The ButterCream Gang (1992 Video)

Otto J. Mileti III: Mr. Carpenter

Quotes 

• Scott Carpenter : I think Pete stole the treats he gave Lannie and Eldon and me from Mr. Graff's store. But Pete's my best friend in the world. I really missed him while he was gone.

  Mr. Carpenter : I guess you think he joined a gang back in Chicago?

  Scott Carpenter : I don't know. But I don't want to get him into trouble. What should I do?

  Mr. Carpenter : Son, if you think this pie was stolen, you need to either return it or pay for it. If you think Pete stole it, you need to tell Mr. Graff. But before you go accussing him, you need to find out the truth. You need to ask Pete.

• Scott Carpenter : What's going on? What happened?

  Baseball Coach : It's about Pete.

  Mr. Turner : I got a letter from his aunt today.

  Mr. Carpenter : I just want you to know, son, it doesn't always turn out this way.

  Scott Carpenter : What happened?

  Margaret Miller : I'm really proud of you. You did the right thing.

  Scott Carpenter : Will someone please tell me what's going on?

  Mr. Carpenter : Mr. Turner, I think we ought to have the reverend read that letter.

  Baseball Coach : [reading]  "Dear Mr. Turner, I know I haven't written since last year when I told you that Pete was coming back to town to stay for the summer. I was reading the paper today when I saw his name in the article included. I guess it's pretty self-explanatory." Scott, why don't you read this?

  Scott Carpenter : [reading]  "Today at two o'clock, the mayor of Chicago honored, for the first time in the city's history, a member of a gang. That gang member was Pete Turner. Mr. Turner's gang is rather unusual. Mr. Turner tells his gang, 'If you accept yourself for who you are and truly love others, a lot of good will happen.' This gang, which only a few months ago was typical of those found in the area, refuses to fight or participate in any illegal activities and instead devotes much of their time to helping and serving the community around them."

• Scott Carpenter : Shouldn't doing what's right change something?

  Mr. Carpenter : Scott, you know I don't like to talk much about the war, but in Vietnam, I knew a soldier who always introduced himself by saying, 'Hi, I'm Scott Paulsen, and I'm a Christian.' Well, needless to say, we made his life miserable because of what he believed, but he never got angry at us. In fact, he was always the first one to help whenever anyone needed anything. I tried to get him to talk about it one night, but all he would say was, 'Tom, the way you treat me is between you and your god. The way I treat you is between me and mine.' Well, a few months later, Private Paulsen was killed. We were out on night patrol, and we got ambused. Twenty men down. Private Paulsen, being the man that he was, had volunteered to go, and the ironic thing about the situation was that he died saving a soldier who absolutely hated him. I just couldn't understand why he would do it. Then the war ended and life went on, and I forgot all about him until the night you were born. The first time I held you in my arms, I knew that I would give my life to protect you. And in that moment, I remembered Private Scott Paulsen.