[21024] in APO-L
[APO-L] APO/BSA Campaign
daemon@ATHENA.MIT.EDU (EC92@AOL.COM)
Sat Jul 22 22:47:57 2000
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Date: Sat, 22 Jul 2000 22:47:40 EDT
Reply-To: EC92@AOL.COM
From: EC92@AOL.COM
To: APO-L@LISTSERV.IUPUI.EDU
May *I* insert myself into this?
I enjoy getting the APO mail though long out of college, however I only found
APO because of the Boy Scouts when I was in college.
May I point out that APO can have whatever membership it desires? What the
BSA does has nothing to determine that.
May I also point out that those Chapters that are BSA ships and crews, and
those that wish to maintain strong Scouting ties may continue to do so,
ENSURING DIVERSITY in APO.
Remember, whenever you say DIVERSITY it doesn't just mean what your personal
opinion is, it is truly a welcoming of all with all types and moods and
colors and attitudes. Which means APO should welcome as a member a Nazi
student or a NRA member or a homosexual or any other thing. Lets go Diversity!
(Did you know that local schools often will not let Boy Scouting recruit at
the school because "If we let you do it, then we would have to let the Nazis
do it, and the KKK, and everyone else, and you wouldn't want THEM recruiting
in your schools, would you?" Honest to God word for word quote.)
I say this as a man who has been in Scouting for (I'm getting old, excuse me,
43 years old minus age at joining of 8 =? ? ? wait, I almost got it...?)
35 years now as a youth and an adult. I re-upped as a lifetime APO member at
an interesting location - The 1997 National Jamboree at the APO booth. Should
APO be at such a "diverse" meeting? Yup.
I suspect that all the words you are discussing are being forwarded by those
who do not know enough of APO's history. Or perhaps they do not realize what
they are asking. Or they do not realize that BSA asked the supreme court to
verify the rights they have as a private organization under the constitution
- not the state laws lower courts used to try to force other actions - a
right that is also held by any OTHER private organization that is not a
public accomodation. I would SUSPECT - not a lawyer, guys - that such a
ruling also means that APO can do as it wants and doesn't have to have a
member forced down ITS throat.
And I note one other thing that those years and years have built up to. I
left college feeling pretty liberal and well versed in attitudes supporting
the underprivileged, racially, socially, and sexually. Y'know, that liberal
attitude is still carried by HS and college kids.
But when you reach a certain point you may hold the same attitudes you did
before, but may also express concern over things happening to your kids that
slowly makes you see the other side. I still feel for the rights homosexuals
feel they are denied (note: "FEEL", not that they ARE DENIED) but not when I
look at my family and see my 6 year old with a learning disability who just
tested out with a mental ability of age 3, and worry what would happen if a
sexual predator were to get their hands on him, since he hardly talks, let
alone knowing to scream and run away, and I see the other side too, and start
to wonder where the lines are drawn and why. Argue homosexuals aren't
pedophiles all you want, if not why are so many of them attacking kids of thei
r own sex?
Now picture YOURSELF with a learning disabled and ready target child and come
talk to me about WHY BSA does not want to have avowed homosexuals as leaders.
And realize Clinton steals everything from BSA - Character Counts, "Don't
ask, don't tell"....
Now, I'm off to a Boy Scout camp and I will be honest, I'll just use delete
to any responses I get either way when I come back to such an overload of
mail I wonder how I could ever cope, so flame if you must, I won't ever see
it.
Y'all need to sit down with the work of the founders and their attitudes and
opinions and see where that takes you in this discussion. Because for all I
can see, all such an action would do is REDUCE DIVERSITY, not increase it.
Tom Petrik
