Preserve and Defend the Boy Scouts of America
Commentary
Recently the venerable Boy Scouts of America organization (BSA) has come under attack from liberal forces of political correctness. The battle will affect Scouts across the country.
In one instance, the city of Chicago was forced to stop funding the Boy Scouts when the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) sued on the grounds that city money should not go to an organization that refers to God. (The Scout Oath says, "On my honor I will do my best to do my duty to God and my country..."). Never mind the fact that the organization might be valuable in shaping young men into good citizens for the city.
In another instance, a couple of California boys, coached by their atheist father, are suing the BSA to be allowed into the organization even in spite of their unwillingness to conform to the organization’s standards. (Scouts must profess a belief in God). Never mind that it might be beneficial for the boys to conform to Scout rules.
In yet another example from California, a former Eagle Scout who began engaging in homosexual activity as an adult is suing to be allowed to be a Scout leader. (BSA rules prevent open homosexuals from having contact with Scouts as leaders.) Never mind having standards.
The perpetrators of these attacks will claim they seek only to make BSA fairer or better. But for whom? At whose expense? And why?
There is no good answer to any of these questions. Indeed, liberal rhetoric provides only a thin veil that fails to hide their true goal--destroying BSA.
One of the main goals of liberals in our culture is to redefine who makes the rules and sets the standards or to dispense with the rules and standards altogether. This is exactly what litigious liberals are trying to do to the BSA.
Groups like BSA pose a threat to liberals. Since its founding in 1910, BSA has touched the lives of over 90 million boys with its wholesome, conservative values. Liberals see the BSA producing young men with values other young men lack. Liberals recognize this.
BSA’s rules and standards have been beneficial to several generations of boys during their formative years. Without its rules and standards, the organization would be far less effective; in fact, there would be little point in its existence. Liberals also recognize this.
Therefore, the liberals’ best offense is to try to render BSA membership and achievement meaningless by chipping away at the rules and standards.
It is strict rules and rigorous standards, after all, that make BSA what it is. First, it is a club, which implies exclusivity and membership standards. Second, the organization is based on achievement, the measurement of which is based on standards and benchmarks. Changing BSA in the ways liberals wish would fundamentally compromise the integrity of the organization and render it meaningless--exactly what they want to do.
We must help BSA to fight the liberal attacks. This means providing funds for BSA’s legal defense and local programs. This means supporting the BSA’s efforts in our towns in whatever ways we can. And this means encouraging BSA to maintain its rules and standards.
We must not allow the morally illiterate members of our society to dictate the rules and standards of this great institution. We must, in fact, help BSA rededicate itself to its axioms and fight against anyone who would seek to undermine them.
Kent Kaiser is an Eagle Scout from the BSA’s Lake Superior Council, Troop 157 (Silver Bay) and Communications Director for the Minnesota Family Council.
Back to the PFN Front Page