Skeletons

Background:  I’ve always supported the Boy Scouts,especially in their long-running battle against politically-correct oppressors.  And I still do.

But this story, by Doug Hester at Northern Muckraker, will provoke some thought.

Doug – as he narrates in the post – was molested by his scoutmaster, years ago, in a case that got some local publicity.  Worse – the Boy Scouts of America reacted no better than the Catholic Church did to its own responses to its own sex abuse scandals.

Read the post for the details – it’s a long post, and a good one.

But Doug didn’t write me to publicize his past.  It’s the present he’s talking about.  He’s at the BSA’s headquarters in Texas today, protesting against the Boy Scouts for their response to his and other scandals:

Why am I going public with this? Three main reasons:

1. I no longer feel overwhelming shame or personal embarrassment about disclosing the circumstances of what has happened to me, as I have done nothing wrong and have nothing to hide;

2. The BSA’s heartless lack of responsibility and total absence of scruples has angered me, and

3. The incredibly brave telling of their own sexual abuse histories by such people as wide receiver Laveranues Coles of the New York Jets has inspired me to do what I can to help fight further such acts and their cover-ups, as well as seek redress for victims like myself who are already permanently scarred.

To that end, I would consider it a personal favor if the regular readers here would support my efforts by calling Mr. Mazzuca at 972-580-2000 and expressing disappointment with the way that victims of sexual abuse by leaders in his organization have been treated both in the past and quite recently, and urging him to make even a token attempt at offering these permanently damaged people a way to regain at least a small part of what was stolen from them, in an effort to make their lives a little easier and more complete.

Additionally, I would very much appreciate it if people would publicize my quest through word of mouth, email, blog posts or any other means available to them. Furthermore, if anyone has direct knowledge of any other victims of sexual abuse at the hands of the Boy Scouts, please direct them to me, and reassure them that I will treat their personal information with the utmost confidentiality.

Once again, interested people can also follow my efforts to reach a resolution to this issue at The Boy Scouts Don’t Care.

There are plenty of people who’ve had their lives immeasurably changed for the better by Scouting.  But while every group will draw its “bad apples”, larger organizations – not just the Scouts, but the police and other official bodies – need to learn how to handle this kind of thing.

And Doug’s story is a compelling one, and well worth a read.

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