ORANGE COUNTY PERSPECTIVE : A Most Uncharitable Boycott

The Orange County congressmen who are attempting to organize a statewide boycott against two firms that withdrew their support from the Boy Scouts of America are out of line. The San Francisco-based firms, Levi Strauss Co. and Wells Fargo Co., have strong anti-discrimination criteria for their charitable contributions. They should not be harassed for standing on their principles.

Levi Strauss and Wells Fargo decided against making $112,000 in donations after learning the group doesn’t admit atheists and won’t allow homosexuals to be Scoutmasters. These policies came to public attention during four trials, including one in Orange County in which twin 10-year-olds from Anaheim Hills sued the Boy Scouts because they were kicked out of their troop for refusing to say the word God in the Scouting oath. A trial court ruled in the boys’ favor and they were reinstated pending an appeal by Scouting officials.

It should come as no surprise that the congressman leading the charge against Levi Strauss and Wells Fargo is Rep. Dana Rohrabacher (R-Huntington Beach). This hot-button politician made a national reputation on his attacks against the National Endowment for the Arts and then mounted an irrational assault on illegal immigrants, whom he lumped together as “Pedro.”

Joining with Rohrabacher are Republican Reps. Christopher Cox of Newport Beach, Robert K. Dornan of Garden Grove, Ron Packard of Oceanside and William E. Dannemeyer of Fullerton, who is retiring.

The five sponsored a newspaper ad that on its face merely solicited support for the Boy Scouts, a motherhood-and-apple-pie issue for most people. But several of the congressmen in public statements have made it clear that the real purpose was to launch a boycott against Levi Strauss and Wells Fargo. Such surplus energy might be better spent on coming up with ideas for, say, improving the economy.

Any firm or person has a right to set criteria for charitable contributions. None should be punished for doing so.