The scouts regard homosexuality and atheism as incompatible with their principles. Consider carefully the words of ACLU client Timothy Curran, the gay man who sued to be a scout leader. Had the decision gone the other way, the liberty of every American would have been reduced. He meant that private associations are the educators of democratic habits essential to citizenship. In America, Tocqueville observed, such private associations would take the place of government bureaucracies.
Citizens rule themselves and thus learn responsibility, together with liberty.
No organization performs this noble task better than the Boy Scouts. Only the lawyers and the bureaucracies win. Fortunately, federal legislation to protect the Boy Scouts, sponsored by Congressman Charles Canady, is already on its way. The California Supreme Court's opinion is good news, but will not deter the ACLU, and it will not protect the scouts in other jurisdictions. Let us hope that Congress does.