Strawberry Switchblade

Obviously, these boys who take pride in a dirty sash did not show them to their mothers. At least, the mothers in our lodge must be of a different breed. A dirty sash is just a yet to be cleaned one--or else.

If the 'tap out' I saw was dull, a call out would have put me to sleep. ADD at it's finest. And if you were elected for your Ordeal, your scoutmaster would hold your Ordeal sash above, yet behind, your head, so the OA member coming around would know who to pick out. Though I distinctly remember having a great deal of the ceremony overrun by chatter. Definately not from the boys (who knew better), but from visitors. As someone who has a great respect for ceremony, I was annoyed to no end. I understand a little talking, but loud conversation is uncalled for in my mind. If I don't see next year's ceremony, I'll probably never see a Tap-Out again. Unless I get my son, if I have one, into scouts. Here's hoping.

Ohhh that would be so lovely...if it were attainable. As a Gold Awardee, and Boyfriend as an Eagle Scout, this would be a God-send. We're both from the same neighborhood: poor. Our houses were built to sustain mill-workers. (Anyone who's ever lived in Western PA knows what I'm talking about) My father, whom I live with, works manual labor, and has, for years and his fifty now. College is barely a tangible thing. While my Eagle Scout has been working his butt off to get a full ride scholarship, I was an average student, so my scholarships were few. I'm stuck at a community college until I can gather some more. Again, a free-ride would be a God-send. *sigh*

"Study question: would BSA expel a male leader who is openly living with a woman to whom he is not married? If not, why not?" Funny you should ask. The troop I used to work with has had that problem twice. the first case happened before I started my work with the BSA. The current is a mess. The leader of this troop has commited adultery and moved in with his new love interest, who is also married. (she is seperated from her husband) The Greater Pittsburgh council has asked him to leave, but he has refused. He's still a scoutmaster, but membership in the troop has had a nosedive, many scout moving to other troops with better track records.

"Our youth will judge us by our actions." That is a very big truth. If you listen closely, you will hear what this generation has to say about your generation. I doubt you will like what you hear. There is more to it that just don't like how you run things, it's rather why you run things the way you do. As a leagal adult, I have a bigger voice than my younger peers, but that doesn't mean my younger peers are not talking.

"There are many organizations that teach similar skills that allow homosexuals & atheists." Like the Spiral Scouts? Or other such relatively unknown scouting societies? True. But there is a drawback. You can't earn your Eagle in the Spiral Scouts. They may have an equivilant award, but it doesn't carry such weight as the Eagle does. They might not have the funding to provide similar services and programs. Kudos to the other organizations for their work, but let's face it. There is no other organization that matches up to the Boy Scouts.

I agree. It leads to a poor example for the boys (saying it's okay to discriminate against someone who has done nothing wrong by law), inadvertantly saying one must lie to be a boy scout, when the scouts have a code of morality and honesty, along with the side-point made by you, packsaddle. Though I never thought of that one. Thanks for pointing it out.

Hmm. I shall rephrase then. Gregory Lattera, Life Scout www.philly.com/mld/philly/6067592.htm Matt Hill, 14 http://vernonrobinson.com/cgi-data/news/files/104.shtml Roughly three scouts http://www.bsa-discrimination.org/html/boy_scout_closet_.html And when I say acted on it, I mean bringing it into the fire circle and hitting on other scouts, being inappropriate, etc. What strikes me is the scouts demand a policy of honesty. But the only gay scout or scoutmaster allowed in the scouts are the ones who lie.

"Has this ever happened? I do not think it has. Do you? Do you think the BSA would remove a scout, who tells them that he may have different feelings?" Has a non-adult scout been expelled from scouting because he revealed he was gay? Is that your question? (I didn't find it quite clear) If so, yes. There have been many boys expelled from the BSA upon making such a truth known. There are some cases in here about boys being taken out of the scouts for either being gay or atheist. Some are nineteen, though. http://www.inclusivescouting.net/bsa/cases/ These cases are among those brought to the spotlight. I can almost guarentee there is more.(This message has been edited by Strawberry Switchblade)

"...and it may legally exclude any group of people whom the majority of its membership find sufficiently different or just plain creepy..." Sufficiently different? That statement made me just hang my head. Yet is it morally straight to kick out a boy whose been in scouting for some time on the basis that he is gay? Even if at no time he acted on it? What does that teach the other boys? I know a private organization can exclue whoever they want for whatever reason they see fit, no matter how frivilous. I'm just worried about the example they're putting forth in front of these boys. And none of this excluding redheads. My Eagle Scout happens to be a redhead.

A perversion? Maybe. But regardless the group as a whole are still human and should be afforded equal treatment. They are tax-paying, working, red-bloded Americans. The fact that they may love a person of the same sex doesn't invalidate the aforementioned facts. And yes, I know about the work. Just because it's pure doesn't mean it comes without some effort.

Though I find it sad that if a (gay) man decides to openly love someone, he's ostracized. Here I thought love was a pure emotion.

Forsooth.

That would be hard to get considering a lot of the gay men who father children are still closeted, and you couldn't pry them out for the life of them.

Goodwin, you quote a blatantly biased site to support your arguement. That's comparable to quoting PETA to prove vegetarianism is the healthiest diet. Honestly.