Re: Observations
Brian L. Davis (brian@COR.GOV)
Fri, 21 Jan 1994 09:48:49 +22320726
Settummanque, the blackeagle writes:
->
->Okay...enought about that. What I wanted to talk about this morning
->is how much the BSA has changed with regard to it's concept of
->service. Let me give some *brief background* on this, then, I'll pose
->
->One of the tenants of the Boy Scouting program, ever since William
->Boyce brought it here from England, was one of service to the
->community and nation. History books as well as newspapers recount the
->
->But something happened in the early 70s. The BSA faced regional
->disasters and told its volunteers NOT to participate as Scouts or
->Scouters. Many Scouters and Scouts disobeyed the directive and
->sandbagged the Big Sandy and Ohio Rivers in eastern Kentucky and
->northeastern Ohio; Law Enforcement Explorer Posts all over the nation
->were continued to be "moblized" to assist people stranded by rain or
->snow in many areas, and the Denver Search and Rescue Team (an Explorer
->Post) continued to rescue stranded skiers from the ice and cold.
->
->But the BSA continued on restricting volunteer and professional
->support to disasters.
->During the Persian Gulf War, the BSA was stuck.
->They clearly remembered what Scouting did during WW I and II, but
->what did the BSA do during this war?? Very little (my personal
->opinion is that the BSA made a little money off of the War, through
->teeshirts and patches of support). When there were communities that
->needed Scouts to get groceries or to watch younger children or to do
->things that "children" can do, many local Councils opted for the
->"safest way" to do those things.
->
->During the terrible Hurricanes that ripped through southern Florida,
->Louisiana, Guam and Hawaii, very few Scouts and Scouters were used as
->Scouts or Scouters, even though we are organized by unit, District and
->Council to do those kinds of things. The Southeast Region (in one of
->their last acts as a Region), encouraged local Councils NOT to send
->units or individuals down there, but instead to collect books,
->uniforms and other materials to send down there (and it wasn't a lot,
->gang. Besides, that's not what those folked needed...they needed
->people to help them get back to some idea of normalcy...they needed
->Scout Troops to be formed there, with the sole idea of being of
->service to others living in the "tent cities".
->
->So, that brings me to today's topic. Has the BSA been too much on a
->"safety and insurance" kick that it has ruined the tenants of the
->program? Have the pendulum swung too far in one direction as to
->potentially ruin the concept of what Scouting is all about....
->
Yes. That's the short answer. I must apologize for including
such a long quote, but I felt it important enough a thing that people should
read it again.
as I read your post, I almost felt sick at my stomach in the
realization of the truth of it, and the knowledge of what we have lost.
Unfortunately, the BSA is not the same organization it was just
20 short years ago. Where yesterday we were an organization devoted to
training young men to be responsible adults, who helped other people when
needed, and who possessed the skils to provide that help, whose credo was
bravery and duty to fellow man, and who learned through the conquer of the
their own personal needs in the face of adversity while in the outdoors,
and by provision of help to others facing tradgedy and disaster - Today we are
merely a camping club for boys, carrying along a few scraps of our former
character. We have become the victim of our own fear - fear of lawyers,
fear of the press, fear of money, and have trapped ourselves within an
all-encompassing framework of rules and regulations which utterly stifle what
We once were. Our organization has been assassinated by rule mongers, bean
counters, and lawyers. Risk management is anti-scouting.
What ever happened to teaching our children to be sturdy, able to
face up to lifes problems? Why are we teaching children to shunt their
problems onto others at the first opportunity? When did we decide that a
Scouts first duty was his own safety, instead of the safety of others? We
are now willing to help, but only if its comfortable and safe for us.
What a shame for us all.
--
| Brian L. Davis Internet: brian@cor.gov |
| Richardson, Tx Compuserve: 72600,2721 |
Terry Howerton Sakima Group, Inc. SCOUTER Magazine Kansas City |
