And so it has come to pass that the latest revelation about sexual abuse has been brought against the Boy Scouts of America, Chief Seattle Counsel and their sponsors. With this suit comes a flood of memories, not all good, but none awful. Media reports the abuse occurring at two of the scout camps I attended.
The suit cites the conduct of 13 men selected as leaders of boys. Unlucky I suppose.
We had strong scoutmasters who knew how to inspire young men to be the best they could be, achieve, and go home from camp happy.
Then we had weak scoutmasters, who really had no idea how to fill boys time constructively, which in the end allowed the entire experience to devolve into a sort of Lord of the Flies event.
During those weak times I was always the Simon character of the novel, knowing right from wrong but powerless to overcome the base instincts of young men to follow a Jack sort of character.
Upon the retention of a stronger leader civilization always returned, and I was allowed to thrive into a more of a Ralph character, attaining the rank of Eagle. My last uniform, with that badge, still fits and I have worn it to costume parties.
Alas, wearing the uniform now will spark presumptions of victimhood and oddball questions about what sort of merit badges I earned. I hope we get beyond this period in history soon, flush out child abusers and lay in protections against this kind of conduct.
This is hard to take, and I am shocked. Apparently I failed to follow the scout motto. It means so much more now.
Lawyers Road Review 