Did Boy Scouts Keep "Perversion Files?"

[MineralMan]

http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2010/03/30/eveningnews/main6348223.shtml

"(CBS) In a Portland, Ore., courtroom, the witness identified as "Jack Doe No. 4" testifies uneasily about being an 11-year-old Boy Scout alone with his troop leader in 1983.

"He grabbed my hand, and he slid it up his leg into his shorts," the witness said. "



"But the former troop leader isn't on trial, reports CBS News correspondent John Blackstone. The case is against the Boy Scouts, who kept confidential files on Dykes and on thousands of molesters, intended to keep them out of scouting but keep the incidents quiet. "

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Looks like the records have thousands of entries, with a "P" code marking those who have molested. Police and parents were apparently not notified.

I saw this on tonights CBS Evening News.

[Rabrrrrrr]

1. Woot! Take down the Boy Scouts, too!

Take down all the pedophile quasi-military barely Christian organizations.

[MineralMan]

3. The BSA, with its refusal to allow atheists and gays to be

members, has been on my shit list for a long time. Now this. As this story develops, and I realize that it's not a brand new story, it should cast a new light on this quasi-military organization.

Right now, they sound like another Catholic Church deal, hiding pedophile's names from police and parents.

Good riddance to bad rubbish, I say.

[elfin]

2. I made sure my husband went along on all Scout events --

not comfortable with the "leader" for reasons I now understand so many years later.

This was in the '70s, and I never associated my feelings with perversion, just a vague sense that things were not "right".

Now I am so glad he went along, despite any "proof" of potential wrongdoing. The leader was a creep and I always wondered why he in particular assumed the extra responsibility of leader.

Many years later I asked my son if person X had shown any untoward attention to anyone in the troop. He said yes (toward one troubled single parent youngster), but that other parent involvement seemed to stop it by their presence.

He said the leader always singled that kid out for special attention for no apparent reason.

I still worry about that kid after all these years.

[jberryhill]

4. "for no apparent reason"

The reason was that he was a "troubled single parent youngster".

Common pattern.

[mikekohr]

5. I am an Eagle Scout and am very troubled by this report

but not entirely surprised. There is a strict code of conduct for Scouting Leaders in place today as well as during the time 35+ years ago I when I was active in Scouting. That pedophiles become engaged in Scouting is not a surprise given human nature. But if this report is true then the BSA has violated the first tenet of the Scout law:

(#33105), copyright 1998 by BSA, ISBN 0-8395-3105-2

A Scout is Trustworthy.
A Scout tells the truth. He is honest, and he keeps his promises. People can depend on him.



mike kohr

[MineralMan]

6. That's the real problem here, and it's why the BSA is being

sued. As you say, whenever adults and youngsters are around each other, there will be the occasional abuse of the youngsters by some pedophile. It happens in churches, schools, and almost every situation where adults and children are mixed.

But, for an organization to not inform parents and police when incidents take place is something completely different. If this is true, and the BSA hid such incidents, they deserve to be exposed for that.

Having said that, the case is still in trial, so I won't assume that the suit is correct. I will be disgusted, however, if it is.