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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