Girl Scouts Are Not Out To Destroy Your Values

   So, you've probably heard all about the recent accusations made against the Girl Scouts of America by Mr. Bob Morris. If not, you can read all about it pretty much anywhere on Google News. Basically, our friend Bob claimed the Girl Scouts are on a mission to convert innocent children into lesbianism, to educate kindergarteners about sex, and to make sure that nobody in the organization believes in God. This preposterous slander is totally false, okay? I have been a Girl Scouts for nine years, and not once have my leaders ever talked to us about sex or tried to convince us to join the "homosexual lifestyle." And the atheism thing? I'm willing to bet that the only reason Bob insists that Girl Scouts are evil demons who don't believe in God is because of the precise wording of the Girl Scout Promise:
   "On my honor, I will try to serve God* and my country, to help people at all times, and to live by the Girl Scout Law. (*Girl Scouts of the USA makes no attempt to define or interpret the word "God" in the Girl Scout Promise. It looks to individual members to establish for themselves the nature of their spiritual beliefs. When making the Girl Scout Promise, individuals may substitute wording appropriate to their own spiritual beliefs for the word "God.")"
   What this says to me is that Girl Scouts is an open-minded organization which allows its members to show their religion, and which doesn't judge people based on their beliefs. This sort of ties into Bob's claim that Girl Scouts want to make small girls into lesbians. The thing is, Boy Scouts is a very narrow-minded organization, and they do not allow boys who discover they are gay to continue being members. Girl Scouts is not like that at all. As I mentioned before, we are an open-minded organization, and we feel that the sexual orientation of a person should not dictate whether or not they are allowed to actively be a Scout.
   Lastly, the sex ed issue. Now, this actually has a somewhat legitimate origin, but it was misinterpreted and blown way out of proportion. A few years ago, a Girl Scout service unit helped out at a seminar for single parents. At the end, little "goody bags" were distributed, and these contained pamphlets about safe sex, sonograms, and getting help at Planned Parenthood if it is needed. I'm sure you are all familiar with the false belief that classical music makes people smarter. This sprung from a study in which it was shown that test scores improved when the subjects listened to Mozart during the exam. This was taken to mean that classical music makes you smarter, when of course it really doesn't. Like this misconception, the contents of the bags freaked quite a few whack jobs out, and they came up with the ideas that Girl Scouts force its members to undergo sex education, and that Girl Scouts support single motherhood and are against abortion. None of this is true.
   So, as you can see, the problems caused by Bob Morris are stemmed from ignorance, misinterpretations, and a lack of proper education and rationalism. Now you (hopefully) know the truth, and do not think badly of this fine, upstanding organization.
   Oh, and by the way, happy 100th birthday, GSA!