About 1,000 members of the honor society for the Boy Scouts of America have been booted from a long-planned national service project in Wyoming by federal officials in favor of a gathering by the 'Rainbow Family,' an unorganized annual assembly of 'free spirits' who commune with nature and each other.
The action has left local leaders infuriated. ...
... 'The Boy Scouts have been planning this since 2004,' Bousman told WND. 'They've been through the planning process and have been working very cooperatively with our Forest Service. They've spent lots of money planning the biggest venture ever for the Boy Scouts.'They did everything legally, they had their permits. But because of the fact Undersecretary Rey, for whatever reason, took it on himself to do what he has referred to as an experimental process by which he does not require the Rainbow Group to have any permit, the conflict developed,' Bousman said.
The problem for the county is simple: Time and money to prepare for any law enforcement, public health, environmental impact or other needs for an itinerant group numbering roughly four times the county's permanent population.
'It basically undercuts the ability of our county's law enforcement team to prepare,' he said.
'It's hypocritical to allow this group with no permit to replace the Scouts,' he said. ...
