Boy Scouts face setback in Supreme Court

Associated Press ^ | 10/17/06

[presidio9]

ping

[sportutegrl]

We were with our son selling popcorn at a Show and Sell last weekend, when someone felt the need to come up to us and say he wasn't going to buy popcorn to support a group that discriminates against homosexuals. I'm sorry to say that I was so shocked that I didn't have a ready reply and just stood there with my mouth open.

[Eric in the Ozarks]

The Scouts are nowhere without private benefactors. This is the way they've always prospered, at least from my experience.

[silverleaf]

Hopefully philanthropy will step in to save traditional values of scouting.

I don't see why the court would stop at scouting- many churches do not allow perform or sanction gay marriage- I guess they lose their tax exempt status next. Soon USA will be an entire nation where citizens must accept sodomy as a "natural right" to be taught to the youngest of us as just another normal, to obtain federal tax benefits.

[presidio9]

I think something like "enjoy your no popcorn, butt pirate," would have sufficed.

[silverleaf]

"There is nothing in the history of our country that prohibits homosexuals from establishing their own youth mentoring organization - after all, they have NAMBLA!"

[twigs]

I guess they lose their tax exempt status next.

I think that's coming soon, too.

[presidio9]

This ruling was issued by California's State Supreme Court. The Scouts think things may be different when the appeal to SCOTUS, and I tend to agree with them.

[Alberta's Child]

It's about time an organization like the Boy Scouts told these governments to go f#ck themselves, and stop pretending that it is anything other than a private, non-profit organization that abides by its own rules. If they want to have a Sea Scout troop in Berkeley, let them get a wealthy private donor to buy them their own marina.

Any person or group who relies on The State for their well-being and solvency has no reason to complain when The State starts making outrageous demands of them.

Two years ago, the court similarly rejected a Boy Scouts appeal of a case from Connecticut, where officials dropped the group from a list of charities that receive donations from state employees through a payroll deduction plan.

The Boy Scouts were the wrong plaintiff in this case. They would have had a much better chance of succeeding in court if the suit had been brought by a donor who was not permitted to donate to his/her favorite charity through this plan.

[polymuser]

Hopefully philanthropy will step in to save traditional values of scouting.

Every Bible-based, true-teaching church could charter a Pack (Cub Scouts) and a Troop (Boy Scouts), actively recruit in their local neighborhoods, and include Scouting as part of their Youth Ministry. Just like so many NCC churches do.

[Congressman Billybob]

The AP is engaged in bigoted reporting. The Boy Scouts are not engaging in "discrimination." They are exercising their First Amendment "freedom of association" as recognized by the Supreme Court in Dale v. Boy Scouts.

And this is not a theoretical matter. The decision of the Boy Scouts that it is dangerous to have adult homosexuals as leaders is a matter of the safety of those in their care. Witness Gerry Studds (D-Mass) who actually seduced a young boy, and Mark Foley (R-Fla) who sent nasty messages to a boy.

The Scouts are right on the law, and right on the practicalities of the matter. The AP is being politically correct by avoiding the fact that adult homosexuals are dangerous to young boys.

Congressman Billybob

Latest article: "An Open Letter to President Bollinger"

Please see my most recent new statement on running for Congress, here.

[CometBaby]

The left's battering of the Boy Scouts has been led by the radical homosexual movement in the Democratic party. That the Democrats led the assault on Scouting will be forever to their shame.

[Rurudyne]

You know, it's kinda funny how the 1st Amendment was meant to protect the right to a good conscience before the divine (how else would you describe religious liberty?) and political speech ... but now protects anything but these.

The also funny thing is, that after the 14th Amendment extended the first eight amendments to cover the several States it was still not the case that any aspect of Federal laws (which cases like these pervert) could respect civil rights that Persons or private groups could not disparage.

Homosexuals and their allies are proving the words of Paul in Romans true every day.

[Congressman Billybob]

The Scouts, at their own expense, built a breakwater in the Berkely Marina in return for their "perpetual lease" on two spaces for docking. So, the City of Berkeley "stole" the breakwater from the Scouts by keeping it, not paying for it, yet breaching the lease they had agreed to.

Unfortunately, this issue was not properly developed at trial, and therefore could not be presented to the Supreme Court.

John / Billybob

[presidio9]

What the hell are you talking about? It's a PUBLIC marina. Wanna bet there's some gay group who is enjoying free use of public property because of Berkeley's arbitrary rules? Plenty of not-for-profit groups are discriminatory. Do you really want to open that Pandora's Box? The end result of rulings like this will be "mo more Boy Scouts." Is that a good thing in the name of buttsex equality?

[FreedomPoster]

Do you happen to know, how long has it been that the Girl Scouts have allowed male leaders? I was amazed when this was pointed out to me. It's a bad idea, just as allowing homosexual males to lead Boy Scouts is a bad idea.

[Alberta's Child]

Perhaps it's time for the Boy Scouts to undertake a special progect for their Berkeley troop . . . "Demolition of Breakwater and Other Marine Infrastructure."

[Alberta's Child]

You're not making a good argument that Boy Scouts should have access to this public marina.

You're actually making a very good argument that a "public marina" shouldn't even exist in the first place. That rationale should also be extended to just about everything else we've come to expect from government these days -- public schools, public hospitals, public housing, etc.