Saving the Boy Scouts of America...

[NRAJOE]

To: Grassroots Conservative Citizens
From: Partner Organization Grassfire.org
Re: Saving the Boy Scouts


Way back in 2000, the U.S. Supreme Court ruled that because the Boy Scouts of America (BSA) were a private organization, they had the authority to keep homosexuals, pedophiles, drug dealers from holding critical positions within their organization. The ruling stemmed from a lawsuit filed by a man who was told by the Scouts that he could not hold a position of authority over young boys because he was a homosexual.

This was actually Grassfire's first issue as an organization, and we were proud to have been able to rally hundreds of thousands of citizens who signed our petition supporting the Scouts position leading up to the High Court ruling.

However, following what could be perceived as a victory by the Scouts, the ACLU and other radical organizations launched full-scale assaults on the BSA--all in an attempt to destroy them. The fallout of these attacks is still being felt today, and has likely impacted tens of thousands of young boys nationwide.

Influenced by the ACLU, and the social climate of the times, many United Ways (a chief source of funding for the BSA), began requiring organizations to sign non-discrimination policies that included sexual orientation. Refusal to sign such a policy resulted in a loss of funding.

Back in 2002, the media reported that only several United Way's had actually withdrawn support from the Scouts. However, Grassfire's own report (February, 2002) clearly outlined that the UW's discriminatory policies against the Scouts went far beyond just a several instances. In fact, we confirmed 64 UW agencies in 19 states had withdrawn financial support-the lifeblood that many Scout troops counted on to stay alive. After our findings, we urged BSA supporters to bypass the UW and contribute directly to the Scout chapter of their choice.

This is just one example of the kinds of attacks the Scouts are continuing to endure because of the ACLU's mission to bankrupt and destroy them. Recently, the ACLU began to intimidate public schools from allowing the BSA to meet at their facilities. Not wanting to see the schools pulled into a costly legal abyss, the BSA began looking elsewhere to meet.

Following this latest attack, two Tennessee lawmakers, Senate Majority Leader Bill Frist, and Senator Lamar Alexander, drafted the "Support Our Scouts Act of 2005" (S. 642, H.R. 1337). Recognizing the vital nature of the Scouts-especially in today's single-parent society, with increased drug use and violence among teens, Frist and Alexander agree that the mission of the Scouts is to be protected and preserved without distraction from outside attack.

Since being introduced in both the Senate and the House just days ago, the bills have already garnished early support with 20 co-sponsors in the Senate, and 34 in the House.

Grassfire is championing this legislation, and is committed to rallying 500,000 citizens from across the nation to stand with the Scouts. We are asking Americans to contact their elected leaders in both the Senate and the House urging them to
co-sponsor the "Support Our Scouts Act of 2005" (S. 642, H.R. 1337).

Already, Grassfire has rallied more than 400,000 citizens, and over the next 30 days, we want to reach half-a-million citizens who support this legislation. Our goal is to present these petitions directly to Senator's Frist and Alexander in a massive show of grassroots, citizen support for their legislation!

Since its inception, the BSA has instilled honesty, integrity, and character in more than 110 million boys. If the citizens of America fail to rise up and support legislation that protects this proud organization and its mission, radical organizations like the ACLU will destroy the Scout's outstanding influence on our nation-leaving a terrible void that could never be filled.

Join with us in support of this legislation and the Boy Scouts of America with Grassfire today:

#1 - Add your name to our "Save the Boy Scouts" petition.

#2 - Share this message with 25-30 of your friends, family and co-workers.

#3 - Contact your Senators and Representative today. Urge each to co-sponsor and
fully support the "Support Our Scouts Act of 2005" (S. 642, H.R. 1337). If you
do not know your Senator's or Representative's contact information, call the
Capitol Hill Switchboard at 202-224-3121 to be quickly connected. Call today!

http://grassfire.org/2/petition.asp

[Oxford]

I'm not familiar with whomever Grassfire is, but I do recall the incident vaugely. And the bombshell unloaded on yesterday's news regarding a top BSA administrative officer being charged with possession of porno materials, and maybe even more, doesn't make it any easier for the scouting organization.

Yet...I'm still a strong supporter of the Boy Scouts of America organization and believe in their goals. Unfortunately, in every organization there's a few bad apples who escape the usual screening required before they're employed. In this case, it's too early to determine exactly how bad this latest incident has hurt the BSA adult leadership recruitment and the Boy Scouts program in general.

[DANA]

As a past Scoutmaster I fully back the BSA. Our Church houses our troop and my Masonic Lodge sponsors the troop. My Company also houses the Girl Scouts

DANA

[Rave]

It's disgusting but true,many organizations such as the BSA and a lot of church organizations that support and help young people attract the worst kind of perverts,the kind that prey on children. This last episode in Florida again proves that these monsters cannot be redeemed and I ,for one,feel that upon conviction the above mentioned monsters be immediatly hung in public for all the world to see and it become the practice to treat them all the same way,no exceptions. We don't need that kind of abominatin in our society imho.

[Despoiler]

Thank you Joe for posting this, I meant to post last week when G&G was down.

I know many of you, as I were a scout as children. The scouts teach young men and boys how to become men. The scouts have been under attack by the liberal left for some time now. Senator Bill Frist will soon introduce the “Support Our Scouts Act of 2005,” to ensure the Boy Scouts of America are treated fairly, and have equal access to public facilities, forums, and programs. These petitions will be presented to Senators Frist to show the peoples support of their legislation.

If you would like to show you support for the scouts please click on the link and sign an online petition showing your support.

http://grassfire.org/2/petition.asp

[Oxford]

It's done, AllenT. :right:

[hounddawg]

Seems a pity that there does not seem to be any worthier issues or organisations to attack. Let's see, as a former Boy Scout in South Africa, I learned these useless skills:

1) The ability to communicate in the Queen's English,
2) Pioneering (construction with staves and rope),
3) marksmanship,
4) fieldcraft & tracking
5) first-aid,
6) orienteering and map-reading,

and that's just off the top of my head. Obvously these skills have to take a back seat to the more civilised arts like Advanced Television Viewing, Extreme Playstation Pounding and Mega Methamphetamine Manufacture.

Has the entire world gone mad?

[Sniper[MI]]

This is why NO ONE should donate to the United Way.

They are a rabid pack of UBER liberals that make sure that some of everyones money goes to funding rabid liberal causes, with some more worthwhile charities seeing some cash. Also I seem to remeber that a lot of the donated monies get eaten up by administrative and internal costs. So if you give a dollar to united way cause they support some charity you like, something like 30 cents might only make it there.

The United Way charity drives at businesses are run more like a shakedown, and employees that do not give are almost blacklisted. My wife worked for a very large bank and every year we would talk about the Geshtapo coming round for donations. The United Way is also ensconsed in our public schools, got to indoctrinate them youngins you know...

If you support a charity, take the extra five minutes to donate directly, screw the United Way.

And just for kicks (as I have done) tell the UW rep at your business that until you see a payout of exactly where every dime you would give them goes, tell them you will not be donating. You will never see such a payout in writing.

Give direct. Up here my son is active in the scouts, and we support them. One of the biggest reasons the ACLU was out to get the BSA is their strong lean on faith and God. This had the ACLU in knots for a lng time but until the Gays got booted they had not much to stand on. Now it is a rallying cry to get the scouts not out of Public Schools, not only to allow Gays to be scout leaders, their goal is pure and simple to wipe out the BSA. Can't have a bunch of Life loving, god worshiping do gooders running around. That could severly limit their upcoming crop of disenfranchesed sheep that the Libs need to stay in power.

And as for the ACLU, well I can't type what I would rwally say about them here, but the PG version involves skin peels and salt water baths....!!!! Commies!

[Jesse]

Originally Posted by Sniper[MI]

This is why NO ONE should donate to the United Way.

They are a rabid pack of UBER liberals that make sure that some of everyones money goes to funding rabid liberal causes, with some more worthwhile charities seeing some cash. Also I seem to remeber that a lot of the donated monies get eaten up by administrative and internal costs. So if you give a dollar to united way cause they support some charity you like, something like 30 cents might only make it there.

The United Way charity drives at businesses are run more like a shakedown, and employees that do not give are almost blacklisted. My wife worked for a very large bank and every year we would talk about the Geshtapo coming round for donations. The United Way is also ensconsed in our public schools, got to indoctrinate them youngins you know...

If you support a charity, take the extra five minutes to donate directly, screw the United Way.

And just for kicks (as I have done) tell the UW rep at your business that until you see a payout of exactly where every dime you would give them goes, tell them you will not be donating. You will never see such a payout in writing.

Give direct. Up here my son is active in the scouts, and we support them. One of the biggest reasons the ACLU was out to get the BSA is their strong lean on faith and God. This had the ACLU in knots for a lng time but until the Gays got booted they had not much to stand on. Now it is a rallying cry to get the scouts not out of Public Schools, not only to allow Gays to be scout leaders, their goal is pure and simple to wipe out the BSA. Can't have a bunch of Life loving, god worshiping do gooders running around. That could severly limit their upcoming crop of disenfranchesed sheep that the Libs need to stay in power.

And as for the ACLU, well I can't type what I would rwally say about them here, but the PG version involves skin peels and salt water baths....!!!! Commies!

I firmly agree, the United Way and the ACLU are ultra-Soros type organizations that do not need to see a nickel of my $.

[Oxford]

That's been my personal policy for many years. Before I retired there was always a big drive to get UW donations at my work site. I refused to donate on the grounds that I donated directly to only those programs that I believed in, and that there were too many groups on UW's receiving end whom I thought were totally questionable and/or undeserving. :right:

[Full MeTal Jack]

In Houston, large organizations/corparations that donate to The United Way said they would pull their funding to UW. Funny, UW Houston had a change of policies. Houston's Sam Houston Area Council is the largest council in the nation.

Brazos District Rocks!

http://www.troop1002.org/

Donations welcome.

Ken

[Thrawn]

Originally Posted by hounddawg

3) marksmanship,
4) fieldcraft & tracking

When I wanted to become a scout my dad talked me out of it because he said they rarley even teach these things anymore. He had checked with local troops in SE Georgia and none of them even wanted to think of training a young'un with a rifle, about the same with maps and terrain. He was a scout master in SW New York state in the late 60's and early 70's.

[Despoiler]

The Scouts are a volunteer organization. For the most part it is the parents whom teach the scouts. I am my sons den leader and I do teach all of those cool manly things to the boys in my den. I have taught them how to read a map and to use a compass. One of the fathers in my den is a serious fisherman he has taught the boys all about fishing, another is a contractor and he has been teaching the boys how to use tools and to build things. As a group we go hiking and camping, and all of those things that young boys love to do and want to learn how to do from their fathers.

When I found out that our district had no one to teach BB gun marksmanship, or archery I volunteered to spend a Saturday to get qualified to train the scouts. Then I spent a week last summer teaching scouts how to shoot and to use a bow.

Your post reminds me of one of the biggest problem that the scouts have, too many parents want to bring their kid to scouts and have someone else teach their kids. I myself enjoy spending this type of quality time with my son and his friends teaching them the stuff that I was taught by my father.

[jerry]

Oh the horror

[Dallas]

I feel soooo dirty and used.

[NRAJOE]

[quote=phenhere;269545]SPAM From Quote Removed...

[CinciGunGuy]

I am currently a Boy Scout and have been affected by this "scandle" About 3 years ago my old scout troop meet at my jounior school. Then the school kicked us out because we would not allow girls in our BOY SCOUT TROOP! I isn't that what a boy scout troop is for? I think being a private organazation we have the right to govern ourselvs as we see fit and limit membership. Its not sexism or descrimination its just perserving our tradition.

[troy2000]

I support the Boy Scouts, and their right to run the organization the way they see fit.

Unfortunately, they can't have it both ways. If they're going to stand on their rights as a private organization, they can't also count on being treated as a quasi-public one, with rights that other private organizations don't have. I don't think they can blow off government anti-discrimination regulations, then keep expecting special access to government, school or public recreation facilities.

When I was a kid, the scout troops in my town were all sponsored by churches and they simply used church facilities; end of problem. I didn't belong to the particular church that sponsered my troop, but I don't remember ever being made to feel the slightest bit uncomfortable or out of place.

As far as a school kicking scouts off the premises for not admitting the opposite sex, I think that's silly. No, it's more than silly; it's Political Correctness run amok

[BattleRifleG3]

Originally Posted by troy2000

If they're going to stand on their rights as a private organization, they can't also count on being treated as a quasi-public one, with rights that other private organizations don't have. I don't think they can blow off government anti-discrimination regulations, then keep expecting special access to government, school or public recreation facilities.

Out of the three categories of people listed as barred from the BSA, 2/3 are most likely barred from government positions too, and while "don't ask don't tell" is not a prohibition of homosexuals in the military, it is only a fair step short, and for the same reasons the BSA bans them - vulnerability in situations of cohabitation.

[troy2000]

Originally Posted by BattleRifleG3

Out of the three categories of people listed as barred from the BSA, 2/3 are most likely barred from government positions too, and while "don't ask don't tell" is not a prohibition of homosexuals in the military, it is only a fair step short, and for the same reasons the BSA bans them - vulnerability in situations of cohabitation.

Just as not having male scoutmasters staying the night with girl scouts makes sense. We need to protect children. I was just pointing out the position they're in, speaking in a legal sense.

As far as the military situation goes though, I think that's a crock. Back when I was in the service, gays were legally banned, but no one paid any particular attention to the ban. We all knew who the guys were, and as long as they didn't try hitting on a straight guy (which I never saw happen), no one really cared one way or another. My dad says that was pretty much the attitude in his outfit during WWII, also. They had more important things to worry about, like the Japs shooting at them.

I was completely surprised at how much things had changed over the years when I talked to my baby brother, who just retired as a lifer. He and all his friends seemed to have some kind of phobia about it; my brother kept asking me, "what if you had to take a shower with one?"

The short answer is, "he'd behave or I'd punch his lights out..."