Posted on 04/09/2013 12:55:22 PM PDT by Maelstorm
Controversy has surrounded the Boy Scouts of America this year, as same-sex activists have pressured the organization to abandon its long-held values and allow homosexual members. Now, they are trying to remove the Boy Scouts' tax-exempt status.
Alliance Defending Freedom sent a letter to members of the California Legislature Friday to explain the significant legal and policy problems of a proposed bill designed to punish nonprofit youth organizations like the Boy Scouts of America. The bill would strip organizations like the Boy Scouts of their tax-exempt status if they won’t abandon their long-held values and allow themselves to be strong-armed into admitting people into membership who don’t hold to those values.
Thirty-nine California attorneys who are part of the more than 2,200 allied attorneys with Alliance Defending Freedom worldwide also signed the letter.
“Youth organizations that have benefitted America for generations should be free from harassment by politicians who don’t agree with the very values that have made these groups successful,” said Senior Counsel David Cortman. “The Constitution protects the freedom of youth organizations like the Boy Scouts to promote the values that have defined them as an organization and to ensure that their leaders and members adhere to those values.”
Under the bill, SB 323, California would strip tax-exempt status from any “organization organized and operated exclusively as a public charity youth organization that discriminates on the basis of gender identity, race, sexual orientation, nationality, religion, or religious affiliations.” Some of the public charity youth organizations at risk include Little League, Boy Scouts, Cub Scouts, Girl Scouts, Special Olympics, American Youth Soccer Organization, Future Business Leaders of America, and many religious organizations that serve youth.
The Alliance Defending Freedom letter explains that if the bill is passed, many non-profit youth organizations will be forced “to choose between following their core values and beliefs and losing their tax exemptions or abandoning their beliefs to comply with the law.”
“Freedom of association would prove an empty guarantee if associations could not limit control over their decisions to those who share the interests and persuasions that underlie the association’s being,” the letter states.
“The First Amendment protects the freedom of youth organizations to associate with members and leaders who share their values,” added Senior Legal Counsel Jeremy Tedesco. “Our youth deserve to continue to benefit from these groups, and bills like SB 323 severely threaten their ability to do so.”
Sure, attack an organization that teaches wonderful values to young boys and teaches them hard work, service to others and dedication. The state of Moronfornia isn’t about any of those things. So kill off the Boy Scouts in California so we get more juvenille deliquency and street gangs, all because the sacred protected class of deviants gets their feelings hurt if someone doesn’t accept their perverted lifestyles. “Accept me! Accept me!” << The credo of the Stalinist gay movement.
Yep but its “accept me so I can destroy you from the inside” because the sexual progressive homosexuals don’t really want to be boy scouts or to be a part of the church they want to undermine and make those organizations irrelevant, meaningless, and powerless. They want to define Christianity and normalcy as bigotry.
“I’d agree but that is surrendering and of course it is behaving like Boy Scouts have something to be ashamed of when they do not.”
I understand your view. But being right in California is like being a virgin in prison. It’s a good feeling while it lasts.
“free exercise”
“freedom of association”
“establishment of a state religion”
This is the same state where they want mandatory fertility insurance coverate if two man having intercorse with each other does not produce a pregnancy. (but they have to try for one year. How will that be proven?)
This provision would be an unconstitution infringment on freedom of association and would violate the equal protection clause by discriminating on the basis of religion. It would be a blatently unconstitutional law and California knows this yet they are trying to bully the scouts with the high costs of litigating the issue to victory.
Now they don't like the freedom of association?
Time to act ~ prohibit homosexual association in other states ~ punish it with a special tax.
Two can play at this game.
Good points.
Mexifornians just vote as they’re told.
Homosexuals ALWAYS end up over-reaching, which is why they AWAYS end up getting prohibited and punished. They have no sense of self control, nor do they respect the rights of others.
The fags really, REALLY want to have unimpeded access to young boys. Good God, they make me sick...
This is exactly why I am against “Gay Marriage”.
Wow. Haven’t they ever heard of the Freedom of Association?
What a mad house California has become and all for the support of what we were once convinced was “private behavior between consenting adults”.
Next it will be churches, and preachers will be thrown into jail.
Really, all the want(ed) is(was) “tolerance”.
Of course.
If this flies, I expect that the Catholic church will have its tax exempt status threatened next unless they endorse gay marriage.
And I fear some bishops might in order to preserve their property.
Legislation forcing the rest of society to accept the behavioral choices of others is not freedom, but tyrannical insolence.
And the Left is just a tool of ____________ ?
Under this law, could they get rid of CAIR? Or any other mosque that preaches hate? Do they dare?
“liberalism” is the political expression
of the religion of humanism
which began with the lie in Genesis 3,
“you will be as gods, knowing good and evil”.
It will end only when its author is plucked up
by an unnamed angel and flung into the Pit forever.
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