18 November 2008
Someone Thinks Obama Won’t Hire Boy Scouts
Posted by admin under: politics .
A conservative news site has suggested that those registered with the Boy Scouts of America would not be welcomed in the Obama administration. So, I took a look at this employment questionnaire to see what they could be talking about. It seems to be the following question:
(17) Have you or your spouse at any time belonged to any membership organization, including but not limited to those described in the preceding paragraph, that as a matter of policy or practice, denied or restricted membership or affiliation based on race, sex, disability, ethnic background, religion or sexual orientation or has been subject to a claim that it has done so? If so, please provide details.
Given that the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People and the National Organization for Women would both fit in this category and that both were supportive of Barack Obama’s bid to become President of the United States, I’m not sure that the fact that this is on the questionnaire means much. It actually sounds like the people vetting these questionnaires will have a whole lot of work sorting through the responses. Can you imagine having to investigate each one of the responses on the thousands of questionnaires that will be coming in? It gives me a headache just thinking about it. The last question makes clear that the bureaucracy is just trying to make sure they know about any possible way someone would try to use any aspect of an applicant’s life against Obama.
(63) Please provde any other information, including information about other members of your family, that could suggest a conflict of interest or be a possible source of embarrassment to you, your family, or the President-Elect.
Well, I did have this bed-wetting incident when I was four and I’ve never been comfortable talking about it so you could say that qualifies. One of the guys in my graduating class went to jail. I’ll have to find out his name and get back to you. Oh, wait. I’m not applying for a federal job. My classmate’s identity is safe then. I think the BSA is, too.
Update: Brian says that my lined-out comment makes it seem like the membership of those organizations is restricted, which it isn’t, so ignore that. I don’t want it to seem like I’m hiding what I wrote so I just crossed it out instead of deleting it.
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6 Comments so far...
Brian Westley Says:
18 November 2008 at 4:58 pm.
“Given that the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People and the National Organization for Women would both fit in this category…”
On what are you basing that statement?
Do you realize that, for example, the NAACP was started by mostly white Jewish lawyers, and it took 25 years before the head of the NAACP was black? Or that men can join NOW?
admin Says:
18 November 2008 at 5:29 pm.
I have no doubt about membership and I was aware of the history of the NAACP, but the spokespeople and leadership of these organizations are of a particular race or gender so as a matter of practice there is a restriction on the level of membership attainable by those not described by the organization’s name. It’s just common sense. Whether or not in some utopia a man could be the head of the national organization for women or an aryan could be be chairman of the NAACP doesn’t make me think what I wrote was wrong. If you disagree that’s fine. Pretend I didn’t say it. I still don’t think Obama will deny a position in his administration based on the fact that someone is or was a member of the BSA.
Brian Westley Says:
18 November 2008 at 5:51 pm.
“spokespeople and leadership of these organizations are of a particular race or gender”
Let’s see, I just said that the first black president of the NAACP was 25 years into its existence, so there’s no racial restriction there; what are you talking about?
“Whether or not in some utopia a man could be the head of the national organization for women or an aryan could be be chairman of the NAACP doesn’t make me think what I wrote was wrong.”
You implied that these organizations had membership restrictions that didn’t exist. Otherwise, why did you even mention them at all?
admin Says:
18 November 2008 at 6:03 pm.
I meant that there are restrictions as a matter of practice, not as a membership qualifiction, but your comment is true so I updated the article to line out that phrase.
Ed Darrell Says:
16 May 2010 at 10:10 am.
Obama’s press secretary, Robert Gibbs, has a son in Cub Scouting. Biographies of several appointees note that they were Scouts, including Secretary of Commerce Gary Locke.
