Former US senator and current Law & Order actor, Fred Thompson sat down with Kansas City Live yesterday, explaining the significance of Scouting for young men and his experiences in acting.

“I was a Scout as boy, but it became more important to me later on in life as I traveled around and did various things,” Thompson revealed when asked about Scouting’s importance to him.

“I just saw how important character is and how important the basic laws and oath are…how important it is to the country- especially nowadays, we need leadership more and more,” he continued, ” and people of character to take on leadership.”

“Theres no better organization that I know of that does more to instill basic virtues and character in young men than the Boy Scouts,” he concluded.

Thompson later shared his words of wisdom and warm congratulations that afternoon as guest speaker at the annual Kansas City Patron Luncheon, hosted by the Heart of America Council. The luncheon welcomed over 900 attendees and raised more than $447,000 for Scouting programs in Kansas City.

This got us to thinking, given his Law & Order roots, if Thompson was on a television show about Scouting, maybe it would start this way: ”In the Scouting system, young people are represented by two separate yet equally important groups: the Cub Scouts; and Boy Scouts and Venturing.  These are their stories…”

To watch Thompson’s full interview on Scouting, head over to KCL and check out the image gallery for a glimpse at the Kansas City Patron Luncheon.