I’m not going to get into the whole “if there is a god” thing in this post, but seriously, what’s up with the Boy Scouts of America and electricity lately? Today’s news reports a third electrical (second lightning) related death of scouts and/or troop leaders in the week. Guys, can I recommend you all find a good, safe, well-grounded location to hold your meetings for awhile? This is getting downright frightening.

http://www.latimes.com/news/nationworld/nation/wire/sns-ap-boy-scout-death,1,734043.story?coll=sns-ap-nation-headlines 3 Aug 05 – Lightning Kills Boy Scout at Utah Camp

SALT LAKE CITY — A bolt of lightning killed a 15-year-old Boy Scout and injured three others while they slept in a log shelter during a violent storm.

“There was a big flash and a big boom,” said Dr. Stephen Morris, a trauma surgeon at the University of Utah’s burn unit who was with the troop. “Somebody came running down the trails saying, ‘Help, we need help.'”

http://www.cnn.com/2005/US/07/29/scouts.lightning.ap/ 29 Jul 05 – Scout on life support after lightning strike

FRESNO, California (AP) — Lightning struck a group of Boy Scouts taking shelter from a storm, killing the troop leader and leaving a 13-year-old boy brain-dead in the latest tragedy to befall the organization this week, authorities and the teen’s grandfather said.

Six others were injured when the lightning bolt made a direct strike on a tarp the Scouts had set up in a meadow in Sequoia National Park on Thursday.

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20050726/ap_on_re_us/jamboree_deaths 26 Jul 05 – Boy Scouts ‘All Started Screaming’

BOWLING GREEN, Va. – They were deeply devoted to the Boy Scouts, traveling thousands of miles to the woods of northern Virginia for 10 fun-filled days of fishing, archery and storytelling beside the campfire. One of their first tasks: Set up a large tent.

But the task went terribly awry when they lost control of a giant tent pole and it hit some nearby power lines, killing four Scout leaders as horrified youngsters looked on, said Bill Haines, a Scout executive in Alaska.