CBS News / 5,100 Boy Scout leaders removed for abuse

[shance]

CBS News reported Tuesday on "disturbing revelations" regarding the Boy Scouts, saying that "over the last 60 years, at least 5,100 adult leaders were kicked out of the Scouts because of allegations of sexual abuse."

That figure emerged as the result of a lawsuit against the Scouts by two brothers, who told CBS they were abused throughout their entire childhoods by an assistant scoutmaster who has since acknowledged his guilt.

"Thousands of secret Boy Scout files ... were turned over to the brothers' attorney" as a result of the suit, CBS reported, and the attorney told CBS his analysis showed troop leaders were being tossed out for suspected abuse every three days before 1991 and every 2 days since then.

The Boy Scouts insist that these numbers represent only a tiny percentage of scoutmasters, and the organization now requires criminal background checks and has instituted educational policies intended to prevent abuse. Despite the increased scrutiny, the head of the Scouts' child abuse prevention program was convicted in 2005 of trafficking in child pornography.

http://rawstory.com//news/2007/CBS_5100_Boy_Scout_leaders_removed_0829.html#comments

[seemslikeadream]

1. Move over Catholic church

[saigon68]

4. Pope Ratso and his merry band

[Name removed]

2. Deleted sub-thread

Sub-thread removed by moderator. Click here to review the message board rules.

[Nomad559]

3. 5,100 Boy Scout leaders Removed For Sexual Abuse

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=109x30503

:)

[shance]

10. Thanks Nomad. Hadn't seen your thread.

n/t

[northzax]

5. but what's important, see

is that the scouts were abused by STRAIGHT men. cause there are no gay scout leaders, right?

[aquart]

6. Where the boys are...

[LaPera]

7. And the same fuckers who make press statements, just like republican spokemen

saying all is fine, are the same fuckers involved in the lies...again, just like the republicans in politics...


"The head of the Scouts' child abuse prevention program was convicted in 2005 of trafficking in child pornography."

[Vilis Veritas]

9. And do you really think that he needed the Scouts to

become who he was?

That the BSA was somehow responsible for this sick closeted criminal and his perverted lifestyle?

Sick perverts will exploit ANY organization they can. There are millions of abuse cases EACH year that are not related to any organization. They go un-noticed.

An interesting side-note on this: It is currently the BSA Rally time for new Scouts. Perfect timing for this...

Just saying.

Peace.

[Vilis Veritas]

8. This is not a joke and the BSA does not treat it as such.

And it is also why the BSA is not hiding anyone. They fire them. No leaders get moved around and shuffled to new districts. Criminal checks are now in place for all leaders and there are new rules that try and prevent the sick fucks from taking advantage of boys.

Children get molested without any organizational group present ALL THE F'ing time. That is the problem. Sick people will go to any lengths to fulfill their sick desires.

The steps the BSA has put into place to protect the boys are commendable. At least they are trying. Are they enough? I do not know.

Just saying...

Peace.

[The Vinyl Ripper]

12. The Boy Scouts ...

Discriminate on the basis of religion.

While simultaneously holding a charter from the Congress making them a quasi official organization.

[Vilis Veritas]

18. Belief in a God is a requirement.

All religions are represented.

While they have discriminated in the past and I am sure they probably will in the future...the BSA is a volunteer organization at the community level and therefore it is difficult to control the actions of ignorant people.

Many youth organizations are chartered by the Congress, but I understand your point.

Peace.

[The Vinyl Ripper]

23. Requiring a belief in God is not discrimination on the basis of religion?

[Vilis Veritas]

26. Yes and no. I should have been clearer.

I was merely expanding on your premise. As far as I can tell, the requirement is belief in god. Religion is organized belief in a particular god/faith (Muslim, Christian, Jewish) for the sake of fellowship and money/power. I am not sure if the BSA requires belief in an organized religion. I have merely heard that they require belief in a god. I could look it up, I think they post manuals online...

Forgive me for not being more succinct in my post...

Peace.

[The Vinyl Ripper]

28. It seems to me that whether one believes in God or not..

Is the ultimate in religious difference.

So discriminating against those who lack a belief in God is the ultimate in religious discrimination.

[Vilis Veritas]

29. I agree.

It seems that most religious organizations need to start learning to seperate morality from a belief system that is based on a system of tired dogma. Not that it will happen...without a lot of gnashing of teeth. ;-)

My wife is Chinese. She does not believe in any GOD. She is the kindest, gentlest, most humane person I have ever met (it is one of the qualities that drew me to her).

Religion does not own morality. That is the problem.

It is an issue I can get behind.

Peace.

[callous taoboy]

11. My brother was molested by a boy scout leader-

Happened on a camp out. Threatened my brother in the morning and then
gave him harsh looks at meetings thereafter.

[shance]

13. I'm sorry to read that Callous.

Of all places, where a child is supposed to be considered safe and under good supervision.

[Vilis Veritas]

14. Was it reported?

If not, it is not too late. This is a leader and he may still be doing this to other boys.

I am very sorry...

Peace.

[NYC Liberal]

22. Sorry to hear that...I was also a scout a little while back and my scoutmaster

was arrested for molesting another kid a few years prior. He got only 8 years because he plead guilty to 1 count...otherwise he would have been charged with something around 40+ counts.

[Vilis Veritas]

24. So you are saying a convicted felon was allowed to be a scoutmaster?

You said you were a scout. Your Scoutmaster was arrested a few years earlier. He got 8 years. Was he out on parol and they allowed him back in?

If so, report it. To the national council.

Peace.

[NYC Liberal]

25. No no, he was arrested while I was in the troop, he's in prison now

although not for too much longer.

[HardRocker05]

15. gotta wonder what's going on w/ the BSA, given their extreme homophobia. is it a cover for pervs, as

it appears to so often be?

[Vilis Veritas]

16. No.

Unfortunately, the reality is that ALL youth organizations are exploited by sick people. There is no safe haven in our society. To think otherwise is to let your guard down.

Peace.

[dailykoff]

17. Very true. And in fact all religious denominations

statistically suffer the same amount of child abuse from their clergy, though it isn't reported. Today the BSA, yesterday the RC Church, tomorrow it could be any educational organization that gets the spotlight, but child sexual abuse is pervasive in any organization that makes it possible.

[Vilis Veritas]

19. The public school system?

Never makes the news in as grand a way as others, but it is vastly under-reported.

Peace.

[blonndee]

21. What does their homophobia have to do with it, exactly?

Could you more fully explain how you've correlated homophobia and child-molestation, please?

[Vilis Veritas]

27. Nothing.

The poster used sloppy thinking.

I should have pointed that out in my post in response to his...my apologies. Thank you for posting.

There is no connection between sexual preference and the ability to commit a crime against a young child.

Peace.

[OmmmSweetOmmm]

20. I rarely refused my kids when it came to joining groups.. but I would not allow them

to join the Boy Scouts. They are a bigotted group and I was outraged that they didn't allow room for atheism and gays.

As to sexual abuse and troop leaders. It just isn't in the Boy Scouts. It's in organized sports or anywhere children gather. As a parent, when my sons were involved in little league, soccer, etc, I always kept a vigilant eye.

[Mandate My Ass]

30. Pedophiles go where the kids are.

And the boy scouts would be a great place to be if you wanted to gain the trust of a child in order to molest them.

I always monitored my sons whearabouts and never allowed him to be alone with scoutmasters, coaches etc. If they needed to talk to him, I made sure I was there too.