Leaderboard

Today was a long but good day. My Facebook Memory for today was May 28, 2014. My oldest attended his first PLC as the PL of the New Scout Patrol. i commented how he was a little overwhelmed at times, but represented his patrol well. He did a really good job as PL. So good in fact, that when his term as PL ended, he was nominated for, and won the SPL position, beating out slightly older and experienced Scouts (troop he was in at the time was 2 years olds and the oldest Scouts were 13) Well tonight, he had his Eagle BOR. Paperwork is being cent to the council tomorrow, and onwards for nati

There are several threads going about how to deal with all of the problems but I wanted to focus on just one thing - money. Or more accurately, why and how to do scouts with little money. Not just belt tightening but cutting the budget by a lot. I have two assumptions. First, scouts for the most part don't really care about eagle or any other skill they might gain from being in the program. Their parents might but that can be more of a negative if the kid doesn't like camping. Scouts like to advance but I don't think it's as important as having fun with their friends. Back in the 60's, at

Today, Judge Silverstein concluded "that Sidley may continue to represent BSA generally in this bankruptcy case... Haynes and Boone (another BSA attorney) must handle all matters adverse to Century that address the substantive treatment of BSA’s insurance policies with Century, claims there under, proceeds there from or that otherwise implicate insurance coverage." https://casedocs.omniagentsolutions.com/cmsvol2/pub_47373/821723_728.pdf

There is a sense that bigger is worse. Growing up, our default camping locations: Adjacent a water dam (no swimming, just hiking and fishing) Lakes on conservancy land (again no swimming) The trail that cut across our county. The back of a farm The county fair grounds (our campsite actually was an "exhibit" for the Bicentennial) Town/township parks A church camp that needed a trail built during the off-season The county airport (SM put a gnarly orienteering course there) The nearest summer camp ... we'd do Klondike there in the winter W

@MattR, your thoughts are timely. We need this dialogue more than ever. I watched the general session of the National Annual Meeting today. Right off the bat, three pros talked at length (about 15 - 20 minutes) about big dollar fundraising. National is launching a new program to help councils raise money. They made other points, but the upshot was definitely "the show must go on." And by "show" I mean "keep those dollars rolling in." Overall, the general session had this one stark theme: the virtual absence of any discussion about the challenges families and units are going th

If the 18 - 20 year olds are treated with the same respect as other Scouters, i.e they count towards 2 Deep rules, I am game.

A few days ago I stopped checking this thread because of what I sensed was irrational negativity. I was going to post something back then but had one of those "write the letter but don't send it" moments. In the end we need to be optimistic in the most challenging of times and generally have an openness to seeing how we can move forward to another, better day. Relitigating policy decisions already made and making sweeping generalizations is just not going to be helpful to anyone. I wish everyone well who comments here and hope they can find ways to continue serving young people, whether it

My troop growing up did the bare bones type of camping. We went out every month, except December, and costs were in the $5 - $10 to cover food and supplies. We didn't do camporees, or any fancy dancy camps. We went to summer camp, and while we did do MB classes, it was nothing like today's camps. While 6 day sessions were offered, the last 2 period of the day were free swim, free boating, and free shooting sports. Unless a MB you wanted was only offered in 5th or 6th, you were out having fun. Night classes were special 1 nite event like CPR certification, First Aid certification,. and Hunte

I think we need to keep things in perspective here. First off, BSA has green lighted virtual campouts and even hosted them. BSA realizes - as should each of us - that Scouting needs to adapt to the environment we live in to stay relevant to our audience - children. Waiting until COVID is over to return to the way things were is bass-akwards and we will loose the attention of every child, even the most dedicated. Some will return for a while and try to recapture the magic, but they won't return forever. We are running them off when we hold back the tools they need to continue their journey and

I think there ought to be a moratorium on scouts complaining about what is fair or just during the pandemic. 100, 000 of our countrymen have died. 40 million are unemployed. Under these circumstances, whining about advancement seems selfish and un-scout-like.

To even use the word unjust is inappropriate- unless they are in only for the Eagle. I also see flawed logic in the postings regarding camping nights. When someone starts a post saying their unit is enthusiastic, and camps monthly, you have to do the math. Assume they started right out the gate 2/1/19. Say monthly camping March, April, May, summer camp in June or July, and a weekend trip the other month, then weekend trip in September, October, possibly November. In any event, that means likely 5 weekend trips minimum, plus summer camp = 16 camping nights? Getting 4 more by the end of 202

The delusion that scouting "works" in the living room and backyard is spreading. It was there pre-virus, but it has been fueled by the hype of councils and national--X badges earned, Y number of clicks on a website, Z people sleeping in the backyard. Sadly, I think this high-tech, lame version of scouting is here to stay. Think of the stories that scouts brag about it. It's not about the easy stuff. It was that day when it 100F, they ran out of water, got lost, the bear took most of their food so the crew shared one Cliff bar, etc. Who brags about backyard camping? Nobody. Because

When a son shows you that he is changing from a boy into a man ... Well, there are very few things in life that touch a father more deeply. A scout salute to your son! OldScout ( Eagle class of '76)

GUESS WHAT, EVERYONE? IT"S TIME TO LOCK THIS THREAD AGAIN! It's hard to type while holding down the shift key so please just assume I'm shouting at you. I'm not really shouting but, for the following people: @HashTagScouts, @MikeS72, @desertrat77, @Eagledad, @Mrjeff, @Jameson76, @BAJ ( @SSScout and @TAHAWK get a pass for trying to make light of it), and everyone else that is complaining about parents complaining about how unfair this virus is to our children. I'm fairly sure that there's another thread for that. Go find it and post there. This thread is supposed to be about chapter 11 and all

Upon reading your prefacing arguments, I thought I knew where you were going; but I came to the opposite conclusion. Faith based organizations as COs have been a long and true friend to the BSA. What have 'certain external advocacy organizations' done for you lately?

It's a reasonable question, and I'm inclined to argue that an LDS Scout who completes the prior requirements as written is still eligible to obtain and wear a religious knot and count it toward rank where applicable (that is, for Cub Scouts, not Scouts BSA). But the LDS emblems program was a footnote/annotation in the larger LDS youth progression programs, such as Faith in God for Boys, starting with: So there are some potential problems with keeping it as the only way for LDS youth to earn a Religious Emblem: The old program was gender-specific. There was no corresponding footno

I accessed the forums on Scoutbook this morning, looking for any tip on editing a feature. First time in probably two years since I had accessed those forums, and the first before they made the forum more than just about SB itself... OH. MY. LORD. The threads going on and on about how unfair it is that camping in the backyard doesn't count for Camping MB. How unjust it is that some of these kids will miss out on "getting Eagle" (one of the absolute worst phrases that makes me want to slap someone when I hear it- Eagle is not supposed to be 'got', it is supposed to be earned).

In 1993, I was introduced by a friend to her friend, the regional gay activist. In a brief discussion about the BSA, he said they were taking down the organization because of it's moral ideals that are contrary to the modern culture. I thought the guy was nuts at the time. Now, I understand. I feel sorry for the future families who will miss out on the scouting program that my dad, my sons and I got to experience. While is was a values program, it didn't have any foothold in the political nature. Activism has changed that. I'm feeling especially sorry for the more liberal families that w

As I and others have stated multiple times, this is not now, nor has it ever been, about compensating victims. The BSA has been identified by the postmodern deconstructionist as a target to be destroyed due to perpetuating a male-dominated power structure. Once so identified, no amount of change will satisfy because historical grievances will always outweigh. The BSA also runs afoul of the postmodernist by using such outdated ideas as a Scout Law (Trustworthy and Loyal are just a social construct built by the powerful) and Scout Oath (Duty is only due to oneself). Other organizations get a

Thanks for the updates … my biggest concern is loss of land. Primarily Philmont, Sea Base and council camps. I'm sure there is probably excess in some councils, but it is tough to put on good camporees (such as Klondike) or summer camp at public facilities or state parks. It was bad enough when we went to a camp with a non private lake. Completely understand there will be some loss, but hopefully we have enough to continue the program. Otherwise, I simply hope we survive in some form. I don't see how national or regional overhead loss will be negative, but time will tell. Scouts BS