Evil Gays, Atheists Force Scouts into Unethical Logging

The Boy Scouts of America are supposed to teach boys the virtues of understanding and properly caring for nature. They may not be quite an "environmentalist" organization, but they have portrayed themselves as generally "conservationist" for promoting a better appreciation for nature. All the while, though, Boy Scout troops have been making lots of money by letting loggers and developers play havoc with land that had been entrusted to them by suckers.

Instead of owning up to their misdeeds, though, some Boy Scout leaders are blaming the evil gays and atheists for forcing these actions on the BSA. That's right, it's really all the fault of gays and atheists for bringing the public's attention to the ways in which the Boy Scouts promote bigotry and discrimination. This has evidently cost the BSA money from charities and government organizations, so they've had to make up the difference by destroying forests. Right, that makes sense.

While its Outdoor Code directs youths to “be conservation-minded,” the organization that uses land as a lure to instill such values in boys has often sought cash exclusively from developers, not land trusts or conservation groups, when seeking to sell property, a Hearst review of national sales found. ...

Boy Scout councils are independent. Yet the organization’s central governing body, based in Texas, has strongly emphasized financial performance in the last decade — often, critics claim, rewarding leaders who presided over controversial land and timber deals on behalf of councils that were already well-off. ...

Critics argue that some sales and timber harvests often seem haphazard or opportunistic. Forestland “will be in the hands of the Boy Scouts for a long time and then, ‘Oh gee, we can make a lot more money if we sell it and develop it,’  ” said Brian Boyle, leader of the Northwest Environmental Forum and an opponent of sales of timberlands. ...

The Beaumont-based council, for example, generated ill will after it merged with the Orange-based council and then sold Camp Bill Stark, land donated decades before by an Orange-based foundation for youth use. The land was immediately clear-cut by new owners.

Source: Houston Chronicle

It's possible to do some development and logging in responsible ways. Sometimes it's necessary to do some clearing in forests in order to prevent fires, for example. In such cases, the Boy Scouts could have taught proper land management, conservation, and made money all at the same time. That didn't happen when the Boy Scouts engaged in "haphazard or opportunistic" profit-taking.

It's important to note that this has been going on since at least 1990, which is almost a twenty year span of time. This isn't a new or recent development in response to recent lawsuits.

"In public, they say they want to teach kids about saving the environment," said Jane Childers, a longtime scouting volunteer in Washington state who has fought against scouts' logging. "But in reality, it's all about the money."

"The Boy Scouts had to suffer the consequences for sticking by their moral values," said Eugene Grant, president of the Portland, Ore., Cascade Pacific Council's board of directors. "There's no question" that the Scouts' anti-gay, anti-atheist stance has cost the organization money, he said. As a result, he said, "every council has looked at ways to generate funds ... and logging is one of them."

Source: San Francisco Chronicle (via: Bligbi)

By "sticking by their moral values," Eugene Grant actually refers to the Boy Scouts sticking to the "moral values" of bigotry, discrimination, and hate. Frankly, I think that any group which insists on "sticking" to such "values" should lose money — they shouldn't receive any support whatsoever from public foundations, government or charities. Any organization or person who contributes to a bigoted organization like the Boy Scouts is directly and deliberately complicit in that bigotry. Anyone who supports the Boy Scouts of America is supporting bigotry, discrimination, and hatred.... and now, also the destruction of America's natural resources.