Oliver North defends Boy Scouts against 'the far left'

[fgoodwin]

Oliver North defends Boy Scouts against 'the far left'

 

http://www.tallahassee.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20060524/NEWS01/605240340

http://tinyurl.com/l56z4

 

Article published May 24, 2006

 

By Bill Cotterell

DEMOCRAT POLITICAL EDITOR

 

The Boy Scouts face a legal and political attack by "the far left" for defending traditional American values of faith, patriotism and morality, Retired Lt. Col. Oliver North said Tuesday.

 

The former Marine officer, who gained national fame in the Iran-Contra scandal 20 years ago, was the featured speaker at the annual banquet of the Suwannee River Area Council of the Boy Scouts. He compared the Scouts to the military - saying both institutions have been vilified by critics, but that their rank-and-file members remain steadfast and dedicated.

 

"The Boy Scouts are nearly 100 years old. They're in the cross-hairs of some of the most litigious and wealthiest opponents in this country," North said. "The goal is simple: To force the Boy Scouts, this venerable organization, to abandon its long-standing commitment to faith in God and what many of us euphemistically refer to as traditional values."

 

North, host of the Fox News program "War Stories," showed pictures from his eight trips to Iraq during the war. He said morale and confidence remain high among the troops and that "an astounding number of them" are former Boy Scouts.

 

"They have been diminished by many of my colleagues in the media," North said. "They have been described by some politicians as like Stalin and Pol Pot and those who fought for Adolf Hitler."

 

Similarly, he said, Boy Scouts and their adult sponsors have been ridiculed and called "anachronistic" for their beliefs. He said the state of Connecticut has cut off employee payroll deductions to Scouting, many cities and counties have denied use of public parks and meeting halls, some United Way chapters have dropped them and the Pentagon has warned against allowing Scout troops to form on military bases.

 

North, who was a Boy Scout and has been a troop leader, recited the Boy Scout Oath - with its references to God and being "morally straight."

 

"What is so repugnant about that? Nothing, unless you insist that there is no God, that nothing is bigger than self," North said. "Those who pretend that our entire country and society must accept those radical norms demand that the BSA abandon the 'duty to God' and 'morally straight' phrases in the Boy Scout Oath and amend the scout law."

 

Chuck Ezell, executive for the Scout Council, said about 350 people attending the annual banquet at the University Center raised about $150,000 for the organization.

[Lisabob]

Sorry but what I find "repugnant" is Oliver North claiming that he has some particular knowledge of what it means to be "morally straight." If he had really taken the scout oath to heart back when he was a boy scout then he wouldn't have engaged in the activities that he did, as an adult, in the first place. I suggest the guy needs another scoutmaster conference. In my book he does no favors to the BSA by attempting to defend the moral high ground on our behalf.

 

Lisa'bob

[OldGreyEagle]

Wasnt he the guy who lied to Congress under oath because he "knew" he was right?

[jkhny]

Isn't the mission of the Boy Scouts of America to teach youth to make ethical and moral decisions?

 

But with image taking precedence over substance these days.....

[ohadam]

"[Troops] have been diminished by many of my colleagues in the media," North said. "They have been described by some politicians as like Stalin and Pol Pot and those who fought for Adolf Hitler."

 

Show me.

[evmori]

I don't think the BSA wants Ollie on their side! He is not even a bad example of morally straight or how to make ethical decisions! He is a liar!

 

Ed Mori

Troop 1

1 Peter 4:10

[campcrafter]

Ed,

 

Glad we agree on something!

 

Actually I am sure we agree on much more than we disagree.

__

 

While it is good that they raised $150,000 for "the organization" what did the organization have to pay for North's fee and expenses? Guys like that don't come speak cause they like you.

 

Key Information

Keynote fee Please Call

 

Oliver travels from Washington, DC.

 

He requires first class airfare for 2; non-stop flights to closest commercial airport

 

see: http://premierespeakers.com/1016/index.cfm

 

 

CC(This message has been edited by campcrafter)

[SR540Beaver]

My father was a Marine in WWII. That is a fact I will always be pround of. I love the Marine Corp and probably would have served had I not been an insulin dependent diabetic. Oliver North disgraced the Marine Corp uniform when he chose to ignore his oath and knowingly and willingly broke the law. He didn't do prison time because of a technicality. It is beyond me why so many people admire him and treat him as a hero. He is a criminal and one of the thinks I have against Fox News is the fact that they employee people of questionable integrity like North, Geraldo and Newt Gingrich.

 

I turn the radio or TV channel when North comes on.

[Beavah]

Yah, this is the guy we want representin' and speakin' for the Boy Scouts, eh? What dim bulb hired him as a speaker?

 

I'm a conservative and Republican voter much of the time. But bein' a conservative and a Republican doesn't make up for a lack of honor. What disturbs me most is that he was and remains unrepentant. He'd make a good speaker if his talk was about abuse of power and how he'd learned his lesson.

 

On a brighter note, I see the verdicts are "guilty" for Ken Lay. Hopefully he won't be invited to speak on behalf of the BSA anytime soon.

[scoutingagain]

If scouting is having to rely on speakers like Ollie North to raise money, it's in big trouble. This type of event only tends to politicize the organization and confirms to organizations like the State of Conn. and Bank of America they have done the right thing to deny access to financial support to a right wing political organization. I agree, whoever dreamed this up has done a disservice to scouting overall, although their council may have collected a few bucks.

 

SA

 

 

[Merlyn_LeRoy]

This isn't the first time Ollie North has been the speaker at a BSA fundraiser (Ann Coulter too), and the Hiawatha Seaway Council's front page has a big picture of a book by Bill O'Reilly, which they are giving away to people who give $50 to their campership fund. If people haven't noticed how politicized the BSA has become, they just haven't been paying attention.

[CalicoPenn]

That's it - I'm moving to my bomb shelter. With everyone in here, from what I perceive as most sides of the political spectrum in this forum, agreeing on something with the potential to have been contentious, and even more telling, agreeing on what might be considered a more liberal (or at least left of center) position, the world must be coming to an end!

 

By the way - I agree - with what everybody else has said - LOL.

 

CalicoPenn

 

[fgoodwin]

Editor's note: North's convictions were overturned on appeal and the

case was dismissed.

 

Tallahassee Democrat

 

http://www.tallahassee.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20060527/OPINION02/605270307/1006/OPINION

http://tinyurl.com/gf4f4

 

 

[evmori]

Editor's note: North's convictions were overturned on appeal and the case was dismissed.

 

Why were they overturned? Because he wasn't guilty or on a technicality?

 

Ed Mori

Troop 1

1 Peter 4:10

[GernBlansten]

On a technicality. He had been granted immunity by the Senate and his appeal was based that his immunity protected him in criminal court also. The appeal was not based on his guilt or innocence, in fact, it really confirmed his guilt as he basically admitted to the crimes but couldn't be held accountable due to the deal he struck with the Senate.