eisely

I am not aware of any requirement that a chaplain to a BSA unit be ordained clergy. In larger congregations that have charters, an assistant pastor, or similar person, may register as a unit chaplain, but I would far rather have an interested effective non clergy chaplain than a no show ordained clergy chaplain.(This message has been edited by eisely)

We were informed that our council would no longer process paper tour permits beginning on May 1 and that the new system would be up and running. I haven't tried to use it yet and don't know anyone who has.

National did put out a training video that runs about 15 minutes on how to use this system.

As some of you may know, the old paper tour permit is going away. Out council has already cut over to the online system. Has anybody had any experience with this new system?

If the argument is about back packing versus car camping, then one is arguing about a false premise.

Car camping is a perfectly legitimate component of a well rounded program, particularly if it is done in conjunction with other types of activities which may be the main focus of a particular outing. For example, our troop in Southern California used to do a weekend of rock climbing in November at Joshua Tree National Monument (now National Park I think). Staying in a motel was not an option, and we did have drive in camp sites available with picnic tables. The boys still cooked by patrols, but we were able to relax a little bit more and carry extra comfort items. Nothing wrong with that.

That troop did not own any trailers, but this was done with SUVs, pickups and vans.(This message has been edited by eisely)

Welcome aboard.

This is an unusual, but sensible inquiry. I hadn't really given it much thought.

The next step, if you haven't already done this, is to consider what role you want to play as a volunteer and discuss this with the committee chair and the SM. Depending on that desired position, you should then engage with the youth leadership of the troop by having the SM introduce you and seeking to find out what they want and expect from the troop program. Simultaneously you should be pursuing the training necessary for the position. You should also pursue the online training, particularly Youth Protection.

One bureacratic formality is to find out what your member number is. If you were previously registered as an adult with another troop, or even possibly as a youth member, you may well have a dormant membership number that you do not know about. You will need this as you proceed with training so as to create an identifiable record of your qualifications that can be accessed as needed by others.

You should also schedule a physical examination with your doctor, particularly if you are 40 or over. Maybe you obtain regular physicals, but if you have not had one in awhile you should do so soon. Even if you are not planning to function as an ASM, but do plan to go on outings, you should do this. This is important for your own safety if there is any concern about your ability and fitness for various types of activities. Have your doctor complete the appropriate part of the health form. You will need to provide the health history, current medications, etc.(This message has been edited by eisely)

Tampa Turtle,

A backpacking dining fly is simply a fly made of lighter weight material. One can purchase flies made of very heavy material that may be appropriate for car camping, but are not worthwhile for backpacking.

If a troop is mostly a backpacking troop a trailer is most likely a nuisance. If a troop aspires to own substantial amounts of patrol gear (e.g., large stoves, large tents, and patrol boxes) for car camping then a trailer may become unavoidable.

When I grew up most troops had trailers and fewer adults owned pickups. Only tradesmen, ranchers and farmers owned pickups. SUVs did not exist. When people began acquiring pickups as a primary or second family vehicle, trailers became less important. Owning a trailer requires a place to keep it, registration and insurance. Using a trailer requires skills that many drivers do not have. I would own a canoe trailer before I would own a simple cargo trailer.

It never occurred to me that some councils might want to collect the blue cards. Ours does not. In my mind the main value of the third portion of the blue card is as a backup record to be kept at the unit level. If some council wants to see it turned in, so be it.

Backup records matter only when it comes time to process an eagle scout rank application form. The council program office has to sign off on this. In our council this consists of a records check to ensure that the council has records of prior ranks and possibly merit badges earned. We still encounter errors that are usually easily resolved since they are merely paperwork errors. If one does not have complete records at the unit level it is very difficult to help the eagle candidate resolve these matters.

So, as some prior respondent wrote, the first thing to be sure of is what the council is actually requiring to be turned in. If the council wants only the advancement reports listing the merit badges and not the blue cards, then the troop advancement coordinator should be retaining the blue cards. In any case the troop should be maintaining parallel records since the council cannot be relied upon to be correct.

I concur with Beavah. If I am not mistaken, the master of the vessel also has to be individually licensed by the Coast Guard.

What could possibly go wrong?

First of all there is no prohibition at the national level against parents funding an eagle project and there never was in my memory. I don't know where this particular SM is coming from, but he should be approached in a friendly non confrontational way to find out where this alleged policy originates. Even under the old way of doing things, this is a changing of the rules that is not permitted. I funded the modest materials needed for my middle son's project in 1998 and it was never an issue.

The new workbook clears up several things. There is now a separate fund raising application form designed solely for eagle projects that is mandatory when fund raising falls outside of certain sources. If materials or funds are being contributed by the benefiting organization, the chartered organization, the unit, the scout himself, or the scout's family, no fund raising application is needed. So the aspiring eagle and his adult advisors need to parse the new workbook very carefully to ensure that they understand the new regime.

Fortunately troops in our district are reaching out for advice and training. Our advancement chair and I (as district eagle project approval authority) have been involved and will continue to offer sessions for troops to get everyone on the same page.

Is Maine some kind of tax haven for vehicle registrations? I know that off and on over the years New Yorkers have registered passenger cars is Southern states that had much lower fees. Perhaps this is the motivation. Think of John Kerry docking his new yacht in Rhode Island to avoid Massachusetts property taxes.

Who actually owns this trailer?

In 2010 several councils here in Northern California got together for a jamboree to celebrate the centennial of BSA. It was called a jamboree.

It is absolutely correct that no level of safeguards can guarantee against losses. I like the idea of bonding the treasurer if this can be done inexpensively.

The failure of ordinary safeguards is illustrated most dramatically by the appropriation of client funds held as a fiduciary by MF Global at the apparent direction of the former governor of New Jersey. This was not just fraud but criminal theft on a massive scale by people who knew exactly what they were doing.

The first adult volunteer position I ever held was that of Pack treasurer. I would add:

1. Use a dual signature checking account

2. Treasurer, committee chair, and unit leader should all be from different households

3. Monthly finacial reports to the committee.

One of the first things I did after I accepted the position was purchase a receipt book (mine made only one copy). I found myself accepting a large number of small cash payments at pack meetings for various things and this was the only way I could keep straight what all the money was for. This is probably less of a problem for a troop treasurer.

Here a few different East Coast suggestions not yet mentioned:

Gettysburg Pennsylvania battlefield, site of bloodiest engagement in US civil war.

Pittsburgh Pennsylvania, named after the great PM.

Chincoteague Virginia, nice beach town with historic herd of wild horses.

Chesapeake and Ohio Canal beginning at Georgetown in Washington, DC

National Air & Space Museum in Washington DC

The closest thing I have seen to this is the activation of a new artillery battalion in 1966 to which I was assigned. The battalion was formed up on the parade ground and a separate color guard brought both the US and battalion colors in, cased. The colors were then uncased. The post commander took the colors from the color guard and passed them, one at a time, to the battalion commander, who in turn handed them to a color guard of troops from the new battalion. After that we passed in review and were done.

The thought occurs to me that national should review all its authorized patrol patches. Shouldn't we be getting rid of the Fox patrol and the Cougar patrol? There have got to be other lurking offenses that have simply not been identified.

The child of the threesome is wearing a dress, therefore I infer it is female. This would suggest that the family is not late to a cub scout pack meeting. Unless of course, the cub scout pack is composed of cross dressing boys.

At a minimum this patch was in poor taste.

The symbol of a family of three running actually comes from a road sign on Interstate 5 North of Oceanside California on the North bound lanes. There is a truck weigh station there and the border patrol often has vehicles and staff there to intercept smugglers of illegal immigrants. The road sign was put up by Cal Trans many years ago to alert motorists that they may see running pedestrians. It has been many years since I have driven this route but as far as I know it serves a legitimate safety purpose and still is there.

I don't know how the organized immigrant rights community feels about the original sign, but I can see their taking offense at the patch. There are situations where adults have to use good sense to intervene and this is one of those occasions.

It is not quite correct to say that the committee has no role in "approving" activities. The old paper tour permit required a signature from somebody on the troop committee. I don't think that the new online system will require that.

Troop committees should not be attempting to micro manage the program, but I can see a role for the committee in approving the annual program the scouts have planned. This relates to compliance with G2SS that the scouts may not be aware of, and also the feasibility of the program. The troop committee should always seek to facilitate the program the scouts want to pursue, but I don't think that extends to automatically endorsing the program without question.

Going off in a slightly different direction, I suggest that Obamacare is the latest and largest manifestation of the "war on the young" in that it imposes substantial costs on younger people to subsidize the health care of older people. That is the entire intent behind the "mandate" to purchase health insurance whether you want it or not.

Four nights sharing a tent with another adult who was an olympic class snorer.

Coming back to the original subject - I just approved the scout's project on the new workbook about twenty minutes ago. I was glad to see him. I was worried that he might give up in frustration.

Amtrak is a good option. Few if any of these boys will have ridden the train at all. A twenty four hour train ride is very competitive financially. The rolling stock is decent and the coach seating is the equivalent of airline first class seating. Chances are you would need to rent a van or something at the Arizona end, probably in Flagstaff.