Why Can't They All Be Boy Scouts?

A Scout is: Trustworthy, Loyal, Helpful, Friendly, Courteous, Kind, Obedient, Cheerful, Thrifty, Brave, Clean, and Reverent.

That's the Boy Scout law. All Boy Scouts and Scout leaders recite it over and over during the course of their activities in the program. Its really the distillation of the purpose of Scouting for me: to build the kind of men and boys that contribute in so many positive ways to our society. I've seen it work during my own Cub Scout participation lo' those many years ago, and again for my son after his five years in Cub Scouts, and now going into his second year of Boy Scouts.

I've watched boys (and others) who obey the Scout law return money they find to its rightful owner, step forward to admit blame for a mistake, pray openly and unashamedly with the group to open and close meetings, and pledge their allegiance and duty to their country and to their God. These are the people our country needs in government (on both sides of the aisle).

If you have the opportunity, remind your elected leaders of the Boy Scout Law. Some of them participated in Scouting as youth, and certainly already know the Law. Others may not have heard it before. Regardless, what a better world it would be if our elected leaders (and all of us) ascribed to those twelve tenets of the Scout Law.

I'm so very proud of my son and of all the Scouts I know for their work to do just that. If we can remind Washington D.C. of the value of those characteristics, we would all be better off.