HERE IS A LETTER An Eagle ScoutSENT: Cradle of Liberty Council, Boy Scouts of America


July 30, 2006

Mr. William Dwyer,

As an Eagle scout, whose father, uncle, and brother are all Eagle scouts, I urge you to stand up against the discrimination of the national organization against gay and atheist boys.

The national organization needs to loudly and clearly hear from its members that discrimination of this kind is in fact against the values of scouting. The refusal to allow gays and atheists to participate in scouting teaches young men the wrong lesson.

In describing "morally straight" my boyscout handbook states:
Deep within each human being is laid a precious thing, possessed by no other living creature--the thing we call a conscience... Your conscience speaks to you about your relationship to other people--respecting their rights, treating them justly, giving them a fair chance. p.436 (Boy Scout Handbook, 7th edition)
It is the education of my conscience by scouting that makes it absolutely clear to me that the scouting organization needs to end discrimination.

The "Cradle of Liberty Council" seems to me the ideal council to remind the whole organization and the country of our most important values. I attended college in Philadelphia (Swarthmore) and I know about the deep democratic heritage of the City of Brotherly Love.

Thank you for your consideration.

Yours,

Dr. Allen Webb





Action Alert
July 30, 2006

For Immediate Release and Distribution

Scouting for All
http://www.scoutingforall.org/

Contact Information
Prepared by:

Larry G. Sherman
Southern Regional Director
Scouting for All
lsherman@scoutingforall.org

Scott Cozza
President
Scouting for All
707-778-0564
cozzahived@aol.com


We ask all our Scouting for All members / supporters to please respond to this Action Alert. A response will only take a few minutes and will help support gay and atheist youth against being discriminated against by the Boy Scouts of America


Philly Mayor Evicts Scouts for Discriminating Against Gays

Mayor John Street ended a three-year debate with the Cradle of Liberty Council of the BSA when he announced that the council would be evicted from the Center City headquarters building that the city has provided rent-free since 1928 if it does not end its policy of banning gays from membership. As reported in the Philadelphia Inquirer (July 22, 2006),City Solicitor Romulo Diaz sent Scout Executive William Dwyer, III a letter informing him that the council office would be evicted or charged rent on a "free-market basis" if the policy were not changed immediately.

According to former City Solicitor Nelson Diaz the Boy Scout policy violates provisions of the Philadelphia fair practices ordinance that forbids all forms of discrimination (including sexual preference) on city property. Diaz notes that the city is subsidizing discrimination by allowing the council to use the Center City headquarters building free of charge.

The Cradle of Liberty Council is the third-largest councilin the country and serves 87,000 youth in Philadelphia, Montgomery and Delaware Counties. There are 40,000 Scouts in Philadelphia alone. The council is also the home of the famed Treasure Island Scout Camp in the middle of the Delaware River whereE. Urner Goodman founded the Order of the Arrow.

We commend Mayor Street for his civic-minded action.We ask all of our members / supportersto commend Mayor Street personally,by using the e-mail address or fax number given below. We further call upon Council Executive Dwyer to end the council's discriminatory policy by issuing a "letter of intent" stating that the council will no longer discriminate against gays and atheists. The letter should state in clear terms that discrimination will not be tolerated and the Cradle of Liberty Council will not follow the BSA National policy of excluding gay and atheist youth and adults. The issue is not to be "swept under the rug" with a policy of "don't ask, don't tell." We ask you to provide your personal words of encouragement to Council Executive Dwyer by using the contact information given below. We believe that the National Council will listen to a strong message from the third-largest council in the nation. They will notdeny 87,000 youth access to the Scouting program in orderto defend their morally-bankrupt discrimination policy.

Full text of the Philadelphia Inquirer article isavailable at:
www.philly.com/mld/inquirer/news/local/15096235.htm

Contact Information:

Mayor John F. Street
Mayor's Executive Office
215 City Hall
Philadelphia, Pennsylvania 19107
(215) 686-2181 (Executive Secretary)
(215) 686-2180 (FAX)
John.Street@phila.gov


William T. Dwyer, III
Scout Executive
Cradle of Liberty Council, BSA
22nd & Winter Streets
Philadelphia, Pennsylvania 19103-1085
(215) 988-9811 ex. 115
wdwyer@colbsa.org

This is the link to the most recent Boy Scout article.There isa poll running that we ask you all to voteon.
http://www.philly.com/mld/philly/15113896.htm