I think both sides have legitimate beefs on this issue. Three weeks ago I
requested an opinion from the City Attorney about how the Boy Scout decision
impacted our anti-discrimination ordinance. I was concerned on two counts.
First is the issue of using publically funded facilities in the city; i.e.
city buildings, parks, schools. for meetings and functions. Secondly was
whether staff in uniform or on city time could speak to Boy scount troops.
I'm expecting a response on this today.
But I think a much simpler solution is for the Viking Council is
Minneapolis to just make a statement to the public that despite the fact
that they are chartered by the national Boy scout organization, they do not
practice discrimination on the basis of sexual orientation. when selecting
Scount leaders. This would serve two purposes. it would let funders and
organizations like the city and the United Way feel comfortable about
supporting Boy Scout troops for the great work they do with kids and it
would also awknowledge that we have a large gay and lesbian population in
this city that has every right to be concerned about this issue.
Lisa McDonald
Tenth Ward Council Member
> -----Original Message-----
> From: Alan Shilepsky [SMTP:[EMAIL PROTECTED]]
> Sent: Tuesday, October 03, 2000 9:49 AM
> To: Multiple recipients of list
> Subject: Piling on Boy Scouts, and PC
>
> Political correctness reigns surpreme in Minneapolis, as everyone piles
> on the Boy Scouts. Even Nazi references have come up! Really. And a
> mother whose children have benefited from Scout participation will cut
> the Scouts off from public resources--resources that are more and more
> important now because taxes and government mandates consume so much of
> our national income.
>
> I suppose people would prefer we close down the Scouts until they think
> exactly like us. Maybe it would be better for our kids to stay home and
> build their characters by watching WWF.
>
> (Gay teenagers as well as straight could lose--the Scouts take all. As
> I understand it the no-gay policy only pertains to adult leadership.)
>
> The thing about this firestorm of outrage that bothers me is the
> unsymmetric response of the PC'ers to other exclusionary messages that
> are broadcast in out society. Am I the only one who hears and is
> concerned about the "identity studies" professors who promote
> victimization and anger (if not hatred) to their students. Two weeks
> ago I was preached to that this country is morally corrupted (beyond
> peaceful redepmtion?) because of its sexism and racism. I wonder where
> the idyllic utopia is that these people are comparing us to.
>
> You pick up the identity press and see columns that, if you exchanged
> "white" and "black", or "men" and "woman", you would demand they be
> pulled out of the free paper bins at the libraries, schools, and
> Capitol. (Hate speech. Hostile environment.) But promoting anger
> against white males and American history is progressive.
>
> No, I don't subscribe to the self-serving, morally and intellectually
> bankrupt idea that only whites can be racists and males sexist. I
> believe in ethical symmetry--what is good for the goose is good for the
> gander (sorry about sexual reference in that aphorism)--and that power
> relationships are ever changing and very contextual.
>
> If you turn to the back of some of the identity newspapers you will see
> that they are supported by public money in the form of public agency
> advertising. I doubt that Hennepin County advertises for employees alot
> in newspapers written by morally-conservative Christians.
>
> I am saddened by the intellectual blindness and disproportate unfairness
> exhibited by the piling onto a worthwhile organization. It all smacks
> of group think, and of a totalitarian expectation that you must agree
> with the shunning or be the next target of the righteous mob.
>
> What Welch said to McCarthy in '54 applies to some of the current
> posts--"have you no shame."
>
> Alan Shilepsky
> Downtown
> Who has probably been discriminated against at times, but also does not
> expect public coersion--law--to make people like him or even always
> treat him fairly. Which is why he hates to see coersive power
> concentrated. The Founders had the right idea.
>
> And by the way--how different is the Scouts policy from Clinton's "don't
> ask, don't tell." I don't remember Minneapolis PC'ers cutting off
> Clinton in the 1996 elections.
>
>
>
>
> >
> > Date: Sat, 30 Sep 2000 18:24:30 EDT
> > From: [EMAIL PROTECTED]
> > To: [EMAIL PROTECTED]
> > Subject: Boy Scouts
> > Message-ID: <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>
> >
> > I never heard anyone demanding restrictions on the Boy Scouts until they
> > went all the way to the Supreme Court in order to ban 10 percent of the
> > population from its ranks. And I don't hear anyone wanting to "erase"
> the
> > Scouts. Let them go about their nasty business; I just don't want my
> property
> > tax dollars legitimizing their bigotry.
> > But the Boy Scouts issue is an easy one. How do people feel about DARE
> in
> > the Minneapolis public schools?
> >
> > Britt Robson
> > Lyndale
> >
> > ------------------------------
> >
> > End of MPLS-ISSUES Digest 805
> > *****************************
