I am a proud Eagle Scout...
You're to be commended! Few ever earn Eagle. I was distant, moving to other things years before then.
...but there are things about Scouting (on the National administration level) that I'm not very proud of--and this is one of them...
I distinctly remember the motto (I have this thing about oaths and mottos...):
"On my honor I will do my best
To do my duty to God and my country
and to obey the Scout Law;
To help other people at all times;
To keep myself physically strong,
mentally awake, and morally straight."
It's the second to the last line that bugs me. Firearms are nothing more than an extension of keeping one's self physically strong with respect to repelling invaders/boarders. As we age and loose our physical prowess, firearms remain a great equalizer.
If one would argue "physical strength" in the scouting motto was never meant to have anything to do with self defense, I'd have to ask what in the world was meant by the "mentally awake" bit following it. Sounds like foxhole talk to me.
In the meantime, I remain concerned about the disconnect between their Youth Protection stance and their No Firearms stance. The two seem diametrically opposed: "The Boy Scouts of America places the greatest importance on creating the most secure environment possible for our youth members." Really? By disarming them and all adults around them? That didn't work for Virginia Tech, and it won't work for the BSA, for one simple reason: The criminally insane don't care. They'll never respect the effort. They couldn't give a rat's ass about motive, and will not hesitate to fire upon any unarmed group if it furthers their individual psychoses.
One thing they do seem to care about is the idea of targeting points of weakness, usually individuals massed together while simultaneously deprived of a means of self-defense. To these criminally insane, that means maximum effect at minimum risk.
Put simply, the Boy Scouts are following the path of Virginia Tech, and we know how well that worked (not).
The question is: What to do about it? Doing nothing is not a viable option, as sooner or later, some idiot or criminally insane person like Cho will come along and take advantage of it. Doing nothing is negligence, tantamount to signing the death warrant of those who may be targeted.
Doing nothing is in violation of the Scout Law, which begins with "To help other people at all times."
Traditional Scouting and the goals and beliefs of our Founding Fathers are rock solid. I'm sure you've heard of "Be Prepared." Sauntering around a potential target zone while willingly being void of a means of self/other defense is the antithesis of being prepared.
Grr... I'm simply so surprised, and somewhat perturbed, to learn that Scouting appears to have parted ways with rationality. Just wondering if there's anything I can do, or if the Scouting powers that be have already bought into the disarmament left's mantras.
