Embers of local angst against Post Register still burn hot
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Noticed today the Post Register vs. Boy Scouts vs. Kim Hansen vs. Frank Vandersloot is flaming up again. The full community page dominated on page A5, and Kathy Stanger tore into the Post Register on the next page Opinions. The Post Register was ripping on Kim Hansen still leading the local Scouts after questions were raised about him. I personally think no matter whether Kim Hansen is incompetent or a great leader, the organization could use new leadership if even to formally change the focus.
Frank does bring up an interesting point the Post Register has apparently failed to report: that the Steed family sued Wal-Mart for a couple million dollars after two lamps fell on the mom’s head. I don’t know if I care, but it is weird the Post Register has not reported on it since the media often do such things like that.
Elsewhere, the Idaho Press Club awarded second place for investigative report to the spark of this local feud, the five-day article series Scout’s Honor. The authors are named as “Peter Zuckerman, Dean Miller, and staff”.
Our local Post Register did not do as well overall in the awards. They earned third in General Excellence, 13% of first place awards, 7% of second place awards, and 13% of third place winners. The Post Register garnered one Honorable Mention.
While this shows our local paper could improve (excited for next Sunday), Scout’s Honor is shown to account for 10% of the total awards the Post Register earned this year. The Idaho news industry judged it one of the Post Register’s better publications. Scout’s Honor also arguably and thankfully spurred Idaho’s new sex offender law.
The conservative angst seems balanced with the Post Register’s publication content and quality.
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Comments
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0 
0 One more thing.
I love (not really) how Vandersloot and apologists like Kathy Stanger have resorted to the old attack the victim approach. In rape cases it used to be standard tactics of defense attorneys to attack the victim - how many men have you slept with, did you dress too provacatively, etc etc.
Well this is exactly what Vandersloot and Stanger are doing. Stanger in an editorial not too long ago attacked Jeff Bird, another victim of a child molesting scout leader named Dennis Empey, saying he must have bad memories and and other personal attacks to try and defame Bird’s credibility. And now Vandersloot is attacking the Steeds by bringing up things like the suit against Walmart which have absolutely no bearing on the FACT that Adam Steed got molested by Bradley Stowell.
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0 0 Must say I agree with Chiasm, especially first post (didn’t read the stuff yesterday, thankfully). But, it sounds like I must now.
The Post Register won first place last year cleaning the clock with many awards. Spurring them on was Scouts Honor, but other stories brought recogniztion as well. Maybe I have the awards wrong, as this is the Idaho meedia. Yah, I think I’m wrong. It was the ???? - I can’t remember the name, but the association of newspapers from Logan, UT through Spokane, WA - and the Post Register was voted #1 by peers.
Everyone product can improve, as can every person. Official Stench, if you could give the Post Register’s Sr. Mgt. direct feedback, which you can online, if you subscribe, or you can by calling or writing them, what would you have them do differently in this story? Everyone has conceeded the story was too long, hence the 3 day series written by Nicole Stricker on Motherhood and Meth - a similar type of story. But, how does the media that breaks this ugly truth to the public “win” so to speak?
I have no involvement with scouting and don’t know Kim Hansen. But, I have worked with dozens of sex offenders and treated dozens of sexual abuse victims. Even if the Steeds sued every store in the state, does that mean Adam wasn’t violated at Scout Camp? I don’t like excessive lawsuits, but to the best of my knowledge, and education, I’ve never read anything about people who do or don’t sue corporations and their children being sexually abused.
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0 0 Another thing that I kind of wondered about with Official Stench’s post was that he made it sound like the Post Register sucked or something because they only got 13% of the 1st place awards. If you take their 2nd and 3rd place finishes then they finished in the top 3 in 1/3 of the categories. That may be bad but it may also be very good. It depends on how many newspapers they were competing with.
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0 0 Isn’t this kind of ironic? Joe states one reason he started this site was due to essentially loosing his community newspaper, the Post Register, due to all the slams back and forth last year (my words, not his(, between Vandersloot (and his supporters) vs. everyone else. It seems like anyone who read the FACTS was automatically an “enemy” of Vandersloot. The lengths he went to for the opportunity to meet all who wrote anything that supported the Post Register’s position exceeded anything I’d ever seen previously.
So here we are again back to the Steed Brothers and Kim Hansen. Since I have yet to read Vandersloot’s “Community Page” from Sunday, what did he do to stir it up again? In my opinion, the Sr. Mgt. at the Post Register showed great restraint in trying to work with him through this issue. They were accused of a lot of things, for which, I haven’t seen the proof. I haven’t heard of Mr. V. helping to track down other potential victims or donating $ towards a Children’s Justice Center etc. Those were some of the ways he agreed with PR Exec. Editor, Dean Miller, when interviewed by Karol Honas, that they could work together to make something good come from all of this. Does someone know something else that I may not?
I apologize, Joe, for regressing to last year and seeming to negate one major role of this community discussion format. Probably the best thing I can do at this point is ask others how did this debate, different viewpoints, FACTS and not a vendetta against one religion or an organization from one media source change you, your relatives, friends or others? Is it by accident that we have easy access on this board to the location of convicted of sexual offenses?
Whew, thanks for letting me vent.
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0 0 The most recent flareup occurred when Vandersloot and Kathy Stanger both trashed the Post Register last Sunday for an article that ran a week or two earlier. I forget the exact details as I wasn’t paying a lot of attention to the article but it in effect brought up a new incident involving Kim Hansen and possible abuse at a different Scout camp long before the Stowell incident where Hansen may have overlooked the abuse or been negligient in reporting it. The paper basically implied that Hansen has a history of covering up abuse claims. I don’t recall off the top of my head more than that and I may have misrepresented it slightly in my summation but it was something similar to what I said.
As to Franks latest “community page” - he ran a whole page of mudslinging. His points could be summarized pretty much like this - 1) The Steeds are money hungry sue happy dirtbags because they sued Walmart one time and therefore you shouldn’t care that Adam Steed did in fact get molested, 2) Peter Zuckerman is a gay activist and as such he shouldn’t be taken seriously and furthermore he obviously lied about many things because of his gay activism, 3) Kim Hansen had an infected foot so he isn’t to blame for Bradley Stowell being allowed to molest 24 kids under his watch.
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0 0 The fight goes one, today Jeff Bird responds to Frank’s ad last week, and says Frank Vandersloot is victimizingg the victims because he attacks them and tears apart every aspect that appears to go against Frank’s ideals or buddys or mormon church. Jeff says some strong rebuttels to Frank’s argument, Frank had better be quick to answer those because they strong against what he has said before.
This quote says it best: “Why does Frank imagine he has the right to interrogate victims or that they have an obligation to provide evidence to him?”
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0 0 i just had to say has a close family member to the Steed family, i gotta say that what happend to adam really did happen. i dont think that anyone has the right to attack him for standing up and trying to get compensation for what happend especially since his life was nearly ruined for it. as far as the walmart thing, the kids are in no way omoney hungry. the mom, ya she is a dip and uses the walmart incident as her excuse to not do anything and make her kids take care of her. that is a totally different thing and does not affect what happend to adam. dont confuse the two incidents they are completely different things. thankfully, walmart did not have to give her anything.
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0 0 i just had to say that what happend to adam was true and sick and i think he should get compensation for it. his life was nearly ruined by this incident as im sure the other children involved. i am a close family member of the steeds so i know the whole story. as in reply to the walmart comment. that is debbie’s situation. she is a nut and her stupid attempt at trying to scam walmart out of money should not be compared to the ordeal that adam is going through with this. debbie used the lamp on the head excuse to get out of work/house chores so that she wouldnt have to do anything and be lazy. this was her way of getting money and thankfully it failed. so just keep the two incidents separate Vandersloot cause they are two different things. what happend to adam is real and sick, what happend to debbie was that she just saw a way to get some money and have a excuse for being a dip.
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0 0 I was pleased to see that the PR brought this all up again today. I have a lot of negative opinions about the PR but I’ll firmly applaud them time and time again for fighting the good fight and keep this issue alive until the scouts do the right thing and either fire Kim Hansen or get him to resign.
Its also sad to see how many in the community have taken Vandersloots tactics and started attacking the victims.
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0 0 I was both glad and a little reluctant that the PR brought this issue up again. That means NOTHING got settled locally. Laws can change for a state, yet some locals refuse to believe that males were victimized. What does it take, having someone from your own family being the victim to know the Steed brothers were telling the truth.
Peter Zuckerman was so “untrustyworthy” he was one of three Livingston award winners in 2006, for his “Scouts Honor” work. Now, he writes for a legal publication in L.A. Wow - what are those attorneys thinking?
One would think after Zuckerman won this national award, and the Post Register won a Distinguished Service Award regarding the First Amendment, that perhaps some should look at giving Kim Hansen a long vacation. What does it take for some people to become at least protective, if not proactive?
I think the PR has shown remarkable restraint in dealing with the mud slinging. And, why not have the PR be the vehicle that gets laws changed in ID to protect children and bring perpetrators to justice?
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0 0 It seems nobody from the scouting organization will give any Post Register reporters the time of day anymore.
I imagine these grudges happen everywhere though, not exclusive to our PR or that whole brew-ha-ha.
I heard a prominent local attorney refuses to speak to channels 3 and 8 reporters, but I can’t recall the grudge there.
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0 0 It must go two ways. I was just down to the huge Boy Scout Jamboral in Blackfoot with over 4,000 boy scouts from Ashton to Pocatello and I didn’t see the Post Register covering this event at all.
I came home after two days in the cold and was shocked to not see a single mention of this event. Maybe I missed something.
I for one appreciated the stories that shed light on the abuse in the boy scout local program. That’s why I go with my boys to these events. But, I was surprised to not see the Post Register cover this event. Channels 3, 6 & 8 covered them well.
Can anyone shed light on why our daily paper wasn’t there?
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0 0 Because it was in Blackfoot, the PR dosen’t pay milage for anything past Shelley.
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0 0 Yeah, those stupid-heads should never have exposed a cover-up that was hurting children who were molested. Get real. The Post did a fine job on the Scout’s Honor story.
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0 0 J-Plo, that’s not the point anymore. Both sides need to bury the ax. With a huge, regional Boy Scout event practically in the back yard, the PR could have gone a long way towards mending fences by covering the event.
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0 0 I have to agree with Ace on this one. Such a large event right down the road should have definately been covered by the PR! They really dropped the ball on this one! Shame on them!
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0 0 I guess I shouldn’t comment on this particular thread anymore. Not because of my name (I’ve never let it affect my view) but because I really believe the Boy Scouts is an awful organization, or at least it has become one in recent times. So misguided.
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0 0 I also think the PR did a good (not great cuz it went too long) job on the Scout’s Honor story. I think in hindsight most people will admit it was needed to force attention to the problems that were happening.
Now the Boy Scouts have a new leader, finally Kim Hansen left. Anyone have word on how the new leadership is working out, changes that have been made?
I heard some donations were down and some were up as a result of the scandal, and that it had worked out to about the same as before. Any word on their fundraising or membership benchmarks since?
I am leery of letting my boy join this organization next year. I am not comfortable that they have cleaned up enough yet. Their defiance with keeping Kim Hansen on for so long causes me to wonder how well they care about protecting the kids vs. their buddies?
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0 0 I have no problem with the organization, but the world we live in now has some bad apples that are in most organizations. I think the BSA took too long to act on these problems.
My wife and I decided that good comes from this program and great leadership skills. Because of this, we make sure that I attend all the overnight camp outs as well as scout camp. I encourage other father’s to do the same and be there with their sons.
You can also view concerns to leadership at the camps when you feel something needs addressed. It is so nice to be there when something actually happens.
We returned from Island Parks Scout camp and weeks later one of the female adult leaders was arrested for having relationships with a young staff member. That was taken care of quickly. I was impressed.
It doesn’t matter where your children are, the possibility of predators is always there. We must always be on our guard to protect them.
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0 0 Until the Boy Scouts issue an apology for the coverups and an apology for allowing Kim Hansen to stay in power despite his actions I won’t support anything with the local Boy Scouts. It doesn’t matter to me that they have new leadership. What matters to me is that the orginization accept their mistakes and own up to them. Until they do that they have no credibility and there is no reason to trust that things will get better.
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0 0 I’m sure they will miss all your support, just like Planned Parenthood will miss mine.
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0 0 And like Hall & Oats will miss mine. Their last album was just … lackluster.
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0 0 I was in the Boy Scouts 25 years ago and it was a great experience. Jeremy, you really have no idea what you’re talking about by saying the Boy Scouts is an awful organization. Just because your father is the editor of the PR, don’t put down an organization you have no clue about.
1. NufSaid made a VERY good point in saying that there are predators EVERYWHERE. Look at how many Priests, pastors, school teachers, etc have preyed our our children. Unfortunately it happens everywhere, everyday, in all types of organizations.
2. The Scouts teach young men how to grow up to be self sufficent adults with good moral standards. Many important men throughout history have been Boy Scouts. Presidents Kennedy & Ford, Sam Walton, Neil Armstrong, Steven Spielberg just to name a few.
3. I won’t waste your time listing the Scouts Oath & motto, but take a minute to look at this link to see what they practice AND what they preach. http://www.scouting.org/factsheets/02-503a.html
4. Anyone who has been a scout, knows it takes a great deal of commitment and hard work to become an Eagle Scout and I can tell you firsthand it’s not easy. The skills and values I learned while in the scouts have helped me throughout my life to become a stronger person both inside and out.
So Jeremy,you should really think twice before bashing an organization you know nothing about. I’m sure its easy to put someone down for trying to better themselves (at such a young age) through hard work and commitment, I can tell by your comments you would have never made it in the Boy Scouts.
So I say in closing: Try not to let your feelings get the better of you just because a few people are unhappy with your precious PR newspaper.
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0 0 It seems as if different folks posting here may be confusing Jeremy for his father, Roger Plothow. Roger Plothow is the Editor and Publisher, of the Post Register. Not Jeremy.
I’m not certain why Jeremy is responsible for anything his father did or didn’t decide. Could someone explain that further for me?
Are you responsible for the great, the good and even not-so-good things your parents did? I’m certainly not responsible for any business decisions or personal choices my parents made in their lives. My parents are(were) responsible for their actions during their lives.
My father is deceased. Should I have to answer for every decision he made, despite me being hundreds if not thousands of miles away from him when he made some of them? I sure hope not because I don’t have the information he did when major decisions were made in his business. I don’t know whom he consulted or why, beyond two accountants, to make some of the decisions he made. Yet, because we have the same last name, am I suppose to explain why my father did what he did?
Should Jeremy be any different than me? Because his father is alive, does that make Jeremy his father’s keeper and the person to explain his father’s decisions?
If you don’t support what the Post Register did, or how they addressed the sexual abuse at Scout Camp, in Scouts Honor, e-mail Roger Plothow, or post a comment in Post Talk. His address is very easy: rplothow@postregister(dot)com. He even answers his e-mails.
I’m not saying Jeremy can’t be asked questions about HIS views and HIS ideas. But, it seems as if some of us are trying to make Jeremy be responsible for more than himself.
Jeremy, I don’t know if you went to Scouting or not. I really don’t care. For those who go and have productive experiences, I think that is wonderful for all involved.
However, just like someone who can’t catch a football trying to “tough out” the local high school football team just so his Pop is proud and can brag about him being on the team, while hating every minute of it, are we really saying all youth should have identical experiences with the same organizations? I hope not.
I have nothing against responsible Scouting. I have Eagle Scouts in my family and see the benefit of what they learned. Conversely, I’ve seen young men who didn’t want to be invovled and instead but their efforts and energy elsewhere. All of the young men, whom I’m referencing here, have turned out successful and with values that make me proud to know them.
Could we please clarify the theme of this thread and not focus mostly on who posts here may be related to whom?
I believe there are very valid points to debate about the BSA locally. I, for one, want to know what has changed since Kim Hansen left. I’m interested in the views of you who know.
If this thread is just about what people don’t like about the Post Register, then I need to rethink my participation. Not that I think it’s a perfect business, no business is. But, are we potentially crossing some boundaries we shouldn’t be by naming the local business and in some cases listing all of our complaints and asking for no clarification?
Maybe not. But, if it is appropriate to write comments like these about the PR here, then what other businesses should be next? And how do we know we’re being told the accurate story?
The PR is unique, with perhaps the exception of IF Magazine and a few other regional publications. Most people have access to the “product” and can decide for him/herself what has been covered appropriately.
If I mentioned Billy Bob’s Bakery and Toy Shop (I don’t think there is one in I.F.) and what I don’t like about the stores, how can I be assurred that all who read what I write about Billy Bob’s businesses, will have the same access to it as I? Or, what if someone has access to far more information than I?
Please think about my points. Our local paper serves many purposes and for the most part is accessible to everyone, especially the highlighted features, at no or low cost.
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0 0 My dad being the Publisher (not editor) of the post has nothing to do with my views on scouting.
When I was a scout, and yes I was one, my scout leader frequently had inappropriate interaction with fellow scouts - touching in ways that made them feel uncomfortable, having “late night” visits with some of them in their tents, etc. And nobody said anything because he happened to be our bishop as well - and the bishop would never do anything wrong, would he?
Scouting, as it was designed, was great! It gave modern kids a chance to learn life skills and experience the outdoors - but scouting these days is utterly ridiculous. Under the guidance a major religion who as essentially adopted scouting as its own, the Boy Scouts have discriminated against gay children, disallowing them a chance to experience scouting. That is outright discrimination, no matter how you look at it, and entrenches the belief in other children that homosexuals are somehow “wrong” or “different”. And we wonder why there’s such a sense of homophobia in our world today.
And Guest, I take offense to your many, many assumptions in your reply. I grew up Mormon, I went to a Scout Jamboree, and though I never achieved Eagle rank (I guess that means I didn’t want to “better” myself with more polyester badges) I was an active scout for many years. I attended two summer-long scout camps, and had a great time.
My main point is that, had I been born gay, I would never have had those experiences, and though scouting is allowed to admit whoever they choose, it is wrong, morally and ethically, for them to discriminate against homosexuals.
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0 0 ps I should reply to one of your points:
“2. The Scouts teach young men how to grow up to be self sufficent [sic] adults with good moral standards. Many important men throughout history have been Boy Scouts. Presidents Kennedy & Ford, Sam Walton, Neil Armstrong, Steven Spielberg just to name a few.”
So by your logic, if one is a scout, then one has good moral standards? And what standards are those - the ability to tie a hangman’s knot? Don’t glorify scouting by making out to be a great morality builder - it’s an outdoors club for kids, and that’s it. Scouting teaches morality as much as, say, the Masons teach morality. And are you saying that JFK was a “moral” man? He was an adulterer and frequent user of alcohol - not, in the big picture, damnable offenses, but would those be something that scouting would endorse? And if having popular people as part of your organization makes it a great morality-builder, then what about those Masons? They produced many great men throughout history, so it must be an upstanding, moral organization, right? Nope, it’s a fraternity. Nothing more - a place for men to get together, share in antiquated “secrets” and drink lots of beer and wine.
So don’t insult my intelligence with your little arrogant diatribe - here, there be thinkin’ people.
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0 0 So Jeremy, you pretty much consider it an “awful organization” because of the “gay issue”?
AND….if all this inappropriate behavior was going on in your troop, why didn’t YOU say anything? Or did you…and you just forgot to mention that in your post?
I mean, you said it was happening frequently so it must have been going on for some time.
And regarding your comment about “bettering yourself with more polyester badges”, just goes to show your true attitude towards Scouting as a whole. It’s not about the “polyester badge”. It’s about the hard work in achieving those goals in order to receive that badge. Just as you have to acheive certain goals to move up the ranks in the Military they get “badges” as well.
But hey…..maybe you just thought…I don’t need no stinkin badges and gave up. No big deal. People take the easy way out all the time by giving up.
As for your Father being the publisher or editor or whatever… it just seems like you got a little defensive towards other posters with their issues towards the Post Register.
The point of the postings from #13 down, was the fact that the PR didn’t mention the Scouts big Jamboree in Blackfoot, and you go and make a derogatory comment about the molestation issue which had nothing to do with the Jamboree itself OR Post #13.
So yes…I do believe you’re biased when it comes to somebody bringing up an issue you don’t like when its in regards to the PR.
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0 0 FYI - Jeremy, Masons do not sit around and drink beer and wine. Alcohol is not permitted in the Masonic Hall, and please don’t insult my intelligence by belittling the Masons. They are good men and do alot more than sit around “sharing atiquated “secrets†and drinking lots of beer and wine. The Shriner’s Hospitals provide “free” services to thousands of kids that otherwise would not receive help. A man must be a Mason in order to be a Shriner. Next week the local Masonic Lodge is giving away 40 brand new bicyles in their “books for bikes” program. These kids earn the chance to win these bikes by reading books. This is just the tip of the iceberg of the good that these men are doing and BTW, I am not a Mason. Morality is different for everybody. What one individual considers as immoral, another may not. Some people do not consider drinking immoral while others do. Jeremy, most of the time I agree with and I don’t believe that you should have been attacked the way you were in this thread, however, I am offended by the way you have portrayed the Masons. It was inaccurate and very demeaning.
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0 0 I want to apologize to Jeremy. I didn’t mean to go off on you so hard or attack you in anyway. I do enjoy and agree with many of your postings as well.
It’s just that your post #15 in replying to post 13 just bothered me and I shouldn’t have let it and for that I apologize.
I’m sorry you had a bad experience with Scouting. Just as others have bad experiences with other clubs, churches, etc. I for one had a very good experience with them and think, overall, its a great organization for young men.
With the divorce rate as high as it is in our country, I think its a great outlet for boys growing up to learn a lot about life, morals, etc. Not just how to tie knots and start a camp fire.
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0 0 Okay, sorry about the Mason thing - it was to illustrate a point. Organizations don’t produce great people, people produce great people. An affiliation with a particular group shouldn’t make someone more credible than another. As for the Mason thing - all I know about Freemasonry is what I’ve read (in books by Masons) so if they were incorrect, I apologize.
Guest - Okay, gee, I’m sorry I didn’t tell someone that a Bishop, someone I was told God ordained to lead my Ward, was a pervert. I was 14 and I guess I should have used better reason, despite what could have happened if I questions the village elder. Anyway, I accept your apology, and what we have is a mixture of values - I think scouting used to be great, but went astray when it started being exclusive and covering its blemishes up. I think the Mormon Church, as an official entity, diminished Scouting when it adopted it.
And I didn’t have a bad experience with scouting - I had a GREAT time at scout camp! But now, I look back with a heightened sense of reason and ethics, and I know that there is a big problem within scouting. The “gay issue” is a big deal, a very big one. It’s just like if scouting wouldn’t allow blacks in. Or protestants. Or anyone who didn’t have blue eyes and blonde hair. Do you understand what I’m saying? It’s lagging behind in a movement of social progression that has been going on for ages - let’s not forget that not too long ago, it was perfectly legal in America to murder a Mormon, all because of this same mindset of intolerance and bigotry that the scouting organization seems to have no problem with.
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0 0 JeremyPlo said: “I know that there is a big problem within scouting. The “gay issue†is a big deal, a very big one. It’s just like if scouting wouldn’t allow blacks in. Or protestants. Or anyone who didn’t have blue eyes and blonde hair.”
The problem with that argument is that a gay person is not distinguished by eye color or hair color or religion, it is distinguished by behavior… what color is behavior?
Just a question from an observer…
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0 0 What color is religion?
But I contend, and science will back me on this, that homosexuality is not simply a behavior, but an identity. It is as much a part of a person’s genetics as eye color or whether we like mushrooms or not.
Bigotry is bigotry, whether it’s based on physical appearance or genetics.
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0 0 My concern about the Post Register was not on whether they have an axe to grind with the BSA (I can see they do), I wanted to know why they didn’t cover an event of this magnitude. Needless to say, many of these boy scouts and their families take the paper (at least I would think they do). Why was there no coverage on this event?
Was it an over site by the paper, or was it intentional. I know Melaleuca sponsored the fireworks, maybe that was more than the Post wanted to cover.
It just seems wrong that there was no coverage on this.
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0 0 Maybe the PR had some ax to grind with the BSA, but COME ON you have to admit the story stood on it’s own, regardless of an ax to grind.
I think if you asked any other press people in other parts of the country, they would have covered it similarly, because the story was there, it’s not like they manufactured the evidence or the connections.
Now this big Jamboral does sound like a BIG DEAL and i wonder why it wasn’t covered? I don’t believe the previous statement about not paying for mileage past Shelley cuz the state fair gets covered each year, as do several events in Pocatello.
Why was the Jamboral deemed not newsworthy, especially when they knew how not covering it would appear to PR critics?
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0 0 I don’t know if this was a factor or not, but I do know the PR has had some turn over in the reporter who covers the Bingham County beat.
Unless I’m mistaken, I think Nick Draper use to have that beat and somewhere around the first of the year many assignments got changed. Now, I believe a women, Sonya Lee, has that beat. If I am correct, I don’t think she has even been in place even a month.
Before anyone asks, I don’t work for the PR. But, when I see things I don’t like, or know are not accurate, or I think someone has screwed up, guess who gets an e-mail from me? Roger Plothow. Dean Miller is an option too, for those who feel comfortable e-mailing him.
You may be surprised, if you do the same, how Roger is willing to listen to honest feedback.
NuSaid, I do think the Jamboree sounds like a huge event for the young men in the area. I just wonder how much lack of coverage the PR had, was due to a new journalist having the beat and not being “connected” for lack of better words?
I don’t know what happened and I haven’t asked Roger, as it’s not at the top of my list of things I want to ask him right now. However, I’d strongly encourage anyone wondering about this to e-mail Roger and get an answer.
Maybe it’s too late for this year, but if enough people contact him about the PR’s absence in the press coverage, most likely we’ll see different results for next year.
I think this is a fair and good question. And, I believe it deserves an answer from Sr. Mgt. at the PR. So go for it, those who want to know, and let us know what Roger says.
And Jeremy, my apologies. I know you dad is the Publisher of the PR. Sometimes he is listed as an editor as well, especially in the editorial columns. But, to be clear, I’m glad you corrected what I originally wrote. 
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0 0 Maybe it was a big story to some, but I think that everyone who had any interest in the Jamboral already knew about it.
When I was young, my mother was looking for an extracurricular activity for me. I was given a choice between piano lessons and joining Boy Scouts. I picked the Boy Scouts. But I wasn’t able to join any of the neighboorhood scout troops because I wasn’t LDS. There was a troop sponsored by another church on the other side of town but due to transportation and other issues it wasn’t an option for me.
Around here the Boy Scouts is an LDS organization. Period.
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0 0 Obviously the BSA has changed alot since I was a scout. There was never an issue if someone was gay or not. It was probably along the lines of the military’s “dont ask, dont tell” policy. But certainly at 13-17 years old, we didn’t have guys running around proclaiming their sexual orientation to the rest of the troop. MOST kids that age don’t even realize or think about if their gay or not anyways.
But in my opinion, (I’m ready for the flames!) I think being gay is more of a choice than being “born with it” as some would say. Sure I believe that perhaps some people may have a chromosone (sp?) or two off here or there to the point where it makes some guys or gals appear or act more feminine or masculine than others. But just because thats the case, doesn’t “make” someone gay.
I think it has more to do with your surroundings and the way you grew up and your personal preferences. But that’s just my opinion and I’m sure I’ll hear all about the scientific aspects from those of you that think otherwise.
The “book” tells us that “He” made us in “His” image and last time I checked, “he” wasn’t skipping down the street belting out show tunes, drinking a cosmopolitan and asking “Peter” if his shirt matched his sandals all the while proclaiming his love for antiques!
But I digress. Stereotyping is baaad MMMkay?
Back to the scouting thing…I’ve never heard of the Boy Scouts being a part of any Church organization. It was always kept seperate when I was in scouts and that’s the way I think it should stay. The LDS church has no right to bring religion into this organization and it’s hard for me to believe that those who chose not to be a part of the church’s BSA chapter, could surely find another troop to join locally if they tried. But I’m thinking at that age, it had alot to do with the parents.
25-30 years ago there was never an issue with race, religion or what have you. I’m thinking it’s more of a “regional thing” as opposed to national. I’ve got nephews that are in BSA in eastern and mid-west states that have never come across issues such as these mentioned.
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0 0 Me Says: “Maybe it was a big story to some, but I think that everyone who had any interest in the Jamboral already knew about it.”
One item I see in the Post Register on a weekly basis is the history section stating 100 years ago, 50 years ago and such. The Post Register is also a written history of what happens in our community.
True, people knew it was happening. As a matter of fact, all three television stations covered it, but with over 4,000 people attending this event it should have been covered by the Post Register as well.
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0 0 Guest_4357, the LDS Church adopted the scouting program to use as a resource for the Church’s boys ages 8 to 18 youth program. They sponsor troops just like any other organization can. In our community several other denominations also sponsor troops.
In my area, we have several boys that are not LDS who are part of the troop. Their parent’s are also very active in helping out and have served in scout leadership positions as well.
All troops need some time of sponsorship whethere it be a civic group or church.
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0 0 That’s great news Nufsaid! Obviously yours is the minority though, when so many others are saying kids outside the LDS church aren’t allowed in their local scout troops. I think it’s great that the church sponsors it, but at the same time I think they should keep all religous aspects of whatever faith involved, out of the actual scouting organization or troop.
Scouting was a great program when I was that age and I hate to see people bash it. And its a real shame when others who were in the scouts didn’t have a good experience. But such is life I guess.
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0 0 Oh boy Guest, you need some ed-ja-ma-ca-shun. Firstly:
“The “book†tells us that “He†made us in “His†image and last time I checked, “he†wasn’t skipping down the street belting out show tunes, drinking a cosmopolitan and asking “Peter†if his shirt matched his sandals all the while proclaiming his love for antiques!
But I digress. Stereotyping is baaad MMMkay?”
May be the most ignorant thing I’ve ever heard. Homosexuality has nothing to do with what you wear or how you act, just as being heterosexual doesn’t do the same.
Second, do you even know what a Chromosome is? If you did, you’d know that there’s really no way they can be “off” - unless you get an extra one, in which case you make arguments against homosexuality using a ridiculous vision of a metrosexual God. In your genome, there is a code for everything - what you will look like, what kind of pizza you enjoy, and whether or not you find men attractive.
Look, I don’t understand homosexuality - I have a hard time with the concept of looking at a man saying same “mmmm I’d like to KNOW him”. But some people are born that way, and science has shown this to be the case time and time again. Sure, it’s a choice whether you want to be actively homosexual or not, just like it’s a choice whether you want to be actively heterosexual or not.
In the words of Dennis Miller, you play the cards life gives you.
And no matter what you “think” - it doesn’t change reality. I can think that the sky is really full of candy corn, but it’s not going to rain orange and yellow, is it? Just like you can have whatever uninformed opinions you want, but it won’t change reality.
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0 0 It seems like it’s time for me to wade in on this and I must thank one regular poster on this site for alerting me of the need.
We made the decision to write a preview of the jamboral based on staffing and what else was going in the community that weekend.
It was not made to get back at anyone or because we have an axe to grind.
Saturday also was Cinco de Mayo, a big event for another section of our community.
Our thought was that the best way to cover both was to write a preview of the Boy Scout event (unfortunately we’re down a photographer and couldn’t get art) and to cover the Cinco de Mayo festivities, which actually fell on Saturday.
The real issue is that we cover 10 counties that span hundreds of miles. There is no way we can cover everything everyone wants exactly to their satisfaction.
When we don’t, we get accused of bias.
I would invite anyone who thinks that to visit the newsroom to see what kind of issues we weigh everyday and the skill and time it takes to write news stories. I’ll assign you a few. (I could use a few more reporters!)
If any of you have questions about our coverage or a particular story, please feel free to email me at krolston@postregister.com.
Kortny Rolston
City Editor
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0 0 There you go!
I’ve been thinking about this all afternoon, and it really doesn’t make sense for a newspaper to ignore an event that obviously means so much to a lot of local people. I figured it had to be a business decision/constraint.
Next year let’s combine Cinco de Mayo and the Boy Scout Jamboral into one big mega-event. Oh the possibilities!
Personally, I’m disappointed none of the local news has been covering the dandelions covering my yard. It’s a pandemic, and they spread daily.
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0 0 I can row a canoe faster than anyone here when I have a few Dos Equis in me.
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0 0 That’s the spirit!
Merit badges for making pinatas?
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0 0 FYI Joe - they make chemicals that can take care of that dandelion problem. Just thought you’d want to know. 
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0 0 Better living through chemistry!
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0 0 Joe,
We also have a dandelion infestation at our house. Last weekend, we found a great treatment for it called Weed and Feed. (We got it at Ace Hardware). It fertlizes your grass while killing weeds. It takes a day or two to show results.
Kortny Rolston
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0 0 Oh you people and your “solutions”
I’m calling FEMA for my dandelions.
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0 0 I beg to differ Jeremy.
“Homosexuality has nothing to do with what you wear or how you act”?
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Kim Hansen should be fired in my opinion.
Frank Vandersloot should shut up in my opinion. Just because he’s rich and puts on a fireworks show he seems to think his opinion matters more than everyone elses.
Who cares if the Steeds once sued Walmart? No one, not even Vandersloot, disputes that Adam Steed got molested by Brad Stowell so what does it matter if they sued Walmart one time. Is there some sort of law that says if you sue Walmart then it doesn’t matter if your son got molested by a scout leader? Did Adam Steed’s mom getting konked on the head somehow make Adam’s molestation worse than it really was? Is is some vast left wing conspiracy against the Boy Scouts and Walmart and did Adam seduce Brad Stowell into molesting him so they could do wage their war against Walmart and the Scouts? Obviously not.
Adam Steed got molested. The Scouts tried to cover it up. Kim Hansen and others in charge ignored numerous danger signs. The LDS’s “wonder cure” for child molestors failed again (another sore subject of mine as I’ve seen the wonder cure fail quite a few times in non Scout related cases).
Personally, I know my kids will never join the Scouts while Hansen is in charge. I will also never donate or support any Scout activities while Hansen is in charge. And I’ll never buy a Melalucca product ever no matter what happens - Vandersloot will never get one dime of my money.