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Activist Groups Urge Obama to Reject Boy Scout Honor
From Fox News:
Activist groups, including Scouting for All, urge President Obama not to accept the honorary Presidency of the Boy Scouts of America until they stop discriminating.
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Atheist Eagle Scout Say Discrimination By The Boy Scouts of America Is Simply Wrong
April 24, 2006
Dear Scouting For All,
I am an Eagle Scout in the Boy Scouts of America. I had my Eagle Council in 1998 the year I turned 18. I have
been affected by the exclusions the National Council has made. I am not gay, I am however Agnostic and my Troop
246 meet at Aloma United Methodist Church here in Winter Park, FL. I was also not the excluded party. Our Scoutmaster
was asked to step down from his post and discontinue all contact with the Boy Scouts of America less then 1 month
before my Eagle Council. I asked him to be a part of my ceremony because he had been my Scoutmaster the whole
time I was with Troop 246, however the rest of the troop's officials stated if that where the case my Eagle Rank
would never be recognized by the Boy Scouts of America. My parents talked me out of not canceling the whole ceremony.
Non of us are really sure why he was asked to step down because he was not gay, he was not atheist, he was not
a child molester, but he didn't have any children and was not married. He acted like a big kid and always tried
to have fun. I think those are great qualities in a Scoutmaster myself. So needless to say I was affected by
some of the discrimination and exclusions dealt out by the BSA
Scouting should be for all who would like to try. People with enthusiasm are what the program needs. If more
people knew how to survive in the woods, use a knife,respect nature, tie a functional knot, start a safe fire,
or just plain have fun with other people the world would be a better, safer, place.Excluding gays is no different
then the exclusion of the blacks after slavery, or the exclusion of the Jews in the years of Hitler. If we are
still allowing government subsidized organizations to teach this message then societyas a whole has not made any
progress towards the acceptance of all and we should just stop fooling ourselves. If the government continues
to subsidize BSA then the BSA should not be allowed to exclude anyone, anywherefor any reason.
R. B.
Straight, Agnostic, Eagle Scout in the BSA
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