Philadelphia Raises Boy Scouts' Rent $199,999 Over Gay Ban

For its refusal to permit gays within its ranks, the City of Philadelphia has raised the rent for its city owned headquarters to an astronomical figure:

PHILADELPHIA — The city has decided that the Boy Scouts chapter here must pay fair-market rent of $200,000 a year for its city-owned headquarters because it refuses to permit gay Scouts. The organization's Cradle of Liberty Council, currently pays $1 a year in rent.

City officials say they cannot legally rent taxpayer-owned property for a nominal sum to a private organization that discriminates.

The higher rent money "would have to come from programs. That's 30 new Cub Scout packs, or 800 needy kids going to our summer camp," Jubelirer said. "It's disappointing, and it's certainly a threat."

The Supreme Court ruled in 2000 that Scouts, as a private group, have a First Amendment right to bar gays from membership.

The road of diversity and tolerance in a one-way street.

Progressives love to crow about how much attention they pay to diversity and multiculturalism, how tolerance is a tenet of their beliefs. But the moment someone comes along with a different belief, with a diverse opinion, the progressives rally the wagons and close off all discussion. This is what we're seeing here.

Even armed with a Supreme Court decision, the progressives on the Philly City Council could not accept that some people don't agree 100% with their viewpoints, therefore, they must be silenced...at any cost. It just so happens that in this case the cost was $199,999.00.

What will the final outcome be? 800 kids from the inner city will not get the chance to become Scouts and experience a piece of Americana. Philly City Council proves they are intolerant and dwill not respect the letter of the law if it doesn't benefit them and, everyone will get a bitter taste in their mouths. This is diversity, tolerance and multiculturalism at its finest.

Put on your party hat, it's time to celebrate diversity