Gettysburg... How long, O Lord?

When my older son joined the boy scouts, one of the first camping trips I went on with him was to Gettysburg. We camped on the battlefield, and hiked the "Johnny Reb" and "Billy Yank" trails, following in the footsteps of the soldiers of the Confederate and Union, respectively.

This October, my youngest son arranged that we would camp at the same spot, on one of the last camping trips we would make together. We did some of the same things, but one thing we did differently was a ranger tour of the cemetery and a tour of the town. What an eye opener.

After the battle of Gettysburg the town was in bad shape. The Confederate army fled south after the battle, the the union army pursued them, leaving the town, population 2,400, to deal with the 8,000 bodies left behind, the 3,000 horse carcasses, not to mention 14,000 wounded and 8,000 Confederate prisoners.

People came from all over the country. Many to look among the dead for their loved ones (this is before the age of dog tags, many soldiers were hard to identify), some volunteered to help bury the dead, burn the horses, and tend to the wounded. Many people were sick from the stench. Flies were so numerous they covered entire houses. Every possible building was turned into a field hospital to care for the wounded. One of the churches had to have holes drilled in the floors to drain out the blood because it was getting deep.

For the most part the Union soldiers were buried and the Confederate soldiers were left to rot and be eaten by scavengers, unless their families came and claimed the bodies. The battle happened in July, so it was imperative that things be taken care "quickly".  It wasn't until October, when the weather was cooler, that the bodies of Union soldiers were exhumed and moved to the National Cemetery where they have a place of honor today. The Confederates were still left where they fell.

On our camping trip we visited the national cemetery, where a ranger gave us a tour. It was later, walking through town, that we wound up finding the "colored" cemetery. Even though we like to think of the North as fighting for African Americans, the colored troops were not allowed to be buried in the national cemetery, but buried in a not-so-good part of town, in their own cemetery.

And even today, that cemetery is separate, and is along Cemetery Ally, behind an abandoned auto body shop. Gettysburg is a stark reminder that the desecration/denigration of people we don't consider "worthy" is not a new thing.

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The Boy Scouts

The Boy Scouts of America's stated goal is to help boys become men who are of good moral character and good patriotic citizens. For over one hundred years it has long held certain policies to support this goal; policies directly based on those principles of the organization. The Boy Scout oath is:

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. 

Because of that the scouts did not accept atheists (since they do not believe in God), presumably they would not accept traitors (duty to country) and those who hold principles contrary to morality. "What morality?" you may ask. It doesn't really matter. Whether you are Christian, Jew, Muslim, etc. pretty much every religion held to the same moral principles, since those moral principles were based on natural law.

The Boy Scouts of America has been sued over their membership policies numerous times, until in 2000 things came to a head in the supreme court, with the case "Boy Scouts of America v. Dale". In that case, the court confirmed that any private organization has a constitutional right to "freedom of association". In other words, the Boy Scouts have the right to exclude a person from membership when "the presence of that person affects in a significant way the group's ability to advocate public or private viewpoints". In a five to four decision, the Supreme Court ruled that opposition to homosexuality is part of BSA's "expressive message" and that allowing homosexuals as adult leaders would interfere with that message.

Think about that. The Boy Scout's opposition to homosexuality was, according to the supreme court, part of their "message."

Fast forward to 2013. The board of directors of the Boy Scouts of America decides that homosexual boys can be members. This is a fundamental abandonment of the core values of the organization. However, it was couched as "well, these boys are just confused, and cannot be held responsible for their sexuality, and we should help them." A noble goal, but help them to what, exactly? It was pointed out that any Boy Scout who engages in any sexual activity can be expelled form the organization, and that policy wouldn't change and so we're not talking "active" homosexual boys.

There are a number of things wrong with that statement, but ignoring that, it is still a fundamental abandonment of principle in favor of political correctness. At that point, in my opinion, the Boy Scouts ceased to exist.

Two years later, in 2015, the board decides to accept openly homosexual adult leaders. This directly invalidates their supreme court case, which was about not accepting openly homosexual adult leaders. If there is a clearer case of abandoning one's moral principles in favor of political correctness, I don't know what it would be.

Two years later, in 2017, the board announces that transgender "boys " (aka girls) would be accepted, and when that "flew," that all girls would be accepted (but only for Cub Scouts, for now). Two things are of note here, which have kept the organization from disbanding (which I believe it will in the next 20 years or so) and which have kept me from walking away.

First off, all of these decisions have been "optional." Each troop has a "chartering organization" that supports it. It is typically a town, or church, or some other group. All of these changes have been made at the national level, but accepting them has been made subject to the approval of the chartering organization, That means that the local Catholic church that charters the local troop can decide "no homosexuals" while the Episcopal church down the street can decide differently for the troop they charter. Doesn't this create disunity? You betcha! What does this mean, legally, for troops? It probably means that somewhere down the line they will have to go back and re-fight the "freedom of association" case, and since they are small and won't have the financial resources to fight it, they will lose.

Secondly, Boy Scouts exists for boys ages 10.5 to 17. When you turn 18 you are done. Announcing a change every two years is analogous to "boiling a frog." Each scout will only see a few changes, and will be gone. Over the next few years I expect to see even more changes, such as allowing atheists, allowing active sexual behavior, supporting abortion, etc. We've already seen that with the Girl Scouts, so it's not as big of a stretch as you might think.

May God help the Boy Scouts of America.

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Trumped up BSA News

Picture from FOX

I'm been seeing a lot of these in my news feed:

Trump subjects Boy Scouts to a political rant that demeans the presidency
Trump critics liken Boy Scouts event to a Hitler Youth rally
There’s No Mistaking Trump for a Boy Scout
Trump is unteachable. His Boy Scouts speech proved it
Trump’s Boy Scouts speech broke with 80 years of presidential tradition
Trump's Boy Scout Jamboree speech calls for health care action, 'more loyalty' in DC
From ‘fake media’ to Clinton, Trump brings political attacks to the Scout Jamboree

and my favorite
The Origin of Trump’s Weird Sex Yacht Anecdote in His Boy Scout Speech

Of course the usual people are making the usual comments... how "Trump needs to go" - how "Trump is destroying the world," how he should be prosecuted, and how the Boy Scouts need to denounce him. Apparently this speech was unacceptable in all ways.

But did any of them take the time to watch the speech, or did they just look at the 10 second sound bites fed to them by the media that they trust and believe? Ironic how many stories blast Trump for saying "fake media" in his speech, in a story which is, itself, "fake media" in its portrayal of his speech.

So, out of curiosity I went and watched the whole speech. It is 38 minutes long, but since youtube will play it back at 2x speed I was able to get through it in 20 minutes. Let me say this:

• It was a "Trump" speech (meaning there was an element of narcissism in it).
• There was no "sex yacht" - well, there was a yacht, but if there were sex it wasn't mentioned. The story was about losing your focus and commitment in life, and it was actually a good point to make to scouts who will be starting their careers soon.
• In brief, the subjects covered were
• Boy Scouts, and scouting in general is great
• America is great
• Those who serve others (military, police, firefighters, etc.) are great
• The scout oath and law are an important part of being a good American
• The Trump administration has the support of the American people
• The Trump administration has accomplished great things
• The Trump administration has undone a lot of bad things done by the previous administration
• It is important to find something you are passionate about and do it well
• Service to others is an important part of life

Other than injecting too much about his administration, there's nothing wrong with the speech - but then again Trump is unable to say "hello" without injecting something about his accomplishments, so that's not "news". Yes, I can take blurbs from the speech and come up with something bad, but the sheer variety of things complained about in various news stories supports the fact that the overall speech was not rally about any of those points.

A couple of points need to be addressed.

How does this speech compare to other BSA Jamboree speeches?

I went back and looked at the previous Jamboree speeches on youtube.

At the 2013 Jamboree President Obama did not show up at all, apparently after initially indicating he would come, since the BSA has made up special patches to commemorate his appearance. Instead, Mike Rowe gave a speech. In it he praised the Boy Scouts, and their service, and pushed the value of hard work, and mentioned his organization, which offers scholarships and financial aid to those learning a trade, and which promotes "dirty" jobs growth. Now, I don't mean to compare Mike Rowe with President Trump in terms of the quality of essence of the speech. Mike is an excellent speaker, and eagle scout, and an apparently selfless and egoless guy. The opposite of President Trump in many ways. But my point is the outline of the points hit by the two speeches is similar, except for the fact that the organization that President Trump is promoting is his administration.

For the 2010 BSA Centennial Jamboree President Obama recorded a 90 second video, which was played at the Jamboree. It was a very "generic" speech which said basically "congrats."

At the 2005 Jamboree, President Bush spoke. In his speech he praised the Boy Scouts, and their service, and pushed the value of hard work, and mentioned his administration's initiative to promote volunteerism.

So in terms of overall points, President Trump's speech did not vary from the "standard." In terms of delivery, neither Mike Rowe nor President Bush used a teleprompter. President Bush had note he referred to, and Mike Rowe spoke without any notes. President Trump used a teleprompter, as I presume President Obama did for his brief 2010 video.


Personally I didn't like President Trump's speech as much as the others, perhaps because I find his style narcissistic and triumphal. However, that is his style, not a substantive issue. I did think all three speakers were sincere in their admiration for scouting and their comments.

Boy Scouts an Politics

I've heard a number of people complain that Trump politicized the Boy Scouts, and that Boy Scouts are forbidden from being political or partisan. This is baloney. First off, here is the BSA official policy on Boy Scouts' participation at political events.

POLICY ON SCOUT PARTICIPATION IN POLITICAL EVENTS

Uniformed unit members and leaders may participate in flag ceremonies at political events and may lead the Pledge of Allegiance; however, they should retire after the ceremony and not remain on the speakers’ platform or in a conspicuous location where television viewers could construe their presence as an endorsement or symbol of support. In addition, photos of candidates or Scouts in uniform or BSA marks and logos are not allowed in political campaign materials of any kind.

Volunteers and professionals must be alert to situations that would imply that the BSA favors one candidate over another. Strict observance of our long-standing policy against the active participation of uniformed Scouts and leaders in political events is mandatory.

Note, however, that this was not a political event - it was a Jamboree, a scouting event. There was no "candidate" running for an office. The rules above are clearly a nod to the Johnson Amendment (which as you know I think is an unconstitutional infringement on first amendment rights). But regardless, there is no ban on scout participating in politics. In fact, part of the scout oath is to do one's duty to one's country, which explicitly includes participating in the American political system.

If President Trump appeared to have the support of the scouts present it's because he did, and that is to be expected, because the values that he expresses are in consistent with the scout principles of patriotism, good citizenship, religious belief and moral standards. Likewise, Mike Rowe and President Bush had the support of scouts in their respective speeches.

In short, President Trump was President Trump. The Boy Scouts were Boy Scouts. The media was outraged by everything President Trump says or does, and says he is evil. All things that go without saying. About the only thing newsworthy about the whole event was that the president spoke at a Jamboree, which hasn't happened in 12 years.

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Scouts consider more policy changes

Irving, Texas (MNN) -- Pot heads hoping to join the Boy Scouts will have to wait until at least May after the organization's executive board put off a vote on lifting its outright ban on openly marijuana smoking scouts and troop leaders.

The board had been expected to vote Wednesday on a proposal to let local groups set their own policies, but said instead that it needs more time to get comment on the issue from its members.

"After careful consideration and extensive dialogue within the Scouting family, along with comments from those outside the organization, the volunteer officers of the Boy Scouts of America's National Executive Board concluded that due to the complexity of this issue, the organization needs time for a more deliberate review of its membership policy," the board said in a written statement.

The decision will now be made at the organization's annual meeting in May. About 1,400 members of the group's national council will take part during that gathering, the board said.

In the meantime, the organization will "further engage representatives of Scouting's membership and listen to their perspectives and concerns."

The decision disappointed critics who had hoped to see the organization end its ban despite a 2000 Supreme Court ruling saying it had the right to keep it.

"Every day that the Boy Scouts of America delay action is another day that discrimination prevails, dude" said Marijuana Rights Champion Bob "Marley" Jones. "Now is the time for action. Young Americans, stoned and straight, are hurt by the inaction associated with today's news. The BSA leadership should end this awful policy once and for all, and open the proud tradition of Scouting to all."

Conservative groups and some religious organizations have argued against making any change, saying it would dilute the Boy Scout message of morality and potentially destroy the organization.

The Boy Scouts announced last month that the organization would consider changing the policy, a sharp reversal of its previous support for excluding openly marijuana smoking members and scout leaders.

The proposal comes more than a decade after a Supreme Court ruling that found the organization has the right to keep marijuana smokers out, but also amid declining participation in the venerable American institution.

Membership in Boy Scouts has declined by about a third since 1999. About 2.7 million people now participate in scouting nationwide, with more than 70% of troops affiliated with a church or religious groups.

The organization has also endured frequent criticism from marijuana rights groups and other critics who say the Boy Scouts should not endorse discrimination.

[A parody of this.]

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Wither now?

In the wake of the decision by the Boy Scouts of America to allow openly homosexual boys but not adults, I'm bracing myself for the inevitable questions I will face over the next days and weeks. "What does this mean?"

For those who want to present this as the scouts "ending discrimination", the previous policy was not discriminatory. It does not exclude people on any other basis than behavior. The scouts' membership policy has been challenged time and again. In 1995 Yeaw v. Boy Scouts of America challenged whether it was discriminatory for Cub Scouts and Boy Scouts to refuse to admit girls. The scouts won. In 1998 Curran v. Mount Diablo Council of the Boy Scouts of America challenged the policy on refusing homosexual leaders. Welsh v. Boy Scouts of AmericaI (1993) and Randall v. Orange County Council (1998)  challenged the policy on atheists. Finally in 2000, Boy Scouts of America v. Dale went all the way to the Supreme Court and settled once and for all that the Boy Scouts of America's policies are not discriminatory and are perfectly legal.

The reason is that scouting is an organization based on a common set of values. It doesn't matter who you are, if you espouse that set of values, you are welcome. If you do not, you are not. The same can be said for basically any organization. A model airplane club is for people who enjoy model airplanes. They are welcome to refuse members who wish to ban model airplanes. You get the idea.

However, the homosexual community wants to present itself not as behavior or beliefs, but of biology. The contention is that being "gay" is like being black, and therefore they cannot be "discriminated against." The lack of any evidence that you are "born gay" and the weight of evidence that you are not are ignored by pretty much both sides in the argument. The group has successfully lobbied from the top down, and controls a disproportionately large amount of money.

Which is where the scouts come in. While an individual scout may be concerned with the values of scouting, at the national level the concern is "how do we pa for that?" It takes a lot of money to be able to run a program that gives millions of boys so many opportunities, and since a large part of funding is controlled by a relatively small number of donors, manipulating donor money becomes a more effective tool than lawsuits to effect policy change.

And so the national BSA committee decided to change the membership policy. Earlier this year, they sent up a "trial balloon" with an announcement that they were "considering" a change to lift the ban on openly homosexual adults but not scouts. The change included a "conscience clause" which allowed individual units (troops) to make a decision to allow or not allow openly homosexual adults in their unit. This was to avoid losing religiously sponsored troops.

There was a large backlash from individual units. The reason is that the scenario presented was the "worst case" in a lot of ways. It would expose each individual unit to the kind of harassment and lawsuits that had plagued the national organization for decades. It raised questions about youth protection. And of course, it violated the moral principles of scouting.

So, over the past months the BSA has lobbied its members heavily on the subject. There were polls which were incredibly one sided scenarios to provide statistics that would favor a change to allow openly homosexual youths. I believe this was the plan all along. It is way easier to get parents who worry that their own son may "come out" to support allowing "gay" youths than is it to get them to approve of having a drag queen for a scout master. And once the ban is lifted for one group, the other will surely be allowed. After all, you can't tell little Johnny it's OK to sleep with boys, but his dad can't be involved in scouting because...well, why exactly?

And so we get to where we are now. The numbers looked like there was grass roots support, the media was beating on the issue regularly, and frankly a lot of people who objected the first go round were ignored on the revised policy change proposal. No, I am not surprised that the BSA lifted the ban on "gay" scouts - anybody who is surprised is naive. When the first "proposal" was announced it was inevitable.

So what does this mean to me? In answering that I'd like to point out the statement made by the BSA [emphasis mine]:

Today, following this review, the most comprehensive listening exercise in Scouting's history the approximate 1,400 voting members of the Boy Scouts of America's National Council approved a resolution to remove the restriction denying membership to youth on the basis of sexual orientation alone. The resolution also reinforces that Scouting is a youth program, and any sexual conduct, whether heterosexual or homosexual, by youth of Scouting age is contrary to the virtues of Scouting. A change to the current membership policy for adult leaders was not under consideration; thus, the policy for adults remains in place. The BSA thanks all the national voting members who participated in this process and vote.

What does he think "openly gay" means, if it does not include sexual conduct? Does he mean "same sex attracted?" But that's different from being "openly gay." Is it OK for a boy to be "dating" other boys, as long as he doesn't go past first base? Third base? Are scout leaders then supposed to inquire about the scout's sexual lives? "Johnny, did you ever touch a girl's breasts?" The whole notion of allowing boys who espouse a certain sexual conduct but saying sexual conduct is not allowed is absurd.

This may seem like I'm diving into minutia, but it can and will be important when considering eagle scouts. The rank of eagle scout is the highest rank in the BSA, and to earn it a boy has to meet certain criteria, which involve living up to the scout oath and law. First off, the current scout oath involves promising to remain "morally straight," which is problematic given the change. I expect the oath to be amended. But even without that, the scout must adhere to moral principles. I am aware of cases where a boy has completed all the requirements for eagle scout but was denied the rank because he was discourteous to someone.

That's a pretty high bar to clear. And the next time a boy is denied eagle because of sexual conduct, and that sexual conduct is homosexual conduct, you can bet the policy will be revised again. And again, and again. There's a story attributed to either George Bernard Shaw or more popularly WInston Churchill that goes something like this:

Churchill: "Madam, would you sleep with me for five million pounds?"
Socialite: "My goodness, Mr. Churchill... Well, I suppose... we would have to discuss terms, of course... "
Churchill: "Would you sleep with me for five pounds?"
Socialite: "Mr. Churchill, what kind of woman do you think I am?!"
Churchill: "Madam, we've already established that. Now we are haggling about the price”

Now that we've established that the BSA's principles are for sale, it's just a matter of price. And homosexuals aren't the only group looking to change BSA principles to match theirs. I predict turmoil and strife, and an ultimate watering down of the twelve points of scouting.

So, what to do? I could resign my position, and pull my sons out of scouting. I'm sure a lot of people will be doing that. But what would tat accomplish? There are still many good things about scouting that we can't get from another organization. leaving would be "giving up" all that we've done - running away from the bullies. On the other hand, is staying being hypocritical? In spite of knowing this was coming I haven't reached a decision, mostly because it was unclear exactly what changes would be made. For instance, would there be a "conscience clause" similar to what was in the original policy proposal.

The change doesn't go into effect until January 1, 2014, so there is time to think and pray about this, and come to a conclusion. Perhaps the organization will split over the issue, like the Anglican Church. Or perhaps a splinter organization will form, like the American Heritage Girls did in the case of the Girls Scouts abandoning their values. One thing that is especially troubling to me is that I would like to remain a leader, since I would like to help the boys in our troop regardless of what the policy is, yet if I were personally faced with an "openly gay" scout I could not in good conscience be involved in award that would affirm his moral behavior, and so I could not remain a leader.

So what does this mean? I don't know yet, but I could use your prayers, as can the entire BSA.

UPDATE: The NCCS (National Committee on Catholic Scouting) seems to have a stance similar to mine (they must be pretty smart ;-) ):

Today, the voting members of the BSA voted to change the membership standards for its youth members. The BSA proposed in its resolution that "no youth may be denied membership in the Boy Scouts of America on the basis of sexual orientation or preference alone." Its membership standards for adult leaders remain unchanged.

The Catholic Church teaches that people who experience a homosexual inclination or a same sex attraction are to be treated with respect recognizing the dignity of all persons. The Church's teaching is clear that engaging in sexual activity outside of marriage is immoral. Individuals who are open and avowed homosexuals promoting and engaging in homosexual conduct are not living lives consistent with Catholic teaching.

Since the change in policy will not take effect until January 1, 2014, the National Catholic Committee on Scouting has adequate time to study its effects. The NCCS will determine how it may impact Catholic chartered Scout units and activities. In doing so, we will work within the teachings of our Catholic Faith and with the various local bishops and their diocesan scouting committees.

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Monday Joke

This is one I tell the new scouts when we go on long hikes in bear country.

It's possible, though not likely, that we will encounter a bear. If we do, we don't want to surprise the bear. If they know you are here they will generally stay away, but of they are surprised by someone too close, they may not have a way to escape and will run at you.

So, we want to make sure the bear knows we're here. That won't be a problem for a big group of noisy scouts like you, but for people hiking alone or in small groups, it is advised that they wear little bells or carry whistles so that any bears hear them. Also, some people carry pepper spray. If a bear charges they can spray it to irritate the bear's nose and eyes to make it go away.

In this part of the country you will only see black bear, but if you are ever out in the western part of the US you may be in grizzly country. The best way to tell what kind of bears are around before you actually see them is to know the difference between their scat (poop).

The scat differs between grizzly and black bears because of their size and diet. Black bear droppings are smaller and often contain berries, leaves, and possibly bits of fur. Grizzly bear droppings are larger, contain little bells and whistles and smell of pepper spray.

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Pretend safety

As I mentioned in an earlier post I was recently working on a scout project. The conversation turned to the National Geographic TV show "Are You Tougher Than a Boy Scout?" In particular, there are a number of challenges that the contestants face that are taken from a book of Boy Scout games. The games involve activities that most Boy Scout camps prohibit due to "safety" issues.

On one of the "tougher" episodes, the scouts and adults played "canoe jousting", where one two canoes are rowed past each other, while one person on each canoe stands up and tries to knock their opponent off the other canoe with a padded oar. Another canoe game I would expect is verboten is "gunwale jumping", where scouts race canoes, propelling them solely by standing on the gunwale and jumping up and down.

I've read articles on this as well. If you tried to do many of the activities that Boy Scouts did in, say, the 1950s you would be drummed out of the Scouts for "endangering" the boys. One of my pet peeves (and many of the adults and scouts in my troop) is the ban on "lazer tag". Lazer tag, for those who don't know, is a game where the players wear vests with infrared light sensors on them, and carry "guns" that shoot infrared lasers. When you are hit by the beam from an opponents' laser, the vest beeps and records it. After a certain number of hits you are "out". There is no physical contact. As several article point out, traditionally scouts have played way more violent games than lazer tag.

Anyway, as we listed games you can't play at scout camp, I mentioned lazer tag, and was immediately set upon by my fellow scouters. No, I was told, lazer tag is in a class by itself. It involves pointing a weapon at another person, which is something a scout has never been allowed to do. The verbal slap down by pretty much everybody present was such that I just shut up. But here I can say what I wanted to say then.

Yes, I am against scouts pointing a weapon at another person too. But a lazer tag "gun" is not a weapon. It is a flashlight. I've seen scouts use flashlights with a handle and trigger. Should those be banned as well? How about Hello Kitty bubble guns? How about pastries? How about fingers?

While I think it's important to keep our kids safe from threats, I also think it's important that we keep them safe from actual threats, not imaginary ones. Even our 10 year old new scouts are smart enough to know the difference between an actual gun, which can hurt, and a lazer tag "gun", which is a flashlight. When we pretend there is not difference, and the lazer tag "gun" is somehow bad, we are just exposing them to the adult world of hypocrisy.

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40 Days of Almsgiving

In Part 1 of this series I spoke of the notion of almsgiving during Lent as I am practicing it this year. This week's lucky charities are:

The Becket Fund for Religious Liberty:

At the Becket Fund we like to say we’ve defended the religious rights of people from “A to Z,” from Anglicans to Zoroastrians. Our supporters represent a myriad of religions, but they all share our common vision of a world where religious freedom is respected as a fundamental human right that all are entitled to enjoy and exercise.

Friends of scouting:

"Friends of Scouting" is the name given to Scouting's annual financial support campaign.  The council's operation, including upkeep and maintenance of our camping properties, registrations and recordkeeping services, and our field staff, are all funded through private contributions received through the Friends of Scouting Campaign.

Christian Foundation for Children and the Aging:

CFCA is a lay Catholic organization working with persons of all faiths to create a worldwide community of compassion and service. We sponsor children, youth and the aging from all faiths and strive to be a tranquil presence in their lives. When we create a true exchange of cultures, understanding and love as equals we are alleviating not just material poverty but are also creating the bonds of lasting peace and unity among people of diverse faiths and backgrounds.

Jérôme Lejeune Foundation:

The mission of the Jérôme Lejeune Foundation USA is to provide research, care, and advocacy to benefit those with genetic intellectual disabilities. This is carried out by conducting, promoting, and funding in the United States therapeutically oriented research; by assisting in the development of healthcare services for these individuals; and by serving as their advocate in a spirit of respect for the dignity of all human persons.

Mater Ecclesiae Fund for Vocations:

The Mater Ecclesiae Fund for Vocations is privileged to assist men and women to follow God's call to service in the Church through a life of consecration. We operate the St. Joseph Student Debt Relief Grant Program for religious life and the St. John Vianney Student Debt Relief Grant Program for the parish priesthood. These grants eliminate the delay many young people encounter as they struggle to pay off their student debts before they can enter religious life. A grant pays candidates' student loan payments while they are in formation for either religious life or the priesthood.

NCHLA (National Committee for Human Life Amendment):

In the great civil rights struggle to secure the right to life for all, Archbishop John Roach, testifying on behalf of the Catholic Bishops, expressed the guiding vision:

"We are committed to full legal recognition of the right to life of the unborn child, and will not rest in our efforts until society respects the inherent worth and dignity of every member of the human race."

November 5, 1981 Statement before the
Senate Judiciary Subcommittee on the Constitution

SQPN:

SQPN (Star Quest Production Network) is a multimedia organization specializing in the production of audio and video programs faithful to the teachings of the Roman Catholic Church. Its mission is to respond to the Church’s call to use the media for religious information, for evangelization and catechesis and for formation and education.

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Physically Strong, Mentally Awake, and Morally Ambiguous

Scouts "may allow gays?" No, wait, they'll just leave local troops swinging in the wind. Once again, money triumphs over principle.

Call the scouts at 972-580-2000 and tell them not to change this policy, and sign this petition. How can we teach our boys to follow moral principles if we are willing to change ours whenever a bully comes along?

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Things of Interest

My life's busy-ness continues unabated. Going on my third scout camp out in five weeks! So, still no time to write, but I do want to blog. So I'm going to be lame and just direct you to some stories I found interesting:

From the wonderful Mary Meets Dolly blog, comes "Is the United States backward in its embryo research policies? Yes! But not why you think!". Kind of scary.

Another great post over there is "How abortion magnifies our prejudices". An interesting take on prejudice.

And you've probably already sen the poll where "Americans Believe There Are More Homosexuals in the U.S. Than There Are Catholics". I guess if you watch TV, every show has at least one gay character - how many Catholics do you see (aside from "Blue Bloods")?

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How many Catholics do you know?

Last week at scout camp I went to mass for the first time. Well, not my first time at mass, but my first time at mass up there. It was very interesting.

Camp runs from Sunday at around noon to Saturday at around noon. Since I have to leave Sunday morning before 10 AM to get up there, and since I usually spend about two hours remembering last minute things and packing the car before that, I go to Saturday evening mass, so I don't have to get up early.

Each year, we get a tour of the camp that includes the Jewish chapel, and we are told that there's a Protestant chapel and a Catholic chapel. We are told that there are "services" on Sunday night. I had assumed that these were prayer services. I didn't consider that an actual mass would be said at camp out in the woods. I guess it was the word "service" that threw me. I'm used to hearing the word "mass" and when I hear "service" it's usually not a mass.

So when one of the Catholic dads in the troop announced he was going to the mass on Sunday night, my ears perked up. It turns out he talked to someone and found out there was mass at the Catholic chapel. Three of us went on down. Our first task was to find the Catholic chapel. We all knew where the Jewish chapel was, from the tour, and we knew where the Protestant chapel was, since it's on the way to the far end of the monkey bridge across the lake. However, we just had vague directions to the Catholic chapel.

The directions turned out to be good enough, and we found it without trouble. It was a regular Catholic mass, very rustic, but reverently celebrated. What did surprise me though, were the number of people there. There were entire troops (not ours) there in class A uniforms. Not only that, but a whole bunch of people from my own troop, who I never realized were practicing Catholics. For my part, at least one of them didn't realize I was a practicing Catholic. I guess it's not something that we feel comfortable asking people these days.

As I knelt on the leaves and sticks of the forest floor, watching bread and wine being transformed into Our Lord, it made me think back to the horrible folk masses of my youth and the song "They'll know we are Christians". How many people could tell I am Christian, let alone Catholic, by seeing the way I behave outside of mass? Why don't we all talk about our faith, as we talk about politics, sport, and every other "important" aspect of our lives?

The saying "preach the Gospel at all times; use words if necessary" has often been (incorrectly) attributed to Saint Francis. Whoever said this had the right idea, though. In my "secular" life I am surrounded by atheists who have no problem proselytizing, wearing their belief like a badge of honor on their sleeve, yet how many times do I proclaim the Gospel publicly in my daily life?

[N.B. The picture above is not the Catholic chapel at scout camp. I neglected to take a picture of it. Perhaps next year I will remember.]

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Where has Mike been?

Sorry for the long hiatus. I was away at boy scout camp last week. The plan was to spend a week with our troop and Friday morning leave to go to the CNMC (Catholic New Media Celebration) in Boston. The week started out great. I learned how to belay on the climbing wall and had a great time doing all sorts of fun activities. However, a stomach virus went through the camp, and as luck would have it I did something different on Friday morning. I'll leave out the details. You're welcome. Still having a hectic next couple of weeks until the kids are back in school and things settle down, so blogging will be light. Please bear with me.

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97 Years Later

The battle of Gettysburg is the battle with the largest number of casualties in the Civil war, and is considered its turning point. For three days General Meade and General Lee lead their armies on a series of engagements which resulted in 50,000 dead, wounded or missing. Even those who never heard of Pickett's Charge, Culp's Hill, or the Devil's Den can recite the introduction of President Lincoln's address "Four score and seven years ago our fathers brought forth on this continent a new nation, conceived in liberty, and dedicated to the proposition that all men are created equal."

Last October our Boy Scout Troop was fortunate enough to be allowed to camp on the battle field of Gettysburg. For two days we hiked the paths of union and confederate soldiers, learning the details of the battle and the deeds of those who planned and fought it. Although I have never been a history buff, I was fascinated by what I learned.

The image on the right is a statue on that battlefield, of Father William Corby, CSC, who who is depicted here giving general absolution to the Irish brigade fighting on the second day of that battle. This statue was the first statue of a non-general erect on the site of the battle of Gettysburg. Father Corby survived the battle and went on to be president of Notre Dame University, twice.

Of course that battle took place 147 years ago, on July 1, 1863. 97 years ago, however, there was a 50^th reunion of the battle, of which there exists video footage!



That reunion is also describe here by Calvin Johnson Jr.:

The summer heat of July 1913 did not keep the old Confederate and Union Veterans from attending the 50th anniversary of the Battle of Gettysburg. It has been written that over 50,000 sons of the North and South came for what has been called the largest combined reunion of War Between the States veterans.

The youngest veteran was reported to be 61 and the oldest was 112 years young.

No one dared to criticize the United States and Confederate flags that flew side by side at the Gettysburg soldier’s reunion of honored men who had been enemies on the field of battle just 50 years earlier. Some of today’s politicians and people’s rights groups could learn something from these grand old men of yesterday. Knowledge is Power!!

The State of Pennsylvania hosted the 1913 reunion at the insisting of state Governor John K. Tener. Tener also encouraged other states to arrange rail transportation for the participants. Down South in Dixie, the United Daughters of the Confederacy helped raise money for the transportation and uniforms for their Confederate veterans.

The soldiers of Blue and Gray, Black and White, came with heads high and full of war stories. It is written that the hosts did not count on Black Confederates attending the meeting and had no place to put them but the White Confederates made room for their Southern brothers. Black Union veterans also attended this event.

It is written that nearly 700,000 meals were served that included fried chicken, roast pork sandwiches, ice cream and Georgia watermelon. The temperature soared to 100 degrees and almost 10,000 veterans were treated for heat exhaustion and several hundred more were hospitalized. The United States Army was also present in support and the old men loved the attention.

A highlight of the reunion was the Confederate Veterans walk on the path of Gen. George Pickett’s charge that was greeted, this time, by a handshake from the Union Veterans.

President Woodrow Wilson spoke to those veterans with compassion and appreciation, and said, quote “These venerable men crowding here to this famous field have set us a great example of devotion and utter sacrifice. They were willing to die that the people might live. But their task is done. Their day is turned into evening. They look to us to perfect what they have established. Their work is handed to us, to be done in another way but not in another spirit. Our day is not over; it is upon us in full tide.” Unquote

These men of Blue and Gray are gone but let’s never forget them. God Bless!!

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Back in Philly

While the rest of America was worrying about health care I was camping. Friday evening we packed ourselves, three scouts, three tents, five sleeping bags, four folding chairs, assorted back packs, day packs, etc. and my "small" telescope (a 6" dobsonian) and eyepiece case into the back of our minivan and headed off to Pine Hill scout reservation in Southwestern New Jersey.

The evening was perfect (although it got down to 37 degrees - a bit chilly). In the morning we were awakened at about 5 AM by scouts telling jokes and humming the "Jeopardy" song, for some reason. We did have to get up early, but not that early. We packed the scouts into cars, drove to the train station and rode the rails into Philly.

I know my last post about Philly probably gave a poor impression of things, but this trip was much more enjoyable. We began the trip in much the same way we ended the previous one - at the Liberty Bell. After that, however, we met Heather, our guide in period costume, who gave us a 90 minute walking tour of historic Philadelphia. It was a lot of fun, and fact filled. Did you know that the original post office run by Ben Franklin is the only one in the United States that doesn't fly the American flag? Ben refused to fly the Union Jack when Pennsylvania was still a colony, and after the revolution they continued the tradition of not flying a flag at that post office.

After our tour we ate lunch and visited the National Constitution Center. It was scout day, and the place was packed with scouts. We were wearing class A uniforms, which usually makes us quite visible in a crowd, but there many of the people were, so it actually made it hard to pick out our troop. I enjoyed the Constitution Center although I have one complaint. One exhibit has a caption "A Pro-life and a Pro-choice button" but the exhibit actually displays 2 pro-choice buttons and no pro-life button. You'd think that would be pretty obvious to whoever set up the exhibit. I'd include a photo, but they have a no photo rule for most of the exhibits, which I think is stupid. Still, it's their exhibits, so no photos.

After the Constitution Center we had a tour of Independence Hall, which was also quite cool to see. We had a rather cynical, wisecracking tour guide which was kind of interesting. After that it was back to the train and camp site. If there was one downside to the trip it was the number of apparently homeless people we saw in the city.

Back at camp we had a late supper and I set up my telescope. The first exciting thing was a very naked-eye visible pass of the International Space Station (ISS) overhead. It was magnitude -2.7! For those who aren't astrogeeks magnitude -2.7 means it was about 2.5 times brighter than the brightest star in the sky. Not only that but it was visible for over 5 minutes, slowly and silently crossing the sky. Through the telescope you could see the solar panels and major sections.

We looked at Mars and Saturn, and some star clusters and nebulae. I tried for some galaxies (the trio in Leo) but the skies were too light polluted. The observing was a hit, even though we had clouds rolling in and out and I gave up after an hour or so. We were all exhausted from the long day.

So another chilly night in a tent, and we broke camp and came home this morning.

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Frankly Fed Up

This past weekend our cub scout pack had a sleep over at the Franklin Institute in Philadelphia, PA. I have been to the Franklin several times, and each time I've enjoyed it. I always think I should go more often, but the thing that always stops me is driving around Philly. I hate driving in most cities, but Philly always seems to get me lost somehow. This time was no exception. After spending 45 minutes sitting in traffic coming into the city, I managed to be in the wrong lane at the wrong time and wound up in a twisty maze of little streets, all alike. With no place to pull over we had no choice but to continue as the GPS tried frantically to recalculate fast enough to beat the next corner. It failed, and an endless "recalculating" loop began until we got out of that section of the city.

Having finally arrived we stowed our gear and started exploring the place. Everywhere we turned we were confronted by giant sized posters of Gunter von Hagen's "Body Worlds" ("extended by popular demand"). Now I'm not excessively squeamish when it comes to anatomy, but I really don't want to be confronted with this stuff when I'm getting food or eating, and after the 50th poster you have to think "what kind of idiot needs 50 posters to tell them what's in the museum, when they can just read one of the 50 maps around?". Because of this insensitivity towards visitors, its obvious aim at desensitizing people, the fact that there's no "science" involved (these are "art" display of corpses) and my disdain for Gunter von Hagen's disrespect for humanity (especially in some of his "shows") I would not go to the exhibit even if there weren't a separate admission price for it. Fortunately, none of the kids were the slightest bit interested either.

What I was looking forward to was the promise of "Star Gazing with giant professional telescopes in the Joel N. Bloom Observatory (weather permitting)". Since it was a beautiful clear night, and I am an amateur astronomer, this was going to be fun. Sadly, when we got there and got our schedules, there was no mention of observing nor any time planned for potential observing, nor any explanation of why the activity had been left out. What we did have was a schedule that had the children (some of whom were tiger scouts as young as 6 years old) up until midnight, and then up again at 6:45 AM.

The evening went fairly well except for three things. First off, the "Special reward", which was ice cream made with liquid nitrogen, consisted of about 1 tablespoon per kid. Come on! Secondly, everywhere we went we were hampered by sleeping bags and other gear around the exhibits, set up for other groups (and of course "Body Worlds" posters). Lastly, the IMAX movie was a film called "Under the Sea" which spent an inordinate amount of effort to associate three cuttlefish mating with human sexuality in a manner which was sophomoric for adults, and inappropriate for the kids. It all ended with dire warnings about anthropogenic climate change.

After that we set up our sleeping bags and tried to get some sleep. The area they put us in had us packed in shoulder to shoulder, and the kids were all wound up from the sexy movie, so very little sleep was had. By morning, several of the scouts were throwing up and we were all cranky. Time for breakfast! After some delicious cold cereal (they apparently didn't stock any yogurt that did not have artificial sweeteners) we trekked to the planetarium where we watched yet another movie (in lieu of an actual planetarium show). This one was a film by the NSF called "Two Small Pieces of Glass" which was a history of the telescope. Being an amateur telescope maker and a fan of the history of the telescope I was dreading the low level of research and high level of misinformation to ensue. Let's just say I was not disappointed.

It wasn't all bad. We all enjoyed the "standard" exhibits. The giant heart is always a hit, and the train exhibit was fascinating. Likewise the aerospace place and newton's loft. The "rotating" exhibits were the main problem.

After leaving the museum, we decided to have lunch and do a little bit of sightseeing before we left Philly, which gave me ample opportunities to get lost again, which I took advantage of. Then we headed home. The kids had fun. Me, not so much. Perhaps I am just an old curmudgeon, but next time I think I'll stick to the Liberty Science Center.

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Why the Scouts?

I was a Cub Scout. I made it all the way through Webelos. In fact, my dad was my den leader in Webelos. Yet I never went into Boy Scouts. I'm still not sure why. Through the years that part of my life has become misty until I don't really recall much except certain events, good and bad.

My oldest son followed in my footsteps in this regard. His mother was his den leader, and like me he didn't cross over into Boy Scouts. In his case the reason is clear - his friends didn't go into Boy Scouts.

Now we move to son #2. He was thrilled to cross over. It was I who was a bit hesitant. I mean c'mon - camping every month - even in the winter? These guys are crazy. I went along with it and went on my first scout camping trip.

It was March, and it was cold and damp. We arrived at dusk and carried our gear a great distance from the parking lot to the camp site. His buddy arrived about the same time, and together the three boys who were sharing a tent (scouts don't get their own tent - they share with other scouts) began setting it up by flashlight.

Anthony, my son's friend's father, and I started to help, but were told by an older scout that the boys had to do all the work - we could give them advice or verbal instructions, but it was their tent and they had to set it up. And surprisingly, they did get it set up fairly quickly.

Anthony and I set up my tent, which we were sharing, and by the time we were done, the scouts had a cheery fire going and were running around laughing and joking. After "cracker barrel" (cheese, crackers, apples, grapes, etc.) the kids were sent off to their tents and the adults sat around the fire drinking coffee and chatting. It was actually kind of fun.

That night I learned two important things. First, that you could stay warm in a tent, even if it was freezing outside. Second I learned that I can out-snore the best of them (or so they claim)! The next morning I learned how good food can taste when you're camping.

My son didn't last all the way through that first weekend, but has since gotten "into" it in a big way. Not only have we been camping in cold or hot weather, the past two summers we went to camp for a week, and next year he hopes to be able to attend the jamboree. Of course it's not all camping, and we have done various advancement and merit badge activities together, from fishing to star gazing to 50 mile bike rides.

I know not all troops are created equal, but ours is great. The older boys help the younger ones and everyone is (more or less) included and taken care of, no matter what their background or abilities. Parents (of both genders) are welcome to help in various capacities and the leaders are an impressive bunch of caring and capable men. If you are considering scouting, do "shop around" nearby troops to find one that meets your needs.

I am glad my son decided to participate in scouting. The Boy Scout's mission statement is "to prepare young people to make ethical and moral choices over their lifetimes by instilling in them the values of the Scout Oath and Law." Over the past year and a half I have seen how scouting has helped him to grow in knowledge and confidence, as well as give us a way to be closer as father and son.

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Storms and Rockets

Storm

We run our son's Cub Scout Pack's rocket launch every year (although next year will be our last, as our youngest isn't so very young anymore). This year the event was a bit less organized than we would have liked.

Normally, the night before launch is prep time. I get out the launchers and check everything with a voltmeter, recharge the marine battery I run everything from and do any other maintenance. My dear wife and I get the rocket engines and supplies, count out the appropriate number for each den, and bag them individually to save time the next morning.

This year, we didn't have the launcher control panel until the last minute. The son of the gentleman who was storing it had crossed over to Boy Scouts, so we weren't in contact with him, and by the time we got a hold of him it was last minute. To make things more hectic, my youngest had a friend of his staying with us for a few days, and had decided he would rather have his friend than finish building his rocket.

So a lot of things were left until "the night before". And what a night it was! I got home about 5:45 and the most incredible electrical storm began. The sky got black. The temperature dropped from about 80 to 65ish. We had a few minutes of violent rain and wind, followed by about 20 minutes of nearly continuous lightning and thunder. We stood on the deck and watched. I tried to show the kids how to count seconds to tell how far off the lightning is, but it was hopeless because there was so much lightning there was a continuous rumble and we had no idea what noise was associated with what bolt of lightning.

Of course the power went out immediately, and came back on, and off, and on...more than once a second. I raced to the basement and threw the master breaker for the house, with visions of fried computers. Since we are about the only family in the neighborhood that still has a "classic" telephone we elected ourselves to notify the electric company. Their system said it would call us back when the power went on (I'll save you the suspense - they never called).

So we sat in the deck and watched the display. It was like the grand finale at a fireworks show! The sky turned various colors, including blood red (which was very eerie). After about an hour the sky mostly cleared, but we still had lightning bolts going almost from horizon to horizon across the now clear sky.

By 9 PM the storm was over, but we could still see the sky and trees lighting like strobes in a disco (OK, I'm old). The lightning flashes went on until at least 11 PM. Well, here we are with a house full of kids sitting in the dark. No easy way to check out launch equipment or charge batteries.! Those of you who live in the city may not realize the enormity of being without power. Not only do we have no light or electronics, but we have no heat or air conditioning (not a big problem this time of year) and NO WATER. That means no cooking, cleaning, or FLUSHING.

So we went to bed, figuring the electric company would either call us when the power came on (I had to switch the breakers back on before we could enjoy electric power) or else we would have no power in the morning (in which case we really had to figure out how to run the launch).

Fortunately something woke me around 1 AM and I peeked out the window to see lights in the neighbor's window. I went downstairs and hastily set up the battery charger and did what I could in my sleep addled state to prepare for the morning.

Rockets

Of course the next morning arrived early and beautiful; the proverbial calm after the storm. I drove the car to the local park to set up the rocket launcher, and was surprised to see cars in the parking lot. I figured they were probably leftovers from an early morning soccer game or something, and drove past them to the end of the field where we launch.

As I unloaded the car and began setting up, a park employee in a golf cart began driving towards me. "Checking permits" I thought to myself. As suspected, the gentleman, Sean, asked if I had a permit for the use of the field. I produced the paperwork.

"There's a problem," he told me. "They scheduled a soccer game on this field this morning at the same time. You'll have to move to the north end of the park." What else could I do? He invited me to hop on the golf cart, and showed me where we would be able to launch. a very long walk from another parking lot. He dropped me back at my car and drove off. Grrrr!

I drove my car past the "park vehicles only" sign and down the walking path to unload. That way it was only 50 mils to carry all the equipment instead of 100. Immediately golf carts converged on my from every direction (Sean went back to his end of the park) telling me I couldn't park there. I must have looked annoyed because they swiftly drove off after delivering their message.

Meanwhile, a cadre of scouts had assembled, (presumably directed there by Sean, since we hadn't had time to notify anyone of the location change). Several parent's pitched in and we got the launcher assembled.

My life from the next 2 hours consisted of placing rockets on launch pads, connecting wires, and doing countdowns. My mantra became "is the safety on?" The sun was hot, but the sky was blue for the first time in weeks, so I didn't mind (at first). Life was good as I watched the rockets, four at a time, soar into the sky and deploy parachutes and streamers.

We lost one nose cone, when a rocket separated from it's parachute and nose cone. No doubt it came to earth somewhere, but the last we saw it was hundreds of feet up and traveling south. Another rocket had a balance problem and embedded itself in the ground down range before deploying its chute on the ground. Other than that, we had well over a hundred successful launches.

Of course (it happens every year) someone showed up just as we were putting away the last of the gear. We hastily assembled a makeshift launcher, found a hand-held controller that still had life the batteries and pulled off 3 more launches.

Next year will be our last time running the launch, since our youngest will be crossing over to Boy Scouts. I'm gonna miss it, and I guess that's the whole reason for this post; to remember the fun.

[images by computerhotline and Sacha Grant]

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I <3 Camping

I just got back form a beginner backpacking trip with the Boy Scouts. It was fun. First off, we got to carry a heavy pack up a hill. There were many toads and millipedes. I think they liked it because they had many mosquitoes to eat. We didn't eat mosquitoes, though. We ate apples and crackers and cheese. Then we slept, amid the noises of the night (crickets, toads and scouts).

I slept like a baby (I woke up every two hours and cried). I woke up at 6 AM, dug the rocks out of my spine and got up. The boys were eagerly cooking breakfast on tiny camp stoves. These stoves put out an amazing amount of heat, but only heat a spot the size of a quarter, which makes cooking pancakes interesting.

After breakfast we started out on our trek. It was only 5 miles, but what they didn't tell us was that was the vertical distance we would travel. We saw mines, waterfalls, and hill tops. For wildlife we saw ticks, a large black snake, ticks, toads, ticks, hawks, ticks and ticks. There were many ticks. It was raining ticks. we had lunch on top of a hill then hiked more valleys and hills. Because of the ticks, I was wearing long pants, despite the 80 degree heat. I discovered new places to sweat from.

Finally we got back and started on the dinner planning. We had a delicious tomato and lentil stew, and built a roaring campfire around which to sit. There were no mosquitoes the second night. I think it was either because we stunk so much from the hike even they couldn't stand us or because they figured the ticks got all our blood already.

We did have a raccoon visitor we named "Chuck". Chuck the Raccoon says "Hey kids! Remember to leave food and dirty dishes out for me".

Sleep hit me like a ton of ticks - er, bricks. I woke at 6 AM again and climbed out of my tent to see a bear! Not in our campsite but at the one directly across the trail! We all talked about it as we made breakfast and ate. After a while he started coming to our site despite the fact that we were still there! I guess he wanted to see what food we were going to leave. We took the food, but left in a hurry. I guess he'll have to survive on ticks and mosquitoes.

After a million hour drive, we got home, where we got to set up the tent again to clean it out, unpack the backpacks, do laundry etc.

I love camping!

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