{"id":1323,"date":"2009-12-08T19:42:20","date_gmt":"2009-12-09T00:42:20","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/jimbovard.com\/blog\/?p=1323"},"modified":"2009-12-08T19:42:20","modified_gmt":"2009-12-09T00:42:20","slug":"boy-scouts-a-pro-freedom-reaction","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/jimbovard.com\/blog\/2009\/12\/08\/boy-scouts-a-pro-freedom-reaction\/","title":{"rendered":"Boy Scouts &#038; a Pro-Freedom Reaction"},"content":{"rendered":"<p>I appreciate the comments on the  creek-crossing <a href=\"http:\/\/jimbovard.com\/blog\/2009\/12\/03\/my-pre-anarchist-motif\/\">photo.<\/a><\/p>\n<p>The Boy Scouts of America begin their 100th anniversary celebration on December 10, and I&#8217;m curious about the political impact of the Scouting experience. <\/p>\n<p>I am wondering how many guys who were in the Scouts became more pro-freedom in response to the heavy-handed invocations of authority and obedience that some Boy Scout troops routinely used.  <\/p>\n<p>I had a lot of great experiences in the Scouts and I appreciated the adult volunteers who helped make the good times happen.  And yet&#8230;<\/p>\n<p>I recall reciting the Scout law &#8211; the pledge to \u201cdo my duty to God and country.\u201d And who defines the duty to the country?<\/p>\n<p>Richard Nixon was the honorary president of the Boy Scouts at that time, and the Boy Scouts of America gave them their highest honor &#8211; the Silver Buffalo &#8211; in 1971.  I would have had more respect for the Scouts if they sent Nixon tar and feathers.  <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>I appreciate the comments on the creek-crossing photo. The Boy Scouts of America begin their 100th anniversary celebration on December 10, and I&#8217;m curious about the political impact of the Scouting experience. I am wondering how many guys who were in the Scouts became more pro-freedom in response to the heavy-handed invocations of authority and [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[22,659,6],"class_list":{"0":"post-1323","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"hentry","6":"category-uncategorized","7":"tag-attention-deficit-democracy","9":"tag-bovard"},"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO plugin v27.4 - https:\/\/yoast.com\/product\/yoast-seo-wordpress\/ -->\n<title>Boy Scouts &amp; a Pro-Freedom Reaction - James Bovard<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/jimbovard.com\/blog\/2009\/12\/08\/boy-scouts-a-pro-freedom-reaction\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Boy Scouts &amp; a Pro-Freedom Reaction - James Bovard\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"I appreciate the comments on the creek-crossing photo. The Boy Scouts of America begin their 100th anniversary celebration on December 10, and I&#8217;m curious about the political impact of the Scouting experience. I am wondering how many guys who were in the Scouts became more pro-freedom in response to the heavy-handed invocations of authority and [&hellip;]\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/jimbovard.com\/blog\/2009\/12\/08\/boy-scouts-a-pro-freedom-reaction\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"James Bovard\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:author\" content=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/jim.bovard\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2009-12-09T00:42:20+00:00\" \/>\n<meta name=\"author\" content=\"Jim\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:creator\" content=\"@jimbovard\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Written by\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"Jim\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:label2\" content=\"Est. reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data2\" content=\"1 minute\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\\\/\\\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"Article\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/jimbovard.com\\\/blog\\\/2009\\\/12\\\/08\\\/boy-scouts-a-pro-freedom-reaction\\\/#article\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/jimbovard.com\\\/blog\\\/2009\\\/12\\\/08\\\/boy-scouts-a-pro-freedom-reaction\\\/\"},\"author\":{\"name\":\"Jim\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/jimbovard.com\\\/blog\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/person\\\/79550830ad81c14be529a2c37469974f\"},\"headline\":\"Boy Scouts &#038; a Pro-Freedom Reaction\",\"datePublished\":\"2009-12-09T00:42:20+00:00\",\"mainEntityOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/jimbovard.com\\\/blog\\\/2009\\\/12\\\/08\\\/boy-scouts-a-pro-freedom-reaction\\\/\"},\"wordCount\":164,\"commentCount\":4,\"keywords\":[\"Attention Deficit Democracy\",\"Attention Deficit Democracy\",\"Bovard\"],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"CommentAction\",\"name\":\"Comment\",\"target\":[\"https:\\\/\\\/jimbovard.com\\\/blog\\\/2009\\\/12\\\/08\\\/boy-scouts-a-pro-freedom-reaction\\\/#respond\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/jimbovard.com\\\/blog\\\/2009\\\/12\\\/08\\\/boy-scouts-a-pro-freedom-reaction\\\/\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/jimbovard.com\\\/blog\\\/2009\\\/12\\\/08\\\/boy-scouts-a-pro-freedom-reaction\\\/\",\"name\":\"Boy Scouts & a Pro-Freedom Reaction - James Bovard\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/jimbovard.com\\\/blog\\\/#website\"},\"datePublished\":\"2009-12-09T00:42:20+00:00\",\"author\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/jimbovard.com\\\/blog\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/person\\\/79550830ad81c14be529a2c37469974f\"},\"breadcrumb\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/jimbovard.com\\\/blog\\\/2009\\\/12\\\/08\\\/boy-scouts-a-pro-freedom-reaction\\\/#breadcrumb\"},\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"ReadAction\",\"target\":[\"https:\\\/\\\/jimbovard.com\\\/blog\\\/2009\\\/12\\\/08\\\/boy-scouts-a-pro-freedom-reaction\\\/\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"BreadcrumbList\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/jimbovard.com\\\/blog\\\/2009\\\/12\\\/08\\\/boy-scouts-a-pro-freedom-reaction\\\/#breadcrumb\",\"itemListElement\":[{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":1,\"name\":\"Home\",\"item\":\"https:\\\/\\\/jimbovard.com\\\/blog\\\/\"},{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":2,\"name\":\"Boy Scouts &#038; a Pro-Freedom Reaction\"}]},{\"@type\":\"WebSite\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/jimbovard.com\\\/blog\\\/#website\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/jimbovard.com\\\/blog\\\/\",\"name\":\"James Bovard\",\"description\":\"\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"SearchAction\",\"target\":{\"@type\":\"EntryPoint\",\"urlTemplate\":\"https:\\\/\\\/jimbovard.com\\\/blog\\\/?s={search_term_string}\"},\"query-input\":{\"@type\":\"PropertyValueSpecification\",\"valueRequired\":true,\"valueName\":\"search_term_string\"}}],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\"},{\"@type\":\"Person\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/jimbovard.com\\\/blog\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/person\\\/79550830ad81c14be529a2c37469974f\",\"name\":\"Jim\",\"image\":{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/secure.gravatar.com\\\/avatar\\\/d95466cfd0934e38803c5035629df727ae4ec1f3f96c6883c05b5c52e2044505?s=96&d=mm&r=r\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/secure.gravatar.com\\\/avatar\\\/d95466cfd0934e38803c5035629df727ae4ec1f3f96c6883c05b5c52e2044505?s=96&d=mm&r=r\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/secure.gravatar.com\\\/avatar\\\/d95466cfd0934e38803c5035629df727ae4ec1f3f96c6883c05b5c52e2044505?s=96&d=mm&r=r\",\"caption\":\"Jim\"},\"description\":\"Bovard's homepage is at http:\\\/\\\/www.jimbovard.com He can be contacted at jim@jimbovard.com James Bovard is the author of ten books. The Wall Street Journal called Bovard \\\"the roving inspector general of the modern state\\\" and Washington Post columnist George Will called him a \\\"one-man truth squad.\\\" His 1994 book, Lost Rights: The Destruction of American Liberty, received the Free Press Association\u2019s Mencken Award as Book of the Year. His Terrorism &amp; Tyranny won the Lysander Spooner \\\"Best Book on Liberty in 2003\\\" award. He received the Thomas Szasz Award for Civil Liberties work, awarded by the Center for Independent Thought and the Freedom Fund Award from the Firearms Civil Rights Defense Fund of the National Rifle Association. Bovard\u2019s writings have been publicly denounced by FBI director Louis Freeh, the Secretary of Agriculture, the Secretary of Housing and Urban Development, the Postmaster General, and the chiefs of the U.S. International Trade Commission, the Drug Enforcement Administration, the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission, and the Federal Emergency Management Agency, as well as by many congressmen and other malcontents.\",\"sameAs\":[\"http:\\\/\\\/www.jimbovard.com\",\"https:\\\/\\\/www.facebook.com\\\/jim.bovard\",\"https:\\\/\\\/x.com\\\/jimbovard\"],\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/jimbovard.com\\\/blog\\\/author\\\/admin\\\/\"}]}<\/script>\n<!-- \/ Yoast SEO plugin. -->","yoast_head_json":{"title":"Boy Scouts & a Pro-Freedom Reaction - James Bovard","robots":{"index":"index","follow":"follow","max-snippet":"max-snippet:-1","max-image-preview":"max-image-preview:large","max-video-preview":"max-video-preview:-1"},"canonical":"https:\/\/jimbovard.com\/blog\/2009\/12\/08\/boy-scouts-a-pro-freedom-reaction\/","og_locale":"en_US","og_type":"article","og_title":"Boy Scouts & a Pro-Freedom Reaction - James Bovard","og_description":"I appreciate the comments on the creek-crossing photo. 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The Wall Street Journal called Bovard \"the roving inspector general of the modern state\" and Washington Post columnist George Will called him a \"one-man truth squad.\" His 1994 book, Lost Rights: The Destruction of American Liberty, received the Free Press Association\u2019s Mencken Award as Book of the Year. His Terrorism &amp; Tyranny won the Lysander Spooner \"Best Book on Liberty in 2003\" award. He received the Thomas Szasz Award for Civil Liberties work, awarded by the Center for Independent Thought and the Freedom Fund Award from the Firearms Civil Rights Defense Fund of the National Rifle Association. 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