PRESIDENT BUSH DEFENDS SCOUTING!
(Excerpts from his remarks to the Scout Jamboree, July 30, 2001)

� "When you join a Scout troop and put on the Boy Scout uniform, you, too, make a statement. Like every uniform, yours is a symbol of commitment. It is a sign to all that you believe in high standards, and that you are trying to live up to them every single day. As you do that, you bring credit to the Scout uniform and credit to your country. And I want you to know your country is proud of you�"

� "You can make a difference for America by the life you lead and the lives you serve. Times and challenges change, yet the values of Scouting will never change. Scouts of any era would recognize every word that you live by today, because those words have always defined Scouting. The goodness of a person and of the society he or she lives in often comes down to very simple things, and words found in the Scout Law. Every society depends on trust and loyalty, on courtesy and kindness, on bravery and reverence. These are the values of Scouting and these are the values of America.

What you have learned in Scouting will see you through life. In good times and difficult ones, the Scout Motto will always help you: "Be prepared." And whatever you do, the Scout Oath will always guide you: On your honor, do your best�"

A NOTE FROM THE EDITOR: Scouts continue to be the center of controversy.

Just over a year since the Supreme Court ruled in favor of the Scouts' Constitutional right to exclude openly homosexual men from serving as scoutmasters, it is now clear that, if anything, national attention to the controversy is increasing rather than diminishing. Newsweek devoted the cover and extensive coverage to it in the August 6th issue. In our last newsletter, we highlighted the cover story by our Chairman, Ed Meese, in the 3 million-circulation American Legion magazine. Certainly, the reaction to the anti-Scout PBS program, "Scouts Honor," aired nationwide in June, continues to reverberate through the country.

Final congressional action expected in September on the Helms-Hilleary amendment, which would cut off federal funds to school districts that discriminate against the Scouts, will further focus national attention on the issue. We are following developments on this upcoming action very closely and will be suggesting things which defenders of Scouting can do to support the amendment.

What all this suggests to us is that since the controversy is not going away, defenders of Scouting must become more adept at dealing with it and some of its impacts. In line with the old adage that "sometimes the best defense is a good offense," we are working on some tools and suggestions that we know you will find useful in this effort. Watch for more on these in the months ahead.

It is gratifying to see the things, large and small, that so many of you do to defend Scouting. As always, please keep us posted on what is happening in your area so we can let others know. Also, please help us pass the word by forwarding this on to others you think would be interested.

Peter Ferrara
Editor

P.S. You can help us better defend Scouting by making a contribution. Any amount is greatly appreciated and you can contribute securely online, or print off a form to mail, at our secure Web site. Thanks!

WHAT IS HAPPENING TO SCOUTING AROUND THE COUNTRY

SUPPORT BUILDING FOR HELMS-HILLEARY AMENDMENT�

Pro-Scout Groups Flood Senator Kennedy With 304,000 Signatures

A pro-scouting coalition of groups flooded Massachusetts Senator Ted Kennedy with more that 304.000 signatures of people who support the Helms-Hilleary amendment to the education bill working through Congress. The Helms-Hilleary amendment would cut off federal funding to school districts which discriminate against the Scouts for their position on excluding openly homosexual men from serving as scoutmasters. See article here.

Protestors Target Ohio Senator DeWine For Voting Against Helms Amendment

Ohio Senator Mike DeWine's vote against the Helms amendment to cut off federal funding to school districts which discriminate against the Scouts sparked a protest against him outside his Senate office building in Washington. See article here.

WHILE OTHER NEWS IS MIXED�

Newsweek Cover Story Predictably Negative

The cover story of the August 6th edition of Newsweek magazine, "The Battle For The Soul Of The Boy Scouts" focused, predictably, on the negative aspects of the controversy over the Scouts' policy of not allowing openly homosexual men to serve as Scoutmasters. The bias began with the magazine selecting a Scout to feature on the cover photo who disagreed with the policy. Other claims were that 30% of Scout families did not support the national policy and that the Helms-Hilleary amendment to the education bill that would cut off funds to school districts that discriminate against the Scouts would not survive the House-Senate conference committee. No article available on line.

Activists Renew Pressure On San Diego To Boot Scouts From Balboa Park

After a period of relative inactivity on the issue, homosexual activists and atheists are stepping up pressure on the City of San Diego not to renew the local Scout council's lease to a Scout camp in Balboa Park. The city council is expected to take action this fall on renewing the lease. See article here.

Homosexual-Endorsed "Scouting For All" Group's Protests Against The Scouts Fizzle

Nationwide protests against the Scouts called by the homosexual-oriented group, "Scouting For All," for the week of August 19 appeared to have fizzled. Only 12 protestors showed up at the Scout national office in Dallas. Seven showed up in Montgomery, Alabama, and a lone protestor showed up outside the Housatonic Council in Connecticut. See article here.

Homosexual Berkeley City Councilman Embarrasses City, Scouts

Kriss Worthington, an openly homosexual member of the Berkeley, California City Council, protested a planned ceremony at city hall where Mayor Shirley Dean was to receive a proclamation from a delegation of 38 Japanese Scouts from Berkley's sister city, Sakai. When Worthington threatened to make the ceremony an "educational experience" because American Scouts would also attend, Mayor Dean canceled the ceremony and moved it to a location outside the city. His actions triggered a flood of criticism, including a scathing editorial in the Oakland newspaper, and Worthington was forced to apologize. See article here.

Boston Scout Council Adopts Liberal Homosexual Policy-Or Do They?

The Boston, Massachusetts, Minuteman Council caused a national stir when it adopted new by-laws which changed its policy on openly homosexual scoutmasters to a "don't ask-don't tell" approach. However, within days in response to a test of that policy by homosexual activists, the council refused the application of a homosexual man to be a scoutmaster, leaving it scrambling to clarify just what is its new policy. See articles here and here.

Broward County Backs Down Even Further From Its Attack On The Scouts

Broward County, Florida, has had to back down even further in its vendetta against the Boy Scouts. Slapped with a court injunction last Spring which stopped the school district from evicting the Scouts from the schools, they then tried to impose high rents on all groups using the schools after hours. Responding to the opposition of dozens of these other groups, Superintendent Frank Till now says that all groups will only be charged the cost of electricity, at a rate yet to be determined. See article here.

AND PRESSURE ON LOCAL UNITED WAYS CONTINUES.

Proof Positive That Local "Sexual Orientation" Anti-Discrimination Ordinances Can Hurt Scouts-And United Ways

The Ann Arbor, Michigan, City Council recently voted 6-3 to sever its relationship with the Washtenaw County United Way because of the local charity's support of the Boy Scouts. Supporters of the effort cited the city's ordinance prohibiting discrimination based on "sexual orientation." For their part, opponents of such ordinances have long emphasized the potential harm they would do the Scouts. Ann Arbor has provided additional evidence to support their claims. See article here.

Gloucester, Massachusetts Cuts Ties To Local United Way Over Scout Funding

Gloucester, Massachusetts Mayor Bruce Tobey has canceled the city's participation in the local United Way's fundraising drive because the group funds the Boy Scouts. The mayor admits he was inspired to do it after reading about another mayor whose popularity increased after taking a similar action. See article here.

Donors Designating Contributions For Scouts Replace Lost United Way Funding

In one of those heartening but too-rare cases, United Way donors in Chester County, Pennsylvania designated enough of their contributions to the local United Way to go specifically to the Scouts to virtually replace the funds the local charity cut. The $68,000 in designated contributions nearly made up for the $69,000 the charity had contributed to the Scouts last year but eliminated this year. Designated donations to the Scouts had only been about $25,000 in the previous year. See article here.

SOME THOUGHTFUL COMMENTARY ON SCOUTING�

In "Why The Boy Scouts Work," author Heather Mac Donald focuses on the particular value of the Scouting program to inner-city and minority boys because it effectively teaches values and provides positive male role models they may not get anywhere else. From City Journal, a publication of the Manhattan Institute For Policy Research. Read about it here.

"Gay Activists Crusade Against The Boy Scouts Backfiring" concludes Stefan Kanfer in his column. He cites as a major reason "the nation, from the highest court� to most politicians, to the average American, simply refuses to go along with the idea that the Boy Scouts' morally-principled stance against homosexual behavior is a form of discrimination comparable to treating blacks or women as second-class citizens." Appeared in the Tallahassee Democrat newspaper. Read about it here.

In his column "Tolerance Can Be Expressed By The Self-professed Tolerant," Tom Shaefer provides a thoughtful and common-sense analysis of charges of intolerance often leveled at defenders of the Scouts. He asks "have you ever been called intolerant? If you've made the slightest judgment about another person's actions or behavior, you've probably worn the brand. And religious people, it seems, are particularly subject to such an accusation." Appeared in the Wichita Eagle newspaper. Read about it here.