December 13, 2016

Rex Tillerson: Eagle Scout

Eagle Scout and chairman, president, and CEO of Exxon Mobil Corporation, Rex Tillerson, addresses the audience at the Orange County Council Leadership Breakfast, Boy Scouts of America. October 13, 2016 at the Hotel Irvine in Irvine, California.

"My whole life is defined because I was a boy scout.

There’s no other reason a 64 year old CEO with a lot of things on his mind can recite the words to the Scout Vesper. Because every night, before we went into our tents, our scoutmaster had us recite the Scout Vesper....
Softly falls the light of day,
While our campfire fades away.
Silently each Scout should ask
Have I done my daily task?
Have I kept my honor bright?
Can I guiltless sleep tonight?
Have I done and have I dared
Everything to be prepared?


His oath:

"I Rex Tillerson
reaffirm my allegiance
to the three promises of the Scout Oath.

I will do my best to do my duty to God
And my country and to obey the Scout Law.
I will help other people at all times
And keep myself physically strong,
Mentally awake, and morally straight.

I thoughtfully recognize and take upon myself
The obligations and responsibilities
Of the rank of Eagle Scout.
I will at all times do my best
To assist other Scouts climbing the Eagle Trail,
Especially those of my own Troop, Team an Post.

I will help build America on the solid foundation
Of clean living, honest work and reverence to God.
I promise to make my training and example,
My rank and my influence
Count strongly for better Scouting
And for better citizenship in my family,
Church, community and country
And with my contacts with all people.

I realize that the Eagle rank
Is not the end but the beginning
To this I pledge my sacred honor!"

[HT: Abigail Adams]

Posted by gerardvanderleun at December 13, 2016 7:22 PM
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Comments:

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"It is impossible to speak in such a way that you cannot be misunderstood." -- Karl Popper N.B.: Comments are moderated and may not appear immediately. Comments that exceed the obscenity or stupidity limits will be either edited or expunged.

Thank you, Gerard. If you haven't yet listened to it there is a recent video of Mike Pences's farewell to Indiana and turning over the reins to the new governor. In it he talks about starting the tradition of having a mini Jamboree on the Indiana Governor's mansion grounds (campfires and all). I don't know if Pence is an Eagle Scout, but I think he may also be.

Ha! Will the country really be run by a bunch of Boy Scouts?

Posted by: AbigailAdams at December 13, 2016 11:33 PM

You always hurt the one you love? No doubt Tillerson loves Scouting and no doubt he damaged it. I'm sure no one wants to hear this.
http://www.americanthinker.com/articles/2016/12/tillersons_assault_on_scouting.html
Wait and see to be fair, but some facts do not bode well. Building on sand won't work to make America great again. Still better than the alternative, I suppose. Sorry to be a bummer.

Posted by: Bunny at December 14, 2016 6:51 AM

Bunny -- I've been doing a little research to try to understand what caused the BSA to ultimately change it's foundational creed and allow homosexuals to be openly gay (they've always been there, just not openly). I think it is unfair to characterize the decision as one that Tillerson either "pushed" (lead) or championed. Here are a couple of resources that may help to shed some light on the structure of the Scouts' decision-making process. Given the climate of gay activism and the so-called "social justice" industry, including the very real threat of being leaned on by this administration's DoJ's Civil Rights specific, targeting and punishing agenda particularly toward pillars of Western and American culture like churches and the BSA, it is more likely that the majority conservative BSA membership would have never voted to change their membership rules.

http://www.cbsnews.com/news/boy-scouts-approve-plan-to-accept-openly-gay-boys/

http://blog.scoutingmagazine.org/2013/06/06/tillerson/

Posted by: AbigailAdams at December 14, 2016 8:16 AM

Standing on principle is hard. It's easy to redraw the pragmatic line.

Posted by: Bunny at December 14, 2016 9:10 AM

My son's scoutmaster is former Ranger. We have gone on countless camp outs, fishing, compass and map reading along with pace counting, BB gun shooting and REPELLING!!!! What more could a 10 year old boy want? Scouting is good stuff. Along with some Bible reading a great foundation for life.

Posted by: Snakepit Kansas at December 14, 2016 10:32 AM

@Snake, at 10 yoa I was in both the Boy Scouts and Boy's Brigade and the meetings were held in the Carlisle War College. I assure you there were no fags there as it was simply not acceptable in those days.

@Abigail, No, they haven't always been there, and you know it. Do not attribute recent stylish trends to historical fact.

@Bunny, indeed, even here on this board principles have been kicked to the curb and people don them at their convenience, untrustworthy as they are.

The baby may have to be thrown out with the bathwater.

Posted by: ghostsniper at December 14, 2016 2:15 PM

It must be hard being the Oracle, huh? You didn't read the CBS link, did you? No. Yes, they've always been there. The BSA is made up of ordinary kids from ordinary families, a subset of ordinary society. Duh.

Posted by: AbigailAdams at December 14, 2016 2:32 PM

You can be that which you made up Abigail, the oracle.

Ordinary kids are fags these days, in the absence of priciples. wunnerful

Posted by: ghostsniper at December 14, 2016 7:38 PM

The only requirement to become, and to stay a Scout, you agree to at the beginning: To try and live your life according to the Scout Oath and Law. That is the entirety of the Scouting program. To summarize, On my honor I will do my duty to God, country, others, myself. To be trustworthy ... etc. The "orientation" of a young man is completely unimportant. If you are loyal, friendly, courteous, kind, cheerful to your fellow Scouts, you are a Scout.

I think that's where Tillerson is coming from.

Back in the day, some of my fellows were a little off. Heck, I was probably a little off. It didn't matter, we accepted them as they were, and because they were Scouts with us, we defended them against all comers. We were so naive, we thought a little off is normal. Today we'd call them autistic, and ADHD, and gay, and all sorts of other crapola names meant to divide us. I learned years later than one of them died of AIDS. I don't care, I remember him as one of the good guys, and I hope that I was a true friend to him. Leastaways, that's what I hope it says in the Book that St. Peter is looking at when I'm standing in front of the Pearly Gates.

I'm involved in Scouting as an adult leader, and I still can't tell who's what and why. I just keep encouraging them to try to live to those ideals.

In a properly-run Scouting program, "orientation" is unimportant and unknown and unremarked. We're all busy with way more important stuff, we ain't got time for that ****.

Posted by: John A. Fleming at December 15, 2016 12:56 AM

And just to be clear, I"m only talking about Scouts, ages 11-17. Adults leaders are a different story, and complex to tell. Adult agendas don't belong and should be repelled with prejudice. So if somebody wants to bring that, somebody is gonna get repelled: them or me. If I value my culture, from time to time I will be called upon to defend it. Scars from the culture wars are badges of honor.

Posted by: John A Fleming at December 15, 2016 1:05 AM

the swamp just got deeper. Remember? The one that Trump promised to drain? Yeah, that one.

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