Cradle of Liberty Boy Scout Council == Assholes

[giza]

The backstory:

City of Philadelphia: "Uh, you know that office space we're letting you have for free?"

Boy Scouts: "Yeah?"

City of Philadelphia: Well, we got this little problem with you discriminating against gays. It's discriminatory, and our policies prevent us from letting you have this office space for free.

Boy Scouts: It's our organization, and we'll run it how we like.

City of Philadelphia: Look, if you want to discriminate against gays, that's your business, but we're going to have to ask that you pay us fair market value starting on June 1st, or vacate the building. Continuing to let you occupy that building free of rent would violate our city's policies.

Boy Scouts: Fuck you.

City of Philadelphia: Fine, just get out.

Boy Scouts: We're not going anywhere. BTW, we're suing you now, so that we can stay here and continue to discriminate against gays.

So, yeah... I wish I could say that this kind of behavior is a first from the Boy Scouts, but they have a long standing policy of being horribly bigoted and intolerant when it comes to gays, atheists, and pretty much anyone else who doesn't fit into their narrow view of the way things should be.

I remember back in the 90s when I used to read Scouting Magazine, I would see these awful editorials going on and on (and on...) about the "gay agenda", and how those eeeeevil gays and atheists were trying to "take over" Scouting and force their values on everyone else. I was years away from thinking of myself as "gay" back then, but still those editorials left a really bad taste in my mouth.

The funny thing is that the local troops that I dealt with when I was in scouting (I'm an Eagle Scout) really didn't care one way or another about sexual orientation or religious preferences. When we were on camping trips and went to religious services, the guys who didn't go to church were merely dragged along to whatever service the leaders felt like taking them to. Nobody cared. A childhood friend of mine told me a few years back that his troop was the same way, but with gays. There were several gays in his troop, and the leaders didn't care.

It's such a shame, that while Boy Scouting is a great program for the boys, its executives are completely out of touch, and rotten to the core.

Comments

[silent-o.livejournal.com]

I was never a scout, but I do have an additional reason not to like them.

Anybody wanna guess who has to risk their own safety when scouts get lost in caves?
My friends in the NSS.(One day I'll be among the rescuers.)

Also, they are disrespectful to the fragile ecosystems.

Real cavers have a creed:
"Take nothing but pictures, leave nothing but (carefully placed) footprints, kill nothing but time."

Sorry if this was off topic, I've just wanted to say that for quite a while.

[giza.livejournal.com]

I don't know what Scouts you interacted with, but virtually every event I was on (including my 2 week backpacking stint at Philmont Scout Ranch down in New Mexico), the scouts were quite series about safety. And safety training (First Aid, what to do when you get lost, etc.) was a pretty regular thing in the Boy Scouts.

I also don't know what you mean about ecological damage. In the Boy Scouts, we had our own "outdoor code", and were pretty hard core about it when camping. I know that my troop would regularly and religiously police the campsite after all the equipment was packed up but before we left, and picked up anything that even resembled litter.

[silent-o.livejournal.com]

Specifically, the ecological damage I am referring to is in the caves. The scouts and scoutmasters may not mean any harm, but a careless step here or a pit stop there can have serious repercussions. Caves are pretty much barren of food, and the native fauna have adapted to that. By bringing in foreign nutrients, non-native bacteria and planarians can establish a foothold and kill off the original tenants, thereby disrupting the food chain. (This is why we pack out our waste, even the liquids.)


I'm not saying that the organization as a whole is maliciously defacing caves. I believe the damage is due to ignorance on the part of the scoutmasters.(who probably mean well)

If you wish, I can send you a few links that further expand upon the issue.

[giza.livejournal.com]

Links would be awesome.

FWIW, I've never gone caving, and I was in an active troop. I don't know if it was a regional thing, or simply something that wasn't done when I was in the Boy Scouts (late 80s, early 90s).

I agree that it's probably due to ignorance, since packing out of waste usually isn't something that's done when camping or backpacking.