[15321] in APO-L
Re: Scout Oath and Law discussion
daemon@ATHENA.MIT.EDU (Trevor W Schadt)
Thu Nov 7 12:00:49 1996
Date: Thu, 7 Nov 1996 11:55:05 -0500
Reply-To: Trevor W Schadt <paladin+@CMU.EDU>
From: Trevor W Schadt <paladin+@CMU.EDU>
To: Multiple recipients of list APO-L <APO-L@VM.CC.PURDUE.EDU>
In-Reply-To: <Added.QmUNksm00UddNHgU4w@andrew.cmu.edu>
Loren J Chassels <asven@JUNO.COM> writes:
> A brother is:
> Trustworthy
> Loyal
> Helpful
> Friendly
> Courteous
> Kind
> Obedient
> Cheerful
> Thrifty
> Brave
> Clean
> Reverent
>
Um, whoa. No, the Scout Law begins "A *SCOUT* is:," not "A
*BROTHER* is:."
A *brother* should:
Be A Leader
Be A Friend
Be Of Service
> Ask yourself, are you a brother?
Hells yes, and I was never in Scouting. But then again, I
didn't think much of Scouting when I was a kid. (Hells, then again, I
lied to a teacher in high school to get out of a community serive
assignment.)
Does this make me not a brother? HELLS NO. Just because I
(or Sidd, or anyone else) never got involved in Scouting, and
therefore don't have the deep connection to the Scout Oath and Law
that most Scouts seem to, DOESN'T MAKE US ANY LESS BROTHERS THAN YOU.
Some of my good friends are scouts (and some of them aren't even
brothers! Imagine that, scouts outside A Phi O!), and the ones that
are also brothers have impressed me with their dedication to the Oath
and Law. both in and out of fraternity activities.
While I understand that Sidd's argument might have been a bit
inflammatory, by making that inquiry you not only question his
brotherhood, but MINE, and I resent that implication.
I pledged Kappa in Spring 1994, and have contributed every
semester since. I have been an active brother for every one of 6
semesters now (a rarity around here), contributing more service hours
than I care to count to more projects than I want to think of. I have
served on four Rush committees (one as Pledgemaster, one as Fellowship
Rush Chair, and two as Service Rush Chair), served a half term as
Membership VP, and currently serve as Recording Secretary.
Don't you EVER question my brotherhood again.
Now that that rant's over, let's get back to the question at
hand: the bylaws change. I think the main debate here is whether the
change will force all brothers to abide by the Oath and Law (the root
of Sidd's argument). I disagree. If I remember correctly, the
proposed change is "who are in the fellowship of the principles of the
Scout Oath and Law." (If I'm incorrect, then I should really go back
and reread the proposal, since I'm one of Kappa delegates!) This does
not say "who follow and abide by the Scout Oath and Law," it says "who
are in the fellowship of the principles of the Scout Oath and Law."
The way I read this is "Look, these are the ideals we follow, they're
mostly things "decent people" should do, follow 'em, OK?"
Remember, we are A Phi O. We are not BSA. We may have been
founded on their principles, but WE ARE NOT BSA. Let's keep that
distinction clear, shall we?
*************************************************************
Trevor W. Schadt The Paladin's Quest Kappa Chapter, APO
paladin+@cmu.edu Electrical & Computer Engineering CMU
http://www.contrib.andrew.cmu.edu/~paladin/ (412)422-4611
