A letter to the editor by Rhino Times Reader Evan Pozzo
Dear Rhino Times,
I am writing to you to express the positive impact that scouting has had on my life in a world of negativity. Scouting has helped me to get outside of my comfort zone and try new things. One of those new things is to write an editorial, hence the reason I’m sending this to you. Some of the things that scouting has taught me are how to be more responsible and how to be prepared for something when things do not go according to plan. When I was completing my Eagle Scout project recently, we found that the wood that we were using to make the benches was very tough and we were breaking off screws in the wood. When we looked at things and tried waxing the screws to make them go in easier, we found this worked allowing us to adapt and overcome this challenge. Scouting has also helped me make some of the friends that I have today who will most likely remain my longtime friends. Scouting has been very good for my life, and I wish for the future more scouts would give it a try past their cub scout time which is when you can see a decline in scouting programs.
Thank you for your time.
Evan Pozzo
Evan, I’m glad scouting was a positive experience for you. But I find it hard to recommend the new Scouts, or whatever they call themselves.
I noticed you didn’t say Boy Scouts. They have dropped the Boy from their name and are allowing girls to join in a scheme to increase their 50% decline in membership.
It’s disheartening to see that the Boy Scouts, an organization that once advocated for a rugged, wilderness-focused, and masculine character, has now abandoned its mission to train young boys for manhood.
A shift began as the Boy Scouts were seen as too patriotic, wholesome, and masculine. Rights groups attacked them to drop their emphasis on boys to include girls, transgender kids, gays, and atheists.
They made a $2.5 billion settlement to address decades of sexual abuse of 82,000 survivors. They eventually filed for bankruptcy to avoid many more lawsuits.
Call me a traditionalist, but I can’t help but feel a sense of disappointment in the direction the Boy Scouts have taken. There is little that would motivate me to enroll my son or grandson in scouting as it stands today.
Now that all this has taken place, are boys better off? I say No.
I gave to agree with you salt life. Like you I’m proud and happy for Evan’s accomplishment but disappointed in what the organization has degraded into.
There is another organization that started based on what the Boy Scouts used to be, but I can’t remember their name. From what I’ve read and heard they’re worth checking out.
I disagree. Boy Scouts was never about teaching boys to be men. It was about teaching boys to be leaders and having confidence in survival in the outdoors. As scouts we learned to plan trips, manage crisis with things didn’t go to plan in the woods on a hiking or canoe trip for example.
Side note, I am not a fan of girls being moved into scouts as it just ads more risk to kids with boys and girls with raging hormones etc… I have suspected that the real killer to Scouting popularity has been club sports that run year-round and make it very difficult to enjoy both sports and scouting. That was the experience with my boys, who enjoyed scouting until it conflicted with sports.
Good on Evan. Egale scout is a title you will wear with pride for the rest of your life.
This just in… Chris disagrees.
ROTFLMAO!
Timmy that’s a shocker isn’t it.
Nice letter, Evan. My husband was an Eagle Scout, as were many prepared and intelligent men.
I agree with the points made by the men above. When I was younger, in the 1960s, I wanted to be a Boy Scout because they did stuff that was a lot cooler than the Girl Scouts and had better looking uniforms (I wasn’t fond of the green color, so joined Blue Birds instead then went camping and hiking with family friends). Once I got older, I understood that young men and ladies needed the comradship of their own to build strong bonds and learn to get along with each other before having to figure out how to decipher the other sex, because guys sure don’t understand girls, and we don’t get fart jokes at all!
I think Boy Scouts should be about teaching young men to be leaders and critical and creative thinkers, encouraging confidence, and teaching outdoor survival skills. They should also teach other life skills to prepare them for life today, such as budgeting and finance, job preparation, home skills, simple repairs, and comparative shopping.
Girl Scouts programs should do the same. It’s stupid now to teach girls to sew or knit, but teaching them similar skills as boys makes sense. So many adults live on their own knowing how to do simple repairs, budget, understand loans, paint a wall, and plant a garden; all kids should have these skills. Everyone should be well-rounded in skills to help each other.
Mixing males and females happens best at a college level when kids are older and have a better sense of themselves and confidence in their peers. That’s a time to begin learning to work together and compromise, form groups of like-minded friends, debate each other, and form lifelong bonds.
Good common sense, Deborah! Along with some funny comments. Thanks!
Well said.
Well said Deborah!
You highlighted everything that WAS right about Scouting but left out one other thing about that made Scouting a character building experience, that being the opening phrase in the Oath…”On my honor, I will do my best to do my duty to God and my country…”
“to God and my country…” I hope there are whiny liberal weenies out there experiencing the vapors over that.
Why do conservatives think that liberals don’t love God and Country. Weird.
A “Christian Democrat” is an oxymoron.
Romans 13:1 Let everyone be subject to the governing authorities, for there is no authority except that which God has established. This verse teaches us that all authority comes from God and that those in leadership positions have been placed there by His divine appointment.
Biden/Harris Lost – Proverbs 21:7: The violence of the wicked will drag them away, for they refuse to do what is right.
Sad you believe Democrats aren’t Christians. Judging by actions, Democrats are certainly more epithetic for the poor and disadvantaged.
But I thought Trump was your God? He does autograph bibles like he thinks he is God.
But you be you.
In addition to waxing, coating the screw with some bar soap works, too. It’s amazing what you can learn in a lifetime of seldom-needed cluttering of the mind. Lots of things work, but who can remember them all?
Folks,
Do you notice who managed to turn the subject of the Letter from a positive discussion and happy memories of what was once a God fearing,, positive influencing, patriotic organization into a ‘hey look at me’ moment. And if you believe the Boy Scouts didn’t have a hand in teaching boys to be men, all I can say is “Bridge for sale…Bridge for sale…get a great deal on a New York bridge here!”
Oh no, someone shared an opinion that didn’t agree with Patrick. Somebody get the fire brigade as this b@tch is burning down!
Notice how a nice civil exchange of thoughts and opinion had to be interrupted by a ‘hey look at him’ moment. All I can say, the pot is calling the kettle black. Again.
But you be you.
It’s always the same jerk, Patrick Henry.
“Chris” is gratuitously disputatious and argumentative. He’s a prick of a Prima Donna who just LOVES the sound of his own voice.
He pollutes these columns with his pompous pontificating, and his perpetual put downs.
He can’t disagree without being disagreeable.
Nope. I just don’t typically reply to comments I agree with except for very well written ones such as Deborah’s in this comment section. Things were nice and civil in this thread until the name calling Morris jumped into the fray to echo chamber Patrick’s weird attack comment.
Echo chambers of a bunch of people all agreeing really isn’t that engaging. If you have something to add or if you disagree, dive in….otherwise let the comment stand on it’s own. That is, unless it really is a well stated position that you feel deserves praise.
But you be you. Attack and name call away.
And democracy is when the majority of people agree on something. In this and many other comments made recently by many different people, it has become clear that we all think you’re an asshole.
But you stay in denial, buddy. It’s one of your many personality defects.
Oh no! A bunch of conservatives think I am an asshole!? What will I do with myself? Oh I know…..not care one little bit.
Have a nice day.