article: Scout's honor

[Merlyn_LeRoy]

cliffgolden writes:

You admit there is no legal fight here.

 

No, I haven't. While not an obvious win like removing public schools as chartering orgs, I think there are some arguments that might win. From what some United Ways have said, some BSA councils don't have separate bank accounts for their traditional program vs. their L4L programs; that's an argument against any public funding of L4L. Also, the name "Boy Scouts" is already closely associated with discrimination against gays and atheists, which makes it a problem for public schools to use "Learning for Life" if "Boy Scouts" is mentioned in any of the material, because government agencies can't even give the misimpression that they exclude students, and some students might not even bother to attend a L4L program if they think it excludes them because of their connection to the Boy Scouts (even if they aren't, in fact, excluded). The Boy Scouts are too vocal about constantly stating how gays and atheists are not welcome, so it shouldn't be too surprising that people can assume their L4L program is equally bigoted.

[cliffgolden]

cliffgolden writes:

You admit there is no legal fight here.

 

Merlyn responds:

"No, I haven't. While not an obvious win like removing public schools as chartering orgs, I think there are some arguments that might win. From what some United Ways have said, some BSA councils don't have separate bank accounts for their traditional program vs. their L4L programs; that's an argument against any public funding of L4L."

--end quote--

 

I can't comment on the office practices of some BSA councils. There are indeed some that leave much to be desired. These reports sound rather spotty and sketchy though. Even if there is a concern over a few specific councils, the program is nationwide.

 

Merlyn writes:

"Also, the name "Boy Scouts" is already closely associated with discrimination against gays and atheists, which makes it a problem for public schools to use "Learning for Life" if "Boy Scouts" is mentioned in any of the material..."

--snip-- Merlyn continues...

"The Boy Scouts are too vocal about constantly stating how gays and atheists are not welcome, so it shouldn't be too surprising that people can assume their L4L program is equally bigoted."

--end quote--

 

I would have to disagree with this point. The BSA has been relatively quiet on the subject. It has been the media that has hyped this issue with the public. The BSA comments have been fairly limited and brief.

 

Visit the Learning for Life website...

http://www.learning-for-life.org/

 

I don't see anywhere on the L4L page that mentions the Boy Scouts, its logo, and all the copyrights are registered to Learning for Life.

 

I doubt many people would associate Learning for Life with the BSA, unless they already knew in advance.

 

If people make assumptions about the program without first checking the facts, I don't see that as the BSA's responsibility.

 

I wouldn't make any predictions about the future when the courts are involved. If there is the possibility of litigation as you suggest, time can only tell us if you are correct.

 

YIS,

Cliff Golden

Scoutmaster Troop 33

DeKalb, Illinois