Don’t Screw With the Boy Scouts

       As I sipped on my latte the other day at a spot on Larchmont Boulevard I noticed a young lady soliciting passersby.  This type of thing is common.  Usually it’s someone asking for donations for a local homeless shelter or another worthwhile cause. 

Eavesdropping on one of her pitches my ears perked up when I heard her refer to the Boy Scouts of America.  I immediately took an interest because I had been a Scout for several years.  It was one of the best times of my life--learning archery, camping, wilderness survival, first aid, swimming, astronomy, emergency rescue, and a host of other skills that I’ve used throughout the years.  Sometimes I kick myself for not staying in longer because I had a good shot at making eagle. 

Listening intently, I began to realize she was collecting signatures for a petition to take away the Boy Scout’s tax exemption as a non-profit because they didn’t allow gays in the organization.  As she threw out references to discrimination and California state law my blood began to boil.  I’m not sure if it was just her offensive mission or the dental work from earlier that morning, but it was starting to hit a nerve.  So, I stood and confronted her.  I mean, geez, what’s next--prohibiting old ladies from being walked across the street?

So, we had a little exchange and it was obvious this college indoctrinated, little indie rocker knew more about The Black Keys tour dates then she did about Scouting.  She insisted the costs they would incur from denying their tax-exempt status wouldn’t affect individual troops but only the district leadership, which of course is total crap.  Troops would be required to pay sales tax on fundraisers like dinners and Christmas tree sales.  Not to mention, increased district costs would take away money from camps that all troops use.  Then she goes on, telling me how most of the troops were in favor of lifting the ban. But if you know anything about the values in rural locations where most of the troops reside, this argument is obviously just another shovel load.

Walking away, I began to wonder why sexuality in any form is a Boy Scout issue.  This stuff was not even close to being on the table when I was in the BSA.  How did we get to the point where society is so sexualized that a child organization is forced to make an up or down decision on any sexuality?  Well, let’s see.  The 60’s and 70’s left-wing counter culture brought us the sexual revolution.  Then the 80’s drowned us in high school sex education that turned into middle school sex education.  Then the 90’s came along and the left decided to push alternative sex in school and it even seeped into the elementary level. Of course, a lot of kids can barely read, write, or add but this is what some try to pass off as progress. But who in the hell are they trying to kid?  Now we look around and everything from car insurance, to domain names, to chicken wings is sold with sex.  They’ve even got lingerie shops for little girls.  Isn’t it great when we go all out to mimic the closing days of the Romans and the Greeks?  How did they turn out again?

At any rate, the point is:  There never would have been a Scout gay ban starting in the 1980’s if the left hadn’t promoted the sexualization of children.  This is a controversy the left created themselves and now that they’ve fostered widespread sexual anarchy across all age groups they can pretend to take the so-called moral high ground and marginalize traditional organizations like the Scouts--a group that just wants to continue the good work they’ve been doing for over a century.   

Scott Kurtz who is allied with Moveon.org is the former Boy Scout that’s pushing the policy change, complaining that, “leaders of the Boy Scouts disgrace this once proud institution.”  What planet is this guy from?  Does his definition of “once proud” insinuate some Boy Scout history that’s sexual in some way or even gay friendly?  Well, if you can’t figure this one out, nothing like that ever existed.  I know if some kind of sexual activity, gay or otherwise, was going on when I was wearing the uniform it would have been eradicated.  For goodness sakes, we were constructing lean-tos and building campfires.  Sex never entered into it.   But now they’ve forced the hand of the Boy Scouts.  They’ve manufactured this over sexualized society and the Scouts have thoughtfully held steadfast, recognizing that it conflicts with its traditions. So, suddenly the BSA is now considered the bad guy by the sanctimony of the esoteric class.  This is nothing more than what’s commonly referred to in the criminal world as a set-up.   

I’ve heard other lefties talk about America itself in such terms too, making reference to this “once great nation”.  But it’s clear the left has nothing but contempt for the history of this country and some who are actually truthful will admit it.  But others act like they somehow approve of America’s past, just so they don’t appear to be too outside the mainstream.  The truth is that if you were to take your average fanaticized state college grad from today and plopped them in the middle of 1950’s America, bet your life someone would be calling the FBI to report them as a Soviet spy.  These people were and are ideological enemies of the American tradition. 

However, for the Left it’s largely not about getting it right.  It’s about getting it done and boy have they been busy.  What started out as a fringe group that Germany kicked out and America graciously amnestied in the 19^th century they’ve acquired immense power--now controlling state education, pop culture, most of the news media, and a huge share of the government.  Even big business and religion, some of the last havens of traditional American thought, have been infected by left wing ideology to a large extent.  And the cost to our youngest citizens is overwhelming with widespread psychological problems, record suicide, sky-high anxiety that’s led to an epidemic of child teeth grinding that sounds almost Biblical, and never before seen levels of mundane pleasure seeking that’s fostered unparalleled levels of unhappiness.  And if you think the Left is way too cozy with your kids now, wait until these statists take them away altogether because you’ve been deemed an old-fashioned bigot that’s too unfit to parent.  I’d bet my father’s grave it’s not that far down the road, if not already upon us.

          The sexualization of our youth is reminiscent of the Fudrucker’s scene in Idiocracy--amusing on film but devastating in reality.  So, this is a call to arms.  Contact Sacramento without delay.  Don’t allow the politicians to deprive our children of what remains of their innocence.  California, please, please don’t screw with the Boy Scouts.