Re: Adult membership in Scouting and Spousal Abuse
Ted Burton (tedburtn@CRIS.COM)
Mon, 11 Sep 1995 20:59:31 -0600
April Flipse wrote:
[snip]
>
> Last week a notice appeared in the newspaper that a man had
>been arrested at the scene and charged with beating his wife. (She was in
>pretty bad shape.) At this time, this man is still registered in the BSA as
>a SM (in a Troop at a Devereux School campus - these are 'special' kids in
>one way or another), as ASM in a different Troop, as a Vigil honor member of
>the OA serving as Projects Committee advisor, and as the paid Camp Director
>for the larger of the two camps on our Resevation. The wife was held in
>enough esteem by the OA Executive committee of the Lodge that they called
>her out to join the Lodge.
>
[snip]
>( What keeps running through my mind is a question - Shouldn't spousal abuse
>be just as UNACCEPTABLE as child abuse in this organization? If an unproven
>accusation of the latter gets you removed, shouldn't criminal charges filed
>by the cops have the same effect? )
>
Your question poses several questions:
Should a man who skinny dips with a woman guest not his spouse be retained
as a Camp Director? NO. A thousand times NO, NO, NO. "Trustworthy,
Loyal...Obedient.... Clean....Reverent" should apply to adults just like,
no, more than, the kids.
Should a man who is accused of beating his wife be retained as a Scout Leader.
If convicted, absolutely not. Spousal abuse is learned behavior from
childhood. We do not need to run the risk of some boy deciding that if Mr.
Z beats his wife, it must be normal...
If charges are still pending, or if he was aquitted in criminal court, some
would say Mr. Z is entitled to the presumption of innocence. However, when
it comes to Scouts I think we should go by a Civil standard of proof, that
is, whether it is more likely than not true that he beat her; rather than
the Criminal standard of proof, beyond a reasonable doubt. Thus, even if
Mr. Z is acquitted, there could be a basis to fire him. His pattern of
disrespect for her and humiliation of her is consistent with spousal abuse
syndrome theories. I would endeavor to obtain information concerning the
event from all available sources, and investigate it thoroughly. I, of
course, would have an advantage were that occuring here, because here I do
the prosecuting. If one is satisfied that the charges were phoney, he ought
still be on the way out because of the camp stuff assuming that stuff was
true. Who did he think he was, some medieval English Lord?
Let there be no doubt about one thing: there is absolutely no excuse for
domestic violence, none. I have heard the most outrageous excuses uttered
with great sincerity. People who dominate, coerce, de-socialize, imprison,
cross-examine, control, intimidate, and beat their "loved" ones, are
beneath contempt. I meet about a dozen a year in this little town of ours.
Every last mother's son of them is either in counseling or jail; their
choice.
=-=-=-=-=-=- II <<<=-=<I=-=<<< II -=-=-=-=-=-=
"Alappiechsin Wiechcheu, FastTalking Wolf"
Tukarica Lodge 266, Ore-Ida Council 106
Chapter Adviser, Hemene Chapter
Post 246 COR, D. Eagle Rep., Troop 246 MC
------------ "a good ol' Fox too..." ------------
YIS,
Doc Fox
[City Attorney/Prosecuting Attorney]
who is netAddressed for, personal use, as: tedburtn@cris.com
and for business use as: tedburtn@halcyon.com
Terry Howerton Sakima Group, Inc. SCOUTER Magazine Kansas City |
