A Scout is:
- Trustworthy,
- Loyal,
- Helpful,
- Friendly,
- Courteous,
- Kind,
- Obedient,
- Cheerful,
- Thrifty,
- Brave,
- Clean,
- and Reverent. (Boy Scout Law)
I was never a Boy Scout.
My brother was.
I know many young adults (and adults) who are or were Scouts.
Our congregation hosts a scout troop.
I have supported scouts who are working towards becoming Eagle Scouts.
I have participated in their Court of Honor.
I admire the values scouting does its best to instill in young adults.
They are values which I try to model in my own life and which I did my best to teach my two sons.
From all accounts, those values were not the ones on display yesterday when President Trump spoke at the annual Boy Scout Jamboree in West Virginia.
In addition to being angry and disappointed (soft words), here is what I hope…
I hope the phone lines and the email inboxes of the national leadership of the Boy Scouts are filled with calls and emails from scouts and their parents who are deeply offended by what was said.
I hope every scout receives an apology from the national scout leadership team detailing what was offensive and wrong and how it was and is counter to what the Boy Scouts say they stand for and value.
I hope there were conversations late into the evening last night as troop leaders debriefed what happened and why and how it was hurtful and how it was antithetical to what scouts stand and say together each time they meet.
And while I doubt it will happen, I hope the President apologizes.
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