Friday, July 28, 2017

The BSA Issues an Apologih-gee.



So here’s the thing:

The Boy Scouts of America *shouldn’t* have to apologize for the speech President Donald Trump offered at the National Scout Jamboree Monday.

But, I suppose as President Trump himself likely won’t apologize for the speech which brought politics to the BSA in a venue where politics should not have come, *somebody* had to apologize.

“These character-building experiences have not diminished in recent days at the jamboree,” writes Michael Surbaugh, national chief scout executive in the apology. “Scouts have continued to trade patches, climb rock walls, and share stories about the day’s adventures. But for our Scouting family at home not able to see these real moments of Scouting, we know the past few days have been overshadowed by the remarks offered by the President of the United States.”

For my part as Scoutmaster, while I’ve encouraged my Scouts to talk about service and civic engagement, particularly when we’re working on the Citizenship merit badges, I’ve always tried to steer the discussion clear of partisan politics. Such talk does little to enlighten and serves mainly as a soapbox where one side simply shouts down the other. 

We place emphasis on the maxim that we can disagree without being disagreeable.
Unless, of course, you’re Popeye. When you reach that point, well, you reach that point.

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