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n5wd wrote:

LDB415 wrote:Another part of their PC program, gay scout leaders and no guns. There is another organization for boys that doesn't have the PC program. I know it has Trail in the name but can't remember the full name at the moment.

Umm... you're off base, here. The Scouts recently announced that they would allow gays to be in the Scouts, but that they continued the ban upon gay adult leaders in any form or fashion.

Must be a Headquarters thing with the 30.06 postings. I did my Rifle and Shotgun Basic Intructor's course at the Abilene Scout headquarters building downtown last summer - no 30.06 postings there, and we went out ot Camp Tonkawa to do the shooting portion of both classes.

n5wd is correct. From their own website (red highlights are mine):

(snip)
WHEREAS, the current adult leadership standard of the Boy Scouts of America states:

• The applicant must possess the moral, educational, and emotional qualities that the Boy Scouts of America deems necessary to afford positive leadership to youth. The applicant must also be the correct age, subscribe to the precepts of the Declaration of Religious Principle (duty to God), and abide by the Scout Oath and the Scout Law.
  
  While the BSA does not proactively inquire about sexual orientation of employees, volunteers, or members, we do not grant membership to individuals who are open or avowed homosexuals or who engage in behavior that would become a distraction to the mission of the BSA.

AND WHEREAS, Scouting is a youth program, and any sexual conduct, whether homosexual or heterosexual, by youth of Scouting age is contrary to the virtues of Scouting; and

WHEREAS, the Boy Scouts of America does not have an agenda on the matter of sexual orientation, and resolving this complex issue is not the role of the organization, nor may any member use Scouting to promote or advance any social or political position or agenda; and

WHEREAS, youth are still developing, learning about themselves and who they are, developing their sense of right and wrong, and understanding their duty to God to live a moral life; and

WHEREAS, America needs Scouting, and the organization's policies must be based on what is in the best interest of its young people, and the organization will work to stay focused on that which unites us, and

WHEREAS, the Boy Scouts of America will maintain the current membership policy for all adult leaders of the Boy Scouts of America, and

NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED THAT:

The following membership standard for youth members of the Boy Scouts of America is hereby adopted and approved, effective Jan. 1, 2014:

• Youth membership in the Boy Scouts of America is open to all youth who meet the specific membership requirements to join the Cub Scout, Boy Scout, Varsity Scout, Sea Scout, and Venturing programs. Membership in any program of the Boy Scouts of America requires the youth member to (a) subscribe to and abide by the values expressed in the Scout Oath and Scout Law, (b) subscribe to and abide by the precepts of the Declaration of Religious Principle (duty to God), and (c) demonstrate behavior that exemplifies the highest level of good conduct and respect for others and is consistent at all times with the values expressed in the Scout Oath and Scout Law. No youth may be denied membership in the Boy Scouts of America on the basis of sexual orientation or preference alone.

Personally, I find this to be acceptable.

Scouting is meant to be a program to help kids to grow, and it would be hypocritical to exclude some who may need that help. Helping adult leaders to grow is not the purpose of scouting, so applying a more robust criteria to their selection is OK, in my book.

The BSA has also lost me in MOST respects, but not all.

There is still a camaraderie among men when we find out we are both Eagle Scouts. That cannot be taken away.

If I had a son, I'd likely be torn on the decision to keep him out of BSA. Sure, the likelihood that he'd become an Eagle is small, even if I get him in early and encourage him, but I don't want to intentionally deprive him of the camaraderie that I enjoy as an adult Eagle.

I have only a daughter, however, so I don't have this conundrum to deal with. Keeping her out of Girl Scouts is much less conflicting to me because I don't have the personal attachment to that organization.

However, I do contribute financially to the BSA in my own way. Each year, my employer allows each of us to select a charitable organization of our choosing, and he will donate a sizable sum of money in our name to them. That, along with my own contribution to same organization is quite a chunk of money for them.

Who is that organization? Not the BSA at the national level, nor any individual council. We send checks to the Scoutmaster of the troop I grew up in (officially, for tax purposes, we send the checks as donations to the local church that sponsors the troop, but 100% of the funds go to the scout troop).

He's still there, and if he's half the man he was back in the day, then he's still running a fantastic organization. Unlike some of the other local troops where I grew up in East Tennessee, we were not a well-funded "Eagle factory" who churned out a bunch of 14-year old Eagle Scouts each year like some kind of meat grinder working to get us there (no matter what) before we learned about cars and girls. Rather, our small troop barely turned out any at all (I had the distinction of being the 15th ever Eagle Scout of Troop 15, and I earned mine in the 15th year of existence of that same troop). Yeah, on average, one per year - but our group of kids always won awards in every inter-troop competition that existed back in the day. If we entered one team, we'd get first place. If we entered two teams, we'd get first and second...and so on. Every other troop seemed to be aiming for, "Well, at least we got in the next place after these guys".

So yeah, I owe a lot to Mr. Alan Marshall of Troop 15. He was a great mentor, and he demanded nothing but the very best from each of us. He has free reign to use the money in any way he feels necessary - new equipment, gas money, or subsidize some poor kid who cannot afford to go to summer camp - I trust he'll do the right thing.

As you can tell, I hate that I've become jaded about the BSA organization as a whole. As with so many things (scouting, little league, or ballet for my little girl), the experience we have is really more a function of the small unit leader than it is of the national organization. I have a difficult time turning off the spigot completely, but my contributions are now very narrow focused on one troop. My own experiences within that troop were incredible, and I'll never regret them.

P.S. I finally finished my last requirement three days before my 18th birthday, and by the time I was reviewed, approved, and received my court of honor, I was already in my freshman year of college. Mr. Marshall watched as the clock ticked on, and he encouraged me, but he insisted on my personal responsibility to finish it. If I'd have waited just three days more, it wouldn't have happened, and it would have been my fault.

Another Eagle here - and I'll write them as well.

Quite disappointing to see what they've become over the years.