[21065] in APO-L
Re: [APO-L] Press Release
daemon@ATHENA.MIT.EDU (Buddha Buck)
Wed Jul 26 00:28:55 2000
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Date: Wed, 26 Jul 2000 00:21:43 -0400
Reply-To: Buddha Buck <bmbuck@14850.COM>
From: Buddha Buck <bmbuck@14850.COM>
To: APO-L@LISTSERV.IUPUI.EDU
In-Reply-To: Message from Robert Dean <rdean71@CS.COM> of "Tue, 25 Jul 2000
18:46:24 EST." <397E26D0.33859919@cs.com>
> I'm not going to espouse a particular view on this issue, but I think the
> right questions to start with are:
>
> 1. Should APO, as an organization, do anything, in light of the present
> relationship with BSA (the state of which is pretty well summed-up by the
> letter I retyped and posted here Sunday)?
I do not thing that APO, as an organisation, should do anything. If
APO, as an organisation, must do something, I think it should at most
issue a statement that recognises the historical ties that APO has had
with the BSA, affirms our commitment to youth groups like BSA and GSUSA
that foster the principles of Leadership, Friendship and Service, and
emphasises our own non-discriminatory membership policies.
The current policies of the BSA regarding homosexuality are well known,
well documented, and long held. There was no grand policy change, nor
was a hidden practice of discrimination unveiled. APO has lasted for
years knowing of these policies -- and have over time chosen a more
inclusive membership policy without destroying our ties with Boy
Scouting. I see no reason why that needs to change now.
Personally, I do not agree with the discriminatory membership policies
of the BSA, especially with regard to homosexuality and atheism. I
believe that homosexual youth are at greater risk of suicide due to
ostracism and persecution. I feel that the BSA denying membership
denies these youth the very real benefits that the BSA provides in term
of self esteem, self reliance, socialisation, etc, that could end up
saving their lives.
If Boy Scouting is to change its policy, the change needs to come from
within Scouting. APO has no direct role to play. I would encourage
all of you who are members of the BSA who wish to see this policy
changed to work within the BSA to change it.
> 2. What should APO do?
>
> No matter what, this should be an informed debate. What has been said on
> this issue before? Are there similar issues that might lend additional
> perspective? (one that springs to mind is the Permanent Normalized Trade
> Relations status for China, with respect to human rights
> policies/violations).
I would not mind being told in private email the similarities between
the issue before us and PNTR with China. I don't see it offhand.
>
> LFS,
> Robert
>
--
Buddha Buck bmbuck@14850.com
"Just as the strength of the Internet is chaos, so the strength of our
liberty depends upon the chaos and cacophony of the unfettered speech
the First Amendment protects." -- A.L.A. v. U.S. Dept. of Justice
