The  Speech President Trump Gave at the Boy Scout Jamboree

President Trump started out talking about, “fake news” in reference to reporting on the size his inauguration crowd.  His story about real-estate developer William Levitt  is filled with inappropriate references, in part because Levitt himself isn’t a great example.  The story talks about wild parties on yachts  and has a focus on money as the marker of success.  (You can see that part of his speech in a great article over at The Independent.)

When he “joked” about firing the Secretary of Health and Human Services Tom Price if the healthcare bill didn’t pass everyone laughed  – but it’s never really funny when the boss jokes about firing you.  President Trump then called out West Virginia senator Shelley Moore Capito, saying she’d better vote for the bill. 

The Scariest Part of President Trump’s Speech to the Scouts

Out of all the things that happened that night this was the most chilling.  President Trump got the crowd to chant “we love Trump,” and  then “boo” former President Barack Obama.

#BoyScouts chant “WE LOVE TRUMP” and appear to BOO Obama… pic.twitter.com/uBU7aPLh3S

– RSBN TV (@RSBNetwork) July 24, 2017

Not only is it a level of disrespect never shown to a former president by the current one, it is decidedly inappropriate for an organization that says they are “wholly non-partisan.”   It’s this scene that has many on the left drawing comparisons to the Hitler youth organizations from that era.

Trump’s display of political propaganda to children was something right out of a 1936 Hitler youth rally. #BoyscoutJamboree #Morningjoe pic.twitter.com/uLYy0lvN81

– LeoKapakos (@LeoKapakosNY) July 25, 2017

The BSA made Trump honorary Pres of the BSA. They allowed him to treat the boys like his version of the Hitler Youth. Booing a former Pres? pic.twitter.com/hgrpR08vbU

– George S Ledyard (@gledyard) July 25, 2017

Is this fair? Well, there are some fair points.  You can read more about that dark period of history at totallyhistory.com – but this is the point that has people unnerved.

The youth were taught to worship Hitler and pledge undying loyalty to the point that their devotion to Hitler would exceed their loyalty to their family.

Listening to those kids chanting, “we love Trump” – not “Hooray for our President” or even “Hooray for Trump” – doesn’t look like loyalty to the United States.  Instead, it looks like loyalty to Donald Trump.  This is alarming.  A group of people within a country having loyalty to a leader, instead of to the laws of land, is how dictators are made.  While violent coups are always headlines, it’s just as often small incremental changes that lets a democracy slide into totalitarianism.

All Things Considered, Why Was President Trump Invited to The Jamboree?

It’s clear that President Trump does not fit the basic standards of a boy scout.  As we’ve seen, the aftermath of his speech resulted in many people slamming the organization for inviting him.  Didn’t they realize it would go badly?

This isn’t fair.  Sure, it’s easy to blame the boy scout leaders after the fact.  However, it’s really not the organization’s fault.  They did what many of our major institutions have been doing.  They acted as though things are normal.

In a publicly released statement The Boy Scouts of America explained that they invite every U.S. President to the Jamboree.  This is because they consider the person holding the office of POTUS to be the “honorary president.”  As a non-partisan organization they were honor-bound to invite .  President Trump.  It’s their normal protocol.

Therein lies the problem.  The boy scout leaders treated Trump like every other US president.  Their decision to do so is the one we’ve all been doing since Trump’s election.

We as a country are trying desperately to act like the things going on in our American government and are normal.  Therefore we use our typical standards in making decisions.  Go take a look at video again.  Things are not normal.  Trying to operate like it’s business as usual is going to keep creating situations like that this one  – and worse.