Posts Tagged ‘boy scouts’
Call it a lie when it’s a lie.
In a Wall Street Journal interview this week, Trump claimed that the head of the Boy Scouts called him to heap praise on the politically aggressive speech Trump delivered at the Scouts’ national jamboree last week. “I got a call from the head of the Boy Scouts saying it was the greatest speech that was ever…
Read MoreTrump stomped on tradition at the 2017 Boy Scout National Jamboree.
Yesterday Donald Trump spoke at the Boy Scout’s National Jamboree. This is a standing invitation to every United States President. Seven of the last eleven Presidents have taken the Scouts up on their offer since the Jamboree began in 1937. None of those seven Presidents ever took the opportunity to turn a day of celebration…
Read MoreThe Boy Scouts encourages rank advancement by making the first three ranks embarrassing and pathetic.
I’ve said many times that Boy Scouts was one of the best things that ever happened to me. The education that I received in Scouting probably contributed more to the person I am today than the entirety of my high school experience. As a result, I don’t have too many bad things to say about…
Read MoreThe boys at the Big Swim Meet had no idea how fleeting boyhood is. Once gone, you will long for it forever.
This bit of newspaper was printed circa 1930. It describes the “Big Swimming Meet” at Yawgoog Scout Reservation, the same place where I would spend my summers half a century later. As a boy, I also participated in swimming meets as the paper describes. Every Saturday afternoon, troops would gather at the waterfront to compete…
Read MoreExit the bigots
The Boy Scouts of America have lost six percent of their members since changing their policy on gay participants, the group recently announced. Some may think this is bad news. I think the opposite. They’re merely weeding out the bigots. It’s true that in some cases, unbiased boys may be denied the benefits of Scouting…
Read MoreA place where time (and boys) stand still
I visited my former Boy Scout camp, Yawgoog Scout Reservation, last week with two friends from childhood who love the place as much as me. Danny and I visited camp together last year, and a few years ago, before the birth of my first child, I took my wife to Yawgoog for a day so…
Read MoreNo Moth, but a silver lining. Probably too generous. Not quite silver. More like chrome.
It was a tough day for me. I had originally planned on attending The Moth in New York City tonight. Two friends were going to join me for the trip from Connecticut, and I scheduled to meet two more friends in the city. But bad weather, a less-than-daring friend, an unexpected wake and car trouble…
Read MoreMy boyhood adventure land
One of my favorite moments of this past summer was the chance to visit Yawgoog Scout Reservation with an old friend and former Boy Scout. I spent many of my summers at Yawgoog as a boy, and they were some of the best days of my life. I have asked when if I were to…
Read MoreParenting is supposed to make you sad, frightened and neurotic. Don’t make your kids suffer by mitigating the pain.
When I was a boy, I spent much of my summer at a Camp Yawgoog, a Boy Scout camp in Rockville, Rhode Island. My troop would spend a week at camp, and then I would spend another 2-7 weeks at a campsite designed for boys who wanted to spend more than just one week away…
Read MoreThe recent decision by The Boy Scouts of America has left this Boy Scout rudderless
I’m a man in conflict. You may have heard the news: The Boy Scouts of America on Tuesday announced that it will uphold its existing ban that excludes gays, something the group said was “absolutely the best policy” for the group. “While the BSA does not proactively inquire about the sexual orientation of employees, volunteers,…
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