posted on March 3, 2004 04:26:22 PM new
Some Texans Boycott Girl Scout Cookies
CRAWFORD, Texas (AP) - Some families are boycotting Thin Mints and Do-Si-Dos and other Girl Scout cookies. Troop 7527 is down to just two members after the other girls were withdrawn by their parents. And Brownie Troop 7087 is no more.
Why are folks in this conservative Texas town where President Bush has his ranch so mad at the Girl Scout organization?
Planned Parenthood and sex education.
The furor was started a few weeks ago by the leader of the anti-abortion group Pro-Life Waco, who sent out e-mails and ran ads on a Christian radio station urging people to boycott Girl Scout cookies because of the ``cozy relationship'' between the Girl Scouts and Planned Parenthood.
Parents were upset to learn that the local Girl Scout organization had given a ``woman of distinction award'' last year to a Planned Parenthood executive. And they were disturbed to find out that the Girl Scout organization has been giving its endorsement for years to a Planned Parenthood sex-ed program in which girls and boys are given literature on homosexuality, masturbation and condoms.
`It's not that we're a bunch of activists. We're just a bunch of moms who care about their kids,'' said Lisa Aguilar, who took her 10-year-old daughter out of her eight-member Girl Scout troop. ``For us, it's the morality. Where is Girl Scouts going?''
The two troops in Crawford, population 700, decided not to deliver the cookie orders that they had already taken.
But cookie sales have skyrocketed this year as many people bought cases just to show their support for the Girl Scouts, said Becky Parker, a troop leader who is the cookie distributor for Waco-area troops.
`People thought the boycott was ridiculous and was one man's extremist views,'' Parker said.
While the cookie boycott may have backfired, the furor prompted the parent leaders of the two Crawford troops to quit.
`You're telling these girls to raise their fingers up to pledge to honor God and country, and yet you're handing out materials saying homosexuality is OK,'' said Brownie leader Donna Coody, who disbanded her five-member troop.
Because of the uproar, the Bluebonnet Council of Girl Scouts, which oversees troops in the Waco area and 13 other counties, announced last week that it would not be affiliated with Planned Parenthood sex-education programs this year.
In an editorial in Friday's Waco Tribune-Herald, Pam Smallwood, the Planned Parenthood of Central Texas executive director who was honored by the Girl Scouts last year, complained that Girl Scouts had thereby demonstrated that ``bullying tactics are more effective than an informed democracy.''
The Waco-area Girl Scout organization has been putting its name and logo on brochures for the Planned Parenthood sex-education programs but said it does not contribute any money and does not send girls to attend.
Some 400 to 700 fifth- through ninth-graders attend the half-day Nobody's Fool conference in Waco each July. The program never mentions abortion, according to Planned Parenthood. The youngsters receive a book with chapters on homosexuality and masturbation, as well as illustrations of couples having sex, people examining their naked bodies and a boy putting on a condom.
Some Girl Scout mothers called it soft-core porn.
`It embarrassed me to look at it with my husband,'' said parent Shannon Donaldson.
Pro-Life Waco director John Pisciotta, an economics professor at Baylor, the world's largest Baptist university, said his call for a cookie boycott ``was a way to bring attention to the issue and wasn't really about cookies.''
The Girl Scouts national organization, which is based in New York and has 2.9 million girl members and 986,000 adult members, takes no position on sex education or abortion and has no national relationship with Planned Parenthood, according to the Bluebonnet Council.
The Crawford mothers are forming their own girls organization and will use a Christian-based curriculum. Beth Vivio, director of the Bluebonnett Council, declined to say if parents in any other troops had taken their daughters out.
Some parents decided to explain abortion to their girls. Others gave only a vague explanation about the uproar.
`Our girls have been through a lot these past three weeks,'' said Jennifer Smith, who quit as leader of Girl Scout Troop 7527 and removed her daughter. ``After I told my 10-year-old daughter that they are supporting some things that are not morally right, she understood.''
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If it's really "common" sense, why do so few people actually have it?
posted on March 3, 2004 05:05:58 PM new
I for one boycott the Boy Scouts because they discriminate against gays. I would rather by the Girl Scouts because they do not discriminate.
Marriage is a Human Right not a Heterosexual Privledge
posted on March 3, 2004 05:08:55 PM new
For the life of me, I cannot understand how some see this differently than they see their own children having to do/learn/hear something [like prayers] that they so object to.
How is this different?
You don't want your children to be forced to pray. These parents don't want their children to be forced to listen to any issue that goes against their beliefs.
I see it as the parents wanting to instill their own morality in their own children.
posted on March 3, 2004 05:17:15 PM new
Twelve - please show me where in that article it mentioned anything about abortion other than one comment at the end about PARENTS explaining it? If you are going to give your support to something, shouldn't you understand what it is you are supporting?
A Planned Parenthood exec won and award and the girl scout logo is placed on brocures given out explaining various aspects of sexuality given out at sex ed lectures which the scout members do not even go to.
~~~ • ~~~ • ~~~ • ~~~ • ~~~
If it's really "common" sense, why do so few people actually have it?
posted on March 3, 2004 05:48:17 PM new
Again - did anyone actually read this article before they formed an opinion on it?
Linda, please show me anywhere in the article where it says that the troup members attended the programs.
Please tell me how this statement from you
::These parents don't want their children to be forced to listen to any issue that goes against their beliefs.::
jives with this quote from the article
:;The Waco-area Girl Scout organization has been putting its name and logo on brochures for the Planned Parenthood sex-education programs but said it does not contribute any money and does not send girls to attend. ::
~~~ • ~~~ • ~~~ • ~~~ • ~~~
If it's really "common" sense, why do so few people actually have it?
posted on March 3, 2004 06:05:08 PM newYou're telling these girls to raise their fingers up to pledge to honor God and country, and yet you're handing out materials saying homosexuality is OK,'' said Brownie leader Donna Coody, who disbanded her five-member troop.
What part of parental guidance don't you understnad fenix?
These parents do not want their children believing that deviant behavior, that the left seems to think is ok, actually is ok... but it WRONG...
It is good to see parents taking a stand in making sure their children are reared properly.
Nobody's Fool is an annual half-day conference for boys and girls in grades 5 through 9.
It started in 1989 and attracts from between 4 and 7 hundred area children every year.
Family life educators serve as instructors and participants are grouped by age and gender.
It's designed to provide young people with information about the changes of puberty, dating, peer pressure, sexually transmitted diseases and aids and pregnancy prevention.
And it's designed to foster communication between children and parents about sex. Abortion is not part of the curriculum.
Stone said, "I've heard comments from the kids that say the only time we heard about abortion was from protestors on the front porch."
Twelve area churches also support the program, including Waco's First Presbyterian.
Edited to say thatthe book attendees are given has a very small segment on homsexuality, notreally giving a proor con on it. I know, because we have the book in our library.
******
Censorship, like charity, should begin at home; but unlike charity, it should end there --Clare Booth Luce
[ edited by bunnicula on Mar 3, 2004 06:09 PM ]
posted on March 3, 2004 06:21:19 PM new
Twelve - I actually have not stated an opinion on the article or the actions that resulted in it.
The two follow-up posts that I have made both dealt with issues that did not even exist in the article.
You supported based on a non existant abortion theme.
Linda supported based on a parents right to not have their children "forced to listen" to information which the article specifically states was not offered to them.
I'm not arguing the issue at all - I am siply pointing out that you both made decisions of support on the issue before you even bothered to read it.
~~~ • ~~~ • ~~~ • ~~~ • ~~~
If it's really "common" sense, why do so few people actually have it?
posted on March 3, 2004 06:26:27 PM new
Let me see
Planned Parent Hood (Murder Inc) is mentioned at least 5 times and in conjuction with why some of the parents have removed thier children from the scout troop... those of us who actually know what BS they put out... all we need to see is Planned Parent Hood=Abotion Clinic
Did you actually read this or did your left thinking cloud your judgement of what good parents actually should be doing?
posted on March 3, 2004 06:40:46 PM new
None of you have stated clearly what actually happened.
Were these pamplets handed out to the kids or not?
If not why have the logo on them?
Was this 'endorsement' of the program communicated to the kids or the parents? And did they actually go to the program as part of their scout activities?
Not clear at all.
Bunch of sloppy thinkers here to not paint a clear picture of what happened. You could all get jobs writing for our local paper.
posted on March 3, 2004 06:44:53 PM new
Out of curiosity, what situation brought you to a Planned Parenhood office? You state that you have been there are so know but you seem to be unaware of the multitude of issues that they deal aside from the singular issue of abortion. I also find it strange that you have assumed this is an abortion issue despite the fact there is no mention abortion in the literature and it is not mentioned by any spokesperson quoted in the article.
Yes Twelve, I did read the article. I even read it without projecting my personal beliefs onto the actual issue at hand which it seems you have done.
~~~ • ~~~ • ~~~ • ~~~ • ~~~
If it's really "common" sense, why do so few people actually have it?
posted on March 3, 2004 06:59:27 PM new
Gravid - It states that the pamphlets are handed out at a conference in Waco every July and states that no scouts were sent to the conference therefore they would not have recieved them. Also states that the original issue was a Planned Parenthood Exec being recognized by the GS Organization.
In truth, the only thing I have against this is the issue of attempting to bully the Girl Scouts. If a voluntarily membership organization teaches or endorses something that you do not wish your child subjected to then you have the right and perhaps the obligation to remove your child from that organizaion. You do not however have the right to attempt to bully the organization into censorship of social and health issues based on your personal spiritual beliefs.
~~~ • ~~~ • ~~~ • ~~~ • ~~~
If it's really "common" sense, why do so few people actually have it?
posted on March 3, 2004 07:00:07 PM new
Maybe I didn't word that correctly, fenix. Because I didn't mean 'listen to'. I should have said "exposed to the teachings/beliefs of".
If you think for one minute that those on the religious right support groups or people that are in any way affiliated with Planned Parenthood....then I don't know what to say.
Many totally oppose everything Planned Parenthood groups and it's 'executive' stands for. They oppose their children being taught about these issues since they don't jive with their morals/values/religious beliefs. They want to teach their children themselves, or choose at what age they might want their children exposed to the Nobody's Fool conference, if at all.
posted on March 3, 2004 07:06:01 PM new
Then there are some like me who find it easy to dislike both sides. It is a strange sort of impartiality I find more and more common. The world is full of extremists who all hate each other and act like asses at the slightest provocation.
posted on March 3, 2004 07:13:07 PM new
::Many totally oppose everything Planned Parenthood groups and it's 'executive' stands for. They oppose their children being taught about these issues since they don't jive with their morals/values/religious beliefs. They want to teach their children themselves, or choose at what age they might want their children exposed to the Nobody's Fool conference, if at all. ::
Although I don't agree, I can respect those views however since no girls scouts were sent to the conference I'm baffled at the uproar and the attempt to censor.
~~~ • ~~~ • ~~~ • ~~~ • ~~~
If it's really "common" sense, why do so few people actually have it?
posted on March 3, 2004 07:14:25 PM new
fenix - You do not however have the right to attempt to bully the organization into censorship of social and health issues based on your personal spiritual beliefs.
Says who? You? So because you think differently on this issue? They most certainly do, imo, have a right to protest ANYTHING they wish to.
Do you find the issues with the gays and the Boy Scouts different? Is it okay with you that the liberals are forcing/bullying them to go against what the group has always stood for since it began because THEY don't like it/agree with it?
Is it okay with you that logansdad [and many other's] are doing the same thing with the Boy Scout cookies?
Or is that somehow different to you?
And in case you aren't aware, fenix, there are many people that have pulled their children out of public schools for exactly the same reasons. They're tired of having their children exposed to many subjects they disagree with. They're home schooling and putting them in private schools.
posted on March 3, 2004 07:23:05 PM newThe Girl Scouts national organization, which is based in New York and has 2.9 million girl members and 986,000 adult members, takes no position on sex education or abortion and has no national relationship with Planned Parenthood, according to the Bluebonnet Council.
Girl Scout Cookie Sales Are Going Well Despite The Controversial Call For A Boycott
Pro Life Waco's John Piscotta is the voice on the radio spots calling for the boycott, including a new one that went on the air this week.
He says his group is not going after the girl scouts and that the ads-- target adults.
Pisciotta say he was asked by the station manager of KBDE, a Waco Christian radio station, to make the public aware of the affiliation between the Girl Scouts and Planned Parenthood.
"I regret if the nice relationships that some people have with their scout organizations of troops have been disrupted, but there are also many moms and dads that are shocked by this information," says Pisciotta.
In response to the ads, Vivio says, "We feel like we are being used by this individual and his attempt to further his cause. Certainly, he's entitled to his beliefs and has a lot of people who support what he's doing, but it's very unfortunate that the Girl Scouts and particularly the young girls we serve are being used in this way."
posted on March 3, 2004 07:42:45 PM new
gravid - I think it's a matter of each parent deciding how they want to raise their children....no matter who disagrees.
There are many families who have had to deal with an un-expected pregnancies, who are not religious, but who believe abortion is wrong. Who believe that teaching about sexual behaviors outside the 'norm' is wrong, or being taught at too young an age.
I also believe there are many that do want to explain these issues to their children....but only when **they** are explaining the issues so they are able to given their own views on these same issues along with teaching about 'protection' - different types of sexual activity - etc.
I taught my sons about sex, protection, abortion and it's consequences, etc. at an early age. But I was also able to instill MY value system into all the different areas.
Just because they are taught about sexual activity, say by a Planned Parenthood counselor, doesn't mean there's not going to be a pregnancy anyway. Even when parents provide the protection to their children...it doesn't guarantee they're going to be used. Just look to the STD stats for proof of that. There are no guarantees either way.
posted on March 3, 2004 07:48:10 PM new
LOL yes...profe...I did it again. not cookies...support for. But if it's unclear, I'm sure reading logansdad's post would have cleared that up for you right away.
posted on March 3, 2004 07:53:21 PM new
Kiara - Yes but you do see that change did come about.
Because of the uproar, the Bluebonnet Council of Girl Scouts, which oversees troops in the Waco area and 13 other counties, announced last week that it would not be affiliated with Planned Parenthood sex-education programs this year.
posted on March 3, 2004 08:00:29 PM new
While I am in agreement that it is up to the parents to teach their children, from what I've read this was something that was all blown out of proportion. There are some letters written by the parents here.
*********************************************
My 13-year-old daughter and I are very proud to be members of the Girl Scouts. As Catholics, we are very much against abortion whatever the reason. So when I read about parents pulling their daughters out of Girl Scouts because of their “affiliation with Planned Parenthood,” I was flabbergasted.
What affiliation? After contacting our local Girl Scouts’ office and hearing the other side of the story, I can say that the Girl Scouts provide no funding or other tangible support to either Planned Parenthood or Nobody’s Fool [summer conference about sex and dating]. What they do is allow Nobody’s Fool to include information about the Girl Scout organization with the other information that they pass out to the kids.
They do allow Nobody’s Fool to use their logo. They do this because they believe that knowledge will help kids make good choices.
No one is forced to attend Nobody’s Fool, and parents have to give their approval, so no child is going to get this information if her parents don’t approve.
posted on March 3, 2004 08:05:29 PM new
Thanks for that clarification kiara...looks like another case of a bunch of the ill-informed flying off the handle again...guess I'll order another two dozen...what with there not being any Boy Scout cookies...
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