Posted on 11/23/2004 8:24:56 AM PST by Tumbleweed_Connection
Sen. Bill Nelson sought to reassure Boy Scout leaders that they will continue to get some help from the military in the wake of a legal settlement barring direct Pentagon sponsorship. Nelson told the Scout organizers not to worry that all links between the two organizations will be severed. "For any concerns that you have, I just want you to relax because it's just not going to happen," he said.
The Florida Democrat said he is confident Congress would maintain Defense Department assistance. That includes allowing Scout troop meetings on bases and let military personnel lead Scout activities without having to take leave time.
He met Monday with Scout leaders from eight counties in the Florida Panhandle and three in Alabama to discuss a Pentagon agreement that partly settles claims by the American Civil Liberties Union. The ACLU contends the government has engaged in religious discrimination by supporting a group requiring its members to believe in God.
Nelson is planning similar conferences across Florida. The Pentagon has agreed to warn military officials around the world against directly sponsoring Boy Scout troops.
The Pentagon said it has long had a rule against sponsorship of non-federal organizations and denied the rule had been violated. But it agreed to send a message to posts worldwide warning them not to sponsor troops or other such groups.
The rule does not prevent service members from leading Scout troops unofficially on their own time, and Scouts will still be able to hold meetings on areas of military bases where civilian organizations are allowed to hold events.
The partial settlement does not resolve other ACLU claims involving government spending that benefits the Boy Scouts, such as money used to prepare a Virginia military base for the Boy Scout Jamboree and grants used by state and local governments to benefit the Boy Scouts, ACLU attorney Adam Schwartz said earlier this month.
Nelson has introduced a resolution urging the Defense Department to continue supporting the Boy Scouts, including spending for national and world jamborees. A similar measure is in the House.
If the resolutions are insufficient, Nelson said he would amend the Defense Department's annual spending authorization bill to make supporting the Scouts a matter of law.
"We're not going to let well-intentioned people... take something that is so fundamental from our operation as a society and rip that apart," Nelson said.
Get on board. In this "Two-Party Cartel" there is one faction that is ACTIVE & one side that is PASSIVE. You all think that there will be conservatives on the Supreme Court in 4 years. Keep dream'in & send those checks to the PASSIVE pols.(I'm just wondering how the pubbies will spin this for the off elections)
U.S. Senator Bill Nelson of Florida is the ONLY Senator that I see defending our Boy Scouts !
BTW, I think he voted to ban partial-birth abortion too ?
Yes on the first two, Nay on the last two. His views on the second amendment are enough to make him poison in my eyes.
That said, I'm glad to see _someone_ in the fedgov step up to the plate on this one. Shamefully, the GOP is completely AWOL.
In our current one party system, people like me who have NO power to be heard by the elites in the federal government have to take what we can get.
I don't care who stops the ACLU.
I don't care who closes the borders.
I don't care who steps up to admit we need racial profiling.
Whoever does it, I support them in that particular initiative. I am independent minded enough to separate issues, and to give credit for taking the correct position. For example, Tom Daschle opposed the removal of food labels telling us where the food came from. I agree with him on that. That does not imply I agree with him on ANY OTHER issue.
In this case, there is a bill which could go into law which I think is a good bill. It doesn't change my opinion of Bill Nelson's views on other issues.
You sound like those who are willing to ignore the fact that Bush is running up the debt and getting ready to give out amnesty to illegals because he's cutting taxes.
Bill Nelson, facing re-election in 2006, begins his "I'm a conservative" charade.
BILL NELSON WOULD NOT MAKE A GOOD PRESIDENT.
see #27 below. Frist did have something in the works.
er, above.
Thank you
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