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I have confirmed all of this with our denominational leadership. I don't think that the word has gotten down to the council level yet in many instances. We are clearly heading into a tipping point, probably more rapidly than most of us would have anticipated. This is a route to attempt to deal with the recommendations by conference attorneys that churches distance themselves from Boy Scouting. The irony here is that the program is probably the safest it has been in the past fifty years. And needed more than ever, I believe. I understand the concerns but sense the danger of an over-reaction. T

First, let me say that the guilty should be severely punished. My fear is that, in the absence of evidence, many good, innocent people will be named because those are the names they can remember, and details of facts fade over time. To "out" them as guilty by association would be criminal slander.

Do Buddhist believe in god? No, we do not. There are several reasons for this. The Buddha, like modern sociologists and psychologists, believed that religious ideas and especially the god idea have their origin in fear. The Buddha says: "Gripped by fear men go to the sacred mountains, sacred groves, sacred trees and shrines". Dp 188 Primitive man found himself in a dangerous and hostile world, the fear of wild animals, of not being able to find enough food, of injury or disease, and of natural phenomena like thunder, lightning and volcanoes was constantly with him. Findi

It appears that we are on the verge of seeing a major change in the model used by the BSA with organizations that host Scouting units. It would change the relationship from one where the sponsor “owns” the unit(s) to one in which the unit(s) is viewed as a distinct community organization “housed” by the organization. A tenant, so to speak. There would be a formal “hosting” agreement signed with the organization. This is similar to the model that has been used by the Girl Scouts. Our understanding is that chartered organizations will be given the option of either continuing with the long-s

Sure you can. That's what it means to be part of a team. We win as a team, and we lose as a team.

From several conversations today, I think it is clear the the local councils would strongly prefer to get the traditional relationships in place. It will be a logistical nightmare to make a shift among hundreds of units right now at re-charter time. I think that the relationships with the local chartered partners is very valued in most cases. However, the new re-chartering option is in response to several chartered partners announcing that they would no longer sponsor Scouting due to liability concerns. Apparently the legal advisors for several church conferences have stated that the perceived

Pretty much, but freedom of expression includes freedom to express offense.

Gotcha! Not a worry. I didn’t mean to be abrupt.

The new CO agreement released by national is a game changer. New form released November 23: https://filestore.scouting.org/filestore/membership/pdf/524-182_web.pdf Old form: https://filestore.scouting.org/filestore/pdf/524-182WB.pdf EDIT: As for "imminent", it would have to be within days or maybe a week or two in order to make the December 31 deadlines for recharter

yes. some are. I apologize for using a wide brush. My point (I bumbled) was that the bankruptcy hearings and tort against BSA cannot hold any individual liable unless they are named in the suit as a respondent.

This is an excellent point and, begs another comment. As a survivor, I don't quite understand how someone could remember little or nothing about their abuse/abuser to a degree that they can't provide sufficient detail to allow it to be even limitedly corroborated. I understand it theoretically from the standpoint of repressed, suppressed and faded memories. Personally and experientially, not much is faded or foggy or cloudy or forgotten.

I do believe the accused have the right to face their accuser(s) and defend themselves. When dead, that's obviously impossible. Here is something you may or may not find interesting or relevant. This is a theoretical framework hatched in my little brain, based on studying psychology, Complex PTSD derived from long-term child sexual abuse and some elements of the law. See what you think. Statutes of limitations are critical to ensure stale claims/allegations aren't brought to court after witnesses are dead, documents shredded, memories faded, physical evidence tampered with, crime scene co

The only element of accountability being discussed is public disclosure of the names of abusers. I think that's the only thing the Court could order as part of the settlement. I know some survivor claimants and/or attorneys have that goal. As I mentioned, I don't like it for two reasons: (1) if my state creates a look back window by enacting the Victims Rights Act, I want to be able to surprise my abusers with a lawsuit and criminal prosecution; and (2) it doesn't seem right to accuse people publicly after anything less than a proper legal investigation of the allegations. As I mention elsewhe

I've tried to maintain a similar opinion. We've got enough problems on our plates currently with just keeping even the basic parts of our programs going during a pandemic, all we can do face forward and keep going. And for me that means going through whatever comes of the BSA, regardless of whether it falls or not, and beyond into whatever form of scouting program we can maintain. We don't need much to get some kids together and go camping or take on a service project. We've seen groups like the BPSA-US do it with nothing more than a rough outline of a traditional scouting program and a desire

This dialog provides a lot of food for thought: People are required to take youth protection and the "good guys" who wouldn't abuse a child will follow the rules. The "bad guys" who are abusers won't follow the rules will still be abusers; the BSA is in a very serious situation and is trying to survive so they raise the registration fees and tack on an additional fee for new members who have just joined; the grand white elephant, Summitt Bechtel" was developed as a jamboree site and the jamborees have been canceled; membership across Scouting is very low; some training requirements" are u

National wants more Local properties evaluated and are seeking to retain JLL Valuation & Advisory Service. The list of properties remains to be specified. The following paragraphs are extracted from Dec 1, dockets 1762 and 1763. Note links below. To carry out its Scouting programs, the BSA has granted charters to 253 local councils, each of which operates in a specific geographic area (collectively, “Local Councils”). Each of the Local Councils is separately incorporated under the non-profit laws of its respective state, is exempt from federal income tax under section 501(c)(3) of the

It's HOW we ensure "fair" treatment that is the issue. "Fair" is a loaded word. Some view it as "white privilege" being suppressed. Others view it as setting quotas/affirmative action. Others, just making sure we give an honest effort to recruit from the inner cities. The reason we are wary is because none of this is being spelled out.

You make a good argument with that Ford quote, however with Ford and BSA both adopting a stance that supports BLM's (the organization) narrative, and with BLM being an openly Marxist organization, I do not find that argument compelling.

I have major issues with BSA actively entering the political arena. By mentioning B. Taylor, they have gone way beyond selling war bonds and into anti-police propaganda. That is something that they can't take back. I don't think that scouts should actively engage in any social issues. That's not our role. We should be role models for society through our actions, not our words. I don't like forced anything - it reeks of insincerity. If your troop/pack is open to anyone who wants to join up and participate in this organization, then that's all that should be required. We are probably one

Let's start with the "equity" portion. Equity is an impossible goal to achieve. No matter how we strive we will never achieve equal outcomes. The goal of "equity" is a myth, an impossible achievement cooked up by Marxists/Postmodernists. We will ALL make choices in our lives that result in fortunate/unfortunate outcomes. In the US, the VAST majority of what we achieve is due to our personal choices, not the opinions of others. DEI philosophy is not merely "creating a culture that welcomes and respects diverse perspectives" or "creating a sense of belonging and build communities where eve

No, that's equality of opportunity. Equity is very different. I know this seems like splitting hairs, but it is important to properly define the key issue of topic if we're going to discuss it. "The terms equality and equity are often used interchangeably; however, they differ in important ways. Equality is typically defined as treating everyone the same and giving everyone access to the same opportunities. Meanwhile, equity refers to proportional representation (by race, class, gender, etc.)" It is in fact a Marxist idea, one that has become increasingly popular among people who don

That's a good and relevant question. You address the ideas of what divesity and inclusion are supposed to be, bit not Equity and how D and I support it in the context it is given. Equity is the idea that everyone should get the same outcome regardless of their ability or effort. This is completely counter to equality of opportunity, as well as not possible to accomplish. For example, does BSA now give every kid an Eagle regardless of the effort they put in? No, and if they start the Eagle becomes valueless. In this context "Diversity" is not what you described. It is a justification

Like it or not there are various companies and individuals who would rather donate goods, services, and money to their local scout units rather than the council. Why, because as soon as a company donates to a council they get bombarded with continual donation request letters, visits by the DE or SE in their suits always asking for more and more each year. I agree that an individual unit should not be asking for cash donations from companies, however for example if a restaraunt wants to donate food to a scouting event, that is not a violation of any rules since to the council it has no cas