Any Eagles out there?

[Dr. Mike]

I received my Eagle in '93. I cut it close, but had everything done by my 18th birthday. My overall experience had its ups and downs, but Scouting was a great building experience.

Early on, while I was a Cub Scout and in Webelos, my family lived on the island of Kwajalein, in the Marshall Islands. The island was leased by the U.S. government, and run by the military, who were very supportive of scouting. They had 2 scout camps on the island (quite a lot, considering the island was only 2 miles long and 1/2 a mile wide), and would also allow us to travel to some of the nearby uninhabited islands for campouts.

 

[Scruff McGruff]

You can count me in as a member of the club. It litterally took me my entire Scouting career to achieve. I didn't actually have my Eagle Board of Review until after I turned 18, which is legal as long as all other requirements are met before then.

Same here! I didn't even have my ceremony until after the 1st semester of college.

 

[shaveme]

I am also an eagle scout.

I got two of them postcards (one with my middle initial and one without), i haven't called the # , because i figured i would get a high pressure sales pitch to buy a book. I wonder what NESA gets out of the book vs the publisher?

 

[Joe Eckman]

I just came back from another Eagle Court of Honor.

I am also been our council's NESA Committee. I don't know how successful the book project was, but NESA now has many more names and updated addresses and will try to reconnect Eagles with Scouting. Without too much pressure I hope.

I also wanted to bump this post.

Any more Eagles out there?

 

[stripec30]

Another Eagle Scout. I find it great the the NESA book project even exists regardless of if it actually turned out well.

 

[davecmu]

Another Eagle here. Class of '96.

 

[hedliniv]

BSA - Eagle
Order of the Arrow - Vigil
Assistant Scout Master for a few years...

Local scouting - I support 100%

National scouting organization (which really has nothing to do with the local groups) makes it their policy to discriminate (ban on gays); so I discriminate against them.

I am not gay and I do not believe you should discriminate a group for no reason; I hope that Nationals eventually wake-up and change their policy...

 

[Dr. Mike]

BSA - Eagle
Order of the Arrow - Vigil
Assistant Scout Master for a few years...

Local scouting - I support 100%

National scouting organization (which really has nothing to do with the local groups) makes it their policy to discriminate (ban on gays); so I discriminate against them.

I am not gay and I do not believe you should discriminate a group for no reason; I hope that Nationals eventually wake-up and change their policy...

Sorry, but I support the policies of the BSA. Incidentally, the policy is nationwide. That is what they choose to require for membership. Every organization discriminates in some way in its membership policies - otherwise it really isn't an organization at all.

It is a set of standards that the organization was founded around. I think it is wrong for groups to pressure private organizations to change their standards. And for pressure to be brought to bear against an organization that has done so much good for the youth of this country, to me, seems ridiculous in the extreme. It is just as ridiculous as trying to change a religious groups policies on who they will and will not accept into their congregation.

Understand, I have nothing personal against anybody who is gay. I have several friends and co-workers that are gay. I don't force my heterosexuality on them, and they don't force their homosexuality on me. In fact, the topics never come out. Mostly we discuss the new movies out and what we did the night before.

 

[hedliniv]

Please show me in the original scout handbook or even the scoutmaster guide where this was an established principle?

Belief in God - check
it's in there (founding principle)

Child safety - check
There as it should be (founding principle);

but Child safety and being gay are not connected.

So when did this "founding" (we can discriminate against gays) principle originate?

http://www.bsa-discrimination.org/html/review_bsa_gay_policy.html

 

[Dr. Mike]

Please show me in the original scout handbook or even the scoutmaster guide where this was an established principle?

Belief in God - check
it's in there (founding principle)

Child safety - check
There as it should be (founding principle);

but Child safety and being gay are not connected.

So when did this "founding" (we can discriminate against gays) principle originate?

http://www.bsa-discrimination.org/html/review_bsa_gay_policy.html

It stems from two ideas - first, a belief in God, and second, the oath to keep oneself "morally straight." Now, it is not really a foreign concept in many Christian religions that homosexual activity is outside the bounds of what would be considered moral behavior. Only more recently has it become more accepted in certain Christian churches. The BSA has long had the majority of its membership and charters in traditional Christian organizations. From all of this, it is not hard to surmise that homosexual behavior is not in compliance with the standards of the BSA. In addition, there is the concept of precedence. Whether it was specifically spelled out originally, I doubt. But it most likely was not necessary - it was probably not an issue at the time of its founding. More specific language was added as it became an issue.

This is a poor comparison, but it illustrates the point. Until recently, I'm sure the Catholic church didn't feel it necessary to specify that child molestation was wholly unacceptable behavior for a priest. But I'm sure that most people understood that to be the case. They understood that would be contrary to the general vows that not only a Catholic, but specifically a priest, would accept. I am not comparing homosexuals to child molestors. But the idea is that not everything has to be spelled out in specific detail for a concept to nevertheless be accepted.

The point of the matter is the BSA is a private organization. They are a part of the world scouting organization - which has not seen fit to revoke their membership because of their policies on homosexuals. If I wanted today to start an organization that accepted only right-handed males of English-Germanic heritage that had brown hair and brown eyes, I can, and you cannot force me to accept others into my organization that do not fit my membership criteria. Places of business can discriminate based upon dress standards. They can also discriminate based upon ability to pay. Why can't the BSA uphold their membership criteria?

 

[hedliniv]

Because teaching discrimination to impressionable youth is fundamentally wrong.

Implying that being gay equals being a child molester is wrong.

Also scouting does not stipulate Christianity, it stipulates belief in god.

Scouting is supposed to bring the best out of youth and create the next generation of upstanding citizens and leaders. The organization should not foster exclusion and stereotypes.

I am proud of what I learned and my experience throughout scouting. I am not proud of the organizations stance on this topic.

Lastly, in February 1988 the BSA dropped their ban against women in leadership roles in Boy Scout Troops.

Things change, organizations evolve and the BSA members should force the organization to do the right thing.

 

[davecmu]

Because teaching discrimination to impressionable youth is fundamentally wrong.

Implying that being gay equals being a child molester is wrong.

Also scouting does not stipulate Christianity, it stipulates belief in god.

Scouting is supposed to bring the best out of youth and create the next generation of upstanding citizens and leaders. The organization should not foster exclusion and stereotypes.

I am proud of what I learned and my experience throughout scouting. I am not proud of the organizations stance on this topic.

Lastly, in February 1988 the BSA dropped their ban against women in leadership roles in Boy Scout Troops.

Things change, organizations evolve and the BSA members should force the organization to do the right thing.

I have watched all day with interest to see where this would go, and now must speak up. Although I earned my Eagle Scout award, I am no longer active with Scouting, either locally or nationally. In 2000, after the Supreme Court ruling, I mailed back my badge and credentials. I was proud of my experience and what I had learned, but could not reconcile with BSA's desire to discriminate against homosexuality, and chose to disassociate.

I am very proud of George's willingness in this forum to speak up for his view of what Scouting should be, and I agree with his position completely. Although I disagree with their stance, I also clearly recognize BSA's constitutional right to do what they please as a private organization, and will continue to publicly defend their right to do it. It just isn't congruent with my beliefs, and so I exercise my choice to not be involved with them any more.

I can also still tie many of my favorite knots, and do it with some spare line while I'm stressed out at work. And I still recycle, which was my service project.

 

[thatguy1807]

I'm a PROUD Eagle scout, class of '05! To me, this was far more important than my high school graduation which occurred the same year and it still is! I have never been more proud of an accomplishment. I was also in the Order of the Arrow, I think I got that in '04.

 

[The Nid Hog]

I'm proud to have become an Eagle Scout in the same troop where my dad and brother had been scouts. I have great memories of my years in scouting and the lessons that I learned have stayed with me my whole life.

As a small town boy, I also learned a lot about justice and tolerance through Scouting. It was certainly the first chance I had to meet kids from other countries, but it was also my first exposure to other Americans. Regardless of the color of our skins, we were all Scouts. I never forgot that either, and it saddens me to see the controversy that surrounds the BSA today.

 

[Brodirt]

I reached Eagle many years ago and retired from the scouts. I am accused to this day, though, of having the unflinching morals of a boy scout. They did a good job.

 

[Johnny Dale]

Did not make it to Eagle scout rank. Just to Star rank. I joined too late and in hindsite I wished I had joined earlier, My most favorite was the initiation to the Order of the Arrow. That was difficult and fun! Great times.

 

[garyg]

Yes, my Court of Honor was in 1968, I recently found the program amongst my late mother's treasure chests .. great memories, still think that the lessons learned in Scouts helped me on down the road ..

Anyone else ever make Tinnerman Canoe Base up on the French River? I still want to go back, but somehow haven't, afraid it has Starbucks & Macdonalds and all the bland, sameness that has overcome the world, or at least North America

 

[xdkeys]

Eagle Scout '91 and Order of Arrow. Just finished being Den Leader for my son's Cub Scout Pack. He just crossover to Boy Scouts last month. We have already been on two campouts, really brought back memories, but, boy has it changed.

 

[Joshua Da Silva]

I was never scout, but I really wish I had been. I would have loved it as a kid, and it would have helped me ALOT

 

[BarryR]

Because teaching discrimination to impressionable youth is fundamentally wrong.

Implying that being gay equals being a child molester is wrong.

Also scouting does not stipulate Christianity, it stipulates belief in god.

Scouting is supposed to bring the best out of youth and create the next generation of upstanding citizens and leaders. The organization should not foster exclusion and stereotypes.

I am proud of what I learned and my experience throughout scouting. I am not proud of the organizations stance on this topic.

Lastly, in February 1988 the BSA dropped their ban against women in leadership roles in Boy Scout Troops.

Things change, organizations evolve and the BSA members should force the organization to do the right thing.

+1
I think BSA has a great deal to offer. I was a scout in my Junior High School years and enjoyed it very much. I now have a seven year-old son and would certainly allow him to join when the time comes and might even encourage it, but I am torn due to their anti-gay and anti-atheist stance.

It's not a question of what BSA has the right to do (that was settled by the Supreme Court), but what they should do. I think their moral stature would be enhanced by showing tolerance. As an atheist, I am offended by the apparent notion that morality depends on a religious belief. History has certainly shown us a great many immoral religious leaders and moral and altruistic atheists (though it can be hard to spot the latter as they often remain 'in the closet'.