Scouts Don't Discriminate Bush Admin Lawyer Tells Court

[davidinalameda]

http://www.365gay.com/Newscon06/02/021506scouts.htm

An attorney for the Boys Scouts of America and a lawyer from the Bush administration's Justice Department told an appellate court panel Tuesday that a lower court erred when it ruled that San Diego was promoting religion by granting the youth organization long-term leases to city parklands.

George Davidson, an attorney for the Boy Scouts, said the group has no theology and only holds the position that children should "do duty to God" in order to become productive citizens. The organization has few references to religion in its manual and has a practice of "punting it back to parents and religious leaders" when it comes to religious matters, Davidson told the court.

Eric Treene, a Justice Department lawyer in the Civil Rights Division, told the three-judge panel of the 9th Circuit Court of Appeals that the Scouts have a nondiscrimination policy when it comes to who can use its space and the city has more than 120 leases with other groups who use park areas in exchange for maintenance and improvements.

The Boy Scouts has been the target of preferential treatment lawsuits since the U.S. Supreme Court in June 2000 ruled that the organization has a constitutional right to exclude openly gay men from serving as troop leaders and because it compels members to swear an oath of duty to God.

I wonder if the attorneys could keep from laughing while telling the court these lies!

[dsewell]

1. Absolute and total bullshit

George Davidson, an attorney for the Boy Scouts, said the group has no theology and only holds the position that children should "do duty to God" in order to become productive citizens. The organization has few references to religion in its manual and has a practice of "punting it back to parents and religious leaders" when it comes to religious matters, Davidson told the court.

Go to the source, the BSA website: http://www.bsalegal.org/quot%3Bdut-155.htm

Among other things: "Boy Scouts of America believes that no member can grow into the best kind of citizen without recognizing an obligation to God. Accordingly, adult volunteer leaders of Boy Scouts of America obligate themselves to do their duty to God and be reverent as embodied in the Scout Oath, the Scout Law, and the Declaration of Religious Principle. Because of its views concerning the duty to God, Boy Scouts of America believes that an atheist or agnostic is not an appropriate role model of the Scout Oath and Law for adolescent boys. Because of Scouting’s methods and beliefs, Scouting does not accept atheists and agnostics as adult volunteer leaders."

[pro_blue_guy]

2. I'm an Eagle Scout.

[TaleWgnDg]

3. Good for the trial court! Calling BSA what it is, period. But it

.

Good for the trial court! And good for the ACLU (again)! Calling BSA what it is, period. But it truly angers me that I, as an American taxpayer, must pay for these federal lawyers who do Bush's religion-into-law crapola! How can they stay in the DoJ/Solicitor General's Office/ employ??!

Bush and Company (the BSA) have been authorized by the U.S. Supreme Court to discriminate against atheists, agnostics, and gays because (according to the U.S. Supreme Court) the BSA is a private club/organization not a public club/organization! Unreal. And, now, those b.s. artists want to say it's not true? What hypocrisy. What arrogance. But, then, again, what else is new from these neo-cons?

ACLU rocks!!
.

[xchrom]

4. bushco trying to insure that it's citizens all

think alike and act alike.

it's brainwashing is what it is.

and want to justify it in a court of law.

[TechBear_Seattle]

5. Didn't the BSA already go to the Supreme Court on this matter and win?

The principle thrust of their argument was that they were a private religious organization and, as such, could raise religious objections to the inclusion of gays and atheists as members and leaders. The Court agreed.

The argument is therefore settled, and by the highest court in the land: the Boy Scouts of America are a private religious organization. I say fine. They won in court, now they must abide by the decision. Pity that the BSA are such hypocrites, they used to be a fine group.