“...creating an impression that change was imminent,...”
It is the fact this vile topic is even open for discussion that is outrageous. The speed of the deliberations is just another aspect of it. The BSA is done for as an American institution that is worthy of any moral respect if they allow openly homosexual members or leaders. This is because homosexuality is a moral issue rooted in the same godly values that Scouting touches on in the Scout Law, in the reference to both “Clean” and “Reverent”.
It should go without saying that sodomy is not clean by any means and carries significant risks to health that has cost many lives and billions of dollars. The lifetime cost of a single young person getting AIDs is in the millions, more than it costs to graduate a single competent high school student from an urban public school.
In their complaint about the loss of corporate sponsors, are the present leaders of BSA telling us they are willing to bend morality for the sake of money? What kind of message and example does this set for the young people in Scouting? They disqualify themselves by this complaint.
There is the root of this, as usual. Always follow the money. The two corporate leaders on the board that are the center of this effort fail to understand the difference between what corporations have to do under threat of law and what a volunteer organization has been affirmed to be able to do by SCOTUS. Any decision that pushes this choice down to the unit/troop/chartering organization level will result in most choosing not to renew charters in order to avoid the liability. Less units = less Scouting opportunities = less Scout membership so the organization dries up to be only a memory.
Another article said attorneys have told the board to expect another legal challenge that might fail at SCOTUS since the last vote was 5-4. I'd say going down fighting is an honorable choice that would be supported by most parents and volunteer leaders.