BANGOR, Maine — Forty-six individuals and at least 38 communities in Maine are listed in a Los Angeles Times database recording incidents of suspected or proven child abuse or molestation involving Boy Scouts of America members.
The database was augmented Thursday by the court-ordered release of BSA files used to keep records of people blacklisted by the organization for suspected or proven child abuse and sexual offenses.
Those files cover 1,247 cases of suspected child molestation or abuse nationwide from 1965 through 1985. The newspaper added those to previously amassed files from 1947 to 2005 to form a database of more than 5,000 cases.
Marshall Steinmann, executive director of Maine’s Katahdin Area Council — the Boy Scouts of America’s local chapter — referred all media inquiries to the national council.
“We as a local council are chartered by the national organization and we have to abide by what they say,” said Steinmann.
A statement released by the Boy Scouts of America through Steinmann said the files are “a key method used to keep Scouts safe. Essentially, the files are a list of people who do not meet the BSA’s membership standards because of known or suspected abuse or other inappropriate conduct either inside or outside of Scouting.”
Steinmann added only that it is his understanding that the ineligible-volunteer files were a “pre-emptive or proactive” program by the Boy Scouts of America.
The Los Angeles Times database contains information on 5,000 men and a few women who were expelled from the BSA between 1947 and January 2005 for suspicion of sexual abuse.
A nationwide map points to the towns and cities in Maine referred to in the files. In all, files on 46 individuals are listed as being connected to at least 38 locations in the state. Only three of the individuals are named. The rest are referred to by unique numbers.
The following towns and cities are listed: Van Buren, East Blackstone, Woodland, Caribou, Mars Hill, Patten, Medway, Guilford, Lincoln, Lincoln Center, Greenville, Shirley Mills, Orono, Bangor, Brewer, Bucksport, Ellsworth, Wellington, North Anson, Farmington, Phillips, Wilton, Rumford, Livermore Falls, Winthrop, Hallowell, Lewiston, Brunswick, Lovell, Bridgton, Casco, North Windham, Gorham, Westbrook, South Portland, Saco, Kennebunk and Biddeford. Another location listed as “Airam” on the database map does not exist in Maine.
The files detail banned individuals affecting members of 52 different Scouting units in Maine.
Three of the 46 files — originating from Casco, Hallowell and Westbrook — included documentation online.
Those cases involved men who were denied registration and permanently banned from the BSA: William Boyd Brown of Westbrook in 1977, Alfred J. Conrad of Augusta in 1984 and Fred A. Cram of Casco in 1984.
Brown was listed as a 34-year-old married man working as a reserve policeman and a counselor for the University of Maine in Portland. Documents show disagreement over whether to register him as a Scoutmaster on probationary status despite the fact he was convicted of fondling a 14-year-old girl in 1977 by a Cumberland County jury. He received a 90-day suspended sentence and one year of probation.
Cram, 32, was convicted of unlawful sexual contact in Cumberland County Superior Court in December 1983 for an incident in which “he picked up some youngsters to go to camp, but ended up in a motel with them,” according to official BSA executive correspondence. He was given a two-year prison sentence with all but 120 days suspended.
Conrad was given a five-year prison sentence for a morals and sodomy charge in 1982, according to the BSA documents. He had not been officially registered with the Pine Tree Council since 1979.
None of the three men currently appears in the state of Maine’s sex offender registry.
BDN reporter Nick McCrea contributed to this story.
So how many of these cases of suspected child abuse were reported to the police ?
The BSA are as bad as the Church about protecting their image and their own staff,
at the expense of their …victims… what other word fits ?
It seems to me the BSA did something no other organization had been doing and, that is, prohibiting and banning suspected child abusers from membership. The organization went as far as establishing a national registry of its own. So if Joe Smith, a suspected abuser, applied for membership and he was denied admission, what’s wrong with that? What reporting would there be in this case if Joe Smith merely applied for membership, especially if he was already a known child abuser? What about all the other organizations in existence that did nothing, and I mean absolutely nothing, about protecting children? I think much of the criticism of the BSA is unwarranted. Because the organization tried to be proactive it is being criticized. Ironically, three men convicted of some form of child abuse were not listed in the state’s offender registry. Who is to blame for that?
Some people were blacklisted simply because of a suspicion of abuse. The question was, were these people reported to the proper authorities, or were they just banned from BSA? Yes, they built a national registry, but did they report any suspected wrondoing to the authorities? If not, then why? To protect their image? If they did not report, then they did nothing, and I mean absolutely nothing, outside of their own organization to protect children. If they were truly interested in protecting children then they would have turned the names over to the authorities, not kept it as a private internal document.
You asked the question about whether the Scouts reported some cases of suspected abuse? I believe they have indeed. Furthermore, you suggested their failure to report all cases was an effort to protect their own image. Please explain to me how not reporting suspected cases would protect the Scouts image? That accusation is beyond me.
Actually, I asked about whether cases were reported. I did not indicate “all” or “some”, but let me make it clear. It should have been all. And according to their own website, they will be reporting any good-faith suspicions that were not reported (indicating that not all were reported) from 1965 to present. As for purporting that not reporting all cases was an effort to protect their own image, do you not think reporting that they have people leading children who have been accused of abuse is bad for their image? Do you really not understand that??
If they are trying to rid the organization of suspected child abusers don’t you think reporting reflects well on them? I think it does. It sends out the message the organization is willing to protect those in its charge.
One more thing, unless you believe in a perfect world let me tell you there will always be abusers, just like there are thieves, murderers, rapers, and the like. They are everywhere, even in law enforcement and DHS. In fact DHS has a history of abuse that has brought ruin to countless families here in Maine. I have personal knowledge of some of these types of cases in my own community. All we can do is to try to correct mistakes and improve the system. That’s all we can do.
If you haven’t already, I would suggest you take a sampling of those locations in the map above. In some of these you will see a web link giving you more information about how local scout organizations have dealt with cases of abuse or suspected abuse. While some organizations may not have responded well, most of them have.
They still covered it up by not reporting it to the police what about that ? just like the church covered it up .
You are just assuming the BSA had a policy of not reporting suspected cases. There may have been some unreported cases but that doesn’t mean they weren’t being reported in general. Until there are figures on the number of unreported cases why are you jumping to conclusion in the meantime? Tell me, why are you attacking the BSA that acted to prevent abuse while not criticizing most other organizations that have done nothing, absolutely nothing, in the past to prevent abuse? I think I know why.
It’s in the article! If it is even one, that is one case too many!
Quit ignoring facts and quit acting like people have this malicious intent because they’re speaking out against child abuse. You’re projecting. You think people are speaking out against the BSA for the same reason you’re running to defend them. That’s pretty obvious. Defend them, even if they’re protecting child molesters, just so long as they’re on your side in terms of religion, right?
I am simply defending the Scouts from prodders like you who assume the worse about an organization they dislike for political reasons. Also, you implied the BSA is protecting child molesters. Where’s the evidence for that accusation?
Read the article. I know most times you don’t do that. Worse, when others provide you with facts and outside information, you ignore it. I’m not going to play these denying reality games you play. Like I said, read the article.
I am not denying there were unreported cases to law enforcement officials involving the BSA. I feel quite confident there were. But please show me a quote in the article that even mentions one. All I read is that there are three online documented cases of men who were denied registration (presumably in the Boy Scouts) and permanently banned from the BSA. There is no mention if any of these men were or were not reported to law enforcement or DHS by the BSA. All the article says is that none of these cases are listed in the state’s sex offender registry. Yet each of these cases involve convicted abusers for which a public record exists.
And earlier you blamed the state for not having a good sex offender registry. You claim there isn’t enough information so we can’t criticize the BSA, but then you leap to criticisms of the state? Your biases and double standards are showing. You’re engaging in hypocrisy right now and I refuse to play along.
I did not blame the state or anyone for not having a good sex offender registry because quite frankly I don’t know what the state’s criteria is for posting identities in their offender registry. That was your false interpretation, not mine. What I was implying is that the BSA is not responsible for updating the registry after a conviction has occurred.
“Ironically, three men convicted of some form of child abuse were not listed in the state’s offender registry. Who is to blame for that?”
And so then what were you trying to imply with that statement? Your dishonesty knows no bounds.
LOL. Shall we now call him Unbounded Dishonesty?
You’re back to your old distortions again. Your rhetoric is tiring. If you were interested in a real debate things might be different. But you have none so you resort to distorting your opponents points of view. And when that fails you resort to name-calling and false accusations. Sorry, but I’m not going away for the time being. In the meantime you and your buddies can wallow in the same muddy hole.
That’s enough. You can keep calling the grass blue, but it doesn’t make it so.
yes they did protecting them do a search like i did i when thru many articles an you would not be saying that an it happen all over the world
No i read this morning they know buy did nothing it was covered up so not to tarnash the scouts image
> “It seems to me the BSA did something no other organization had been doing and, that is, prohibiting and banning suspected child abusers from membership.”
Yeah, instead of reporting known abusers to the police.
Is Whatwell saying is that because they weren’t as bad as the Catholic Church,
then they are heroic for not reporting THEIR child abusers, either ?
I can’t believe you sometimes. You’re literally defending a group that hid and protected molesters. Do you realize how many other children must have been molested because the people without previous records weren’t reported? And you think the criticism is unwarranted? My God, get a grip on reality.
Are you saying the group hid molesters? Where’s the evidence for that? And as far as suspected cases not being reported, just how many were there that went unreported? We don’t have that information, yet you’re jumping all over the organization. I only wish all other youth organizations had done as much as the BSA did to prevent abuse. In response to your bard, I think you’re the one who needs to get a grip on reality. That said I think I know why you are attacking the Scouts.
The article says there were instances of suspected instances of abuse that happened resulting in the bans. They didn’t report those. I don’t need exact numbers to know that that is true. It’s right there in the article. So any number, even 1 case, is too much for me.
You have little information yourself and you’re running to defend them. You’re playing ignorant and ignoring all sorts of facts like you usually do.
Don’t question my motives. That disgusts me. I was a boy scout and it was a great time for me. That doesn’t erase these children who are harmed though. Both by the predators and indirectly by complicit people like you.
Excellent comments, wolfndeer. Far too little attention is given to male victims, many of whom carry the torturesome burden all their remaining lives. These *&() pos predators should be wiped off the face of the earth, along with anyone who covers up for and protects these low lifes.
I cannot see one shred of difference between what the Catholic Church has done to protect its pedophiles and what the Boy Scouts have done. Not taking action is inaction which protects the perps! Cover up, Mainegal17? — you betcha!
Your point seems to be that the Boy Scouts of America are amateurs compared to the Roman Catholic Church when it comes to covering up child abuse.
You had to be snide yet you react bitterly when I make a case against SSM. Keep in mind you are in violation of rule # 1 for being uncivil and for not staying on topic. You are also in violation of rule # 2 for your personal attack.
My point was accurate: the Church has done a much better job of covering up pedophilia than has the BSA. Do you agree or disagree?
Are you saying criticizing the Church is criticizing you? Louis XIV foolishly claimed “L’etat c’est moi.” You are not the Church.
My response to your critique of SSM on Biblical grounds has typically been to point to Biblical verses concerning shellfish (an abomination) and slavery (a good thing, if it involves another tribe). I have never taken your attacks on SSM personally. I do believe that gays should have the same rights that I already have. This stems from my belief that our nation was “conceived in liberty and dedicated to the proposition that all men are created equal.” We have slowly moved towards fulfillment of those twin ideals.
Right on!! I think this may be the same person who once told me that “If you attend a church where homosexuality is tolerated, God is not there.” Really?
Thanks. The Christian church in which I was raised taught me that God was everywhere.
God is everywhere but Jesus did set up a Church on earth to help guide His people to heaven. And the majority of priests ARE good. It is sad that some people in the Church have betrayed the Church, betrayed their vows and God’s children, but that does not negate the Truth of the Lord’s Church at all. The evil comes from the hearts of men who choose to do evil, rather than good. Homosexual behaviors was the majority in the abuse cases and the Church has a rule that says men with homosexual tendencies should not be admitted to the seminary. So either the men who did have these tendencies ignored that rule or they believed they could practice chastity. Either way, it was the Church and its members who were betrayed. So those who hate the Church should instead direct their anger towards the offenders, not the majority who try to practice the Faith in virtue and peace.
The majority of the cases are men. Should we ban men?
Do not confuse pederasty with homosexuality.
You said the other day that gay people are enslaved by their desires and other such uncivil and hateful language. Quit screaming that you’re the victim now.
If you’re not name-calling and distorting, you are making things up. If you are going to accuse me of any malfeasance you should at least be truthful and accurate.
Quit projecting your faults onto me. You’re doing it now and you did it early when you questioned other peoples’ motives for speaking out against child abuse. Time to reflect on yourself.
Never quite thought of it that way.
So the Pedophile is a ‘victim’ of their passions and desires; and scouting with all of its restraints is therapeutic and even rehabilitative.
There is a lot of activity in the Gay Lesbian community which promotes mentoring of adolescents by gay adults, including summer encampments. Should these activities be stopped and should all the ‘adults’ involved be carefully screened to make sure they won’t become sexually involved with the youth? ….if it’s good enough for the Scouts, it should be better for the public schools and the U. of Maine?
I didn’t say that. Don’t put words in my mouth.
Read this Lewis’ attorney, Clark, produced documents during the six-week trial that he said were part of an archive of previously secret Boy Scout files chronicling decades of abuse of boys.
Clark said that when his clients were boys during the 1980s, the Boy Scouts knew that at least one of them had been abused by a former assistant Scoutmaster. At the time of the 2010 trial, that former assistant Scoutmaster was a 53-year-old convicted sex offender released from prison in 2005 and paroled until 2013.
Clark also alleged that though the Scout leader was removed, he was allowed to stay on as a volunteer and the abuse continued. In 1983, the assistant Scoutmaster told troop leaders he abused 17 Scouts, according to plaintiff’s attorneys.
In its verdict, the jury held the Boy Scouts of America 60% negligent; the Cascade Pacific Council, which oversees Scouting activities in the region, 15% negligent; and the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints 25% negligent.
It’s too bad that abusers infiltrate good organizations like the Boy Scout. Of course this case appears to have been mishandled. But what’s your point? That the Boy Scouts are a bad, bad organization? You might as well include all the other youth organizations because they’re no better. Of course, those that include gay leaders are beyond criticism and attack, am I not right?
With all that, what does your comment have to do with my criticism of poster wolfndeer for leveling all sorts of wild accusations at the BSA? Was not my criticism valid?
Don’t you think it’s ironic (or telling) that gays have not been allowed in the Scouts and this
has been going on? It APPEARS as though the majority of pedophiles are white, male, heterosexuals. Can someone provide some legitimate statisitcs on this?
It is ironic that the media protest against homosexuals not being allowed and yet we discover that there is a majority of homosexual abuse?? Wow–another reason NOT to allow homosexuals into the Boy Scouts. Apparently there were some who were not letting others know they were gay and worse, gay and pedophiles!
It didn’t say they are heterosexual.
BSA does not permit gay scout masters because it considers homosexuality immoral.
It was a crime for a long, long time and still is in many cultures and parts of the world.
The North American Man-Boy Love Association(NAMBLA) was founded by several Boston area gay activists who were def. not heterosexual. They held several meetings in Portland in the 80’s. “NAMBLA emerged from the tumultuous political atmosphere of the 1970s, particularly from the leftist wing of the Gay Liberation”…http://www.google.com/search?q=NAMBLA+history&oq=NAMBLA+history&sugexp=chrome,mod=0&sourceid=chrome&ie=UTF-8
The BS let the people back in an they knew what they did it was a cover up pure an simple they admited that they knew about what had happen the first time around an still let them in so that was no mistake .
Put any large organization like the BSA under a microscope and you will find some lapses or isolated cases of outright neglect particularly if they kept records. But keep in mind the intent of the records was to help protect children. If you take an overall view you will see the BSA organization has acted remarkably well when most organizations have done little to prevent abuse. Of course there is always room for improvement. What worries me more however are all the many youth organizations who have done absolutely nothing to protect children and all the negativity being generated for political reasons against the few organizations like the BSA that have implemented measures to prevent abuse for decades when hardly anyone cared.
i put the catholic church an the bs on the same level they both covered up these people for years an there are cases were the tows an cities are all fault because they forced the bs to take these people back yes the police ,mayors were in on it too so don’t try to makes exuses
In a statement Thursday, Boy Scouts National President Wayne Perry apologized for the abuse and the failure to protect children.Read more here: http://www.heraldonline.com/2012/10/18/4348548/boy-scouts-abuse-cases-echo-catholic.html#storylink=cpy
Well, that’s a good thing. It’s an admission it failed to fully protect children. Let’s give the national leader credit for being a leader. There’s always room for improvement. That admission is all the more reason why I would not prevent my grandchildren from joining the Boy Scouts. In fact I have two grandchildren who are members.
You might want to keep them out of the public schools too…..”A longtime Boy Scout volunteer and Bethlehem teacher who founded a highly touted nature program was charged Thursday with sexually abusing a 14-year-old boy he met at a Scout summer camp in the Poconos”.
I spent a number of summers at that camp and know it well.
I suggest you read the comments at http://www.topix.com/forum/city/bethlehem-pa/T81IKEB13PEFLC4A5
I agree. Children are never completely safe no matter where they are. That’s why we as parents need to make sure children are properly coached. Potential abusers after all don’t where a sign announcing to the world who they are.
For example, a number of alleged pedophiles were able to continue in Scouting because of decisions by local Scout leaders and sometimes pressure from community leaders. In multiple cases, judges, pastors, county attorneys and others intervened to keep the name of Scouting out of the courts or off the front page.
Obviously, you were never in Scouting, nor in a leadership position.
The organization would purge them from the organization without destroying it. The few that were in our District were excluded quietly, despite their excellent Scouting skills. Adolescent boys are a lot more resilient than people think; and this media/lawyer hysteria fed by atheists hell-bent on destroying a Christian organization has failed to prove lasting harm is more destructive.
I have yet to see a compelling case of lasting harm and injury; esp. since the boys I knew were gay to begin with. We purged boys who were fire-setters, engaged in sadistic torture of animals, and scout leaders who engaged in high risk activities. Scouting has a long history of protecting and indeed, parenting boys.
I’m not going to engage in a conversation with someone who a. is ignorant and goes off of assumptions and b. speaks in extreme hyperbole.
Read this In some cases, according to these files, men who were found to abuse boys were released from the organization but not reported to the authorities. In more than one case, abusers were allowed to re-enter the Boy Scouts of America, creating the potential for further abuse. One especially shocking case describes an incident where abuse was not reported to parents, but the victim was instead sent to be counseled by a priest who was subsequently accused of child molestation himself.
The documents reveal that on many occasions the files succeeded in keeping pedophiles out of Scouting leadership positions — the reason why they were collected in the first place. But the files are also littered with horrific accounts of alleged pedophiles who were able to continue in Scouting because of pressure from community leaders and local Scouts officials.
Need i post more ? i read were the police ,mayor an other cover it up .It happened when a local district attorney declined to prosecute two confessed offenders; when a three-judge panel included two men on the local Scouting executive board; when law enforcement sought to protect the name of Scouting and let an admitted child molester go free.
Please BDN can we have another story about how the evil B.S.A. don’t allow homosexuals to be scout leaders? I for one am grateful that they try to keep molestations to a minimum. OK let the haters start with not one of these 5000 perverts was gay.
Gay or straight, a pedophile is a pedophile.
He does have a point—as with 5,000 men listed in an organization that caters to boys–apparently there are a lot of homosexual abuse going on. The Scouts have every right now to defend their early stance that homosexual men can NOT be troop leaders. AFter this, they have every right to be suspicious.
Mitt Naval, did you zoom in the above map and sample some of the cases by clicking on a location marker? I did that and found out that where there is an available web link there is more information on how the case was handled. After sampling several locations in this manner I can only tell you it appears the BSA is and has been handling suspected cases of abuse fairly well for the most part. The BSA data base is a good tool even though some cases may not have been dealt with properly.
It’s too bad you had to resort to a sorry comment about the Church and the BSA.
“Brown was listed as a 34-year-old married man working as a reserve policeman and a counselor for the University of Maine in Portland.”
The University of Maine has no campus in Portland.
Where have the copy editors gone?
that would be the University of Southern Maine. Ever been to the planetarium?
I believe Ryan’s hairsplitting is referring to USM technically being part of South Portland (seperate neighboring city) rather than Portland proper.
but there is a campus in Portland….like I said, have you ever been to the Planetarium in Portland? That is on the USM campus…not sure of the street name, but it is off of Forest Ave.
Falmouth St.
Two different schools. That’s why one is University of Maine and the other is University of Southern Maine.
Talk to the BSA, that is what was in their file not something the reporter came up with on their own.
Reporters are not supposed to puppet information. They’re supposed to verify it before writing it. And copy editors are supposed to be in tune with a wide variety of subjects — most of all within their paper’s circulation area.
This was lazy reporting and editing.
The University of Maine System does indeed have a campus in Portland. It is known today as the University of Southern Maine, but in 1977, when this particular file was created, it was named the University of Maine in Portland.
Incorrect. In 1977, it was the University of Maine AT Portland (emphasis added). We have the University of Maine at Fort Kent, the University of Maine at Presque Isle, the University of Maine at Machias, the University of Maine at Farmington, the University of Maine, and the University of Southern Maine.
Even when the University of Maine was called University of Maine at Orono, it had no campus in Portland — that was the University of Maine at Portland (now University of Southern Maine).
The University of Maine System encompasses the entire system. It is not synonymous with the University of Maine.
To revisit the story above: “Brown was listed as a 34-year-old married man working as a reserve policeman and a counselor for the University of Maine in Portland.”
It does not say University of Maine System or the University of Maine at Portland. Using “in” instead of “at” changes the meaning completely.
Details like these matter, because it’s the job of reporters and editors to report accurate information. One reason journalists are met with so much skepticism these days is far too many don’t care about being accurate and either refuse to acknowledge mistakes or, worse, defend mistakes by trying to rewrite history. This leads to mistrust as knowledgeable readers question a news media outlet’s credibility. Without credibility, a journalist has nothing.
I tend to take Bill Davis’ word for this since he actually worked for UMaine (for many years)
But Ryan they call Machias U.M.M. They call Fort Kent U.M.F.K. and they call Orono (the flagship campus) U.M.O.
You may be technically correct, but no organization not based in Maine would know this Plus is this important?
“The University of Maine has no campus in Portland. Where have the copy editors gone?”
Shows just how accurate the BSA records are.
But the BSA tactics have worked again
The BDN is blamed for the BSA errors.
BSA’s image is preserved, and child abusers are protected, once more, right, Ryan Robbins ?
“The following towns and cities are listed: … “Airam” on the database map does not exist in Maine.”
Ain’t it down the road, past Castle Rock, on the way to Passaquoddiewaddimockin,
just after Cabot Cove , so in Maine Boy Scout Region #2 ?
What the BSA have done, is no better than popular fiction.
As I recall Rev.Bob was fully involved with the boy scouts…was he on that list? There is a listing for a perp from Bangor. It could be anyone I guess but there are only two real egocentric people I know involved with the boy scouts locally one would be Rev.Bob and the other is an unnamed Lawyer.
Probably not on that list either; after all, he received an award from the BSA just before he
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Thoroughly disgusted and outraged!
Bangor. No surprise there since its The Sex Offender Capital of Maine.
Actually, almost any town/city in Maine could be called that. And since Maine has the most lenient laws and, the last time I checked, didn’t even have mandatory sentencing for sex crimes against minors, we could call the entire state the Sex Offender Capital of the U.S.
Shows what little regard we have for our children, doesn’t it?
Lets face reality,lets admit it….this state in inundated with sex offenders. Many if not a majority of small towns have 25-60 sex offenders. Skowtown had about 35 several years ago, today we have over 70. Waterville has 90 sex offenders within a 5 mile radius, as noted by a CNN report by Nancy Grace.
And Augusta is the sex offender capitol of Maine with more Registered Sex Offenders per capita than any other city or town in the State of Maine.
Take Cannan. One out of every 150 residents is a convicted sex offender
Compare to Boston,Ma. about one of every 3000 residents is a sex offender
Not quite, skowhegan. Check the Sex Offender Registry-6 names on it. Current population in Canaan is 2275.
http://sor.informe.org/sor/
that’s because they move from the small town where they committed their offense into bigger towns/cities to hide so to speak, or at least not stand out more.
I have to say that at least the BSA did more than the Roman Catholic Church to “clean house” of the sexual perverts. Thanks to the Diocese of Portland, the Kennebec County District Attorney’s Office, and the Augusta Police Department, at least three (3) priests in St. Mary’s and St. Augustine’s (now merged into St. Michael Parish) were allowed to sexually abuse boys over a lengthy period of time without being prosecuted or otherwise sanctioned.
Does this really surprise anyone. What about the guy in Canada that left the US and went over there to abuse boys……….just one more example of why it’s really a stupid idea to put men in charge of anything……the church, the boy scouts, hockey teams, the government I did not have sexual relations with that women what a joke. These children and now adults did not deserve to have to live life with this kind of torment on their plate with everything else life has to throw at you…..
To say its stupid to put men in charge of anything is a ridicolous statement. I know plenty of very good decent men who would never harm anyone. For every one abuser there are thousands who are not. I do agree that these boys did not deserve what happened. I am outraged because not only were my boys in cubscouts I was a den leader. I can not believe the ignorance of people just sweeping this kind of stuff under the table. It makes me sick! I hope everyone wakes up to the fact that there are so many sick perverts out there that we all need to be more vigilant and more involved in our childrens lives. If you even suspect someone is hurting a child speak up. Who cares if you offend someone if it will save a child from this trauma. Speak up! I hope this country is going to come out of its shell on this kind of thing. It’s about time!
What a lovely organization all the way around….BSA doesn’t allow gay people to be involved in their ‘organization’ and when something like adults molesting kids takes place – do they turn the molesters into the authorities…..nope…..they do the honorable BSA thing and keep a list and make sure they C Y A. What a bunch of hypocrites.
An honest question and I can’t wait to see the answer:
Do you think hetero men molest little boys?
Statistically more hetro than homos are pedophiles; but the real answer is neither hetros or homos do, perverts do.
Can’t answer it, huh? NEXT!
It has been answered.
Yes, heterosexual men molest boys.
It has been answered and you could answer the question yourself if you were willing to stop being ignorant and educate yourself.
Pedophilia isn’t about an attraction to either sex. It’s about preying on children and having power over them. They prey on what’s available, they for the most part don’t seek out a specific gender.
I’ve looked up this issue on the net. Homosexual pedophiles have been interviewed and asked what their main attraction to children was. Almost of them responded that it was the sex. Power was not even an issue. They just liked to fulfill their sexual fantasies with kids. No different from heterosexual pedophiles. If all homosexuals were saints, as many of them try to make themselves out to be compared to heterosexuals, they wouldn’t be pushing for gay marriage. Saints are more concerned with putting obedience to God first in their lives. So if gays are pushing for gay marriage, why wouldn’t some of them be interested in sex with kids? There are very few saints in the world, whether gay or straight.
I can find examples of people that say the grass is blue, but it doesn’t make it so. Science is in agreement on this. For the most part, gender is irrelevant.
And it’s so disgusting for you to try and lump in pedophiles with gays in general. But fine if you want to do that, then let’s be consistent. Do the straight murders and straight pedophiles, etc. taint the whole bunch of straight people? Should we take away marriage rights for straight people because of those bad apples?
If straight people are getting married, why wouldn’t some of them be interested in sex with kids?
Your arguments are nonsense and they’re inconsistent.
Actually in Eastern Kentucky, the grass is in fact blue.
Keep telling yourself you are straight……
Have sex with your own sex, old or young, you’re gay. Admit it.
You tell us.
I just did. What part do you need further dumbed down?
I think it’s fairly clear where the dumb lies and it’s clearly with you. lol
It’s been answered just because you don’t LIKE the answer doesn’t make it any less true.
“Statistically more hetro than homos are pedophiles;”
That’s interesting, and I wonder if it’s true. Where do those statistics come from? Do the statistics show the percentage of pedophile contacts that involve same sex sexual contact and the percentage of pedophile contacts that involve opposite sex sexual contact? If they do, what are the percentages?
Take 2 minutes and read about pedophilia. It isn’t about an attraction to the sexes, it’s about being a predator and having power over the child. They prey on what’s available, they don’t seek out a specific sex.
exactly wolf. I think my point was pretty clear. Pervs are pervs. People are the ones with phobias not the perversion pedophilia.
You’re assuming bandbox can read….
That is incorrect, they do seek out a specific sex based on their own orientation. Yes, it can be about power but given that homosexuality is a disorder, pedophilia is also a disorder. It does not take an imagination to assume that if one negates the natural order of things, eventually the corruption only gets worse.
Do NOT spread your misinformation, it is dangerous. Homosexuality is NOT a disorder. And for the most part pedophiles do NOT seek out a specific gender.
It’s fine if you want to be ignorant, but don’t run around saying things that you don’t know to be true.
Actually most pedophiles DO favor one gender over the other, BUT you are correct that this has nothing to do with homosexuality or hetrosexuality. it has to do with the pedophile’s preception of which gender will be more humiliated, by the act.
Remember the conquest is not about normal relations between people, but more that of a serial killer to his victim.
Actually, National Crime statistics are the facts and the facts are: Homosexuals are OVER_REPRESENTED in the numbers of men CONVICTED of pedophilia. 33% of men convicted of pedophilia are gay. The homosexual population is approx 3 to 5%. (some say that number is inflated, but just for argument sake) That means 66% are heterosexual pedophiles….Heterosexuals in the population are approx 92% to 94% of this countires population, so 60% is not over-represented in pedophilia considering the population…But 33% (or more, but we will not argue the more) is grossly over-represented with a 1%-3% homosexual population.
Lets bring this subject back to the article…This comes at a time when the Homosexual activists are demanding that homosexuals be allowed into boy scouts, either as leaders or scouts. If you take the above statistics (and you can go find them, please no “wheres your sources”..just go to the National Crime Statistics page or numerous studies and find your own information….or just scream bigotry because you dont like the facts, either way) this Boy Scout ‘list’, although long, long, overdue, is a step in the right direction…The Boy Scout should be purging homosexuals and pedophiles out of this organization (which is what this list is doing) …#1-they can require anything they want. NOTHING is stopping anyone from starting thier own scouting organization that includes homosexuals. #2-any one who looks at the numbers for pedophilia and homosexuality would be stupid not to engage some sort of risk assesment for the members they serve…
These findings does not imply that homosexualsare more likely to molest children, just that a
larger percentage of pedophiles are homosexual or bisexual
in orientation to children. Let the hate begin…..are more likely to molest children, just that alarger percentage of pedophiles are homosexual or bisexualin orientation to children. Let the hate begin…..
Yes, I agree with you. The Scouts and other organizations do have to be cautious based on these facts.
Heteros make up 97% of the population, and gays make up 3%. It’s likely that more pedophilia cases may involve heteros than gays. But if you look up studies on the internet, you find that 25-40% of pedophile cases are homosexual in nature. Way out of proportion to the percentage of homosexuals in the general population.
I don’t know where your 3% figure came from….. Fox News or some alternative reality source I’m sure. Stating that any form of pedophilia, sexual assault, sexual abuse is sexual not a power and dominance issue, just further prooves the ignorance and inaccuracy of your argument.
Yes, the majority of abuse cases in the Church were homosexual in nature. That is true.
Thomas Shaw, III, MDiv, Bishop in the Episcopal Diocese of Massachusetts, and Roy F. “Bud” Cederholm, Jr., MDiv, Suffragan Bishop in the Episcopal Diocese of Massachusetts, wrote in their Dec. 10, 2002 Boston Globe article:
“Suggestions that gays molest children lead to homophobia and create a dangerous atmosphere in which hate crimes flourish. They are irresponsible.Numerous studies have shown that there is no link between pedophilia and gay sexual orientation… It is simply wrong to conclude that one’s sexual orientation is the cause of child abuse.
Mental health professional agree that pedophilia is a disease. Homosexuality is not. None of what makes homosexuality a normal variation of human sexuality applies to pedophilia.”
http://psychology.ucdavis.edu/rainbow/html/facts_molestation.html
http://www.apa.org/pi/families/resources/child-sexual-abuse.aspx
Actually the APA did list homosexuality at a disorder only until recently due to political pressure. Most psychologists who are not taking orders from the politically correct, still follow the former APA listing of disorders. Check out NARTH for psychologists who haven’t been brainwashed by popular media.
The APA removed homosexuality from the DSM-III in 1973. So if you consider 1973 recent then I guess 40 years ago is recent and I’m a Doctor and I can tell you that no serious or ETHICAL mental health professional follows NARTH and if they do they need to have their professional license scrutinized. Try reading the American Psychiatric Association or the American Psychological Association thoughts on homosexuality (you know actual medically based and scientific PROFESSIONAL organizations.)
Mental health providers are not ‘given’ orders-we have an oath to uphold ethical standards and to do no harm to the patients we see period. Various psychotherapies used with patients are driven by empirical research and derived positive outcomes. Mental health professionals are not to bring their own personal agenda’s to their practice- you are to be neutral because psychotherapy is about the patient’s needs and agenda- not ours.
NARTH offers zero empirically based evidence to supports it’s stance on homosexuality. Both APA’s denounce NARTH and ‘reparative therapy’ as dangerous and harmful. Facts are facts.
Yup. Most men who molest boys would never dream of having sex with an adult male, and do not identify as gay.
Most are married, children of their own, professional, and active in church.
See the book “Stop Child Molestation” by Gene Abel. Available on Amazon.
Exactly. Bob Carlson or Jerry Sandusky ring any bells for anyone?
Carlson wasn’t banned was he? Pervert that he was, he should have been at the top of the list.
Wow–you are reading the wrong books and reading the wrong statistics. But of course everything today is written around the “politically correct” outlook. I suggest you take a look at literature from Americans for Truth (com) instead.
Literature? Hilarious. Yeah it’s ‘literature’ all right – all FICTION.
American’s for Truth about Homosexuality (AFTAH) is NOT any kind of academic organization (it’s an oxymoron- as there is no truth only fear and hate offered) is the usual nut job anti-secular crazies who hate anyone who is not just like them. The group is ‘dedicated’ to ‘exposing the homosexual activist agenda. AFTAH seeks to apply the same single-minded determination to opposing the radical homosexual agenda and standing for God-ordained sexuality and the natural family as countless homosexual groups do in promoting their harmful agenda.’ Why don’t you get your scientific information about African Americans from the KKK while your at it.Clearly whatever psuedo ‘statistics’ this group puts forth re: pedophilia is not scientifically based or unbiased (you know 2 of the most important aspects of the scientific process when conducting any sort of REAL empirically based study.) Try again. LOL.
Yeah… And read Klan literature on race relations.
Same thing. Not one bit different.
perverts molet children regardless or race or gender or orientation.
Reminds me of the catholic church.
Umm, but the majority of abuse happened by gays—5,000 men (volunteering with boys). Your statement doesn’t many any sense. The Scouts have even more reason to NOT include homosexuals in their organization after this discovery. Apparently there are people who should have not have been in there to begin with.
Where does it say the majority of abuse happened by gay people in the article? Oh wait it DIDN’T what it said was: ‘The Los Angeles Times database contains information on 5,000 men and a few women who were expelled from the BSA between 1947 and January 2005 for suspicion of sexual abuse.’ but don’t let the actual facts in the article get in your inane and agenda driven view. Here’s a thought… try reading actual ACADEMIC (i.e. scientific) studies about pedophilia rather than the pseudo studies you obviously enjoy reading (and when I say scientific I mean by an actual accredited university that is secular and has no bias when conducting said study.)
How about a list of all the offenders?
How about people just take responsibility for parenting their own kids. I know these lists and registries are popular, but they are historically inaccurate and misleading. They do no more to prevent abuse than Tylenol preventing AIDS. They give parents and politicians the feeling and illusion that they are preventing child sexual abuse; but that’s about it. Just think of how many cases you hear about where they mention after one of these creeps are caught, how they were on the registry, but lived next to a day care, or was a boy scout leader, teacher, youth pastor, etc. The lists do nothing. Communication with your kids, proper stranger danger education (although they claim most abused know their attacker), just the smell test (if an adult is giving you or your kids the creeps, there is probably a reason for that. Stay away from them).
This is a MUCH more important story than all of the Zumba perv’s, yet it won’t get a fraction of the coverage!
Your ignorance is palpable.
Children cannot consent to marriage.
I’m thinking that disappoints one as ignorant as you horribly.
….and people in domestic partnerships could not get health insurance from their partner years ago, now they can. Over time lines get blurred and the the line disappears. That is why it is so important to clearly define right and wrong and have societal boundaries. The pedophiles should be exposed, names, locations and DOB.
That’s not all there is under marriage and you bloody well know it. The line will disappear when the courts fix this marriage mess once and for all and gay couples can get married.
It’s wrong to teach kids to put faith in magic sky daddies instead of themselves… watch what you ask for, you might just get it. It’s not black and white no matter how bad you want it to be.
Regarding the pedophiles, I wholeheartedly agree. There’s a world of difference between victimizing children and two law-abiding consensual adults in a loving relationship together.
I am pro gay, really none of my business no matter how awkward or unnatural it seems to me. I am also pro gay people having civil unions. Marriage is between a man and woman. Why cant the gay crowd be happy with civil union?
1. Civil unions are not being offered nationwide, and where they are, they still fall short of equaling marriage.
2. The civil contract is called a “marriage license”. It requires no mythology, so there’s really no need to waste money on a separate license.
3. This happens when civil unions pass: http://articles.chicagobreakingnews.com/2011-05-27/news/29592376_1_civil-unions-protests-battle-between-gay-rights — It’s still not enough for those who stand against the very idea of gay citizens.
Religious folk can have “holy matrimony” as their religious tomb states. That’s not a civil contract.
Oh I get it. Hate the sin, not the sinner, eh? Why can’t you at least be upfront about your bias?
Do civil unions have all the rights that married people have ?
Ah Ted we disagree again. The only fair way for the courts to “fix this marriage mess” is to get the government OUT of the marriage business and get rid of all the special protections and special rights married people enjoy at the expense of single folk.
That would be perfectly acceptable.
Don't think folks will go for it though.
I believe you may be the only reasonable person on this site.
But you’re disgusting for making a comparison of a loving committed couple and a predator harming a child. The two are no way alike at all. It’s incredibly ignorant and harmful for you to say something like that.
No, actually Mr. Santorum, what is sick is your thought pattern. Pedophilia is not a “slippery slope”. Your comment is both disgusting and ignorant to facts.
This is absurd. They cover up all this abuse and then they try and blame innocent gay people by banning them? So disgusting.
I am wondering….where did this story mention innocent gay people?
It’s the entire situation. The BSA has banned gays from being troop leaders and only recently said that it’s up to individual troops to determine, but many still do. Those are innocent gay people being lumped in with predators. It’s not right.
How many of the predators were homosexual?
How many were heterosexuals?
It doesn’t matter because neither heterosexuality or homosexuality are the same as pedophilia. Pedophiles prey on children. They prey on what’s available to them and it’s about power over them — they don’t generally seek out a specific gender.
You need to put your personal biases aside and educate yourself if you believe otherwise.
It might matter a great deal if a majority of the perverts were homosexual. Keep in mind the gender of the victims is male and so are the perpetrators.
I’m not going to “keep in mind” what someone who is willfully ignorant about the subject has to say. There aren’t straight pedophiles and there aren’t gay pedophiles. There are pedophiles. They prey on what’s available to them and often gender is completely irrelevant to them. Quit ignoring science and facts.
Nobody is ignoring anything. There are 1200 cases of perverts molesting boy scouts. Scout masters are men, male to male contact is homosexual. Why should the Scouts take any chances?
Also, it’s a private organization, not your liberal government, and they can say who can or cannot join. So to repeat one of the favorite phrases of the homosexuals, “Get used to it”
It doesn’t matter. They’re not molesting the kids because they’re boys. They’re molesting the kids because they’re what’s available. The vast majority of pedophiles don’t care about gender. It’s about power over children.
I’m really so disgusting by the willful ignorance of people. I hope you don’t have kids because you put them in danger when you purposefully choose to be ignorant on the matter.
Gay people aren’t the threat. Pedophiles are.
If a straight person commits a crime, do you suddenly become leery of all straight people? Suddenly assume they’re all committing that same crime?
How do you know the vast majority of pedophiles are not attracted to the sex of the victim?
Please read about the subject.
Why are some pedophiles attracted to male victims if not for homosexual desires?
I know it sounds like that make sense to you, but if you read what the medical and psychological fields have come to you’re wrong. Pedophiles prey on children. It isn’t about the sex of the child, it’s about being in a position of power and abuse.
I assume you’re straight and male — is the body of a 7 year old girl the same as a 27 year old girl? Of course not. No healthy adult is attracted to children. No child can assent to sexual activity.
This isn’t a gay vs. straight thing.
You assume that pedophiles are only attracted to young children.
It’s the definition.
The research you can educate yourself with is in these comments. Find it and educate yourself.
Most men who molest boys are otherwise straight, with wives and families.
So you are suggesting that homosexual attraction can be identified as a perversion.
Nope. Didn’t say that.
Demonstrates how little you’re really interested in learning anything.
I’m going to suggest that your mental state can be identified as ignorant. Why are you refusing to educate yourself on this?
My research on the subject suggests it is an “innocence” attraction, rather than a gender attraction, and that the actual sex act may be ancillary to the relationship. Most (if not all) pedophiles can be identified as “socially retarded” sometimes to the age where they themselves may have been molested.
Males do not like to admit this, but most reputable psychitrists identify a stage of development where the same sex is more attractive than the opposite sex. Some students refer to this as “latency”. It ceases to be “latent” if molestatioon occurs.
To get a realistic view of pedophillia, the student must get his mind off genitillia, and focus instead on the brain.
Molestation of children is not about “sex” or gender, it is about power and humiliation. The pedophile destroys innocence for his/her gratification as the vandal destroys things of beauty for his.
an at time its a reltives or some one they trust
Not paying attention are you?
If a man is married with kids of his own, he’s not gay. Bisexual, obviously, but not gay.
Sell that one to the wives whose pervert husbands have left them to chase the johnson.
So, you feel this is a common problem?
Really?
Um… OK… sure…
Hate to disagree with an obvious expert, BUT bisexual MAYBE. It has been my experience that some pedophiles do not care about the gender of the child, just the age, but are (at the same time) absolutely comitted to the opposite gender in adult intimacies.
I actually agree.
All of them.
Male to male contact is homosexual period.
It’s like being just a little bit knocked up, no such thing.
So a man married to a woman and having sex with her regularly is gay because he has sex with a male?
If he has sex with a woman, he is heterosexual.
That is your simplistic logic…
How are they different?
I have a young female aquaintance who tells me that in college there are “L.U.G.s” That is “Lesbian Until Graduation” and that these young women then go out and have families, husbands, and seldom discuss their college experience.
This suggests to me that some people are not totally comitted to their sexual orientation.
Sorry if i’m being offensive. it is not intentional.
THE FACTSAccording to the American Psychological Association, “homosexual men are not more likely to sexually abuse children than heterosexual men are.” Gregory Herek, a professor at the University of California, Davis, who is one of the nation’s leading researchers on prejudice against sexual minorities, reviewed a series of studies and found no evidence that gay men molest children at higher rates than heterosexual men.
Anti-gay activists who make that claim allege that all men who molest male children should be seen as homosexual. But research by A. Nicholas Groth, a pioneer in the field of sexual abuse of children, shows that is not so. Groth found that there are two types of child molesters: fixated and regressive. The fixated child molester — the stereotypical pedophile — cannot be considered homosexual or heterosexual because “he often finds adults of either sex repulsive” and often molests children of both sexes. Regressive child molesters are generally attracted to other adults, but may “regress” to focusing on children when confronted with stressful situations. Groth found that the majority of regressed offenders were heterosexual in their adult relationships.
The Child Molestation Research and Prevention Institute notes that 90% of child molesters target children in their network of family and friends. Most child molesters, therefore, are not gay people lingering outside schools waiting to snatch children from the playground, as much religious-right rhetoric suggests.
Maybe I should read into the ‘list’ farther, but are there men in those lists that being a homosexual is the ONLY reason they are on the list?
No, but there was a general ban on gay troop leaders. Recently the BSA has said troops can still ban if they decide individually to do so.
That is why my son is not involved in the Boy Scouts……I don’t wish to have gay people teaching my son what is right or wrong…. sorry if you find this offensive, but that’s the way it is. My standards are different than yours, but they are my standards and that is my choice. I don’t hate gays, just don’t agree that this lifestyle is acceptable.
Doesn’t offend me, because I also don’t want certain people teaching my children things, specifically those with such narrow minded and bigoted views.
Does that make you a “bigotist?”
So did you go to your school an ask them if any of the teachers coachs that you kids has are gay ? What about if you kids has to go to the hospital . the emts come to you house an the amblance come do you first ask them if they are gay ?
What would you have done with us?
You’re as free as I to hold your own position, and that should always be respected.
If it it’s not acceptable… what do you propose that Maine and the US do with gay citizens?
Why is it that when we disagree that we are instantly called bigots? “Bigotry is the state of mind of a bigot, defined by Merriam-Webster as “a person obstinately or intolerantly devoted to his or her own opinions and prejudices; especially: one who regards or treats the members of a group (as a racial or ethnic group) with hatred and intolerance. …
This definition indicates that people that just simply do not agree are not bigots… unless they are intolerant and hateful. It is common to dissagree without being hateful, does anyone ever think about that? RESPECTFULLY Submitted……
Because if you “disagree” with black people, we call you a racist. You don’t get to hide behind calling it a simple matter of disagreement.
Trying going down to a public school and telling them you don’t want your kids in class gay teachers or most other setting for that matter, they’ll tell you tough luck. And they might even tell you to look at your own narrow minded “lifestyle choices.”
Actually many people don’t want their children taught by anyone.
I don’t get your first paragraph however, I often disagree with Jews, Blacks, and even caucasians, but never thought of myself as “racist.”
I think it may even be racist to say (if you are not African American) to say I always agree with the black point of view.
It’s hiding disdain for a group of people behind the claim that you simply “disagree” with them.
So in your world there is no room for any disagreement that is not race/gender/or ethnically based?
I don’t like Obama’s health care plan. I didn’t like it when it was Teddy Kennedy’s. So I must be both racist and anti Catholic?
Look, you’re not going to force me to defend a position I don’t hold. If you want to put all this words in my mouth, I’m not going to have a discussion.
Where did I indicate that I think there is no such thing as real disagreement? The answer is no where, so don’t try and imply that I said that.
You don’t have an argument if you have to purposefully misconstrue what someone else is saying.
quote you:
“It’s hiding disdain for a group of people behind the claim that you simply “disagree” with them.”
Guess you DID say that.
I didn’t say disagreement doesn’t exist. You’re hearing what you want to hear.
I am “hearing” nothing. I am reading what you wrote.
Can you prove that it was gays that did it ?
This is so sad. Mydad was in scouts all his life and acted like the boy scout pledge. He would have been so disappointed.
If you think this is bad, think about how many of these kids in Maine’s foster care system being abused and it going un reported!!
pediphials navigate to these kids and no one is doing anything about it! Kids taken for nothing, from loving homes over lies, twisted cps workers.
These are 2009 Stats.. 2012 stats are already expected to be higher stats of abuse in CPS care than 2009.
Number of Cases per 100,000 children in the United States. These numbers come from: The National Center on Child Abuse and Neglect (NCCAN) in Washington. CPS- Physical Abuse (160) Sexual Abuse (112) Neglect (410) Medical Neglect (14) Fatalities (6.4) Parents- Physical Abuse (59) Sexual Abuse (13) Neglect (241) Medical Neglect (12) Fatalities (1.5) As you can see, children are abused far more in care than at home. The calculated average is for every 1 abused child removed from an abusive home, there are 17 `non-abused children removed from loving non-offending homes nationwide.
I am glad BDN is brining attentions to some of what’s been going on in Maine. Also the one that Portland child sex industry is on the rise.
It is time for parents to understand that it is up to them to teach their own children what is right, and what is wrong, based on their own ethics and beliefs. If that includes outdoor experiences, we live in the best place on earth to teach them. If parents lack knowledge, they can all learn together, there is lots of information available to help out. This is an evil world we live in, it is up to parents to protect their own children and provide them with the education and experiences they need…
any grown man that has a strong passion to voluntarily camp in the woods unsupervised with little boys is automatically guilty in my book.
…and for that reason alone, we (as a society) may never get this problem under control.
One of the best experiences of my life was a 6 week camping trip with a teacher who thought summer school should be fun. Ed Geehr took me and 7 of my peers across the country in 1960. We slept on the ground (no tents on this trip) and when it rained heavily we slept under the V.W. micro-bus.
Mr Geehr (We called adults “Mr. & Mrs or Miss in those days) ruffled our hair, slapped us on the back, pushed us to hike up mountains, taught us how to cook over an open fire, taught us how to pack food so it wouldn’t spoil, and each of us (12 & 13 year olds) got a shot at driving the stick-shift bus across the wide empty streches of prarrie. I remember the mid day hike down into the Grand Canyon, The sunrise on Pike’s Peak, the sunset over Lake Louise, the endless emptiness of western Canada, and the return trip through Northern Maine.
I have taken many many of my foster children on similar trips. So I guess I am one of those who you have stereotyped.
News for you: The dirt is sometimes in the mind of those who like the sight of dirt.
Quite the motto they’ve got, eh? Tom Lehrer didn’t throw this wrinkle into in his song about the boy scouts. He used it in connection with a boy scout’s chance meeting with a girl scout. Then again, he might have had they not buried chance meetings with the scout master way back in their closet.
It continues to amaze me that there are so many perverts in this world who would harm a child. Any parent should know by now that people who are ‘attracted’ to children are going to try to get involved in activities your children are involved in. If ANYONE takes an unusual interest in your child, do not allow them to be together without you being present. You can’t trust anyone, really.
The article claims documentation for only three of the cases in Maine. However, it proves to be available for the additional towns of Bucksport and Mars Hill.
As an Eagle Scout and now a parent leader, I hate to see such outrage against an organization that does good things for boys that have little or no self esteem, often with no male role model in the household.
I understand where it comes from, though, with many documented cases of pedophilia. When I put my leader uniform on (that has my Eagle insignia on it), other parents in the community use it as an opportunitiy for comedy because of BSA’s history. I can only hope that this changes over time and that boys in the future have the same opportunity that I had. Thankfully, I did not have to endure any abuse and had a very good experience in scouting. It made me a stronger person and a better citizen.
I am constantly vigilant of other adults who aren’t acting normally. I hope other adult adults in scouting will too and report them if they see it.
The boy scouts are trying to keep them out.Here in Maine we invite them to our schools and cook them dinner.
You personally invite pedophiles to schools and cook them dinner?
who was the boy scout molester from Van Buren???? I’d like to know that question…..
The Boy Scouts and the Catholic Church have been doing what ALL organizations have been doing for years. They’ve tried to handle things internally–they’ve done that in schools, they do this within families where abuse happens. People pointing their fingers but don’t realize that the problem is universal and everywhere. What should not be ignored are the homosexual crimes associated with this case. Background checks and more are needed now for all organizations. I do know the Catholic Church requires background checks now for all employees and volunteers who work with children AND they have to take a mandatory Safe Child course. That is more than they do in the schools.
Hooray for the Boy Scouts!
You want me to trust YOU with MY kids to teach them how to grow up and be What, just like YOU? No way will I let you teach my children how to be Heterosexual MOLESTERERS YES, not the gays or lesbians.They have more respect to their fellow man than these people do, You make me sick!!! I am glad I know who you are now. I will teach my children NOT YOU!!