WASHINGTON, DC, Aug. 31 (CWNews.com)

    The US Departments of the Interior and Justice have begun investigating whether the Boy Scouts of America (BSA) are violating President Bill Clinton's Executive Order banning discrimination on the basis of sexual orientation, The Washington Times newspaper reported on Thursday. The investigation could lead to the end of BSA programs conducted on federal lands or with the aid of federal agencies.

    The newspaper quoted a memo from Nattie Silva, assistant director of diversity and equal opportunity for the Interior Department's Bureau of Reclamation, who ordered agencies to "assist [the Department of Justice] by providing information as it relates to the Boy Scouts of America to ensure consistency with the Executive Order" signed by Clinton on June 23. Silva's memo specifically asks for information about the annual nationwide Boy Scout Jamboree which is held on federal property at Fort A.P. Hill in Virginia.

    The US Supreme Court had ruled in June that the BSA was within its rights to bar homosexuals from serving with the organization. Various pro-homosexual and liberal groups have since organized protests against the Scouts, pressuring companies to end their financial support of the century-old group.

    "Ignoring the rule of law, the Clinton Administration appears to be readying a shocking attack on the Boy Scouts," said Robert Knight of the Family research Council. "Americans need to fight back by telling the administration and the homosexual groups that are prompting such attacks: Keep your hands off the Boy Scouts."

    Justice officials told The Times the Reclamation Bureau came to them and asked for assistance in determining whether any of the joint activities they conduct with the Boy Scouts violate Executive Order 13160, which prohibits discrimination on the basis of "race, sex, color, national origin, disability, religion, age, sexual orientation, and status as a parent in federally conducted education and training programs." The review is expected to be completed by September 5.

    "The United States government, acting through the Justice Department, has no business targeting law-abiding Americans lawfully exercising their constitutional rights," said Richard Lessner of American Renewal. "This appears to be yet another instance of the Clinton administration kowtowing to the demands of the militant homosexual lobby and its radical political agenda."

    "We do not live in a monarchy," Lessner said. "Bill Clinton's decrees do not overrule the Constitution."

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