Monday, February 04, 2013

Obama: “Nobody should be barred” from Scouting


During the Super Bowl pre-game marathon yesterday, CBS interviewed The Dear Leader.  For some reason I cannot divine, I watched. 

And I was floored when Obama said, “Nobody should be barred” from scouting.  I rewound my DVR to make sure I heard him right.  And he really said that.  Now in case skeptical readers think I am quoting him out of context, here is a fuller quote:

“Next week, the board of the Boy Scouts of America is going to vote on whether to end their national ban on gays in scouting,” asked anchor Scott Pelley. “Should scouting be open to gays?”

“Yes,” President Obama said, because “my attitude is that gays and lesbians should have access and opportunity, the same way everybody else does, in every institution and walk of life. And, you know, the Scouts are a great institution, that are promoting young people and exposing them to opportunities and leadership that will serve people for the rest of their lives. And I think that nobody should be barred from that.”

Now I know that Obama was addressing gays in scouting, and, yes, he surely did not mean axe murders should not be barred. 

But he said what he said.  “Nobody should be barred” from scouting?

When it comes to organizations that work with kids and youth, you d#$n well better bar people!  You had better be vigilant to restrict who has access to kids, particularly for extended times on camp outs and the like.

No matter what he really meant, and no matter one’s views about gays in scouting, Obama’s statement is sloppy and irresponsible at best.

And though he, as POTUS, is the honorary president of the Boy Scouts of America, BSA is a private organization.  Obama should have respected that and minded his own business.

But Dear Leaders aren’t very good at minding their own business, don’tcha know.

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