It's not a one or the other question. What do you think is the more dangerous situation? Your child joining the scouts or your child having access to an abortion without your consent?
Maybe the boy scout/girl scouts are nothing more than just programs designed to teach and guide children. Maybe, just maybe it's not designed by the Bush family or all the neocons to recruit our youth into military doctrine. Maybe, just maybe it was created to develop good character, build a sense of responsibility and foster a strong sense of community duty. How sad is it that someone can be so paranoid that they find conspiracy in everything to include a program that has proven itself to be so beneficial to children and their community.
i think it is more dangerous that my girl walks across a big street than it is to joing the boy scouts. if i prevent that she crosses the street, do i have to send her to the scouts now? i don't get your "logic".
many maybes. how sad you assume that someone is an insance conspiracy theorist if he does not want his child to play soldier.
But youâre the one who hung himself out there to be judged that way by starting this thread. And again with the notion that by being a scout one is "playing soldier". I have three nephews that are all eagle scouts and two more working their way towards it. One of the eagle scouts is a police officer (who by the way wears a uniform) one is a college student (no uniform) and one who is a college graduate that works for the locale Democratic National Committee. (Obviously doesn't wear a uniform) All three of these men proudly sing the praise of their successes partly to the boy scouts. I'm not going to sway your opinion and I don't want to. So like you I'm stating my opinion. I think your completely wrong, period. You erroneously judge an organization that has in doubt proven itself to be of great value. I suspect that your interest in starting this thread lies more along the line of instigating an argument then anything else.
well, i am aware that such topic inspires debate, call that "instigating an argument" if you will. some people have a problem with influencing children early on in such way, some don't. the examples of your nephwes are a little offtopic for me, because i never implied that the boyscouts create monsters ... but i am willing to admit that this point i am making is so subtle, that it does not come across. yet, sometimes "subtle" things matter.
I think the point is that you perceive the boy scouts to be a harmful enough group where you would prohibit your child from joining but on the other hand as you are a self proclaimed leftist you have no problem voting for somebody that makes abortions available to childern without you having any say. My point being, if you want to protect your children the leftist representatives you are voting for have the potential to do far more harm to your child than the cub scouts ever would. Maybe if you allowed your child to join they would learn the values that would help them in not making other poor decisions in life.
JW: >Maybe if you allowed your child to join they would learn >the values that would help them in not making other >poor decisions in life. Perhaps he's one who believes that it is the *parents* who are responsible for instilling said values. JB
As a single dad raising a teenage daughter myself I'm 100% behind the idea of parental responsibility. But being a single dad raising a teenage daughter I also understand that sometimes we have to turn to the "tools" that help us to raise them. Those "tools" can be teachers and school activities, orginized sports, and even scouting programs. Remember that old saying "It takes a community to raise a child"? You really develope an understanding of it's meaning when you have to go it alone. Values start at home but need to be reenforced constantly. A person can take any orginization and/or activity and find a paranoid spin around it. But sometimes there just isn't a conspiracy lurcking it it's shadow.
I remember the phrase that "it takes a community to raise a child" but that raises the question as to the nature of the community. Is the community a private community, or one that is open to all? Scouting, high school cliques, college fraternities, memberships in private golf clubs... Yes, those are communities, homogenous communities, but do those communities breed genuine individuality, or do they breed conformity and shunning of those who are not "members" of the right community? The parent has to decide if he wants his kid to be a member of Skull and Bones society like Kerry and Bush, or a member of the school band and/or other open non secretive non exclusive organizations where you interact with all types of people...