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. * >> *****************************************