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  1. #1
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    Default Boy Scouts, Just Dang

    Sad Day

    http://www.foxnews.com/us/2013/05/23...y-gay-members/

    After lengthy and wrenching debate, local leaders of the Boy Scouts of America have voted to open their ranks to openly gay boys for the first time, but heated reactions from the left and right made clear that the BSA's controversies are far from over. The Scouts' longstanding ban on gay adults remains in force, and many liberal Scout leaders -- as well as gay-rights groups -- plan to continue pressing for an end to that exclusion even though the BSA's top officials aren't ready for that step.
    Meanwhile, many conservatives within the Scouts are distraught at the outcome of the vote and some are threatening to defect. A meeting is planned for next month to discuss the formation of a new organization for boys.
    The vote was conducted by secret ballot Thursday during the National Council's annual meeting at conference center not far from Boy Scout headquarters in suburban Dallas. Of the roughly 1,400 voting members of the council who cast ballots, 61 percent supported the proposal drafted by the governing Executive Committee. The policy change takes effect Jan. 1.
    "This has been a challenging chapter in our history," the BSA chief executive, Wayne Brock, said after the vote. "While people have differing opinions on this policy, kids are better off when they're in Scouting."


    However, the outcome will not end the membership policy debate, as was evident in the reactions of leaders of some of the conservative religious denominations that sponsor Scout units.
    "We are deeply saddened," said Frank Page, president of the Southern Baptist Convention's executive committee. "Homosexual behavior is incompatible with the principles enshrined in the Scout oath and Scout law."
    The Assemblies of God said the policy change "will lead to a mass exodus from the Boy Scout program." It also warned that the change would make the BSA vulnerable to lawsuits seeking to end the ban on gay adults.
    John Stembeger, a conservative activist and former Scout from Florida, founded a group called OnMyHonor.net to oppose the policy change. He assailed the BSA executive committee for its role in gaining a "Yes" vote.
    "What kind of a message are we sending to young people about being brave when its top adult leaders don't even have the courage to stand up to the pressure of a militant lobby when the bullies in Washington D.C., Hollywood or even some of their own renegade councils start pressuring and harassing them?" he asked.
    He said OnMyHonor.Net and other like-minded organizations and individuals would meet in Louisville, Ky., next month to discuss the creation of "a new character development organization for boys."
    Texas Gov. Rick Perry also expressed dismay.
    "While I will always cherish my time as a Scout and the life lessons I learned, I am greatly disappointed with this decision," he said.
    The result was welcomed by many liberal members of the Scouting community and by gay-rights activists, though most of the praise was coupled with calls for ending the ban on gay adults.
    "I'm so proud of how far we've come, but until there's a place for everyone in Scouting, my work will continue," said Jennifer Tyrrell, whose ouster as a Cub Scout den leader in Ohio because she is lesbian launched a national protest movement.
    Tyrrell recalled having to tell her son she had been forced out as den mother.
    "He doesn't deserve to be told that we're not good enough," she said`'We're not going to stop until this is over."
    Pascal Tessier, an openly gay 16-year-old Boy Scout from Maryland, had mixed emotions after the vote.
    "I was thinking that today could be my last day as a Boy Scout," he said. "Obviously, for gay Scouts like me, this vote is life-changing."
    Tessier is on track to receive his Eagle Scout award -- he only needs to complete his final project -- but said he is troubled that on his 18th birthday he could transform from someone holding Scouting's highest rank to someone unfit to be a part of the organization.
    "That one couple hours (between 17 and 18) will make me not a good person," he said.
    James Dale, 42, who was the first person to challenge the Boy Scouts gay ban in court, agreed, calling the decision "a bit of a step backward" for gay youth.
    "It sends a very convoluted, mixed message to gay kids. It says that being gay is a youthful indiscretion, and that there's no future for you," Dale, of New Jersey, told The Star-Ledger.
    Dale sued the Boy Scouts in 1990 after he was removed as an assistant scoutmaster because of his sexual orientation. The U.S. Supreme Court ruled in a 5-4 decision that the organization was within its rights to ban gays.
    Tessier has indeed been an exception -- an openly gay Scout whose presence was quietly accepted by local Scout leaders. In general, the Scouts' policy has been to avoid any questioning of would-be Scouts as to their sexual orientation, but to dismiss boys who did speak openly about being gay.
    For example, Scout officials refused to grant the Eagle Scout rank to Ryan Andresen, an 18-year-old Californian, after he came out as gay last year.
    The vote followed what the BSA described as "the most comprehensive listening exercise in Scouting's history" to gauge opinions, including a survey sent out starting in February to members of the Scouting community.
    Of the more than 200,000 leaders, parents and youth members who responded, 61 percent supported the current policy of excluding gays, while 34 percent opposed it. Most parents of young Scouts, as well as youth members themselves, opposed the ban.
    The proposal approved Thursday was seen as a compromise, and the Scouts stressed that they would not condone sexual conduct by any Scout -- gay or straight.

    "The Boy Scouts of America will not sacrifice its mission, or the youth served by the movement, by allowing the organization to be consumed by a single, divisive and unresolved societal issue," the BSA said in a statement.
    Among those voting for the proposal to accept openly gay youth was Thomas Roberts, of Dawsonville, Ga., who serves on the board of a Scout council in northeast Georgia.
    "It was a very hard decision for this organization," he said. "I think ultimately it will be viewed as the right thing."
    The BSA's overall "traditional youth membership" -- Cub Scouts, Boy Scouts and Venturers -- is now about 2.6 million, compared with more than 4 million in peak years of the past. It also has about 1 million adult leaders and volunteers.
    Of the more than 100,000 Scouting units in the U.S., 70 percent are chartered by religious institutions.
    Those include liberal churches opposed to any ban on gays, but some of the largest sponsors are relatively conservative denominations that have previously supported the broad ban -- notably the Roman Catholic Church, the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints and Southern Baptist churches.

    While the Southern Baptists were clearly upset by the vote to accept openly gay youth, the Utah-based Mormon church -- which has more Scouting troops than any other religious denomination -- reacted positively.
    "We trust that BSA will implement and administer the approved policy in an appropriate and effective manner," an LDS statement said.
    Utah's largest Boy Scout councils supported the change.
    "This is a win for youth and a win for the community," said John Gailey, spokesman for the Utah National Parks Council, which covers central and southern Utah. "It gives all youth the opportunity to take advantage of the values instilled by Scouting."
    The National Catholic Committee on Scouting responded cautiously, saying it would assess the possible impact of the change on Catholic-sponsored Scout units

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  2. #2
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    Good god. One can't even stay in the closet in order to be a Boy Scout. He's got to have an affirmation from sunup to sundown no matter where he is. And they wonder why they're stereotyped as sensitive pansies?

    Gay people...get over yourself. No one wants to know your orientation. No one wants the mental imagery it evokes. Get on with your lives and STFU already. Hurry up with the epiphany required to get along in this world. It's best summarized by forum member Fish and its in my signature below.
    Tell me sump'n. Why you askin' so many jackassy questions?

  3. #3
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    Quote Originally Posted by badfaulkner View Post
    Good god. One can't even stay in the closet in order to be a Boy Scout. He's got to have an affirmation from sunup to sundown no matter where he is. And they wonder why they're stereotyped as sensitive pansies?

    Gay people...get over yourself. No one wants to know your orientation. No one wants the mental imagery it evokes. Get on with your lives and STFU already. Hurry up with the epiphany required to get along in this world. It's best summarized by forum member Fish and its in my signature below.

    Exactly
    Quote Originally Posted by nitro5x6's View Post
    "I'm a heterosexual Male.... wanna catch me cheating??? Bait me with pussy...."

  4. #4
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    My son and I just started talking about his eagle project, I had hoped this would hold out until he was finished. He has said he would quit if it came to this. Several parents have gotten together with the rest of our troop leaders and talked about it. Our scoutmaster says it is up to each troop as to how they handle it. Next thing, they will want them to stop recognizing God through prayers at the meetings and try to stop our "church service" on the Sunday mornings when we camp out. So much for being "Morally Straight".

  5. #5
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    Quote Originally Posted by Bownut View Post
    My son and I just started talking about his eagle project, I had hoped this would hold out until he was finished. He has said he would quit if it came to this. Several parents have gotten together with the rest of our troop leaders and talked about it. Our scoutmaster says it is up to each troop as to how they handle it. Next thing, they will want them to stop recognizing God through prayers at the meetings and try to stop our "church service" on the Sunday mornings when we camp out. So much for being "Morally Straight".
    Allowing gays is just the beginning. Once the "agenda minded" foot is in the door, they will seek to change everything that doesn't suit their way of life. The backbone of this country has become worse than a wet, over boiled noodle.
    I'm going to heaven for the weather and hell for the company.

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  6. #6
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    excluding them from the Boy Scouts isnt going to "change their chosen lifestlye"... I am certainly against gay marriage but I have a hard time telling anyone they dont have a right to do or experience something because of who they are when it isnt harming others
    "Blessed is the man... who makes one word grow where two grew before" - Havilah Babcock

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  7. #7
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    Quote Originally Posted by 803 View Post
    excluding them from the Boy Scouts isnt going to "change their chosen lifestlye"... I am certainly against gay marriage but I have a hard time telling anyone they dont have a right to do or experience something because of who they are when it isnt harming others
    Who's asking them to change? I want them to STFU about what they do and who they love, etc. They're the ones asking everyone else to change.

    I've got gay relatives. We don't talk about their sex lives and they don't carry a sign at family reunions and shit. Somehow, we all get by. It's a known fact that isn't discussed. They don't look suicidal and hurt that we don't talk about it.
    Tell me sump'n. Why you askin' so many jackassy questions?

  8. #8
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    May the BSA RIP
    You've got one life. Blaze on!

  9. #9
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    Being an Eagle Scout myself, if I have a son, it would be hard to encourage him to join the Boy Scouts. I couldn't imagine being in the scouts now, knowing that the guy in my tent is a "meat chaser" like penetrator.
    :FYT:

  10. #10
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    As of this morning, we're done.

    Well, I have a responsibilty to carry out my duties to which I've committed, but after that, we're done.
    I don't need my name in the marquee lights....

  11. #11
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    Default Boy Scouts, Just Dang

    I'm no longer proud of my Eagle. I'm still proud of the work I put into it though.

    There was a really well written opinion on CNN.com last night about why one family will no longer support BSA.

  12. #12
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    We had two gay Scouts in my troop back in the day (not me)..

    We knew they were gay. They didn't flaunt it and we didn't treat them any differently than any other Scout.

    Why in the fuck this matters now is beyond me. It's all about Political correctness- which is why this country is so fucked on so many levels.
    F**K Cancer

    Just Damn.

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    Quote Originally Posted by nitro5x6's View Post
    We had two gay Scouts in my troop back in the day (not me)..

    We knew they were gay. They didn't flaunt it and we didn't treat them any differently than any other Scout.

    Why in the fuck this matters now is beyond me. It's all about Political correctness- which is why this country is so fucked on so many levels.
    This.

    We had several in my troop who we always thought were gay (and were right) but it was never an issue. I'm an Eagle and would love to see my son achieve Eagle as well. However, with all of this crap I'm really beginning to rethink that idea.

  14. #14
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    If the BSA has the conviction to foster an agenda, we'll demonstrate ours by walking away. My son will learn more through this than he will in any knot tying session or camping trip.
    I don't need my name in the marquee lights....

  15. #15
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    Quote Originally Posted by Simple Man View Post
    If the BSA has the conviction to foster an agenda, we'll demonstrate ours by walking away. My son will learn more through this than he will in any knot tying session or camping trip.
    Well said

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  16. #16
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    My son and several other boys in our troop would have been fine with or without the BSA, because they were brought up right and taught outdoor stuff by their own dads, but there are several kids that really been helped out by them, by giving them a sense of accomplishment, who either didn't have dads, or had POS dads, like the kind who drop them off for meetings and campouts and then pick them up when it's over. They have no idea how much they are missing, because they are caught up in their own selfishness, or are just plain fucking lazy.

  17. #17
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    Quote Originally Posted by Simple Man View Post
    If the BSA has the conviction to foster an agenda, we'll demonstrate ours by walking away. My son will learn more through this than he will in any knot tying session or camping trip.

    Wur da like button when you need it?
    Quote Originally Posted by Mars Bluff View Post
    Only thing we need to be wearing in this country are ass whippings & condoms. That'll clear up half our issues.

  18. #18
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    Quote Originally Posted by Simple Man View Post
    If the BSA has the conviction to foster an agenda, we'll demonstrate ours by walking away. My son will learn more through this than he will in any knot tying session or camping trip.
    Them other boys had better be paying attention, so they can tie them sleeping bags up real tight.

  19. #19
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    This.
    F**K Cancer

    Just Damn.

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    I sent an email last night expressing my disgust and closed with "glad I have a little girl so I don't have to have to entrust my child's care to the BSA"
    Might send my Eagle Award back

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