I was never in the Boy Scouts. I went to a meeting at my elementary school cafeteria with my mother to sign up, but the whole deal fell through because they couldn't find anyone to be the troop leader.
Of course, it's not the Boy Scouts anymore. It's Scouting America, to be more inclusive. Which makes it so funny that Daily Beast breaking news intern Vic Verbalaitis referred to it in the headline as a "rite of passage for young boys."
Verbalatis' beef seems to be with chief Pentagon spokesman Sean Parnell, who posted to X:
STATEMENT:
— Sean Parnell (@SeanParnellASW) February 3, 2026
From Day One at the War Department, we have made it very clear: No more DEI at DoW. Zero tolerance.
As a result, over the past several months, the Department of War has been reviewing its relationship with Scouting America—formerly known as the Boy Scouts of America.…
The post continues:
… A great organization, that has — in many ways — lost its way.
On January 21st, 2025, President Trump signed Executive Order 14173: "Ending Illegal Discrimination and Restoring Merit-Based Opportunity," terminating radical DEl preferencing in federal contracting. All of our affiliations must meet this standard.
But, for more than a decade now, Scouting America's leadership has made decisions that run counter to the values of this administration and this Department of War, including an embrace of DEl and other social justice, gender-fluid ideological stances. This is unacceptable.
Our review of the DoW's financial assistance and partnership with Scouting America, including its quadrennial National Jamboree celebration, has been rigorous and ongoing. Scouting America remains far from perfect, but they have firmly committed to a return to core principles. Back to God and country—immediately!
Scouting America and the Department of War are near a final agreement where we believe we can continue our partnership with Scouting America, as long as the organization rapidly implements the common-sense, core value reforms. They are on the clock, and we are watching.
We have more to announce soon.
Verbalaitis reports:
No stranger to hijacking symbols of youth, as evidenced by his AI-generated abomination of children’s book character Franklin the Turtle to promote his extrajudicial boat strikes in the Caribbean last year, [Pete] Hegseth’s disdain for the staple of American boys is nothing new.
After the Scouting America rebrand in 2024, Hegseth, 45, said that “Boy Scouts has been cratering itself for quite some time” and blamed their inclusivity push on “the left.”
I would never have guessed that The Daily Beast was so behind this "symbol of youth," "staple of American boys," and "rite of passage for young boys." Who knew they were such staunch defenders of Scouting America? I certainly didn't.
"Pete Hegseth’s obsession with machismo knows no bounds," reads the sub-head.
Some sense:
For decades, the lefties boycotted the Boy Scouts. They demanded queer leaders and the removal of God. They wanted girls to be let in.
— Michael Quinn Sullivan 🇺🇸 (@MQSullivan) February 13, 2026
Well, they got what they wanted. They made it "Scouting America". It is woke, God-free, queer-friendly, and gender-neutral. And they're furious… pic.twitter.com/19N5luErNl
The post continues:
… that enrollment is plummeting.
Spare me the "rite of passage for young boys" blather. Y'all killed scouting BECAUSE it was a rite of passage for young boys.
It pains me as an Eagle Scout, but what little remains of the Boy Scouts is now a skinsuit worn by the radical left. Conservatives like @PeteHegseth are now RIGHTLY boycotting it.
Scoutmaster Sullivan: It grieves me to see this. I am proud all 3 of my sons are Eagle scouts like myself, and I am glad for their scouting experience including w you, but BSA has fallen. they "killed scouting" indeed.
— Patrick McGuinness (@mcguinnessfortx) February 13, 2026
The abominable DEI merit badge🙄 There's your "skin-suit".
As a former Scoutmaster for many years, I witnessed the beginnings of the leftist takeover and sadly walked away. Fortunately, my son was moving on to college, and the exiting made sense for me. The weak leadership of BSA failed to fight, and we now have this abomination.
— Leftie tears r sweet (@michaelstout1) February 13, 2026
Eagle Scout here.
— S. Carter McNeese 🦡 (@CarterMcNeese) February 13, 2026
Proud to be a part of my churches @TrailLifeUSA troop, where we still believe in rights of passage for boys and young men
Exactly. The Left despises values-driven institutions. So it attacks them, invades them, sues them and ultimately turns them into mirrors of themselves. And then the Left expresses outrage when the rest of the world says, "no thanks."
— Steven Law (@LawAmericanX) February 13, 2026
Should have been stopped years ago. Very sad that this happened to an institution that made real men out of boys.
— Character Matters (@CharacterM66151) February 13, 2026
God forbid we have a Secretary of War, or Defense Secretary if you insist, who's "obsessed with machismo."
Have said it many, many times before, the few short years I volunteered for the Girl Scouts, and Cub Scouts when I was stationed overseas was some of my best. Signed up to do one, roped into two, and loved every minute of it, and now grieve its death.
— The Archiver (@NIWoman71) February 14, 2026
I have nothing but respect for Eagle Scouts. I just find it funny that The Daily Beast is suddenly sentimental for that "rite of passage for young boys."
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