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I am Conservative and I am Catholic. I just don't believe my views need to be part of a youth community organization to which all are welcome. Or should be.

Perhaps National reacted, rather followed, the response of some local Councils. Consider Gulf Stream Council which posted this video a week before National's letter in OP. The content is similar.

I got my Eagle 33 years ago and OA Brotherhood. I’ve commented a lot lately on decentralization and focus in various ways. I was a little taken aback at this new diversity merit badge, let alone its requirement. For my part, I don’t like having to inject high octane gas politics into the enjoyment and development of youth. As I’ve written elsewhere, that was not my experience in Memphis, TN...not always viewed in a particularly progressive light. Diversity is certainly a fact of life. I was under the impression that Boy Scouts, being a global enterprise with just about every ethnic group

Rather than a merit badge, it feels like this is more something akin to the Cyberchip. Make it required for an earlier rank and a catch up at Star rank. If the intention is to have everyone take it for Eagle, only a few will take it and they will leave it to the very end of the Eagle journey.

Scouts has certainly been an agent of change, there is no question of that. The manner in which that change as it applies to scouts is what is at issue. While what you say regarding disenfranchisement and historical social ills is true, the idea of attempting to hijack parent and leader guidance in a one size fits all everywhere is not always the best approach. As will be noticed, the LDS certainly does not agree with a unilateral forced dictation. the real strength and power of Scouts lies in the local people. This sort of orders problem is becoming more and more prevalent and

This letter, written by some young scouters, was sent to BSA national committee. Letter was dated June 11. Many of the points brought up in the letter was included in the BSA statement, but not all. https://drive.google.com/file/d/1zi8cnUESF5vKBjv91l5FVunzRYmkuCGO/view

Correlation is not cause. If you do not understand the difference, I recommend you read up on it. BSA is not an agent of cultural change. By following their mission, they may affect it, but it is not the mission. Racism, or sexism, or ageism, or "genderism", or any other discrimination-"ism" you can name (as well as religious discrimination) have always existed. They are part of our human nature which we must eternally struggle against. You will never end them. There is a simple answer, 'Love God, and love your neighbor as you love yourself." Scout Oath and Scout Law ar

there are some indications that unconscious bias are at work, but it is equal opportunity. I'll not do the researchers justice but let me explain why this bears some scrutiny. Statistics can matter. Why? It demonstrates recorded patters and when they are presented to the public, that becomes their impression. The press and internet bear a lot of the blame on this particular issue because they report the sensational and selectively based on what keeps their ratings up. Humans go for the wild and sensational, always have. But we get pounded and bombarded with the stories that are tai

Yeah, that wasn't suppose to happen. It is an MBC that issues the card. Not a council or such.

Did each merit badge start with a conversation between the scout and his SM ? ... email, phone call, socially distant in-person ? Every MB starts with the scout letting his SM know .... "Mr SM. I'm going to be joining this MB session in another council to do this MB ...." ..., then I'd hope the SM would make it easy for him. That's explicit in the BSA Guide To Advancement and the scout's blue card. It's not about the SM approving the MB situation. It's about the SM being aware of what's happening. SMs want to be aware as advancement growth is not about the number of MBs a scou

Here's another idea: Make scouting more available to kids in poor neighborhoods. Rather than describe and discuss, do. I read a discussion among some people trying to figure out how to reduce violence in poor neighborhoods. A study was brought up in which three different approaches were tried. The first was increase police. The second was increase social workers. The third was replace dilapidated buildings with parks and playgrounds. The first two did very little but the third made a substantial impact. They also mentioned how important youth programs are. They mentioned Boys and Girls Cl

So... BSA has decided to change the Eagle requirements AND add a new merit badge with little or no input from volunteers. Sort of on a whim. Great move. This falls into the "let's do something even if it's not well thought out" category BSA has decided to add to the required training for volunteers with little or no input. Another great move Not saying these are necessarily poor initiatives. They wreak of knee jerk reaction and a lack of actual leadership

Youth first is a meaningless term. Liberals all think the best interest of the child is to be raised liberal, so youth first means liberal first. Conservative parents obviously believe something else. Many of us believe that God and religion do come first, in every aspect of our lives. We want to pass that view on to our children and grandchildren. I think we have a right to do that.

I’m not a betting man on something like this. But at this point, it would be hard if not impossible to dispute the reason for the action. Everyone must accept that no place or activity is immune from the effects of explosive politics forcibly injected into everything. My statement isn’t a value judgement, just an acknowledgement of how the world has come to be in this country.

I will hasten to add this, if you go and search for Albuquerque man chased down, you will see protesters chasing a solitary man, laying hands on and threatening to kill. As a last resort, the man pulls his own weapon and shoots. in Portland, Oregon, a statue of Jefferson has been toppled as racist. There is a lot that is going on that is assaulting Scouting traditions. Each day it gets worse it seems. Isolated incidents do not make for a new norm. News is designed to be emotional and inflammatory and has become volatile to an extreme. Scouts is being dragged into this mire more and

@CynicalScouter I think we are talking past one another. I am saying don't punish the Scout who appears to have acted in good faith at the end of the process. Fill out the form and make the complaint, but don't punish the Scout.

Spell check. BSA spells it commissioners.

I agree entirely. Every culture in history has emphasized that statement "Love your neighbor as yourself" (they vary a bit on God) If someone isn't willing to love their neighbor, no training, no pleading no cultural sensitivity , diversity training or even law will work. In that instance, they have decided. What seems to be occurring is a forced pill shoved down the throat with a bellows on a patient. Its as if one group of people believe the others don't know or are just too stupid to what is going on among communities. We have Citizenship in the Community, Nation and merit badges

If the SM believes the MBC was invalid or failed to meet the basic minimum standards for the merit badge (read: merit badge mill) they can and arguably should/must file a 11.1.0.0 Reporting Merit Badge Counseling Concerns. Neither 7.0.0.3 nor 7.0.4.6 preclude a review under 11.1.0.0. And this is in addition to the SM review under 7.0.4.7 From the 11.1.0.0 Reporting Merit Badge Counseling Concerns form itself.

Two thoughts, First based on your website - "Police killed 1004 people in 2019. Black people were 24% of those killed despite being only 13% of the population" Second, and the most important in my mind - this is not about systematic racism or police bias. That is what some of the protest are about, but it is really about stopping racism in the entire country. This is not a new problem, it has been part of this nation since its start. It did not end after the civil war, it did not end with civil rights legislation, it still exist. That is what the MB and the scouts can help st

As I understand it the issue is not "do you have a signed blue card?" The issue is "I as SM have no record showing the person who signed that blue card is a registered and valid MBC because they are not in Scoutbook, therefore I want to track this down/I want more information." As I said earlier, if this were unit or district/council it would be easy: poke your unit or district advancement chair or poke someone at council to confirm the MBC's status. Easy peasy. But doing it for a MBC that could be half a continent away? Not so much.

Can you take picture of blue and card and send image of the card? ... from what I'm hearing ... SM is trying to help and well intentioned, but may be a little over zealous ... OR, just trying to learn how to do things in this new COVID-19 safe-distancing world.

And the SM needs to understand that a) not all MBCs are in Scoutbook and b) even the ones in Scoutbook may have lapsed/be no longer registered.

The session may have been, but the Guide to Advancement does not contemplate "council signatures" and that is why your SM may be having a problem. This sounds like a merit badge mill. It is not "the council" that the scout was suppose to have a discussion with or show or demonstrate. It was a particular human being. That human being is suppose to be a registered MBC. That is what is frustrating with these mills. It is suppose to be merit badge COUNSELING. Not a mill where the scout sits there, stares at a screen, and gets a sign off "from council." Even in summer camps when a blue card i

Simple answer ... it should not be an issue. Recording MBs in ScoutBook do NOT require entering the MB counselor's name. Is the SM having an issue with this?

... sadly ... until about a year ago ... I could have answered. I had old versions of the Advancement Committee Policies and Procedures from before 2000 that I inherited. I also had the ACPP versions I started using in the mid 2000s. ... happily ... I have more of my house back. Really wasted a lot of space keeping old documents / books that I'd be purging in ten / twenty years when I move again. I'd rather have the clean house now. From what I understood, the MB program was never a troop program and has always been overseen by council / district. Scouts have always been ope

That's great !!! From what I'm hearing this is all administrative stuff adults should resolve. It's not a scout issue. If you want to be helpful, you could provide supporting place the SM could use. But at some point, the SM should say "I trust you and it looks good."

Part of this is (as I understand it) back in the day the SM had much, much more control over the merit badge counselor system and the phase "scoutmaster approved" was used. Now, GTA says that the SM has to provide a name, but cannot force the issue SO LONG AS THE MBC IS A REGISTERED ONE. And that's where the SM may make inquiry: was this MBC "registered and has been approved by the council advancement committee" in their home council? If not, then you got lots of problems up to and possibly included voiding the merit badge under GTA 11.1.0.0.

Yeah, in my day, the councilor list was hanging on a bulletin board and we'd tell the SM that who we'd like to take the badge from. Same principal, but less global. Of course the SM didn't have to log much -- just stack up his portion of the blue cards then walk them over to Mickey's Men's store, grab a form, and order the badges. I'm not entirely against scouts using more global resources. But it certainly does slow down the process because the IT Group wasn't prepared to deliver the SM what he needed to be confident of his scouts' counselors the way older, smaller, districts used to be.

The SM meeting requires only that the SM provide at least 1 MBC name. The scout is then free to go to any MBC that is valid and registered. There are virtual merit badge colleges being offered literally around the world (Transatlantic Council). I've had scouts who have signed up for the Virtual merit badge college across the country, THEN go to the SM for the blue card meeting before the college started (e.g. Sign up Thursday, Email SM Thursday night, SM does a virtual meeting/virtual sign off, Merit badge college starts Monday). EDIT: The problem is some SMs are (rightly) openly question

Didn't your scout meet with his SM before requesting a blue card? Weren't these counselors ones that your SM recommended for your scout before he contacted them?

Hear, hear. When you look at the empirical data and studies done, you cannot reasonably reach the conclusion there is "systemic" racism, nor is there a police bias. It is perceived... There are, however, far too many cases of excessive use of force...but race is not a statistically significant causal factor in these. https://killedbypolice.net/ See the bottom of the splash page for "proven solutions" None of those have anything to do with race... When we disguise our feelings as thought, we make all nonsense possible.

@Navybone The point on B-P is that rational decisions and thought processes are devoid in people today. There are folks who want to remove the Washington Monument and Jefferson Memorial. The question on the pamphlet vs a MB is making it Eagle required is where do you want the BSA to inject itself in this area? My point is early. This will overtime become another last minute MB done to check the block. Also believe it or not we are not the primary influence on a boys life. We see then an hour and a half a week and once a month on an outdoor event if we are lucky. Just as i

That's right. But the flip is that a person could be listed in scoutbook and not actually be a fully registered and valid MBC. How? Some council upload the council's list of merit badge counselors. These counselor then show up in scoutbook with a blue checkmark as "Approved by NNNNNNN Council". If the MBC has opted to be visible as a "Counselor for any Scout in the BSA" then troops from other councils can see him in scoutbook.com. But some councils like mine that don't upload the council's list of merit badge counselors into scoutbook.com. To be able to connect one of our tro

Is this a process issue or a substantive issue for the SM? It might be he's just trying to bang them in to Scoutbook and without names and contacts he's bumping into issues. I would explore with him what he's really trying to accomplish. These things almosy always work out, but when things are done in a way that's different from previous processes (as is everything these days) it can take a bit longer. If he's concerned about the substance or quality of the merit badge completion that's a different matter altogether.

The SM has an a duty to ensure that the blue card was validly signed by a valid MBC. See Guide to Advancement 7.0.4.7

I would not refer to Frogg Toggs as "semi-durable". They are slightly better than disposable, but not by much. Tje material will catch on any twig or branch and shred rather easily. Poncho vs Rain jacket + pants? My personal preference is the latter. I have found that doing almost everything with a poncho is miserable. The only thing it may be better at is squatting over a cat hole and even that is questionable. A poncho does make for a good emergency shelter. But a small tarp is better. With jacket + pants, one can use one or both as needed. Being more snug to the body, you can do t

Not all units and/or councils use Scoutbook. A person could be a fully registered and valid MBC and not in Scoutbook because a) they chose not to be or b) the unit they are associated with doesn't use Scoutbook or c) their Council does not use Scoutbook as its MBC list (they use Doubleknot or some other something or other) Under the Guide to Advancement, the SM can (and arguably must) confirm that the MBC was registered and valid. In unit that's simple: the SM double checks with the advancement chair. In council that process is simple: just call (or look up) the Council provided MBC list

Regarding Baden-Powell, to quote Bear Grylls “Baden-Powell may have taken the first step in creating Scouting, but the journey continues today without him. We know where we came from but we are not going back." (I added emphasis). The organization and the leadership can, must be stronger than one man. It does not mean tossing out all his ideas, it means keeping and strengthening the right ones. Regarding a pamphlet for family discussion - racism is a learned behavior. The racism that Blacks in this country have been experiencing is not a new problem, and if we want to be part of the s

A scout, that used to be in my troop and is now a cop on the city police force, said it's a very complicated mess. As long as people appreciate that fact I think it's possible to talk about it. We talked about a lot of issues and I learned a lot. Let's just say I'm proud of this scout and my town's police force. I think this is one of those areas where there are lots of assumptions on both sides about how easy it is to solve that just make things hard to talk about.

The alternative is quite simple. If BSA believes that BLM has merit, they should: Encourage scouts to participate in the rallies in uniform either with the movement or with the police (both-and is possible), and help all participants maintain peace and order as they advocate their position. No merit badges, no rank advancement ... just another good turn daily. It's not original either. It's what we do. From two years ago: https://www.bbc.com/news/world-europe-39804471

Why would the BSA feel the need to wade into this? Does National not know the Scout oath and the Scout law? I just marked a Scouts rank advancement tonight about how he lives the law and the oath in his daily life. As Scouts that is what we are called to do. Does National not think we take take the law and the oath seriously. We must all share in the collective guilt, right. Purely political. Sad.

No, I think they have been planning something like this for some time now. They have probably been looking for a reason to impose their political correctness doctrine. I don't think this is just a knee jerk reaction. I think they are taking advantage of recent events to do what they have been wanting to do all along. This won't be just about racism. They will add the whole liberal grocery list.

I disagree. I can't disagree with any of these initiatives. Discrimination is wrong on every level

Just my 2 cents but scouting would be greatly served if these kids were the target audience of the post covruptcy BSA.

When you've been a stick in the mud, if not an actual dam in the mud, regarding other issues like girls in scouting or differently gendered kids in scouting, it is hard to have credibility when addressing things like racism. BP was a flawed individual, but what he showed through his actions as he evolved through time is that he was always youth first as best he understood that to be. Scouts lately has not been youth first. It's been church first, special interest first, rank first, Eagle scout first, adults first, politics first, or money first. It needs to get back to youth first. And outdoo

Just this past weekend my son's Law Enforcement Explorer leaders emphasized to the post youth to keep their opinions to themselves and not wear anything identifying them with law enforcement for their own safety. Got a lot of feelings and thoughts about all of this but I'll just keep them to myself.