[Jay777]

HOW YOU CAN HELP THE BOYSCOUTS

[One Proud Dad]

For every one dropped a church pick it up.

[Jay777]

PING!

[Calpernia]

ACLU ping

[Calpernia]

Accused Terrorist Wrote School Guidelines with ACLU
http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1052017/posts

FBI says it has files on ACLU, Greenpeace, other rights groups
http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1445131/posts

The Truth About The American Civil Liberties Union
http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1261888/posts

[polymuser]

Apparently, public schools must eliminate every last drop of God in them.

VOUCHERS!

[notpoliticallycorewrecked]

We were told by our local council that if a troop or pack was sponsored by a government group that they had to find a different sponsor. We were informed that this change in policy was coming down from national. So the pack that bridges boys into our troop will have to find a new sponsor. They can still meet at the school, but the school can no longer be their sponsor. The parent club, church or other civin organization will need to step up to sponsor them.

[L98Fiero]

What is "feared" from these lawsuits? At worst, the ACLU could make the schools drop their sponsorship. Well, the schools did that voluntarily. So what was the "fear" factor?

This "fearing lawsuits" has become the spineless cop-out of our century, IMO.

[TexanToTheCore]

I am not sure I disagree with the results. Scouting most assuredly belongs in the churches. The children and their needs will be met in all areas.

Having said that, I think the ACLU is a despicable organization whose funding should be stopped immediately.

[Scoutmaster]

This is not a new development.

Prior to 1998 or 1999, the Boy Scouts had a co-ed program called "Explorers." Two of the most popular options were firefighting Explorers and law enforcement Explorers, and Explorer Posts usually had local Fire Stations or Police Departments as chartered organizations. After losing lawsuits to the ACLU because the Explorers' oath required belief in a Supreme Being, the BSA moved Exploring to its subsidiary, Learning For Life, which does not require belief in a Supreme Being.

BSA replaced Exploring with Venturing, a co-ed high adventure program for youth 14-21 (not to be confused with the old Venture patrols in Boy Scout Troops).

Schools and PTAs that had served as chartered organizations for Cub Scout Packs and Boy Scout Troops started to drop them earnestly beginning in the same era, based on both the ACLU lawsuits and the no-gay-leaders issues.

While it is true that churches (or police unions, for example) stepped forward to serve as chartered organizations, the loss of schools as COs hurt Scouting in urban areas. It was much easier for boy to stay after school for a Den, Pack, Troop, or Post meeting than to expect an urban youth to go to a church that afternoon, or to return to a church or other location that evening.

All of the minor decreases in Scouting youth enrollment pointed to from time to time by the ACLU since 1998 are the result of major loss of youth membership in a few major urban areas, not quite offset by large growth in all other areas.

Cyclotic, my Pack, Troop, and Crew are all self-chartered -- 25 years ago, the parents and former Scouts formed a nonprofit corporation solely for the purpose of chartering Scouting groups. We were lucky enough to own land and a Scout Hut that had been donated by a parent in the past. We have our share of internal politics, but it beats educating a new minister, principal, or union president about what a Scouting program is and should be.

Would stay longer, but I'm off to a meeting on the 2007 World Jamboree -- the 100th Anniversary of Scouting!

SUPPORT SCOUTING!

[FlingWingFlyer]

Public schools are no place for American children anyway. Too many sexual pervert teachers hang out there to prey on our children.

[LiteKeeper]

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