John Tierney is a contributing writer for The Atlantic and a former professor of American government at Boston College. He is the author of Organized Interests and American Democracy (with Kay L. Schlozman) and The U.S. Postal Service: Status and Prospects of a Government Enterprise.
A visit to the headquarters of the Minsi Trails Council in Allentown, Pennsylvania, reveals the lasting influence of the organization—and some of the challenges of modern parenting.