The statement released by Boy Scouts of America is totally inadequate to express the horror I felt at President Trump’s subtle bigotry and pernicious attempt to capture young, formative minds and inculcate them with hateful and xenophobic values.
The Boy Scouts of America is complicit if it does not issue a strong statement condemning Trump’s narcissistic use of his National Scout Jamboree address to model self-serving, self-aggrandizing behavior rather than to inspire high ideals and the notion of service to our nation and mankind. It is not enough for the BSA to simply disavow any political posture.
At the very least, how about a statement from the Boy Scouts of America of its ideals – why it’s in business in the first place – and the purpose of the jamboree?
Chief Scout Executive Michael Surbaugh has expressed the hope that the controversy over President Trump’s address will not overshadow the public’s understanding of the BSA’s mission. Was that mission really reflected in Trump’s tyrannical display? Were those really parents booing Barack Obama and waving their arms, or just Scout leaders?
What kind of men does Boy Scouts of America hope their young boys will grow up to be, if the adults who mentor them do not have the courage to speak out and stand up for their own principles?
Jane Card
Kennebunkport
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