Thin Mints, Tagalongs and Samosas: This is the year to stock up.
Not just because we all have a soft spot for Girl Scout cookies (they're pretty irresistible). Not because there's pressure to support the boss' kid's troop.
Rather it is time to buy, buy, buy to support the Girl Scouts and their organization at a time when they're being singled out by a completely misguided boycott. Again!
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A pro-life organization (Pro-Life Waco if you're keeping score) using the name Cookie Cott 2016 is asking supporters, and really everyone, to refrain from indulging their sweet tooth via the Girl Scout cookies, because the Girl Scouts are allies with organizations such as the Coalition for Adolescent Girls, Amnesty International, Population Council, ACLU, the National Organization For Women and the Planned Parenthood Federation—all who, in varying degrees, support a woman's right to choose. This is the second year for Cookie Cott and their false claims that Girl Scouts "aggressively promotes youth reproductive/abortion and sexual rights, specifically on behalf of its 10 million members."
It's not like the Girl Scouts is giving out a badge for having abortions. The organization dedicated to mentoring and raising up the next generation of female leaders merely has loose affiliations with organizations that support women, their sexual rights and health.
This whole Cookie Cott movement isn't anti-abortion. This is a movement that is anti-girl.
It's not like the Girl Scouts is giving out a badge for having abortions.
The Girl Scouts, who have been in business of educating, enriching, encouraging and inspiring girls since 1912, has had one main focus: the wellness of girls. Founder Juliette Gordon Low, as the Girl Scouts states, "[E]nvisioned an organization that would prepare girls to meet their world with courage, confidence, and character."
The Girl Scouts are not a political wing or in any way trying to make waves. Cookie Cott, the misguided pro-life faction, is politicizing the organization.
These pro-lifers should have really considered where the profits of the cookies actually go. The folks at Cookie Cott have their big beef with Girl Scouts USA, the national organization. As it turns out, according to the Girl Scouts, the national organization does not get a piece of the pie (or in this case, a piece of the cookie). Around 10 to 20 percent of the revenue goes to the local troops to help support programming, scholarships and local community service projects. The regional council ends up with most of the proceeds, about 65 to 75 percent. The GSUSA does, however, receive revenues from using the Girl Scouts logo and branding. Additionally, it's not like the Girl Scouts are taking their cookie money and handing it directly to women seeking to terminate a pregnancy. There's simply no evidence of a link.
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I totally get that they want their message heard, and they feel the deep need to protect embryos in all states of being. But attacking an organization that does so much for girls is not the way to go about it. Battling the an organization with a mission like Girl Scouts just leaves, well a bad taste in my mouth.
A box of Thin Mints will fix that right up about now.
