PETA is calling on the Boy Scouts of America to retire its "Fishing" and "Fish and Wildlife Management" merit badges in a letter to Milton H. Ward, president of the Boy Scouts of America claiming: Fishing is no longer considered a benign activity. It is hunting in the water, and the idea of a scout armed with a gun or rod, setting out to actively attack animals who were minding their own business, is not in keeping with the image of scouting, now or in the past.

Promoting fishing teaches young people that hooking, maiming, suffocating, and killing is acceptable. This is a dangerous lesson, one that hurts not only the fish struggling for their lives at the end of a hook, but all of us. According to FBI profilers, the American Psychiatric Association, law enforcement officials, and child advocacy organizations, cruelty to animals is a warning sign often seen in people who eventually direct violence toward humans. In fact, published reports show that in every single case of recent school shootings, there has been one consistent factor: All the young killers abused or killed animals before turning on their classmates.

Of course, not every child who abuses animals will hurt or kill a human being. But every child who picks up a gun or a rod and uses it to harm another living being must deaden a piece of his or her heart. Adults—parents, teachers, scout leaders, and others who work with children—must start making lessons of compassion a priority. Showing children how to use a camera, instead of a rod and reel, teaches them the valuable lesson of empathy.

Please write to the president of the Boy Scouts of America, urging him to replace the outdated "Fishing" and "Fish and Wildlife Management" merit badges with a "Waterway Cleanup" badge. Scouts could perform a marvelous service to the community and to the environment by clearing fishing debris from rivers, ponds, lakes, and other waterways. Scouts can also learn to appreciate nature, rather than destroy it and its inhabitants, through birdwatching, hiking, and many other humane outdoor activities that merit badges.