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Boy Scouts Ask Open Source Community For Help
Lucas123 writes "The Boy Scouts of America are looking to the open-source community for help in building software to use for fundraisers, special events, and other functions, for their more than 121,000 local scout troops. Some open source advocates, who are former Boy Scouts, support the idea, despite a few reservations. According to the article, there are no plans for a scout merit badge in open source — but there has been a merit badge in computers since 1967, 'and it is possible that if the program is successful, it could eventually be used by IT-savvy scouts themselves.'"
The parent doesn't say BSA.
It says "Boy Scouts of America."
We must be alert to the danger that public policy could become captive to a scientific-technological elite. - Eisenhower
No, you gay agnostics can fuck off.
heh heh
wake up and hold your nose
They're almost as intolerant as you are. You managed to dismiss religious faith as "mythology" and "stone age views", and equate moral criticism of homosexuality with irrational phobias (no one could possibly have different values than you unless they're being irrational, right?). The Boy Scouts don't even begin to approach your level of bigotry, so what is it you feel the need to "hold them accountable for"?
Read it you moron. Look at your own title. He only said BSA in his subject. Besides when does /. need anything to throw their hatred at. The Boy Scouts is a great organization. All of you haters disgust me.
Fuck the Boy Scouts.
Until they stop being such an arrogantly discriminatory organization, they can stop asking for crap.
They don't deserve software, HUD grants, special treatment from congress, or anything else. They can fuck off.
"I hope I don't make a mistake and manage to remain a virgin." - Britney Spears
Can't you just despise the Scouts for being an obviously para-military organization pushing a religious agenda with its origins in competing with similar fascist programs in Europe prior to WWII?
As much as I am pro-gay rights, is a single man who wants to be a scoutmaster (which is obviously kind of weird and fishy to start with)worth the legal liability associated with making it that easy to go camping with young boys? Although the Scouts may largely discriminate against gay men in the name of God and Country, operationally it is a sound, if unpleasant decision. Are single men allowed to lead Girl Scout Troops?
The BSA isn't a government agency nor do they receive public monies, they can do as they please. The scouts actively remove gay leaders and outed gay scouts, but they receive public monies and operate on public land. Now they want to work with the computer industry, which I have to say is teaming with gay folks(yes, were smarter than you :) and they expect cooperation? They are $*%&^@ nutz! I don't think the open-source community has any business assisting a company, yes a COMPANY, who actively discriminates against anyone...PERIOD!
Why is it that most religious people I meet are Atheists?
I am so pleased to see that there is sooooo much tolerance here for people who have different beliefs than those who post here. It is awesome that so many of you who bash this organization are probably also big time 1st amendment thumpers. I guess if someone has a different opinion than you, you don't support THEIR 1st amendment rights.
I am sure that if the BSA did allow homosexual scout leaders many of you would liken them to the "Jesus Freaks" in the Catholic Church. I admire the BSA for standing up for that in which they believe. I for one hope that the BSA get all the help they need and more.
They won't let your kid in because you told him to make a scene to announce that he "didn't believe in thier "supreme being"". It's a private organization that has a very small religous aspect to it. I am proud to be a den leader in the cub scout program. I do not believe in God, but I just keep that private. I and my other son's den leader just ask the parents to do that very small section themselves. Apart from the religion the cub scouts is a very good program for boys. It wasn't your kids belief that kept him out of scouts, it was his being an asshole during signup that kept him out.
Religion was never a big deal when I was in scouts. Oh, sure, it's part of the scout oath and law, but it is intentionally vague.
The oath:
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.
"God" can be any God you like.
The Law:
A Scout is:
* Trustworthy,
* Loyal,
* Helpful,
* Friendly,
* Courteous,
* Kind,
* Obedient,
* Cheerful,
* Thrifty,
* Brave,
* Clean,
* and Reverent.
You can be Reverent to anyone you like.
I can never remember religion being a topic of discussion at any Scouting function, except on the rare occasion when were were at some official function where they wanted to say a prayer or something before or after some large affair.
I have never been religious, and my family never went to church. Religion had little impact on my Scouting experience.
As for homosexuality, I have no problem with homosexuality, but I still approve of the Boy Scouts' stance on it. Scouting is an institution that helps boys grow up to be men. It is not an institution to help boys grow up to be women. And aside from being ill-suited to providing guidance to homosexual youths, I would consider it, from seeing it happen, to be an ill-suited place for anyone who is "different".
No matter what the official policy on homosexuals may be by the BSA, they will never fit in and be accepted by the rest of the kids. We had a gay kid in one of the troops I was involved with. Despite all my efforts to stop it, he was the constant point of ridicule and butt of jokes. Kids are simply brutal. I was picked on incessantly for being a nerd, and gay kids are going to be picked on incessantly for being gay. I wish the world was nicer, but it's not.
A work that expires before its copyright never enters the public domain and thus enjoys eternal copyright protection.
BZZT! Wrong. What we're being is intolerant of intolerance itself. We are, indirectly, promoting tolerance. This is not "the pot calling the kettle black", which is exactly what hate-mongering people would like you to believe. That way, you stay quiet instead of objecting loudly to their intolerance. Nice try, though.
I like to think of online DRM as something akin to a college -- you pay for lessons until you learn something.
Lesbian Mary sure would have alleviated a lot of strife from the past two thousand years.
>Homosexual men are not the same as nor do they aspire to be women.
No shit, really? (rolls eyes)
I think my point was pretty plain. Scouting is a place to help boys grow up to be men. NORMAL men.
It has, collectively, no provision, ability, or desire to help them with growing up to be a homosexual man.
It would be like going to a model train club and expecting help to build radio controlled airplanes. It's not their forte.
A work that expires before its copyright never enters the public domain and thus enjoys eternal copyright protection.
>Yeah, I see they taught you some real fine lessons. I think you just made our point.
/excellent/ at what it does. I'm sorry that it can't be excellent at helping homosexual boys grow up to be homosexual men. Perhaps you could start an organization to cater to their needs.
And what point would that be? It's the truth. The Scouting Organization is an organization to help boys become normal men. This includes dealing with all the issues of normal adolescence encountered along the way. It collectively has no provision, ability, nor desire to help boys grow up to be homosexuals, or deal with homosexual issues of adolescence encountered along the way.
The BSA is
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I sympathize with individuals who feel same sex attraction. But I also feel God has plainly stated that sexual relations should be confined within the bonds of marriage between one man and one woman. That's not bigotry. It's expressing my moral standard. Your standards may differ. Ain't variety the spice of life.
Open gays are excluded in scouting because inherently it becomes sexuality issue. A leader who discusses sex issues at a scouting meeting or function should be removed. Scouting is not the forum for "discovering" one's sexual identity. If I were to say in a scout meeting, "I really enjoyed banging my wife last night," I'd be thrown out.
Quoting from the BSA adult application:
The applicant must possess the moral, educational, and emotional qualities that the Boy Scouts of America deems necessary to afford positive leadership to youth. The applicant must also be the correct age, and subscribe to the Declaration of Religious Principle, and abide by the Scout Oath or Promise, and the Scout Law.As far as the religion issue:
The Boy Scouts of America maintains that no member can grow into the best kind of citizen without recognizing an obligation to God and, therefore, recognizes the religious element in the training of the member, but is absolutely nonsectarian in its attitude toward that religious training.When you're a scout leader, you commit to put personal agendas aside and teach, coach and inspire young men to become better citizens.
Start the org and tell me how it goes when a fundamentalist Christian wants to be a leader, m'kay? thanks! Maybe some enterprising geeks could start one up, dedicated to environmentalism, conservation, science, and other mildly geeky stuff in addition to the BSA. Like the "Mr. Wizard Brigade" or something. You mean like Camp Quest?
From the site:
"The fight for freedom has only just begun." - Geert Wilders
>So you got that "having sex with females" merit badge? I only went through "Star" scout, but I don't recall a single scouting
>activity that depended on my ability to have the hots for women. Scouting is a place that has no need to reference sexual
>orientation at all. It has, collectively, no need or ability to affect the sexual orientation of its members.
>Why exactly it has decided to have the desire is beyond me.
Obviously there are no "having sex with females" merit badges. Nonetheless I remember having discussions about sex with my peers and with adult leaders in our troop. It wasn't like and official "sex ed" type of setting, it was a discussion about sex with a bunch of friends hiking through the woods. All on the up-and-up. As such, it helped me deal with questions about normal sexuality. I don't think the Scouting environment will ever foster this kind of environment for homosexuals.
>In the aftermath of the referenced court decision, they reflected upon their Christian values, and kicked the scouts to the curb.
That's wonderful. One of the largest, most respected, proven institutions of leadership and man-building in our country and you are happy to see it's demise. For all it's faults, you should be ashamed.
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