Action Alert Scouting for All Volunteer Needs Our Support



Action Alert
For Immediate Release and Distribute
Scouting for All
June 2, 2006
For Further Information Contact
David K. Flaks, Scouting for All Volunteer
Email: DavidFlaks@aol.com

or
Scott Cozza, President
Scouting for All
Email: cozzahived@aol.com
www.scoutingforall.org

To: Our Scouting for All Members and Supporters

David Flaks has step forth and spoken out about the discrimination of the Boy Scouts of America to the Cheltenham, PA Township Commissioners who are giving the BSA preferential use of Township property. Tax payer money is being used to support the current Boy Scouts of America, a discriminatory organization, discriminating against gay and atheist youth and adults.

It seems the way some city councils deal with issues of discrimination is to keep their heads in the sand or to some way attempt to justify their support of their local scout council saying "they don't discriminate so they can use our public facility." Would any city council or township commission members anywhere in America allow a chapter of an organization that would discriminate against African Americans, Hispanics, or the Jewish or any religious community preferential use of public property. We all know the answer is an absolute NO. Then how can any city council or township commission allow any form of preferential treatment toany scout council of the BSA? You see there is no gay or atheist youth or adult that is safe from discrimination within the BSA organization, not even if Roy Williams, the Chief Scout Executive of the National BSA,had a gay or atheist son would he be safe. If a young gay or atheist boy is hidden from the national BSA it would take only one phone to national to get that young person kicked out. Don't let any scout council or scout troop tell you anything different. That is a fact. No Scout Council in America has openly defied the BSA National. So no gay or atheistchild is safe from the BSA'sdiscriminationagainst them.

The Cheltenham Township Commissionersas is the case with the Philadelphia City Counciland its Cradle of Liberty Scout Councilwho also givespreferential use of city propertyare both trying to ignore the issue. They are trying to make the issue go away by not responding to our many letters, calls and emails. We must not give up. We must not withdrawal to silence. We must now speak louder then ever. Scouting for All is asking you to send emails, letters, make phone calls, contact friends in the Cheltenham community and ask them to support David Flaks efforts to stand on the side of human rights and social justice. Our gay and atheist kids need a voice on their side of the issue!

Also Scouting for All has not forgotten the Cradle of Liberty and its preferential use of city property in Philadelphia. We will soon be addressing that issue again. The city council of Philadelphia has ignored the issue.

Please read David Flak's update below.

Sincerely,
Scott Cozza, President
www.scoutingforrall.org



Hi all,

June 6, 2006, will markseven months since I first spoke with the Cheltenham Township Commissioners about the injustice of allowing the Boy Scouts preferential use of Township property. Since that time, they have failed to decide the issue,refused to set a timeline for decidingit and rejected my request under the Right-to-know lawto reviewthe results of their survey of all private use of Township property.

Below, you will finda letter that I sent to the Township Manager. I plan to attend the next Public Affairs meeting on Tuesday, June 6 at 7:30 PM at Curtis Hall, Church Road and Greenwood Avenue, Wyncote, PA, and hope that you can join me. They moved the meeting to Curtis Hall because they are expecting a large turnout on both sides.

You can also e-mail the commissioners:

Harvey Portner javascript:parent.ComposeTo('hportner@cheltenham-township.org');,
Jeffrey Muldawer javascript:parent.ComposeTo('jmuldawer@cheltenham-township.org');,
Mickey Simon javascript:parent.ComposeTo('msimon@cheltenham-township.org');,
Michael Swavola javascript:parent.ComposeTo('mswavola@cheltenham-township.org');,
Robert Gerhard javascript:parent.ComposeTo('rgerhard@cheltenham-township.org');,
Charles McKeown javascript:parent.ComposeTo('cmckeown@cheltenham-township.org');
Paul Greenwald javascript:parent.ComposeTo('pgreenwald@cheltenham-township.org');
David Kraynik (Township Manager) javascript:parent.ComposeTo('dkraynik@cheltenham-township.org');


Thank you for your continued support of justice and equality in Cheltenham Township.

Sincerely,
David

Dear Mr. Kraynik:

With this letter, I request to have two different but related issues placed on the agenda of the June 6, 2006 Public Affairs meeting.

First, I would like to ask the commissioners to consider adding language to the Cheltenham Code that would require the inclusion of a non-discrimination clause in all leases and other agreements that permit a private group's use of any Cheltenham Township property that is not broadly available to all Township residents. The non-discrimination statement would obligate the private group not to discriminate based on the fact or perception of a person's race, color, national origin, ancestry, handicap or disability, religion, creed, age, sex or sexual orientation. Violation of the non-discrimination statement would immediately void the lease or other agreement and would result in the private group's forfeiture of the right to use such property.

Secondly, I would like the Commissioners to address the Boy Scouts' continued use of Cheltenham public property. I have attached a link to the opinion in the case of Barnes-Wallace v. Boy Scouts of America which suggests that the Township may be violating the Constitution's Establishment Clause by allowing the Boy Scouts preferential use of public property. (See http://www.becketfund.org/files/97dfa.doc)

Sincerely,
David K. Flaks