Vermont Scouts denied July 4th vendor permit and withdraw

[RememberSchiff]

Due to National's membership policy, Montpelier (VT) city council denied scouts a vendor permit to sell bottled water at the July 4th celebration, however scouts could still pickup trash. So...

 

"The Scouts declined that invitation  and pulled their application to be a vendor at the parade. Now the group of Scouts, which included two troops and one co-ed "venturing crew," have decided against volunteering for the clean-up crew after the parade, too. The Scouts have been involved for the last three years, but after the city council kerfuffle, "we're going to steer clear of Montpelier for awhile," said Leslie Sanborn, a Barre resident and longtime volunteer with all three scouting groups. "It's left a very bad taste in our mouths."

 

The Scouts aren't the only one who feel that way. Yesterday, Associated General Contractors of Vermont pulled its longstanding donation of safety vests and cones from the event, citing dissatisfaction with the city council's treatment of the Boy Scouts. Casella Waste Systems and the local sheriff stepped in with safety equipment to fill that gap. City councillors and other community volunteers are stepping up to fill the shoes left behind by the Scouts, said Ashley Witzenberger, the executive director of the event's organizer, Montpelier Alive."

...

"I thought, 'Let’s send a message to the Boy Scouts headquarters,'" said Thierry Guerlain, the City Council member  and former boyhood Scout  who first raised objections to what otherwise seemed like a straightforward item on the consent agenda at the council's June 11 meeting.

 

Guerlain said he didn't realize at the time that the Scouts volunteered for clean-up duty at the event. He simply had concerns about what it meant for the city to be endorsing an organization with a policy he called "abhorrent and outdated."

 

As for the Scouts' decision not to participate in the event?

 

"They went from teaching the boys discrimination to also teaching them spite," said Guerlain, who called the decision not to volunteer at the event a "spiteful move" on the part of local Boy Scout leaders. "I’m surprised that we’re even discussing the fact that it’s more important to get the trash picked up conveniently by the Boy Scouts than to respect the civil rights of lesbian and gay parents who are disinvited from the Boy Scouts."

....

 

http://www.sevendaysvt.com/OffMessage/archives/2014/07/01/boy-scouts-bow-out-from-montpelier-parade-over-national-policy-on-gay-leaders

 

http://www.timesargus.com/article/20...STIN/706169942

 

Personally I never go where I'm not wanted. IMO, plenty of other places to do community service.

[qwazse]

I wonder if any boys will have advancement postponed because they were counting on those service hours?

[fred johnson]

Their scout leaders in those units did the right thing. Both the local council and BSA national put the scouts in the middle of a political fight. They did the right thing by saying our scouts can't be in the middle of this issue.

[Stosh]

I know how to settle this... We all just discriminate against people we think discriminate.

 

As far as service project hours out there, there are a lot of community based organizations that would LOVE to have the boys come and help and they won't care about the politics, just the help. Do you seriously think that the homeless veteran getting his only hot meal of the day from a scout standing there in uniform is all that worried about his political position on homosexuality? Life will get a lot easier once people start looking at the big picture and quit wasting their time on the petty issues that are PC du jour.

 

Stosh

[skeptic]

Anyone else find it a bit amusing that the belicose instigator does not even know where the BSA is located nationally? And the press that let that slide is just as ignorant. None of these people that push this political football care a whit about the kids. And the media, about half the time, has wrong information, and mis-identifications on photos and in stories. They do not know the difference between cubs, scouts, and senior level youth and often take things out of context in order to make it seem worse than it is.

 

I agree with the scouts there; why bother if they do not want us there except to save them money in cleaning up. While community service is part of the program, there is no requirement where it is done, and under what circumstances. I for one have opted NOT to "help" in some instances when approached by a group of some sort for cleanup help as a "service"; what they really want is someone to do free labor to save them money. That is not what community service is.

[AZMike]

It's a crazy new world in which we now live. Guerlain is a poster-child for progressive spite and incoherence. He doesn't want the BSA to be able to sell water, but reacts with anger when the BSA then declines to pick up the trash left by his citizens: "They went from teaching the boys discrimination to also teaching them spite," said Guerlain, who called the decision not to volunteer at the event a "spiteful move" on the part of local Boy Scout leaders.

 

(Translated: "You are not welcome to participate in this event, but how dare you decline to pick up our trash after the event!")

[Scouter99]

Anyone else find it a bit amusing that the belicose instigator does not even know where the BSA is located nationally? And the press that let that slide is just as ignorant. None of these people that push this political football care a whit about the kids. And the media' date=' about half the time, has wrong information, and mis-identifications on photos and in stories. They do not know the difference between cubs, scouts, and senior level youth and often take things out of context in order to make it seem worse than it is.[/quote']

My favorite was the lesbian mom/den leader from Virginia who had won all sorts of awards that do. not. exist. What a great scouter! What a great reporter!

 

This story highlights the difference between liberalism and conservatism as well as any could. This tin god big fish in a little pond decides its his duty as a member of government to censor and persecute a group of local 11-yr-olds operating under their Supreme Court affirmed rights. Bastiat couldn't have written a better hypothetical. If Guerlain is going to build gas chambers let him and his voters be the first ones in.

 

You'd think an idiot bent on "sending a message" would find the correct address first. Hah, Washington.

[chrisking0997]

now theres a politician that can really speak out of both sides of his...erm, mouth.

 

Good for those scout leaders for taking a stand for their boys, and "sending a message" to this guy.

[Stosh]

Why is it politically correct for people to discriminate against the BSA? .... but not the other way around. I'm glad people are starting to stand up to such bigotry.

 

Kudos to the Associated General Contractors of Vermont as well.

 

Stosh

[AZMike]

A letter from the local scout leader: http://www.timesargus.com/article/20...ON02/707019940

 

Another local letter to the editor: http://www.timesargus.com/article/20140630/OPINION02/706309940

 

Vermont is a famously progressive state, but attempts to make this a "teachable moment" (progressive-speak for "Change your mind and agree with me") have apparently backfired.

[AZMike]

Kudos to the Associated General Contractors for making a principled stand: http://www.rutlandherald.com/article/20140701/NEWS03/707019948/1004

[RememberSchiff]

A letter from the local scout leader: http://www.timesargus.com/article/20...ON02/707019940

 

Another local letter to the editor: http://www.timesargus.com/article/20...ON02/706309940

 

Vermont is a famously progressive state, but attempts to make this a "teachable moment" (progressive-speak for "Change your mind and agree with me") have apparently backfired.

 

Good response from scout leader. I wonder if the "instigator" Thierry Guerlain will volunteer for clean up? Found the answer in the AGC article....

 

"Guerlain, who started the whole debate, is among those volunteering to pick up trash Thursday, as are Councilor Dona Bate, Mayor John Hollar and members of the Montpelier Alive board."

[Stosh]

 

Good response from scout leader. I wonder if the "instigator" Thierry Guerlain will volunteer for clean up? Found the answer in the AGC article....

 

"Guerlain, who started the whole debate, is among those volunteering to pick up trash Thursday, as are Councilor Dona Bate, Mayor John Hollar and members of the Montpelier Alive board."

 

I hope that was a teachable moment for all of them.

 

My grandmother used to tell me to never poke a stick at a sleeping dog unless you wanted to get bit.

 

Stosh

[RememberSchiff]

So while Mr.Guerlain is cleaning up trash, are you saying I probably should not send a scout over to sell him popcorn?

[packsaddle]

The 'brave' reaction by the troop would have been to shrug off the small-minded gesture by the city and do the service anyway - and teach the city some humility. They missed that opportunity to 'teach' as well as to 'demonstrate' the true scout spirit.