Edwin Meese III Former United States Attorney General

FORMER U.S. ATTORNEY GENERAL ED MEESE DEFENDS SCOUTING!

(Excerpts from his cover story, "The Fight For Moral Rights," dealing with the attack on Scouting published in the July issue of Legion, the magazine of the American Legion. Mr. Meese is Chairman of the Scouting Legal Defense Fund.)

"It is a sad commentary on modern culture that organizations like the Boy Scouts, with a long record of exceptional service to the young people of our nation, come under attack when they stand up for traditional values�

The opponents of Scouting have demonstrated that they are unwilling to tolerate the views and values of others. They often advocate diversity but tolerate only the lock-step cadence of political correctness. They effectively declare the traditional moral and religious values held by others to be "socially unacceptable" and seek to impose their ideas of morality on the rest of society, denying the rights of those who have a different moral code�

But the constitutional issue involved here is even more fundamental. It isn’t just the rights of the Boy Scouts at issue in this conflict. The same constitutional safeguards that allow the Scouts to choose their own leaders protect thousands of other groups and organizations in setting their own standards and membership policies�

Fortunately, many leaders, organizations and citizens have risen to the Scouts’ defense. The American Legion should be commended for their strong statement in this regard� Throughout the country, courageous leaders and governmental units have followed the Legion’s example�

At no time has Scouting’s positive influence been more essential to our nation’s future than it is today. Defending the Scouts against unwarranted attacks, and insuring that they have continued financial and moral support, will not only preserve an invaluable character-building organization, but it will help preserve the constitutional rights and traditional values of all Americans."

Read the entire article here

FROM THE EDITOR: A Very Busy and Mixed Month For The Scouts!

A great deal has happened in the past month or so--as the unusually long length of this newsletter attests. Some of the news is good, some not so good.

Certainly the most significant event was the broadcast over most PBS stations nationwide of the biased and anti-Scout program, "Scout’s Honor." We have set up a special page on our Web site that catalogues some of the commentary and analysis about this program.

Most of you got an action alert from us asking you to support our efforts to get PBS to provide equal time for a future pro-Scout program. We appreciate the thousands of you who responded and contacted PBS! No commitment yet, but we certainly got their attention. As the saying goes, that is the essential first step in training a mule.

Also of great significance was Senate passage of the Helms Amendment that would cut off funding to school districts that discriminate against the Scouts. The margin of victory was only two votes, however, so some of you who live in key states and congressional districts should watch what happens to this amendment in the final bill. We will let you know.

On a note of less national significance--but something of which we are very proud-both Ed Meese and I had articles published within the past month in major national magazines. Mr. Meese’s was the cover article, excerpted briefly above, in Legion magazine, the publication of the 2.8 million-member American Legion. The other is my article, "The Battle Over The Boy Scouts" , which appeared in the June 11th edition of the influential conservative commentary magazine, The Weekly Standard.

Finally, thanks to all of you who contributed to the Scouting Legal Defense Fund in response to Ed Meese’s e-mail appeal. If you intended to contribute but have just not gotten around to it yet, please take a minute to do it now. We need your help! A copy of his message is posted here or you can go directly to our contribution page here.

I cannot help but think what a force we could be in defense of Scouting if even a quarter of the tens of thousands of people who receive this newsletter contributed an average of only $5 or $10 dollars! The "gay" activists and others attacking Scouting not only dedicate their time and effort to their cause but huge sums of money as well.

If you are in a position to help by contributing any amount, I hope you will.

Thanks for all you are doing to help defend Scouting!

Sincerely,

Peter Ferrara
Editor

P.S. Please help us pass the word by forwarding this newsletter on to others who are defending Scouting.

WHAT IS HAPPENING TO SCOUTING AROUND THE COUNTRY

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TELEVISION PROGRAM, "SCOUT’S HONOR," CREATES FUROR NATIONWIDE

The broadcast of the biased and anti-Scout program, "Scout’s Honor" on most PBS stations caused sharp reactions from Scouting supporters. For a selection of the commentaries and analysis please go to a separate page we have set up on our Web site, www.defendscouting.com.

SOME GOOD NEWS FOR THE SCOUTS�

Helm’s Amendment Passes The Senate!

The amendment to the education bill offered by North Carolina Senator Jesse Helms which would cut off federal funding from school districts which discriminate against the Scouts passed the Senate by a closer than expected vote of 52-48. The legislation now goes to a House-Senate conference committee to iron out differences between the two versions. The House bill includes the Hilliary amendment with nearly identical language. See article here.

How senators voted

Rep. Hostettler Introduces Legislation To Stop D.C. Human Rights Ruling.

Indiana Republican Rep. John Hostettler and six other congressmen have introduced legislation to prohibit the District of Columbia from using any public funds to enforce the recent ruling against the Scouts by the D.C. Human Rights Commission. The commission fined the Scouts $50,000 and legal fees on each of two complaints brought by homosexuals who had been excluded from serving as Scout leaders. See article here.

Santa Barbara Student Launches Petition To Rescind County Criticism of Scouts

Michael Warnken, a student at the University of California at Santa Barbara, has launched an initiative petition to gain voter approval of a statement in support of the Boy Scouts. The initiative would rescind a resolution adopted on March 20 that condemned the Scouts for excluding homosexual men from serving as scoutmasters and prohibit the county from discriminating against the Scouts. If 12,500 voters sign the petition, the measure could appear on the ballot as early as March, 2002. No article available. Text of the petition

South Florida Scouts and Homosexual Activists Reach Understanding

After a year of discussions, the South Florida Scout Council and the homosexual activist organization in Dade County have reached an accommodation aimed at reducing local rancor. The Scouts did not back off the national policy on homosexuals but did agree to provide additional training to Scout leaders and volunteers to help them deal more sensitively with homosexual boys. The homosexual activists agreed to support locally the constitutionally-protected right of association and speech recognized in the Dale Supreme Court decision. See article here.

United Ways’ Moves To Cut Off Scout Funding Generate Mixed Results

In some places the actions of local United Ways to cut off funding for the Scouts is backfiring on the homosexual activists who have been pushing for them. In Tucson, where the City Council effectively forced the local United Way to cut off funding for the Scouts, the local scout council received about $96,000 in support last year. Following the city’s action, designated donations to the Scouts, which the United Way must pass on, jumped to over $186,000 this year, a net funding increase of $86,000.

In Connecticut, the head of the United Way of Eastern Fairfield County conceded that the nearly 10% shortfall in expected contributions to their fundraising drive was largely a reaction to local United Ways in the area cutting off funding for the Scouts.
No articles available.

�BUT SOME BAD NEWS AS WELL.

Presidents of Eight Large Scout Councils Urge Change In Homosexual Policy

At the June annual meeting of the Boy Scouts, the volunteer presidents of eight large scout councils urged a change in the current policy on homosexuals. The recommendation from presidents of the Los Angeles, New York, Chicago, Philadelphia, Boston, Minneapolis, San Francisco and Orange County, California councils was referred to a committee for further study.
No article available.

Washington D.C. Human Rights Commission Decision Goes Against Scouts

The District of Columbia Commission on Human Rights has ruled that the Scouts must reinstate as members two admitted homosexuals. The Commission also ordered the Scouts to pay $50,000 damages to each man and their legal expenses. The Scouts are planning to appeal. See article here

Medical Association Challenges Scout Homosexual Policy

By an overwhelming voice vote at its annual meeting the American Medical Association (AMA) adopted a resolution calling on "all national youth-oriented organizations to reconsider any and all exclusionary policies that are based on sexual orientation." While the resolution did not mention the Scouts specifically, they were the only group identified during the debate. See article here.

U.S. Jews divided on support for the Scouts

Jewish congregations in the United States are divided in their response to the Supreme Court decision upholding the Constitutional right of the Scouts to exclude openly homosexual men from serving as scoutmasters. Orthodox Jews tend to support the decision but Reform congregations are mixed in their responses. See article here.

Oregon District Bans Scout Recruiting, Charges Scouts And Others

The Eugene, Oregon, School Board has banned recruiting by all youth groups during school hours, instituted a per hour charge for all groups to use school facilities and withdrawn sponsorship of scout units. The action was taken as a way of withdrawing support from the Boy Scouts because of their stand on homosexuals. The school board could not single out the Scouts without violating the anti-discrimination protections of the Constitution so they withdrew support from all youth groups. See article here.

MEANWHILE, SOME OF THE NEWS IS JUST WEIRD!

PETA Attacks Scouts Over Fishing Merit Badge

In the category of people-with-too-much-time-on-their-hands-who-also-have-only-a-tenuous-attachment-to-reality, the radical animal rights group People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA) has begun an advertising campaign to force the Scouts to drop the fishing and fish and wildlife merit badges. PETA claims that these merit badges teach "young people that hooking, maiming, suffocating, and killing [fish] is acceptable." See article here.

More Evidence (If More Were Needed!) That Broward County, Florida, Suffers From Low-wattage Leadership

Broward County, Florida, (yes, THAT Broward County of "hanging chad" fame) recently provided further evidence that the county’s leaders are not the brightest lights in the string. Slapped with a federal court injunction for its attempted violation of the Constitutional rights of the Scouts by selectively trying to expel them from the county schools, the county now has shown that their concerns quickly evaporate when it might cost money. The local media report that this same protection of sexual orientation ordinance that led them to try to expel the Scouts is ignored when lucrative contracts or leases with the federal government might be jeopardized.
No article available.

AND SOME THOUGHTFUL COMMENTARY ON SCOUTING�

"Terrorized By Tolerance" is the text of a full page advertisement recently placed in the New York Times by the Jewish/Christian coalition group, "Toward Tradition." The group notes that the word "tolerance" has been so corrupted by the politically correct crowd that "In 2001, tolerance means you can’t say anything is "right" or "wrong" anymore-except for vaguely defined "intolerance" which is the ultimate evil." See article here.

"American Legion Stands By The Boy Scouts" is a ringing defense of the Scouts by Joseph Caouette, Chairman of the groups National Americanism Committee. "This assault on a venerable American institution like the Scouts is an effort to topple yet another domino in the devaluing of America by those who have a very different vision of what this nation is or ought to be" he observes. Read commentary here.

"The Battle Over The Boy Scouts" is the review of the attacks of the past year on the Scouts by the ACRU’s Executive Director and Defend Scouting Newsletter Editor Peter Ferrara. He concludes in this article published in the influential Weekly Standard that "a year after the Supreme Court decision it’s a standoff." Read commentary here.