Free Republic

Here are some great pictures from the ongoing March for Marriage in Washington DC.

The Supreme Court has ruled that police use of a drug-sniffing dog on a homeowner's porch is a violation of the Fourth Amendment's protection against unreasonable searches and seizures. [...]

Today the U.S. Supreme Court begins to decide if the people of California were wrong to decide that marriage is between a man and a woman. It also begins arguments that the people, through the Federal Government, could were wrong also. Interesting that this is beginning on Holy Week, when we remember when the Lord went to the Cross to pay for the sins of folks like us. All we, are truly going 'Astray' like sheep. In this case, in a bad way.

<p>Madonna has never been a stranger to controversy, and she once again dipped her toe into those waters at last night’s GLAAD Awards, where she was presenting an award to Anderson Cooper.</p> <p>Dressed in an oversized Boy Scout uniform, Madonna took the organization to task for its policy that bans gay people from joining. “I wanted to be a Boy Scout, but they wouldn’t let me join,” she said during a 10-minute speech. “I think that’s (messed) up. I know how to build a fire. I can pitch a tent … most importantly, I know how to scout for boys.”</p>

IRVING, TX, March 11, 2013, (LifeSiteNews.com) – The Boy Scouts of America are asking for citizens across the country to express their opinion about the BSA's policy barring open homosexuals from joining the group as members or scoutmasters. In a tiny link at the top of their website, the Scouts announced their review of the policy. A second link simply asks readers, “Share your feedback.” Last July, the 100-year-old outdoor group announced it would maintain its moral standards for members and leaders. However, in January the national scouting organization bowed to pressure to reconsider the policy. A decision was expected...

California would strip the tax-exempt status from youth organizations like the Boy Scouts if they have policies that bar gay people from participating, under a bill introduced at the Capitol Tuesday. The measure, SB323, by Sen. Ricardo Lara, D-Bell Gardens (Los Angeles County), comes as the national Boy Scouts of America is considering changes to its policy barring gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgender people from serving as scouts or as leaders in the organization. By the way: SACRAMENTO, Calif. — In a historic move, California's Latino Legislative Caucus has selected openly gay Assemblymember Ricardo Lara, who represents California's 50th District,...

By John Crewdson, Tribune senior correspondent. Reporting and research assistance was provided by Drew Crosby in Madrid MADRID -- The most sweeping criminal indictment to arise thus far from the Sept. 11 attacks reflects a quiet but dramatic change in understanding by investigators here and across Europe of the terrorist organization known as Al Qaeda, and the international Islamic radical-terrorist network of which, they now agree, it is merely a part. As laid out in the indictment, the defendants' alleged activities--from arranging travel and providing introductions to procuring false documents and, especially, moving money--provide the first detailed look at one...

For most of the last century, leftists have been infiltrating positions of power in our local, state and federal governments, our schools and every major institution. They have done this in order to promote godless, communist ideology and to subvert traditional American values based on true freedom (not to be confused with immoral license) and common-sense morality that ultimately stems from God’s Word. The result of this long-running invasion of our culture is a degeneracy of the soul and conscience of our nation. Some of the most aggressive tools of the Left in our nation are the members of the...

(WMC-TV) – A former Boy Scout leader has been indicted, accused of molesting young boys. For the first time, an alleged victim's mother has issued a warning. MOREAdditional Links Details of William Todd Brewer's indictment were made public Monday after Brewer was served on Friday. Now we're hearing from the mother of one of the alleged victims in court documents. When former Boy Scout leader William Todd Brewer was arrested for sexual battery last July, one mother didn't want to think about what may have gone on inside Brewer's Senatobia rental home with her then 13-year-old son. "I would tell...

“They have secret files (here in Canada) as they do down there (in the U.S.) of guys that had abused kids that they hadn’t reported. There were investigations into the abuse of boys, which never really produced anything in Canada.” – Brian Rushfeldt, president, Canada Family Action. IRVING, TX, February 8, 2013, (LifeSiteNews.com) – David Watkins, a former Boy Scout leader, has been charged with sodomizing a boy under 13 years of age in his troop. The news broke on the same week as the Boys Scouts of America’s (BSA) decision on whether or not to continue their long-standing...

But with less than four weeks until the premiere of Are You Tougher Than a Boy Scout? on the National Geographic Channel, news about the series is coming faster than you can say “Be Prepared.” We already know the series debuts at 8 p.m. (7 p.m. Central) on Monday, March 4. Today’s scoop: A new website for the show, toughscout.com, just launched. The site channels excitement surrounding the show into a recruiting pitch for boys and girls who get inspired to sign up for Scouting. It encourages current Scouts to share their Scouting adventures on Instagram and Twitter. And it’s...

At a local library a small group of individuals meet on a monthly basis to discuss Russian literature. Over the past ten years they've discussed every author from Pushkin to Dostoyevsky to Tolstoy. At the upcoming meeting they plan to discuss one or two twentieth century Soviet authors. When the date of the meeting rolls around, they find two new people there to participate in the meeting. In short order they learn that these two new participants have no love for Russian authors. In fact, they are two Estonian nationalists that hate everything Russian. They are at the meeting only...

Major corporations that have donated to the Boy Scouts of America in recent years are largely remaining quiet ahead of the highly anticipated vote Wednesday on the organization’s policy on homosexuals, but some have made it clear their money will go only to groups that don’t discriminate on the basis of sexual orientation. In 2010, the latest year for which figures are available, the top donors to the Scouts, listed in descending order according to amount, were Intel, Emerson, Verizon, 3M, Bank of America, Wells Fargo, Pfizer, Valero, UPS, U.S. Bank, Eli Lilly and Co., GE, Monsanto, Medtronic, PNC, Nationwide,...

(CNSNews.com) - One day after President Obama said "yes," he thinks the Boy Scouts of America should admit homosexuals -- to expose them to "opportunities and leadership" -- dozens of conservative groups are running a newspaper ad, urging the Boy Scouts to "show courage" and "stand for timeless values." The 41 conservative organizations, in a full-page ad in Monday's USA Today, said it would be a "grave mistake" for BSA to change their longstanding policy against having openly homosexual Scout leaders or Scouts. In a Sunday interview with "60 Minutes" Correspondent Scott Pelley, President Obama said the scouts should admit...

http://www.theblaze.com/stories/2012/07/17/boy-scouts-reaffirm-gay-ban-after-2-year-review/ NEW YORK (AP) — After a confidential two-year review, the Boy Scouts of America on Tuesday emphatically reaffirmed its policy of excluding gays, ruling out any changes despite relentless protest campaigns by some critics. An 11-member special committee, formed discreetly by top Scout leaders in 2010, “came to the conclusion that this policy is absolutely the best policy for the Boy Scouts,” the organization’ national spokesman, Deron Smith, told The Associated Press. Smith said the committee, comprised of professional scout executives and adult volunteers, was unanimous in its conclusion – preserving a long-standing policy that was upheld by the...

President Obama called Sunday for the Boy Scouts of America to open its ranks to those who are gay. Asked in a pre-Super Bowl interview if he thought the group should end its ban on gay scout leaders and members, Obama responded with a direct: “Yes.” “My attitude is that gays and lesbians should have access and opportunity the same way everybody else does, in every institution and walk of life,” Obama said. Obama’s comments come as Boy Scouts leaders say they will discuss whether to change their long-standing ban during an upcoming meeting. Obama made equal rights for gays...

Send this URGENT alert to all your friends. The anti-family movement is pressuring the Boy Scouts to surrender. To give up their honor.  To accept unnatural behavior -- sin -- and abandon their morally sound membership policy which bars open homosexuals from holding leadership positions. According to a recent statement by Deron Smith, director of Boy Scouts public relations, “... the BSA is discussing potentially removing the national membership restriction regarding sexual orientation. This would mean there would no longer be any national policy regarding sexual orientation..." The proposed policy shift would place the moral welfare of 2.7 million boys...

MEDIA STATEMENTBoy Scouts of America Monday, Jan. 28, 2013 Attributable to: Deron Smith, Director of Public Relations“For more than 100 years, Scouting’s focus has been on working together to deliver the nation’s foremost youth program of character development and values-based leadership training. Scouting has always been in an ongoing dialogue with the Scouting family to determine what is in the best interest of the organization and the young people we serve.“Currently, the BSA is discussing potentially removing the national membership restriction regarding sexual orientation. This would mean there would no longer be any national policy regarding sexual orientation, and...

I received the Weekly Scouting Update from the Catalina Council which encompasses southern Arizona. This policy letter and my reply are relevant to all who love scouting.

The phones are ringing off the wall. If you've tried to get through to the Boy Scouts of America (BSA), you know it's been tough. If you've wanted to express your concern about the BSA abandoning their longstanding policy of safeguarding Scouts by restricting openly homosexual Scout leaders from holding leadership positions, you may have been greeted by an endlessly ringing phone. This may be one instance in which the Boy Scouts were not prepared. The BSA national leadership were not prepared for the thousands of Americans who were shocked to hear that an organization that could always be counted...