The Sun Times reports:
"It is critical that the Pentagon send this very clear signal to its units across the globe to insure that government officials are not engaged in religious discrimination in their official capacity," said Charles Peters, a lawyer with the firm Schiff Hardin, who assisted the ACLU of Illinois. ... The settlement with the Pentagon affects only 422 of about 120,000 Scouting programs, said Greg Shields of The Boy Scouts of America based in Irving, Texas. Most of those 422 programs were on military bases, he said.
The American Legion is not happy:
“Is there no one in Washington, DC, at the highest levels of government that will stand up for Scouts, for Scouting and support this movement that has long been an institution of highest reputation in America?” Cadmus asked. “ Where’s the President? Where’s his Cabinet? Where’s the Congress? What are the courts doing? Where is the outrage? ... On behalf of the 2.7 million men and women of the Legion, I am asking you to hold the line of assault on the Scouts. Stand up to the ACLU. Find a way to give those who serve our nation the chance to serve their children. Do what is necessary to blend the private organization that Scouting is with the military organization of our Republic. It has been done freely and openly for almost 100 years - That’s a precedent that cannot be disregarded.”
Pay particular attention to the statement that the "private organization" of Scouting must be "blended" with the "military organization" of the Defense Department. This is outrageous on several levels. First, I doubt that many Scouts would want their organization to be "blended" with the military and become little more than a junior wing of the armed forces. Second, Scouting leaders would object, if for no other reason, because that would eliminate their ability to argue that they can legally discriminate against gays and atheists.
That aside, though, I think we all realize that American Legion National Commander Thomas P. Cadmus would not be saying these things if the Boy Scouts discriminated against Jews or Catholics, defended their right to do so, and the Defense Department was cutting ties with the group because it's unconstitutional to support such discrimination. Why? Cadmus is probably good enough of a man to recognize that discrimination against Jews and Catholics is wrong and shouldn't be supported or endorsed, even indirectly, by the government and the military.
Unfortunately, it doesn't appear as though he is good enough of a man to extend the same courtesy and consideration to atheists.
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