WASHINGTON (UPI) - Texas Gov. Rick Perry, an Eagle Scout and father of an Eagle Scout, urged protection of the Boy Scouts, which he called a moral beacon for the United States, that has become a target for the secular left.

"The venerable institution of the Boy Scouts of America, with its clearly-stated belief in God, adherence to a strict moral code and steadfast focus on shaping young men, is the trophy buck that the ACLU (American Civil Liberties Union) and their friends would like to hang above the fireplace," Perry said Saturday at the Conservative Political Action Conference (CPAC) in Washington, CNSNews.com reported Monday.

Perry wrote the book "On My Honor" about the attacks the Boy Scouts face from left-wing organizations. He said the proceeds from the book would go to the organization's legal defense fund.

The scouts won a court battle against the ACLU, which attempted to force it to accept homosexual scout masters and abandon adherence to a belief in God. "Now, the secular left has shifted its attacks to public entities that have sponsored scout events...," Perry said.

In one instance, the Boy Scouts were evicted from a facility in Philadelphia that they had rented for one dollar a year for almost a century. The city said they would have to pay fair market value -- $300,000 a year -- unless it renounced its policy on excluding openly homosexual scoutmasters. The scouts declined and were forced from the building.


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