Scouting for Victims

Well, it’s certainly a good thing the Boy Scouts don’t let in those filthy homosexuals or atheists.

Molestation allegations continue to emerge against Boy Scout officials who worked under the current Grand Teton Council leadership.

[…]

The statement, filed by former Boy Scout Jeff Bird in support of a lawsuit brought by younger Scouts against the Grand Teton Council, alleges that counselor Dennis Empey mutilated animals, showed off his firearms and then raped Bird at the Island Park Scout Camp.

[…]

In May 1991, Empey was arrested in Utah for allegedly molesting children. In those cases, Empey was accused of flashing a gun before sodomizing his victims. He pleaded guilty to three felonies -- two counts of forcible sodomy on a child and one count of sexual abuse of a child.

Empey was sentenced to probation on Oct. 8, 1991, and two years later moved back home to eastern Idaho.

But despite his conviction, Empey was apparently able to continue working for the Scouts.

[…]

When asked why a convicted pedophile was supplying material to the Grand Teton Council, Hansen wrote in a May 13 letter: "In recent years, Dennis Empey donated graphic designs to the council. All materials were sent by either electronic means or mail. He has not been in our office and has not had any volunteer positions."

So they knew he was a pederast, but didn’t think that was quite bad enough to sever relations with him. Yeesh.

I don’t want to hear another fucking word about how liberals want to give therapy to terrorists or any more of the insufferably familiar rhetoric of a similar nature from any more conservatives. Elected officials who have ethical challenges so severe they probably technically qualify for Medicaid are protected like sacred cows. Men of the cloth who repeatedly abuse children are encouraged to pray for help—and promptly relocated to another parish where they can repeat their errors. Leading members of a conservative group like the Boy Scouts (and before any male liberal Scouts get up in arms, let me remind you, I’m a female, gay-friendly atheist—it’s a conservative group from my perspective!) are left in their positions, unchecked and not held accountable, given continued access to unwitting potential victims.

The Left is constantly accused of forming a circular firing squad faster than Howard Dean can say trucks with confederate flags; when was the last time such a charge was leveled against the Right? Some may say it’s a failing of the Left that we hold each other accountable so often, but if it’s a choice between that and allowing our members to behave like animals without consequence, I’ll take the former.

Calling for due process is not the equivalent of coddling terrorists. Protecting those in your ranks irrespective of whether they deserve to be protected is, however, dangerously close to condoning the behavior you continue to protect.