Honey, We Molested the Kids!

Town Hall ^ | 19 Feb 2020 | Ann Coulter

[Rummyfan]

HEADLINE: Boy Scouts Files Chapter 11 Bankruptcy in the Face of Thousands of Child Abuse Allegations

The Boy Scouts of America (BSA) have long been on the left’s hate list. Any organization that has the temerity to train young men in the virtues of integrity, patriotism and self-reliance is putting itself on the fighting side of liberals!

At the 2000 Democratic National Convention, a little group of Boy Scouts took the stage as part of the opening ceremony -- and were promptly booed by the delegates.

For decades, the BSA has fended off lawsuits demanding that they embrace the holy trinity of G's: girls, gays and godless atheists. (If only it had occurred to the plaintiffs to start their own organizations! They could have given them names like “The Girl Scouts.”)

Why would any liberal want to join an organization that was, according to them, sexist, Bible-thumping and bigoted? They didn’t. The lawsuits were kill shots.

[bert]

Whining it is

[Rummyfan]

My kids were Boy Scouts, and it was ok, not great.

My son did scouting. I never had the opportunity as a kid. I think he really benefited from it. I think I did too by going on some of the trips as an adult helper.

[Sawdring]

It isn’t destroyed and it lives on.

[IronJack]

So “practicality” dictates that parents abdicate their moral duties in favor of some selected organization?

[yldstrk]

I felt like the mindset was middle manager at ATT

[Rummyfan]

Both of my boys achieved Eagle Scout rank in the BSA. Both entered the USMC as PFCs - an initial rank promotion accorded Eagle Scouts upon enlistment.

Bravo for them!

[bert]

Misinformed morals should not over rule that which is excellant

[pbear8]

As a *very* imperfect Catholic I’m quite puzzled by the celibacy rule

Perhaps if you saw the life of a priest close-up you might not be puzzled. It is non-stop, many calls are received in the wee hours, some involve Last Rites because a face was shot off by a 'friend', etc. Try taking that back home and then being perky for the wife and kids. What would you do about the inevitable divorces? How would the average parish pay for a family? Last I knew, my diocese paid each priest $2000 a month from which they paid for the car, gas, medical insurance, etc. Think they could support a family on that?

Some men are given the gift of living alone and serving God totally. Pray for them.

[rlmorel]

You might do better having a civil discussion by avoiding calling people with legitimate concerns “ignorant” and “whiners”. You could have made your point and there could have been real discussion.

But you didn’t, and there wasn’t.

That way, people won’t accuse you of knuckling under to and being an unwitting enabler and shill of the Left, jumping through hoops of their making, and burying your head in the sand to buy another breath of what you think is free air or another moment of faux freedom for some thing you obviously have a lot invested in while you go through years of self-imposed class-taking, rules, regulations, and limitations you think will help, but are just another hurdle placed there by you at the bidding of entities hostile to you and your interests.

[rlmorel]

I find myself siding with bert on this even if I disagree with him on other points.

IronJack, you are correct that an external organization is no substitute for sound parenting, but I also believe that there are skills and structures built into things like Scouts that contribute as well, and having those destroyed is a loss no matter how you look at it.

Parents can’t really foster the group skills, structures and placement into action and experience the way an organization such as the Scouts can...or could.

[IronJack]

Those skills and structures can just as easily act in opposition to the parents’ values as in support of them. Witness the abominations known as public schools.

I wouldn’t trust the influence of ANY organization on my children. An organization has no vested interest in the outcome.

[rlmorel]

As a former Catholic, I have never been bothered by the celibacy and I respected it.

However, what really does bother me is how over the years it has in some respects (especially with the current Pope and leadership) become more of an organized sex club with acceptance and normalization of open homosexuality among the clergy, and less focus on God and the Church in that role.

I understand I am being inflammatory and overstated it with the "sex club" comment, but I find the commentary coming from the current leadership quite disturbing to the point of disgusting.

I am no longer a Catholic, and I have valid reasons related to these things being discussed, so I know I don't have a voice (and shouldn't) in the operation and focus of the Catholic church, but as a former Catholic and now an outsider, I find the direction to be off-putting.

I also recognize there are many celibate men and women, good men and women, in the Roman Catholic Church who have more in common with this valiant and inspirational man of God, Father O'Callahan than they do with the rainbow flag:

[rlmorel]

I don’t disagree that they certainly can act in oppostion, we are in full agreement there.

I will say, though, in my experiences in the Boy Scouts and some other external organizations such as CYO which had a dramatic and lasting impact on me, I never had the impression they had anything less than a vested interest in the outcome of helping me develop values and reach adulthood.

I think where we disagree is the use of the word “ANY” in your post.

[rlmorel]

I don’t mind conceding that point at all, since I wasn’t really in my mind distinguishing between 7 year olds and 17 year old children...I was treating them as somewhat of a monolithic grouping.

I appreciate that clarification...thank you.

[rlmorel]

bert, I apologize for the abrasive response to your post-you can probably discern that this is a subject that greatly affects me for a wide range of reasons.

I would rather retract my post and have a discussion than leave it in place and leave things where they are, which doesn’t do much in the way of discourse.

[tbw2]

Conservative Boy Scout Alternatives
https://wehavekids.com/youth-programs/Conservative-Boy-Scout-Alternatives

[tbw2]

Conservative Boy Scout Alternatives
https://wehavekids.com/youth-programs/Conservative-Boy-Scout-Alternatives

[DoodleBob]

Doubt they still do that

And, therein, lies a YUGE part of the problem. That is, the surrender of moral men.

The fact is, Scouts DO still recite The Scout Oath (not pledge) and Scout Law at the beginning of meetings. Those still involved in Scouting know that fact. Those still involved in Scouting haven't adopted the French approach to being attacked, or the Loyalist approach to conflict, i.e. setting up their own splinter group known as Ontario.

As I've said repeatedly, National is messed up but the power is with THE TROOP. If you have a son who aspires to grow via the Scouting way - which has worked for a century+ - then join the troop as an Assistant Scoutmaster. Get involved. Check them out - some Troops may not fit your approach, just like all Republicans aren't Deplorables. Do your homework. I suspect you'll find MANY like-minded adults who HATE what's going on and LOVE to facilitate the skills and leadership development of their sons in a group setting. They also tend to act as gatekeepers against the rot that sadly infected so many other Troops.

All that is required here, is the same moral fiber and testicular fortitude that was held during the Obama years. Or, men could simply let the Antifa crowd win and let THEM set the agenda. It's only the youth of American about which we are talking, and the continued sacking of civilization while we bitch and moan behind a keyboard.

[EC Washington]

Excellent Post! My Son earned his Eagle Badge 25 years ago, he is now a Major in the Army Reserve, serving several tours in Iraq and Kuwait. My Father’s American Legion Post was the troop sponsor for many years. The members donated $1000’s to support the troop and sent Scouts to summer camp.

We had a rule in our troop, if you did not have a Son in the Troop, you could not be a leader or volunteer. No outsiders. Unfortunately, since the Boy Scout “scandal” many Legion Posts have dropped their Troop sponsorships. According to our local Council, about 1/3 of the current troops will be active in the next 5 years, the rest will close or only exist on paper. The war is over, we lost.

[GOP_Party_Animal]

I can agree with many of the points you, Doodlebob, and others bring up: scouting units at the troop and pack level are still great, positive influences on young men. It also sickens me that FReepers are mocking BSA troops as being loaded with pedos and victims. What a flippant, stupid thing to say.

But I also resent the mis-characterization you make of us who have left the BSA. After seven years of Cub Scout leadership I decided to take my two boys and leave for a newly formed Trail Life troop. I was tired of funding a national and regional leadership whose values no longer reflected mine. While our church-sponsored pack and attached troop could exclude gay leaders, it was clear we would be around them at district events and council campgrounds. No thanks.

The straw that broke the camel's back for me was the enthusiastic welcome of girls into the BSA and the dishonest way it was brought about. Now every piece of literature for scouting clearly shows that BSA scouting is for girls. It perfectly fits National's “progressive” notion that boys and girls are interchangeable. Recruiting boys and male leaders for my pack was hard enough, as cultural headwinds favor sports or other activities. Now I also had to fight the damage that National has done to perception of the BSA brand.

We live in a free society where people can make their own choices. I don't berate conservatives who want to leave California schools and taxes for better states elsewhere. I also don't consider BSA parents and leaders to be pussies for finding other scouting organizations. The battle is to develop young boys into good men, not to save the BSA from its own failings. So don't tell me to “suck it up” and keep supporting this disaster with my time and money.