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Those boys--most of them 13 to 15 years old--had been at a 10-day festival of "Yay, let's all do stuff together!" It was ten days of "Rah! Rah!" They had been primed to go wherever the guy at the microphone at the moment led them.
As far as Randal Stephenson, what agenda are you talking about? Actually, Stephenson is an advocate for inclusivity in the BSA, whether or not you might agree with it, that sounds pretty progressive to me.
And many people will focus on that and I hope they do.
But others are horrified by the direction Trump is taking our nation. No need to go into it here, plenty of threads on that.
So when the BSA leadership doesn't immediately recognize that this call-and-response, partisan political event was beyond the pale, then only reluctantly apologizes in response to criticism, one can't help but wonder if the BSA leadership supports Trump's agenda.
Then you start wondering why you would want your son to be involved in an organization that supports "fake media" attacks on our free press, where the organizations leaders don't have the courage that the pastor had in Flint, MI to step up and insist that Trump lay off bad mouthing Clinton and Obama and say something inspirational.
You wonder what BS leaders are talking with the kids about at the pack meetings and around those campfires.
When you buy BS popcorn, snacks, wreaths, tickets to the spaghetti dinner, fall leaf-blowing, spring mulch spreading, bulbs, barbecues, pancake breakfasts ... how much of that goes to support an alt-right political agenda?
I suspect that Trump-supporting families will wave this off and go on.
But many will file Boy Scouts of America under nothing we want anything to do with.
And many people will focus on that and I hope they do.
But others are horrified by the direction Trump is taking our nation. No need to go into it here, plenty of threads on that.
So when the BSA leadership doesn't immediately recognize that this call-and-response, partisan political event was beyond the pale, then only reluctantly apologizes in response to criticism, one can't help but wonder if the BSA leadership supports Trump's agenda.
Then you start wondering why you would want your son to be involved in an organization that supports "fake media" attacks on our free press, where the organizations leaders don't have the courage that the pastor had in Flint, MI to step up and insist that Trump lay off bad mouthing Clinton and Obama and say something inspirational.
You wonder what BS leaders are talking with the kids about at the pack meetings and around those campfires.
When you buy BS popcorn, snacks, wreaths, tickets to the spaghetti dinner, fall leaf-blowing, spring mulch spreading, bulbs, barbecues, pancake breakfasts ... how much of that goes to support an alt-right political agenda?
I suspect that Trump-supporting families will wave this off and go on.
But many will file Boy Scouts of America under nothing we want anything to do with.
And that's a heartbreaker.
That is the ranting of someone who hated the BSA to begin with, crocodile tears not withstanding.
It's obvious you're not going to be convinced of the BSA's innocence, but although scouting has national leadership, it is a local and regional organization. I was a troop committee member for many years as my kids grew up, I can tell you we had more than one discussion related to ethical and moral decisions as a troop. Our parents came from all walks in life and political views, but ultimately decisions were made with the boys best interests and the scout guidlines in mind. So, if you care about the organization and tenets of scouting, get involved at the local level, one speech by one a-hole isn't going to destroy an organization that has been in place as long, and survived controversies, as the BSA.
I and my husband were involved with Scouting for years. Kids are grown now and while waiting for grandbabies, I fritter my time away on this forum rather than anything actually productive.
This was more than just one speech by an a-hole, this was the BSA leadership giving a Trump a forum to promote his political agenda and standing by while the boys cheered and stomped. That they did not immediately recognize what a poor idea this was tells the story.
I doubt the organization will be destroyed.
But I suspect enrollment will decline. Lot of families will be reluctant to sign their sons up to have ethical and moral discussions with Scout leaders who stomp and cheer for Trump.
I suspect fundraising will be more challenging. I won't support an organization that supports Trump and gives Trump a forum to promote his political agenda to kids.
Your last line says it all, they didn't and couldn't have known what Trump was going to say to the kids, but they seem to be taking more heat than the president. A lot of comments alluding to, "they should have known better", HUH??????? Maybe a 70 year old man, a father, the POTUS, should have known better? So it doesn't matter that the kids come from conservative, liberal, Christian, Jewish, Muslim, agnostic, families the scouts are apolitical and non-denominational. Trump is the one who turned his opportunity to inspire youth to remember country and service, into his bully pulpit and self aggrandizing rally. That wasn't appropriate to the venue, Trump should be the one apologizing.
It's Trump, his track record kind of speaks for itself over the last two years. They're lucky he didn't go and pull the Cerebral Palsy crap used at a similar stump speech during February/March '16. If you think this firestorm is bad, it would be far worse and I would calling for apologies on all sides THAT night.
Last edited by mkpunk; 07-28-2017 at 08:28 AM..
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