WE NEED YOUR HELP TO PROTECT SCOUT FUNDING!

From the editor: We Need Your Help In Protecting United Way Funding, Scouts Still Under Pressure At The Local Level, and We Move Coast to Coast.

As the major victory on the Helms Amendment in Congress showed (and thanks again to all of you who helped!), Scouting supporters continue to successfully defend Scouting at the national level. Problems continue at the local level, however, as several of the items highlighted in this newsletter illustrate. Local school boards, especially, continue to take discriminatory actions against local Scout units. Many local United Ways are still being pressured to cut off funding to local Scout councils in their service area.

With respect to United Way funding, longtime readers of this newsletter know that one of the major goals of the Scouting Legal Defense Fund has been trying to protect this source of support for local councils. There are over 1400 local United Way organizations across the country and it is difficult to identify all of those that have cut off funding. We depend heavily upon our readers to help us keep our United Way Watch List current and accurate.

Updating the Watch List is an important step in a major project we are undertaking. This project is designed both to protect this source of funding and to encourage people in the areas where their local United Way has already cut funding to contribute directly to their local scout council. This is a critical effort, since lack of funding is probably the single most important factor limiting the ability of these local councils to reach more boys who need what Scouting can give them.

For your convenience, I have reproduced the United Way Watch List at the end of this newsletter. Please take a minute to check on the United Way in your area. If it has cut off funding the Scouts, or is in the process of doing so, and it is NOT on the list, PLEASE E-MAIL US AND LET US KNOW. Also, if your United Way is on the list and you think it should not be, please let us know that also.

Finally, the American Civil Rights Union, which sponsors the Scouting Legal Defense Fund, recently moved from the West Coast to Washington, D.C. While this will make us more effective in helping defend Scouting, there were inevitably dislocations in the transition. We are now back in routine operation and will be getting this newsletter out on a more regular basis.

We also remind you that we need your help with the newsletter. Please continue to let us know what is happening to Scouting in your local area so we can pass it on to others.

Thanks to all of you who are helping defend scouting. It has never been more important!

Sincerely,

Bob Carleson
Editor

P.S. You can also help by forwarding this newsletter on to others who will help defend Scouting and by making a donation to support our efforts at www.defendscouting.com.

NEWS OF SCOUTING FROM AROUND THE COUNTRY�

--Scout National Office Reaffirms Principles

The Executive Committee of the Boy Scouts of America has reaffirmed its basic principles with respect to homosexuality and atheism. The action on homosexuality comes in part in response to a request by several urban scout councils last year that the national organization reconsider its policy prohibiting openly homosexual men from serving as scoutmasters. The Executive Committee stated: "an avowed homosexual cannot serve as a role model for the traditional moral values espoused in the Scout Oath and Law and that these values cannot be subject to 'local option' choices." On atheists, the Executive Committee said: "duty to God is not a mere ideal for those choosing to associate with Boy Scouts of America; it is an obligation, which has defined good character throughout the BSA's 92-year history." See article here.

--Scouts Present Annual Report to President Bush, Congress

A group of 7 boys representing all stages of Scouting recently presented the Scouts' Annual Report to the Nation to the President and Congress. As a federally chartered organization, the Scouts are required to make this annual report. See article here.

--Heroic Cub Scout Helps Present Scout Report To The President, Congress

Cub Scout Jordon Wade, 9, was one of 7 boys who recently helped present the Boy Scouts' annual Report to the Nation to the President and Congress. The Pittsburg area Cub was included in the delegation partly in recognition of his heroic efforts to thwart an attemped car jacking when he was only 7 years old. Jordan has been nominated for a national Medal of Merit for bravery. See article here.

--Ann Arbor Continues To Discriminate Against Scouts

The Ann Arbor School district has joined the city council in targeting the Scouts for their position on excluding openly homosexual men from serving as scoutmasters. It has recently moved to prohibit the Scouts and all other organizations not affiliated with the schools from posting notices on bulletin boards at school or sending information home with students. While the action was clearly targeted at the Scouts, the school district had to include all similar groups because it recognized that singling out only the scouts would violate their constitutional rights. No article available.

--Broward County's Failed Effort To Discriminate Against Scouts Will Cost Taxpayers

The South Florida Scout Council has agreed to drop its lawsuit against the Broward County, Florida, school board in return for the county paying the Scouts' $190,000 legal bill. A federal judge slapped the county school board with an injunction soon after the county tried to expel the Scouts from school facilities because of the Scouts' stand on prohibiting openly homosexual men from serving as scoutmasters. He ruled that the school board was violating the Scouts constitutional rights. No article available.

SOME GOOD NEWS FROM THE UNITED WAY FRONT�

--Galveston United Way Resists Local Blackmail Over Scout Support

The Kempner Fund, a prominent local foundation which contributes about 10% of the total budget of the United Way of Galveston, Texas, recently demanded that discretionary funding to the local Scout council be cut off or they would withhold their contribution to the United Way. The Fund specifically cited its objection to the Scouts' position on homosexuality. To its credit, the United Way Board voted 17-11 not to knuckle under to the threat by Kempner Fund and to continue its support of the Scouts. No article available.

--Minnesota United Way Re-instates Scout Funding

The Winona, Minnesota United Way has re-instated funding of two local Scout Councils in 2002 after having cut them off from all but designated contributions in 2001. The United Way cut off funding because the Scouts would not sign the agency's non-discrimination policy. The cut off stirred intense criticism of the agency by Scout supporters in the community. The Winona United Way was able to raise only 70% of the funds it had raised the previous year before the funds for scouting were cut. See the articles here and here.

AND SOME THOUGHTFUL COMMENTARY ON SCOUTING.

In an editorial entitled, "Ann Arbor: Don't Entangle The Boy Scouts In Political Issues," the Detroit News blasts the decision of the Ann Arbor City Council to cut its ties with the Washtenau County United Way because the charity continues to support the Scouts despite the council's objections. The newspaper said the "action by city council is wrongheaded and should be reversed" and notes that "Ann Arbor's action sends a chilling message to boys in scouting: Organizations that abide by the law -- and are upheld by courts -- can still be targeted for petty retribution." See article here.

PLEASE HELP US UPDATE THE UNITED WAY WATCH LIST!

Local United Way organizations are listed in one of two categories on the Watch List, below. In "Category 1" are those that we have determined have already cut off funding their local Boy Scout Councils. Those in Category 2 appear to be in the process of doing so but may still be providing funding in the current funding cycle. A local United Way is placed on the list if they have cut off funding for the uniformed scout programs even though they may still support the Learning For Life program.

Please check this list of 58 local United Ways. If you think your local United Way should be on it but is not listed, please e-mail us at so we can follow up.

Thanks for whatever help you can give us!

UNITED WAY WATCH LIST CATEGORY 1:

These are local United Way organizations that have cut off funding their local Scout Councils.

WATCH LIST CATEGORY 2

These are local Unites Way organizations that are in the process of cutting off funding their local Scout Councils but may be continuing to fund them in the current year.