Howard's Views
THE GREATEST GENERATION
When the radios blared forth and trh the newspapers came out with Special Editions that headlined that the Japanese had bombed Pearl Harbor, tens of thousands of young men were at Enlistment Offices within an hour, and in the first two days after there were hundreds of thousands of enlistments.
Of those young men who volunteered for duty, there were large numbers of were ex-Boy Scouts, who were usually among the first to volunteer whenever their country needed them. Many had leadership skills learned in Scouting, and they often became officers, but all scouts had some training in discipline and self-reliance, skills that helped them fit the mold of soldiers easier. Theyld already learned the rudiments of marching in formation, of camping out, and other skills in survival. And, above all, they learned patriotism, lessons well taught that served them well.
They fought and fell in every battle during the war. The tenants of scouting went with them...to war, and they served in all sectors with honor.
When they returned home, lessons learned in Scouting helped them
adjust, and become community leaders. 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. And those tenants most
Scouts can recite to this day. A Scout is Honest, Loyal, Kind, Obedient,
Cheerful, Thrifty, Brave, Clean and Reverent. Scouting is an important
part of American life. Scouting is an important part of many a youngster's
life. And, Scouting, whether you recognize it or not has been an important
part in your life, because former Scouts have treated you with the same
kind of civility that they learned as part of their training.
EXPOSING THE BOY SCOUTS
But now, after a century of serving with honor in every state in the Union, it seems that the Boy Scouts of America have suddenly been ?outed? and they now suffer a stigma and damage to their once clean reputation by mean-spirited and destructive opponents. As a result of that stigma, they are now roundly criticized, disenfranchised, disclaimed, and dishonored, by a pack of social hyenas snapping at their heels at every opportunity. Generations of Boy Scouts, millions of them, have now been cast into a light that seemingly blinds their former supporters to their virtues, and instead subjects them to nasty attacks and riducule.
Yes, they have been declared "anti-gay" or "homophobic." They have been castigated unfairly in news articles, on TV, in City Councils, in churches, and by Gay and Lesbian organizations nationally. In other words, this great organization, one which has contributed a great deal to communities the country over for decades, is supposedly fatally flawed!
This is absolute bull, a calumny all out of proportion to the supposed problem.
They've been denied access to schools and city properties where they used to hold their meetings. They have been denied the cooperation of other organizations because of the vociferous attacks made upon them at public meetings, by critics who have little real knowledge of the function of Scouting. These attacks are never rational, and their vituperativness tends to scare off supporters, and even those who have always had a high regard for Scouting. Yes, now there are those whose sole agenda, it seems, is to discredit this fine organization, and who make serious and damaging accusations, that falsely make them out to be a biased and discriminatory group comparable to the Klu Klux Klan. As G.I. Joe's used to say, "What a crock. Whan an absolute crock!"
The simple truth of the matter is that 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, [i.e.] for the protection of all the youngsters in their charge, committed by the national Board of Directors of that fine orgnization. It was a decision that they legally had to make, one which fulfills their obligation to protect the youngsters in their charge from the wrongful acts of others, and the group from lawsuits and judgments which could virtually, if not completely, wipe out the funding that supports them.
What kind of a society are we living in today that this is judged wrong, that one person can infringe upon the rights and duties of many others to such a degree?
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BY BEST ESTIMATES,THREE TO FIVE MILLION OF THEM WERE [BORN] GAY! |
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More than 110 million boys have had the benefit of scouting in the years since they were incorporated here in the United States.
If statistics mean anything, then at
least 3% of them were Gay, or 3.3 million boys.
Some statistics claim
that as great a number as 10% of men may be Gay, which would translate
into more than ten million boys of Gay orientation were Boy Scouts and
benefitted accordingly. All of them too had the wonderful training and
they participated in the fraternal and social activities which exists
among scouts.
Would you deny all boys, including those who may be Gay,
the tremendous benefits of scouting?
Would you not agree that perhaps
some sacrifices might be a greater benefit to millions of scouts than to a
few individuals who disagree with certain policies of the Boy Scouts of
America? The Scouts have never proclaimed Gay boys unwelcome, and they
were treated just as well as any other boy in the organization.
James
Dale, of Monmouth County, New Jersey, the young man who filed the suit
that wended its way to the Supreme Court, attained the rank of Eagle
Scout, and a prime example of the fact that scouting welcomes all boys,
and as long as they hold to the tenants of the organization, they are
welcome. This is no more than any other group requires, whether it be the
Knights of Columbus, the Baptist Church, the Woodmen of America, the
Masons, and the many other Fraternal and Soriety groups about the country.
MINORITY GROUPS HAVE THEIR OWN
DISCRIMINATORY POLICIES AND WAYS.
Discrimination surrounds us. Discrimination encompasses
us. Discrimination is hurtful to those who suffer it...and discrimination
is wrong, but in many ways it is always a part of our lives and we all are
involved in different forms of it, either on the receiving end or we're
among those who are dishing it out. There is no perfect world. There is no
perfect country. There us no perfect state. Discrimination will always be
with us, unfortunately, but true.
The B.S.A. did not wish to
discriminate against a young scout leader who may or may not have been
Gay. Obviously he was accepted and well treated during his Scouting
experience. But when he declared his preference, it became necessary to
consider his position and then it became necessary to act in the best
interest of the organization as a whole.
It was a duty, an obligation,
not a private opinion. His public declaration immediately put a different
slant on the situation and forced the Board to discuss it and to make a
decision as to what was best for the young scouts in their care, and also
to consider what this might portend, and then to protect the treasury of
the corporate structure. Judgments today often award overwhelming punitive
damages and this is a strong consideration for the Board Members to keep
in mind during their deliberations.
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
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