Leaderboard

I am a Scouting historian. This is what happens when your time in Scouting equals half the time that the program has been in existence. An unpaid but gratifying position (like most of our positions). My focus has primarily been my local council in which, in a fit of madness, I began a two-year process which ended up with a 500 plus page book. During that process, I went through literally thousands of local and national documents over two years trying to get a feel for the program at different time periods. I conducted countless interviews. And I came away with a very different understanding of

While I was received with open arms as an ASM in an on base troop in Germany in 1966, I lost my involvement due to transfer to remote station and then return to college after going home and getting out. It was also the middle of the negative "uniform" response already noted in this piece, and the world was chaotic and the hope of the Kennedy challenge was lost due to his and the other prominent leader assassinations. I attempted to become reinvolved in 1975 in Orange County, CA but the office ignored me. In 1976, I tried again in the old GWC and was grabbed, along with my ex after att

Obviously you have a strong opinion. But it's just an opinion. After watching the last national elections, my opinion is judgement will be whatever the national media says it is. Barry

The problem is that many people/organizations -- including the Washington Post -- have been trying to destroy Scouting and other societal institutions for decades as part of their agenda for change. Looking to WaPo for constructive ideas to preserve the program would be like looking to Karl Marx for ideas to preserve capitalism or Cortez for ideas to preserve the Incas. Nothing we suggest to preserve the program will be sufficient for them because destruction of the program is their ultimate goal. BSA would have been pilloried for publicly "outing" people it suspected but had no hard ev

Entomologists are all kids at heart. I visited the local ag school's dept. when my son was a cub scout and they were just so into it. They were bragging about how you hadn't been stung until you've been stung by this one insect that had a 5" long stinger and they only knew it existed in this one remote corner of the state that few people ever went (hence why it wasn't extinct). Anyway, if they want to change the name of the MB, it's the kid in them and I'd let them change it to whatever they wanted because it would be a great MB.

Just saw this on another Scout Facebook page: Walkathon to unveil new McMorris Lodge in memory of late Boy Scout - Riverhead News Review (timesreview.com)

Membership age should be extended to calendar year 21. Some youth organizations use 21 as the cut off, especially if it's something extracurricular, so that they can continue through college. There is no sensible reason I can see for scouts to cut off at 18. At the very least, scouts ought to extend it to calendar year 18 to make it easier for high school seniors to stay engaged in a peer activity through the end of their senior year because a lot of them turn 18 before their year is out. Would seem to be a simple and common sense way to increase membership.

None whatsoever. Instead of people with experience in the program they either look for warm bodies who get promoted, or folks with academic credentials. When I worked for national supply, my boss started off as a warm body, a sales clerk, and gradually moved up to manager. But the boss has 0 field experience in the program. When she hired me to be part of a trial program, it was because I had experience in the field and working summer camp. Every single proposal she questioned because she had no idea how summer camp operates. When I tried to explain why I suggested things, I was ignore

IMHO, in BSA history our national leadership was been isolated, lacking; outside influences aggravated their bad decisions which were further exacerbated by not communicating with exasperated scouters. Some top of my head examples Founders fighting over control, competition from other scout organizations and YMCA dropping troops , White Stag leadership training replacing our old Wood Badge which focused on scoutcraft and Patrol Method , society changes in 60's and 70's, Improved Scouting Program, ..arrggg where's my aspirin. Summit Bechtel, economic downturn,..

My dad and uncles Troop was like your troop. They accepted the new requirements, but otherwise just kept doing their usual outdoor program.

Do not underestimate the damage done in the 70's with the ISP (Improved Scouting Program). That was a pivotal misstep and lack of direction and understanding by Ivory Tower National Leadership on how the program works. So many left youth and so many youth NEVER became Scouts and while that immediate loss was epic, the longer term an effect that has driven the quest for the golden ring of "membership" lo these last 50 years. Without being members as youth, many were not invested in the program. As adults they did not involve their kids, so less members. Rinse, lather, repeat. Nati

@gpurlee, have you read Rothschild’s piece on Lowe and (indirectly) West and the proprietorship of “scout”? It does a lot to set the stage for some of the 21st century struggles. Although, I think there were two related shifts starting in the 60s that also have a cumulative impact on where we are today: The ageist policy restricting rank advancement to under age 18 because “it’s a boys award.” The rise of “bookwork” badges to the required list for Eagle and the removal of observe/report badges, like Bird Study, from that list. The former shift basically assumes that green

People won't care what BSA exactly admits to. The numbers will tell the story. If the numbers are anywhere close to what they are now claiming, BSA will be found guilty in the court of public opinion.

Naturally, comments are disabled now on the video. They aren't looking for feedback or consensus, but to push it forward regardless of opinion.

Just about everybody will see a settlement as an admission of guilt.

BSA is in this situation because of BSA. I agree BSA is not in a position to take the offensive but it could at least defend itself-- meaning the units and those still laboring in them. We have had months of silent and absent leadership at the top that has not even responded to the most egregious of claims. What's been leaked from the Churchill Project clearly shows there is no hope of an innovative restructuring, it's just business as usual. There's been no communication down to the unit level as we've proceeded through this mess. This is not normal for a viable organization. Even the most C

BSA as a group didn't molest children nor did it protect child molesters as a group. Some individuals feared publicity would harm the organization but the organization in general tried to keep people with that predilection out. You can certainly argue that it was too sweeping with the bans but just what guidelines would you propose absent criminal records (which WERE immediate disqualifiers depending on the crimes)? Unfortunately, BSA is on a course toward settlement. IMO, settlement will not end this because ultimately, it's not what the activists want. This has been a decades-long f

I retract my comments and the "faux" part. That was categorically wrong of me to state that and I did so solely out of frustration. There is no excuse for what I wrote and you are right to call me on it. Sexual abuse is wrong. The BSA was wrong. Anything and everything should be done to protect the kids we serve. Everyone who was abused deserves compensation and to be made whole. I am just frustrated by the lack of constructive ideas to preserve the program itself. I wrongly thought the Washington Post should have made a more constructive suggestion here. I let my frustration at t

I don't think so. The problem isn't that BSA is getting bad press. The problem is that many thousands of scouts were sexually molested in scouting. There is no faux outrage here. The outrage is real.

"If a tree falls in a forest..." Trees can fail at any time, seemingly healthy trees may give way to wind, rotted trunk centers, formerly dry ground now saturated with water.... I would drive to work at 3:30am (!) every day. I enjoyed the clear skies, quiet mornings, empty roads. The first road I traveled went thru a wooded area. One morning, I was surprised as a BIG Oak fell across my path , just as I went under it. It landed astraddle the road, with the hood of my car under it, the main trunk about 6" from my windshield. I was able to back out, car untouched, me only adren

I can think of one. Many Chartered Organizations wouldn't like it. My CO wouldn't like it at all.

I did very poorly at finger painting in kindergarten, but I have never had any desire to go back and finish the job. That time is past, and I have moved on to bigger and better things. None of the goals/achievements of my childhood, whether I succeeded at them or not, compare with the goals/achievements of my adulthood. This is the way it should be. I have no desire to be a Boy Scout again. I think the most important lesson we men can teach our teenage sons is that there will someday come a time when they will need to put away childish things and become a man. Once they become a man,