Thanks for this — I have no challenge to your sincerity and respect of the ‘Scouting’ world. I have two comments: 1) After watching Pres Trump, I sent an email to the “Pacific regional exec” in my area, saying I was shocked and hoped he shared my views and would make that know to the National. He emailed me back in about a 1/2 hour saying: “99% of the President’s speech was about finding a career you could be passionate about and persevere…” (wow, 99% — so only 1% for all the rest?), and that the “media was not accurately portraying” what happened. Well…it was on TV live. Not sure how it could not have been accurate. My point: not all ‘leaders’ seem to be interested in all of your fine values. And I would guess this man was happily participating in the cheering and booing — at all the inappropriate times.
2) It would seem incumbent upon leadership to revisit the Pres’s speech. To let it pass is to quietly condone it (regardless of the National apology). It should be replayed to the Scouts and discussed in relationship to Scouting civic values — did it measure up? where did it fail? All of that can be done with ‘respect of the Office of President’ — it doesn’t have to be Trump-trashing — as THAT wouldn’t be an acceptable value. (Just as being snide about Pres Obama and Sec of St Clinton was not a ‘value’.) My point: doesn’t matter who has modeled ‘bad’ behavior on the “Scouting” stage — that behavior must be examined and clarified as “not the way we do things”.
Thanks for the nice article. It was a pleasure to read and ‘experience’ your feelings.