evmori

Scouter Paul, You are correct! A SM Conference isn't pass/fail. Ed Mori Troop 1 1 Peter 4:10

Deloe, 1st off, welcome. 2nd - not sure where the lies are in the article. It seems accurate to me! Could be pick a couple of "lies" and explain your reasoning? Thanks Ed Mori Troop 1 1 Peter 4:10

I gotta agree that banning laser tag seems a little over the edge. But we need to follow the rules. It would be nice if the BSA gave us a better explanation to their reasoning, though. Ed Mori Troop 1 1 Peter 4:10

Excellent Eamonn! Rules are to be followed even if they seem stupid or outdated. And if we think they should be changed, we should work to have them changed. But until then, they must be followed. We, after all, are setting an example. Ed Mori Troop 1 1 Peter 4:10

I love this site! But if we don't let Terry know there might be problems, then how's he gonna fix 'em? Keep up the good work, Terry! Ed Mori Troop 1 1 Peter 4:10(This message has been edited by evmori)

The BSA doesn't always give a reason for the rules it imposes. I think the intention is not to point any weapon at an individual. But it would be nice if the BSA would tell us that! And yeah it could be considered a stupid rule (no laser tag) but we still must follow the rules stupid or not. And our Scouts need to know that! We have the ability to try to change the rules we think are stupid. So we should follow the rule even if it is stupid & work to change it for the future. Ed Mori Troop 1 1 Peter 4:10

Eamonn, It sounds like you want to leave but have reservations. I would look at it this way. What's best for the kids? Where can I find my replacement? I will keep you in my prayers. Ed Mori Troop 1 1 Peter 4:10

Ed, I've tried to explain concepts to you before, and you simply can't understand them, so I'm not going to bother anymore. I'll let you be baffled by court decisions that are beyond your comprehension. Actually, Merlyn, what is beyond my comprehension is your utter lack of sense! Since the judge ruled the lease unconstitutional, show me where in the Constitution it states a city MUST take bids for work to be done! It isn't in there! The suit is baseless and costing the taxpayers money not to mention the bad press the city & the BSA are getting. You just keep up your fight for pointless values. You're good at that. Ed Mori Troop 1 1 Peter 4:10(This message has been edited by evmori)

Coffee cup!! Coffee cup!! With a belt clip!! Ed Mori Troop 1 1 Peter 4:10

Ya know Merlyn, you keep telling me I don't understand the issues but refuse to explain them! I think what you don't understand is I understand the issues better than you. I just don't agree with you skewed point of view of the issues! All the BSA did was offer to improve and maintain the land at no cost to the city in return for a cheap lease & use of the land when they wanted to use it. The city said yes & they worked up an agreement. Now a couple of people who don't like the BSA because the BSA has different morals than them decided to sue because the BSA discriminates! Well guess what! The Supreme Court ruled the BSA was a private group not a public accommodation and could set it's own rules for membership! You call it discrimination! I call it membership guidelines! Augusta Country Club doesn't allow women! You must be a male to join. That's one of their membership guidelines! The Girl Scouts doesn't allow boys. And there and millions more examples! Your KKK example is flawed as long as the KKK doesn't required that only white people get the advantage of what they are doing! Ed Mori Troop 1 1 Peter 4:10

We replace the flags on the veterans graves at a local cemetary the Saturday before Memorial Day. On Memorial Day we , participate in a ceremony at the borough fire department then we march in the local parade with the local VFW Post. Ed Mori Troop 1 1 Peter 4:10

Better yet, open the lease to public bidding so the city can get the best deal. All work completed and maintained at no cost to the city. Is there a better deal? The problem isn't "not liking" the group, the problem is that the group discriminates on the basis of religion. Which according to the Supreme Court is OK! Ed Mori Troop 1 1 Peter 4:10

Is anyone being denied use of this property because of their religious beliefs? I seriously doubt it. Even if these people who the ACLU initiated the suit for did apply to the BSA for membership & were denied due to their lack of belief in God then their beef would be with the BSA not the city of San Diego! The city isn't denying them membership, the BSA is! The judge who gave this ruling is playing "Catch 22" with the BSA. The Supreme Court ruled the BSA is a private organization (not religious) and can set it's own membership guidelines. Now this judge in the Land of Fruits and Nuts is penalizing the BSA because he feels the BSA membership guidelines are discriminatory! If this ends up back at the Supreme Court, the BSA will win! Ed Mori Troop 1 1 Peter 4:10

Isn't it true if you go too far right you will end up left?

Good one, Bob!

I'll concede the freedom of speech issue. This San Diego thing is kinda funny, though. The Supreme Court ruled the BSA was a private organization (not religious organization) and therefore could set its own membership requirements. Now a judge in the Land of Fruits & Nuts is stating since the BSA has membership requirements that one believe in God & not be a homosexual their lease is null and void! If this goes to the Supreme Court there is no way the ruling could go against the BSA! Ed Mori Troop 1 1 Peter 4:10

When we hold elections, the candidates give a speech as to why they should be SPL ,PL, etc. Then the Scouts are reminded this is not a popularity contest & to pick the best Scout for the job. Seems to work well. I don't like the idea of "If you vote for me I will ____ for you." Borders on conspiracy. Ed Mori Troop 1 1 Peter 4:10

Merlyn, Horsepucky! You must be good at Twister!(This message has been edited by evmori)

Merlyn, You asked Now Ed, what is YOUR opinion on this? I've now answered four of your questions, and you have yet to answer my one question. I Now if you would have read my post prior to your you would have read think it the same as if a Christian church wanted to broadcast the Lords Prayer over a loudspeaker. If Christians can't do it then Muslims can't do it. Sorta proves you only see what you want to see. And you stated in another post that the town by allowing this call to prayer isn't endorsing a religion? I really don't care about the noise laws. What is the difference between this town allowing an Islamic call to prayer and any town displaying a Nativity scene at Christmas? Ed Mori Troop 1 1 Peter 4:10

I think it the same as if a Christian church wanted to broadcast the Lords Prayer over a loudspeaker. If Christians can't do it then Muslims can't do it. Merlyn, Please explain why it's different? Ed Mori Troop 1 1 Peter 4:10

Merlyn, By the town letting them do this, aren't they endorsing a religion? And doesn't that violate your version of the 1st Amendment? Ed Mori Troop 1 1 Peter 4:10

Hey Merlyn, What's your position on the Islam Call to Prayer being allowed in a town that has recently made the news? Ed Mori Troop 1 1 Peter 4:10

Here's another opinion from San Diego: Boy Scout ruling a triumph of intolerance By Mark Pulliam Monday, April 26, 2004 Like the Grinch who stole Christmas, the American Civil Liberties Union is seeking to prevent San Diego youth from enjoying outdoor activities at Camp Balboa and the Youth Aquatic Center, facilities run by the Boy Scouts of America on land leased from the city of San Diego. In June 2000, the U.S. Supreme Court ruled against the ACLU in Boy Scouts of America v. Dale, after a decade of harassing litigation, to uphold the Boy Scouts' right to hold and enforce beliefs as an organization. Just two months later, the ACLU launched a mean-spirited lawsuit here in San Diego to remove the Boy Scouts from its long-term leases in Balboa Park and Fiesta Island. The ACLU's newest argument is that, because the Boy Scouts profess a belief in God, they discriminate and therefore must be evicted. In July 2003, and again in April of this year, the ACLU has convinced a federal district judge to accept its extremist position. Judge Napoleon Jones has become the first jurist in America to rule that a city must discriminate against a nonprofit organization for professing a belief in God. What would the Founding Fathers think? Judge Jones' ruling will undoubtedly be reversed on appeal, but at great expense to the Boy Scouts -- and to the taxpayers of San Diego who, through the weak-willed City Council, agreed last December to pay the ACLU nearly a million dollars in costs and fees. The Boy Scouts will have to sell a lot of popcorn to overcome the ACLU's San Diego taxpayer-funded war chest. Only Mayor Dick Murphy and Councilman Jim Madaffer courageously voted against this bizarre settlement. I must confess to a personal interest in this, as I'm an active Scouting volunteer with my two sons. I've stayed overnight at Camp Balboa, and last summer my son and I enjoyed a week at the Youth Aquatic Center, which was financed and built by the Scouts at no cost to the city. Using boats, instructors and equipment provided by the Scouts, the boys learned to sail, canoe, kayak and safely operate a motorboat. They swam, earned merit badges and sang songs around a campfire. They enjoyed each other and the outdoors, without television, PlayStations, MTV or Discmans. Other than a nondenominational grace before meals, a ritual as inoffensive as the reference to God on our currency, I witnessed nothing that week that any "reasonable observer" would characterize as "religious." Judge Jones' ruling rests on the premise that the Boy Scouts -- solely because of their belief in God -- is a "religious organization," and that by allowing the Scouts to lease city-owned land it is therefore "advancing religion" and "religious indoctrination." On this basis, Judge Jones concluded that the lease is invalid and the Scouts must be evicted, despite the fact that the Boy Scouts invested millions of dollars in capital improvements. This position clearly amounts to intolerance of and discrimination against religious belief, an affront to the First Amendment unsupported by Supreme Court precedent. As the U.S. Department of Justice succinctly stated, "the Boy Scouts of America is not a church, and canoeing, kayaking and swimming are not religious activities." According to the ACLU, only groups who profess "acceptable" beliefs have civil rights; those who don't (such as the Boy Scouts) must be ostracized. For reasons that I cannot fathom, the ACLU, which zealously defends the free speech rights of reprehensible groups such as the KKK, the Nazis and the North American Man/Boy Love Association, is on a crusade against the Boy Scouts, solely because it professes a belief in God. What is so important about preventing kids from enjoying what the Boy Scouts have to offer? Is the ACLU so hostile to religious belief that they would prefer to have children hanging out at the shopping mall, exposed to the influence of gangs and drugs, rather than camping, swimming and canoeing at facilities operated by the Boy Scouts? And unfortunately, inner city youth will probably suffer the most from the ACLU's actions. This litigation must be seen for what it really is -- an attempt by a vocal minority to impose its religion-free beliefs on a predominantly religious majority of Americans. In an Orwellian slip, Jordan Budd, the ACLU's legal director in San Diego, reportedly said that the Boy Scouts "could resolve the issue and stay on Fiesta Island and in Balboa Park if they changed their policy," i.e., if they abandoned their belief in God and opposition to homosexuality. The ACLU is attempting to stifle all forms of religious expression and to drive dissenters from the public square. The Boy Scouts are in the ACLU's crosshairs today; tomorrow will it be the Salvation Army, religious charities, or your local church or synagogue? Not just the Boy Scouts, but all Americans who cherish freedom have a big stake in this fight. Pulliam is a local attorney.

Don't ya wish you could just take people like the ODL outside & beat them with a stick!

hops, You need to plug your laptop into the current bush at your campsite! Ed Mori Troop 1 1 Peter 4:10