Tag Archives: Boy Scout

Articles of Interest

Alternative To Boy Scouts Emerges

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By Derrick Hollenbeck

boy scouts gays subr Alternative To Boy Scouts Emerges

In a backlash to the Boy Scouts of America’s (BSA) decision to embrace the presence of openly Gay scouts in its ranks, a new group, which has not yet named itself, has announced it will begin to operate as an alternative to the BSA starting next January 1st.

Using lofty phrases like “character development,” the new group declared it will be generally modeled on Christian principles of chastity outside of marriages between one man and one woman. New Group (NG) will meet in Nashville in September to address what it says are the concerns of “tens of thousands” of individual scouts, scout leaders, and sponsoring organizations troubled by the BSA’s sharp lurch to the left on this crucial issue.

New Group’s proclaimed mission will be to “guide generations of courageous young men to honor God, lead with integrity serve others and experience outdoor adventure.”  What would be “courageous” about being an ordinary boy becoming a Boy Scout wasn’t made clear.

Thereafter, the mission statement begins to descend into shocking naivety as it talks about accepting youths with same-sex attractions they will ask to “live a life of sexual purity.”  New Group will not allow rainbow flags or other “flaunting Gay behaviors,” and adult volunteers will be asked to sign a statement attesting to their adherence to Christian faith and values.

While these goals are indeed important and the type the BSA itself should aspire to, trying to split hairs and call for sexual purity rather than concerns over sexual orientation will most certainly doom New Group to failure. It will not fail because it is a bad group or somehow evil. It will fail precisely because it is a good and pure organization.

Those who would destroy the BSA have already begun planning how they can force adult openly homosexual Scout Leaders into the various troops around the country. They will win; and because New Group is trying to straddle the line and become a Christian BSA lite, it will be destroyed as well.

I sincerely wish to be wrong on this. Nevertheless, unless New Group exercises its right to be exclusive and keep Gay scouts out of its tents (as per the Dale case), it will not be able to withstand the pressure of the homosexual onslaught; and it will be gone in five years if not sooner.

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Source: FULL ARTICLE at Western Journalism

Articles of Interest

Gay-Friendly Boy Scouts Alternative Growing Quickly

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By Michael Franco The Navigators is a tiny group compared to the Boy Scouts, but Mother Jones reports that its gay-tolerant creed has helped it more than double its chapters to 45 in about a year. A former Boy Scout troop leader in Harlem formed the Navigators in 2003, fed up with the…

From: http://www.newser.com/story/166316/gay-friendly-boy-scouts-alternative-growing-quickly.html

Computers

Six ways to cope with flaky hotel Wi-Fi

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The Virgin OverDrive Pro mobile hotspot.

During a recent trip I stayed at a hotel offering free Wi-Fi—always a nice perk. Just one problem: the network was terrible. The connection speed reminded me of my old dial-up modem, but without the consistency.

Needless to say, it was impossible for me to get my work done, and that was a problem. Fortunately, I’m a Boy Scout when it comes to tech obstacles: always prepared. When faced with flaky hotel Wi-Fi, I try one or more of these six fixes:

1. Ask the front desk to reset the router  If you can’t get or stay connected, it might just be a router issue. Call the front desk, tell them you can’t get on their network, and ask them to reset the hotel router. Wait 5-10 minutes and then try again to connect.

2. Check for an Ethernet option  Some hotel rooms have an Ethernet port or cord that would allow your laptop to bypass Wi-Fi altogether and just jack into the network. If you need to share that connection with, say, your tablet, try Connectify Hotspot, which acts as a software router on your laptop. Alternately, pack a travel router like the TP-LINK TL-WR702N.

To read this article in full or to leave a comment, please click here

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Source: FULL ARTICLE at PCWorld

Articles of Interest

Anderson Cooper Kisses “Boy Scout” To Offend Traditional America

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By Cliff Kincaid

Anderson Cooper SC Anderson Cooper Kisses “Boy Scout” to Offend Traditional America

The headline says it all: “Anderson Cooper Kissed Madonna, Dressed In Boy Scout Uniform, at GLAAD Media Awards.” The CNN host did something that was sure to offend the millions of parents who are resisting the homosexual campaign to force homosexuals into the Boy Scouts of America as Scoutmasters or leaders. But in today’s media world, when even some conservatives are losing the will to resist and throwing other conservatives under the bus for standing strong in defense of traditional values, this extremely offensive stunt will be treated as amusing or funny.

“Madonna smooches Anderson Cooper” is one of the headlines. “Anderson Cooper Honored by GLAAD, Good Scout Madonna,” is how Reuters news agency put it.

One story said that Madonna was dressed in a Boy Scout uniform as she presented the Vito Russo Award, which goes to “an openly gay, lesbian, bisexual or transgender media professional” who has made a significant difference in “promoting equality.” Madonna’s outfit was designed “to protest over the organization’s national ban on gay Scouts and Scouts leaders.”

This was a deliberate effort to mock the Scouts for standing for traditional values and instructing young men to be “morally straight.” Anderson Cooper went along with the gag by “kissing” the faux Scout.  It was supposed to be cute.

As an Eagle Scout and father of three boys who also had some fun in Scouting, I don’t think it is right to mock this worthwhile program. On Sunday, a young man, 16, was given some time at the pulpit by our priest to announce an Eagle Scout building project on church grounds that he needed support and funds for. His collection baskets were almost overflowing, mostly with $20 bills, from people who wanted to help and see him achieve his desired Eagle Scout rank. This is America at its best. It is something to be promoted, preserved, and protected, not mocked.

But if you make fun of the homosexuals, or call attention to their offensive conduct, you come under attack from GLAAD, the Gay & Lesbian Alliance Against Defamation, and its allies.

Just days before Cooper and Madonna staged their stunt, GLAAD President Herndon Graddick attacked the new pope of the Roman Catholic Church for saying gay adoption was “discrimination against children.” The pope is old-fashioned and believes that every child has a right to a mom and a dad, and that two lesbian “mommies” or two homosexual “daddies” don’t make a real family.  This is offensive to GLAAD and their allies like Anderson Cooper. I suppose Cooper’s next stunt, with the help of Madonna, will be to make fun of the Pope himself.

In fact, another line of attack on the GLAAD website is the claim that Pope Francis has “reputed ties to the military junta” that once ruled Argentina, where he was a Cardinal. There is no evidence for this charge, but it has already surfaced on many different left-wing websites, and anti-Catholic media bias has returned with a vengeance. The Vatican has <a target=_blank target="_blank" …read more
Source: FULL ARTICLE at Western Journalism

Articles of Interest

Madonna Dresses As Boy Scout, Slams Organization’s Gay Ban And Honors Anderson Cooper (VIDEO)

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By The Huffington Post News Editors

Madonna lived up to her reputation for courting controversy and fighting for gay rights when she appeared on March 16 in New York City at the 24th annual Gay & Lesbian Alliance Against Defamation (GLAAD) Awards, the first of three events to be held this year to honor the best representations of lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) people in the media.

Dressed in a Boy Scout uniform, the pop star told the audience, “I wanted to be a Boy Scout but they wouldn’t let me join… I can build a fire. I know how to pitch a tent… Listen, I want to do good for the community. Most importantly, I know how to scout for boys!”

Then, addressing the organization’s ban on gay scouts and scout leaders, Madonna stated, “I think I should be allowed to be allowed to be a Boy Scout. And I think they should change their stupid rules.”

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Source: FULL ARTICLE at Huffington Post

Articles of Interest

Westboro Baptist Church Founder Fred Phelps May Be Gay, Suggests Former Member Lauren Drain

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By The Huffington Post News Editors

A former member of the Westboro Baptist Church who recently published a book about leaving the hate-mongering group has also revealed that founder Fred Phelps‘s anti-gay ideology may have spawned from a gay experience.

Lauren Drain, 27, was a member of the Topeka, Kan., congregation until she challenged the group’s beliefs and fled. She sat down this week with the Advocate to discuss her book and her journey from follower to free.

Drain suggested to the Advocate that founder Fred Phelps might have formed the Westboro Baptist Church and begun his anti-gay crusade because of a gay experience. He was a Boy Scout who graduated with honors and was headed for the military, she said. Then, at 17, Phelps changed his mind and was suddenly set on becoming a preacher to fight against “sexual immorality.”

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Source: FULL ARTICLE at Huffington Post

News, Politics, Government

Siblings discover dad's Scout abuse, remember own

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On opposite sides of the world, the brother and sister sat transfixed before their computers, reading a stranger’s account of long-ago secrets and deeply buried sins.

The memo was just four pages long, about an incident in 1963 at a Boy Scout camp in New Jersey. A Scout executive had gotten drunk during an overnight outing, then was discovered gambling with a group of boys. But there was more.

The brother and sister read on — about how this man “was observed molesting an Explorer Scout sitting at his side.” About how he was admitted, voluntarily, to a mental hospital. They read about an investigation that determined he had tried to molest another Scout. It found that this man’s “problem,” as the document called it, had apparently existed for decades.

They read, too, about a call from this local Boy Scouts council for “suppression of spread of incident beyond group with knowledge of it.” ”We know enough to advise that Brandon P. Gray should never again be registered in any capacity with the Boy Scouts of America,” the memo stated.

In Alabama, her face lit by the glow of her computer monitor, Carol Gray sat back. While shocking in its way, none of what she read had really surprised her. The drinking, the abuse. They were sins she knew well, for they were the sins of her father. And she had been a victim.

Eight thousand miles away, in a village in Africa, Jim Gray shared his sister’s sense of numbness. The memo reaffirmed, in stark black and white, what he had also experienced firsthand. “I’m not crazy,” he thought, feeling some semblance of vindication.

Adults now, these siblings say they suffered years of abuse at the hands of their father. For Carol, the nightmare began long before the Boy Scouts learned of Gray’s proclivities and fired him. But for Jim, the end of his father’s scouting career was the beginning of his own torment.

The story of Brandon Gray is the story of the inaction of the Boy Scouts of America.

For his children, it is the story of what happens when secrecy reigns and what might have been if not for the Boy Scouts‘ silence.

___

The …read more
Source: FULL ARTICLE at Fox US News

Articles of Interest

Lessons From Gay Scouting In Canada

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By Breaking News

Canada Flag SC Lessons from Gay Scouting in Canada

David Watkins, a former Boy Scout leader, has been charged with sodomizing a boy under 13 years of age in his troop.

The news broke on the same week as the Boys Scouts of America’s (BSA) decision on whether or not to continue their long-standing ban on homosexuals. In the BSA, homosexual child sex abuse happens all too often. There have been over 2,000 cases of abuse.

For example, Scout leader Brett Tayler was charged with more than 30 counts of child molestation and exploitation. He is suspected of molesting at least 10 boys from ages 6-9 years old.

Scout leader Peter Robert Stibal II was sentenced to 21 years for sexually abusing four Scouts from 2003 to 2008 and possessing child pornography.

Douglas Smith Jr., who ran the child-abuse prevention program for the BSA, was sentenced to eight years in federal prison for trafficking child pornography on the Internet.

Read more at Political Outcast. By Bradlee Dean.

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Source: FULL ARTICLE at Western Journalism

Articles of Interest

Pedophilia Is The Problem

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By Michael Reagan

Boy Scouts of America SC Pedophilia is the Problem

The bosses of the Boy Scouts of America surprised everyone this week by postponing their decision on whether to allow gay leaders and gay Scouts to join their ranks.

If the BSA’s long-standing ban on gays is lifted by national officials in May, the choice to admit gays may be left to local Boy Scout chapters — as it should be.

Churches and civic groups that sponsor Boy Scout troops wouldn’t be forced by the national organization to admit gays. And parents can choose whether they want their child to be in a troop led by a gay man.

If you’re asking me if I’d put my child in a Boy Scout troop with a leader who is a known homosexual, I would answer on the side of caution and say “No.”

But despite what some of my conservative friends think, allowing gays in the Boy Scouts will not be an open invitation to pedophiles to begin preying on children.

Being gay doesn’t mean you are a pedophile. Homosexuality and pedophilia are two completely different issues, and studies show that a child is no more at risk of being molested by a gay or bisexual man than a heterosexual one.

As someone who was sexually molested by a camp counselor when I was eight, I know more than I care to about pedophilia and the long-lasting harm it does to children. You can read about my experience and what I learned from it in “Twice Adopted,” my 2004 book.

Pedophilia is the most heinous crime against children. But as the newspaper headlines have been telling us for a long time, some of our most famous institutions have a shameful record of coddling the child molesters who work for them.

Everyone knows by now how the men in power at Penn State chose not to tell the police about the serial pedophilia of former football coach Jerry Sandusky because they were afraid to sully the reputation of their “sacred” athletic program. Meanwhile, for years, Sandusky was free to prey on new victims.

Penn State’s decision to protect its institutional reputation was nothing new. According to HBO’s scathing new documentary “Mea Culpa, Mea Maxima Culpa,” the Catholic Church — my church — has implemented a similar policy whenever pedophiles are discovered in its sanctuaries and schools.

From Wisconsin to Ireland to the Vatican, HBO showed that the church’s bishops and cardinals have a long and disgusting history of protecting pedophile priests, ignoring children’s allegations of sexual abuse, paying the parents of victims to keep quiet, and keeping the sex crimes of priests secret from law enforcement.

In my hometown, we’ve recently been learning from the Los Angeles Times how for decades the hierarchy of the Los Angeles diocese “plotted to keep law enforcement from learning that children had been molested at the hands of priests.”

The BSA’s similar method of dealing with child molesters in its ranks also has been exposed by the L.A. Times.

The BSA’s own files revealed that between 1970 and 1991, officials chose not to tell police about hundreds of alleged …read more
Source: FULL ARTICLE at Western Journalism

News, Politics, Government

Two Scouting families; opposite views on gay ban

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Despite a shared affection for Scouting, the Tessier family in Maryland and the Comers in Tennessee hope for opposite outcomes this week as leaders of the Boy Scouts of America ponder whether to move away from a national no-gays membership policy.

Wes Comer, his wife and children belong to an Apostolic Pentecostal church near their Knoxville home that considers homosexuality sinful. Comer says he will pull his eldest son out of the Scouts, despite a positive experience with them, if the BSA modifies the policy to allow some troops to accept gays.

The Tessiers, who live in the Washington, D.C., suburb of Kensington, have two sons who enjoyed Cub Scouts, progressed to Boy Scouts, and continued to thrive there even as many in their troop became aware that each boy was gay. The family is grateful for that, but fervently hopes the BSA‘s top leaders officially scrap the ban so that open acceptance becomes the norm for Scout units nationwide.

Each family’s sentiments are shared by many others, and the BSA — whose governing board is deliberating behind closed doors this week at a Texas hotel — now finds itself in a situation where any decision it makes is likely to rouse anger and disappointment.

On the agenda is a proposal to ease the ban on gays by allowing local troop sponsors to decide the matter for themselves. Critics from the right say that step would trigger mass defections and want the ban to stay; critics on the left say the BSA shouldn’t tolerate exclusion of gays by any unit.

Here’s a closer look at the Comers and Tessiers, and their heartfelt views:

___(equals)

The Comers

Wes Comer, as a boy, never tried Scouting and had few opportunities to learn knot-tying, fire-building and outdoor survival skills. He was delighted that eldest of his five children, 11-year-old Isaiah, seized the chance to do so last year as a first-time Cub Scout.

“He’s taken to it like a fish to water,” Comer said. “Exactly the skills I wanted him to learn are the things he’s come back with. It’s been fantastic.”

The family looked forward to Isaiah to advancing this year in Boy Scout Troop 442 — sponsored by a home-schooling association in nearby Maryville — and for his 5-year-old brother to join the Cub Scouts once he was old enough.

But Comer, who has served as youth pastor and assistant pastor at Eagle Bend Apostolic Church in Clinton, Tenn., says the Bible condemns homosexuality, and he is dismayed that the BSA might relax its ban on gays.

“If that’s the action they take, I’ll lift my son from the Boy Scouts,” Comer, 34, said in a telephone interview. “I feel that strongly about it, and a number of other families around here feel that way, too.”

Comer’s 9-year-old daughter belongs to the American Heritage Girls, formed in 1995 as a conservative, Christian-oriented alternative to the Girl Scouts. Comer isn’t sure what comparable options there might be for boys in his area, but predicted he and other like-minded families would come up with a plan.

Comer, who does graphic design and marketing for a defense contractor in Clinton, has been following the BSA membership controversy closely, even perusing statements from gay-rights advocates who want the Scouts to require acceptance of gays nationwide.

He has followed the news reports about major corporations — including UPS Inc. and drug-manufacturer Merck & Co. — which have suspended donations to the BSA as long as the ban on gays is in effect. And he believes such financial pressure has taken a toll.

“The idea that the Scouts are compromising their moral position in exchange for funds kind of sickens me,” he said. “We’d rather have a morally rich organization than a financially rich one… Who, at this point, is defining what it means to be ‘morally straight’?”

Even a partial easing of the no-gays policy — providing for a local option — would be a “huge mistake,” Comer said.

“The divide will only get worse,” he said. “I can’t see any scenario where that works to the benefit of the Boy Scouts.”

___(equals)

The Tessiers:

Now a consultant to Washington-area nonprofit groups, Oliver Tessier was an avid Scout growing up in Louisiana, and he and his wife, Tracie Felker, have been active for 13 years as adult volunteers while their two boys made their way through Cub Scouts and Boy Scouts.

Lucien, 20, became an Eagle Scout in 2010 and now studies business administration at Northern Virginia Community College while planning the shift to a four-year university. His brother, Pascal, 16, is on track toward Eagle Scout with the same unit — Troop 52 in Chevy Chase, Md.

“I never had a single bad experience in Scouting,” said Lucien, who came out as gay to family and friends while a sophomore in high school.

“I never advertised it but never felt uncomfortable discussing it,” he said. “It was never an issue as a Scout. … It’s always been a very welcoming troop.”

Yet for all his gratitude toward Troop 52 for supporting him and Pascal, Lucien is frustrated by the official national policy excluding gays as both Scouts and adult leaders. Giving troop sponsors leeway to set their own policies would be a positive step, Lucien said, but he would prefer a nationwide nondiscrimination policy.

His mother has juggled a corporate information-technology job with a steady stream of Scouting duties — den leader, troop committee chair, merit badge coordinator.

She said Scouting had been rewarding for both sons, helping them build self-confidence, acquire leadership skills and develop respect for others.

“I can’t be a prouder mom,” she said.

Recently, she’s been a self-described ringleader of efforts among like-minded parents to intensify opposition to the national no-gays policy.

“It’s bothered me a lot — it’s bothered a lot of other people I know,” she said. “If you look at the Scout Oath and Scout Promise, espousing respect for others, it’s just hypocritical to say, ‘You should be that way to everybody in the world except your gay friends.'”

“When I say we’re involved in Scouting, people wrinkle their nose,” Felker said. “When we go door to door for the annual Scout food drive, we’ve had families in our neighborhood say they won’t contribute until the Scouts change their policies.”

Lucien doesn’t feel any Scout-related stigma himself, but says it’s time for change.

“I’m not ashamed of being a Boy Scout,” he said. “But I want to see them reverse this policy. I want to see them join the 21st century.”

___(equals)

Follow David Crary on Twitter at http://twitter.com/CraryAP

Source: FULL ARTICLE at Fox US News

Articles of Interest

Will Boy Scouts Commit Gay-Activist-Assisted Suicide?

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By Matt Barber

Boy Scouts of America SC Will Boy Scouts Commit Gay Activist Assisted Suicide?

In coming days, the Boy Scouts of America will decide whether to violate – eliminate, really – its own mission statement, oath, and law by changing its policy to allow, within its ranks, Scouts and Scoutmasters who are open practitioners of the homosexual lifestyle. Sadly, to do so would destroy BSA’s credibility as a “morally straight” organization. Such foolhardy capitulation to extremist pressure groups would spell the demise of Scouting as we’ve known it.

The Prince of the Earth seeks to corrupt and ultimately destroy all that is righteous, honorable, and good. It’s little wonder, then, that for years, the Boy Scouts have faced a malicious and unrelenting assault at the hands of those “who call evil good and good evil.”

These attacks have played out in both the federal courts and in the court of public opinion. Still, notwithstanding multiple decisive victories at the U.S. Supreme Court, left-wing bullies appear to have worn the BSA leadership down to such point that this hitherto honorable organization is seriously deliberating a move most dishonorable.

If the BSA, with its proud tradition of teaching millions of young boys how to become honorable young men, gives in on this, the organization is toast. Oh, it might limp along as something else – something entirely different, worldly, and weak – but its long history as an upright, ethical, and God-honoring safe-haven for boys will come to a disgraceful close.

With her characteristically thoughtful analysis, Laurie Higgins of the Illinois Family Institute lays out the Boy Scout mission statement and oath in a column headlined, “Save the Boy Scouts of America.” She then demonstrates how the BSA’s proposed policy change does violence to both:

The BSA mission statement:

The mission of the Boy Scouts of America is to prepare young people to make ethical and moral choices over their lifetimes by instilling in them the values of the Scout Oath and Law.

The Boy Scout Oath:

On my honor I will do my best
To do my duty to God and my country
and to obey the Scout Law;
To help other people at all times;
To keep myself physically strong,
mentally awake, and morally straight. [emphases added]

“How does the BSA promote fidelity to God,” asks Higgins, “if it permits men or women who affirm that which God views as detestable (i.e. homosexual acts) to serve as role models and leaders?”

“There exist objective truths regarding sexual morality,” she continues, “truths which if violated mar the image of God imprinted on men and women. When men have sex with men or women have sex with women, they demonstrate a profound disrespect for God and for themselves, which, although less important, violates the Boy Scout Law, which asserts that ‘a Scout is … reverent.’”

Indeed, like Higgins, millions of parents with young Scouts prefer to bask in the white glow of objective truth, rather than drown beneath the dark mire of political correctness. The homosexual lifestyle and sexual morality are unambiguously incompatible, notwithstanding a morally relative, postmodern zeitgeist that proclaims otherwise. Such morally minded values amount to “hate” or “homophobia” to the same degree that acknowledging earth’s roundness amounts to superstition.

“No one is arguing that homosexual men and women are devoid of admirable values and traits that boys would be well-served to emulate,” concludes Higgins. “What many are arguing is that the affirmation of a homosexual identity is not one of them.”

In the past, the BSA has recognized this simple reality – a fundamental truth observed by every major world religion, thousands of years of history, and uncompromising third-grade biology: Homosexual behavior is always wrong in every way.

Still, under immense socio-political – indeed, spiritual pressure, the Boy Scouts appear poised to play a very dangerous, self-deluded game of “the Scoutmaster wears no clothes.” They’re flirting with the queer idea of an about turn – of betraying both absolute truth and the very boys they serve.

Instead of teaching young men to stand up to the bully, they would model surrender – teach them that, when you reach an adversarial fork in the road, take the primrose path of least resistance.

But it’s much worse than all that. We mustn’t ignore the pink elephant in the room: the Penn State factor. Should the BSA cave beneath the weight of sexual anarchist intimidation, Scoutmaster Sandusky joins the jamboree.

Of course, not every “gay” man – self-identified or otherwise – is a pedophile, but studies indicate that homosexual assaults against boys occur at an alarmingly disproportionate rate when compared to heterosexual assaults. The very act of a man molesting a boy unquestionably involves both same-sex attraction and homosexual behavior (a “gay” by any other name…).

Consider, for instance, a study published in the Archives of Sexual Behavior, of over 200 convicted pedophiles. It found that “86 percent of offenders against males described themselves as homosexual or bisexual.” This demonstrates, as noted by Peter Sprigg of the Family Research Council, that “homosexual or bisexual men are approximately 10 times more likely to molest children than heterosexual men.”

No loving, self-respecting father in his right mind would leave his son in the care of – allow him to go camping with – an “out and proud” man whose very identity is somehow defined by the fact that he craves sex with other males.

I pray the Boy Scouts will remain faithful to their cause. I pray they will stay “morally straight” and not allow themselves to be bullied – “immorally bent” – by child-corrupting “gay” extremists.

To be sure, the biblical model instructs that we both love and pray for those caught-up in homosexual sin, as with any form of sexual immorality. But to openly affirm such medically, emotionally, and spiritually self-destructive behavior runs counter to all for which the BSA stands.

Don’t give in to the bullies, Boy Scouts of America. Honor your oath. Do your duty to God and country. Stay physically strong, mentally awake, and morally straight.

Don’t give up on our boys.

Otherwise, we’re giving up on you.

(Contact the BSA Board of Directors.)

Matt Barber (@jmattbarber on Twitter) is an attorney concentrating in constitutional law. He serves as Vice President of Liberty Counsel Action.

Photo Credit: Hoffman Estates, IL

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Source: FULL ARTICLE at Western Journalism

Articles of Interest

Scout Leaders Vow To Quit If “Gay” Policy Reversed

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By Breaking News

Boy Scouts of America SC Scout Leaders Vow to Quit if Gay policy Reversed

He’s a fourth-generation Boy Scout leader, recipient of an award for distinguished leadership and a member of the Southern Region committee as well as an ad hoc member of the national committee.

But if the Boy Scouts of America’s national executive board follows through this week with a proposal to reverse a century-old policy and allow homosexuals in its ranks, Steve Elwart of Vicksburg, Miss., says he’s one of many Scout leaders throughout the leadership structure who will resign.

Elwart, a 30-year veteran of Scouting, explained to WND that with a model program already in place to protect Scouts from sexual abuse, his concern is not that pedophiles will infiltrate the organization if the policy is changed.

Calling that issue a “red herring,” his concern is more fundamental.

“Homosexuality is not a value I want to see imparted on my children,” he said. “And a lot of parents feel the same way, that homosexuality is not OK.”

Read More at WND . By Art Moore.

Photo Credit: Hoffman Estates, IL (Creative Commons)

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Source: FULL ARTICLE at Western Journalism

News, Politics, Government

Texas judge backs order on Boy Scout abuse files

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A Texas judge has reaffirmed an earlier ruling requiring the Boy Scouts of America to turn over “perversion” files kept on abuse claims, though it’s unlikely that will happen soon.

Wednesday’s ruling by State District Judge Laura Salinas sets a deadline of April 1 to turn over files from 1996 to 2006. The Boy Scouts had appealed a similar order by Judge Martha Tanner. Tanner retired after issuing that order.

The local and national Scout organizations were sued in San Antonio by a former scout who says he was sexually assaulted by a now-imprisoned former scoutmaster.

Paul Mones, one of the boy’s attorneys, says Tanner’s retirement led a state appeals court to send the case back to a new judge.

A Boy Scouts spokesman did not immediately return a message.

Source: FULL ARTICLE at Fox US News

News, Politics, Government

Scouts' future uncertain if ban on gays is dropped

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The Boy Scouts of America’s proposed move away from its no-gays membership policy has outraged some longtime admirers, gratified many critics and raised intriguing questions about the iconic organization’s future.

Will the Scouts now be split between troops with gay-friendly policies and those that keep the ban? What will a National Jamboree be like if it brings together these disparate groups with conflicting ideologies?

A top official of the Southern Baptist Convention, whose conservative churches sponsor hundreds of Scout units that embrace the ban, was among those alarmed that the BSA is proposing to allow sponsoring organizations to decide for themselves whether to admit gays as scouts and adult leaders.

“We understand that we are now a minority, that it is not popular to have biblical values, not popular to take stands that seem intolerant,” said Frank Page, president of the SBC‘s executive committee. “This is going to lead to a disintegration of faith-based values.”

Page had been scheduled to speak in July at the Scouts’ National Jamboree in West Virginia, and he’s now apprehensive there could be conflict as troops with differing policies converge. Asked if he might decide not to speak, Page said he would pray about it.

Of the more than 110,000 scouting units across the U.S., nearly 70 percent are chartered by religious organizations. Some were pleased by the proposed change, others were troubled.

Triggering the angst was the Boy Scouts‘ announcement Monday that it was considering replacing its long-standing ban on gays with a policy that would let troop sponsors make their own decisions. The change is expected to be discussed next week at a meeting of the BSA‘s national executive board.

The ban on gays, which the U.S. Supreme Court upheld as constitutional in 2000, has provoked a multitude of protest campaigns over the years. Numerous Scout councils and Scout leaders have expressed disagreement with the policy, and some corporate donors last year said they were suspending gifts to the BSA until the policy changed.

One of these companies, New Jersey-based drug-maker Merck & Co., said Tuesday it was pleased the BSA was reconsidering its position, but declined further comment.

Another form of protest involved Eagle Scouts who returned their medals and badges to Boy Scout headquarters. Among them was Nate May, a 25-year-old musician from Huntington, W.Va., who depicted the Scouts’ new proposal as “a step in the right direction.”

Later this year, more than 40,000 Scouts from across the country are expected to participate in the annual National Jamboree at a 10,600-acre site being built in southern West Virginia.

If the new policy is in place by then, May said, there could be some teasing and hurt feelings as gays make their public debut at the Jamboree. But overall, he predicted a positive experience.

“It would potentially open up some really interesting dialogues,” May said. “I think it will probably show troops that continue to have the ban that a troop can exist in harmony, even with gays in it.”

In Philadelphia, scoutmaster Ann Perrone said she’s spent the past 13 years fighting the ban by writing letters, speaking out and wearing gay-rights rainbow symbols.

“I’ve done everything I can think of to make a local difference,” Perrone said. “I’m really thrilled.”

Perrone, an African-American, said she benefited from white support for the civil rights movement and now, as a straight woman, sees a chance to help expand the rights of gays and lesbians.

She said the proposed change could prompt some churches to cut ties with Scouting, but suggested other congregations will step up to fill the gaps.

“This is something that will probably flare up and, if handled properly, will be allowed to die down,” Perrone said.

The no-gays policy has fueled a protracted legal fight in Philadelphia. The Scouts’ Cradle of Liberty Council has used a city-owned building rent-free for decades, and officials have been trying to evict them because the ban violates a local anti-discrimination law. A federal jury ruled in favor of the Scouts, but the city has appealed.

In North Carolina, news of the possible policy change was welcomed — cautiously — by Matt Comer of Charlotte, who said he was forced out of his Boy Scout troop at the age of 14 after troop leaders confronted him over being gay.

“It was very intimidating,” said Comer, now 26. “The scoutmaster said, ‘If you choose to live that lifestyle, you choose not to be a Boy Scout.'”

“I lost a lot of good friends when I had to leave,” Comer said. “I really did enjoy Scouts. I wanted to get my Eagle Scout and go on to be a Scout leader.”

Now, he has mixed views about the proposed change, and anticipates there could be problems when troops with different stances mingle at jamborees and summer camps.

He also questioned whether adult leaders would have the necessary training and insight to deal well with gay scouts who come out if the ban is eased.

In Durham, N.C., the proposed change prompted some careful moral calculations by the Rev. Allen Jones, associate minister of Antioch Baptist Church and scoutmaster of the church-sponsored Troop 481.

“Personally, I believe homosexuality is a sin and you can go to hell for it,” Jones said. “But the Gospel also speaks to the inclusion and acceptance of people with a cross to bear. If someone openly gay comes in and wants to participate, then that’s between them and God. We’re not going to discriminate.”

Two of the biggest sponsors are the Mormons’ Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, whose units serve roughly 420,000 scouts, and the Roman Catholic Church, which serves about 280,000 Scouts. Mormon and Catholic leaders, who have signaled support for the no-gays policy in the past, declined any official response to Monday’s announcement of the possible change.

“We’ve had 100 years of a very conservative approach to scouting,” said Kay Godfrey, a spokesman for Boy Scouts in the Great Salt Lake Council. “A major shift along these lines could change the face of scouting, but we’ll have to just wait and see.”

Scott Barr, a scoutmaster in McKinney, Texas, said his Mormon-chartered troop would likely wait for guidance from the national Mormon church.

“I don’t know what the position would be,” said Barr, who’s been involved in scouting for 25 years. “I wouldn’t even dare to speculate.”

The United Methodist Church, the second largest sponsor of Scout units after the Mormons, expressed support for the policy change — saying it was in line with church policy opposing discrimination on the basis of sexual orientation.

News of the proposed change came just ahead of “Scout Sunday” next weekend — an annual event in which churches across the nation have special worship services and luncheons to honor scouts.

Frank Page, the Southern Baptist leader, said that proposing the policy change so close to Scout Sunday is causing a lot of consternation.

“Churches have not had time to think and pray and consider this,” he said.

Page said all Southern Baptist churches are independent and can set their own policies, but he expects the SBC executive committee to discuss the issue and possibly offer a resolution when it meets in Nashville in mid-February.

Some conservative activists sought to organize e-mail and phone call campaigns aimed at pressuring the Boy Scouts to maintain the mandatory no-gays policies.

Among them was John Stemberger, a former scout and now president of the conservative Florida Family Policy Council.

“If the BSA departs from its policies on allowing openly homosexual scoutmasters and boys in the program it could destroy the legitimacy and the security of this iconic institution,” Stemberger wrote to his supporters. “I pray that the BSA does not open a can of worms that would cause a mass exodus from a program that America needs now more than ever.”

More optimistic was another former scout, Jay Mechling, who is professor emeritus of American Studies at the University of California, Davis, and author of “On My Honor: Boy Scouts and the Making of American Youth.”

“If the BSA makes this move, which I dearly hope they will, the world will not end,” Mechling said in an e-mail. “People will hardly notice.”

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Associated Press writers Travis Loller in Nashville, Tenn.; Nomaan Merchant in Dallas, Kathy Matheson in Philadelphia, Mike Biesecker in Raleigh, N.C., Brady McCombs in Salt Lake City and John Raby in Charleston, W.Va., contributed to this report.

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Boy Scouts: http://www.scouting.org/

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David Crary can be reached at http://twitter.com/CraryAP

Source: FULL ARTICLE at Fox US News

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Scouts considering retreat from no-gays policy

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The Boys Scouts of America is considering a dramatic retreat from its controversial policy of excluding gays as leaders and youth members.

Under the change now being discussed, the different religious and civic groups that sponsor Scout units would be able to decide for themselves how to address the issue — either maintaining an exclusion of gays or opening up their membership.

Monday’s announcement of the possible change comes after years of protests over the policy — including petition campaigns that have prompted some corporations to suspend donations to the Boy Scouts.

Under the proposed change, said BSA spokesman Deron Smith, “the Boy Scouts would not, under any circumstances, dictate a position to units, members, or parents.”

The Boys Scouts, which celebrated its 100th anniversary in 2010, has long excluded both gays and atheists. Smith said a change in the policy toward atheists was not being considered, and that the BSA continued to view “Duty to God” as one of its basic principles.

Protests over the no-gays policy gained momentum in 2000, when the U.S. Supreme Court upheld the BSA‘s right to exclude gays. Scout units lost sponsorships by public schools and other entities that adhered to nondiscrimination policies, and several local Scout councils made public their displeasure with the policy.

More recently, amid petition campaigns, shipping giant UPS Inc. and drug-manufacturer Merck announced that they were halting donations from their charitable foundations to the Boy Scouts as long as the no-gays policy was in force.

Also, local Scout officials drew widespread criticism in recent months for ousting Jennifer Tyrrell, a lesbian mom, as a den leader of her son’s Cub Scout pack in Ohio and for refusing to approve an Eagle Scout application by Ryan Andresen, a California teen who came out as gay last fall.

“An end to this ban will restore dignity to countless families across the country, my own included, who simply wanted to take part in all scouting has to offer,” Tyrrell said. “My family loved participating in scouting, and I look forward to the day when we might once again be able to take part.”

Many of the protest campaigns, including one seeking Tyrrell’s reinstatement, had been waged with help from the Gay & Lesbian Alliance Against Defamation.

“The Boy Scouts of America have heard from scouts, corporations and millions of Americans that discriminating against gay scouts and scout leaders is wrong,” said Herndon Graddick, GLAAD‘s president. “Scouting is a valuable institution, and this change will only strengthen its core principles of fairness and respect.”

The Scouts had reaffirmed the no-gays policy as recently as last year, and appeared to have strong backing from conservative religious denominations — notably the Mormons, Roman Catholics and Southern Baptists — which sponsor large numbers of Scout units. Under the proposed change, they could continue excluding gays.

Smith said the change could be announced as early as next Wednesday, after BSA‘s national board holds a regularly scheduled meeting.

Were the change adopted, he said, “there would no longer be any national policy regarding sexual orientation, and the chartered organizations that oversee and deliver Scouting would accept membership and select leaders consistent with each organization’s mission, principles, or religious beliefs.

“BSA members and parents would be able to choose a local unit that best meets the needs of their families,” he said. “Under this proposed policy, the BSA would not require any chartered organization to act in ways inconsistent with that organization’s mission, principles, or religious beliefs.”

The announcement came shortly after new data showed that membership in the Cub Scouts — the BSA‘s biggest division — dropped sharply last year, and was down nearly 30 percent over the past 14 years.

According to figures provided by the organization, Cub Scout ranks dwindled by 3.4 percent, from 1,583,166 in 2011 to 1,528,673 in 2012. That’s down from 2.17 million in 1998.

The Boy Scouts attribute the decline largely to broad social changes, including the allure of video games and the proliferation of youth sports leagues and other options for after-school activities.

However, critics of the Scouts suggest that its recruitment efforts have been hampered by high-profile controversies — notably the court-ordered release of files dealing with sex abuse allegations and persistent protests over the no-gays policy.

The BSA‘s overall “traditional youth membership” — Cub Scouts, Boy Scouts and Venturers — totaled 2,658,794 in 2012, compared to more than 4 million in peak years of the past. There were 910,668 Boy Scouts last year, a tiny increase from 2011, while the ranks of Venturers — a program for youths 14 and older — declined by 5.5 percent.

In addition to flak over the no-gays policy, the Scouts have been buffeted by multiple court cases related to past allegations of sexual abuse by Scout leaders, including those chronicled in long-confidential records that are widely known as the “perversion files.”

Through various cases, the Scouts have been forced to reveal files dating from the 1960s to 1991. They detailed numerous cases where abuse claims were made and Boy Scout officials never alerted authorities and sometimes actively sought to protect the accused.

The Scouts are now under a California court order, affirmed this month by the state Supreme Court, to turn over sex-abuse files from 1991 through 2011 to the lawyers for a former Scout who claims a leader molested him in 2007, when he was 13. It’s not clear how soon the files might become public.

The BSA has apologized for past lapses and cover-ups, and has stressed the steps taken to improve youth protection policy. Since 2010, for example, it has mandated that any suspected abuse be reported to police.

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Boy Scouts: http://www.scouting.org/

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David Crary can be reached at http://twitter.com/CraryAP

Source: FULL ARTICLE at Fox US News

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Calif. board endorses gay teen's Eagle Scout bid

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A review board has challenged the Boy Scouts of America’s prohibition on gay members by recommending a local teenager for the rank of Eagle Scout, but the action won’t have an immediate effect on the young man’s status, his father said Tuesday.

The four-member board unanimously approved 18-year-old Ryan Andresen‘s application on Dec. 31 and hand-delivered it to the Mt. Diablo-Silverado Council’s leadership, the boy’s father said.

The board agreed to review Ryan’s qualifications after the Moraga teen’s scoutmaster refused to sign off on the paperwork after Ryan came out as gay last fall.

But the staff executive has refused to forward the recommendation to the national organization for final approval, leaving the board’s endorsement as only a moral victory for the boy’s family. Eric Andresen said he didn’t expect national Boy Scout leaders to support his son, but is still disappointed.

“Ryan always has been the mentoring type, the big brother type. He saw this as not only an opportunity, but a responsibility to try to make change, and he has said it many times that he doesn’t want any other Scout to have to go through this,” Andresen said. “It’s just blatantly unfair.”

Ryan’s experience has received national attention since October, when his mother launched a petition on the social advocacy site Change.org demanding action on her son’s stalled Eagle Scout bid. More than 460,000 people have signed it.

Boy Scouts of America spokesman Deron Smith said the volunteer review board does not have authority to act on behalf of the regional council and that Ryan doesn’t meet the Scouts’ membership criteria.

“The Eagle application was forwarded, by a volunteer, to the local council but it was not approved because this young man proactively stated that he does not agree to Scouting’s principle of ‘Duty to God’ and does not meet Scouting’s membership requirements,” Smith said. “Therefore, he is not eligible to receive the rank of Eagle.”

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Boy Scout files on suspected sex abuse released

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Thousands of previously unpublished Boy Scouts of America files that detail suspected sexual abuse by employees and volunteers have been posted to an online database by a newspaper.

The Los Angeles Times published the database containing redacted victims’ names on Tuesday, and included material that was released earlier.

The newspaper’s heavily pocked database map depicts alleged incidents of abuse that affected, or were connected to, scouts in every state.

The Boy Scouts kept the files for internal use for nearly a century.

Over time reports increased, which may be the result of greater awareness of child sexual abuse.

The Boy Scouts say they’ve improved youth protection policies and have conducted criminal background checks on volunteers since 2008. In 2010, the organization mandated any suspected abuse be reported to police.

Source: Fox US News