The Boy Scouts Are Coming...

[Keyser Soce]

for you!

"The Explorers, a coeducational affiliate of the Boy Scouts, have long prepared teenage members to become police officers and firefighters. Since the attacks of Sept. 11, 2001, many Explorer posts, working with local and federal law enforcement agencies, have added programs to train members in confronting terrorism, illegal immigration and border violence. Here, Explorers in a drill with the Imperial County, Calif., sheriff's office prepared to enter a building taken over by terrorists who had begun shooting hostages."



http://www.nytimes.com/slideshow/2009/05/13/us/0000EXPLORERS_index.html

[AntonLee]

as an Eagle Scout, a Vigil Honor member of the Order of the Arrow, a former Scoutmaster and lifelong Scouting supporter

this disgusts me.  Boy Scouts was always supposed to HELP, gathering metal and cans for a war effort not being a PART of a war effort. . .especially one against your neighbors. 

My son will not be a Scout. . .and it's sad as hell.  I've had this idea to start a separate youth organization that mirrors Scouting without the whole anti-gay, anti-athiest, anti-agnostic, pro-government stances.   Time to pull out the notebook again.  Scouting in my area has become less of teaching boys (sorry no info on girl scouts) and more about how much money the "Professional Scouters" can pull in to fund their "profession". . . to the point where they're selling camps to make a profit.

the picture above, makes me sick to my stomach.  Boy Scouts teaches how to safely use firearms.  Safely does not include using the weapons as a means to extract freedom from other people.  How absolutely disgusting.

[Ogre]

As a current Scoutmaster, this also disgusts me.

But I also have control, being the Scoutmaster, to ensure Scouts that I work with have nothing to do with this type of thing.

At the same time, I am currently having a lot of difficulty teaching the merit badge "Citizenship in the Community," teaching the boys about how government works...

[slim]

As a Eagle Scout and OA member I have been getting more and more disgusted with the Scouts. I do like that some of the troops don't follow some of the anti-freedom rules that are handed down from the top. I have a feeling if the scouts keeps on this path there could be a splinter group breaking off from the existing scouts.

[doobie]

If my parents had known boy scouts played with guns they never would have sent me to boy scout camp. 

I told my mom that was where I first played with rifles and shotguns, she immediately said she never approved of me using firearms and if she had known she'd have specifically said NO.  Lol.  Now look what my gun collection has done to me...

[KBCraig]

The scouting alternative groups that I'm aware of are mostly church-based, and also heavy on the "patriotism" aspect.

[slim]

If my parents had known boy scouts played with guns they never would have sent me to boy scout camp. 

I told my mom that was where I first played with rifles and shotguns, she immediately said she never approved of me using firearms and if she had known she'd have specifically said NO.  Lol.  Now look what my gun collection has done to me...

I worked at a scout camp for 3 years, 1 year I was helping the archery range and the other 2 years I ran the handicrafts area (leather working, basketry, woodworking). I would say the most active areas for the camp was either the rifle range or the waterfront. From my observations I would say that most of the scouts never fired a rifle before scout camp.

[KBCraig]

as an Eagle Scout, a Vigil Honor member of the Order of the Arrow, a former Scoutmaster and lifelong Scouting supporter

this disgusts me.  Boy Scouts was always supposed to HELP, gathering metal and cans for a war effort not being a PART of a war effort. . .especially one against your neighbors.

From slide 5:

If there are critics of the content or purpose of the law enforcement training, they have not made themselves known to the Explorers' national organization in Irving, Tex., or to the volunteers here on the ground, national officials and local leaders said.

I haven't been associated with Scouting since 4th grade, but I hope those of you with strong ties are "making themselves known" to the organizers.

[slim]

These children are nothing more then the modern day Hitler youth

[Sam A. Robrin]

This is just what scouting has been--since at least the early 1960s, when I was involved with it--only more so.  Designed as a program for whelping inductees for cannon (and collection plate / ballot box / Form 1040) fodder, the hypocrisy soon showed through the initially glossy patina, even to my untrained 8-year-old eyes.  Now it's going exactly where I'd predicted it would. 
     Be Prepared.

[AntonLee]

I have had the same problem Ogre with teaching all the Citizenship badges.  For something that meant so much to me I can completely see now (hindsight) that it really was a great tool for indoctrination. 

The part that backfired however was the social ostracism pointed at me as a proud Boy Scout during government school.  While school was teaching me one way, Scouting taught me another way.  They did not mix too well.  There was this day, one day a year, that you were supposed to wear your uniform to school. 

Man did I feel like a loser.  I loved Scouts, but the rash of crap I got from people for all 4 years of high school was unbearable.  What's worse, the other scouts in my school would not wear their uniform and in a few circumstances took part (and in one circumstance LED) a 'poke fun at Tony' party.

How sad, I remember being so let down by my fellow peers.  I usually was let down by the people around me on a daily basis but I clearly and vividly remember how sad I was to be so proud to be something yet everyone else seemed to think I was some sort of alien species.   After I got out of scouting I wondered how long the "proud" Scouts like myself would be continuing. . . who would dare wear a uniform to school when the retaliation was so much to bear.

so sad, there's so much potential to show boys and girls how to enjoy life and learn vital skills they won't let you do in school.  The first time I ever picked up a firearm, a bow and arrow, canoed, took lifeguarding lessons, dressed up like an Indian were all from Boy Scouts.  For those fun times, I'll be forever grateful.  The political side, not so much anymore.

[41mag]

This isn't a new program.  The local city PD where I grew up had an explorer post there back in the 1980s.  I knew it existed, but never had any interest. 

[Ogre]

I just had to share this with you folks, as this crowd will be able to appreciate it much more than most:

This evening I took my Scout troop to a town meeting to meet a merit badge requirement. While there, of course, the boys eyes wandered. After awhile, one leaned over to me and whispered, "Hey, that guy," pointing to a commissioner, "has something to drink." Sure enough, he does, he's drinking out of a soda can. I just sort of nodded and said, "Yes, he is."

The Scout then pointed at the door where there were six-inch tall letters in the glass window that said, "No food or drink allowed." The Scout said, "But he's not allowed to have that in here." I nodded and replied, "You're right, he's not."

The Scout looked around and noticed that there were about 8-10 policemen seated in the audience. The town was installing a new police chief, and the police were there to clap when he was introduced. The Scout then asked me, "How come they're not arresting him?" I thought for a moment, then explained to the Scout, "Well, those people up there make the rules, so they don't have to obey them."

The Scout again asked, "But why aren't the police arresting them?" I then explained that the police actually work for the town council and therefore won't do anything the council doesn't want them to do.

The Scout thought for awhile, and some of the police left. As we were preparing to leave, the Scout asked me if he could ask the new chief of police why he wasn't arresting them. Of course, I told him that he could. I watched him walk over and politely ask the chief. The chief smiled and laughed as he replied. When the Scout came back, I asked him what the chief said. The Scout told me the chief said, "I think we'll let them slide."

Then the Scout frowned and said, "That's not fair."

I guess he did learn something good about Citizenship in America.

[David]

That was absolutely brilliant.