| Be not afraid.
Today, as in the past, we need a brave civic virtue, not a timid civility,
to keep our republic. Be not afraid. By yielding to a false form of civility, we
sometimes allow our critics to intimidate us. Active citizens are
sometimes subjected to truly vile attacks. They are branded as
mean-spirited, racist, Uncle Tom, homophobic, sexist, etc. To this we
often respond, if not succumb..., trying to be tolerant and
non-judgmental. That is, we censor ourselves. This is not civility. It is
cowardice or well intentioned self-deception at best.
|
EX-BOY SCOUTS: ARE WE COWARDS?
MORAL COWARDICE AND THE BOY SCOUTSBack in the 1930 s young boys, when they were around eleven years old, could hardly wait to reach their twelfth birthday so that they'd be old enough to join the Boy Scouts of America. That magic birthday usually meant a present of inestimable value to a youngster in those days, a gift that many of them carried in their pockets for years, a Boy Scout knife. It was sort a coming of age rite, but when they joined, it was to an organization whose tenants and principles helped to build and continually strengthen the moral foundation of those young men, as it had in the decades before the 30s, and as it continues to do to this day. Life was much simpler in the depression years. A small gift, such as a pocket knife, had a much greater impact on boys then, more than a thousand dollar computer has on young people today. That moral foundation continues to live within the millions former Boy Scouts, in countries all around the world, just as strongly as it did when we were trying to advance, between the ages of twelve to sixteen, from Tenderfoot to Third Class, through the ranks on up to Eagle Scout. Just a few boys out of the many who joined,made it to Eagle Scout, but I can remember how enthusiastic the other scouts were when it was announced at one of our weekly meetings that a member of our troop had advanced to that rank, and how proud that youngster's parents felt at his accomplishment. It was competitive, but it was good natured competition, and it was a lessom in citizenship as well, for many of the Merit Badges had to do with such matters. That moral foundation is still the very essence of scouting, and it should be the very essence of scouting's leadership today. Not to fight each battle for scouting with every sinew in your body and every brain cell in your head is a form of moral cowardice. To give way or give up a belief here, a location there, a single institution of scouting without a fight, is moral cowardice. If you don't have the courage of your convictions and you're not willing to go to the forefront on attack instead of always fighting a defensive action, then give way to those who are determined to overcome all obstacles in their way, or let someone else lead and then be their strongest supporter. The intent of the enemies of scouting is clear, to destroy the moral fiber of the nation and its' institutions, and one of the foudations of morality is in the training of the young men and women of this country, with scouting as one of the pillars supporting both patriotism and morality. This, they must tear down, if they are to gain their ends. Just don't allow them to do so. These youngsters are our responsibility; this country is our past, our present and our future, and the skirmishes and battles we give up on are those which will determine what happens to our children and grandchildren in the years to come. 110 MILLION BOYS HAVE TAKEN THE SCOUTING OATH SINCE 1910, APPROACHING 100 YEARS OF SCOUTING. The moral foundation that was instilled then still lives within the millions of former Boy Scouts the nation over, yet not only here, but in countries all around the world, because scouting is an internatonal movement open to boys of every nationality. It affects our lives in many ways, and lives within us just as strongly as it did while we were trying to advance from Tenderfoot to Third Class to Second Class to First Class, on up to Eagle Scout, in those years between the ages of twelve to sixteen. Just a few made it to Eagle Scout, but I can remember how enthusiastic we boys were when it was announced at one of our weekly meetings that a member of our troop had advanced to that rank, and how proud that youngster's parents felt at his accomplishment. While many of us may not have climbed all the way up the ladder, we certainly learned valuable lessons as we went along, not the least of which were the attributes of good citizenship. They taught us (and still do) patriotism, the love of country, and we saluted the flag and recited the Pledge of Allegiance at every meeting. (We seem to have too little of that today.) But there are some people in this country who are even against such teachings. We have too many who do rail on about our faults, while ignoring the good. The one thing that they did do was to welcome each young boy and treat him as an equal. Boys from every strata of society, of every color, speaking every language, and from every religion, all around the world, joined the Boy Scouts, and they still do. They were, indeed, from every persuasion, because no one questioned it; they all began as Tenderfeet, and if they had the gumption and the determination, they climbed the ladder to Eagle Scout.The one thing that they did not do was to discriminate. They taught a love of God too. Our country was founded by men who professed their belief in God, and was fought for by men who had faith in God. While of varying faiths, they worked together in harmony to build this nation and from that, it grew into a great nation.They taught respect for your fellow man (or boy), and at International Scoutaramas, held in different countries of the world for the past 100 years, young boys, and young men, from this country and scores of others, have met in fellowship and friendship, in many foreign countries and learned a little lot about each other while doing so... IT'S TIME TO STAND AND BE COUNTEDThere were summer encampments, international scout encampments that a few boys from every district managed to attend, and the lessons, both moral and proved invaluable to most of us throughout our lifetimes. Those tenants most Scouts can recite to this day. A Scout is Honest, Brave, Clean and Reverent. When the radios and newspapers blared with the news that the Japanese had bombed Pearl Harbor, millions of ex-Scouts were the first to go, and they fought and fell in every battle during the war. The tenants of scouting went with them to war, and they served with honor. Those same tenants, learned in scouting, were in the hearts and minds of many of the world's great statesmen from the turn of the century onward.After a century of serving the boys and this nation with honor, the Boy Scouts of America have suddenly been outed and now suffer the stigma of being disenfranchised, disclaimed, and dishonored by a mean group of people who are out to destory it, because it does not fit into their program for America. They have an agenda that demands the cessation of a moral code that has maintained and strengthened the stability of this nation. Generations of Boy Scouts, millions of them, have now been cast into a light that seemingly blinds their former supporters to the finer qualities that scouting brings out in young people, and instead they now suffer undeserved attacks upon their integrity, upon their fairness, and upon their teachings. EXPOSING THE BOY SCOUTS! It s time that the Boy Scouts of America were exposed for what they really are, that this group which claims to teach our youngsters patriotism, responsibility, to live a clean moral life, the value of friendships, respect for their fellow man and international brotherhood, and other values in their lives. Indeed, in spite of all this, they seem to be demonstrably and fatally flawed. Yes, it seems obvious that this organization, which presumes to hold tenants that so many deem exemplary, is deep down little more than a biased and discriminatory group comparable, perhaps, to the Klu Klux Klan. The question is, can the Boy Scouts of America, established more than a hundred year ago, bear up under scrutiny and is it what it really appears to be? No, it seems, because they discriminate. They discriminate against openly gay scout leaders, and because of this they deserve to lose our trust and respect, don't they? But perhaps, as much as you've read about this story, the whole truth about the Boy Scouts has yet to be told. Perhaps they are guilty of more than this, that there are hidden secrets that the public is not aware of, secrets that might blow the lid off the scouting movement and condemn it to the ash heap of history. It's time that the Boy Scouts came out of the closet. If they refuse to do this, then they should be outed. from one end of the country to the other, the Boy Scouts are paying the penalty for their sins, not for the sin of being biased or prejudiced against any group or sect, but for the sin of acting in a prudent manner for the protection of all the youngsters in their charge. The anger and vituperative accusations& .being hurled at them, they certainly must deserve. After all, they've been exposed for what they are& a highly discriminatory organization marching under the banner& . But, let us really examine the matter, first as to what the Boy Scouts stand for, and secondly, for what they really believe, and why they are forced to take the position that they have in regards to Gay scout leaders. The Catholic Church, for example, has been sued time and again, and has paid out millions in damages to young me who were seduced by gays in the priesthood. The Church, in order to protect itself from further raids upon its treasury, must somehow manage to weed out those whose earthly desires are stronger than their heavenly beliefs. Legally They Are Obligated to Protect the Boys&Now, just what risks should the men in charge of the Boy Scouts of America take in order to conform to a policy of non-discrimination against gays and yet protect their young charges, as well as the sanctity of their organization, so that they do not Young boys and young men are highly impressionable. Certainly there are those who tendencies from birth might be considered gay, but there are also those whose lives may swing in one direction or another, depending upon the influences at this early stage of development. While I am sure that most men, either straight or gay, would conduct themselves in an honorable fashion while discharging their duties as a Scout Leader, how does the governing body of the Boy Scouts make such a determination? How do they qualify each gay before appointing him to this position of trust?Then, what assurance can they give a parent that the gay leader is going to stick strictly to the business teaching the Boy Scouts in their care those lessons dictated by their by-laws over the years, and not to teach, advocate, or instill lessons that are not core beliefs of the scouting community? How do they know that a Gay scout leader will not take advantage of a young boy? Oh yes, there are those who will read this and become incensed. Hey, this writer is anti-gay. He's gay bashing. Balderdash. Today one cannot pose a question without being accused of being anti-this or anti-that. All I Restriction on First Amendment Rights.The simple truth of the matter is that millions and millions of Americans support this viewpoint and share this point of view, but we've become a nation of cowards, afraid to express our opinions in certain areas, such as this one, for fear of being tagged with the label: anti-Gay. We are again living in an age of fear, where witch-hunts have once more haave become the norm, and as a result our First Amendment rights suffer just as much as if we were in a totalitarian nation. This is what has happened to this nation today; anyone who differs with a position taken by a minority group suffers immediate vituperative attacks and an appellation of being totally anti-this or anti-that. Can we not differ on one point or two, express an honest difference of opinion, belief, or viewpoint, without suffering from such viciousness and name-calling? It seems that by granting certain exclusive rights to some we trample on the rights of others. It is always the same question: Where do we draw the line? GAYS DO FALL IN LOVE There is no denying that Gay people do fall in love, and that their love is as deep an emotion between Gays as it is for a Straight or Heterosexual person. If a young Gay scout leader fell in love with a 15 or 16 year old Boy Scout, is it something that the Boy Scouts of America should be concerned with, especially if that love turned physical, as most love affairs do? What is the risk? How do you determine whether that young boy actually has strong homosexual tendencies? Or, if he has, that he willingly wishes to give in to them? Or, if he only has sexual urges and this is a chance to use them? The problem is complex, the choices are multifaceted. But, more than that, and we are not supposed to discuss any of this, what happens if the young man has a change of heart, the parents learn about it, and a law suit results (as it surely will in this day and age), and national attention is brought to the matter? Some Gay men have bragged of literally thousands of conquests, and certainly some of them must have resulted in unhappiness for their partners. Every woman who is seduced is not happy the following morning. And, those who are raped Dishonor brought upon the scouting movement These attacks have heaped and brought dishonor upon all Boy Scouts, and they do not deserve dishonor. It has brought allegations against them and they do not deserve such treatment. It has denigrated them, and they do not deserve denigration It has cast undeserved aspersions against them and they are not guilty of any violation of their moral code. In order to get back at the adults who set such a policy, you punish the youngsters. Is that fair? Is that It has badly damaged a fine and old institution, and they do not deserve. In retaliation for a perceived wrong, you try to destroy the whole organization, which benefits millions of youngsters every year. It is denying the Boy Scouts, and these young boys and young men are of all persuasions, for indeed, some of them will also grow up and become members of the gay community as they attain their majority and sort out their own persuasions. A leading coach, with a national reputation for developing young talent is now being charge with a crime against a youth, and Johnny Cochrane is now the lawyer for that young man in his suit against the school district. Imagine what this settlement will amount to, how this alleged[Insert text or image here] Today the Boy Scouts are
facing a dilemma, perhaps the most serious of all since their founding
more than 100 years ago, by an English nobleman, Sir. Thomas Baden Powell.
STRAIGHT TALK ABOUT GAYS COMING IN A NEW INSTALLMENT. IF YOU'RE SQUEAMISH, STAY OUT. |