[15223] in APO-L
As an Eagle must fly, so must we.
daemon@ATHENA.MIT.EDU (Weiss.H@MCD.GEN.DE.US)
Mon Nov 4 14:47:06 1996
Date: Mon, 4 Nov 1996 14:30:00 EST
Reply-To: Weiss.H@MCD.GEN.DE.US
From: Weiss.H@MCD.GEN.DE.US
To: Multiple recipients of list APO-L <APO-L@VM.CC.PURDUE.EDU>
In-Reply-To: The letter of Monday, 4 November 1996 2:10pm ET
My Fellow Brethren:
Lately I have watched the debate between the BSA and APO escalate to
proportions that compel me to speak representing both organizations. For I am
both a Life Member of this Fraternity as well as an Eagle Scout. You must
pardon my language now, for I hold back no emotions or sentiments to both
organizations I am proud to belong.
Many of you, who are not part of the BSA, the Explorers or even the World
Scouting movement, may find that you cannot understand why APO would want to
affilliate itself with such a "sexist, anti-gay, religous" organization such
thatthe BSA portends to accept as the "highest ideals of manhood". Yet I'd
like for you to consider why I was not accepted into the girl-scouts. In
fact, when I first was a cub scout, I thought the Girl Scouts were the better
of the two organizations. But as I grew up with scouting, I saw the Girl
Scouts becoming less a committed organization, but rather an organization for
social ties.
I would remind many of you who are Girl Scouts, such as my sister, that the
Girl Scouts actually have similar clauses in their creeds, mottos, and
handbooks. Why then are we singling out the BSA? Because it is the right
thing to do? Because we have become so polically correct, that attacking or
castrating a maledominated institution is acceptable? Because we want to
achieve our own levels or standards of humanity?
If we take my last because as our reasoning, I might accept it better, but as
I see the debate waging war on our organization, I see it more as the attack
and non-friendly move to either strengthen or reduce ties with the BSA.
Remember the words we often hear at inductions and initiations about the
founding of APO... that our founding brothers saw it as a model to follow,
rather than just a creed to adopt ... that it shall serve as a standard for
all nations in all world. These are what are looked for when I became an
Eagle and why I continued on with the APO tradition.
So attack me for who I am -- An Eagle Scout who believes the BSA have as much
right to believe what they will as APO has a right to reject that beliefs.
Above all we have a right to adopt ourselves as an organization committed to
our own beliefs taking from whichever and whatever organizations we choose. I
hope this organization realizes that it isn't the BSA who are the problem, but
the people who have interpreted their meanings inappropriate to our own
standards of our own beliefs.
(Understand that last sentence very carefully)
{what I am in fact stating should be suggested, that the Leadership of the BSA
has made some generalizations to which not all BSA members ascribe to, that
often leaders say things that not all will accept as their own} For the
record, I am proud to say I have not one or a few gay friends, but several. I
am tolerant of all religions (my girl-friend could cite examples). And I am
acceptant of all people, men and women, Black and White, Jew and Gentile, Gay
and Straight!
As I leave this post, I will leave you a quote from my thoughts...
"All the world is shades of hue;
black is white,
red is green,
man is woman,
child is adult,
then why is why is the world so blind?"
Fondly,
Hayim Seth Weiss
Clinical Data Coordinator, Medical Center of Delware
Xi Alpha (Muhlenberg College) Alumni
Beta (University of Pittsburgh) Alumni
Section 91 Staff
