[2banana]

Why is it that liberals need to destroy institutions they want to join? If they have a such problem with the Boy Scouts, why don't a group of like minded parents just start the "Gay Scouts" of the "We don't believe in God Scouts"?

Is it any wonder that parents don't want their children to be alone in the woods with individuals that may look at them as a sexual object? Just like I will not let my young daughter go into the woods with male girl scout leader, I will not let my young son go into the woods with a gay scout leader. If it is a choice to take a chance on my children's innocence or to hurt someone's feelings, guess what I am going to decide.

As for the atheist - To be a Boy Scout, one must live according to the Scout Law (around since 1905), a collection of 12 statements that define the a boy in the Scouts. A Scout is trustworthy, loyal, helpful, friendly, courteous, kind, obedient, cheerful, thrifty, brave, clean, and reverent. To be reverent means to possess a belief in God.

Why do liberals want to destroy organizations that do not echo their warped view on society? Hate. They hate seeing something work that they do not control. They hate seeing values taught they can not control (like in public schools). But most of all, they hate seeing that they may be wrong.

Comments please! I feel a LTTE coming up!

[TheBattman]

Exclusion of atheists and homosexuals has denied many kids and teenagers access to scouting programs. It also has led to the loss of many volunteers who would be terrific mentors, role models, and leaders of young people.

Yep, those are definately the sort of roll models I would pick for my kids < / sarcasm off >

[Alberta's Child]

Exclusion of atheists and homosexuals has denied many kids and teenagers access to scouting programs. It also has led to the loss of many volunteers who would be terrific mentors, role models, and leaders of young people.

This is one of the more damaging aspects of left-wing ideology. What makes this statement particularly idiotic is that it sees the "end-products" of a private organization (access to scouting programs, access to volunteers who serve as mentors, role models, etc.) and automatically assumes that there is a vital public interest at stake that requires an adversarial response.

Also, these people will never accept the notion that it is entirely possible that the "exclusion of atheists and homosexuals" is precisely what makes scouting such an effective means of providing leadership, mentoring, etc. to young people.

[The Electrician]

This author has a blind spot so big that you could drive an eighteen-wheeler through it. His basic premise is that for the Boy Scouts to discriminate in admitting scouts or their leaders based on their core beliefs is somehow wrong, even though the US Supreme Court has ruled that it is proper. Note, though, that he says nothing about the fact that the Boy Scouts do not admit girls as scouts. Elsewhere, at this very minute, the lefties are screaming with rage against a famous male-only golf club for not admitting women. Why aren't these lefties also shouting about how girls should be admitted to the Boy Scouts (and boys to the girl scouts)? Because that would expose just how assinine their argument about excluding gays and atheists is.

[joebuck]

"Businesses and organizations that fund BSA, such as the United Way (which has an anti-discrimination policy) should stop contributing funds to the BSA as long as it keeps current discriminatory policies intact. Several United Way chapters across the country have done so already."

What point are the libs trying to make when they openly advocate discriminating against the boy scouts because they feel the boy scouts discriminate against gays and atheists? The lack of logic in this "discriminate against the discriminators" argument is self evident. What astounds is the disconnect in the liberals who fail to see the contradiction here. Sometimes the BS gets so deep you need wings to stay above it.

[VRWC_minion]

Under current Boy Scout rules, a crack-smoking, al-Qaeda-supporting, wife-beating member of the Ku Klux Klan would be fine as a scoutmaster

Not exactly. With this last comment he should lose all credibility, but he won't.

[CapedCrusader]

Lambert had disclosed his atheism to Scout leaders last year in his Eagle Scout application, but he still received the award.

Bad on the scouts.

Meanwhile, this battle will continue on a local level

Where it belongs.

Meanwhile, another good Scout leader is lost.

While this may be true, the BSA has every right to set their own membership criteria.

[VRWC_minion]

Boy Scout Oath or Promise

On my honor, I will do my best
To do my duty to God and my country and to obey the Scout Law;
To help other people at all times;
To keep myself physically strong, mentally awake and morally straight.

---

Note that the Boy Scout Oath has traditionally been considered to have three promises.  Those three promises are delineated by the semicolons in the Oath, which divide it into three clauses.  The three promises of the Scout Oath are, therefore:

• Duty to God and country,
• Duty to other people, and
• Duty to self

DUTY TO GOD AND COUNTRY: Your FAMILY and religious leaders teach you to know and serve God. By following these teachings, you do your duty to God.

Men and women of the past worked to make America great, and many gave their lives for their country. By being a good family member and a good citizen, by working for your country's good and obeying its laws, you do your duty to your country. Obeying the Scout Law means living by its 12 points.

DUTY TO OTHER PEOPLE: Many people need help. A cheery smile and a helping hand make life easier for others. By doing a Good Turn daily and helping when you're neded, you prove yourself a Scout and do your part to make this a better world.

DUTY TO SELF: Keeping yourself physically strong means taking care of your body. Eat the right foods and build your strength. Staying mentally awake means learn all you can, be curious, and ask questions. Being morally straight means to live your life with honesty, to be clean in your speech and actions, and to be a person of strong character.

[GSWarrior]

Many angry Eagle Scouts, both gay and straight, sent their merit badges back to BSA headquarters to protest the Supreme Court decision

Seriously, how many gay Eagle scouts can there be?

[N. Theknow]

Larry Atkins (larryLTatkins@aol.com) is a lawyer and writer who lives in Philadelphia.

Perhaps this is the homosexual lawyer Tom Hanks played in the movie Philadelphia.

[CapedCrusader]

Why do liberals want to destroy organizations that do not echo their warped view on society? Hate.

I don't think it's hate. It wasn't hate that propelled James Dale, the gay scout who was expelled in Jersey and took his unsuccessful case to the SC. He honestly loved scouting.

It's liberals in their own way pressuring private organizations to conform to their worldview. The left would love to have a civic-minded group like the BSA within their camp.

[hattend]

I've always wondered why those people who feel the Boy Scouts are intolerant can't go out and start their own kids' club.

It's because they aren't interested in tolerance or kids, they want to destroy an institution.

I don't think funding will be a problem for Scouting. As local "charities" pull their funding, people will bypass the charities and give directly to the Boy Scouts. I know I did this. The United way can pound sand. Cutting out the middleman means more cash for the local Scout councils.

[LiteKeeper]

former Scoutmaster, District Commissioner read later

[an amused spectator]

Larry Atkins is at it again, trying to force the Boy Scouts to accept homosexuals into positions where they will have unsupervised control of young boys.

We saw where attitudes like Larry's got homosexuals in the Catholic Church.

It's curious how the American Left Wing can have its cake and eat it, too. Homos in Church, "bad pedophile priests", homos in Boy Scouts, "good diverse scout leaders".

[XJarhead]

The Boy Scouts of America serve a valuable purpose in shaping the lives of young people.

How is this possible if it is run by a bunch of right-wing, religious, homophobic idiots?

It's amazing. On the one hand, the author praises the organization and acknowledges the good it does in the lives of young men. On the other, he slaps the tag of intolerance on it. Seems to me that people who don't like the position of the B.S.A. should be trying to eliminate the organization altogether, on the grounds that any organization that advances such beliefs cannot possibly be shaping the lives of young people in a valuable way.

Or perhaps its just possible that the values taught by the Boy Scouts are one of the reasons it is such a valuable force in shaping the lives of young men. In which case, maybe its best to just leave it alone.

[bert]

Discrimination is not only a good practice, but a necessary practice. We don't eat chicken feet or chicken beaks, we eat breasts or legs or other wholsome portions.

We discriminate among the chicken parts and select the good and discard the bad.

So it is with people, we look, we select and we discard. That is, we carefully discriminate between the good, the bad, and the ugly. It turns out the ex scout in question was not suitable and was discarded.

[martin gibson]

Many angry Eagle Scouts, both gay and straight, sent their merit badges back to BSA headquarters to protest the Supreme Court decision.

yeah, sure they did.

Why, there must have been 850 ba-jillion gay, angry Eagle Scouts returning their badges...

For miles and miles, all one could see was the great sea of angry, gay Eagle Scouts returning those merit badgess...

[tdadams]

Under current Boy Scout rules, a crack-smoking, al-Qaeda-supporting, wife-beating member of the Ku Klux Klan would be fine as a scoutmaster, but Lambert isn't.

Remember kids, resorting to silly vitriol always strengthens a weak argument.

[tdadams]

In other words: "I demand you allow me into this organization that I hate so much!"

[jjm2111]

"Under current Boy Scout rules, a crack-smoking, al-Qaeda-supporting, wife-beating member of the Ku Klux Klan would be fine as a scoutmaster..."

No he wouldn't, you lying reporter. Get a grip.

I'm sorry, no single guy gay or straight, should really want to go hang out in the woods with little boys. The Scouts have a policy against gay Scoutmasters, not gay Scouts. (I'm not 100% sure on that though). I'm an Eagle Scout. I think the policy (against gays and atheists) is correct and I haven't sent in my merit badges.

/rant.

[Consort]

New Merit Badges
Atheist	Anarchist	Gay