I read this morning that the Boy Scouts of America has filed Chapter 11 bankruptcy.?ÿ I know that they have been accused of ignoring the abuse claims and that settlements will surely be more than their net worth.?ÿ I hate that (the abuse, the failure to act, and the bankruptcy) but I sure hope the BSA comes back strong.?ÿ I was never a Boy Scout, we lived too far out in the country to attend any meetings, but I do know some men who had great experiences and went on to be successful in life due to some of the lessons learned in the Scouts.
Andy
I've always thought the BSA was a positive influence on not only myself but a host of other young folks.?ÿ Not 18" from my screen here is a copy of my 1961 "Scout Field Book".?ÿ There is still some good info in there like how to find north, day or night, and even with a wrist watch.?ÿ I refer to it from time to time about various subjects.
It is sad to see the organization going through trouble.?ÿ The "real" world has a way of getting into the nooks and crannies of our lives.?ÿ Even though I have fond memories of all my scouting exploits there is a harsh reality behind it.?ÿ I was in a Scout Patrol (Troop 64, Thunderbird Patrol) with three other classmates.?ÿ I'm the only one still alive on the "outside".?ÿ Tommy B. is doing life in the penitentiary for murder of his wife and her boyfriend.?ÿ Kenny C. caught a bullet in the head during a drug deal gone bad in Houston and Danny H. was an AIDS casualty and left us in the early '90s.?ÿ
And I still think my experience as a Scout was a highlight of my younger years.
Like Andy, I was too far out in the country to take part in Boy Scouts.?ÿ Had a quite a number of friends while in high school, though, who had been involved, including a couple who made Eagle Scout.?ÿ It appeared to have been a very good experience for them and helped them in several ways.?ÿ Back in the day there were many boys in the Scouts.?ÿ Around here today almost no one is involved.?ÿ Too many other options that put less stress on the parents.?ÿ 4-H and FFA numbers are down for the same lazy reason.?ÿ Parents too busy taking care of their own interests instead of boosting their offspring.?ÿ Selfishness.
Sorry, just another way for them to AVOID paying for the damage they have caused.?ÿ It's a total cop out.?ÿ?ÿ I hope they go down in flames where they belong.?ÿ
?ÿ
?ÿ
I have mixed feelings about this.?ÿ Part of me agrees with Andy J.?ÿ The adult leadership failed miserably to adhere to the same ideals they were tasked with instilling in boys and young men.?ÿ The other part of me has very fond memories of being in Scouts, both Cub Scouts and Boy Scouts.
Being a cowkid on a ranch in the Nebraska Sandhills, I developed a love of the mountains when I was in Scouts.?ÿ Every summer, I'd go to the Laramie Peak Scout Camp near Wheatland, WY for a week and soak in the smell of pine trees.?ÿ I also enjoyed canoe trips down the Green River in Wyoming and the Snake River in Nebraska.?ÿ Well, canoeing down the Snake River was a bit of a misnomer.?ÿ We dragged out canoes and kayaks over a LOT of sandbars.
Now days I like to tease my wife that my Eagle Scout training comes in handy.?ÿ I do my duty and help a little old lady every day.?ÿ I sometimes have to duck after saying that.
I am afraid I agree with Andy. Both of my sons were involved with cub Scouts, I was also a Cubmaster, and also offered the Survey Merit Badge to Boy Scouts. The program has gone down and is not the same experience as when I was scout age. Both of my sons no longer participate with Scouts and I have completely removed myself from BoA. Filling for bankruptcy is a total cop-out. Those leaders who are found guilty should be held accountable! Those poor boys were no different then my own and could have easily been a victim. 0.02
I'm all for punishing the perpetrators, and any individuals who failed to do something they should have to prevent it. The organization clearly needs a kick in the ....But I'm not sure who is punished by suing the Boy Scouts out of existence.?ÿ
When an organization files Chapter 11 a court is going to review the books. If they are just trying to hide assets that will come to light quickly and fail.?ÿ ?ÿ
Fortunately, as it turns out, some of us were not able to qualify for the Boy Scouts and were steered towards the Woodcraft Rangers in East Los Angeles.
I came out of that experiences with a badge or two and a funky hand sign, but no emotional scars, if you get my drift.
JA, PLS, SoCal
This thread is getting dangerously close to political. Let's not assume all people are accurately described by one or other label.
Knowing human beings, I'm sure there were abuses of children.?ÿ My only first hand story goes like so.
Controlling mother with weak son who benefited from scouting.?ÿ He could have benefited more but by 90's had to let woman in, where she chided, scolded, belittled and basically did her best to prevent the boy from developing into a man.?ÿ First aid training required going through a mock emergency where you had to find and stop blood flow via vein on the thigh near the crotch.?ÿ Always many people there, not a one on one thing, and part of the lesson was you need to overcome your embarrassment in an emergency in order to help.?ÿ Kid went through that no problem.?ÿ Years later he turned in a very poor performance on an Eagle project and scoutmaster refused to grant Eagle scout status unless he did another project.?ÿ Mother sues for molestation based on "he felt uncomfortable" in first aid training years ago.?ÿ Investigation by police, and removal from scoutmaster status, and barred from scouting for scoutmaster who had helped so many kids for so many years with selfless service.?ÿ Investigation turns up nothing but police refuse to close case and scouts refuse to clear scoutmasters name.?ÿ I and many others who had same scoutmaster donate to legal fund, and after 10-15 years finally able to get case closed and scout file cleared.?ÿ And I imagine the kids are no longer trained to find that vein; better someone bleed to death than be a little uncomfortable.
Teachers, daycare, scouts, sports, a few bad apples make it so dangerous that good and decent people avoid serving our children.?ÿ So sad.
It's a real shame that a couple of folks wrote some rather lengthy and informative replies, but marred them at some point with one quick line of politics. Those posts are gone now.
?ÿ
"What a shame that a few bad apples have to spoil a good time for everyone by breaking the rules"
- Eric "Otter" Stratton, Rush Chairman (d**n glad to meet ya)
My apologies, topic just really hits home for me.?ÿ
.... I'm not sure who is punished by suing the Boy Scouts out of existence ..
Too late to edit.... I wish I had phrased that as "I'm not sure that the right people are being punished by suing the Boy Scouts out of existence"...?ÿ
I actually took the trouble to read the particulars of the bankruptcy action.?ÿ It's not what it seems.?ÿ Only the national authority will go into Chapter 11, primarily to set aside a large victim's compensation fund, and protect employee's pension funds, and their basic administrative structure, etc.?ÿ It'll act as a clearinghouse for victims and is actively soliciting victims to come forward.?ÿ It's not as if they're nearly broke;?ÿthe bankruptcy filing listed liabilities of between $100 million and $500 million and assets of $1 billion to $10 billion.?ÿ
The 272 local councils are not involved and will continue operations as before.?ÿ The National Authority's position is the bankruptcy will allow BSA to continue to operate for the foreseeable future and slowly remove the cloud of the abuse allegations by actively settling them with reduced litigation costs.
BSA's real problem is they're a dying breed.?ÿ They had 4.8 million in the '70s and now have about 2 million members.?ÿ The ?ÿBSA receives extensive donations from major corporations. ?ÿIntel and UPS cut funding to BSA in 2012.?ÿ ?ÿThe LDS church was the largest single sponsor of scouting (starting in 1913) until it ceased sponsoring scouting units at the end of 2019.?ÿ Since its inception in 1910, more than 130 million young men and women have participated in the BSA's youth programs;?ÿ it would be sad to see it die off.?ÿ They are trying; gay, atheist,?ÿ transgender scouts and leaders are now permitted by the National Authority, subject to approval?ÿat the local council level.
I'm just curious about what will happen to some of the Boy Scout Camps. I know of one in particular that would be VERY valuable land.
@jaro Is there anything more valuable than the youth of a country? I'm working on an ongoing subdivision of a boy scout camp, but i wish it were still a boy scout camp.
I was a cub scout and boy scout from a town that never had over a dozen members at any time and the adventures from that experience were worth the efforts and taught me great things that I'd not have learned elsewhere.
The only incidents that I can remember were from a couple of veterans that were recruited into being Scoutmasters that were found to be suffering from PTS that went somewhat native when they were presented with events that put their conciseness back into the battlefields.
Only one son and one grandson followed in that and the others are involved with their own thing that molds their lives.
Today, there are so many other organizations and seasonal events for our youth to be involved with. Tthe scouting program has hurt itself by its own actions against controversy and lost its former ranking of something desireable for new generations and most of their supporters have left them to fend for themselves.
They hold control of many properties across the Nation and probably other places that they can not afford to keep and they can't get rid of any of it soon enough to pay their debts.
There are several camps in NE Texas that I remember well that has always been considered prime real estate.
