The Honorary President of the BSA

I have friends whose Eagle certificates were signed by Richard Nixon. Was he
the type of person we would want signing such documents? It isn't the MAN
who signs, it's the OFFICE. Bill Clinton isn't the first president to "snub"
the BSA by not attending a national jamboree. He's not the first president
to appoint someone to a national post who doesn't fit into the BSA leader
mold. He's not the first president to have questionable values.

At the 1997 National Jamboree, the President of the United States was
awarded the Silver Buffalo award. Many of the adults around me at that
occasion expressed anger at the BSA for giving that award to Bill Clinton.
Some of those same adults weren't very friendly or courteous during the
president's visit.

You have to ask yourself "Does the president's conduct reflect upon his
position as honorary president of the BSA?" "Will the president's conduct
adversely affect they way I provide Scouting to the youth in my community?"
"Are my Scouts looking to the president for an example of how to act?" So
far, no one is claiming that the BSA is a bunch of ethics-less liars just
because Bill Clinton is the honorary president. People, in general, are
smarter than that.

We would all like to have an honorary president that at least tries to
uphold the principles of Scouting in his everyday life, but that's not
possible. Scouting's influence on this president ended when Dwight
Eisenhower was honorary president. Perhaps we should be asking ourselves
what it was that made Bill Clinton quit Scouting. Regardless, Scouts-L is
not the forum to discuss the president's problems.

YIS
Anthony J. Mako, ajmako@nls.net ,Scoutmaster, Troop 381
http://members.aol.com/Scouts381/ "Home of the Unofficial Boy Scout Desktop
Theme!"
Great Trail Council - Akron, Ohio

"I used to be an Eagle (C-7-97), but I'll always be an Eagle (1981)"

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