Alaska senate questions girl scouts of alaska

[Islandmom]

I recieved this message in my email yesterday. I know nothing should surprise me, but really?! WTF! It's a simple resolution to recognize 100 years of girl scouting and it has been tunrned into an attack on women and abortion.

part of the email

"Dear Girl Scouts of Alaska members:

By now you’ve probably heard that a resolution to celebrate Girl Scouts 100th anniversary was stalled in the Alaska State Legislature due to questions raised about our relationship to Planned Parenthood and speculations about our involvement with sensitive issues.

Attached please find the official statement we have released in response."

Here's the response

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

April 6, 2012

Contact:

Anne Gore

Communications Manager

Girl Scouts of Alaska

(907) 273-0315

agore@girlscoutsalaska.org

Anchorage, AK – Today Girl Scouts of Alaska issued the following statement in response to questions raised in the House State Affairs Committee meeting on April 5, 2012 during discussion of Senate Concurrent Resolution 17, celebrating the 100th anniversary of the Girl Scouts of the United States of America (Girl Scouts of the USA) and proclaiming 2012 as the Year of the Girl.

“We are grateful to Senator Bettye Davis and other members of the Alaska State Legislature who value the great contributions Girl Scouts have made across the state for nearly 100 years. We have communicated with Representative Wes Keller and the members of the committee, and encourage others who may have questions to spend time talking with their local Girl Scout councils, and listening to the powerful stories of our girls and the benefits Girl Scouts has been providing in this country for 100 years.

Our position on sensitive issues is quite clear. We take no position on the subjects of birth control or abortion and we believe these topics are best discussed between girls and their families. Neither Girl Scouts of USA, nor Girl Scouts of Alaska has a relationship or partnership with Planned Parenthood.

An American institution is turning 100 years old, and our girls deserve the support of our state leaders.â€

Just amazing and leaves me shaking my head on what in the world is up these people's butts. I mean seriously are they that afraid of women. It scares me what the world will be like for my daughter in 10-20 years.

[stacyf]

I will just say that I am not surprised that the senator leading the attack is from the valley. I was also pretty disgusted that "prop 5" was not passed in Anchorage, or maybe it would have been if they didn't "run out" of ballots.

[tropaka]

Don't these politicians read the internetz and know that the PP/GS thing is a myth?

[emmiedahl]

My understanding and experience is that many girl scout troops allow PP to make presentations regarding sexual health and responsibility. Sometimes they have a booth at Girl Scout events. I have never seen brochures for, say, abortion; more like 'your body will be changing and we are here to help you through your adolescence'. A healthy message that I support for my daughter and other Girl Scouts. Parents are present and can determine whether their daughter participates.

They are not official partners, and the culture of Girl Scouts varies from troop to troop.

[Glass Cowcatcher]

In my gut I feel like this is witchhunting/revenge for some GS troupes accepting transgendered children as members.

[shesinsane]

Members of the Alaskan House must've read that thing going around about how Girl Scouts are pro-lesbian, pro-abortion, Planned Parenthood buddies, and taken it as a series of outrages.

I wonder if the situation were reversed what the public's reaction might be. Can you imagine if the Alaskan House had stalled on celebrating the Boy Scouts' 100th anniversary because of that organization's lack of tolerance for homosexuals? It would be top story on Faux News.

[Boltingmadonna]

This really bugs me. I was a Girl Scout, and I served as a Girl Scout leader for several years. My daughter was in Scouts too. When I was leader, half my troop came from the housing projects in our school district. I and my fellow leaders worked really hard to provide those kids with wonderful, safe experiences they might never have had otherwise. We took them camping and on cookouts and activities where they learned to do things themselves--not just make-work activities or charity where things were given to them. I spent my own money to get art supplies and healthy snacks the girls could cook for themselves. Some of those kids were wild--and I don't mean just the project kids! The suburban girls were just as bad. But we did our best to show them how to be responsible. Man! We worked HARD. And not one bit of that was about teaching them to be slutty baby-killers. It was ALL about giving them a chance to believe in themselves and take action for themselves. We tried to give them a little bit of self-respect and self-confidence in a world that tries hard to tear little girls down. And we had FUN.

You know, I think those are the things the right wing really hates about Girl Scouts. They don't want independent girls who are proud of themselves and keep their heads up. I think they know darn well that all this stuff they're saying is nothing but lies. They just don't care. They'll do and say anything to keep girls down.

Edited to add that when I say "slutty baby-killers" I am being sarcastic. While it's theoretically possible such creatures may exist, I think they live mainly in the minds of various idiots who infest legislatures. I would never characterize a girl that way, regardless of whether she used birth control, had sex, or got an abortion.

[hathorlive]

When I bought my cookies this year, I thanked the moms for their leadership and that I was buying extra boxes as a protest against the hatred.

The moms were very appreciative and surprised that I knew about all the conflict, since I have no kids in scouting. I told them about Free Jinger and other sites that were noting the war against women.

I'm really starting to dislike our male leadership. I've never donated to a political campaign before but this year I've made donation to several women on the for emily page in other states. No sense in NOT trying to get more women in politics. My state is a total loss but I can help other states where women are running.

[doggie]

The problem is the GOP believes the crap they find on the internet and go by that. Gullibility and religion walk hand in hand.

[AnnieC 305]

This really bugs me. I was a Girl Scout, and I served as a Girl Scout leader for several years. My daughter was in Scouts too. When I was leader, half my troop came from the housing projects in our school district. I and my fellow leaders worked really hard to provide those kids with wonderful, safe experiences they might never have had otherwise. We took them camping and on cookouts and activities where they learned to do things themselves--not just make-work activities or charity where things were given to them. I spent my own money to get art supplies and healthy snacks the girls could cook for themselves. Some of those kids were wild--and I don't mean just the project kids! The suburban girls were just as bad. But we did our best to show them how to be responsible. Man! We worked HARD. And not one bit of that was about teaching them to be slutty baby-killers. It was ALL about giving them a chance to believe in themselves and take action for themselves. We tried to give them a little bit of self-respect and self-confidence in a world that tries hard to tear little girls down. And we had FUN.

Ahem.

This is a scary thought, because right now, America is riven by two very different visions of the future, held by two partners who obviously have radically different visions about where we should be going.

------

On one hand, you've got most of the country -- center-right, center, center-left, and progressive -- which sees us as a family in trouble, but which also believes that if we return to our bedrock agreements, focus on solving our shared problems and fall back on our basic goodwill and common sense, we should be able to sort things out. This is the two-thirds of America that poll after poll shows is ready to move forward on issues like economic transformation, inequality, corruption and corporate overreach, climate change and energy policy, and remaking our infrastructure. There's a sense that, even though the challenges are big, we can solve them if we can come together, treat each other decently, reaffirm our commitment to the future, and force the democratic process to work again.

On the other hand, there's another group that has entirely checked out on us, and turned ugly and abusive. The conservative minority is acting like Lakoff's canonical Strict Father scorned: When the family rejects his leadership and his attempts at authoritarian contol, he sinks into a punitive, bullying rage, lashing out at the rest of us for what he's come to believe is irredeemable broken faith because we won't let him be the boss. By his behavior, he is telling us in no uncertain terms that he wants a scorched-earth divorce -- the kind that leaves the rest of us broke, ruined, miserable, and utterly at his mercy. He has gone so far as to hire batteries of lawyers and lobbyists to accomplish this, and is taking a bully's evident glee in his success.

Found [link=http://www.alternet.org/story/154622/conservative_bullying_has_made_america_into_a_broken%2C_dysfunctional_family%3A_but_there_are_ways_to_regain_our_well-being/?page=1]here[/link]

The last thing they want are more girls believing that they can take action for themselves. Especially poor, minority girls.