Schools Dropping Scouting Sponsorships, Fearing Lawsuits

KSDK News ^ | 11/9/2005 | Cordell Whitlock

[Jay777]

(KSDK) - Threats of litigation by the American Civil Liberties Union is causing trouble for some Boy Scouts in St. Charles County.

Last year the ACLU complained the Boy Scouts were a religious group, because members were compelled to swear an oath of duty to God. When the ACLU began winning court cases, several sponsors pulled out.

Cub Scout Pack 530 was sponsored by Castlio Elementary School in St. Charles County for 20 years until the school pulled out after the ACLU'S nationwide threat to sue. Some parents are upset because the parent-teacher organization at Castlio decided not to sponsor the pack, after being requested to do so.

When a new PTO Board was seated this year, members talked with an attorney and decided the organization was at risk legally by sponsoring the Scouts. "The ACLU has left the door open for litigation in this matter," says Castlio PTO President Mary Johnson.

[Scoutmaster]

Thanks for your support of Scouting. We had a glitch in communication -- I was on my way to a MEETING about the 2007 World Jamboree. I won't be leaving for the actual Jamboree until mid-July 2007.

There is no current Iraqi Scouting organization in the World Organization of Scouting (Iraq was expelled in 1999 after Saddam Hussein turned Iraqi Scouting into his private program, with hand-to-hand fighting drills).

For a description of the Iraqi Scouting Initiative, an attempt to re-introduce Scouting to Iraq, see Jamboree Jihad, from Outside magazine, October 2004.

To make a donation to the Iraqi Scouting Initiative, send your check to:

The World Friendship Fund
Boy Scouts of America
1325 West Walnut Hill Lane
PO Box 152079
Irving, Texas 75015-2079

Make your check out to the "World Friendship Fund." On the notation line at the bottom of your check, please write "for the Iraqi Scouting Initiative." One hundred percent of all donations go to the Iraqi Scouting programs.

[cyclotic]

Thanks,

I already wear my Iraqi Scouting temp patch on my uniform.

I knew there was a world Jamboree but had no idea when or where. Have fun when you go.

[Arthalion]

You're going to Britain? Lucky dog...my son will miss the minimum age cutoff by one year, or we'd be going as well. That will be a once in a lifetime event!

[Scoutmaster]

Yes, I'll be in Great Britain for the 2007 World Jamboree, and I'm blessed to be a Scoutmaster for one of the Southern Region BSA Troops (to be formed), although I would go in any staff position I could get. I believe it was the '99 World Jamboree in Chile that a full-bird Air Force Colonel's staff job was cleaning toilets. I'd tell you that you wouldn't believe how excited and proud he was to do the job but, let's face it, he was a full-bird Colonel still involved in Scouting. That's just the kind of man and Eagle Scout he was.

For those of you who don't know, the 2007 World Jamboree will be the Centenary of Scouting, and will be held in England. I'll post information later about where you can contribute to help Scouts from less-developed nations attend the World Jamboree (there are National Scouting programs in 150+ countries; 140+ of those are in the World Organization).

We'll postpone the National Jamboree for one year, to 2010, to celebrate the Centenary of Scouting in the United States.

The next five years for Scouting are going to be big.

[LiteKeeper]

We ought to sue the Schools for dropping the Scoting program.