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A few random observations from watching this bankruptcy unfold over the past several months: The focus has clearly been on protecting the national organization first and then the local councils. The appearance that the national BSA has given is that the relationships with the chartered organizations have been an afterthought. What I am seeing playing out on the local level is that several chartered organizations are either planning or discussing dropping Scouting all together and avoiding the facility use option. There is a crisis of confidence and trust that has developed between t

I agree. I've yet to talk to anyone who cares how this comes out. They believe Scouting will move on as it has. I remember when many folks believe the gay restriction would kill the BSA, then they said allowing gays would kill the BSA. Some felt restricting ashiest will kill the BSA. Restricting girls was killing the program. Admitting girls will kill the program. Just about every person who I saw give these predictions had a history of other anti-BSA rants.. The BSA is a 110 years old, give or take, and has the distinct reputation of developing values and character in the scou

...and often, even if they are not congregation members.

I think the primary reason is they see it as within their ministry. They believe scouting values are important for youth and by serving as a CO, they can help youth obtain these values.

"It's tough to make predictions, especially about the future." - Yogi Berra Yogi is 100% correct ... but I'll venture out a bit as it relates to bankruptcy. I'm not convinced most parents care about the bankruptcy. Occasionally it comes up ... but they see our Pack is lead by parents they know. We are not strangers and there is still some interest in scouting. I really doubt that amount BSA pays has any impact on recruiting. The real impact on the program going forward will be a mix of Covid, volunteers and what families value.

Yes, it's just incomprehensible. But so much about present day life is. I don't know whether BSA is damning themselves by behaving this way, or if they've just learned to play by survive at all cost rules like everyone else. There is so much commentary about how the woke world has destroyed scouting and yet I see it as a slow collapse from within.

Let's also remember that many units are tied to another unit of the other gender. By having separate weeks you would effectively preclude many units from being able to get to camp. Being in Texas, it takes a lot of money to move scouts from our home location to another. Regarding the bathrooms, most camps I have gone to in the last five years have been converting to the single stall approach with a sink/toilet/shower all in one locking room. It works for any gender or age. Personally I am a big fan of these because they just work. Scouts are more comfortable using them. I do wish th

Right, both nationally and locally the Methodists have been told to NOT sign any recharters that take them past December 31, 2021. Some did (summer recharters) but most didn't. I know my council typically sends out the "it's recharter time!" emails starting in September. Once that happens, that is when the very awkward conversations are going to happen in earnest. Right now, the Methodists and Catholics have the leverage, I agree. But the question is how much of it is a bluff?

That's why the next few weeks are an utter murky mess. The RSA being accepted, rejected, or accepted with modifications by the court could have only a passing relationship with whether the full Reorg Plan goes to a vote this fall. BSA's already financially plotted out what happens if they cannot emerge until March 2022 and that slide was presented in the hearing (short version: cash flow and cash reserves drop to near zero, things like the OA fund, the endowment, and other "restricted" funds get raided for cash). There's also a possibility, small as it is, that with the ongoing negot

Finally! I’m famous. I always knew it would happen one day. 😬 Did he comment on my overall gentility, haberdashery and, of course, my coif? Oh, yeah. He can’t see me. Dang it. My agent will be accepting applications for the T/N Fan Club officer positions starting at 9:00AM ET. Thank you. Thank you very much.

All of this is arrogance on the part of the BSA. We have an abuse problem, but it's not very big. Equitable Compensation, the abused survivors will take pennies on the dollar and go away happy. Our CO's which are mission critical would never desert us, because they need us. Reach out to an abused scout and help him out, hell no we have millions more where he came from.

You wanted some advice on being a Merit Badge Counselor (MBC)... 1. Read the current Guide to Advancement (G2A) https://filestore.scouting.org/filestore/pdf/33088.pdf, particularly Section 7. Read it again. 2. Get a current Merit Badge book for each Merit Badge you wish to counsel. Read them. Read them again. Read them a third time. 3. A Scout must complete the requirements, AND NOTHING MORE!. A Scout must complete the requirements, AND NOTHING LESS! (see above) Too many times I see MBCs cutting corners, skipping requirements, or adding stuff that is not in the badge.

@CynicalScouter Thanks from me and frankly, surely everyone, for tracking on the status of National's bankruptcy pleadings, and the procedural steps, past and pending, in the Bankruptcy case. And your commentary thereon. It is no small task to monitor, summarize, and report on the significance of pleadings filed. Your efforts surely enable many non-lawyers to meaningfully follow along on a largely otherwise indecipherable process. Thank you.