Lone

If 10% of the 220 million adults are gay, that gives an estimated gay adult population of 22 million.

Except that the speech he DELIVERED is yet another example of his rampant and docuemented plagiarism (See Stanford University's Martin Luther King Jr's Papers Project). The "I Have a Dream" speech was written by Dr. Archibald Carey, Jr and delievered, of all places, at the 1952 Republican convention. With so many fine black Americans for our youth to emulate, we do a disservice to hold up someone of this character.

>>But regardless the group as a whole are still human and should be afforded equal treatment.

Z writes: >>However, one argument I have never accepted is that gays place the youth in any sort of risk.

JohnDaigler writes: >>Morally Pure" is pretty high standard! Do we uninvite "cohabiting" Scout Leaders?? > I see no reason to think that any particular gay man is more likely to molest my son than to think that any particular heterosexual man is likely to molest my daughter.>Your sexual orientation is an incredibly huge deciding factor in how 'moral' you are. Could someone show me any evidence, outside the Bible, Koran, or any other religous text, that proves that homosexuals are more likely to commit acts of molestation and/or other acts of crime?

Thanks, SA. Good article. And it underscores that private charity is distinct from foreign aid. The fewer taxes we pay, the more there is left for charitable donations. btw, I never said that as a country we should not respond at all, but that we should not be a faucet without a spigot. And that for funds beyond basic necessities, there should be some responsibility as well. Heard today that the largest relief efforts are coming from --- Indonesia. Yep, the world isn't going to fall apart without our foreign aid. Has anyone heard from their Scout organization?

>>The situation in SE Asia right now is unprecedented in our life time. About the only other time the world has seen such suffering on such a massive scale in the last 50-60 years was probably WWII, and the US stepped up to the plate and provided massive relief to countries that had previously been our enemies.

"I am not positive about the foreign policies of each of these nations, but I don't think ANY of them are countries the U.S. has much of a problem with -- or that they have much of a problem with us." Do a simple search. This is incorrect. btw, comparing taxpayer dollars to "help other people at all times" is in no way keeping with the Scout tradition. If the little old lady down the street is in desparate need of food, you do not have the right, ethical or otherwise, to COMPEL her neighbors to donate toward a food basket. It's a wonderful thing for those who want to "help other people at all times" to do so VOLUNTARILY, but you can't rob the other neighbor to do so. Sure hope those posters aren't teaching any of the citizenship badges :-(

NLD, I agree with your basic sentiments. I am heartened to see the PRIVATE giving of so many volunteer organizations, including scouts like John's. I'm not so happy to see tax dollars clamored for more and more loudly without very much appreciation on the recipients' parts (the governments, not the individuals -- whom I assume are quite appreciative). Why isn't the aid (that beyond immediate food and water) being made CONDITIONAL? If tax dollars are being used, let Indonesia more fully cooperate with rooting out their Muslim extremists, let SriLanka agree to pursue their drug lords, how about increased access to ports for our military? The point is that while this is truly a tragedy, why should we (the USA taxpayers) be EXPECTED to constantly foot the bill? What of the next tragedy, and the next? Where does it end? I'm all for private voluntary giving (see http://www.family.org/fmedia/misc/a0035010.cfm if you want to give where you know it will actually get to those needing it). I also think it could be our advantage to spend foreign aid money there -- so long as we are getting something in return. Otherwise, it is foolishness at BEST.

LeRoy writes>>I don't think the current BSA offers anything worthwhile to atheist youth.

The point is not that the data was collected. It is hypocrisy. When I call the IRS, I *KNOW* my file is being updated. When I donate to the party of my choice, I *KNOW* that information will be given to other parties unless I opt out. There is no pretending. Hardy is right, it's an integrity issue.

http://www.LoneScouting.com

My son is Lone Scouting. His brother will be soon. It's working out very well. So well that we're encouraging other like-minded homeschoolers in the area to Lone Scout, too. I suppose it depends upon WHY a person is homeschooling. For us, part of that is family togetherness. He has plenty of opportunity to lead and teach -- mostly his siblings, but others as well. When he is a mature young man and working toward Eagle, he will likely join a troop. For now, Scouting as a Lone Scout provides him the opportunity to learn skills under the direct supervision of his father, grandfather, or other godly men of our choosing. Each parent needs to decide what is best for his child. For us, it's Lone Scouting. http://www.LoneScouting.com(This message has been edited by Lone)

Scouts are supposed to be MORALLY PURE. Among other things, that means chaste. I'd be surprised to find troop leaders who live with their girlfriends. Who we leave our impressionable young men with DOES matter. There's another consideration. If BSA allows those practicing homosexuality in leadership, it will eventually go the way of Girl Scouts -- in another 10 years, AHG will be the premier scouting organization for girls. Nobody wants to see that happen with BSA. Despite what government schools teach, the vast majority of Americans do NOT recognize homosexuality as merely another alternative.