GovernmentExecutive.com

The federal government can't seem to make up its mind about the Boy Scouts. National Journal recently reported that the Education Department had published rules under the 2002 No Child Left Behind Act that prevent schools from excluding the Boy Scouts of America from using school facilities for meetings. (Some school districts had objected to the Scouts' policy of banning gays and denied them access to school buildings.) But Monday, the Defense Department reached an agreement with the American Civil Liberties Union under which it will order military bases not to directly sponsor Scout troops. The ACLU and other organizations had sued the Pentagon, charging that direct sponsorship of troops was unconstitutional because Scouts have to swear an oath to God. Update: The Washington Times reports that the Boy Scout Jamboree, which draws tens of thousands of Scouts to Virginia's Fort A.P. Hill Army base every four years, will be allowed to go on--for now.