Re: Who Draws the Line?

It's great to be able to answer questions of your fellow Scouters right
after answering questions from your military boss via email!!

Who Draws the Line?? YOU DO!!!!

The bottom line: if you feel that a Scouting rule or policy is NOT being
followed, it is YOUR CALL to inform someone of that fact. Waiting for
someone else to chime in and say "yeah, you're right" only embeds the
problem deeper and can lead to the defense "well, you knew it back when your
son was in our unit...why didn't you bring it up to us before if it bothered
you??"

Earl Haag asked for a low-profile Scouter:

>Question 1: Is any of these three adult behaviors (smoking in front of
>the Scouts, drinking in front of the Scouts and giving cigars to a
>Scout) considered unacceptable by the BSA National Leadership >(whoever
they may be)? Or are they all acceptable?

The BSA's Safe Guide for Scouting (any edition, Earl...just get a copy and
hand it to your friend!) says that smoking is not acceptable behavior during
Scouting events. It also discourages Scouters from "aiding and assisting
Scouts" in smoking. Drinking (even wine) is also not acceptable behavior.
Don't have a Safe Guide for Scouting handy?? I'm sure that this person has
a Scoutmasters' Handbook...look on page140:

At the top of the page, under "For Adult Leaders Only" (and yeah, I've wrote
National THREE TIMES about that line at the top.....it should say something
like "ADULTS PAY ATTENTION" or something like that:

"When you're on a Scout campout, remember the boys will look up to you as a
role model -- someone they want to respect and copy. Clearly then, ALCOHOL,
DRUGS and offensive language and behavior are entirely out of place, and a
disservice to every boy in the Troop. Enough said."

(tobacco is considered a legal drug).

>Question 2: If the behavior is unacceptable how is my buddy supposed >to do
anything about it if the Scoutmaster and a majority of the >Committee
approve of the behavior (without endangering the future of >his son's
Scouting adventures)?

The Scoutmaster and those other adults are WRONG. Period. What can he do
about it?? Move his son and himself to another unit and LET EVERYONE KNOW
ABOUT IT. Before you do this, however, give them a chance to "plead
ignorance" and approach the chartered organizational representative (COR)
with this information. The COR hires and fires the leadership, as we've
discussed here over the past week. If the COR doesn't do anything about it,
or thinks that the person doesn't know what he or she's talking about, then
it's time to walk with his son over to another Scouting unit where they
understand the rules.

The Unit's Commissioner should also be notified, because if they're giving
cigars to Scouts during Scout camps, what ELSE are they doing ????

Settummanque!
(c) 1997 Mike Walton ("no such thing as strong coffee,...") (502) 827-9201
(settummanque, the blackeagle) http://dynasty.net/users/blkeagle
241 Fairview Dr., Henderson, KY 42420-4339 blkeagle@dynasty.net
kyblkeagle@aol.com or waltonm@hq.21taacom.army.mil
---- FORWARD in service to youth ----

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