BY DAN
KENNEDY
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Saturday, September 04, 2004
ON WHOSE HONOR?
PENDLETON, Ore., Sept. 3 -
In his first public appearance after the Republican convention,
Vice President Dick Cheney stood by every one of the
administration's foreign and economic policies in a speech here on
Friday that drew unflattering comparisons with the positions of
Senator John Kerry.
...
Arrayed on the stage were
veterans in American Legion caps, Boy Scouts whose sashes were
thick with merit badges, three young women in fancy cowgirl
costumes with fringed vests and, beside them, two people dressed
as American Indians, complete with beaded accessories and
single-feathered headbands.
- New
York Times, 9/4/04
Chartered organizations agree to
use the Scouting program in accordance with their own policies as
well as those of the BSA. The program is flexible, but major
departures from BSA methods and policies are not permitted. As a
parent, you should be aware that: ...
- Citizenship activities are
encouraged, but partisan political activities are
prohibited.
- Boy
Scouts of America (PDF
file)
Do not wear the uniform in
situations that might mistakenly imply an endorsement by the BSA
of a product, service, political candidate, or philosophy.
Scouts and Scouters [adult leaders] are encouraged to
take part in political matters as private individuals but not
while wearing the uniform.
- Greater
Salt Lake Council, Boy
Scouts of America
The Greater Salt Lake Council
policy is a restatement of national policy, and is not restricted to
Salt Lake. I include it because I think it's clearer and more
explicit than the national statement I found.
Two other relevant points. The Boy
Scouts of America is chartered by Congress. And Eagle scouts receive
an official, wallet-size card that includes the signature of the
president of the United States.
Can the line between partisan and
nonpartisan activities be hazy? Well, sure. Recently I
covered
an appearance by George W. Bush in Stratham, New Hampshire. Uniformed
Boy Scouts (and Girl Scouts) were all over the place. But they had
set up booths to sell food to the picnic-goers, raising money for
their troops. None of them appeared on stage with the
president.
But it sounds like uniformed scouts
in Pendleton actually took part in lending an undeserved touch of
class to Cheney's attacks on Kerry.
In the photo above, from the
East
Oregonian website, you
can just make out a few uniformed scouts behind Cheney.
posted at 9:31 AM |
7 comments
|
link
7 Comments:
Wow, a little time on your hands Dan? Did you meet "Deep Merit Badge" in a darkened garage? Guess this means we won't have to hear about Scouts being "homophobes" for a while..
Hey, Anonymous --
It's always interesting to see the assumptions that people like you make. This is very important to me. If you do a little research on the Web (it's all there) you'll find out why.
Free prize if you can one instance where I've ever referred to "Scouts being 'homophobes.'"
This Anon was hoping you'd comment on AP's 'Boogate'. Not only was the story a fabrication, but AP has so far refused to come clean about it. Strange deal.
Check it out.
http://www.brazosriver.com/scouts.htm
Thanks Dan. Reminds me of the time the Defense Department "happened" to put on one of their big annual shows across the street from a major RNC event.
Was that the DoD playing politics? Of course not, they were just showing off their patriotism!
Hey Dan,
Me again. Guess I wasn't granular enough. My point was not that scouting is or should be homophobic.I do know that this is important to you. It's just that you presume, like many idealogues, that IT SHOULD BE IMPORTANT TO US. (Check your demographic, are lots of BSA families reading the escort ads?) You are right in pointing out that politics should not be mixed with scouting. Tell it to the guy in the mirror. Or is this about politics and not scouting?
As an Eagle Scout and a former Summer Camp Counselor, all I can say is that I'm appalled at the overt BSA presence at Cheney's latest rant.
The old BSA, the one I grew up with in the 1970's was way more circumspect about candidates and politicians.
But alas the BSA has been trending rightward since my day which is a shame because the organization has many virtues in my opinion.
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Dan Kennedy is senior writer and media critic for the Boston Phoenix.
