JoeBob

I think BSA has made a conscious decision to ditch the conservative religious COs. If they lose half of the churches, but get back into half of the schools; BSA comes out ahead. And many of the units who lose their church CO will probably try to get another CO that's not a church. I'm enjoying my time on the curb.

Seidule is from Ohio. What would you expect? Try some rebuttals: It's refreshingly honest as far as it goes, but it's also politically correct propaganda. The jingoistic ending is patriotically hypocritical, so I'll deal with it first. The US Army did eventually fight to end slavery, but it also preserved and defended it."

Call me curmudgeon. The videos looked like the Olympics without the contest...

We noticed the writing on the page. Assured that Gay Boys in the troop would not lead to Gay Adults as leadership examples, we believed and adjusted. If you think that we were blind to assume that BSA was trustworthy, you may have a point. The written promises proved to be false. Now we're being told that religious CO's right to approve their leaders will be legally protected from activists. More promises that we want to believe. But we've been fooled before. So we're talking about it in the 'Issues and Politics' section of the forum. If being on the other side of the issue makes you uncomfortable when we discuss the impact of past lies and deception, please take you own advise: just leave already.

http://www.catholicnews.com/services/englishnews/2015/catholic-leaders-not-ready-to-quit-boy-scouts-over-gay-leaders-decision.cfm "Russell Moore, president of the denomination's Ethics & Religious Liberty Commission, predicted an even greater exodus of Baptists from the Scouts, and expressed skepticism the Scouts would hold the line on protecting the rights of churches and other religious institutions. "At every point, the Scout leadership tells us that they will go this far and no farther, but here we are again -- so it's hard for me to believe, in the long term, that the Boy Scouts will allow religious groups to have the freedom to choose their own leaders," Moore told Baptist Press July 14. "In recent years I have seen a definite cooling on the part of Baptist churches toward the Scouts. This will probably bring that cooling to a freeze." Trustworthy? Not by my definition.

If the local public schools (PTAs, etc.) allow BSA back into the schools, they may offset these losses. We'll see.

In Woodbadger they call it 'The Game of Life'.

In contrast, the Human Rights Campaign, a national LGBT-rights organization, said the Boy Scouts should not allow church-sponsored units to continue excluding gays. “Discrimination should have no place in the Boy Scouts, period,†said the HRC’s president, Chad Griffin. “BSA officials should now demonstrate true leadership and begin the process of considering a full national policy of inclusion.†http://stlouis.cbslocal.com/2015/07/28/bsa-allows-gay-leaders-churches-can-still-be-exclusive/

Looks Interesting: https://troopsofsaintgeorge.org/

" There are two very good alternatives to the Girl Scouts of America. They are: American Heritage Girls (americanheritagegirls.org),which has a National Catholic Committee; Little Flowers’ Girls Clubs (eccehomopress.com); and Federation of North American Explorers (fneexplorers.com). There are three alternatives to the Boy Scouts of America, which are acceptable. They are: Federation of North American Explorers (fneexplorers.com); Columbian Squires (kofc.org/un/en/squires); and Trail Life USA (traillifeusa.com), which has a National Catholic Committee in Front Royal, VA. " Since he offers options for Girl Scouts and Boy Scouts, it seems that he is aware. And reads more carefully. (Formatting weirdness un-intended)

Okay, so in a camping scenario we have the straight boys in the same quarters as the gay girls, and the gay boys in the same quarters as the straight girls. Right?

Why are we clinging to BSA? There used to be a value to having 'Eagle Scout' on your resume. Not so much anymore. The mud flung at Scouting has stuck. Eagle may now be a negative: "Oh, you excelled at being a BIGOT..." The present whitewash will fade away, but the damage will endure. If we are truly in it for the boys, and the program is what the youth need, the program can be duplicated (improved!) elsewhere with less liability. I've stuck around because there was a value in being a Scout. And I'm sentimental. I was hoping that my boy could finish up in BSA. But I'm not so sure that we can hold the line for 3 more years. BSA no longer deserves my loyalty.

I'm crazy. I like being crazy. In this world, being crazy is the only way to keep my sanity.

Or imagine a very hot lesbian SM. How would the boys react to that challenge?

Those of you that don't think that this is a fatal blow need to look back on the LGBT's past actions. A baker that wouldn't put 2 brides on top of a cake lost their business and has to pay $135,000.00. They were not mean or demeaning, they just wouldn't disrespect their God. $135,000.00. A pizza parlor that wouldn't cater a hypothetical gay wedding (not even a real service request!) suffered death threats, protests, and had to shutter their doors. So you can bet that somewhere some LGBT activist is going to apply for SM or ASM or CBW and be refused, because of the CO's beliefs. (It won't matter that the applicant hasn't camped in 20 years and doesn't own a pair of boots - it will only matter that he is gay and was turned down...) There will be protests that the CO doesn't need. Amid a flood of negative media attention, the CO will shut down the troop. And other CO's will take heed and choose not to re-charter when their option is up. Trail Life should be gleeful.

Not sure that I understand your point. Should the mountain be blasted out of existence because the KKK once held a rally there? Then lots of Southern towns will have to go as well. Ancestors relate that George Washington had unprotected sexual relations with some of his slaves. What do you propose we replace the Washington Monument with?

Well Fart Blossom! Having erased the Confederate battle flag from history, the activists are on to their next historical deletion attempt: http://atlanta.cbslocal.com/2015/07/13/atlanta-naacp-says-they-can-sand-blast-lee-jefferson-and-jackson-off-of-stone-mountain/ Stone Mountain Park was built as a Confederate memorial using private funds. It was later given to the state. The state uses an entertainment company to operate the park commercially for profit. The park costs the state nothing and is, in fact, and income stream. 1887 – The Venable Brothers bought all of Stone Mountain for $48,000 and ran the quarrying operations. 1916 – Samuel H. Venable leased the north face of the mountain to the UDC on the condition that a suitable monument be completed in 12 years. Lack of funding and World War I delayed the start of the carving until 1923. April 11, 1956 – The Venable family signs a quit claim deed for the area encompassing Stone Mountain, giving it to Stone Mountain Confederate Memorial, Inc. 1958 – The State of Georgia purchased Stone Mountain and the surrounding land to create a 3,200 acre park. Focus was placed on development for recreation and entertainment and the completion of the carving. Feb. 21, 1958 – Gov. Marvin Griffin signs a bill creating the Stone Mountain Memorial Association, superseding the old Authority. Sept. 19, 1958 – Stone Mountain Confederate Memorial, Inc. gives Stone Mountain to the state of Georgia. 1998 – Herschend Family Entertainment selected to manage the commercial aspects of Stone Mountain Park as part of privatization effort http://www.stonemountainpark.com/about/history

I agree that churches will probably be able to hold the line locally for awhile. But I also wonder how this will affect attendance at Council and District events... (Moms at parent night will be disappointed to learn that the really well cut waterfront director is gay.)

Flavor Aid is what Jim Jones used to kill his followers. Even I don't think that BSA is trying to kill us. Intentionally.

I see an opportunity here. When the next Woodbadge recruiter calls to ask me to take his course, I can check his "Trainer's EDGE' date. *** I have no problem with taking a course to update presentation skills. Technology changes fast. Having to RETAKE the same course after you've had 3 years in the field to polish a skill-set would be a waste of time; and indicative of the BSA mindset that I hereby choose not to deal with.

With my time as SM drawing to a close, I admit to thinking about sipping the BSA Koolaide. So I looked into the hoops required for an old hoot to pass on his knowledge as a trainer: "Part 2: Trainer's EDGE - August 22, 2015 This is the second part of the three-part Train-The-Trainer Continuum. The Trainer's Edge focuses on the participant, while raising the level of skill a trainer brings to the staff experience. Only practice can polish these skills, but this course is intended to "train the trainer" on behaviors and resources while offering hands-on experience in methods and media. Whatever your training position, you can benefit from this course! (This is required for all Wood Badge and NYLT staff. Retake every three years.) Training will begin at 8 AM and conclude at 5 PM." So after actually teaching in the field for 3 years you have to come back and be re-indoctrinated, because your experience using the BSA tools has taught you that they don't work? Retake every three years. Back to beer and wine. No Koolaide for me.

Next wash, get the parents and crew members to sign a waiver excluding you from all liability, medical expense and legal costs associated with the outing.

Pocket knife; flashlight.

A war of economic aggression has no honor. A war to submit others to your political point of view lacks a mass appeal. Riots were fought in the streets of New York because they did NOT support abolition. (Or the draft that war entailed.) The 'Union' was not a covenant with God. The 'Union' was a contract among the states. If the 'Union' was so important to preserve, why not just honor the terms of the contract? Slavery provides a noble rationale for greedy power brokers to force their customers to buy from them. Being a Southern white boy, I'm weary of the world trying to make me feel shame for crimes that I didn't commit. I never owned a slave. If my family ever owned your family, and you are alive and healthy in the US today; you're welcome.