Eagle1973

I don't like to put those decals on my car because then I can't drive like my Jersey upbringing allows. ;-)

Don't know how this would play out, but the parent of the assaulted Scout should talk to the police and possibly sign out a warrant with the DA.

I'm also a 4H leader. I have no data on the numbers. Just wanted to point out that a 4H club can be anything and I mean just about anything, from teen groups to farm animals to sewing clubs to whatever.

I'm a leader of a 4H Horse Club, Shotgun Club and BB/Air Rifle Club.

YIS

Sorta off track but related:

We got tired of the Scouts taking the easy way out too, so two summers ago, us Scoutmasters put on cooking demos: two breakfasts, two lunches, two dinners. The recipes and directions went into a "cookbook".

When planning for campouts, the patrols could only choose those meals in the cookbook.

Then we held competitions. The patrol that won got to eat the meal they won w/ the Scoutmasters on the next campout.

The purpose was to let them get creative w/ the basic cookbook, get creative w/ the presentation, and to show that they can really cook a good balanced meal. Eating w/ us, they got to watch the "Rocking Chair" Patrol function as a patrol, using the patrol method and to see that clean-up could really be completed in about 10-15 minutes...

This summer, each patrol added to the cookbook by putting on their demo.

YIS

Been the Rifle MB counselor for 2 years now. I've "qualified" the only two scouts in our troop that have sought the MB. Both shot their scores in the standing, prone, sitting, kneeling positions using BB guns. Both happen to be on a 4H competition team, that I am the coach. I made sure that they both knew that they were far exceeding the requirements of the MB, but they would feel better about their accomplishment. I told them that if they couldn't meet the "mark" we'd bench the rifle. Yeah right, didnt need too, they both kicked butt!!!

Parenting is hard because our parents kept that fact a secret. ;-)(This message has been edited by Eagle1973)

It's very scary. I have a friend that owns a very choice piece of property at a very budy intersection. She runs a small tack shop, she thought she was sitting pretty because the land is prob worth close to a million bucks. It's been in the family since the major intersection was two dirt roads... Now, the city can just take it for a gas station or 7-11...

Way back when, my council sold our camp for a development, got top dollar, we hated them for doing so, but hindsight 30 years later said they had good foresight...(This message has been edited by Eagle1973)

Let's shelve this one and talk about what the Supreme Court just did about property rights.

I guess if a Council has choice piece of land on a river/lake/scenic area etc, the local government can take it, turn it over to a developer and have condos built on it....

just stirring the pot...

I oppose the ban on flag burning.

Here's why: It gives an outlet to those with an opinion, without that outlet, they may go underground and you don't know what their recourse might be. It identifies who they are.

Also, there are other laws on the books for instance, open burning laws, trespassing laws, and even the EPA prob has ways to get at these folks since most flags or nylon and will release noxious fumes that will polute and contribute to global warning... ;-)

Beav - Yep, you are right. But, as a leader, I'm always looking for the lessons learned, iows how could we have done it differently, better, etc.

The Scout will be interviewed as soon as he gets his strength back. Hopefully he'll tell us how he survived. If he was in Virginia, he'd been eaten alive by the mosquitos...

Great news. Now let's hope that he was just lost and not abducted and molested in anyway.

Hopefully the full story will come out so we can look for the holes in our program. We just did a tubing or canoeing trip. One tuber, Second Class Scout, took it upon himself to do the river one more time, without telling anyone, without his buddy, etc etc... Fortunately he made the run safely.

It happens in 4H in our area at least twice (for us), more for others, per school year. It is an excused abscence. I need to check if BSA rates the same privilege. We assess the school work load and usually end up taking two vehicles, with one child that can afford to miss school, and the other with the child that can't afford to miss school. One arrives at the 4H function on time, the other doesn't.

We haven't run across this problem w/ BSA yet.

LET'S HEAR IT FOR YOUNG EAGLES!!!!

I too was a young Eagle, but I must confess that I got my last merit badge for my silver palm late in the evening, the day before my 18th b-day. (but that's another story)

It is funny to be in a leader's meeting or committee meeting and hear the others complain about so and so going too fast and how they don't want a young Eagle.... they always add: "present company excluded, of course...".

I just laugh and affirm to myself to help the hard chargers the best I can.

Cheers!

My father was "kicked" out of a troop because he was the wrong religious faith of the rest of the Scouts. that was in the late '30's.

He encouraged his son, me, to join. He joined as well and even served as the District Commissioner long after I "quit" and joined the Navy.

Hope you will encourage your son to join, you too, make it better...

Mn - Marvelous! Thanks for the picture. Our big group project was rained out.

How many guesses do we get and exactly what was served at that cracker barrel? ;-)

YIS

I was originally gonna do the flag pole as group camp gadgit, then do colors for yet another signoff. But It appears not all the lashings will be used, so I now hope to do this as a fun "test" of lashing skills as a group, then do the flag ceremony.

Thanks for the ideas.

YIS

Got it pictured, thanks.

Me thinks we can do it together as a "test" of the day's lashing sign-offs. And if I explain the concept and let them fumble around and get it close, then I can jump in and point out "their" obvious design flaws, fix it and still look good.... LOL!!!! ;-)

Thanks EiKY! I'll let you know if we have time to do it and accomplish it. It's gonna be a crazy weekend, JLT for the older Scouts and Scout skills and sign offs for our newbies, and a smidgen of rocketry thrown in for giggles.

YIS

I've got goosebumps too.

EiKY: I guess I should have been more specific. I sorta wanna make a tripod base w/ the flag pole coming up thru the middle.

The searches came up with gateways or a four pole base and the flag pole lashed on the cross bars.

I was hoping for a purdy picture, because I don't have time to experiment, well I sorta do, but I didn't want to experiment in front of the new Scouts and we have limited time sooooo, I wanna to take the easy route.... I having trouble visualizing this one.

If all else fails, we'll do yours.

YIS(This message has been edited by Eagle1973)

Anybody have a diagram for a simple flag pole?

Thanks!

Well said, and welcome back.

Can the SM or an ASM go watch the State Meet?

The only problem with that is that after their race, the swimmers don't float around in the pool for a few seconds! ;-)

Let's look at it a little differently.

During my Naval career, I use to say that I learned my leadership techniques in the Boy Scouts. The non-Scouts would usually chuckle and ask how so.

Sailors have to follow you, because, basically it's the law. I could restrict them to the ship, I could take away money, I could have them thrown in jail, if they didn't do what I told them too.

In Scouting, a boy leader, doesn't have those options available to them. So, he has to use his noodle. "Hmmm, how do I get another 14 year old Scout to do something that he doesn't want to do, but it has to get done?"

Team work, Lead by example, maybe? The Patrol Method offers the Scout the opportunity to form and then hone his leadership skills.

Good leadership skills carry on to whatever the Scout does in life. A good leader, imo, can get another person to do that "dirty" job, even when he doesn't want too.

YIS

Where in NJ? I spent my youth Scouting experience in Burlington County, Troop 48 in Medford Lakes, Hunnikick 76.

I'm curious, so far your Troop doesn't sound too different then ours here in Virginia, except that the last time we gutted fish, it was on a campout, not at a meeting, (easier clean up).

What don't you do by the "book"?

The Scout Handbook.