitanski has...

Michael Nutter was sworn in as the city's mayor last month…. If he is serious about renewing volunteerism, he'll put an end to the city's campaign against the Boy Scouts. On May 31, the local Boy Scout chapter will be evicted from its headquarters -- a space it has occupied since 1928. … the City Council voted 16 to one last year to kick the boy scouts out unless they reverse the national Boy Scouts of America's ban on gays serving in the ranks or as scoutmasters or start paying $200,000 a year. … there are 56,000 Boy Scouts who...

Philly's War on the Boy Scouts http://online.wsj.com/article/SB120312309480173061.html http://tinyurl.com/3cmtwp By KEVIN FERRIS February 16, 2008; Page A10 Philadelphia As Michael Nutter was sworn in as the city's 98th mayor last month, he called for a new wave of public service to clean up drug-infested neighborhoods. If he is serious about renewing volunteerism, he'll start by putting an end to the city's campaign against the Boy Scouts. On May 31, the Cradle of Liberty Council, the local Boy Scout chapter, will be evicted from its headquarters on 22nd and Winter Streets -- a space it has occupied since 1928. The eviction isn't...

Boy Scout Week Salute: Scouts teaches young people leadership and wisdom http://westlibertyindex.com/article.php?viewID=1396 by Tom Norris · February 06, 2008 With Boy Scout Week upon us, I thought I’d do away with the usual facts-n-figures and talk straight about the organization. Some will read this and think, “That’s nice, but who cares?” One youth club is as good as the next; it doesn’t really matter. But at what point do the things we do start to matter? I suspect this is determined by the degree to which it influences our life. After 14 years in the service, most of that as...

Canteen Mission Statement Showing support and boosting the morale ofour military and our allies militaryand the family members of the above.Honoring those who have served before. Happy 98th Birthday, Boy Scouts of America The Value of Scouting What Is Cub Scouting? Please remember that The Canteen is here to support and entertain our troops and veterans and their families, and is family friendly.

Boy Scout-produced documentary highlights extraordinary Central Texans http://www.statesman.com/news/content/news/stories/local/02/03/0203scouts.html http://tinyurl.com/2oddh6 'Believe It. Live It' showcases groups, individuals who personify the Scout Law By Patrick George AMERICAN-STATESMAN STAFF Sunday, February 03, 2008 A Scout is trustworthy, loyal, helpful, friendly, courteous, kind, obedient, cheerful, thrifty, brave, clean and reverent. For almost 100 years, members of the Boy Scouts of America have been taught to memorize the traits that make up the Scout Law. Last summer, a group of nine local Scouts sought to find out what those values really mean by creating a film about the people who personify them in Austin. On...

Last fall, Joseph White from St. David chose to help build a facility, Care for the Horses, for his Eagle Scout project. The Scouts arrived early in the morning and worked hard all day. Numerous dump trucks of brush were taken to the landfill. In all, two parking areas were created, making it easier for visitors to park and for moving of trucks and horse trailers. Two rattlesnakes also were found and killed. The Boy Scouts who participated, as pictured above, are Daniel Elliason, Paul Kartchner, Phillip Kartchner, Michael Grapp, Joseph White, Joel Kartchner, Joshua White, Jared White and Jared...

Kershaw County (WLTX) - A former member of the Indian Water Council, a Boy Scouts organization in Kershaw County, has been arrested on sex charges. Elgin Police Chief Harold Brown says Russell Spitzer, 49, has been charged with communicating obscene material to a minor, contributing to the delinquency of a minor, criminal sexual assault with intent to commit and criminal solicitation of a minor. He's been denied bond on the charges. According to investigators, the incidents happened between October 2006 and January of 2007 while Spitzer was a leader in the group. Brown says the abuse started when the victim...

The youth of Philadelphia are in danger. There are as many as 3,900 homeless families in Philadelphia. Only about half of Philadelphia ninth-graders graduate from high school within four years, and last year's state standardized math and reading tests came back to 11th graders in Philadelphia public schools with 70 percent of scores below proficient. In 2006, 1,030 young Philadelphians between the ages of 7 and 24 were shot; 179 kids were murdered. On such a battlefield, it would make sense for the City of Philadelphia to partner with churches and non-profit organizations to provide after-school programs, youth sports leagues,...

Scouts to earn skateboard badgehttp://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/uk_news/7183888.stmLast Updated: Saturday, 12 January 2008, 00:50 GMT A revamp of the scout movement will allow boys and girls to earn badges for skills such as skateboarding, making a fruit salad and racing quad bikes. The Scout Association said 40 new badges marked the largest ever overhaul of the activities of the movement. Chief Scout Peter Duncan said: "Young people today have a larger choice than ever before of activities to fill their spare time with." The new badges will be launched this weekend at the scouts' winter camp. The event for the 500,000-strong movement is...

CINCINNATI -- A grand jury indicted three people in connection with the armed robbery last month of Boy Scouts at a Christmas tree sale. Prosecutors said Friday that Kenneth Hodge, 19, David Keeling, 19, and Nashon Wallace, 20, would face charges in the Dec. 3 robbery outside Tom’s Drive-Thru in North College Hill. The Boy Scouts, ages 13 and 11 years old, said they were selling Christmas trees in the parking lot along West Galbraith Road shortly before closing when three men approached, with one carrying a sawed-off shotgun. The boys said they thought the men were joking until one...

DALLAS — As far as the Boy Scouts of America is concerned, knowing how to confront a bully is now as important as mastering a slip knot. For the first time in the 97-year history of the nation's largest youth organization, newcomers must show they have learned Scout-approved ways to avoid being pushed around and called names, if they want to advance through the ranks. Shaken down for your lunch money? Tell the bully how it hurts. Called a crater face? The 2008 Boy Scout Handbook recommends this comeback: "So what if I have a face full of zits. What's...

On you tube from when he ran against Ted Kennedy

Attention all Scout Leaders New Boy Scout Rank Requirements Effective January 1, 2008 The National Youth Protection Committee recommended additions to Boy Scout rank requirements that were approved and become effective January 1, 2008. These changes will help us advance the importance of Youth Protection training beyond the initial Boy Scout joining requirements, and keep youth informed and actively engaged in understanding the key elements of personal safety and protection. TENDERFOOT RANK Revised requirement 9: Explain the importance of the buddy system as it relates to your personal safety on outings and in your neighborhood. Describe what a bully is...

Finding an organization more all-American than the Boy Scouts would be hard. Take it from someone who is blessed to have not one, but two sons achieve the distinction of becoming Eagle Scouts -- this organization is up there with baseball and apple pie. According to its charter, it exists to “promote … the ability of boys to do things for themselves and others … and to teach them patriotism, courage, self-reliance and kindred virtues.” Since 1910, that’s exactly what the Boy Scouts have been doing. Thousands of men today in positions of leadership, from soldiers to salesmen, began learning...

Boy scouts grant Christmas wish http://abclocal.go.com/wpvi/story?section=news/local&id=5852557 Sunday, December 23, 2007 | 10:07 PM By Chad Pradelli BLUE BELL, Pa. - December 23, 2007 -- A group of boy scouts have done a very good deed for a Philadelphia family who lost their home to fire last Sunday. The Boy Scouts of Troop 444 armed themselves with gifts. Led by Santa, the boys marched down Shoal Creek Drive. Their mission was to turn the Dunphy family's holiday tragedy into a Christmas they'll never forget. "It was so wonderful. The people have been so amazing," Janet Dunphy said. The Dunphy's Somerton home...

Eagle Scout ordered to take God out of park projectI can't post the article, but basically it mentions a Boy Scout's Eagle project for a public park that included a mention of God. After the inevitable complaint, the Parks Dept, which approved the original proposal with "God" included, asked the Scout to remove the offending marker.

The war on the Boy Scouts By Al Knight Article Last Updated: 12/18/2007 07:45:49 PM MST Some topics are best left both out of sight and out of mind. The American Civil Liberties Union's war on the Boy Scouts is not one of them. The ACLU, in a rational world, might well have been expected to champion the First Amendment rights of an organization like the Boy Scouts. After all, the First Amendment to the Constitution (so dear to the ACLU) protects both speech and the right to associate. The U.S. Supreme Court in 2000 upheld the right of the...

PHILADELPHIA, December 11, 2007 (LifeSiteNews.com) - The Philadelphia council of the Boy Scouts of America will lose the lease on its historic premises for its refusal to bow to pressure from the homosexual lobby to accept homosexual members and leaders. The city has told the Scouts they will be evicted if they cannot come up with US $200,000 a year "market value" rent for the land on which their building sits. Until now, the Scouts had paid a nominal $1 per year lease fee although the youth organisation had originally owned the premises in 1929. The famous Beaux Arts style...

For three years the Philadelphia council of the Boy Scouts of America held its ground. It resisted the city’s request to change its discriminatory policy toward gay people despite threats that if it did not do so, the city would evict the group from a municipal building where the Scouts have resided practically rent free since 1928. Hailed as the birthplace of the Boy Scouts, the Beaux Arts building is the seat of the seventh-largest chapter of the organization and the first of the more than 300 council service centers built by the Scouts around the country over the past...