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present_future · 09-13-2005, 07:57 AM

Like many of the people who have posted before, I am an Eagle Scout. I can honestly say that Scouting has been, outside of my parents and close friends, the single greatest influence on me in my life so far. Many of the qualities that I possess today, such as self reliance, cooperative leadership, and loyalty have been instilled in me through my experiences through scouting. During the 11 years that I have been active in Scouting (including Cub Scouts) I have learned a lot about life in general and how to react in difficult situations.

As far as the media's perception of the organization and the events that have been in the news lately what with the boy in Utah getting lost and the 3 scout leaders at the national jamboree being electrocuted, ask yourself this question. Would this have made national news if it didn't have to deal with Scouting? Most likely not. It seems to me that the media has just chosen to "pick on" Scouting because of its views on religion and homosexuality. Scouting at its very foundation is a Christian organization, and religion plays a part in the oath that every scout should apply to their everyday life.

As far as Scouting's stance on homosexuals, I cannot say that I totally agree with it. While I can see how a parent could be wary of this situation with their child gone on extended camping trips with a gay leader, every leader goes through some sort of approval process by the troop committee and many times even undergoes a background check. There is also the policy where there should be at least 2 leaders AT ALL TIMES whenever a Scouting function is in progress, so that should calm people's fears about this. However, since they are their own organization, they have the ability to enforce rules like this, so there really isn't anything anyone can do about it.

Sorry if I bored anyone with this long entry, but Scouting is something that I strongly support and will be active in as long as I am able.

09-13-2005, 07:57 AM	#36 (permalink)
present_future Take my hand Location: Everywhere, but nowhere	Like many of the people who have posted before, I am an Eagle Scout. I can honestly say that Scouting has been, outside of my parents and close friends, the single greatest influence on me in my life so far. Many of the qualities that I possess today, such as self reliance, cooperative leadership, and loyalty have been instilled in me through my experiences through scouting. During the 11 years that I have been active in Scouting (including Cub Scouts) I have learned a lot about life in general and how to react in difficult situations. As far as the media's perception of the organization and the events that have been in the news lately what with the boy in Utah getting lost and the 3 scout leaders at the national jamboree being electrocuted, ask yourself this question. Would this have made national news if it didn't have to deal with Scouting? Most likely not. It seems to me that the media has just chosen to "pick on" Scouting because of its views on religion and homosexuality. Scouting at its very foundation is a Christian organization, and religion plays a part in the oath that every scout should apply to their everyday life. As far as Scouting's stance on homosexuals, I cannot say that I totally agree with it. While I can see how a parent could be wary of this situation with their child gone on extended camping trips with a gay leader, every leader goes through some sort of approval process by the troop committee and many times even undergoes a background check. There is also the policy where there should be at least 2 leaders AT ALL TIMES whenever a Scouting function is in progress, so that should calm people's fears about this. However, since they are their own organization, they have the ability to enforce rules like this, so there really isn't anything anyone can do about it. Sorry if I bored anyone with this long entry, but Scouting is something that I strongly support and will be active in as long as I am able. __________________ The only thing I'll ever ask of you... you gotta promise not to stop when I say when.