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>From the inception of this thread (which I stirred vigorously from time to
time) I have come to the realization that the reason many have misunderstood
my and others point, is that we often fail to remember just how varied all
our situations are. Many made this point clear by stating that there were
no available males to be SM. Scouting is a diverse framework upon which all
of it's aims and purposes can be achieved in various ways depending on the
resources available. There is room for a wide variety of emphasis. When I
state that I believe it is a purpose of Scouting to provide boys with
positive male role models, and as such the SM should be a male, that does
not mean that this is an all or none purpose. A male SM is also not the
only method of achieving the goal, and Troops can, and do thrive where
leadership is primarily, for whatever reason, female.

If a Troop must place less emphasis relative to another on any aspect of
scouting for what ever reason, this diverse and flexible program allows it.
My point ( for which at least one person has deemed me unfit for
leadership) is that *a* goal in scouting *should* or even *must* be
positive male role modeling. But keep in mind that like all goals it's a
place to aim, and that my friends is what I am saying. Where there is
available resources to achieve any goal in Scouting, I believe they should
be utilized. An analogy would be Camping. Providing camping experience is
a goal of Scouting. But, if you are an inner city Troop, it might be hard
for you to do much of it. That does not mean that you declare that Scouting
is not about Camping, but rather, you do what you can to aim at that goal!

So, the stand I take is against rejecting positive male role-modeling as a
goal. The goals stated in the Scout oath and law are targets we aim at
also, we would all fold if we were required to perfectly achieve them, but,
we don't reject them as goals.

Bob Lazell
SM Troop 127
Valley Cottage, NY

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