Politics

Most of the conversations about the Boy Scouts of America's proposed revision to its Membership Standards has focused on the double standard of granting membership to openly homosexual youth as scouts and refusing membership to openly homosexual adults as leaders. As far as I'm aware, however, there hasn't been any discussion about another qualifier in the proposed language -- "alone."Youth membership in the Boy Scouts of America is open to all youth who meet the specific membership requirements to join the Cub Scout, Boy Scout, Varsity Scout, Sea Scout, and Venturing programs. Membership in any program of the Boy Scouts of America requires the youth member to (a) subscribe to and abide by the values expressed in the Scout Oath and Scout Law, (b) subscribe to and abide by the precepts of the Declaration of Religious Principle (duty to God), and (c) demonstrate behavior that exemplifies the highest level of good conduct and respect for others and is consistent at all times with the values expressed in the Scout Oath and Scout Law. No youth may be denied membership in the Boy Scouts of America on the basis of sexual orientation or preference alone.More...

TORNADE - Nous sommes de tout cœur avec les habitants de la ville de Moore, dans l'Oklahoma. Impossible de regarder des vidéos montrant les effets dévastateurs de cette tornade sur une communauté, des familles et des enfants sans essuyer quelques larmes.Cet État porte le surnom de "terre de Dieu". Mais il faut se réveiller: Dieu n'a rien à voir avec ce désastre. On se tourne souvent vers la religion dans les moments difficiles, face à des situations inexplicables, pour simplement demander "pourquoi ?". Mais ce n'est pas nécessaire dans ce cas-là. Il existe bel et bien une réponse, si on a le courage de poser les bonnes questions.More...

The grand jury has deliberated, and the verdict is in! It's not necessarily a new debate, but the usual suspects are out. The Centers for Disease Control (CDC) just released the latest data from the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES) on Americans' sugar consumption, and the results are quite surprising. Here are some of the findings that really grabbed my attention:More...

On the scale of "pop stars teens like that their parents have heard of," Ed Sheeran probably ranks somewhere in between Justin Bieber and Austine Mahone. And the 22-year-old's powerful but honey-coated voice and softhearted lyrics aren't all that dissimilar from theirs, either.But unlike Bieber, Cody Simpson, Mahone, and too many other young singers to count, Sheeran didn't take the YouTube route to fame. The British singer did it the "old-fashioned way" -- performing his own, original music in real-life venues.More...

Imagine you've designed an experiment to find out how to motivate people to give more to charity. One group attends a weekly inspirational talk. They hear about the needs of those less fortunate and are urged to rise to the highest aspirations of their worldview by meeting that need. Then a shiny plate is passed, full of the generous donations of their friends and neighbors. Each person makes a choice--add to that plate, or pass it on without contributing, fifty-two times a year.A control group attends no such meetings. They give to causes they learn about and care about, but it's less systematic, less closely tied to a community expression of shared values.More...

Huffington Post Reader QuestionDear Steve,More...

WASHINGTON - Oklahoma Sen. Jim Inhofe (R) said on Tuesday that federal aid to tornado-ravaged parts of his home state will be "totally different" than a Hurricane Sandy aid bill he voted against late last year.Speaking on MSNBC, the lawmaker said that in the case of Hurricane Sandy, "everybody was getting in and exploiting the tragedy that took place." However, he said, "that won't happen in Oklahoma."More...

Every year I hire about 100 college students to come and work at KIVU, our Colorado Teen Resort Facility outside of Durango, Colorado. Every year I have a list of labor-like jobs that have to get done in preparation for 1,000 high school students to come on the property and enjoy the beautiful landscape of Southwest Colorado. And, every year I run into the same declining attitude in the willingness for the university students who understand what it means to work.I've tried to guard my attitude from turning into the grumpy old man who says, "Back in my day..." (fill in the blank) and every year I'm lured back to a bewildered state of wondering, "Who knows how to work anymore?"More...

After the tornado hit Moore, Okla., on Monday, and severely damaged two elementary schools, fearful parents scrambled to search for their children. Trenda Purcell, who found both her kids safe from harm, was one of the lucky moms.In what could very well become one of the iconic moments from this tragedy, the moment when Purcell was reunited with 8-year-old Camden is captured in this emotional video on OKnews.com. (Watch the full clip below.)More...

When President Obama nominated Tom Wheeler as the next chairman of the Federal Communications Commission, he praised him as the "Bo Jackson of telecom" -- because he has been an all-star in two industries.During the early 1980s, Wheeler headed the National Cable and Telecommunications Association -- the main cable TV lobby -- and from 1992-2004, he was the chief lobbyist for the mobile phone industry.More...