DYB-Mike

I also noted the inclusion of The Golden Compass in the Scouter Magazine article. I have not read the books but I am familiar with the controversy. Heres an interesting twist. I had read an article in a local paper a while back highlighting a book called Killing the Imposter God: Philip Pullmans Spiritual Imagination in His Dark Materials, co-authored by Donna Freitas. Ms. Freitas believes the Pullman is not promoting godlessness at all. Her theory is that the God that is overthrown is not God in the spiritual sense but an imposter God, a.k.a. a representation of a worldly, oppr

Packsaddle, Ouch! I think Im one of those self-described history buffs you are referring to on the other thread. Ill admit to perhaps not having the depth of knowledge on this subject as some and I tried to substantiate my position by on line research and books, but it never occurred to me to search the Scouter Forums for the causes of the American Civil War. How to remove a scoutmaster or where to put the Universal Emblem, yes, but not the causes of the Civil War. At a minimum at least I can say I profited from the exchange of viewpoints. I really need to stay out of

Buffalo Skipper, Oh the irony! One thing I did not mention in the discussion was that our Pack was awaiting word on whether our Wolf Den Leader would return this year. Well, we just got the word no. The reason? Her son has dropped out of cub scouts! We had heard rumors about her son being up and down about returning but now have the confirmation. She has another boy, a Webelos, who is remaining, but apparently she doesnt want to lead the Wolf Den if her younger son isnt in it. For the record she was a good Tiger Den Leader and has, and Im sure still will, helped out the Pa

Buffalo Skipper, Now I see where youre coming from and the problem is somewhat different from what I understood it to be. It appears not so much Johnny wanting to drop out as Mr. And Mrs. Johnny not holding up their end of the bargain. Maybe if you prepared a Notice to Parents, separate from your packbook, that succinctly (no more than two pages) outlined what your expectations for participation are, how casual attendance can be detrimental on several levels (boy, den, pack), and that for the pack to run a successful program the cooperation and assistance of the parents is essential

Hi Buffalo Skipper, I may have been a little harsh myself. I guess it was the stupid question that got me. I wholeheartedly agree that we as parents must exercise our authority when necessary, particularly in the event of non-stop video game marathons. I also believe that it doesnt hurt to engage our kids in decisions about them. Ive gotten some surprisingly rational responses from my children. Ultimately we parents make the decision but I believe that by showing that were willing to listen and that we value their opinions we build relationships that hopefully will serve us in the di

to (politely) express how stupid a question like this is for a parent to ask their 8 year old. Buffalo Skipper, doesnt that seem somewhat harsh? Are you saying that we should force our children do things they dont want to do? While I understand youre trying to prove a point I dont think the analogy holds. Forcing a child to remain in elementary school and forcing a child to remain in scouts are apples and oranges. Whether we like it or not our kids are not always going to be interested in the things that we would like them to be interested in. My wife is the athlete in the fa

Scout, In musing over the discussion concern Lincolns actions and the Civil War Ill admit that Gold Winger and yourself presented attitudes and information that I was not fully aware of and, while my own opinion may not have completely changed it certainly has given me some food for thought and Im appreciative of that. It also caused me to remember an discussion we had a while back where you bemoaned the fact that traditional history (I believe I referred to it as one-dimensional) was no longer taught in schools and that modern history (warts and all) seemed to be concerned with pres

Gold Winger, If Lincoln hadn't been a nut job, hell bent on having a massive war, sending thousands to die for an unpopular cause, who knows where we'd be today. Unpopular war? Remember the draft riots? The potential for bloodshed would still be there. We would have two countries instead of one, each competing for possession and/or dominance of the western lands. At some point the South would have experienced some sort of emancipation movement amongst the slaves themselves. Would it be bloodless? What if an organized delegation of slaves appealed to the Northern States of Americ

Gold Winger, Because it wouldnt have been the United States of America any more. Well, I guess technically they would still be united states, but I guess it would also prove that the self evident truths of the Revolution that created the Union werent so self evident after all. Thanks for assisting with spell check. I noted the spelling I used in several sources I had reviewed. I concede that spelling is not one of my strong points, but its nice to know Im not alone. YIS, Mike

Fscouter, I hope youre not painting with too wide a brush. For many mothers, the reality is that they have to work. After many years of a single family income, my wife is looking into going back to work now that our youngest is in school for a full day. Her reason to go back isnt to pursue a career, but, quite simply, its harder to make ends meet and we can use the money! Our kids are still young. Would we like to keep things the way they are? Absolutely, but you cant pay bills and send kids to scout camp with your desires. Im sure self-centered, selfish moms are o

Gold Winger, He also went on to say if I could save it by freeing all the slaves I would do it." Lincolns prime concern was for the union and his words show his willingness to subordinate his beliefs to the union. Despite political posturing, Lincoln personally was never a supporter of slavery. Who else is there? Abolitionists, slave owners, and their supporters. Big government? Do you mean he should have let the Southern States succeed from the Union and be content with being the President of the Northern States of America? YIS Mike

Scout, So you blame Lincoln for the Civil War? Slavery was the ticking time bomb that even the Founding Generation couldnt solve without risking the dissolution of the new union. Instead they chose to set it aside, despite the feelings of many that it was incompatible with the ideals of the Revolution, and leave it for a future generation, and ultimately Lincoln, to deal with. Maybe if the slave-owning states had taken a cue from Ben Franklin, who sponsored a petition for emancipation back in 1790, and acknowledged the inevitability of emancipation and worked towards a reasonable impl

BadenP and gwd-scouter, Funny, its the exact opposite with me. It seems the older I get the less conservative and more open-minded and tolerant (dare I say liberal), Ive become. Change does not frighten me, especially after the last eight years of incompetence, duplicity, waste, and arrogance here at home. In the world around us we have discrimination, tribal wars, religious wars, ethnic cleansing why? Last time I looked we were all human beings. Its been that way since time began I guess but I still cling to that hope that someday a group of leaders will sit down and meet a

Scout, The worst civil rights record ever? I supposed the human enslavement that existed under previous presidents, Washington, Adams, and Jefferson included, doesnt count? Probably not in your mind since they were mere chattel at that time and not citizens. Interesting take on Lincoln by the way. Ill keep it in mind next time I visit the Lincoln Memorial. As to you Christian Western Civilization you seem to forget that the roots of that civilization are found in the pagan civilizations of Greece and Rome. In fact, perhaps the most important thing the Catholic Church did during

Herms, Yes, you got me, but you left out the part about the weapons of mass destruction hidden in the crates of tea. YIS, Mike

Scout, The founding generation was not in total agreement on the strength and role of the federal government. Federalists such as Washington, Adams, Hamilton, and Madison (until his arm got twisted back home) had a different view than that of Jefferson and his supporters. The interesting thing is that we are still debating this issue 232 years later without blowing apart. Well, the Union almost came apart once, but was saved with the help of a one-term Legislator from Illinois (I just couldnt resist throwing that in). YIS Mike

Ursus writes: always been proud of just wearing the only knot that mattered my Eagle So reluctantly I added a few more knots on my shirt, but still think theres still only one that really matters. Ursus, I salute your achievement and the effort you put in to get there. Unfortunately my own scouting career was brief and I got nowhere near Eagle. Now that Ive become re-engaged with scouting with my sons I have come to regret that I did not have the self-discipline or encouragement to stick with scouting and perhaps achieve Eagle. So there will never be any Eagle knot for me and

Hi Knitwitmom, Ill be starting a Tiger den this year and something Im planning on doing, which could be considered a den doodle of sorts, is to make a den standard. While I was inspired by the standard my sons Webelos den (a.k.a. the Dragon Patrol) had, I always had the idea from the standards carried by the Roman legions that not only identified the legion but also was a rallying point and an object sacred to the legion. I had planned to use a stave with a short piece (1 foot?) lashed horizontally near the top. Id attach a canvas rectangle to the horizontal piece. On the front o

All great ideas! For a recent Roundup we had the following: h Pinewood car display. A definite boy-magnet. Weve used this display at fundraisers and had been asked if the cars were for sale. h A collection of Snoopy-theme patches helping to illustrate the Cub Scout Trail. h Laptop with a looping slideshow of Pack pictures. h An artificial camp fire. This was one we got online and is very realistic (uses colored lights and a fan with a silk flame). This was another boy-magnet. h Homemade business cards with the Packs website address on them. h A real-live Cub Scout in fu

I dont know, NJCubScouter. Given what kids are exposed to today in the media songs like Road Kill Stew and Jaws seem almost quaint. Even some of the sanitized Kids Bop songs give me pause what with some of the mature emotions expressed in the songs. The fact is that the boys love these songs so I wouldnt discount them entirely. My advice would be to run songs or skits youre unsure of by your Pack Committee and let them decide. Perhaps soliciting the opinions of a few parents as well would also be helpful. I had put together a skit that I realized was a little over the top but I k

Hi jmwalston, I was afraid someone would ask me that. Its not a sung to the tune of song. Sung in a Harry Bellafonte type of accent. The first three lines are done in a sing-songy tune. Where did he go is stated as a question. The he is drawn out, a little more each time (note the extra es). The went to sleep and decomposed is said very quickly. Now for the sad part is also stated in a sad, weepy manner, the more over the top the better. Dont forget the visuals. For example, hands up palm out at the ears for antlers for Da Moose, one hand up and one down for the Dead Moose.

Hi Lady_Leigh67, We had some fun with this song. I found it on the web (I forget the site), but when I imagined Julie Andrews singing it it didnt flow so I tweaked it a little (my apologies and scout salute to the original author). Jaws (Tune: "Do-Re-Mi") JAWS: A mouth, a great big mouth. TEETH: The things that kinda crunch. US: His favorite juicy lunch. YUM: On us hes gonna munch! BLOOD: That turns the ocean red. CHOMP: That means the shark's been fed. GULP: Hes swallowing my head! That will bring us back to JAWS! JAWS! JAWS! JAWS! Another fun one is Da M

Greetings! Recently, two boys in our Pack, a Tiger (my son) and Bear, attended a Chuckwagon Derby along with the other boys father and myself. They joined forces with another Bear from another pack in a neighboring town. The two towns are Braintree and Weymouth. As we pulled our wagon along we started to create a little yell: We are the Bra-Wey Braves, Brave and strong are we! Now we were stuck for a second verse so I volunteered: Were making this up as we go along, We are the Bra-Wey Braves! The boys got a kick out of it and sang these four lines as they w

Anarchist, Im surprised about the tax issues. Is your Charter Organization a non-profit? We had to deal with our local Board of Health because we were cooking hot dogs and serving pizza but they were very friendly and helpful. They normally charge a permit fee but waive it for non-profits so, as our Charter Organization is a church, no fee. We had to have sanitizing station, use gloves, and so forth but it really wasnt burdensome YIS, Mike

Hi Folks, ManyHats, What CA_Scouter said about pricing the drinks. We usually charge a dollar, even for a large bottle of water. Folks do like to contribute to the scouts. Of course you know best what your market will bear. Keep in mind that your profit margin goes down even if you can use the leftovers for Pack events. I didnt realize you were selling the Trails End popcorn. There is a Unit Money Earning Form you should file with your Council before the event to cover any other items you are selling. Heres the link: http://www.scouting.org/filestore/pdf/34427.pdf On