From a funny cartoon to a terrible crime

by Nicholas Papadopolous

Perhaps it is a good idea to take advice from a cartoon that has caused controversy since its first episode. In the Season 5 episode of South Park, “Cripple Fight”, released in 2001, the South Park boys join the Boy Scouts only to find that their new Scoutmaster is a child molester.
But that would never happen in real life; somebody would have a way of knowing if that was happening, right?
Howard W. Curtis was sentenced to two consecutive four to six year terms in state prison by the Salem Superior Court. Curtis was a former Scoutmaster and was found guilty of two counts of raping a boy in his troop more than two decades ago. Curtis had an ongoing sexual relationship with Forrest Pettengill, starting when the boy was 13. The abuse began on a camping trip where several inappropriate sexual acts took place.
Now, the Boy Scouts of America and the city of Haverhill are being sued by Pettengill, who claims he was emotionally disabled by the abuse and became addicted to sex.
The Boy Scouts of America should have a system or a way of knowing if this type of abuse is happening. All they have to do is make a “Supreme Scoutmaster” talk individually with each camper and ask them a series of questions. Also, the scouts should run better background check on these Scoutmasters. Usually, people don’t just become child molesters; they have problems that can be traced back to their childhood.
According to the Boy Scouts of America website, www.scouting.org,
The Boy Scouts of America places the greatest importance on creating the most secure environment possible for our youth members. To maintain such an environment, the BSA developed numerous procedural and leadership selection policies and provides parents and leaders the following online, video, and print resources for the Cub Scout, Boy Scout, and Venturing programs.
Obviously, these “numerous procedural…policies” aren’t working and things need to change. I know for a fact that if I have a son, I will not allow him to join the Scouts for fear of abuse.