Amidst Boy Scout bankruptcy, full extent of sex abuse scandal comes to light

[mystery-ak]

Amidst Boy Scout bankruptcy, full extent of sex abuse scandal comes to light

95,000 people have filed sex abuse claims, at least a dozen Scout leaders have been sent to prison.



By Natalia Mittelstadt

Updated: March 21, 2021 - 9:07am

   
Since its founding in 1910, the Boy Scouts of America has helped shape the lives of 130 million youth with help from 35 million adult volunteers.  But now in the throes of bankruptcy, the organization's history of sexual abuse allegations is being forced into the public limelight.

More than 95,000 people have filed sexual abuse claims against the Boy Scouts organization, and at least a dozen leaders have been convicted or charged with crimes, according to an expose on Sharyl Attkisson's show, Full Measure After Hours.

Attkisson spoke with a former Boy Scout about the scarring experience he alleged happened to him.

more
https://justthenews.com/nation/crime/boy-scouts-sexual-abuse-allegations-and-bankruptcy

[catfish1957]

This has been such a sad story.  This once beloved institution that helped so many boys is in tatters.

I was one 1969-1973, and can honestly say, I saw zero instances of anything inappropriate from our leaders.  Those who abused have ruined it for everyone.

[PeteS in CA]

Whether "voluntary" or court-ordered, BSA was advertising on radio for those who had abuse experiences to file claims. Sadly, among the raw numbers Attkisson cited there are probably some false claims from fraudsters hoping to be uncaught and cash in. The percentage of would-be fraudsters, .

My son's troop had excellent adult leaders, but as @catfish1957 pointed out, it takes a very few abusers, plus stupid cover-ups, to destroy a lot that was good. BSA surrendering to the gay activists after having won in court was additional monumental stupidity. My son's troop switched over to Trail Life when BSA did that.

[SZonian]

I was a Scout leader for close to 20 years and I insisted on a mandatory 2 person rule at all times, for their protection and ours.

Parent and child do not count, had to be from different households.

We taught this to the kids and their parents because the BSA would not, it was only for the leaders so the BSA could have some kind/form of "deniability".

I quit BSA a few years back when they went trans and then permitted homo leaders...they refused to provide any guidance on the trans issue and my own values prevented me from supporting any longer.  They are corrupted and immoral at the National level and it does flow down.  I was personally confronted by other leaders about my positions and why I was such a "bigot".

[sneakypete]

This has been such a sad story.  This once beloved institution that helped so many boys is in tatters.

I was one 1969-1973, and can honestly say, I saw zero instances of anything inappropriate from our leaders.  Those who abused have ruined it for everyone.

@catfish1957

I am in complete agreement about that.

The only suspicious behavior I ever saw/felt was from a single guy in his 40's who was a Little League  umpire,and who also worked as some sort of advisor to a local program that gave kids a place to gather (local elementary school) to play games,read books,etc,etc,etc during the summer.  The program provided coaches and umpires for the baseball and basketball games,and teachers to help kids get involved inside with reading programs,etc,etc,etc.

Ironically enough,his name was "Dickey/Dickie" something. Disabled Korean War vet that didn't work.

I didn't even know what a homosexual was back then,never mind a child molester,but damned if I didn't get booted out of Little League and barred from that summer program for kids at the local school for telling an adult "there is something funny about that guy!"

And there had to have been or I wouldn't even remember his first name after all these decades.

[Cyber Liberty]

Back when I was in Scouts, there was a poorly-closeted homosexual Leader.  When he first became a leader he was pulled aside by the other Scoutmasters and was assured if they even heard of any improper activity they would team up and break his pretty little face and bust his balls for good.

We had no trouble with him after that.  It was a different BSA back then,

[HoustonSam]

Back when I was in Scouts, there was a poorly-closeted homosexual Leader.  When he first became a leader he was pulled aside by the other Scoutmasters and was assured if they even heard of any improper activity they would team up and break his pretty little face and bust his balls for good.

We had no trouble with him after that.  It was a different BSA back then,

My experience of Scouting is only as a Registered Adult Leader in my son's troop, beginning in 2011 and ending (for me but not for him) when BSA decided to accept homosexual adult leaders.  Scouting was a good experience for my son, but it did not build in him some of the strengths and capabilities I thought Scouting was all about.  He is more confident and better at working with people than he would have been without scouting; his outdoor skills are no better than I could have taught him myself in half a dozen camping trips.

I was the troop Advancement Chair (I did all the paperwork for merit badges and ranks) and de-facto Chaplain.  I was told then, and I've been told since, that I gave some of those people (boys and adults) the only sense of connection with God they had ever experienced.  And yet they could not understand that my own Scout-emphasized "duty to God" did not permit me to continue in an organization that espoused the importance of spiritual values but had renounced my own.  Other "Scouters" I had met who mentored adults had no concept that the membership policy change might be problematic for some of us.

My sense is that BSA has gone the way of all bureaucracies - it exists now to perpetuate itself, not to benefit youth.  Leadership decided that BSA could not endure the expected loss of financial support that would come with maintaining its values, so it gave up the values in order to retain the financial support.  But even this retreat to pragmatism resulted in the loss of LDS troops and a significant proportion of overall membership and income.

[Cyber Liberty]

My experience of Scouting is only as a Registered Adult Leader in my son's troop, beginning in 2011 and ending (for me but not for him) when BSA decided to accept homosexual adult leaders.  Scouting was a good experience for my son, but it did not build in him some of the strengths and capabilities I thought Scouting was all about.  He is more confident and better at working with people than he would have been without scouting; his outdoor skills are no better than I could have taught him myself in half a dozen camping trips.

I was the troop Advancement Chair (I did all the paperwork for merit badges and ranks) and de-facto Chaplain.  I was told then, and I've been told since, that I gave some of those people (boys and adults) the only sense of connection with God they had ever experienced.  And yet they could not understand that my own Scout-emphasized "duty to God" did not permit me to continue in an organization that espoused the importance of spiritual values but had renounced my own.  Other "Scouters" I had met who mentored adults had no concept that the membership policy change might be problematic for some of us.

My sense is that BSA has gone the way of all bureaucracies - it exists now to perpetuate itself, not to benefit youth.  Leadership decided that BSA could not endure the expected loss of financial support that would come with maintaining its values, so it gave up the values in order to retain the financial support.  But even this retreat to pragmatism resulted in the loss of LDS troops and a significant proportion of overall membership and income.

I've been saying for decades, that the instant BSA starts allowing openly gay Scoutmasters, normal parents would rather pull their kids out of Scouting than have them camping in the wilderness with homosexual leaders.  They instinctively knew leaders would attempt to recruit their children into the homosexual "lifestyle." 

This no-brainer prediction is now bearing the bitter fruit.  It wasn't the lawsuits that did them in, it was caving into the radical leftists that dunnit.

[Bigun]

I was a Scout leader for close to 20 years and I insisted on a mandatory 2 person rule at all times, for their protection and ours.

Parent and child do not count, had to be from different households.

We taught this to the kids and their parents because the BSA would not, it was only for the leaders so the BSA could have some kind/form of "deniability".

I quit BSA a few years back when they went trans and then permitted homo leaders...they refused to provide any guidance on the trans issue and my own values prevented me from supporting any longer.  They are corrupted and immoral at the National level and it does flow down.  I was personally confronted by other leaders about my positions and why I was such a "bigot".

Pretty much the same with me.  I turned in my credentials the same day BSA announced that they were going to allow openly gay leaders.  Haven't regretted that decision for one second.

[dfwgator]

More like Scouting For Boys.

[SZonian]

Pretty much the same with me.  I turned in my credentials the same day BSA announced that they were going to allow openly gay leaders.  Haven't regretted that decision for one second.

[240B]

At the time, 10 years old, had no idea at all that this was unusual.
But my Boy Scout Leader was a woman a few doors down in the neighborhood.
Thinking back on it now, she was a single mom with an only son.
I think she did it just to get friends for her son.
Regardless of all that, she was nice. It was a positive experience.

[Night Hides Not]

I was a Scout leader for close to 20 years and I insisted on a mandatory 2 person rule at all times, for their protection and ours.

Parent and child do not count, had to be from different households.

We taught this to the kids and their parents because the BSA would not, it was only for the leaders so the BSA could have some kind/form of "deniability".

I quit BSA a few years back when they went trans and then permitted homo leaders...they refused to provide any guidance on the trans issue and my own values prevented me from supporting any longer.  They are corrupted and immoral at the National level and it does flow down.  I was personally confronted by other leaders about my positions and why I was such a "bigot".

My son was a Scout for 5-6 years, was an Assistant Troop Leader for a year. He enjoyed his experience, but was never striving for Eagle Scout. He just like the activities. His last two years of HS, band and football didn't leave much time for anything else.

That 2 person rule should have been applied years ago. I taught 6th graders at our parish for about 20 years, we always had a two person rule. There were a couple of exceptions where I was left as the only teacher, but one of the staff members would stop by every 15 minutes or so. They weren't worried about me, of course.

My last year of teaching, I arrived one Wednesday night to be told that I was the only teacher on hand for the evening. The other 5 teachers couldn't make it for some reason, so we combined classes, putting 30 6th graders in a cramped classroom. We all survived, in fact it turned out to be a great class, because the subject matter got their attention: agape love.

The Holy Spirit was with me that night, helping me to remember portions of Fr. Robert Spitzer's book, Healing the Culture. He had a chapter on the topic, breaking it down along the lines of Maslow's Hierarchy of Needs.

For 30+ minutes, the students were attentive, and asked great questions. Sadly, the curriculum changed from Old Testament to prepare 6th graders to "evangelize".  We had a great program, fine tuned over 20 years, but a new administration wanted to go in a different direction. We tried to change their minds, to no avail. As a result, all 6 teachers on Wednesday night no longer volunteer their services. There was no rancor, just sadness.

[PeteS in CA]

The sponsor of my son's troop was a church, whose Children's Ministry had a "Two-Deep Leadership" policy. It applied within the Scout troop. I wasn't an official leader, but participated in quite a few Boards of Review, including for Eagle rank.

[txradioguy]

Truly a case of get woke go broke.

The Boy Scouts made the conscious decision to let gay scoutmasters remain in the ranks instead of kicking them out.

Now the BSA can reap what it's sown.

[sneakypete]

Truly a case of get woke go broke.

The Boy Scouts made the conscious decision to let gay scoutmasters remain in the ranks instead of kicking them out.

Now the BSA can reap what it's sown.

@txradioguy

I thought they were pretty much forced into it by the lawsuits from the left?

It was either agree to it,or go bankrupt from the lawsuits.

[HoustonSam]

@txradioguy

I thought they were pretty much forced into it by the lawsuits from the left?

It was either agree to it,or go bankrupt from the lawsuits.

That was the argument made by many long-time Scouting professionals and "Scouters"; had they not surrendered they would have been sued out of existence.  But they're being sued out of existence anyway, so have they really taught those boys to take a stand for values?  If you're going down, go down with your values intact.

In my own Scouting experience I distinguished the immediate circle of people I knew and could influence from the larger bureaucracy; I'll still help the former, but I've separated myself from the latter.  The old troop my son came up in, and another led by a good friend,  know that I am available to help any Scout or adult "Scouter" who might need my help, but "off the books", i.e. I won't jump through BSA's bureaucratic hoops to prove that I'm politically correct enough to mentor boys and younger adults.  And I won't pretend that Scouting is anything special, but a direct relationship in which we share what we know and we support each other might be.

[Sighlass]

My scouting days were wonderful, while they lasted (4 years or so). Had a great distant kin that taught last couple years and it was some of the best times I ever had as a child. The overnight camp outs were full of bugs and rats and ice fights (winter excursions) and tomfoolery (playing tricks on each other) just a joy to experience. I wouldn't allow my kids to join after the homosexual turn.

[mikezpen]

Boy Scouts, like the Catholic Church, brought this on themselves.

[txradioguy]

@txradioguy

I thought they were pretty much forced into it by the lawsuits from the left?

It was either agree to it,or go bankrupt from the lawsuits.

No they were blackmailed by the Feds if I remember correctly.  They were having their Scout huts on military installations shut down and I believe there were threats to withhold donations to them from organizations like United Way and other groups that funded them.

IMHO the final straw that led to bankruptcy was allowing girls to become Boy Scouts.

They got woke and went broke.

[Cyber Liberty]

No they were blackmailed by the Feds if I remember correctly.  They were having their Scout huts on military installations shut down and I believe there were threats to withhold donations to them from organizations like United Way and other groups that funded them.

IMHO the final straw that led to bankruptcy was allowing girls to become Boy Scouts.

They got woke and went broke.

I peg the collapse when they decided it would be smart to allow openly gay Scoutmasters.  A lot of concerned parents ran for the exits, rather than give the new "Scoutmasters" an opportunity to recruit their children.  They took their wallets with them.

I knew right then they were going down the tubes.  This bankruptcy is the proof to my predictions.

[txradioguy]

I peg the collapse when they decided it would be smart to allow openly gay Scoutmasters.  A lot of concerned parents ran for the exits, rather than give the new "Scoutmasters" an opportunity to recruit their children.  They took their wallets with them.

I knew right then they were going down the tubes.  This bankruptcy is the proof to my predictions.

The lawsuits that followed from the parents of children that were molested by the new "Scoutmasters" didn't help either.

[sneakypete]

I peg the collapse when they decided it would be smart to allow openly gay Scoutmasters.  A lot of concerned parents ran for the exits, rather than give the new "Scoutmasters" an opportunity to recruit their children.  They took their wallets with them.

 

@Cyber Liberty

What an odd way to spell "rape".

[Sled Dog]

The writing was on the wall.  Once they decided to bow to public pressure and allow atheists in their ranks, and then sexual perverts, there was no stopping the exodus of normal parents.

[sneakypete]

The writing was on the wall.  Once they decided to bow to public pressure and allow atheists in their ranks, and then sexual perverts, there was no stopping the exodus of normal parents.

@Sled Dog

Say WHAT? I get mistaken for an atheist all the time because I don't believe in a Gawd. I am not. I am just a free thinker,and they have too damn many rules about "must believe" and "must not believe" to suit me.

Does being a non-believer mean I am some sorta enemy  of America that should be shot,jailed,or deported?