dcoffin

Thanks to both of you. I have looked in one publication (den leaders) and found nothing that says you can or that there is an area on the uniform where pins from other organizations is permissable. I'll check the Scouting Guide to Insignia when I get a chance.

Can adults discretely wear a pin on their uniform to show affiliation with another federally chartered organization such as for example the American Red Cross?

To: LeaderNC This IS NOT a religeous issue. It IS a secular moral issue. Morality is a way for society to protect the interest of families. Read the 4th message from the top of this thread. Better yet go to http://www.westchesterkids.org/citycouncil.htm and then come back and try to argue that parents interests are irrelevant!

Thanks Mike

>> I asked him what is better for society: to deny Scouting opportunities for boys in certain locales or, to allow Scout activities to continue but to deny leadership opportunities for a tiny group of homosexuals who want to be Scout leaders? As I had noted in my previous (four messages up) message, this issue goes well beyond simply boys or individuals who wish to be scouts masters. To me it is about the boys AND their families. Families. Mothers and fathers who want to bring up boys in an environment that minimizes societies excesses. These unwanted influences often have profound effects on entire families lasting years. If this individual lacks concern for families outside his own then he should move on.

>> Here in eastern urban areas too many of us know and work with openly gay people of very good character for us to feel comfortable with a BSA exclusion policy. Our kids know and respect gay adults from church, from school, from sports teams, and even from scouting so many of our boys think this is nonsense. While that's fine and dandy, it ignores the point I'm making. Those kids have alternate organizations if their parents have different needs. Parents trying to minimize some of the societies influences in order to maintain the families integrity have the Boy Scouts.

Does anyone know what troop or troops were represented at the Democratic National Convention? Also how many boy were there?

Recently I have sent in an article regarding scouting and morals that was in response to some of my local politicians attempting to clean out any public support to scouting. There is an aspect of scouting I believe that needs to be considered and that is the 'parenting or family aspect'. I put my first son into scouting because it benefits our family. If scouting did not set the standards it does, then it would be simply another kids organization. Here is what I wrote: ========================================================== Boy Scouts One Parents Perspective Jackie Goldberg, Los Angeles City Councilmember and Martha Matthew of the ACLUs and the Democratic Partys attack on the Boy Scouts is an attack on our families integrity and our efforts to raise our young boys by minimizing certain societal influences with we feel threatens the very existence of our family. The character our sons develop has a direct influence on the integrity of our family. Many families recognize that the Boy Scouts help develop the kind of character that preserves that integrity. We are certain that many of todays societal influences threaten the future existence and well being of our families. As a family, my wife and I want to see our boys grow to have good character, productive lives, marry and have a family themselves to experience what we enjoy now. We hope that one day we will have the opportunity to become what our parents are. Grandparents. But this will or may not happen if we as parents are handcuffed by a society from raising our children in society full of excesses. As an example, we have to raise our children in an environment that discourages the use of drugs. Drugs threaten the integrity of our family by diminishing our childrens learning ability and career potential. It reduces their ability to become loving spouses and effective parents and may even cause accidental death. Drug use by school age children sets them up for failure as much as drinking, smoking, behaviors such as promiscuous sexual behavior, bi-sexuality, homosexuality, gothic or heavy metal dress, tongue piercing, tattooing and other excessive freedoms of expression. We are not nave in believing that we can raise our children sheltered from the threats of society. Nor do we believe that we can stop them from adopting any of these behaviors, vices, abuses or lifestyles later in life. But we believe that we must try to minimize those influences on our kids so that they will learn to be happy, productive members of society. If our children do participate or indulge in any of these things, then so be it. At least we made a well-adjusted effort at raising a well-adjusted child. A child with good character and a sense of morals. I do not mean that in a religious sense. There is a secular argument for raising a moral child. I want my children to walk that straight and narrow moral path because I want them to survive life. The Boy Scouts is as much for us as parents as it is for our young boys. It is a program with behavioral and moral standards that we hope will minimize some of societies negative influences on our kids by keeping them active in crafts, camping, learning of skills and camaraderie. Boy Scouts provides millions of parents a way to raise their children so that they can enjoy life, be productive and learn the skills they will need as parents themselves when they grow to adults. People like Ms. Goldberg and Ms. Matthew are attempting to create a divide between our children and us to assert their own potentially threatening values. Their attack on the Boy Scouts for not wanting to introduce behaviors that threaten the integrity and well being of American families, is nothing less than attacking the families themselves David Coffin ==========================================================