From: stank@cbnewsl.cb.att.com (Stan Krieger)
Subject: Re: BofA and UW can now support discrimination against blacks and Jews
Organization: Summit NJ
Date: Fri, 21 Aug 1992 17:48:21 GMT

Carl M. Kadie writes:
>[Followup to rec.scouting,alt.discrimination,chi.general]
>
>In their effort to restore funding to the Boy Scouts of America, the
>Bank of America and the United Way of Suburban Chicago have lifted
>their bans on supporting racially and religiously discriminatory
>programs. (Note: the United Way of Suburban Chicago is distinct from
>the United Way of Chicago.)

For the benefit of soc.culture.jewish readers who are seeing this
issue for the first time, here is some background.  (As all of
you probably know, I am a Jew whose affiliation is Conservative;
I'm also active in my son's Boy Scout Troop.)

The Boy Scouts of America (BSA) is NOT just "another youth group",
but rather is an organization that expects its members to live by
a code of conduct.  The POSITIVE virtures and ideals that constitute
this code of conduct is contained in the Scout Law and Scout Oath.

BSA detractors, such as Mr. Kadie (the full text and breath of his
vehement anti-BSA postings can be found in rec.scouting) contend
that two of BSA's positive virtues (a belief in God and proper
moral behavior) somehow constitute some act of "discrimination"
against atheists and homosexuals.  As a result, he and others of
his ilk are waging a guerilla war against BSA by attempting to
sway public opinion and going after businesses and organizations,
like United Way, that support the national BSA and the local
Scouting councils.

BSA's position on this matter is very simple.  The standards of
membership represent positive moral values, and membership is open
to anyone willing to live according to these values. These values
are not for sale.

Regarding BSA and Judaism, there are day schools and synagogues
that charter BSA units (such as Cub Scout Packs and Boy Scout
Troops), and there is a National Jewish Committee on Scouting that
had made religious awards (Maccabee for Tiger Cubs, Aleph for
Cub Scouts, and Ner Tamid for Boy Scouts) available (my son
has the Aleph and Ner Tamid).  Here in New Jersey, the local
Jewish Committee on Scouting sponsors a Kinus at a Boy Scout
camp the first weekend in May, and the needs of Jews of all
affiliations are met (i.e., both Orthodox and Egalitarian services;
full kashruth; full Shabbat observance).

Finally, a few days ago, the bimonthly issue of Scouting magazine
(the one sent to adult leaders) had an article about a Boy Scout
camp in the Catskills (sounded like it's about 20 miles south of
Monticello) that for a few weeks is strictly kosher and Shomer
Shabbat.  I recognized some of the Troops that go there as Troops
I've seen at the May Kinus in New Jersey.

Religious-wise, I have never seen an organization that, although
obviously using Christianity as its model, has a religious
requirement for membership that manages to totally respect the
religious rights of Jews and adherents of all other religions.
The positive virtues expected by BSA are virtures that an
organization should be proud of; it's pathetic that Mr. Kadie,
et. al., demand that they be abandoned or that he, et. al., 
force BSA to throw money out defending frivilous lawsuits that
challenge these positive virtues; money that could be spent
on better programs for the boys.
-- 
Stan Krieger                     All opinions, advice, or suggestions, even
AT&T UNIX System Laboratories    if related to my employment, are my own.
Summit, NJ
smk@usl.com