Philly"s cold shoulder

[fgoodwin]

Philly's cold shoulder

 

http://washingtontimes.com/article/20080122/EDITORIAL/843614516/1013

http://tinyurl.com/3c6ant

 

By Hans Zeiger

January 22, 2008

 

The youth of Philadelphia are in danger. There are as many as 3,900 homeless families in Philadelphia. Only about half of Philadelphia ninth-graders graduate from high school within four years, and last year's state standardized math and reading tests came back to 11th graders in Philadelphia public schools with 70 percent of scores below proficient. In 2006, 1,030 young Philadelphians between the ages of 7 and 24 were shot; 179 kids were murdered.

 

On such a battlefield, it would make sense for the City of Philadelphia to partner with churches and non-profit organizations to provide after-school programs, youth sports leagues, mentoring, and summer camp opportunities anything to keep kids off the streets, away from drugs and in school. To that end, hundreds of Philadelphia churches are involved in school safety and mentoring programs. People of faith volunteer with Big Brothers Big Sisters through the Amachi Program.

 

So, when city leaders announced in recent months that the Cradle of Liberty Boy Scouts Council must abandon its long-held position of excluding homosexual leaders and members if it is to keep its headquarters building at a rent of $1 per year, the fight to save the children of Philadelphia took a turn for the worst. For almost eight decades, the Scouts have occupied a Beaux-Arts building that they built at the corner of 22nd and Winter Streets, on land the city granted them "in perpetuity." Today, claims of political correctness apparently outweigh claims of perpetuity. Since the Scouts' membership policy was said to conflict with the city's nondiscrimination code, liberal city leaders saw an opportunity. In June, the city council voted 16-1 to cancel the Boy Scouts' $1 per year lease, and in October, a new rate was announced: $200,000 per year.

 

So one thing is self-evident in the Cradle of Liberty: The boys of Philadelphia need to come in from the crossfire on the streets to get involved with the local Boy Scout troop. And as long as the city is firing shots at the Boy Scouts, we can expect the crime rate to rise, and rise and rise.

 

--

Hans Zeiger, an Eagle Scout and assistant Scoutmaster is a senior fellow at the American Civil Rights Union.

 

[excerpted]

[Lisabob]

We've had plenty of threads on whether or not the BSA or Philly - or both - ought to change their tune. But I have to say that the disposition of the council office has very little to do with the ability of scout units on the ground to provide programs to the youth of the city. I see that Zeiger is an Eagle and an ASM. I wonder just how much of his scouting time is or was spent in the council HQ? I wonder how many of today's youth even know (or care) where the council HQ is?

[epalmer84]

I've read some of Zeiger's work, and I'm not comfortable with it; he is way too right wing for my taste.

 

Ed

[OldGreyEagle]

C'mon Ed, he is to the right of Attila the Hun

[John-in-KC]

Call the General... General Steel... they make great buildings.

 

Look, this isn't rocket science. The politicians in Philadelphia have an agenda. Scouting doesn't fit their agenda.

 

Let's hope the local Council finds an appropriate new home, and to H### with Philadelphia.

 

After all, as the song goes... It's Hot as H### in Philadelphia! Someone ought to open up a window!

 

 

[Merlyn_LeRoy]

Government-supported discrimination doesn't fit their agenda. Things were fine until the BSA decided it was a private club that needed to discriminate against people.

[scoutmomma]

Hans Zieger does not live in southeastern Pennsylvania or anywhere near Philadelphia, and is not part of Cradle of Liberty Council. He can very comfortably take potshots at Philadelphia from out west in Washington state. He can stay out there, and can take his nose out of Philadelphia and CoL's business, as far as I'm concerned.

 

Cradle of Liberty is my council, and as far as I'm concerned and as far as I can see, has done nothing but posture since BSA forced them to toe the line back in 2003 when CoL TRIED to invoke "local option" and adopt a non-discriminatory policy back then, till BSA threw them under the bus and threatened to revoke their charter unless they backed down. CoL backed down. National did not, as far as I'm aware, offer CoL any help to overcome the local funding lost from United Way of Southeastern Pennsylvania and others at the time, not to mention the nosedive that Friends of Scouting fundraising in COL has taken since then.

 

[They also have taken a financial hit over the past three years at council summer camps, due to losing two entire summer seasons of camping at Treasure Island, due to severe flooding two years in a row, so that came at a particularly inopportune time. My troop has gone camping out of council for the past three years because of this, the first two years because of the flooding, last year due to popular demand of our Scouts. (We are going to an in-council summer camp this year.)]

 

As for the comment about CoL finding another home: CoL ALREADY has another home -- in addition to its Philadelphia offices, it has a service center out in Valley Forge -- CoL was formed by the merger of Philadelphia and Valley Forge councils, so has had two offices ever since. The majority of CoL's operations has been based at the Firestone service center in Valley Forge, which is larger and also easier to maintain than the Marks center in Philadelphia.

 

For all National's messing with CoL back in 2003, CoL has not needed much help shooting itself in the foot all by itself since then, in my opinion, and has not done a good job of communicating with local Scout leaders about the situation. We've been pretty much in the dark about what the heck's been going on -- Council's website links to "more information" has basically been links to editorials supporting the party line, and completely ignoring the fact that Philadelphia had plenty of legal reason to do what it did. I don't like the fact that CoL has basically fanned the flames of outrage against Philadelphia City Council instead of negotiating in good faith to reach a compromise. CoL was put on notice about the possibility of eviction in 2006, and as far as I can tell, pretty much ignored the city, no doubt hoping "it would all go away." The city doesn't really want to throw CoL out of the Marks center. But all we've heard from CoL for the past year is a lot of posturing and snappy sound bites about how the city is trying to evict a bunch of poor Scouts. CoL just had a "Scouter Summit" a couple of weeks ago and for the first time since 2003 FINALLY talked directly to local Scout leaders about what was going on. I had to miss the meeting due to a family emergency, so I can't tell you exactly what was said. But all I've seen is a lot of finger-pointing and blaming of the City of Philadelphia. I'm not happy with my council, but there seems very little that I can do about it. So I stay active with my troop and support THE TROOP for my son's sake.

 

But I wish Zieger would just shut up already about Philadelphia and Cradle of Liberty Council. I DON'T CARE if he is an Eagle Scout and an Assistant Scoutmaster OUT IN WASHINGTON. He is NOT HELPING the situation by writing his inflammatory editorials about Philadelphia, and claiming that this situation will make crime in Philadelphia worse. I wish he would just go away.

[Eamonn]

scoutmomma,

I'm not a fan of Hans Zeiger.

I don't live in Philadelphia.

Working for the Pennsylvania Department of Corrections,it does seem to me that there are a lot of young men from the Philadelphia area ending up in the State Correctional Institutions.

While I tend to deal with only people who have committed and have been convicted of serious crimes, I am at times shocked at how very young these men are.

I'm not involved in tracking or dealing with why they end up in our SCI's, but from talking with these guys it does seem that drugs and gangs are a big part of the problem.

Having lived and been raised in a big city, I know that there are in all big cities areas that are nice and areas that are not so nice.

Living just outside of Pittsburgh, everyday our local news seems to have a story of someone being shot or killed and sadly these events seem to be concentrated to a few not very large areas.

IMHO, I don't think that there is a quick fix. I don't in any way see the the BSA riding in on a big white horse and saving the day.

I do hope that we as an organization can try and be more diverse. I'd really like to see the Scoutreach programs be more active in inner-city areas.

From watching the local Pittsburgh news, there does seem to be a lot of people in the areas where the shootings are happening who want to try and do something? They seem to be from local churches and many seem well organized.

While maybe something is being done in these areas? I don't live there, maybe we (The local Councils / BSA) have tried in the past?

It could be that our efforts end up like the little Lad tossing star-fish back into the sea? Still doing something and something more than what we are doing now, does seem to be the right thing to do.

My hat is off to the Scouter's who do serve in the inner-city areas and are reaching out and helping the youth who live there.

We might not fix all that is wrong, but we sure as heck can help one kid at a time.

Now if you could only get a good football team!!

(Go Eagles!)

Ea.

 

 

 

[packsaddle]

I can hardly add to scoutmomma's post so I will merely note that Philadelphia is, and for a long time has been.. one of my favorite cities. Nothing but great memories over about 30 years of visits.

I just thought some positive vibes would be good right now.

[scoutmomma]

Thanks to both Eamonn and Packsaddle. It's been a rough few weeks.

 

Also, I broke my tailbone so I can't go snowboarding on the troop's annual ski trip this weekend, so I'm particularly cranky.

[Eamonn]

scoutmomma,

Sorry to hear about the tail-bone!

If you have to miss the ski trip, you might want to take a drive to Intercourse, PA (On the Old Philadelphia Pike) in Lancaster and visit the old English Shoppe and Tearoom, it's across the road from the Candle factory. The food is great and they sell all sorts of good stuff that you can take home.

A nice cup of tea makes everything seem better -That's what my Mum used to say! - Me? I can think of other beverages.

Get Well Soon.

Eamonn.

 

[scoutmomma]

Tea sounds lovely, Eamonn, and I will seek out the old English Shoppe and Tearoom next time I am in Lancaster. Meantime, I am going on the ski trip, just won't be participating in any snow sports. I will plant myself and my doughnut pillow and my industrial-strength ibuprofen in the ski lodge and watch the Scouts frolic in the snow out the picture window.

[OldGreyEagle]

So, see what happens when you bust your butt? You lose out on the fun stuff. BTW, have you ever been to Sight and Sound Theatre and then followed the road down to Shady Maple? Thats good eating

[scoutmomma]

OGE, I'll have to check Shady Maple out sometime, too. Good eating is always appreciated!

 

So, see what happens when you bust your butt? You lose out on the fun stuff.

 

Ain't it the truth? My nephew who is also going along bruised his elbow playing basketball but he still intends to go boarding. My doctor, on the other hand, told me that I have no activity restrictions since I can't hurt it worse than it already is -- unless I fall on it again! So no snowboarding for me. So I will just stay inside where it's warm and think positive thoughts about healing.

[SSScout]

CoL should check the definition behind "A Scout Is Obedient" and bite their bullet and obey the law as set forth by the duly elected government of their home town.

They need to find a new home and get on with the work of serving the youth of the city.

 

Any body ever thought of PAYING a CM or SM to help set up and run an inner city Pack/Troop? Seems to me that a volunteer CM or SM might be hard to come by in a disadvantaged neighborhood.

 

And ditto all the above about Mr. Zeiger. (he lives in Washington State??)