Free Republic
Browse · Search
Bloggers & Personal
Topics · Post Article

Skip to comments.

An Elegy for the Boy Scouts
Law and Liberty ^ | July 2021 | Mark Pulliam

Posted on 07/27/2021 9:39:34 AM PDT by Rummyfan

The news over the past few years has offered little to cheer about, but a recent story reporting an unprecedented 43 percent decline in membership in the Boy Scouts of America from 2019 to 2020—from 1.97 million Cub Scouts and Boy Scouts to 1.12 million—was especially dispiriting. To make matters worse, the Associated Press reports that BSA membership has fallen even further since 2020—to about 762,000. For purposes of comparison, combined enrollment in the BSA—Cub Scouts and Boy Scouts—peaked in 1972 at 6.5 million members and as recently as 1998 was 4.8 million. These numbers are shockingly grim. The once-robust BSA is on life support, with a seemingly fatal malady.

What happened to this venerable youth organization, brought to America in 1910? The BSA was once an iconic institution, producing as Eagle Scouts prominent Americans including President Gerald Ford, astronaut Neil Armstrong, filmmaker Steven Spielberg, animator William Hanna, businessman Ross Perot, television host Mike Rowe, and many others. More than 130 million Americans have participated in the BSA since its inception. The immediate cause of the precipitous decline in membership is a triple-whammy of the Covid-19 pandemic, highly-publicized litigation involving charges of decades-old sexual abuse against 60,000 alleged victims (leading to an $850 million settlement and BSA’s Chapter 11 filing in 2020), and the aftermath of the national organization’s decision in 2019 to admit girls (resulting in the withdrawal from the program of its largest participant, the Latter-day Saints (Mormon) Church, ending an association that began in 1913).

(Excerpt) Read more at lawliberty.org ...


TOPICS: Miscellaneous; Politics; Society
KEYWORDS: boyscouts; bsa
Navigation: use the links below to view more comments.
first previous 1-2021-23 last
To: Rummyfan

My son is an Eagle. What I’ve always appreciated about the Boy Scouts is that they build leaders. It is a great way for fathers and sons to bond. I know lots of boys without dads are sent through the scouts by moms who hope that he will be guided through puberty by trustworthy male role models, and I’m certain in most instances that can happen, but I would not trust anyone to do that in these modern times. What liberals have done to the scouts is despicable.


21 posted on 07/27/2021 1:11:22 PM PDT by punknpuss
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: Rummyfan

Children have been the prime target for cultural Marxists, who’ve been targeting their propaganda and indoctrination at them, using many venues. The goal? To swing them left, to make them support and eventually vote for socialism (which will become oligarchy).

A parallel goal is dividing us — by dividing families, churches, sexes, races, workers, ages — until we’re in a civil war. Then, their socialism will save us all.

Another big goal is to kill our faith in and respect for God and fathers, to be replaced with faith in government (Big Brother).


22 posted on 07/28/2021 3:49:59 AM PDT by polymuser (BLA socialist is a communist without the power to take everything from their citizens...yet.p)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: Rummyfan

Gay scout leaders...


23 posted on 07/28/2021 8:48:20 PM PDT by SaraJohnson
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]


Navigation: use the links below to view more comments.
first previous 1-2021-23 last

Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.

Free Republic
Browse · Search
Bloggers & Personal
Topics · Post Article

FreeRepublic, LLC, PO BOX 9771, FRESNO, CA 93794
FreeRepublic.com is powered by software copyright 2000-2008 John Robinson