Re: Eagle Candidates and Smoking
John and Bernadette Curry (bernadettejohn@SPRYNET.COM)
Fri, 8 Jan 1999 13:18:06 -0500
I know little about the requirements for each rank in Boy Scouts but I
thought that there were "showing Scout Spirit" requirements at ranks below
Eagle. (At least I have seen it discussed here on the list.) I wonder how
the youth "passed" those requirements for his prior rank advancements. If
smoking (breaking the law - i.e. speeding, underage drinking or smoking,
drug use, cutting school or whatever...) hadn't been a problem with his
Scout Spirit before - why is it now? Because you don't want the Eagle Rank
besmirched? But it was OK to sully the ranks of Tenderfoot, Life, Star etc?
Those of you who are soul searching about this issue because it is an *Eagle
BOR*, including Peter Barton, should have been concerned before - when the
activity in question was first noticed - and dealt with it then. The
messages I get from reading through the imaginary eyes of a teenager is,
well it was OK before, it was never an issue before - that's not fair. And
in a way the candidate would be right.
This Scout's leaders let him down when they let his smoking slide long
enough for the youth to get to his Eagle BOR without "clean and morally
straight" being an issue.
I find myself agreeing with Kent Wilkins: <SNIP>We need to look at the
totality of the boy, his actions, his mannerisms, and his background...not
at one or two items as a Litmus test of worthiness.<SNIP>
Let us always temper decisions with mercy and common sense. "He that is
without sin among you, let him first cast a stone at her." (JKV)
YIS
Bernadette Curry
Committee Chairman, Pack 995
Tiger Coordinator, Pack 995
Old Dominion District Popcorn Chairman
National Capital Area Council
bernadettejohn@sprynet.com
