Thank god your here......

[Basementdweller]

Thought I would stir the pot a bit....

 

So we are selling popcorn at a store front today.... A middle age couple comes up and says thank god for boy scouts.....Buys our largest sale to date......They go on and thank the BSA for putting its foot down on the Gay adult leader issue, for keeping the boys off the street and teaching them values....

 

I say thank you and immediately thought of the hate spewed on this forum about this issue....

 

 

Well the above store repeats 3 separate times during the course of the day.....

 

 

Never in my years of selling popcorn have I seen the like......We even had an ex girl scout leader buy from us saying the girl scouting has lost its way.....

 

Soooo, american values isn't exactly what we are seeing here.....are we seeing the vocal minority

[CCbytrickery]

(Don't take this as an attack. Just my angry opinion)

 

I wonder..do those adults that are coming up to you thanking God for Boy Scouts because of the gay leader issue....are they at all upset or angry or worried about the PEDOPHILE issue? Ya know, the guys who were molesting boys.....not the gay men, who are in commited relationships with other adults, but the guys who like to diddle kids? Or are they all just "OH MY GOD< TEH GAYS ARE HERE!!!"

 

I wonder if any of them stepped up to voice their support for the boy in school coerced into a relationship with his teacher or the girl whose father was raping her? Or are they just concerned with the morality of a gay man/woman? Does it really matter to you what someone else does in their bedroom, as long as they with another consenting ADULT? Why should it matter to them?

 

People seem to have this misconception that being gay means you'll do anything.

As long as they (by they, I mean anyone--even you BD) aren't having sex in front of me or my kids, I couldn't give a rats bottom for what anyone does in the privacy of their own home with another adult--gay or straight.

 

 

I have several gay/lesbian friends...and their relationships are more honest than many of the "straight" married people we know. Less cheating, more open affection. I'd rather my child see a loving, honest relationship between two men or women than the marriage between a man and woman that involves cheating, schemeing, lying, anger, abuse. (Not saying those don't happen in gay relationships either, but as I said, the majority of our gay friends have better relationships than the straight ones.)

 

(Ok, I'm done now. I was going to say I hope I didn't make anyone angry, but truthfully, I hope I made someone angry about the discrimination gay/lesbian people face. People being hypocrites bothers me, and for all the talk of love thy neighbor, a lot of people act like it's love thy neighbor unless he is gay.)

[Eagle732]

I think in general people are pretty tolerant of others views and opinions until they try to force them on people.

Case in point the Chick-Fil-A issue. People were lined up around the block to get in, not to display intolerance for gays but support for someones right to their opinion.

 

We'll see how long it takes for the negative comments to start.

 

[Basementdweller]

In my original post I forgot to add that NO ONE mentioned the BSA not allowing gays as a reason for not supporting or buying popcorn

 

[Sentinel947]

I think what people forget in this whole BSA vs Homosexual controversy is that the children have nothing to do with it. It's not far to attack or hate on teenage boys over a policy they have no control in shaping.

 

CC: I would assume they are decent people, and would be concerned about teachers having sex with students, or coaches, teachers, priests and Scoutmasters abusing their power over children. Just because they don't believe as you do on the Homosexual rights doesn't make them intrinsically evil.

 

Yours in Scouting,

Sentinel947

[Eamonn]

Back in 2005 a parent of a Scout who was in the Jambo Troop I was SM of cornered me, she went on and on about how happy she was that the BSA was taking a stand and not bowing to public opinion.

While I didn't know the family that well, but because the son was in the same Troop as my kid, I knew of them.

They were deeply religious and when I talked with the Lad, he knew at 15 years old that he wanted to be a preacher.

As a rule when I don't know someone that well and they start giving me their opinion, I just allow them to run with it and act more or less like a sounding board.

The church they attend isn't far from where I live.

I have never been inside and really don't know that much about it, other than when our then DE went to talk to them about starting a Scout unit, they said no. Telling her about the wonderful youth programs that they already had in place.

In 2007 I shook my head and thought about this woman when the youth minister was arrested and then convicted of molesting little boys.

There is a point to this somewhere, as yet I'm just not sure where.

In my book everyone in entitled to their own opinion.

Ea.

[BDPT00]

I think the middle age couple was complimenting the BSA for taking a stand ... for drawing a line in the sand. We may not all agree upon where that line is, but I think it's nice to have one. The Girl Scout leader's comment would be in regard to the GSUSA not drawing a line. Our society in general doesn't seem to care where the line is, or if there is one.

I think their comments reflect good ol' conservative values, and they're tired of watching our society circling the drain.

BDPT00

[qwazse]

... Ya know, the guys who were molesting boys.....not the gay men, ...

 

So, the guys who are in those files because of molesting girls ... they aren't straight?

 

I love how folks like to mix their delusions.

 

While I've met a few homosexual acquaintances who were lifelong mates, I've known just as many who were vile self-absorbed nihilists. For good or bad, they are lumped together in the same basket. When you are asking folks to be more open minded, they don't just think you're talking about the quiet pair of bachelors (or bachelorettes) down the street. They cringe at the thought of the whole kit and caboodle having unfettered access to our young people.

 

And in response the sidle up to BD's table and thank him for a job well done!

[WAKWIB]

I've heard comments like BD describes several times over the 12 years that I have been an adult leader. I have never heard the opposite, like what was shared on the forums a few weeks back. Maybe it's the community I live in. Scouting is somewhat iconic here in Kansas City. If you've never heard of H. Roe Bartle, look him up on Wiki. He built Scouting in this town and it has always been very popular. Yes, there are many here that don't like the BSA policy, but they don't blast the program as a whole. I think they are quietly confident that it will change sometime down the road. There are also many who support the policy and from those you may get a polite commendation from time-to-time. In reality, it's not a hot-button issue around my town.(This message has been edited by WAKWIB)

[Lisabob]

You know, I find it as objectionable for people to use youth as pawns FOR their political views, as for people to use youth as pawns AGAINST their political views. You support the BSA's policy on some issue? Great. You don't? Fine. Buy popcorn or don't, but don't use it as an opportunity to make children into actors in your political drama. Unless they have a sign posted saying something like "keep gays out of scouts! buy popcorn!", show&sell just isn't the right time and place to have the policy debate. That's not why the kids are out there selling the popcorn.

 

(As for me: I do support the boys but I don't agree with the BSA's policy on this issue. And I know well, how much work the boys & their families/leaders put into the sales, so that they can have a good unit-level program. So yeah I'll buy some popcorn or give them a couple of dollars to support their pack or troop or whatever, because wolf cubs aren't the people we need to be talking to about national-level leadership issues.)

[skeptic]

Lisa: Short and succinct; that "should" be the final word here.

[BSA24]

Ignorant people at grocery stores agreeing with you doesn't make something right.

 

I remember people in the 1960's saying that MLK was just some ------ stirring up trouble amongst the "colored folks". They would all backslap and reward each other for expressing their dismay and disgust for him and his movement. He was a communist. He was a radical. He needed to learn his place. Many times I heard people say he should be put down.

 

They were wrong then. People are wrong about the membership policy today.

 

One day, in the future, it is my hope that people will finally, once and for all, stop labeling people as groups and making sweeping decisions about what they are allowed to do based on those labels, and instead will consider other human beings on the content of their character rather than whatever the newest group label is that we all decide is the class nerd of the human race.

 

I would have hoped that more scouters, who were probably not captain of the football team in high school, would understand what it means to be picked on and ostracized, would be more understanding.(This message has been edited by bsa24)

[Sentinel947]

I think BSA24 that VERY few Scouters in this thread or this forum agree with the BSA's policy, more many of us disagree with the policy, but recognize the BSA's right to form such a policy, and we don't let the policy change our service to the youth in our community.

 

Lisabob's post kinda summarizes my thoughts on the issue.

[Peregrinator]

Ignorant people

 

Why are they ignorant? Because they disagree with you?

[nldscout]

Well BSA24 if you don't like the policy, your welcome to join some other youth group that doesn't have the policy. Otherwise, it is what it is and its not changing anytime soon.

 

Actually, the american people have spoken on gay rights repeatedly. 30 something states have voted on gay marriage and every time its voted down. Why cannot people accept the it.