Cambridge Massachusetts vs The Boy Scouts
For those of you from not around here, Cambridge Massachusetts is probably the most liberal city in the country. That may be over stating it a bit, San Francisco is probably still ahead, but Cambridge is one of the most liberal cities in the country, and probably the most liberal in New England. Cambridge is also a sanctuary city, although that has nothing to do with this story I thought I would throw that out there. Cambridge recently had their city elections and the Boy Scouts had an idea. That idea, while sounding innocent enough was enough to enrage the liberal officials of this city. What was the idea that so offended Cambridge city officials? The Boy Scouts decided to have an election day drive to collect care packages for the troops serving in Iraq. They set up drop off boxes at the polling stations where people could drop off toiletries and other little items that are not available to our brave troops overseas.
Cambridge officials put a stop to this drive and made the Boy Scouts remove the drop off boxes from the polling stations. Evidently if you try to give to the soldiers a few gifts from home, that means you support the troops, and if you support the troops you must agree with the war. Cambridge can’t have anything to do with anything that they feel supports fighting the war on terror. You can be against the war and still feel that you would like to help the troops in a small way by donating magazines for them to read, but that is lost on these people.
“We just wanted to make a lot of troops happy,” said Scout Patrick O’Connor, 16. “I was devastated that someone would think to take (the donation boxes) out,” he said.
Patrick O’Conner is one of the boys who organized this drive. He wanted to help out because one of his relatives was injured in Iraq in an IED explosion. Cambridge gave this boy, the Boy Scouts, and the soldiers a big SCREW YOU.
The drop off boxes were removed after ONE person complained that the boxes were making a political statement. How is this a political statement? This is not making a pro war statement, God forbid, this is simply a way to support the troops. Liberals constantly say they support the troops, just not the mission, but this shows us that they do not in fact support the troops. They have exposed themselves for who they really are, anti-troops, and anti-military. Unless the military is running a humanitarian effort they want nothing to do with them.
“This was not about supporting the war or any politician or political view. This was supporting the brave men and women who are stationed overseas,” said troop committee chairman Jamisean Patterson, 35.
Of course Cambridge blames it on a lack of communication even though the troops received permission from the city and the polling stations.
Cambridge Vice Mayor Timothy J. Toomey Jr. said a breakdown in communication, rather than malice, led to the boxes being removed.
“Boy Scouts Troop 45’s efforts to support our troops are a benefit for the entire community, and the council will be working with them to ensure that their goals are fully realized,” he said in a written statement.
Now is the chance for the Boy Scouts to give the city of Cambridge a big SCREW YOU, but that is not the way the Boy Scouts operate, nor should it be. Cambridge has exposed themselves for who they really are and for now that will have to do.
You can read more here and here.
Did you enjoy this post? Why not leave a comment below and continue the conversation, or subscribe to my feed and get articles like this delivered automatically each day to your feed reader. If you don't have a feed reader, you can always have these articles delivered to your email inbox every day. Click here to sign up.
Trackbacks & Pingbacks
Comments
Leave a comment
Line and paragraph breaks automatic, e-mail address never displayed, HTML allowed: <a href="" title=""> <abbr title=""> <acronym title=""> <b> <blockquote cite=""> <cite> <code> <del datetime=""> <em> <i> <q cite=""> <strike> <strong>
First, Cambridge is not nearly as liberal as you describe. 1am curfews for bars and clubs, and extremely limited licensure do not equate to an exceedingly liberal city to me (although biking there is always a pleasure). Second, perhaps there actually was a communication break down and based on your article the government seems to be on board to reinstating the drop boxes and allowing the Scouts to fulfill their goal. Lastly, lumping the poor decision making of one or two people in Cambridge hardly equates with a liberal conspiracy to hurt the Scouts and our troops.
I agree that Cambridge is not nearly as liberal as people might think. I think that the misconception originates from the fact that Cambridge houses two of the nations top liberal arts colleges that play a signficant role in how Cambridge is administered. Second, not everything is conspiracy and there is no need to distort the stated facts. Even the Boy Scouts haven't disputed the facts. Third, as for my two cents on this, if I were City Manager, I would have declined the request. Cambridge has adopted a non-discrimination policy. As such, the Boy Scouts (as an organization) should have no privelages or rights there to to participate or engage in any public event being sponsored by the City. If the Boy Scouts want to have a private drive to raise funds and supplies for the troops, that is there right, but they shouldn't be able to benefit from City sponsored events. Sincerely - A former Boy Scout
Now I know where the term "Masshole" came from. Tony: "they shouldn't be able to benefit from City sponsored events." Were the Scouts really the beneficiaries of something? Would they have been? The military were the intended beneficiaries. I'll certainly agree that everything does not have to be a conspiracy; sometimes it's just knee-jerk stupidity. Let's not make the scouts into the 21 century's Free Masons.
Can you smell the antipathy to the Boy Scouts from the left? This bull about non-discrimination policy is perfectly contemptible - a private organization being bullied by the government to succumb to its politically correct dogma offers a predictable picture of the left in action. You libs see why so many distrust the government? Because you use it like a club to beat the hell out of those who won't follow your rules. There is no dissension allowed - you either believe what the left tells you to or your banned. So ironic that they accuse Bush of being the tyrant…
Evrviglnt - Thank you for making my point. The scouts are a PRIVATE organization that in many cases, recieve public subsidies in the form of reduced rents for use of public property for their meetings and use of public land for their camping trips. It'll be interesting what happens in Philadelphia when the Scouts are forced to pay $200k per year to maintain their headquarters if they are not able to reach an agreement with that city. If other private organizations are ineligible to receive such a subsidy for what ever reason, neither should the Boy Scouts. Like any lease or agreement, there are conditions that must be met. Cities and states with non-discrimination policies shouldn't treat the Boy Scouts any differently then they would any other organization, regardless of their purpose. The point I'm trying to make, is why should the Boy Scouts be treated any differently than any other private organization. If they desire to be treated differently, then they should conform to the policies put in place by local and state officials.
Cambridge wasn't given the nickname of The People's Republic Of Cambridge for nothing, they earned it.
I just love it when liberals say they hate the war but support the troops … then something like this happens and exposes the lie.
The beneficiaries of the "drive" lost out, not the Scouts. Which came first, the chicken or the egg? Interesting. But the cities/states are practicing discrimination, no with their non-discrimination policies? EV: "…a private organization being bullied by the government to succumb to its politically correct dogma…" TONY: "The scouts are a PRIVATE organization that in many cases, recieve public subsidies in the form of reduced rents for use of public property for their meetings and use of public land for their camping trips." THE SCOUTS: in reality no skin off their teeth THE BENEFICIARIES: nada, zip, pooh pooh, squat, ziltch, dookie burgers and worse yet no condiments! Perhaps the "point" should be that an organization was prevented from conducting a community service that appears somewhat fishy, leading to something based upon a policy of non-discrimination that has been PC'ed into something no one understand the meaning of any more. "It'll be interesting what happens" when the $200K subsidy is no longer, then there may be missing a group dedicated enough to do a "drive" for the troops or some other such beneficiary. Drive? Rent subsidies? Drive? Rent subsidies? Ones a fruit, the other a vegetable.
Wondering if you can help me out with something. I’m a conservative author in NY, (contributing editor to City Journal; author of, among others, ‘How I Accidentally Joined the Vast Right-Wing Consiracy…’). I’m just finishing a new book — tentative title, “I Can’t Believe I’m Sitting Next to a Republican” — on the trials and secret thrills of being a conservative in left-of-center locales and professions. I’m including lists of ’safe houses’ in various college towns — i.e., bars, clubs, debating societies, whatever — where conservatives can be sure to be among their own. Would you know of any such places in Cambridge — or be able to refer me to someone who might?
Thanks much,
Harry Stein