Dear Friend of Scouting;

As the Republican Co-Chairman of the Congressional Scouting Caucus, I am proud to be an Eagle Scout. I'm also proud to support the Boy Scouts of America and all scouting organizations. That is exactly why I so strongly opposed efforts during the 106th Congress to revoke the Boy Scouts' federal charter.

For 90 years the Boy Scouts of America have been training America's youth in moral, leadership, ethical decision making, and traditional values. They continue to play an important role in the cultural and social life of tens of millions of Americans. The Boy Scouts are interwoven in American tradition as much as hot dogs, baseball, and apple pie.

As America's number one values program for youth, Scouting helps strengthen character, develops good citizenship, and enhances both mental and physical fitness among its participants. Scouting has helped countless youths from broken families by providing them with the moral discipline and leadership they would have otherwise lacked.

The Boy Scouts are under attack by people with political agendas, like atheists and individuals whose lifestyles would be excluded by the Scout's standards.

Those of us who agree with the Boy Scouts should mobilize and support them. It's time for us to stand up for their rights and send a message to all those organizations that permit themselves to be used by those attacking the Boy Scouts. We side with the Boy Scouts. If you take them on, you'll have to take us on.

Representative Dana Rohrabacher
Co-Chairman of the Congressional Scouting Caucus.