Thanks for that. I’ve been active with my local troop which is a bit retro. I still believe in the troop, but not in BSA. So, I’ve struggled with whether to continue my involvement.
When Obama was President, did we all run to Canada? As his 8 years of fundamentally transforming America progressed, did people of good fiber declare that America isn't worth preserving? Well, maybe some losers did. For the Patriots amongst us, we knew America isn't just borders, property, and structures, though those things matter. America is a mindset, a philosophy, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness. Put bluntly, we know that the head of the Executive Branch is NOT America. We carried on, and look at how much better off we are today.
Scouting is at a similar crossroad. The program of developing leaders through skillls and challenge has worked for over 100 years. Forget the quantum of Eagle Scouts - millions of boys have benefitted from that program. And now, an Obama-like rot has set in at National. However, based on the posts I've read, many Scouters seem to prefer the Canadaian option. Or just outright surrender. These men talk of the good old days, of how proud they are of THEIR experience, but because of the gathering clouds they have chosen the Loyalist strain of cowardice. Maybe we can form a new club they think, with better rules. Well, if the foundation of that new club is "run away at the sight of a challenge," then when the left comes for that new club, it doesn't stand a chance.
I am not proud of what has become of Scouting's Executive leadership, the lawsuits, and the pain and suffering these poor decisions have caused. However, the Scouting program and local Troops are akin to the Tea Party movement, which in some ways gave us today's Deplorables. Don't let the naysayers and surrender monkeys deter you. Carry on, and Be Prepared.