and of course, those of you providing the training for the boy scouts'
archaeology merit badges have the right to free speech when teaching the boy
scouts.
-----Original Message-----
From: becky&kirsti <[log in to unmask]>
To: [log in to unmask] <[log in to unmask]>
Date: Sunday, October 15, 2000 3:40 PM
Subject: Re: Boy Scouts


>I found Mr. Fellows' posting most offensive.  Ned Heite , however, raises
an
>interesting question.
>Can archaeologists and archaeological institutions simply withdraw support
>or participation in Boy Scout merit badge programs? I don't think so.   I
>work for a public institution that is committed to serving multiple publics
>without prejudice.  That includes serving private individuals and
>organizations--like the Boy Scouts--whose policies I may disagree with or
>think wrong.  That's a price of freedom I am (swallowing hard) prepared to
>pay.  The leadership of the Boy Scouts is, it seems, now beginning to
>understand the cost of  insistence on exercising the freedom, as a private
>organization,  to discriminate against gays.  As a private organization, it
>is appropriate that the Boy Scouts should lose the support of tax dollars.
>It is not clear,  however, that they can be excluded from services an
>institution like the one I work for provides, such as participation in
>public archaeology programs and work toward merit badges.  We offer those
>services to the public and have among our constituents fundamentalist
>home-schoolers, all-white church groups, all-black church groups, and so
on.
>We never question their ideologies, governing charters, or membership
>policies.  I don't believe we should.  There are other ways to challenge
>homophobia and discrimination than to pick and choose among the publics we
>serve, thereby risking our own inclusiveness, to say nothing of risking
>litigation.
>
>Kirsti Uunila
>Maryland Archaeological Conservation Laboratory
>Jefferson Patterson Park & Museum
>St Leonard MD 20685
>[log in to unmask]
>
>----- Original Message -----
>From: Ned Heite <[log in to unmask]>
>To: <[log in to unmask]
>Sent: Sunday, October 15, 2000 9:57 AM
>Subject: Boy Scouts
>
>
>> An archaeology list is no place for diatribes about sexual orientation,
>but
>> it is an appropriate place to discuss the role of our profession in
>> education.
>>
>> Personally, I believe there is no way to support that organizaton, as
long
>> as it maintains a policy of bigotry and ignorance. Scout policy sends a
>> dangerous message to youth, incompatible with civilized behavior.
>>
>> It would be totally appropriate for archaeologists (an archaeological
>> organizations) to withdraw support from Boy Scout merit badges until that
>> organization stops espousing bigotry against a largely innocent segment
of
>> the population.
>>
>>
>>
>>                Ned Heite  ([log in to unmask])
>> *****************************************
>> *   Nothing warms a chilly fall morning *
>> *   like a steaming compost.            *
>> *****************************************