Menstuff® has compiled information on the issue of the Boyscouts. Roughly 60% of BSA troops are sponsored by religious groups and the Mormons, who basically took over the BSA back in the early1980's, sponsor about 30,000 troops.It wasn't until the early 80's that the BSA started a vigorus campaign to exclude gays and athiests, while still accepting government money and free or nearly free use of government office buildings and land. Kidnapped by the religious right and particularly the Mormon chuch Thomasa S. Monson said of the Boy Scouts "I like the way the church has coordianted and fully correlated the activities of the young with the instruction we provide in the Aaronic Priesthood...so that it's one boy, and one troop, one church and one program."
Penn
& Teller Bullshit - Boyscout (1 of 3)
Penn
& Teller Bullshit - Boy Scout (2 of 3)
Penn
& Teller Bullshit - Boyscout (3 of 3)
Against athiests and gays but pedaphlies?
Abuse
Claims in Scout-Police
Program
'Don't Be Fooled by Councils' Boy
Scout Rhetoric'
Boy Scouts Hit With $1M Verdict in Sex
Abuse Suit
Boy Scouts Hit With $1M Verdict in Sex
Abuse Suit
The plaintiff, Kerry Lewis, said he was molested by Timur Dykes, an assistant scoutmaster, beginning in 1983 when Lewis was 10.
"We are gravely disappointed with the verdict," the Boy Scouts of America said in a statement on its Web site today. "We believe that the allegations made against our youth protection efforts are not valid. We intend to appeal."
The Multnomah County Circuit Court jury also found that the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, which had previously settled a separate lawsuit with Lewis for an undisclosed sum, bore some of the responsibility for the abuse.
At issue in the lawsuit was whether the Boy Scouts of America knew of scout leaders who posed a potential risk to boys. Kelly Clark, Lewis' attorney, compared the behavior of Boy Scouts administrators to the Catholic Church's cover-up of pedophile priests, The Oregonian newspaper reported. Clark told the jury that the organization had known about pedophile scout leaders since 1925, when it began keeping a secret list of them, but failed to notify the parents of children in the Boy Scouts.
Chuck Smith, the lead lawyer for Boy Scouts of America, said Clark's comparison was unfair, since the group only kept the list so that it could ban those suspected of potential abuse.
According to The Oregonian, however, the judge in the case, John Wittmayer, ordered the Boy Scouts to hand over to the jury more than 1,000 files on suspected pedophiles within the organization.
In those documents, it was revealed that Dykes had confessed to Gordon McEwen, a Mormon bishop, that he had molested several children in the Boy Scouts. But records seem to indicate that after being removed from his position as assistant scoutmaster, Dykes was allowed to continue to have contact with boys and participate in scouting events. As a result, his lawyer argued, Dykes eventually went on to molest Lewis.
In its verdict, the jury allocated the payment of damages -- which totaled $1.4 million -- so that the Boy Scouts of America accounted for 60 percent of the negligence; the local chapter, the Cascade Pacific Council, accounted for 15 percent; and the Mormon church accounted for 25 percent.
Punitive damages have yet to be determined, and during that phase
of the trial, jurors could impose additional penalties of up to $25
million against the Boy Scouts.
Source: www.aolnews.com/nation/article/boy-scouts-hit-with-1m-verdict-in-sex-abuse-suit/19438203?icid=main|htmlws-main-n|dl1|link5|http%3A%2F%2Fwww.aolnews.com%2Fnation%2Farticle%2Fboy-scouts-hit-with-1m-verdict-in-sex-abuse-suit%2F19438203
'Don't Be Fooled by Councils' Boy Scout
Rhetoric'
The Minsi Trail Council of Allentown, Pennsylvania, and the Hiawatha Seaway Council of Syracuse, New York all reported in recent months to the news media that they have adopted a policy that focuses on "inappropriate behavior" and not sexual orientation. Most recently The Minuteman Council of Boston, Massachusetts has been quoted as saying they have adopted a new policy of "don't ask don't tell."
Scott Cozza, the President of Scouting for All made contacts with these Scout Councils and all reported they continue to follow the National Boy Scouts of America's current policy of excluding gays from scouting. One such interaction took place between Scott Cozza and Tom Herrington, Executive of the Minsi Trail Council. Cozza, asked Tom Herrington, "If a scout or scout leader were reported to the Minsi Trail Council for being gay by a parent or another scout leader how would the Council respond?"
Mr. Herrington answered the question by stating, "The Council adheres to the National BSA policy of excluding homosexuals from scouting." Mr. Herrington further stated, " We don't have a policy (referring to their "new" behavior policy) different from the National organization. It was approved by the National office."
Mr. Herrington also agreed with Mr. Cozza, that his Council's "new" policy focusing on behavior was nothing new to scouting. National BSA has always had a policy to terminate members from scouting for "inappropriate behavior."
It seems very clear that the National BSA is giving consent to the some local Councils to reword current policy so that it can be interpreted in such a way as to meet funder anti-discrimination requirements. For example the Minsi Trail Council with its "new" policy was granted funding from the United Way of the Greater Lehigh Valley.
Mr. Cozza, spoke to Mr. Scharff, Executive of the UW of the Greater Lehigh Valley. Mr. Scharff was surprised to hear the statements of Mr. Herrington, that the Council continues to adhere to the National BSA policy of discrimination against gays and atheists. After finding this out Mr. Scharff, representing the UNGLV found it very difficult to take any action because in Mr. Scharff's words, "the religious right has threatened to pull funding from the Lehigh United Way if we discontinued funding the local council."
Scouting for All is cautioning the general public and funders of
the Boy Scouts of America whose funding is dependent on
anti-discrimination policies to not be "fooled" by the rhetoric of
the National BSA and some Scout Councils, who claim to have a "new"
policy. The truth is the only Scout Council in America who absolutely
does not adhere to the BSA policy of discrimination is the Piedmont
Council in Piedmont, California. The Piedmont Council told the
National BSA in a letter that their current policy of excluding gays
from scouting was in violation of both the Scout Oath and Law and
they would not adhere to such a policy.
Source: Compiled by GayToday: www.gaytoday.badpuppy.com/world.htm
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