Photography with the Left Eye

I got a comment on a post from way back from Heidi from Puerto Rico. I’ve excerpted some of it below. I suppose she is right that every organization has bylaws.

But Heidi, here is the difference between organizations that stick to the bylaws of their founders and those that understand that even visionary founders make mistakes. Your logic is pretty much the same logic that was used to defend keeping blacks and Jews out of organizations (or even forbidding “mixed race” marriage in some states not that long ago). They were wrong. The Boy Scouts are wrong. It’s time for change. (p.s. I’m even leaving in the typos, just because)

Here goes:

Sadly, it seems that even thou you had the honor to participate in such a organization; you never understood correctly the Boy Scour organization nor the values of the Scout promise and law.

Actually, I do. I can recite both by heart, and there is not a word in either about discriminating against gay scouts.

Every organization, such as BS, has by-laws, adopted by the founding members. As founding members, they select the mission and vision. Anyone who asks to be part of such an organization has to uphold that mission and vision. It’s that simple. That’s the way it works in EVERY AND ANY ORGANIZATION, not only for the Boy Scouts. Those who disagree with the mission and vision, who cannot uphold the by-laws, should disqualify themselves. This is the way the issue of memberships is conducted all over the world since the beginning of times.

Nope. It is the responsibility of members to change bad laws. If you are in a country with bad laws, you change them. If you are in an organization with bad laws, change those. Also, since you mention the mission and vision, I have to take a look in the boy scout mission statement to see when the mission of the boy scouts changed to discriminating against gay people. When I was in it, it was mostly about learning respect for nature. Oh, there was the nasty business of needing to believe in “god” to become an Eagle Scout, but you could still go camping if you didn’t do the god thing.

Furthermore, I have never been able to find in the Holy Bible not even the smallest sentence or phrase that says anything about confused individuals.

OK, kids, this one threw me for a loop. Whose holy bible? For all their flaws, the boy scouts take and honor pretty much any religion. So who is confused? And who cares?

I invite you to reflect and avoid this kind of expressions that only hurt your family.

Heidi, my family is pretty damn happy about my support for equal rights. Especially for a family member. To be any other way would shame them.

Lily and Stephen