Girl Scout Org Accused of Being Radically Left Wing

[liveonearth]

I was a Campfire Girl, not a Girlscout or Brownie. So I don't know from the inside. But from the outside, having been a river guide and taking many screaming groups of Brownies rafting on whitewater rivers, the organization appears squeaky clean and rather conservative. I never would have guessed that the organization would teach girls about abortion. But who knows? Maybe they are. That's what the teenaged girls from Texas are saying, and they're making news on The Daily Beast. It occurs to me though that the organization will probably have its name cleared. The organization officially does not endorse any political party or birth control method. Meanwhile, the offended girls have started a blog to get their story out. The case they are making is that the official girl scout materials mention websites and people who are "pro-abortion" and so if you follow the links you will discover that these perspectives are ubiquitous. Big surprise. I wonder what fraction of the links in the girl scout material go to sites that hold the opposite viewpoints. It seems to me that the org would serve the girls best by exposing them to many opposing viewpoints so that they could learn to think and decide for themselves. Girls who want to be cloistered would be better served in a nunnery.

Comments

[hausfrauatu.livejournal.com]

Poor sheltered Fundie kids...

I just dressed down someone who was complaining that a friend of mine's comments during a rock show were offensive...to a ten year old preachers kid who played in the band before them. This after I know he saw the kid there and pulled his f-bombs. I told the teenager off, pointing out that my elementary aged kids weren't there.

All he did was make fun of The Rapture...sheesh. He also suggested that people keep track of their towels, just in case. ;)

I was hoping these people would get raptured so we could all go on our merry ways. I'm really tired of having to censor myself so as not threaten their beliefs, which seem so fragile. The slightest thought and *poof* all of that indoctrination down the tubes!

*poof*

[liveonearth.livejournal.com]

You make me laugh. If only it were that easy to "un"doctrinate. I guess all those Christians who thought they were SO GOOD will have to try on a little modesty at least. As for your language, and speaking your mind, I hope you do it whenever and wherever you can. We need you.

I feel pretty censored myself, even here where my name isn't on the blog. When people get all ticked off about whatever I write, it raises my blood pressure, so I don't even really say a lot of what I think here. Though I have thought about starting a series of posts about taboo or unpopular ideas, couching it that way. Then maybe people would be willing to even mention the subject without being irate. ...

[b-vainamoinen.livejournal.com]

Wow. Just... Wow.

[bloomingmom.livejournal.com]

I was a brownie/girl scout. I think what the troop learns or is "about" depends heavily on the leader, not so much the organization. I grew up in conservative Indiana - but, right by Purdue University. For a few years we had a very interesting grad. student from Purdue leading. She was really "different" (at least from the average mom we encountered later) and probably cast some seeds of ideas which wouldn't be officially condoned by the national group (or by many parents...) Loved my time with her, when she moved on the troop had a series of nice/dull moms - I lost interest and wandered away to jr. high.

[liveonearth.livejournal.com]

Makes sense. As a campfire girl I was always disgusted that the moms in charge of our groups didn't know how to build a campfire. I could have gone for a leader who had a few more ideas of any kind.