A Scout is Morally Straight: An Open Letter to the Boy Scouts of America

To the governing body of the Boy Scouts of America,

It is now well known next week the Boy Scouts of America will lift the ban on gay Scoutmasters. Again, I am reminded that values we hold dear are easily sacrificed to the dollar and political correctness. For the Scout Oath contains the words "morally straight". It is a promise each boy says with their Scoutmaster as the progress to the highest rank in Scouting--Eagle Scout.

The Scout Oath:

On my honor I will do my best
To do my duty to God and my country
and to obey the Scout Law;
To help other people at all times;
To keep myself physically strong,
mentally awake, and morally straight.


It's looking like next week, those values will be sacrificed and "morally straight" will become meaningless words. Our society is full of meaningless words, and the Boy Scouts was one organization where I thought words meant something. We take an oath as a Scout because we commit to core values as we reach the first rank of Scout. As we progress up to the rank of Eagle, we prove we are committed to the lifestyle the Scout Oath and Law promotes.

Tonight, I am not so sure the Boy Scouts of America is committed to the Scout oath anymore, and I watch my Eagle Scout award become another meaningless piece of Americana where core values are now sacrificed for political correctness, feel-good emotions, and of course funding. Of course, it should be no surprise there is a history of federal funding which the Boy Scouts benefited from.

It is funding surrounded by the never-ending negative news stories which portray the Boy Scouts as a homophobic group that has now pressured the Boy Scouts to reverse their stance on gay Scoutmasters while ignoring their own oath. While I am not homophobic, I do believe oaths mean something, but when the Boy Scouts of America reverse their position next week, they are saying none of the promises, words, laws, and Scouting way of life really have much value over the almighty dollar and the value of a positive image in the mainstream media. In the governing body of the Boy Scouts selling out their own values and reversing their stand, they are telling me the hard work and the oaths I committed to mean nothing. Therefore my Eagle Scout designation within  the ranks means nothing as well.

Therefore I am asking the Boy Scouts of American, if they follow through and reverse the position on gay Scoutmasters next week, please remove my name from the long list of Eagle Scouts. I will remove my Eagle Scout badge and other hardware from my wall where I have proudly displayed it and return it to the Boy Scouts national office. So many of my core values have been sold out by society and now the Boy Scouts too are selling those values out.