Boy Scouts Of America Portland, Oregon President Blames Negligent Parents For Sex Abuse

[babsbunny]

Boy Scouts Of America Portland, Oregon President Blames Negligent Parents For Sex Abuse

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2010/04/01/boy-scouts-of-america-por_n_522667.html

WILLIAM McCALL | 04/ 1/10 09:45 PM


PORTLAND, Ore. — The president of the Boy Scouts council for the Portland metro area has testified he believes the parents of some Scouts were negligent and even criminal for allowing sleepovers that led to sex abuse.

Eugene Grant told a jury in a $29 million sex abuse lawsuit against the Boy Scouts of America and its Cascade Pacific Council that parents should not have allowed boys to stay overnight with a single man at his apartment.

[rcrush]

1. The Pope should take notes...

[The Magistrate]

6. My First Thought As Well, Sir....

[damntexdem]

8. Yeah, all those parents negligent enough to let their sons be alter boys.

Not to mention those parents so negligent as to send their kids to Catholic schools. ;-)

[JuniperLea]

2. In the case of Michael Jackson, I'd agree...

I would never allow my little boy to sleep over with MJ! Ridiculous!

But in the case of a scout leader, there's implied trustworthiness involved.

As a scout leader and Cub Master, I've attended many, many sleepover events with scouts... but never, ever alone. Always with other leaders, and more importantly, with other parents. That's what you're supposed to do.

Bless the beasts and the children... woe are they.

[malaise]

10. I'd trust MJ over any scout leader

and for all the rumors event he FBI found nothing on Michael.

[JuniperLea]

13. Even so...

I would have never let my young sons spend the night with any adult male outside the family... just stupid, imho.

It would have been in MJ's best interest had the parents refused to let these sleepovers happen... it would have saved him a lot of grief. Sometimes all you need is perceived impropriety to give you problems.

[malaise]

20. 100% correct

:hi:

[damntexdem]

11. Two-deep leadership is supposed to be the policy at all times -- at least two adults present.

When that was violated, it was the BSA's fault -- and they should have to pay dearly for it.

[JuniperLea]

12. Not if the leader acted on his own...

It's not a sanctioned event without other adults, and you can bet the local council knew nothing of this.

[MineralMan]

3. Blame the victim's parents, eh?

That's a new twist.

[DeschutesRiver]

4. Parents should just assume that any single man involved in Boy Scouts is a sexual predator?

Does he think his organization is that riddled with sexual predators?

If so, time to shut the Boy Scouts down. Or give them a more descriptive name as a warning to parents. Maybe Boy Molestors? Boy Predator Society? Man Boy Love Connection?

[TwilightGardener]

9. That's the sad conclusion, isn't it? That's what the organization itself clearly believes.

[JuniperLea]

14. That's just not so...

The organization itself is guarding against perceived improprieties... Cub Master Juniper Lea, at your service!

They took it a bit too far by not allowing gay men to be leaders, imho.

[TwilightGardener]

17. My husband was a den leader for a while, back when my son was a Cub Scout.

I know the organization as a whole can't be this stupid and tone-deaf, but this man is really making them look bad, even beyond the crime that was perpetrated. They need some better PR, better screening, and they need to stop blaming victims and parents.

[DeschutesRiver]

18. One of my close friend's dh is very active in the Scouts

and he is a good man, part of the Portland group too. The whole notion that the President of Portland group would blame parents for allowing their children to spend time with the single males in the organization is reprehensible.

If the president really believes this, then he should hand out a "do and don't" list to parents who join the organizaton, to warn them about the dangers of being alone with single male scout representatives. But of course, he won't go that far, because he is merely interested in placing blame elsewhere because there is a lawsuit in progress.

He doesn't give a whoop who else is tarred by the same brush, as he tries to save his own ass by blaming the victims and the parents. And I think it is very wrong of him to have said what he did.

[JuniperLea]

19. I was involved with BSA for over ten years...

Committee member, to den leader, to cub master... there's just no way in hell this was condoned or approved. Parents are given the rules point blank. No one is blaming the boys... but don't you think the parents have some responsibility in this? They allowed their kids to attend a sleepover that was outside the rules. Isn't it a parent's responsibility to make sure their child is properly cared for? My boys never went anywhere, with scout leaders or otherwise, unless I knew who was going to be there and more importantly, who the adults were that were in charge. Again, even if it was a scout event, who is going and who is in charge... with such regularity that my boys would have already gathered that information before asking me if they could attend. And when I was the scout leader or cub master in charge of the event, I told the parents who was going and which of the adults would be there, and made sure every parent had contact information. Those are the rules.

Much like the current meme about parents needing to take more responsibility for the education of their children and stop blaming everything on teachers... parents do have responsibilities.

[DeschutesRiver]

15. Yes it is sad state of affairs when their own president feels that way. nt

[joeybee12]

5. Damn parents...they were just asking for it...n/t

[damntexdem]

7. Well he has a point: they were negligent enough to let their kids join the Boy Scouts.

;-)

[piratefish08]

16. Must have the same PR guy as pope nazi.

Lemme know when this asshole gets around to blaming gays and hippies too.