(urth) Urth Digest, Vol 57, Issue 36

[Craig Brewer]

>>But I have to ask: 'militarization of the boy scouts'?

I can take that one, since at least it's a factual question.

There's lately been some hubbub about Explorer Scouts running "anti-terrorist" operations:
http://www.nytimes.com/2009/05/14/us/14explorers.html?_r=2

2 things:

1) "Explorer Scouts" are not "Boy Scouts." They are co-ed groups that are most commonly pre-professional. They're associated with the Scouts and often have like police or fire or coast guard training rather than traditional camping and knots, etc. The kinds of police or "military" training that these groups did have been going on for decades as part of whatever professional group the Explorer's are ostensibly training to become. So what's seen as "militarization" of the Boy Scouts is neither accurate nor something new.

2) The "anti-terrorist" training that these Explorer groups have been doing is part of whatever the professional sponsors are having them do. It's not a program designed by anyone at Boy Scouts of America. Explorer Posts are each individually organized groups that are sponsored but not overseen in any real sense by the Boy Scouts. So even if this group is stepping over the line, it's not something that you'll soon see every 12 year old with a Scout uniform doing.

I was an Eagle Scout, and I also consider myself a sane and reasonable individual. So I get a bit defensive when the crazy homophobic, gung-ho types who, admittedly, make up a noticeable portion of an otherwise great program get all the publicity.

Most of us in Scouts, though, spent more time playing Dungeons and Dragons out in the woods rather than taking rifle practice against ferriners.