D.E.I.

MAGA and Fox News have brainwashed Americans into abhorring the dreaded D.E.I. “Diversity, Equality, and Inclusion” became unAmerican on Jan 20, 2025. Donnie hasn’t gotten around to ending the war in Ukraine (“A single phone call from me and it’s over!”) or brought back 29 cent per gallon gasoline yet, but he “executive ordered” D.E.I out of our military and our schools. Priorities! Priorities!

A Zoom conference by the Minsi Trail Scout Council (not “Boy Scout” anymore; it’s co-ed now) brought D.E.I. phobia to me last night. As a former Eagle Scout, I was tapped as the church’s Charter Organization Representative overseeing Scout Troop 3. Other than undergoing a background check and signing off on documents, it’s an easy gig. I also have to Zoom in on the Council’s Annual Meeting. Along with the standard financial and membership reports, there was a D.E.I. Report last night. The number of Black, Hispanic, and Asian Scouts is increasing while the number of females is disappointingly low. Adult Scout leaders have all been trained to identify and counteract bullying as part of D.E.I.

The Zoom conference concluded with questions from the floor. The very first was, “Don’t you realize that D.E.I. is wrong and is being eliminated from our country? How can the Scouts have D.E.I. goals?”

Now I know why Trump carried the Lehigh Valley in the last election. If any subset of humanity consistently bullies those who are different than they are, it is 11 to 14 year old boys (and a certain 78 year old cretin who never matured beyond that age). The taunting directed at racial minorities or at those with physical differences in a middle school boys gym locker room is beyond belief. It’s almost as bad as what we saw on the Republican presidential debates in 2016 with “Little Marco”, “Low Energy Jeb”, and “Horseface” Carly, not to mention “Crooked Hillary” in the general election that year.

Sadly, the Scout Executive gave a wishy-washy response to the D.E.I question. How about, “The purpose of Scouting is to develop leaders for the next generation. If those leaders are bullies at age 11 and are not corrected, how will they behave in the White House at 78? That’s D.E.I.”

By Ed Dufton