Camp Fire Girls

My friend Mary Alice Sanguinetti has a blog on the Camp Fire Girls and their history.

Her favorite camp was Yenis Hante.

https://campfiregirlscamphistories.wordpress.com/2016/03/13/2/

She told me that initially the Boy Scouts did not want girls to be scouts, so the Camp Fire Girls were founded as a separate kind of organization.

Girl Guides in the US began in 1911 when Juliette Gordon Low, an American who had become involved in the Girl Guides during years she spent in England, came to the US and founded Girl Guides.  In 1913 they were renamed Girl Scouts, despite objections from the Boy Scouts, whose chief executive thought that allowing girls as well as boys to be called "scouts" would weaken his organization.

For a while the Camp Fire Girls organization was growing faster than the Girl Guides.

See also:

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Juliette_Gordon_Low#Start_of_the_American_Girl_Guides

including this excerpt:

Gordon Low believed that gaining support from prominent people would help legitimize her organization as the official sister organization to the Boy Scouts. Her biggest competition was the Camp Fire Girls, which was formed in part by James E. West, the Chief Executive of the Boy Scouts of America and a strong proponent of strict gender roles.^[52] In March 1912, Gordon Low wrote to the Camp Fire Girls inviting them to merge into the Girl Guides, but they declined even after Baden-Powell suggested that they reconsider.^[53] West considered many of the activities that the Girl Guides participated in to be gender-inappropriate, and he was concerned that the public would question the masculinity of the Boy Scouts if they participated in similar activities.^[52]

Although the Girl Guides were growing, the Camp Fire Girls were growing at a faster rate, so Gordon Low traveled to England to seek counsel from the British Girl Guides. By the time she returned to America in 1913, she had a plan to spread Girl Guiding nationwide by changing the name from Girl Guides to Girl Scouts, establishing a national headquarters, and recruiting patrons outside of Georgia.^[54] Upon returning to Savannah, she learned that the Savannah Girl Guides had already renamed themselves to Girl Scouts because “Scout” reminded them of America’s pioneer ancestry.^[40] West objected to the name change, saying that it trivialized the name of scout and would cause older Boy Scouts to quit. Baden-Powell gave Gordon Low his support on her use of the term scout, although he preferred the term Guide for the British Girl Guides.^[40]

In 1913, Gordon Low set up the Girl Scouts national headquarters in Washington, D.C.

Boston Globe says it all

Exactly.  The Boston Globe's front page today, June 16, 2016.

No more to be said.

The guys who added the Second Amendment to the Constitution never imagined such an efficient killing machine as the assault rifle.

They never imagined 200 or more people trapped in a movie theater or night club with a psycho using this weapon.

They never intended to protect the "right" of anyone to purchase such a machine in seven minutes--the time it took a reporter to walk into a gun shop and buy one.

We need to contact our clowns in the House of Representatives who are still opposing control of these weapons.  

We need to contact every US Senator who voted against Senator Dianne Feinstein's assault weapon control bill in 2013.  

No other country in the world allows fools to walk in a store and buy weapons like this.

Stop the gun lobby's stranglehold on our nation.  Stop the NRA.

Obama: Reinstate assault weapons ban

Thank you, Mr. President, for pointing out the need for a ban on assault weapons.

Excerpts from his statement on Tuesday, June 14, in Washington, D.C., after a meeting with the National Security Council:

Enough talking about being tough on terrorism. Actually be tough on terrorism, and stop making it easy as possible for terrorists to buy assault weapons. Reinstate the assault weapons ban. Make it harder for terrorists to use these weapons to kill us....

The president continued to point out the need for unity in our diversity, rather than singling out groups to exclude from basic American rights.

We now have proposals from the presumptive Republican nominee for President of the United States to bar all Muslims from emigrating to America. We hear language that singles out immigrants and suggests that entire religious communities are complicit in violence. Where does this stop? The Orlando killer, one of the San Bernardino killers, the Fort Hood killer -- they were all U.S. citizens.

Are we going to start treating all Muslim Americans differently? Are we going to start subjecting them to special surveillance? Are we going to start discriminating against them because of their faith? We've heard these suggestions during the course of this campaign. Do Republican officials actually agree with this? Because that's not the America we want. It doesn't reflect our democratic ideals. It won't make us more safe; it will make us less safe -- fueling ISIL's notion that the West hates Muslims, making young Muslims in this country and around the world feel like no matter what they do, they're going to be under suspicion and under attack. It makes Muslim Americans feel like they're government is betraying them. It betrays the very values America stands for.

We've gone through moments in our history before when we acted out of fear -- and we came to regret it. We've seen our government mistreat our fellow citizens. And it has been a shameful part of our history.

This is a country founded on basic freedoms, including freedom of religion. We don't have religious tests here. Our Founders, our Constitution, our Bill of Rights are clear about that. And if we ever abandon those values, we would not only make it a lot easier to radicalize people here and around the world, but we would have betrayed the very things we are trying to protect -- the pluralism and the openness, our rule of law, our civil liberties -- the very things that make this country great; the very things that make us exceptional. And then the terrorists would have won. And we cannot let that happen. I will not let that happen.

Two weeks ago, I was at the commencement ceremony at the Air Force Academy. And it could not have been more inspiring to see these young people stepping up, dedicated to serve and protect this country. And part of what was inspiring was the incredible diversity of these cadets. We saw cadets, who are straight, applauding classmates who were openly gay. We saw cadets, born here in America, applauding classmates who are immigrants and love this country so much they decided they wanted to be part of our armed forces. We saw cadets and families of all religions applaud cadets who are proud, patriotic Muslim Americans serving their country in uniform, ready to lay their lives on the line to protect you and to protect me. We saw male cadets applauding for female classmates, who can now serve in combat positions. That's the American military. That's America -- one team, one nation. Those are the values that ISIL is trying to destroy, and we shouldn't help them do it.

Our diversity and our respect for one another, our drawing on the talents of everybody in this country, our making sure that we are treating everybody fairly -- that we're not judging people on the basis of what faith they are or what race they are, or what ethnicity they are, or what their sexual orientation is -- that's what makes this country great. That's the spirit we see in Orlando. That's the unity and resolve that will allow us to defeat ISIL. That's what will preserve our values and our ideals that define us as Americans. That's how we're going to defend this nation, and that's how we're going to defend our way of life.  Thank you very much.

Buy an Assault Rifle--No Problem

AR-15 rifles at a gun show in Loveland, CO, 2014 (NYT photo)

We are the only country in the world that says to psychos, extremists, and other haters, "You would like to buy an assault rifle?  Be my guest."

"You've been reported by friends, family, co-workers as a danger? No problem."

"We've been interviewing you as a potentially dangerous terrorist?  We can overlook that."

Thank you to Alan Feuer of the New York Times for this analysis of the status of the AR-15, used in Orlando, Florida last Saturday night to kill 49 people: 

The military-style weapon has also been the gun of choice in several other mass shootings: at an elementary school in Newtown, Conn.; at a movie theater in Aurora, Colo.; at a holiday party for county health workers in San Bernardino, Calif.; and at the campus of Umpqua Community College in Oregon.

But the National Rifle Association has taken to calling the AR-15 “America’s rifle.” Though the federal government does not keep track of exactly how many AR-15s are in circulation, experts estimate that there are easily several million in the nation’s rifle racks and gun safes — a huge number, given that the gun, along with other so-called assault weapons, was banned under federal law from 1994 to 2004.

See the full article at 
http://www.nytimes.com/2016/06/14/nyregion/ar-15-rifles-are-beloved-reviled-and-a-common-element-in-mass-shootings.html?_r=0

Our president has been trying to restrict purchase of assault rifles since 2012 when 20 children and 6 adults were killed at Sandy Hook Elementary School in Newtown, CT. 

The Assault Weapons Ban of 2013 (AWB 2013) was a bill introduced in the 113th United States Congress as S. 150 by Senator Dianne Feinstein, D-CA, on January 24, 2013, one month after the Sandy Hook Elementary School shooting. It was defeated in the Senate on April 17, 2013 by a vote of 40 to 60.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Assault_Weapons_Ban_of_2013

The assault weapons ban--proposed by Dianne Feinstein and supported by President Obama--was defeated in the US Senate in April, 2013, by a vote of 60 opposed, 40 in favor.

Guess which party most of the 60 opponents of "common sense gun control" belonged to?

I am heartsick about the shootings of 49 innocent people in the night club in Orlando.

I am sad to live in a country that hands firearms to anyone who has money and passes the simplest of "background checks."

First Amendment

Apparently in his rush to defend the Second Amendment to the Constitution, little dt has forgotten there is a First Amendment.  

Bear arms!  We can all buy as many assault weapons as we want, in his view.

But he says he would revoke the press credentials of everyone at the Washington Post.

Duh--there's a First Amendment, too.  It says that Congress can't make laws restricting freedom of the press.  

Amendment I. Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof; or abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press; or the right of the people peaceably to assemble, and to petition the government for a redress of grievances.

Presidents can't restrict journalists either--unless they are presidents of dictatorships or countries without basic rights.

http://constitutioncenter.org/interactive-constitution/amendments/amendment-i

Thank you to Marty Baron, editor of the Washington Post, for his decision to assign reporters to produce a book on dt, coming out in August.  May it sink the ship of the demagogue trying to buy the presidency.

https://twitter.com/ReliableSources/status/742473245622816768

No More Silence!

Thank you to the Democrats who refused to observe the sanctimonious almost-monthly "moment of silence" for the latest victims of gun violence.

No more silence!  Speak out!  Some walked out of the House of Representatives chamber at the Capitol building in Washington, DC.

Others shouted immediately afterward to House Speaker Paul Ryan "Where's the bill?" for gun control legislation.

 Here's the Washington Post report:
https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/morning-mix/wp/2016/06/14/paul-ryan-held-a-moment-of-silence-then-some-house-democrats-held-a-protest/

What followed the silence was an eruption of protest from Democratic representatives critical of Congress’s inability to pass — or on Monday even consider — gun control legislation that has been proposed in the wake of an American mass shooting epidemic. Democrats shouted “Where’s the bill?” and “No leadership!” after Ryan silenced South Carolina Rep. Jim Clyburn’s (D) attempt to ask when gun legislation would be considered, reported the Associated Press.

Here's the CBS report:
http://www.cbsnews.com/news/democrats-shout-down-paul-ryan-after-orlando-shooting-moment-of-silence/


Here's the Fox News report:
http://www.foxnews.com/politics/2016/06/14/democrats-heckle-ryan-on-house-floor-day-after-orlando-nightclub-massacre.html

We're only three days away from the first anniversary of the shooting of 9 black church members gathered for a Bible study in Charleston, South Carolina, but Rep. Jim Clyburn was brushed aside by Ryan when he asked the House to consider gun legislation.

No more silence!

We have to speak, shout, vote, donate and fight--nonviolently--for legislation to control access to assault weapons by crazed bigots intent on killing.

DO.NOT.KILL.

DO NOT KILL.

Say this to your kids.
Say this to your husband.
Say this to your ex.
Say this to your brother.
Say this to every white male you meet on the street.
Say this to every Christian fundamentalist standing near an abortion clinic.
Say this to every Muslim who expresses admiration for Al Qaeda or ISIS.
Say this to everyone who expresses hatred for Jews--for blacks--for Muslims--for Mexicans--for immigrants--for women--for any other group.
Say this to your students.
Say this to your parishioners.
Say this to the worshippers in your temple or mosque.
Say this to your employees.
Say this to your employers.

If you're a singer, sing it.
If you're a blogger, blog it.
If you're a preacher, preach it.
If you're a legislator, vote for gun control.
If you're a citizen, vote out those who allow weapons to proliferate.
If you're an NRA member, get out.
If you're not a member of the Coalition to Stop Gun Violence, join it.
http://csgv.org/
If you're not a member of the Brady Campaign to Prevent Gun Violence, join it.
http://www.bradycampaign.org/
Sign petitions.
Call Congress.
Donate.

If you're a Republican, change the stands your party takes.
If you're a Democrat, get active.  
If you're a None, be sure you vote.

There were people around this latest killer in Orlando, may his name be forgotten.  
Some reported him, others helped him.

To the extent that we speak and act, we prevent future killings.

To the extent that we don't, we allow the killing to go on.

We are all complicit.

Ken Burns: Democracy in danger...

Thank you to Ken Burns for his warnings in addressing the class of 2016 at Stanford University on June 12:

 As a student of history, I recognize this type. He emerges everywhere and in all eras. 

We see nurtured in his campaign:
 an incipient Proto-fascism, 
a nativist anti-immigrant Know Nothing-ism, 
a disrespect for the judiciary, 
the prospect of women losing authority over their own bodies, 
African Americans again asked to go to the back of the line, 
voter suppression gleefully promoted, 
jingoistic saber rattling, 
a total lack of historical awareness, 
a political paranoia that, predictably, points fingers, always making the other wrong. 

These are all virulent strains that have at times infected us in the past. But they now loom in front of us again--all happening at once. We know from our history books that these are the diseases of ancient and now fallen empires. 

The sense of commonwealth, of shared sacrifice, of trust, so much a part of American life, is eroding fast, spurred along and amplified by an amoral Internet that permits a lie to circle the globe three times before the truth can get started.

Watch Burns' commencement address on Youtube:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7F8zCQ4YnZ8

Or read the full text:

http://static.politico.com/78/71/5df876354445805f6edb6bca4da4/ken.pdf

If we elect a president who disrespects freedom of the press and insults women, Muslims, prisoners of war, and others, we may be watching our democracy crumble.  

Our votes no longer count if little dt can buy the presidency by financing his own campaign built on the fears and prejudices of voters who are ignorant.

Asking this inexperienced fool to run our country would be"like asking a newly minted driver to fly a 747," Burns said.

Another full text of the Ken Burns commencement speech:

http://news.stanford.edu/2016/06/12/prepared-text-2016-stanford-commencement-address-ken-burns/

Bipartisan Stand

A friend sends me this wry commentary on the 2016 presidential election:

There are four living former presidents (two Democrats and two Republicans) as well as the sitting president. 

None of them support DT. 

That's called bipartisanship.

Perhaps America should pay attention to the people who actually know what the job entails.

When No News is Bad News

**

We need to be grateful that two newspapers in the US still have reporters and correspondents, perhaps stringers, in Nigeria and Ghana.  

You will not find online news sites such as the Huffington Post with reporters there. Television broadcasters may get there eventually, but they will not give us the in-depth reports that newspapers provide.  

For you and me to know about things in Africa, Asia, and South America, there has to be someone there to do the initial reporting.  Everything else is a rehash built on the newspaper reports.

The New York Times staff of reporters, editors, and correspondents has been cut back in recent years, and more reductions are predicted for this year.

The Wall Street Journal, on the other hand, claims to still have "a global news staff of more than 2,000 journalists in 85 news bureaus across 51 countries."

It has been owned by Rupert Murdoch's News Corp since 2007, so we have him to thank for today's first-hand report on the return of Amina Ali Nkeki (see my previous post).

In contrast, The Los Angeles Times, decimated over the years since its 2000 purchase by Chicago's Tribune Media, has no front page photo or story today on the return of the first of the kidnapped Chibok schoolgirls. 

Why?  It has no reporters there.  All this once-great newspaper could do is print an Associated Press story on page A4.  Its many foreign bureaus and correspondents have been cut to a skeleton.

Online, the LAT offers a rehash of the AP story with the byline "Tribune News Services" and credit to the AP at the very end.  You have to do a search to find the story--it's nowhere on today's home page.  

Or you can scroll to the very bottom of the home page (beneath sports, entertainment, columnists, and everything else) and click on World News, where it is the sixth story down, underneath "Popular This Hour."  Apparently this story not popular--perhaps because it is so hard to find online and in the print edition.

http://www.latimes.com/nation/ct-chibok-schoolgirl-found-pregnant-20160518-story.html