As an Eagle Scout and current Cub Den Leader I know how important Scouting is to America’s youth. Not only that, for over 100 years, Scouting has existed as an International organization that instils values that cut across cultures. Over time Scouting has succumbed to special interests from all sides. In some cases it has made the program stronger and in others it has weakened it or resulted in unintended consequences such as cutting off access to the very youth it is designed for. While social norms may change in this country, Scouting will roll with the punches. Through it all, one thing should never change and that is Scouting’s commitment to develop young people into great citizens, leaders and lovers of the outdoors.
Invest In Our Nation’s Future and Keep Scouting Strong.
Tags: BSA
Yeah, lets keep making great citizens, leaders, and lovers of the outdoors; as long as they aren’t gay!
Call and e-mail the national scout office to voice your support. This latest assault by the Sodomite hoardes is not about making Scouting better. It is purely a well orchestrated bullying tactic to legitimize their lifestyle. As a father of three Scouts I fear for the future of the BSA.
@agentofwrath I’m a former scout, straight male, and father. My son won’t be a part of an organization that excludes a group of people because a magic book says something is wrong.
Being a homosexual goes against evolution. If you are a homosexual you don’t reproduce. That has zero to do with a “magic book”.
So being gay would be a bad thing.. as you cannot reproduce by a man having sex with another man or a woman having sex with another woman. Being bisexual or heterosexual would allow you to reproduce and pass on your genes. So that must mean that being gay is one of these; A choice, a genetic mutation or mental illness.
Also being gay is fashionable today in the United States. Did anyone read the article of the 11 year old transgender child was upset Obama didn’t talk about being transgender in America? An 11 year old… Think that kid’s parents are maybe pushing being transgender just a little bit on the kid?
We hold these truths to be self-evident, 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.
@aECTR Can’t be stated better.
If the problem is overpopulation which would result in the death of a majority of a species, then homosexuality in a percentage of the population would be a positive trait.
Also, I believe the OP used the term Sodomites? That’s reeks of magic book to me.
I read an article a while back about a logical evolutionary reason for homosexuality (of course it occurs in many species, not just humans): it provides a pool of available replacement parents for offspring who may be orphaned by predation or whatever. Obviously humans don’t experience much death by predator these days but it makes sense.
Arrogant much?! You are angry someone is projecting their worldview on someone else and expressing it by doing the like… Really “open-minded” of you.
@veteran So pointing out that a group is intolerant of others is now projecting your world view?
I’m trying to figure out what any of this has to do with scouting, or why someone else’s sexual orientation is any of your concern.
Even if everything you said is true, it shouldn’t matter to you in the least as it concerns the activities of other consenting adults. Moreover, homosexuality was commonplace throughout some of history’s greatest civilizations (Greeks; Romans) and runs rampant in the animal kingdom. Yet the world continues to turn and life continues to thrive.
And where are the Greeks and the Romans today? Each of their societies declined as the morality of their people declined. The parallel is incontrovertible.
@veteran If you think moral lacking is what caused the decline of Greece and Rome, you need to take an actual history class instead of what your pastor told you on Sunday.
Well GOODY!!! Let’s teach that it’s ACCEPTABLE and GOOD!
Good. Stay out. Magic book? Pretty judgemental for someone who in hinting at how open minded he is. How about respect for peoples’ religious beliefs?
Duty to God is a big part of the program. Protestant, Catholic, Unitarian, Jewish, Zoroastrian, Hindu, or Muslim- you are welcome.
Come to push an obvious radical political agenda- stay out.
BSA won’t cave to the pressure from those people who, in their pain, are being used by the radical left to try and shatter another great institution into pieces.
I’m tolerant of religious beliefs right up until it causes the religious to be intolerant of others.
The BSA can have whatever policies they feel like. I don’t want anyone forced to do anything they don’t want to do. However, you can’t use a discriminatory policy and expect to not get slammed for it.
Let’s tolerate the intolerable so we don’t hurt anyones’ feelings.
@Mark It’s not about feelings; it’s about natural law and equality.
It’s just another chip at a great outfit by those who want to push an agenda, while they trumpet about “rights” and “equality”.
@Mark is that what you said during the civil rights movement?
Regular straight don’t spend much time thinking about what gay men are doing, I know I don’t.
So I always wonder about the guys who protest just a little bit too much a about “Sodomite hordes” ….
This assault has nothing to do with making Scouts better. The BSA has been shaping well adjusted, well equipped young men for a 100 years now. We don’t teach hatred or intolerance to anyone. If homosexuals want their own group why don’t they form their own group? All I’m asking is leave us alone.
Exactly. Who knows? The two groups might even do some activities together from time to time. Inclusiveness is not ALWAYS good.
Let the BSA have their values. Others can, and have, started their own programs. Let them- heck, ENCOURAGE them.
agentofwrath said: We don’t teach hatred or intolerance to anyone.
Excluding someone from a group is indirectly teaching hatred and intolerance. It mentally creates an ‘us and them’ divide in the minds of the two groups.
If: joining scouts is a good thing, AND, not being allowed to join scouts is a bad thing, AND you can’t join scouts if you are gay, THEN being gay is bad.
Children aren’t stupid. They can put two and two together and read between the lines better than most adults I know. Just because you aren’t vocally saying the words ‘gays are bad’ doesn’t mean the point doesn’t get across.
Also, segregation has always worked so well with any other civil rights movement in the past hasn’t it?
We can only be intolerant of the intolerant…wait- that’s intolerant….
I am a current Boy Scout and I have enjoyed many opportunities that Scouting has offered me, but I do not like where Scouting is heading. For example, when we now go camping, we are told that we do not have to bring a knife if we have one because if we need one, we can borrow one from our Scoutmaster. That is a lot different from my Uncle telling me about the days when he was a Scout at Scout camp they would let loose a chicken per troop, and they would have to catch, kill, clean, and eat it. I have also been in the Young Marines, and from what I can deduce, they are more like the Scouts of the old days.
@agentofwrath
I’m a Scout leader in the UK, we have gay scouts, we parade at Pride and it hasn’t ruined us.
In fact UK Scouting is stronger than it has been in years.
Plus, you know, Scouts is a British invention, you can thank us later.
Scouting is no place for discrimination of any kind, it’s the world’s largest youth organisation and we pride ourselves on tolerance.
I completely agree with that. Scouting is a place to develop a great citizen. As I understand it, the UK is also Co-ed, whereas here we have Boy Scouts of America and the Girl Scouts of America. Ever hear of the Gold Award? No? That’s because the GSA doesn’t have nearly the scope of the BSA. Scouting in the US may follow that of the UK in the next hundred years, who knows? I am an Eagle and all the better from it, I would recommend it to any one to experience Scouting or Venturing
Yup we’re co-ed from the age of 6.
But Girl Guiding is still strong in the UK, but nowhere near the strength of Scouting.
I’m proud that we’re inclusive to all religions, races, sexes, and orientations. Maybe if everyone adhered to our principles there would be fewer wars and less discrimination in the world.
But coming back from a scouting utopia, I think that I’m comparing eggs and oranges. The BSA and The Scout Association are very different animals.
For example, I am a Queen’s Scout (Like the Eagle Scout, but a more lengthly process and a little harder to get), Group Scout Leader, have a long service award and have taken scouts outside the UK.
Total number of badges on my uniform = 7
I think we’re a little bit more understated than my Brothers in the US.
Buggery has always been part of the heritage of our British cousins. By all means- enjoy!
I’m sorry Mark, but did you just accuse me of being a paedophile? (Please note correct spelling)
Keyboard warriors, sheesh.
Not necessarily…. but things might get a bit out of hand in the mess from time to time!
This assault has nothing to do with making Scouts better. The BSA has been shaping well adjusted, well equipped young men for a 100 years now. We don’t teach hatred or intolerance to anyone. If homosexuals want their own group why don’t they form their own group? All I’m asking is leave us alone.
Because scouting has nothing to do with sex? Which gender someone is attracted to has no bearing on their ability to make a fire, pitch a tent, or anything else the scouts do. You can’t just exclude groups with interests dissimilar to your own and call yourself tolerant.
We sure can, the Supreme Court says so. The BSA is buckling under the pressure of a grossly misguided feel good group think. Ah the hacknied “intolerance” label the favorite one way ratchet of so called “open minded” folks. Only “open minded” if you agree with them. Like I said they could form their own outdoor group, but it’s really not about making Scouts better. It’s about advancing their agenda on all fronts and marginalizing any and all that disagree with their lifestyl choice. I’m happy to be on the fringe.
No one should impose anything on the BSA. They can do whatever they want. I can say they are bigoted, backwards, and wrong all I want.
That’s America.
Being gay is a lifestyle choice just as much as being black or being a women is a lifestyle choice.
It isn’t a choice. Saying it’s a choice is pure propaganda.
-Alex
Oh contraire, saying it’s a genetic trait like ones sex or race is pure junk science and propoganda. Folks step in and out of sexual preferences every day like they would and old, out of style pair of shoes. I’m shocked that folks of other races have allowed themselves to be co-opted so easily by the gay “rights” movement. Strange bedfellows for sure.
How are the Boy Scouts in any position to turn down any potential members? It’s already viewed as relevant as typewriter repair school. If the BSA stakes out a 2013 view of tolerance maybe that will change.
And for the crazy evolutionary argument above, I totally agree. Homosexuality is as evolutionarily sensible as celibacy. We’ve to stop the gays and seminaries from promoting their anti-repro agendas..
I will agree with you about the dwindling popularity of Scouts. But as a parent of three sons, Scouts is one of a plethora of activities available to kids today. Drama, sports, music etc. Way too many choices. But it is relevant. Where else do boys learn practical life skills? Generally they don’t learn them at home as they are usualky glued to a video game. We equip boys to be self reliant solid citizens.
I’m with you. I want the scouts to be around long enough for my kids. If they get pigeonholed as a homophobic relic more gay unfriendly than the marine corps, they won’t be around long enough and I don’t believe there’s a replacement experience available..
http://bpsa-us.org/
Non-discriminating, not in-your-face about it, and growing; as opposed the BSA’s dropping numbers.
The Scouts have no reason to pander to other people and organizations.
Yes, I believe homosexuality is wrong.
Yes, they have rights.
No, male-male/female-female does not = marriage.
Scouts have the right to make and hold to the standard they choose. They historically have a set of morals that they try to pass on and it is their RIGHT to keep or change any of them.
And no, changing your values doesn’t make them right. The Scouts have the right to deny anybody over behavioral issues.
Oral sex doesn’t contribute to reproduction but I bet none of us will turn it down.
Please forgive me for having a problem with an organization with special status established in law that asks for access to federal land and then prohibits my Soldiers from using that land or participating in activities thereon with their children.
As their commander, how can I condone that?
They won’t do it for much longer. They have their own properties.
OK with me.
Toleration is one thing; enthusiastic acceptance is another.
That the government goes out of its way to pander to and use those with real identity issues speaks volumes about where we are as a culture.
That so many have been brainwashed that “it’s all good” is yet another.
I’m fine with those who don’t dig on my “intolerance”. The feeling is mutual. Just leave us alone and we’ll leave you alone- and I can assure you that I am encouraging the BSA from my bigoted homophobic perspective to disassociate itself from DoD and DoD facilities.
The mob has won that argument.
Disassociate with DOD. Nice. So, none of my Soldiers or their dependents should be involved in Scouting because…?
Do it. By all means. But do it off the installation.
The mob won this one. Women are men, men are women, everything is acceptable and equal, therefore nothing is acceptable nor equal.
The problem of “inclusiveness”.
Like I said get Home Depot, Levis, et al to fund a gay scout group. They’re not funding BSA. They could be the Rainbow Rangers. Doesn’t sound too manly though. But like I keep saying it’s not really about the BSA. But wait a minute, they do have a group already for gay men and gay youth, it’s called NAMBLA.
Actually, the BSA has a long track record of gay men in its ranks. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Scouting_sex_abuse_cases
I have to be nice in my comments, and I will try…. TO our cousins across the water, what you do it what YOU do. Good for you.
We’re not you.
Some of us just want to be left alone and to continue on with our the program as it is. It ain’t broke- we don’t need it fixed. If people who are against the whole religious aspect of it, please- start your own outfit. You can even ask us for some ideas and we’ll share them. We won’t inflict our evil bigotry on you, we ask you not to inflict your “values” on us.
We can all get along. But toleration and enthusiastic acceptance are not the same thing. We have a right to exist, and we won’t deny you your right to exist. We would like to exist apart from you so that we can be on good terms.
There’s going to come a point where those who want to be left alone and undisturbed from your new and enlightened ways are going to be very very unaccepting and the tolerance piece will give way to outright hostility. Just sayin’.
Have fun being on the wrong side of history. Bigotry does not age well. Also, your threats of violence are hilarious. I imagine those participating in lynchings in 1960s Mississippi also thought they were in the right.
Why is having homosexuals accepted as normal behavior so important to you?
Being left alone is the most fundamental of civil rights. People do not have the right to inflict themselves on others, and when they do so, they do it at their peril. It is, simply, what it is.
Again, if you want your own group, start it. You seem to have a lot of popular opinion on your side. Best of luck to you.
It’s not my country anymore. I understand this. Do with it what you will….
Just one last thing.
There are probably thousands of homosexuals in the BSA, they just haven’t told you yet.
But I bet they told you!
Yep, you’ve got me.
One of my oldest and best friends, a man I would stand beside, a man I am proud to call “Brother”, a man who gives his time to improve the life chances of kids in deprived parts of London, a man who holds the rules and values of scouting as a central part of his being, is gay.
Is he less of a Scout? No Mark, he isn’t. Is he less of a human? No, he isn’t.
Mark, your intolerance sickens me, this is the last comment I’m going to make on the subject.
Good. Bugger off with your pal. Your intolerance sickens me. Glad my great grandpappy shot yours.
And his feckin’ horse.
You people just don’t get it that there are those of us who don’t want you and we’ll only resent you more. Start your own happy little movement and we’ll keep ours.
I leave my country for a few years, come back, and it’s full of tolerant drones and people wiped out on Oxycontin, and the damn Chinese own the place.
Hell- you can have it back.
You are probably right. But perhaps they see teaching boys life skills and making them better citizens as more important than advancing their homosexual agenda. Or perhaps they are in it to molest boys, who knows. But we have two deep leadership and annual training to prevent and identify abuse.
Interesting how this started as a post supporting Scouts and Scouting, and those heroic champions of buggery had to register their indignation.
I would rather see the whole outfit fold up than see it fold to the pressure from you people.
It’s how you define yourselves.
I think the interesting part here, is that despite your Christ spending most of his time with the “sinners” of the world when he was on earth, you “Christ-like” individuals seem to only be interested in segregating and dehumanizing them.
We can argue all we want about what we think is right. Me? I am a scout. Always will be. Some of the best times of my life are from scouting. And you know what? I could care less if the allow gay scouts. How does that hurt anybody? In the end it really doesn’t. I was taught to be a tolerant and understanding person, but to stand up for my rights and beliefs. This issue wont directly affect me in any way so why should it bother me? If they don’t allow them in, well that’s that then. End of discussion. But either way they go, I don’t have to agree with it to tolerate it.