Re: Special Council Shoulder Patches
(no name) ((no email))
Fri, 15 Jan 1999 00:34:45 -0600
Peter Murphy asked:
>My Council is following the state's example with its CSP. I wonder
>how popular all of these would be if the council let on that
>special CSPs should only be worn for a short period of time.
But Peter, the special CSPs weren't made for *wearing*, or else
your Council would have sent a copy of each to National, whom would
have after the second or third one, wrote back to the local Council
requesting "and which one do we consider as your OFFICIAL Council
Shoulder Patch?"
Many Councils cranked out and continue to crank out special CSPs as
additional funding sources for their overall program or parts of
their programming. There's NOTHING wrong with this. But to insure
uniformity (there's that word again!), everyone in your Council
should be wearing the SAME CSP (with those exceptions of those that
took part or taking part in a significant national or Council event
or activity...and then, for a short period to publicize the event
and their participation).
For example, several Councils cranked out special "Bicentennial"
CSPs and Lodge flaps. They were allowed to wear them all year
during 1976. But when 1977 came around, the patches were to be
taken off. Why? Because the event is OVER, no matter how much
"prettier" the Bicentennial CSP or flap was over the drab, plain,
dull CSP. A lot of Councils removed the "bicentennial" parts and
developed new CSPs based on those designs....
This is different than the special plates, because each state is
more or less obligated to honor the other state's plates and
identity items. States don't have to "send their plate designs" to
a federal "plate compliance board" to gain approval or consensus.
BSA Councils DO have to send their OFFICIAL strips (and other
official insignia for wear on the field uniform) to National for
approval and concurrence (even though a few years ago, National
delegated that approval to local Council Scout Executives -- but
the Council is STILL OBLIGATED to send two copies of the final
design or patch to the BSA's Uniform and Insignia Committee, who
has the final say on the usage!)
>We have an Eagle Scout CSP, one for White Stag (week long JLT), a
>special award CSP for involved in crossing over 75% or more
>Webelos from a pack into Boy Scouts, and a collection of 12 FOS
>CSPs - each with a different color scheme and one of the points of
>the Scout Law.
Surely, your Council is NOT recommending that all Eagle Scouts in
your Council wear the Eagle Scout CSP; and anyone giving money to
your Council wear one of 12 FOS CSPs corresponding to the year that
they gave in excess of the family FOS goal??
Those items are nice to have, and possibly something that can be
worn on a jacket; but not for "permanent wear" by members of your
Council. If that was the case, then why are we breaking our backs
to have Eagle Scouts to wear the Eagle Scout cloth patch?? Why are
we telling Scouts to wear the special JLT patch or other insignia?
Just like with the special Eagle Scout neckerchief, if our Troop
has a neckerchief, the new Eagle Scout gets to wear the special
white neckerchief for a short period of time...and then go back to
wearing the same one that EVERYONE ELSE wears.
Uniformity. Dull, yeah; especially if nobody in your Council can
design worth a plug nickel! But that's the way it goes...
>Should I ask the members of my troop to replace these special CSPs
>with the standard one? The White Stag CSP is the main non-standard
>one in use in the troop.
*I* would have those that went to White Stag to wear their CSPs for
six months after they finished White Stag. Everyone else should be
wearing the standard Council CSP of the Council they belong to
unless they are a new Eagle Scout (six months after earning Eagle
and the special CSP goes off and the "common issued one" goes back
on) or going to take part in the next Jamboree.
Settummanque!
(c) 1998 Mike Walton ("no such thing as strong coffee,...") blkeagle@mninter.net
http://mninter.net/~blkeagle Burnsville, MN 55306-7130 (612) 435-3085
privately at kyblkeagle@aol.com or waltonm@server.kaiserslautern.army.mil
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