Posted on 03/17/2002 4:57:05 AM PST by Behind Liberal Lines
AUBURN (NY)- The town of Throop is taking nearly $700,000 out of HSBC bank and moving it elsewhere in response to the bank's decision to oust the Boy Scouts from space they rent in the bank's downtown offices.
The town board voted unanimously to withdraw the money after HSBC told the Cayuga County Boy Scouts that they would have to vacate their basement offices by June 30 because the Boy Scouts do not allow gay men as leaders.
Throop Town Supervisor Leo Herrling said there was little discussion, and no dissension, during the board's vote on Wednesday.
"The board decided not to deal with HSBC because of the Boy Scout situation," Herrling said. "We also felt that HSBC, being an off-shore bank which is out of Hong Kong and Singapore, we felt it was out of place that a bank, a commercial establishment, is drawing lines in the sand and taking sides."
Herrling said that the town has negotiated with several banks.
"It's just a matter of getting the checks printed and moving the money. It will be done as soon as we can."
Town Councilor Mike Tarby, who was elected in November, has a 7-year-old son, Ben, who is in the Cub Scouts, and Tarby himself is a Scout leader.
"We don't think the bank is being fair with the Boy Scouts," said Tarby. "I think the Supreme Court made a great ruling in saying that the Boy Scouts can make that call of not having homosexuals. And who is a foreign bank to come in and say otherwise?"
The city of Auburn may vote on a resolution Thursday that would withdraw its cash reserves - estimated at between $5 and $10 million, according to City Comptroller Bea O'Hora - from the local branch of the Hongkong and Shanghai Banking Corp., Ltd.
Bill Jacobs, the lone Republican on the five-person city council, proposed the resolution at Thursday's council session. Jacobs called HSBC's action "a blatant case of discrimination."
Mayor Melina Carnicelli was unavailable for comment because she is out of town on vacation. Councilor Robert Hunter did not return a phone call seeking comment, while fellow Democrat David Dempsey said that HSBC had a right not to renew the scouts' lease.
"It's their opinion and I have no other comment about it," Dempsey said.
Democrat Tom McNabb said Friday that he was somewhat taken aback by Jacobs' proposal.
"I sympathize greatly with the Boy Scouts, no question about that, I don't agree that they should be tossed out," said McNabb, who stressed that complexities of any possible movement of money must be thoroughly examined for the well-being of the city's finances.
But officials in Throop wasted little time in switching banks after it was announced Tuesday that the Boy Scouts would have to find new offices.
"I was very angry, I was upset. The fact that this came out of a bank out of New York City, and being that it's affecting our community, which it is," Herrling said. "I feel strongly about the Boy Scouts. I was a Boy Scout at one time.
"The Boy Scouts are a private organization and they shouldn't be punished because of political correctness. Political correctness has gone overboard at this point."
Tarby worries what would happen if the Boy Scouts were forced to include gay scout leaders.
"I'm not discriminating against homosexuals, but if my son was in a troop and he had to go the house of one, I would have concerns about his safety," Tarby said.
Go Boy Scouts of America.
Thank God for small towns
Three Whoops for the Throop Troops.
(ps let's see the politically correct Hong Kong managers shout slogan out when they decide to apologize)
Even in ancient tomes, forced homosexualization was a means of coercion and control of humanity by the Gods and Demi Gods.
Those who seek to conquer and own a man's soul have used the moral slavery of homosexality time and again to their advantage.
wonder how much HSBC contributed to NY JR senator's campaign?
Interesting that many revolutions begin with one person standing up.
By taking actions such as this, these fine people can point the way out of mush-headed quagmire of bonzo Berkeleydom. This PC garbage would get a similar, spirited reception in my small town of Smithville, Texas, too!
Just say NO...to the rainbow!
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