The Only Option is Killing Them.
One day we will stomp out pedophilia in the Boy Scouts of America, not with peace but with a sword.
Why We Were Once Called Liberty Scouts Magazine
The topic of my first article back on Substack, many of you might not remember this, but up until January of 2024, Liberty Magazine was called Liberty Scouts Magazine. And even though the publication changed focus, from creating a parallel system that rivals the Boy Scouts of America to providing the populace with a more reliable and Christian based news source, that doesn’t mean that I don’t intend to one day stomp out the pedophilic BSA that preys on America’s youth. With everything going on recently I began to lose sight of that original purpose, however, it seems as if the Lord has sent this news to me to keep one of my goals fresh in my mind.
Today I will be talking about a new development in a story that has become all too common in a once great organization. When the Boy Scouts of America was founded, it really was a great idea; train America’s boys to be able to bear the cross of life, prepare them for war, and make them strong Christian men. However, as time progressed and as America began to lose its Christian morals, so too did the BSA. What was once a brilliant organization with a honorable role in society became what it is today, a pedophile’s playground. Norman Rockwell is turning in his grave.
Boy Scout Volunteer Sentenced for Secretly Filming Children in Restroom
In Missouri, where a pedophile volunteered for a local Boy Scouts camp in 2021; what ensued was disastrous. This pedophile decided that this would be the perfect hunting ground for his sick fetish. He installed personal cameras in several different locations that would provide him access to spy on naked children.
According to the Justice Department press release, David Lee Nelson, 41, of Redmond, Washington, “hid the cameras in paper towel dispensers, positioning them so they would capture a shower stall and other portions of the bathroom.”
One camera was discovered when a scout leader and scouts were cleaning out one of the restroom stalls. A search uncovered another camera, and leaders then called the St. Francois County Sheriff’s Department. When questioned later by a sheriff’s deputy after being spotted near the bathrooms, Nelson lied and said he was looking for a cell phone charger that he’d left in the stall.
During Thursday’s hearing, victims and their parents said Nelson was supposed to be protecting the scouts and was supposed to be someone children could trust. Nelson’s crimes, they said, have now left them unable to trust others. The victims also said they now experience fear and discomfort every time they try to use a public bathroom.
Nelson initially denied having any involvement, but after reviewing footage from the cameras, Nelson was seen on videos he recorded, officials said.
Nelson was caught filming three boys ranging from 11-15 years old. His case was prosecuted under Project Safe Childhood, which was enacted in 2006 during the Bush Administration, on the federal level which marked the severity of his crimes.
Project Safe Childhood combines the resources of local, state, and federal departments into a cohesive task force that not only focuses on investigation but also information and education.
There are five essential components to Project Safe Childhood: (1) building partnerships; (2) coordinating law enforcement; (3) training PSC partners; (4) public awareness; and (5) accountability.
Thankfully, Nelson was held accountable for his actions, however, it’s not enough.
U.S. District Judge Rodney W. Sippel on Thursday sentenced a former Boy Scout volunteer to 22 years in prison for hiding cameras in bathrooms at a St. Francois County, Missouri scout camp.
Judge Sippel also ordered David Lee Nelson to pay $55,000 in special assessments that will go to a fund for victims and prevention programs and $6,810 to pay for counseling for the victims in this case. After he gets out of prison, Nelson will be on supervised release for life, with special conditions that include a prohibition against any contact with minors without permission.
Nelson will be released at the age of 63 years old and though he will be under “supervised release,” every offender that preys on children will always reoffend and they will find a new way to harm children. There are not many times in the Bible where Jesus tells us to outright kill someone. Jesus knows that not every sinner is incapable of change.
He also says in John 8:7;
“So when they continued asking him, he lifted up himself, and said unto them, He that is without sin among you, let him first cast a stone at her.”
But He also knows that some sinners are indeed incapable of changing, specifically those that prey on children, and it is written in Matthew 18:6;
“But whoso shall offend one of these little ones which believe in me, it were better for him that a millstone were hanged about his neck, and that he were drowned in the depth of the sea.”
The only way to prevent them from harming children is to send them to their maker.
A police youth program is plagued by sexual abuse allegations across the U.S.
The worst cases aren’t solely exclusive to the BSA, in fact they involve government collusion. NBC did the original story in partnership with The Marshall Project on a local to my state of Massachusetts, named Sarah Birchmore.
Birchmore was a young and troubled teen that was looking for direction and purpose in life. In 2010, at the age of 13, she decided to join the Police Explorers so she could find that direction and purpose, perhaps to make the community a better place. However, little did she know that her decision would lead her to death.
She joined her local Explorer post in Stoughton, Massachusetts, which was led by former middle school Resource Officer Robert Devine. Devine led the organization for more than a decade, his supervisors noted that he transformed the organization’s focus from mentoring to a para-military-style youth program. Devine had close ties with two former Explorers that he brought in as guest instructors and disciplinary agents to help execute his orders, twin brothers Matthew and William Farwell. The Farwells were in their mid-20s and Devine was in his late 30s. On recommendation from Devine, both Farwells were made police officers for the Stoughton Police Department.
The youth program that introduced Birchmore to the officers is among hundreds of such chapters at police agencies around the country. Created by the Boy Scouts of America decades ago, law enforcement Explorer posts are designed to help teens and young adults learn about policing.
The program seemed to be a positive influence on Birchmore and in 2014, her mother wrote a letter thanking Devine for running the Explorer post. In 2015, Birchmore graduated high school and decided that she wanted to become a teacher.
By then, the Stoughton Police Department had weathered years of scandals involving whistleblower retaliation, lies to the FBI and witness intimidation.
In a city with rampant corruption, on the outside it looked as if Devine was the one that could turn the future of the department into a well organized and responsible organization. However, in 2016 Devine who had rose in the ranks to become Deputy Chief of Stoughton Police was demoted to patrolman after photos of his extramarital affair ruined his credibility. One of his supervisors would later describe Devine as “exploitive, misogynistic and risk seeking.”
Birchmore may have graduated high school and the Explorers program in 2015, however, she was secretly having sexual affairs with Devine and the Farwell twins into her early twenties. Devine declared that he was not involved in any sexual misconduct with her, however, Facebook messages from his account disprove that and instead show the truth that he was indeed meeting up with her during his on-duty schedule to regularly have sex.
By February 2021, Birchmore, now 23, was pregnant with who she believed to be Matthew Farwell’s child. He was also the last known person to see Birchmore alive. Just days before Birchmore took the life of her child and herself, Matthew Farwell paid a visit to her apartment. The medical examiner later ruling her death as a suicide.
Birchmore was discovered dead in her apartment and the day after, Stoughton Police Chief Donna McNamara, ordered an internal investigation.
The internal investigation revealed many things that were unknown at the time, and some that were speculated. Matthew Farwell denied having sexual relations with Birchmore until 2020, however, text messages indicated that it was much earlier. It was also revealed that he stopped by Birchmore’s apartment for roughly half an hour and he confessed to having a “pretty nasty argument” with her. When police did a wellness check three days later, the only living things inside her cluttered apartment were her two dehydrated cats.
At a press conference the following year, McNamara announced the findings of the investigation. McNamara stated that Devine also had “inappropriate contact with a female student” when he was a middle school resource officer in the early 2000s.
McNamara stated:
“All three men, the Farwells and Devine, violated their oath of office and should never have the privilege of serving any community as a police officer. Through a sustained and deliberate combination of lies, deceit and treachery, they violated the policies and the core values of the Stoughton Police Department. Not to mention human decency.”
“There has been no evidence that other police officers were involved with Sandra or knew about the actions of the three other officers,” McNamara told The Marshall Project. “Sandra’s death is a tragedy. She should be alive today.”
As of today, the three officers have resigned. Matthew Farwell surrendered his law enforcement certification, however, as of right now William Farwell and Devine are fighting to keep theirs.
These assertions, disclosed in an internal police investigative report and through an ongoing lawsuit filed by Birchmore’s family, have sparked demonstrations and an online petition asking for further investigation into her death. The three men, who did not respond to requests for comment, have denied any wrongdoing and have not been charged with a crime.
Later in 2022, Birchmore’s aunt sued the officers for wrongful death and Stoughton for negligence and civil rights violations. In the lawsuit, her attorneys described Birchmore’s death as “the culmination of a near decade long scheme of grooming and repeated assaults from a young age” by the officers.
No criminal charges have been filed in Birchmore’s case. The Norfolk County district attorney’s office began investigating after her death. But a spokesman said they handed the investigation over to the Massachusetts Attorney General’s Office last fall. The attorney general’s office declined to comment.
Stoughton police ran the Explorer program for about 15 years, however, the department could locate only a single one-year agreement with Learning for Life, the Scouting affiliate that oversees the national Explorer program. The agreement, which was signed by Devine in 2010, required the department to encourage officers to take Youth Protection Training, as well as undergo an annual evaluation by Learning for Life. However, the agency was unable to find records showing that Devine or the Farwells completed the training, nor did it locate any records related to the evaluation.
The Stoughton Explorer program ended in 2016, yet the department said it never found records of an agreement with Learning for Life or the BSA for any program after the initial year. The program simply continued without verification that the program had ended and the Explorer program was allowed to continue unsanctioned. When The Marshall Project reached out to the BSA, they refused to respond to any questions about the oversight of the Stoughton Explorer program.
The Boy Scouts, which sets guidelines for Explorer posts, declined a request for an interview, and did not answer questions about how it enforces its rules for police departments. Records from the Stoughton Police Department showed no evidence that Scouting leaders conducted evaluations or made sure officers were trained to spot and report abuse of young people.
According to The Marshall Project, Birchmore’s story is among almost 200 allegations that law enforcement personnel, mostly policeman, have groomed, sexually abused or engaged in inappropriate behavior with Explorers since 1974. The vast majority of those affected were teenage girls, some as young as 13, the same age that Birchmore joined the Explorers.
While the structure of Explorer programs can vary by departments, in may programs, armed officers are allowed to be alone with teenage Explorers. In a few instances, departments minimized or dismissed the concerns of those who reported troubling behavior.
One of the most vulnerable positions for a potential victim to be in is where he/she is alone in a vehicle with an armed police officer during a ride-along, where participants accompany officers for hours as they patrol. Since he ‘90s, the BSA has required a “two-deep” leadership rule, mandating two adults present in all its programs. But what happens when those two adults happen to be like the three officers in Birchmore’s tragic story? And this rule doesn’t even hold true, the Boy Scouts carved out an exception to the “two-deep” rule for police ride-alongs in Explorer programs. Explorers are allowed to ride alone with an officer — though they must be at least 18 to do ride-alongs after midnight, according to documents on the Learning for Life website.
Timothy Kosnoff, a lawyer who has represented thousands of clients, including Explorer participants, suing the BSA for sexual abuse had this to say:
“What could possibly go wrong? You know, one adult, no supervision.”
Anthony DeMarco, a lawyer who has represented several former Explorers who accused officers of abuse stated:
“One of the greatest injuries that the Explorers I’ve worked for have talked about is they dreamed of being in law enforcement. And because they were abused, and because in some ways it became known, it felt like it got ripped from them.”
The officers accused of abusing teenagers spanned the ranks, from patrolmen to police chiefs. Many of them were like Devine, a department veteran noted for their community work. Only a handful of them served their agencies for barely a year. Many of them were married men with families of their own.
While many cases led to criminal charges, some officers went to prison, others received probation or weren’t required to register as sex offenders. A few departments even allowed officers to keep their jobs after a slap on the wrist or a short suspension. The Marshall Project uncovered at least 14 departments, among 111 agencies, had a history of repeated allegations.
The BSA made a statement on the matter of safeguarding the youth, including Explorers:
“When we are made aware that a leader in one of our programs has abused a position of trust we will take appropriate measures, including removing that leader, and work to ensure that offenders are held accountable.”
Craig Martin, who chairs the National Exploring Program, said one way to keep young people safe is the requirement that adults working with Explorers attend a Youth Protection Training at least every two years. But if it’s a requirement, how come Devine and the Farwells did not have to complete it?
Martin deflected further questions to Scouting headquarters for specific answers, but said he believes most abuse in the program took place 25 or more years ago. However, more than half of the cases reporters found occurred since 2000. It can take years for people who are abused to come forward — and many never do, experts say. Craig Martin is complicit.
To track this allegations of abuse, reporters combed through thousands of pages of documents, including lawsuits, investigative reports, police agency records, academic studies and news articles. They spoke with lawyers, researchers, and current and former Boy Scout officials. Reporters found abuse allegations throughout the country, in departments of large cities and small towns.
In one particular case in Connecticut, an officer first tried to ply a 17-year-old Explorer with compliments and a silver bracelet. After her repeated rejections, he took her into a vacant house, handcuffed her and raped her, according to police records and her lawsuit. In South Miami, police records show a detective offered to teach teenagers about sex before he assaulted them — so often that some older Explorers warned new recruits against being alone with him. And in Porterville, California, a sergeant who led his department’s Explorer program took a 17-year-old alone on ride-alongs and complained about his marriage before having sex with her, according to a now-settled lawsuit.
A few departments said their Explorer programs were run by a single precinct or even individual officers. And while several departments have policies that explicitly ban fraternization between officers and Explorer participants, other agencies made changes only after misconduct occurred. In one lawsuit filed in 2019 a woman said a police officer abused her as a teenager in Connecticut. Her lawyers alleged that the Scouts and Learning for Life knew that police departments were not following their policies to prevent sexual abuse.
Attorneys for the Boy Scouts responded by calling child sexual abuse a “broad societal problem.”
“This abuse can occur anywhere, even in Scouting and Explorer programs,” the attorneys wrote in a court filing. They argued that the organization wasn’t responsible for the abuse she alleged because the officer had violated Explorer policies.
The officer was sentenced to 30 months in prison.
In 2022, the Boy Scouts agreed to settle with more than 82,000 people, most of them men, who said they were abused as minors in Scouting programs. The Scouting organization did not say how many Explorer cases are part of the settlement, which is now about $2.5 billion.
Michael Johnson, a former police detective who investigated child abuse was hired by the BSA in 2010 as the national director of youth protection. It was his time with the BSA that he became alarmed by just how rampant sexual abuse was in the Explorer programs.
Johnson stated:
“They have these Explorers with them riding around at night and the officers do a nonexistent-to-poor job of maintaining clear boundaries.”
Johnson tried to internally root out abuse, especially on overnight ride-alongs, though he still maintained confidence in the BSA and because of that he publicly promoted the organization during his tenure there.
However, in 2020, the BSA fired Johnson and that’s when he knew that they were too far gone. He has since become one of there most outspoken critics of how the organization handled cases of abuse.
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When I was a child, I tried to join the BSA, but I couldn't get in because my family lived out in the country. I remember that back then, the scout leaders had to belong to a church since the churches hosted the scouts. As a result, the leaders were deacons and outstanding church members.
When that requirement was dropped, the Rainbow Brigade could infiltrate the organization and destroy it from within, much like they do today with the church.
The only way to fix the Scouts is to put them back under the church's purview, and the church has to be run like Christ intended it to be.
Why should we be surprised? We’ve set into motion the perfect storm of desecrating our families, making the sexual revolution a priority for our little girls, and praising predators. We’re feeling the lack of religious faith so badly that even now two of the infamous “Four Horsemen” Sam Harris and Richard Dawkins are bemoaning that the lack of faith may be the root of societies problems. Christianity has never faced such derision and scorn while being needed more than it ever has. May the Christ be seen in us and lead the world to a better place.