Mark Hancock: Girls Don’t Belong In
The Boy Scouts

Yes, of course, but it appears that there is no way to unring this bell and salvage what was for over a century a wonderful organization.

I don't even buy the ever shrinking girl scout cookies anymore, and both my children grew up in Scouts. That was then, and this is now.

The Boy Scouts are beyond redemption. Fortunately, there is an alternative. It's called Trail Life USA. It allows boys to do all the fun stuff that used to characterize scouting but without the woke nonsense.

FTA...'The official counselor training materials even warn: “Do not share your experience as a subject matter expert.” “The counselor is not to interject their own opinions and beliefs but instead should consider the Scout’s experience and journey.” Kind of odd isn't it. If only teachers followed these rules, our schools would be so much better.

They did the same to the Girl Scouts. I was a Scout for ten years. My mother was Girl Scout leader for thirty years. She started with my oldest sister's Brownie Troop and took them to the Senior level. She then took on my Junior Troop and ran two troops until we reached the Senior level and it became an "open" troop graduating out 12th graders and bringing in new 9th graders every year. She was also a director on our local Girl Scout Council for over twenty years, heading up their Sustaining Membership program...hitting up local businesses and corporations for donations. She was greatly aided in this task by Debbie Reynolds, a life-long Scout herself, as well as Debbie's mother...another Scout leader. In the mid-70's I was living at home and attending the local college. My mother and the other members of the Old Guard were upset with the new members who had joined the Board...tips of the liberal/radical infiltration of the organization. They recognized the danger these "new ideas" were presenting and worked hard to eliminate or minimize them, yet all their efforts were fruitless. As the terms expired for the Old Guard, none of them were renewed. My mother left Scouting with a broken heart. Yet, over the years the fruit of her labors were often recognized by sweet notes sent to her by her former girls. I'm proud of my mother, and that I was a Girl Scout back when it mattered. The skills I learned have served me well as a homestead wife. Therefore, I salute "Little Dipper"...with much love from "Sparks".

The organization folded like a cheap suit at the feet of screechy progressives, aided by their homegrown progressives within the organization's leadership. Typical democrat power play to "grow the organization" at the expense of both boys and girls.

I'm an Eagle Scout. Proud of it. For years I made an annual donation to BSA to support the organization that in part made me who I am today. But when the leftist fools who managed to seize control of BSA voted to open the door for openly gay men to become Scoutmasters, I yanked my donations. I knew what the result would be, because we saw it with the Catholic Church abuse scandal. I was right, it's been one abuse trial after another, and now my money isn't going to pay off the abused.

I remember selling Girl Scout cookies, 50 cents a box back then. I won't buy them anymore, tho. It's a shame, too. We did fun things back then. Innocent fun.

We stopped contributing to the Boy Scouts as soon as they started allowing girls to join. We still get letters to send money, but we just throw it into the trash can. Our son really enjoyed being a scout and was upset when he aged out. He missed the comradery with the other boys when camping and hiking as well as the other activities the scouts were involved in. For us, as soon as girls were allowed to be in the BOY scouts, scouting ended.

Full confession - I still buy Girl Scout cookies. And I have served on summer staff at Philmont, the Boy Scout high adventure camp in New Mexico, for most of the last dozen years. I watched first-hand while BSA tried dealing with the decade-old sex scandals. First by banning all who were gay both adults and minors. Then when that got them kicked out of all federal properties by Obama, they tried walking it back by saying boys who were homosexual could still be scouts. That got the Southern Baptists and Mormons to withdraw - decimating enrollment numbers - and income. In debt from the sex lawsuits and the need to find a place for the quadrennial Jamboree forced their hands to admit girls. I do not see a reversal. Had the BSA better protected boys from sexual predators decades ago none of this would have happened. But neither was it necessary to publicly take a stand against homosexuality because none of this needed to be a part of teaching boys to be honest and trustworthy good men and citizens other than to watch over young charges to keep them safe.

For me scouting got ruined when they became city scouts. Emphasis on camping and woods was backburnered, in favor of things that could be done on pavement and ecology, to attract the city kids. It was sad when I quit. My first blister from new boots on a long hike was memorable to this day. Eating undercooked potatoes I'd baked myself in a fire was similarly instructive. But all that went away in favor of social responsibility carp.

I used to always buy three boxes of Girl Scout cookies. I just ignore them now. Sorry for the girls, but the politics has just destroyed this whole mess.

BSA Star. Our troop was free flowing. Camping, hiking, fishing, Meetings were special. The scout master was a WW2 veteran, as was my dad, so were the other dads. At the meetings, around the camp fires, they would talk to us. They talked to us about life. About how you never give up. That when you get knocked down get back up and keep going. It was the only time we were ever quiet. Around the camp fire, in the dark, it was transfixing, captivating, we felt like brothers and these men were our fathers, and we were proud of who we were. The godless destroyed it for those that followed us.

I used to love going into my favorite big box store and buying Girl cookies on the way out. I loved the thin mints and macaroons. Now I just ignore them or either give them my Captain Sisko look. I don't mean to be harsh, but I refuse to give any money to once proud organizations who have caved into the destructive leftist ideology. Besides as of a few years ago due to the betterment of my health processed sugary foods like cookies, crackers and cakes are no longer on the menu.