Girl Scouts On the Hot Seat

[BadenP]

SP

 

Your constant criticism of the GSUSA with negative, and untrue propaganda is really getting annoying and tiring. Your self promotion of the AHG always leaves out all of their programs shortcomings. Look if you want AHG at your church fine, just don't keep blowing smoke up everyones kester here about why you think they are better than the GSUSA. The AHG is in NO way a scouting program for girls so please stop presenting it as such. As I have said before the Catholic Diocese in my area has decided to ban AHG from all of their churches. You SP are not the spokesman for the entire Catholic Church, even though you seem to think you are.

[shortridge]

To the Girl Scouts, some of the attacks seem to be a form of guilt by association. Critics contend that Girl Scouts materials shouldn't contain links to groups such as Doctors without Borders, the Sierra Club and Oxfam because they support family planning or emergency contraception.

One repeated complaint, revived in February by the Catholic broadcasting network EWTN, involves an International Planned Parenthood brochure made available to girls attending a Girl Scout workshop at a 2010 United Nations event. The brochure "Healthy, Happy and Hot" advised young people with HIV on how to safely lead active sex lives.

The Girl Scouts say they had had no advance knowledge of the brochure and played no role in distributing it.

Another complaint involved a Girl Scout blog suggesting that girls read an article about Chavez who is Catholic in Marie Claire magazine. Critics said the blog's link led to a Marie Claire home page promoting, among other items, a sex advice article.

 

The BSA refers Scouts to the Sierra Club. Investigate, bishops, investigate! (Hopefully better than you investigated your pedophiles.)

 

The other complaints sound like a bunch of whining, in part by people who don't understand how the Internet works. This has the stench of an anti-Planned Parenthood campaign by proxy. What nonsense.

[Basementdweller]

Wonder how many folks emailing or signing a petition about BSA's letter regarding the AHG to get it revoked.....

 

Of course national doesn't listen to us peons

[CalicoPenn]

First they go after women's health, then they announce they're going to investigate their nuns, now they're going after Girl Scouts?

 

I thought the US only had room for one whacko church at a time - and that Westboro Baptist was filling that role - I guess I was wrong.

[BDPT00]

Seattle Pioneer puts forth what he sees as interesting in the news, and posts it where other interested parties might see it or have a comment. What happens? He gets jumped on! I found the article to be interesting, too. There were plenty of comments regarding Girl Scouts. Are they true? Not true? Let's talk about what's in the news. Thanks for the info, SP.

BDPT00

[Tampa Turtle]

I will not jump on the Girl Scout bash-wagon. I think it is a good thing that girls can choose between GSUSA and AHG. Let the market decide.

[BadenP]

BDPT

 

Right, SP posted this ONLY for the newsworthy content it presents not for any other personal reasons, you got to be kidding. This was NOT newsworthy at all just another example of propaganda yellow journalism with little fact and a great deal of innuendo. Yeah SP's motives and intent are indeed quite clear.

[qwazse]

The real travesty is the paperwork load on GS leaders just to go camping. Not sure if it's a national thing, or our council, or camp-specific. But, my co-advisor complains about the relative complexity vs. BSA tour plans, etc ...

 

In terms of rhetoric, we would do well to remind our kids that there is an ongoing battle for their hearts and minds. They should be coached not award the prize to just anybody.

[shortridge]

I wasn't jumping on SP, and I apologize to anyone who thought I was. I thought it was pretty clear that I was calling the bishops and other parties involved hypocritical, whiny and ignorant of modern technology as it pertains to this topic.

 

The article was remarkably devoid of any specifics, and the few that were given were ridiculous. As I said, an anti-PP campaign by proxy. Because condoms and Plan B are scarier than child rape ...

[Beavah]

Yah, hmmmm....

 

Gotta agree with da paperwork load in GSUSA. As close as I can figure it they really have just abandoned the outdoor adventure program for middle school and high school girls, and that's their biggest issue.

 

That havin' been said, the central point of da article is a big one, eh? The National Catholic Conference is lookin' into dropping endorsement of GSUSA as a supported program. I do reckon that's news, because it really would have a very large impact on a membership that's already been shrinkin' for other reasons. If even some of those went the way of AHG, it would make AHG a much larger organization.

 

There are other possible consequences, though, eh? Like a major chartering partner of da BSA potentially pushin' for a coed program.

 

Have to agree, though, that at least da reasons portrayed in the article seem pretty shallow.

 

Beavah

 

[BadenP]

 

I disagree with you Beav that the AHG will become a "larger organization" aside for some Catholic churches no other group is trying to break down their doors to form an alliance. The Catholic Church is looking for any reason to drop the GSUSA because they will not cowtow to the demands of some American Bishops or give them any say in their programs while the AHG on the other hand is so small a group that they desperately need to form alliances with the BSA and all the churches they can in order to even be able to survive. As far as drop in numbers in the GSUSA they just like the BSA continue to lose members each year because in the words of some youth at my church the BSA and GSUSA programs just aren't as fun or relevant anymore, their words not mine.

 

IMO the Catholic Church hierarchy seems to be looking for any legal/moral fight they can to detract attention from the still ongoing worldwide priest pedophile cases, nun investigations, etc. It always give me a good laugh to hear a Catholic priest, bishop, or cardinal lecture on morality especially to a youth organization they stand on very shaky ground.

[Nike]

And this too shall pass...

[ScoutNut]

Just as with BSA, GSUSA is a PRIVATE organization, and can make it's own rules. Just as with BSA, GSUSA will continue to have to defend itself against folks that want everything to reflect only their own beliefs/desires.

 

While BSA is viewed by more, and more, people as a strictly Christian organization, GSUSA has gone to lengths to be publicly, inclusive, and accommodating, to all faiths (such as allowing the word "God" to be replaced by whatever term the individual Scout uses in their OWN faith.

 

Being "parish-sponsored" for GSUSA is ENTIRELY different than what that means for BSA. In BSA the individual BSA unit is OWNED by the "sponsoring" parish organization. If a parish drops their "sponsorship", the BSA units fold.

 

Not so with GSUSA. GSUSA Troops/Groups are OWNED by their local Council, NOT by outside organizations. Their existence does NOT depend on them being "sponsored" by anyone. With GSUSA, the "parish-sponsorship" might just mean allowing them meeting space, or even just publishing their news in the parish bulletin.

 

If parents like what GSUSA brings to their girls, and their girls like it, they will continue to register their daughters in GSUSA Troops/Groups.

 

Parents that want an organization with a more rigid, conservative, religious (specific faith), bent, will find a different organization, like AHG, to enroll their daughters in.

 

I really doubt that it will much matter to the first group what the Council of Bishops has to say. For the second group, that have already left, or are looking for an excuse to leave, a negative outcome from the Bishops will "prove" their point, and give those not yet gone their "permission" to find an organization more to their liking.

 

Either way, life will go on. There will continue to be folks that spout skewed, negative propaganda about organizations (easier/more fun with today's technology), and look for any excuse to stir the pot.

 

However, GSUSA will not be folding any time soon.

[BadenP]

 

Interesting that SP lays his bomb in his post then disappears from the fray, maybe not as committed to his viewpoint as he thought.

 

scoutnut: good post with pertinent and relevant points.

 

In the greater scheme of things no one really cares what the Catholic bishops have to say about the GSUSA, including many Catholics.

[moosetracker]

Calico -- tut-tut.. Don't be anti-Catholic (pssst... you forgot the Obama comparison to Hitler and Stalin.)

 

Beavah -- tsk-tsk.. Did you just admit that the Catholic Church can get a little radical in their attempts to flush out the devil?

 

I had heard a month or two back that some GSUSA were told they were no longer welcome to meet at Catholic Churches due to their views.. I thought this decision had already passed. I guess it was some churches that were just jumping the gun..