Eamonn

SR540Beaver I kinda think you know as well as I do that what we have here is politics as normal. You might be a little off base when you post: "clearly violate the constitution." So far this has never been challenged. I very much doubt if the Republicans will challenge it. As to do so would add fuel to the President saying that he is doing something about jobs and unemployment while they are doing their best to stop it from happening. I think maybe the big banks might wait till something they don't like happens and then they might challenge the appointment. Ea.

"A private message has told me that this has already irritated at least one other member, so if a moderator wants to lock or completely delete this thread, that is fine with me." Unsure why anyone might be upset? Keeping in mind that I still think that Windows 98 was the best OPS ever! I'm very comfortable and kinda like things just the way they are! Never had much time for avatars! Have no idea what "tapatalk support" Is. So I'm thinking I can live without it. Moderator functions? As of right now all my parts seems to be functioning very well. Terry has been kind enough to put up with me for some little time now. I like the way he manages this forum and thank him for his kindness. He is of course free to make whatever improvements he sees fit or he can just leave it as is. Eamonn

packsaddle I was going to PM you about Dave, but thought that there are a few others who might like an update. I don't have a face book account or whatever it's called. One reason being I don't want inmates, friends of inmates or ex-inmates tracking me down. But HWMBO does belong. Just before the holiday Dave tracked her down and invited her or asked her to be a friend. Seems he is still working away on the great American Novel, living in Michigan and working in the food /beverage industry. I haven't emailed him for a while. Bob White still visits the forum from time to time. As for the topic at hand. I think that I don't hide the fact that I'm very much left of center. I didn't like and had very little time for George W. Bush. I have even less time and dislike the Tea Party a lot more than I ever disliked poor old George W. I grew up with a Mother who was till she died a true blue Conservative Party member. Who thought Maggie could walk on water and do no wrong. My Father was a member of the Labour Party and never had a kind word to say about the Iron Maiden, given half a chance I think he would have loved to see the rust set in. While I think that I'm as far left now as I have ever been? I do find that as I get older I'm becoming more tolerant of others and maybe more interested in what they have to say. - So long as they are saying what they really believe, not just spouting a rehash of something that they heard on Fox. Where as I used to see things in just black and white, I'm now better at seeing some shades of gray. It's OK if you don't agree with me. The forum would be a very boring place and we'd all soon lose interest if all we did was post how we always agreed with each other. In my book it's also OK to get a little annoyed at times. Still this being a place where we often have younger people looking in, there is a need for us to tone it down a bit and maybe just because many if not most of us, are Scouts a need for us to show the respect for others that is the base for a good part of the Scout Law and Oath. Ea. PS NJCubScouter of course you were missed! I thought that you might be hiding behind that little chap you have as Governor.

"since man created both "science" and "religion", if knowledge of both were wiped out, they would both be created or reformulated to much like what we have today." Wow! This makes my problem of repacking and finding a home for all the Christmas decorations seem kinda silly. Only thing is that I think I have the know how to repack and find homes for this stuff. Reformulating science and religion? Might take a little longer. Ea.

I've never had the urge to want or get a tat. That is to say not on me. The dogs have tats and chips! OJ has been pestering me for years to get a tattoo. I held fast and said No! Seem to remember even giving him the favorite parent "As long as you live under my roof..." Speech -The one I heard all too often when I was a little fellow. I should warn others about this speech. He is now 23, for his twenty-first birthday I was silly enough to help him buy his own house. So of course the roof is no longer mine. The path to the tattoo started with him having his nipples pierced!! I have no idea what that's all about. If ever anything was ever daffy this is it. He now makes a point of always having a shirt on whenever I'm around. Every trick in the book was tried by him to get me to give my approval for a tattoo. He tried telling me that he wanted an Eagle tattoo, because he was an Eagle Scout -It didn't fly! Then he tried telling me that he wanted two crossed flags the American Stars and stripes and the Irish tricolor. That didn't fly either! About six months back he went ahead without my approval and got what looks like a big black mark on his calf. Look at it one way and it says Life and look at it another it spells out death. Needless to say I'm not happy. I see a lot of tattoos where I work in jail. Some are gang related and can mean bad news. The guys who have the tattoos from white supremacist gangs like the Aryan Brotherhood are taking a big risk. A lot of the Hispanic inmates belong to gangs like the Latin Kings or Neta have tats that have all sorts of meanings. These gangs are very well organized and very well structured. Something that we who work in corrections take very seriously. Of course some guys have tattoos that they really haven't "Earned". The tattoo of a tear-drop under they eye is supposed to show that you have killed /murdered someone. While I know guys who have four and even five of these which are "Real". -Guys who have killed four or five people. I also know guys who have the tattoos who haven't killed anyone yet. Some of the artwork is really good. In PA tattooing is not allowed in any of the State institutions mainly because of the health risks involved. At times I'm amazed at how far some inmates will go in order to get a tattoo or be in the business of making and selling them. I'm not a great lover of tattoos ans can never see me having one. Ea.

As many Forum Members know, I'm not a tea-totaler. I enjoy the odd adult beverage every now and then. I made my living for about twenty years owning and operating a few bars and restaurants. I would like to say that I've never had the odd beer or drink when Scouts are around. But I can't because it's not true. I've never had even one sip of a alcoholic beverage at any event that was organized by a volunteer. However, I've attended fund raising events, mainly big ticket dinners where the rule book seems to have been tossed out the window. Youth members have been selling raffle type tickets, going table to table while the adults are drinking (Most times drinks that are way over-priced!!) Of course just because "They" do it! -Doesn't make it right. But in my book it sets a very poor example. Up until a few years back our Council used to have a few Parent and Son Weekends each summer. While Parents could sign up without having to be part of a pack, most of the time groups of parents and leaders from one Pack would all attend as a group. I ran and was in charge of these weekends for a good number of years. I thought they were great fun. It was wonderful to see the little fellows and their parent having a good time. Sadly part of my job was to remind the parents that alcohol use wasn't allowed. Not only because of the BSA rules, but also because the camp is in a PA State Park. Here in PA, alcohol isn't allowed in State Parks. I'd make an announcement at meal times to remind everyone and ensure that everyone was aware of the rule. It was also in all the sign-up papers. Still when we'd do the big clear-up after everyone had gone we'd find evidence. Mainly beer cans. As a regular at camp I got to know a few of the State employed Park Rangers, fairly well. (Really nice guys!). They said that if they catch someone they are supposed to escort them out of the park. But, while they know a good many park users do bring alcohol into the park, for the most part when it comes to campers and hikers they do their best not to catch them and are happy to turn a blind eye to it unless it becomes a problem. (Hunters? That's a different story.) I never went out of my way to try and catch people drinking at these Parent and Son weekends. I had a fair idea that it was going on. But my dilemma was what would I do if I caught someone? Most are not members of the BSA, just parents. I suppose I could have caught some then called the Park Ranger Staff and had them pack up their kit, wake up their son and have them escorted out. As the parents signed up as parents not as members of a unit, the unit (Pack) had nothing to do with the weekend, the parents or how they behaved. Do the BSA rules apply to people who are not members of the BSA? While most parents are OK going along with our rules, is it fair to call the Pack Leaders out because some parents choose not to abide by rules from an organization that they don't belong too? It's one thing if adult leaders who are members choose to break the rule. Of course that's just wrong! They are doing something that they know is wrong, but I have yet to read anywhere where it states Adult leaders are in charge of parents who are not BSA members. Ea.

I think most Forum members will agree that Scouting and booze don't mix and should never mix. As for your reporting this? I really want to know why? If you know that the boys in this other Pack are in some sort of danger because of what's going on? Then you have no choice but to do the right thing and report it. But... You have sat on this for two years and done nothing??? Seems odd. If the upset new family feel the need to report it? Then that's up to them. I'm sorry but from what you have posted it seems that there is ill feeling at the heart of this. Ea.

Just outside of Dublin there is Larch Hill. Which is for Irish Scouter's much the same as Gilwell Park is for English Scouter's. Larch Hill is the national campsite, and administrative and training headquarters of Scouting Ireland. It was previously owned by Scouting Ireland My Uncle at one time lived in Rathfarnham which is not far from "The Hill". It has always been a fairly well to do area and when my uncle lived there it was known for having a fairly large Jewish community. It might be worth a visit, but remember most European Scout Camps are about kids and camping not tourists. The Mount Melleray Scout Centre, in the Knockmealdown Mountains near Cappoquin, Co. Waterford, Ireland. Was?? A camp site (The last time I was there.) It has a fair sized dormitory centre, similar to Kandersteg whch might be useful for a group traveling from the USA? The centre includes a museum documenting the history of Scouting in Ireland. There used to be some Sea Scouts from Dublin that not so long back were fairly active on the Sea Scout Forums. You might want to post something about your visit there. If your in Dublin and are not too lost!! (I have a Garmin with Europe installed!!) You might want to visit the Irish Scout Shop The Scout Shop 34 / 35 Upper Liffey Street Dublin 1 (Telephone:Dublin: 01 8722212) Eamonn

What part of Ireland? Eamonn

"If the scout in his heart doesn't understand the harm of his initial action, he will likely repeat it. If he truely sees the harm in his action, he will respond appropriatly. It's only our job to guide him toward a humble reflection. His heart must do the rest." Barry really hit the nail on the head with this posting. Thank You. Eamonn.

Are the leaders we have around today as good as the leaders you remember being around in the past? Ea.

As a rule we had our Annual Planning meeting late in the summer or early in the fall. The PLC met at the Scout HQ once a month on a Saturday afternoon, unless we were at camp when the PLC would meet where ever we were at. The meeting lasted most of the afternoon as we went over the stuff that the Patrols would be doing at the Troop meetings and at the up and coming weekend Camp out. If we were going to be going over camp stoves the PLC would make sure that all the P/L's were comfortable with passing their knowledge to their Patrols, if we were playing with a Spanish-Windlass then we'd go over that. Easter Camp was just for the members of the PLC when we would visit where we would be camping for summer camp and we'd make the plans for the summer camp program. Having a good annual plan made things a lot easier as the PLC really only had to fill in the details. I kept a fairly detailed list of every Troop Meeting, what games were played, what skills were covered with my notes about how I thought it had gone. The PLC often looked at this sometimes just for ideas sometimes to avoid too much repetition. The sit down meeting part of the meeting didn't last very long and I tried to reward the guys by having the meeting part in a fast food restaurant or by just having ice cream and soft drinks. Our situation may have been a little different as we had a very large Troop with as many as 14 Patrols. Ea.

Man Oh Man!! I can't say how much this "Only for the boys." Thing gets up my nose. Most times (Not every time) The people who say it are full of themselves and act as if they have the inside track about what this is all about. I do lots of things which if I could be bothered I could find all sorts of grand and wonderful reasons for me doing them. I go to work. Why? Yes I pay my taxes both State and Federal. This money is used for some good and some wonderful uses. Truth is that when I'm getting ready for work I'm far too busy watching the clock so I'm not late to give this any thought what so ever. The money I earn feeds my family, warms my home feeds my dogs allows me to donate to who ever I feel like donating too. But when I'm driving to work I'm far too busy singing along with the oldies to think about this stuff. At work I'm protecting my fellow citizens from the bad and nasty people who are incarcerated within the walls and razor wire fences. Again I'm just too busy dealing with the project at hand to even give this any never mind. I belong to this organization. At some time or another I've read and am aware of what it is all about. I made the choice to belong. While maybe there are things or parts of what this organization does or doesn't do that don't sit well with me? The fact is that I'm still here. If the organization were to maybe change the mission statement to something that went against what I believe in and maybe wasn't in line with my values? I'd quit, I'd leave. This only for the boys thing makes the person who throws it in my face sound like a sanctimonious pain in my neck. For the most part I think I'm very much in line with what my pal SR540Beaver posted. My life is full of lots of things. Put them all together and yes you have me. But no one thing makes me or determines who I am. I'm a husband, a father, I have my religion, I have causes I believe in, I have my own set of values, things I like and don't like, things I'm good at and things I'm not good at. Somewhere amid all of this I also belong to this organization. Within this organization I've held all sorts of positions and done all sorts of different things. Some have given me great joy some have been real stinkers. Some people with more faith and maybe a deeper religious belief than what I have go on about offering all this, the good the bad and the ugly up to God. Well! I'm sorry I'm just not that good. While I do think and do believe that we as an organization can do good and at times do good and this keeps me around. Most of the time I'm far too busy doing what I'm doing to stop and think about who is going to benefit from it all. If I really thought it was going to do harm and hurt someone? I wouldn't be doing it in the first place. Many if not most of my dearest friends are somehow, someway involved in and with Scouts and Scouting. Sometimes I allow them to talk me into doing things that maybe if it wasn't for them I wouldn't do or get involved with. Once I am involved I try to give it my best while at the same time also having fun and enjoying the situation and the people I'm with. I've driven several hundred miles to sit on committees that were as close to watching paint dry as you can get. For the boys? -Maybe? But in Eamonn's little book it had more to do with me being a member of that committee and as such I'd made a promise to attend the meetings. So at the end of the day it was more about me and my values than any good that might have come out of the meeting for the boys. I've served as CD for a WB course. We can talk about the greater good, the impact that maybe a course will have on the participants. The truth is I was so busy trying to ensure that the course was as good as it could be and as enjoyable as possible that any idea of a real living breathing kid was a million miles away from my thoughts. There are times when I have done things that I hope have or will do good for "The Boys". - I have at times given fairly large chunks of money to the Council and have made provisions in my will to leave funds that will I hope do some good. Ea.

packsaddle For a long time I thought it meant "Make mine a pint!" Of course I was wrong. Don't worry about the pronunciation. My Mum took Irish all through school but as an adult could only say "Milk of a cow" in Irish and something about kissing a certain part of the body that I'm not going to post here. Ea.

Nodlaig mhaith chugnat. Eamonn

Shepherds watching flocks? No! they weren't watching their flocks, they were washing their socks! Ea

"Angels don't have wings and they were always male." Thank God for that! The idea of me spending eternity being a little cherub with wings and a bare behind wasn't something that I was looking forward too. While others can prove or disprove all what surrounds Christmas, I'm OK and happy to take it just as I was brought up to believe. I'm not pushing my ideas of what my Christmas is all about. I'm very much for peace on earth and joy to all men, not caring who gets the peace and the joy, be they whatever faith or religion or if they no faith or religion. I was OK with having my kid believe in Santa till he was in 5th Grade. I don't think he is any the worse for believing. I have a nativity set up in the living room. At the tender age of five I made my acting debut playing one of the cattle in the Holy Cross Christmas play. It might have been worse? I could have been the ass. Ea.

While having the skills is a big help. Most of these can be learned if your willing to learn them. Sadly a lot of new guys who were never Scouts don't take the time. But that's for another thread. All the best Scout Leaders I've ever met have more than just skills. They have "It"! "It" is hard to explain or give a name to, but they have it. Part of it is in the way they communicate with Scouts. They never ever talk down to a Lad, but they don't use jargon that boys don't get. They carry themselves in such a way that when a Lad talks to them the Lad can tell from their body language that he has the full attention of the Leader. The leader has this look in his eye that lets the Lad know that he is interested in what is being said and that he is important and what he is saying has importance. The adult Leader who has "It" can challenge Scouts and sell Scouts on new ideas or old ideas with a twist, making the mundane chores that get in the way and need done seem to fall into place and just get done. The Adult Leader who has it has found ways of taking as much enjoyment from a Scout or a group of Scouts accomplishing something as they get. Even though the adult Leader has done it many times and seen other Scouts or groups of Scouts do the same thing many times. While of course the Adult Leader who has it is not a grinning fool, he will most times see the funny side of things even when things are not going well, he will lead with a smile and the Scouts buy into his reassurances, even though he might not utter a word. The Adult Leader who has it, never seems to have a problem with discipline. He accepts that there are times when even with the best of plans and planning things will go wrong. He has the respect of the Scouts, he also respects them. When someone does something that they know is wrong they also know that they have let themselves down and the trust that was placed upon them. The Adult Leader who has it is not by any means a push over. He cares way too much to allow poor discipline get in the way of the good that is going on. The Adult Leader who has it is good at planning he likes the idea that everyone knows what is going on. He has found ways of having the youth leaders slow down a little and take the time to map things out and write their plans down. Most of all the Adult Leader who has it has never forgotten what it was like to be a boy. He understands boys, he uses this understanding to ensure that what is being done is fun, he isn't afraid of letting his hair down and allowing the Scouts to see that he is also having fun and he wants them to join in and share the enjoyment that he is having. I've been spoiled many of the Adult Leaders I had as a Scout had many of these qualities, but I've seen people in other youth groups who aren't Scouts do much the same thing. While I'm all for female leaders, I do think that having never been a boy does put them at a disadvantage. I have friends and have had friends who were very gifted when it came to skills but they just didn't have "It". Two of these guys were my assistants truly wonderful men, good at what they did, but the Scouts just didn't see "It" in them and knew it just wasn't there. I'm not sure if "It" can be learned? I tend to think not. I like to think that maybe at one time I was close? But as I get older I'm finding that I don't have the patience I used to have and that I'm maybe becoming more judgmental than I once was? Patience is of course needed when working with young Lads and being judgmental gets in the way. Ea.

While many of us think or like to think that we know all about Boy Scouts and Scouting, the hard truth is that a lot of Boy Scouts meet in the basement and camp in the woods, unseen and unheard of by the general public 1/ Boy Scouts spend all their time helping little old ladies across the road. Not really true. While a good Boy Scout is charged with doing a good turn each day waiting for the opportunity to help a little old lady who wants to cross the road can be a waste of time. For sometime now there has been a world wide shortage of little old ladies wanting to cross busy highways. Most "Good Turns" are as a rule done close to home and parents are the people who benefit from these good deeds. 2/ When not helping little old ladies to cross the road Boy Scouts are busy starting fires by rubbing two sticks together. Again not really true. While some adults who have way too much time on their hands will master the art of fire by friction and will once they have mastered it be sure to bore the pants off the many of us who really never even tried. The truth is that most camp fires are started with the "Flick of a Bic." 3/Boy Scouts look very much like the fresh faced young innocent Lads seen in Norman Rockwell paintings. While this might sometimes be true. However sitting next to a Boy Scout who has been out hiking for four or five days is something that should be avoided at all costs. While he very well might be young and innocent the smell can be anything but fresh. 4/Boy Scouts are the same all over the world. Not true. While a lot of people like to think that the Boy Scouts of America is what Boy Scouting is all about and it all started here in the good old U.S.A. The truth is that it started in that small little country across the pond and is now in over 200 other countries many of which allow girls to join. Who knows maybe one day the BSA will become Scouts of America? 5/Scoutmasters and Cub-masters get paid for what they do. While many put in more time scouting than they do working they don't get paid. Most do it just because they enjoy working with and for young kids and they hope that what they do will make a difference. They now deep down that maybe they can't change the world but they can change the world that one young Lad grows up in. Please feel free to add any other myths. Ea.(This message has been edited by Eamonn)

When I lived n London, I lived in Fulham. Now a very trendy upscale neighborhood, but then it was home to a very large Irish population. My memories of midnight Mass, are the smell of stale Guinness and fresh new leather. I served as an alter boy. On Christmas Eve my mother got out her old clothes boiler and cooked a giant ham. When we arrived home after Mass,we'd eat big slabs of ham great tasting cheese. Dad would crunch away on his pickled onions along with soda bread that mum had made. I don't like pickled onions, I have mastered making soda bread but have never been able to get a ham to taste as good as I remember. Mum spent a great deal of time in the kitchen on Christmas Day. The menu for lunch was: Turkey with gravy, Roast and mashed potatoes, Brussels sprouts (Which I hate!) Mashed carrots and turnips, stuffing. Followed by Christmas pudding and custard. For tea that night we'd make sandwiches of turkey and ham, soda bread and we'd have slabs of Christmas cake a dark rich fruit cake that had been cooked about a month before and fed a small glass of brandy every few days then brushed with apricot jam , covered in marzipan and then decorated with royal icing which sets rock hard (This is the cake I had for our wedding.) Christmas Day was a family day, not only were all my brothers and sisters at home but also any of my Aunts and Uncles who might be over from Ireland. Being as my Mother was one of eight and my Dad one of seven there was never a shortage of Aunts and Uncles. As Irish Catholics, we never questioned Christmas or looked for what it really might have been. We accepted it as being the time when Jesus was born. A time of great joy and a time that brought us all together to share and enjoy each other and the company of each other. Just down the road from where my mother was born and raised are the Newgrange Caves.Above the entrance passage of Newgrange is a "roof-box," which precisely aligns with the rising sun at the winter solstice of December 21st, so that the rays touch the ground at the very center of the burial chamber for about 20 minutes. I think it's kinda odd that no one in my family ever talked about how this and the timing of Christmas were so close or might have been linked? They just didn't. Ea.

Reading this reminded me of times when I've been in the doctors office reading magazines with banner headlines that read "Latest poll shows American youth want Lady Gaga for president." With the presidential election coming I'm sure that we are going to be hit with a lot of polls. Many will tell us that their poll gives us an insight to the mood of the nation. Of course it's up to each of us how much stock we might want to put into these things. To be fair to the BSA, I think that trying to get a handle on and know who their customers are is not a bad thing. Sadly it does seem rather than just trying to find out what kids want, they try and twist things a little so as to make Scouts seem a little better and more holy than your everyday run of the mill kid. Ea.

A long time ago I accepted the fact that I would never make a great hunter. I'm not very comfortable with killing. I live out in the sticks. A lot of my friends think that it's a little odd that someone born in the Smoke (London.) Would by choice live deep in the country. When I'm at work it's never quite. I'm very often surrounded by people calling my name. So much so that I've threatened to change my name to "I've got a small penis" Thinking that maybe then the inmates might cut me a break? Much as I enjoy my job, it is very stressful. My "Me time" is the time I spend out doors walking my dogs. I love my dogs and they give me great pleasure and great joy. We walk between 3 -5 miles everyday. While I'm no wildlife expert I know a fair bit about what we will see and do see when we are out. Most of what we see is much the same from year to year. In early spring hundreds of robins protecting a small area that each one seems to have decided is his area, not allowing other robins to invade. I had one dog who just loved to chase robins, but the three I have now are too lazy. Some robins must either be very brave or be very dumb? They will wait till one of the dogs is almost upon them before they will give way. Friday my little terrier gets really upset with the groundhogs who stick their heads up out of their holes and wait till she is within a few feet of them before retreating back down the hole. This upsets Friday a lot. This past couple of winters we have had a flock of Canadian Snow Geese who have for some reason decided that they will stop for a few days in one of the corn fields. They don't seem to do very much, just hang out and make a racket. Ollie the English Setter who ignores the robins cant resist taking off at full sprint to chase these guys. There are several hundred of them, the field is about half a mile long, by the time he has coved the entire field the guys at the end where he started are back. So he gives up till the next day. Dudley my two year old Goldie who replaced Rory is a bit of a Daddies boy, he very rarely strays more than a few feet away from me. He doesn't bark very much. Maybe because his mouth is full with whatever toy he decided to take that day. More often than not an old tennis ball. The dogs have their long walk at around 13:30. They have their "Tea" (Are fed at 18:00 in the summer and 17:00 once the clocks change.) After they eat we have a very quick 15-20 minute walk. About three weeks back, on a Saturday the dogs had had their tea and we were out. The sun was going down. Dudley had gone into the woods at the bottom of my yard and was making a fuss. Barking and running around in circles. Very odd for him. Friday joined him and then of course Ollie joined in. I live in fear of skunks! Friday has messed with a few and trying to get her cleaned up and rid of the smell is a real pain. I went to where the dogs were praying that it wasn't a skunk. It wasn't a skunk. There laying was a magnificent eight point buck. I called the dogs and put them in "Lie" Friday was most unhappy, giving me a look from the corner of her eye. I moved as close as I dared toward this deer and it soon became clear that he had a broken front leg. I wasn't sure what to do? I don't own a gun, I don't have a hunting license, it was past sunset and it was a Saturday. So I called the dogs and took them home and then called the Game Commission after being put on hold for over ten minutes I explained my situation and they said that they would send someone out. Good as their word they did. I took the fellow to where the deer was. I couldn't look as he with one shot put the poor animal out of his misery. The guy from the Game Commission couldn't have been nicer. He showed me how to field dress a deer, something I didn't know and not being a hunter had never done. He asked me if I wanted the meat? I said why not. He said that he was supposed to charge me ten dollars a point if I wanted the rack, but he didn't have the paperwork to do that! So let it go. There is a local old time meat market not far from us. HWMBO went to school with the guy who owns it. He came out on Sunday picked up the dead animal. I now have 114 pounds of deer meat in my freezer. And an eight point rack that is the envy of a lot of the guys I work with. Ea.

qwazse Think I live about 50 miles from you. Really haven't taken a lot of notice about the Sunday hunting topic. A lot if not most of the guys I work with are avid hunters. Mainly Deer (Buck) Bear and turkey. Everything they do seems in some way to revolve around guns and hunting. When the vacation picks come out for our Correction Officers the prime hunting dates seem to go first. When they are not hunting they fill their time in with Gun Bashes, Duck banquets, Turkey Banquets and game dinners. I used to host a Game Dinner every year which was a fund raiser for various local charities (Yes the local Council was remembered!) We raised about six thousand dollars each year! I don't hunt, but I respect the guys who do and many of the organizations that support wildlife and help provide habitat for wildlife. I've attended a few of the banquets. Boy!! Do those guys know how to raise money. As for hunting on Sunday? I will bet if the Game Commission can make a few extra dollars selling a Sunday license, They will!! Ea.

I'm not sure why so many ex-scouts don't return as adult leaders. My guess is that having seen the time and commitment that their leaders put in, they feel that it's just too much. There are no hard and fast rules when we talk about groups of people. I know some guys who were never youth members who have a wonderful understanding of the program and how it works. I also know guys who were youth members and have put a lot of years in, with no idea what so ever. Still having said that the group that seems to get to me the most are "Experts"! Guys who think the entire program should revolve around them and their expertize. All too often these guys are a real right pain in the you know what and seem to want to impress everyone they meet with what they know. Top of my list are EMT's and Para-medics. I'm a qualified American Safety & Health Institute instructor, not only trained in First aid and emergency response but also in how to instruct it. But a good many of these guys think that because they do this for a living that they are the something special. Next on my list are ex-military types. They sometimes forget that we are dealing with young boys and not the SAS. Over the past ten years or so in our area I've noticed that there are a lot more Dads who cross over with their son's, buy a uniform shirt hang around for a year or two but when their son loses interest they are gone. If the truth be known they were only hanging out in order to keep an eye on their kid from the get go. While we talk about the Scouts who don't return. I have to wonder about all the female Den Leaders? Many do an outstanding job for 3 or 4 years and are never seen again. Ea.

Like most of the Methods, what has happened in the past and if you like the culture of the Troop very often sets the tone for what will happen in the future. Parents and Scouts who are aware of how things are done are most lightly to buy into what's happening and the way things are done. Telling a Mom that your going to tie a rope around her kid and toss him over a cliff? Is a hard sell. But a Troop that does repelling on a regular basis with a good record of safety and kids not getting hurt? Isn't such a hard sell. Parents who trust the SM and other Troop Leaders are not going to be as uncomfortable allowing their son to participate in Patrol outings and activities. Sure there is always going to be a few over-protective parents, but most times their own kid will find ways of taming them and ways of not allowing them to get in the way too much! Parents aren't always sure about why we do things the way we do. Sometimes they seem to not know what it is that their son is doing. I've lost count of the number of times I've heard parents when asked what their son is doing reply "I don't know, he's away with the Scouts!" Part of the SM's job is to build up trust with the parents. Part of this is explain to the parents what the expectations from their son will be. -That way we can avoid any surprises! Many if not not most parents do want for their son to be independent, they just don't make or have the time to work with their son in order to make it happen. Giving a small group of Lads (A Patrol) the tools that they need to work together as a team, ensuring that at least one of them has the skills to be able to get the job done, not only allows the leader the opportunity to lead but also teaches the other members how it might be done, when it fails? There is a lesson in that as well. (This is the main reason that I'm not for same age Patrols.) What tools? Simple things like duty roster's, skill training and sometimes consequences both good or bad for the result. (A Patrol manages to cook a great meal which everyone enjoys, work as a team to get the clean up done and have time to do whatever it is that comes next as opposed to the Patrol that is at sixes and sevens cooks a terrible meal and spends the rest of the evening trying to get the clean up done.) Ea.