[Congressional Record Volume 146, Number 111 (Tuesday, September 19, 2000)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E1525]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                          SCOUTING FOR ALL ACT

                                 ______
                                 

                            HON. GREG WALDEN

                               of oregon

                    in the house of representatives

                      Tuesday, September 19, 2000

  Mr. WALDEN of Oregon. Mr. Speaker, I rise to express my most profound 
opposition to H.R. 4892, the so-called Scouting for All Act, which 
would repeal the federal charter of the Boy Scouts of America. As an 
Eagle Scout, a member of the Scout Council, and a lifelong advocate of 
Scouting, I am both saddened and dismayed by this misguided attempt to 
bully one of the finest youth organizations in America. Since its 
inception in 1910, the Boy Scouts have instilled in tens of millions of 
young men the ideals of good citizenship, patriotism, and service to 
others. Perhaps no organization in our nation's history has done more 
to prepare America's youth for the challenges and responsibilities they 
will face as adults.
  I hope the irony of this legislation is not lost on my colleagues. In 
the name of tolerance, the author of this bill is attempting to harness 
the power of the federal government to change an organization simply 
because it does not share her views. This bill represents an incredibly 
arrogant attempt to impose the beliefs of a small minority on a private 
institution. And it seeks to demonize one of the most fundamentally 
decent groups in America.
  Mr. Speaker, the Scout Oath includes the pledge that a Scout will 
keep himself ``morally straight.'' Whether one believes homosexuality 
is inconsistent with that oath or not, the Boy Scouts of America are 
entitled to interpret their oath, as well as set their own criteria for 
membership, as they see fit. I would submit to my colleagues that 
denying them that right would demonstrate a supreme disrespect for the 
right of people to associate freely, which the Constitution guarantees.
  The problem with this legislation should be obvious to anyone who 
respects the right of Americans to organize themselves as they choose. 
The legislative power of this Congress should not be used as a tool to 
shape the policies of private organizations in ways that are pleasing 
to the political class.
  In an age when America's young people are fed a steady diet of 
violence and obscenity, it is absurd that Congress is targeting an 
institution as wholesome as the Boy Scouts. In an age when school 
shootings capture headlines and we busy ourselves combating teen drug 
use, it is shameful that some of my colleagues would assail an 
organization dedicated to such principled goals as the Boy Scouts. I 
urge my colleagues to reject this offensive legislation and send a 
clear message to the nation's Scouts that they have both the support 
and admiration of the United States Congress.

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