Don’t fall for (conservative) smears against the Girl Scouts [View all]

[onehandle]

The culture wars in this country have grown so acute that we can’t even agree to support a patriotic, faith-affirming, achievement-oriented group like the Girl Scouts.

I smile when girls from the local troop stand nervously on my doorstep and ask me to buy Thin Mints and Trefoils. I see the next generation of a treasured institution about to celebrate 100 years of giving girls a chance to hike and camp, learn skills such as gardening and first aid, and build character and leadership.

But some religious conservatives see something very different: representatives of a dangerous, secular organization that aggressively promotes abortion and quietly encourages paganism, homosexuality and other alleged social ailments. It’s ill-informed nonsense. Nonetheless, it’s spawned a smear campaign against the Girl Scouts that’s starting to have an impact, including in our region.

Conservative activists have used social media to encourage parents to boycott cookie sales, pull their daughters out of scouts and push churches not to provide meeting spaces for troops.

http://www.washingtonpost.com/local/robert-mccartney-dont-fall-for-smears-against-the-girl-scouts/2012/01/27/gIQAEJtMYQ_story.html