Don’t Let the Boy Scouts Go Bankrupt
Yes, the organization should have to pay for its misdeeds. But it serves an important purpose.
Nobody does what they do.
Photographer: Otto Greule Jr/Getty Images North AmericaThe Boy Scouts of America is not exactly confirming reports that it’s considering bankruptcy, but it’s not exactly denying them, either. It’s hard to see how the organization has much choice. The many lawsuits it is facing because of abuse by adult leaders is in any case likely to deplete the group’s resources.
The accusations against the Boy Scouts are horrific, and if they’re true, the organization ought to be made to suffer. But I hope it doesn’t die. There’s simply no other group that does what the Boy Scouts do: Using outdoor skills and peer mentoring, it teaches self-discipline, confidence and leadership. Small wonder that the ranks of Eagle Scouts include such a remarkable range of leaders: Neil Armstrong and Michael Moore, Gerald Ford and Michael Dukakis, Albert Belle and Elmo Zumwalt. (Oh, and Michael Bloomberg.)