Boy Scout Collection for the Troops Considered "Too Pro War"

My buddies at KHND radio in Harvey, ND referred this story to me about a Boy Scout troop in Cambridge, MA that received permission from election officials to collect items for the troops in Iraq at polling places in the city. After spending their own money to promote the effort the collections were banned at the last minute because somebody complained they were "too pro war":

Cambridge - Was it just too pro-war for Cambridge?

A troop of Boy Scouts is wondering why their donation boxes meant for troops in Iraq were thrown out of polling stations last week.

Election officials ordered the removal of donation boxes set up by a troop of Cambridge Boy Scouts of America during last Tuesday’s municipal election.

The boxes were set up inside the 33 polling stations around the city to collect donations for soldiers serving overseas in the war in Iraq.

Marsha Weinerman, executive director of the city’s Election Commission, said the boxes were removed after a resident complained to commission workers about their implied “pro-war” message.

“We contacted the law department, and it was determined that the best course of action would be to remove the boxes,” Weinerman said.

In a column that appears in this week’s Chronicle, Troop leader Jamisean Patterson said the commission twice granted the scouts permission to set up the boxes at the polling stations.

“We have never seen anything like this decision in Cambridge before,” Patterson wrote. The city is changing for the worse if decisions like this are allowed to be made.”

The troops spent $1,500 of their own money and printed 25,000 flyers to promote the collection. We've been told all along that it's possible to protest the war and still support the troops. Not in Cambridge.

I think we can start questioning their patriotism now.

UPDATE: Reader Kat asks if there's a way to send donations to the Scout troop. From the Boston Herald:

Financial donations, which will be used to buy items for the care packages, can be sent to the Scouts at Troop 45, P.O. Box 381241, Cambridge, MA 02238. Checks should be made payable to Troop 45.