Democratic party should not attack Boy Scouts of America

Eacourier ^ | August 6, 2008 9:17 AM MST | Brent F. Moody

[joinedafterattack]

I read with great appreciation Phil McBride’s article on the Mountain Man Rendezvous recently held by the Boy Scouts of America at Snow Flat on Mount Graham. The article evoked fond memories of the many times I attended what was then the 3G Council’s annual summer camp at Snow Flat.

Lessons then learned from the Boy Scouts remain with me today, as do the many friends I made in Scouting. In those days and for many years thereafter, no one believed that the BSA could become the focal point of controversy.

But that was then, and this is now. And now means that hardly a day goes by without some group attacking the Boy Scouts, its membership rules, its use of public facilities and even its national charter. Most people are not surprised that many of these attacks come from the ACLU. But the Democratic Party? Well, that’s another story. Most Arizona Democrats, especially those who call themselves “conservative Democrats,” would disavow and protest attacks by their state party upon the BSA.

They would certainly disavow the attacks frequently made by the Democratic Party of the Peoples’ Republic of California such as when, in 1995 on the 85th anniversary of the BSA, a resolution was introduced in the California Assembly acknowledging the contributions of the Scouts as follows: “Scouting makes a direct and positive impact on our communities by teaching the principles of the American social, economic and governmental systems.” The resolution mentioned some famous Americans who were Boy Scouts – John F. Kennedy, Hank Aaron and Bill Bradley among them – and concluded by congratulating the Scouts “for training our young people for citizenship, service and leadership.” But liberal Democrats killed it, with 17 voting against the resolution and another 26 abstaining.

However, it’s still a dirty, little subject that’s swept under the rug when it comes to the National Democratic Party, which, of course, is the party people join when they register as Democrats. The National Democratic Party has been no friend of the Boy Scouts. At the Democratic National Convention in Los Angeles in 2000, delegates booed a group of young Scouts as they led the Pledge of Allegiance. And in 2001, a group of Democrats in Congress led a failed effort to repeal the Boy Scouts’ federal charter.

Recent history is replete with further examples of the animosity of the National Democratic Party toward the BSA. And did I mention that the membership of the ACLU, which has filed hundreds of lawsuits against the BSA and its use of public facilities, is comprised mostly of Democrats, with a sprinkling of nonaligned liberals thrown in?

The Democratic Party – the party of Jefferson and the oldest political party in America – has, it seems, abandoned the principles upon which it was founded. There is no doubt in my mind that Jeffersonian Democrats would not stand for attacks upon the Boy Scouts but would instead support the efforts of the BSA to teach and sustain a strong moral code among its boys and young men.

So when you are urged to join the Democratic Party because someone thinks it’s a better place for you, ask that someone about the Democratic Party and the Boy Scouts of America. If enough Americans did that, the Democratic Party might alter its view of the Boy Scouts of America.

Sincerely,

Brent F. Moody

Phoenix

[HamiltonJay]

Any organization that considers the BSA the enemy, is an enemy of America herself, and that’s the truth.

[HamiltonJay]

Never made it to Eagle, but the lessons are still there just the same. I will not let my son make the same mistake I did, he’ll be one of the 2%’s.

[darkangel82]

I never made it that far either but I still have good memories from my time in the Scouts.

[BoxTurtle]

Yeah, I’m not too fond of the Republican party at the moment, but I could never vote for a Democrat while they do stuff like this. The path to Eagle Scout was way too valuable an experience - not just in what I learned but in having the chance to help other guys along the way, too. I’d hate myself if I played a part in taking the BSA away from the next generation.

[Coleus]

At the Democratic National Convention in Los Angeles in 2000, delegates booed a group of young Scouts as they led the Pledge of Allegiance. And in 2001, a group of Democrats in Congress led a failed effort to repeal the Boy Scouts’ federal charter.