I thought I would never see the day when the girls scout cookie stand was ordered to pack it up. Really really sad.
I guess there is nothing better for a cop to do in Villa Rica, GA. Maybe they have more than they need…
Unreal…
At least the cops can buy a case of the cookies for the squad room after the tour.
Land of the Free…yeah right…well, it used to be. Got to have a permit to breath now I guess. Idiots!
Kind of like needing a registration to put a trolling motor on a canoe. Wouldn’t be surprised if you have to have insurance and head protection gear to wade a trout stream some day soon.
It’s our own fault, we vote them into office every 4 years.
OK, I’m done now and back on my meds.
That cop should be ashamed of himself. I guess that’s his idea of serving his community by getting them dangerous scofflaw 9 yr old girl scouts off the streets.
Steve
I really didn’t see anything bad the police did, they just did their job, the law is the law and the city ordinance is a law. Is it morally correct, NO!! but again the girl Scout’s aren’t exempt from getting a permit neither. The way I see it the girls made out on this deal by getting a pizza party and several other perks and still got to sell their cookies after obtaining a permit.
The Scout leaders should have checked the laws and informed the girls that a permit was needed. Those young girls do not have any idea of what the laws regarding selling are. All in all I do think it is Crap. Girl scouts have been selling their cookies for years without ever needing a permit. Next thing, city, county, and state taxes will have to be collected and the sellers will have to get a EIN numger from the goverment
Being a Scouter, this torqued my jaws something fierce. Girl Scouts sell Cookies. Boy Scouts Sell Popcorn. It is a limited time deal at about the same time every year. The product is good, overpriced in both cases, but good and the benefits are substantial for both organizations. Every now and then some overzealous bureaucrat or cop will get his or her underwear in a wad and lose all common sense and hit them with some obscure law. The public hammers back and the person or agency is branded as hating kids for a while and suffers a PR nightmare for a week or so. It all blows over until the next nit-wit has to show everyone how much power they have. Pick on puppies or children and the public will hand your rear end to you.
Time and time again, the public has told city, county, and state government to leave the kids alone with stuff like this. Summer Koolaid stands, lemonade stands, school fundraisers, cookies and popcorn, and other kid related ventures may cross some legal lines, but people say leave them alone.
How many of you know every law there is out there? It has become impossible to live without breaking laws because it is impossible for the general public to know all of them. What average person who is probably a soccer mom or office worker somewhere, is going to even think that Boy or Girl Scouts would need a permit to sell cookies or popcorn? Was the Council informed? I bet not. If the Council knew, they would have been sure to either get a blanket permit if possible or inform the units and stress how important it was to have the permit. Leaders would have been told over and over and over that they needed a permit. Let’s add to this that 2 or 3 months ago there were more than likely Boy and Cub Scouts in the same location selling popcorn without the very same permit the cop determined was worth raising a fuss over with this group of Girl Scouts.
I find it hard to believe that when these laws were enacted, wherever they exist, that people were thinking that we needed to be somehow protected from wild gangs of Girl Scouts selling cookies and marauding bands of Cub Scouts selling popcorn. We rightfully expect those entrusted with enforcing the law to use appropriate judgement. After all, they can give us a warning for a traffic offense or give us a ticket. They have a choice. People can make illegal left turns in front of them and they have the choice to do something about it or ignore them. The Oklahoma City Bomber was stopped for a traffic offense shortly after the bombing and let go with a warning! He wasn’t rounded up until later. But some egocentric cop has to hassle a bunch of Girl Scouts selling Thin Mints and Tagalongs? I know we have a cop or two on the board and I am sorry if I have offended them, but this is one reason there are trust issues between average citizens and the police.
How can it be, that no sane person would agree to harassing these kids, whether selling candy bars for school trips, or cookies, or teens babysitting, yet these ordinances are on the books. How did they get there? Does anyone know anybody, who at any time, voted anywhere for this nonsense? I don’t know any, and don’t care to know any! Is this to somehow teach the little tax evaders a lesson, so they learn early & often, that being a small business owner (cool-aid stand) just doesn’t pay! Honestly folks, if you didn’t vote for this, and I didn’t vote for this, and don’t know anyone who did - this needs to stop. This would be laughable, if it weren’t so twisted! This is just plain wrong - on every level! Nuff said!!!
Best regards, Dave Who Loves Thin Mints
These laws were enacted to keep the guys selling cheap watches, other knockoffs, and other shoddy merchandise off the streets. In some cases to keep the public safe with a reduction in food stands that did not meet health regulations or basic cleanliness. While trying to meet a legitimate need, the kids were run over. It must be easier to look like idiots avery now and then than to fix the problem by rewriting things.
I think I read where this was a safety issue. I also read where the girls got their permit and are back selling cookies, legally. I guess don’t understand what the issue is. Seems this story may fit into the I can’t believe it made it to the news thread.
“In Girl Scouts, girls discover the fun, friendship, and power of girls together. Through a myriad of enriching experiences, such as extraordinary field trips, sports skill-building clinics, community service projects, cultural exchanges, and environmental stewardships, girls grow courageous and strong. Girl Scouting helps girls develop their full individual potential; relate to others with increasing understanding, skill, and respect; develop values to guide their actions and provide the foundation for sound decision-making; and contribute to the improvement of society through their abilities, leadership skills, and cooperation with others.”
I will do my best to be
honest and fair,
friendly and helpful,
considerate and caring,
courageous and strong, and
responsible for what I say and do,
and to
respect myself and others,
respect authority,
use resources wisely,
make the world a better place, and
be a sister to every Girl Scout.
“Through Girl Scouting, girls become leaders in their daily lives and prepare for their bright futures! Girl Scout Product Activities, such as the Girl Scout Cookie Program or the selling of nuts or magazines through licensed vendors provide an important ingredient for leadership by helping girls develop five key skills: Goal Setting, Decision Making, Money Management, People Skills and Business Ethics.”
I leave the rest to the reader.
Ok I get it… Before these 8 to 10 or so year old girls venture out in a fund raising project, the should first sign up for a Money management class, them a Business management class, then a goverment law class, then dive into a class on ethics, then at 25years or older they can procede to sell the cookies. It is all very very clear now. Next thing the buyer will have to take a course on nutrition before they can purchase them.
Those quotes were taken directly off of the Girl Scout’s own website. Those are not MY words, those are THEIR words.
I really didn’t see anything bad the police did, they just did their job, the law is the law and the city ordinance is a law. Is it morally correct, NO!! but again the girl Scout’s aren’t exempt from getting a permit neither. The way I see it the girls made out on this deal by getting a pizza party and several other perks and still got to sell their cookies after obtaining a permit.
While it’s true a law was being violated, the common sense thing for any officer to do would be to inform the adult present that a permit was required, and that he’d be back in a day or two to check and make sure they’d gotten it. There was no need to create a scene and upset the girls.
On the flipside, at the end of it all, for a little bit of stress, the girls got several thousand dollars worth of advertising, free of charge, so great publicity…and who doesn’t love pizza?
The more observant young ladies will have also learned a valuable lesson in business, bureaucracy, and public relations. 
You were absolutely right. One of the points of the Scout Law is to be Obedient, too. The problem comes when it is impossible for a person to know with absolute certainty that they are abiding by all applicable laws in any given situation.
As I stated before, if the Council had known about the permit requirement, it would have been pounded into those leaders in charge of cookie sales that they had to get permits or obtained a blanket permit if that was possible. How many years had girls in this county or city been selling cookies without permits? Had ANYONE been informed of this requirement previously?
All we can do is operate in good faith and do the best we can. The officer could have and should have handled this differently than he did. He made the City look bad, police officers in general look bad, and left a very bad taste in the mouths of people across the nation. I hope it was extremely painful when he pulled his swelled head out of his rectal orifice. He wasn’t completely wrong, but he was a long way from being right, too.
I’m sorry the kids were scared, but I’m sorry I’ve seen some of the girls just in my area when they do these sales they’re so hyped up cause they’re having fun and I’ve almost seen a few of them hit by cars. to get the permit and make sure they set up somewhere SAFE that’s what’s important.
How would you live with yourself if EVEN ACCIDENTLY you hit one of these kids.
That part I will place on the leaders. It is the leader’s job to make sure this or any activity is safe. I spend hundreds of hours each year training and advising leaders for the local council. Safety is foremost. No permit can replace that or instill it in someone who is not safety aware to begin with.
I had to laugh when I read Boyscout’s comment - a permit to put a trolling motor on a canoe. Here in Pennsylvania, you can hardly even put a canoe in the water unless you you have it registered And to make things even more interesting, here’s something I found in the regulations:
Note: Boats with unpowered boat registrations may NOT be equipped with gasoline or electric motors or any other mechanical propulsion and be operated on Pennsylvania waterways.
So we’re already there.
You know the officer did not go out and stop the Girl Scouts because he wanted to, it is his job. That’s the other side of the metro area from me so I don’t know all the details. However, everything has been smoothed over and the mayor is treating with a pizza party for the entire troop.
There was apparently no truth to the waterboarding rumors.