Grassfire email

[NWScouter]

Yesterday I received a email from Grassfire stating that there were councils that were bankrupted and have to closed because of ACLU lawsuits. I checked with my Council Executive and he said no council has been closed because of ACLU lawsuits. He also said that groups like this and others might have agendas that do not mesh with the BSA. They may be using BSA issues to promote and fund raise for their groups.

[Prairie_Scouter]

Grassfire represents views of the conservative Christian movement. They will support BSA policies when it suits their purposes. I've seen several of their petitions, and like many groups do on both side of some issues, they will "spin" news items to their own ends. As I've said in another thread, Grassfire is happy to support BSA as long as BSA is doing things that supports Grassfire's goals. If BSA were to make a change, Grassfire could easily become anti-Scouting if it suited their purposes.

 

After one of their petition drives recently, I contacted them, asking why they couldn't present both sides of these issues, even if they used that information to support their cause. I never received any sort of response. Apparently, they think that it's better to only educate people on one side of an issue. Of course, Grassfire isn't the only group that works that way. I've had the same debate with other groups that represent my interests, like Sierra Club, The Wilderness Society, etc. I've just always thought that if your view is correct, then it should be able to withstand scrutiny by opposing views. Just showing one side of the story doesn't accomplish that.

[NJCubScouter]

He also said that groups like this and others might have agendas that do not mesh with the BSA. They may be using BSA issues to promote and fund raise for their groups.

 

There's no doubt about that. Groups with an anti-gay agenda have been busily latching themselves onto the BSA for their own purposes for the past several years -- certainly since the Dale decision and maybe before that.

 

[Eamonn]

Somehow Grassfire managed to get my E-mail address, more than lightly from a friend of mine who was trying to be helpful. It seemed to me that they spent more time trying to sell me signs for my yard and other stuff than really doing anything.

Eamonn.

[Prairie_Scouter]

Eamonn,

I have a couple of Scouting friends who are believers in many of Grassfire's issues, and so I get email from them pretty regularly about whatever the current petition is. That's how I originally became aware of them. They're an interesting outfit, but they tend to be a "one-side only" organization, which so many special interest groups are, unfortunately. I'm one of those folks who may have a point of view, but I still want to understand the opposing side. There's no way to get to a mutual understanding if you only know one side of an issue.

[Trevorum]

Prairie, those who are lucky enough to know the TRUTH don't need to know anything else ...

 

 

 

[Trevorum]

Seriously though, within the last several years several councils have gone bankrupt, but because of internal mis-management. Their service areas have been absorbed by neighboring councils. Other councils have voluntarily dissolved because of mergers.

 

The total number of councils has steadily shrunk from more than 500 in 1972 to fewer than 330 today.