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Bob White, In your interpretation of the rules, is there anything that would prevent a troop from imposing term limits, or adopting a policy that an elected leader could not succeed himself in office? This is not a new problem, and democratically run organizations, from the US government to your local service club impose term limits.

I think that I read somewhere years ago that all scouting insignia and uniforms are protected under the Federal Charter granted to BSA. I could be wrong about this, but it seems to me that, if BSA objected, the producers of this show could be required to get rid of the uniforms. Over the years I have seen depictions of scouts, or youth like scouts, in various movies and TV shows, and they never were wearing true scout uniforms.

It has been awhile since I've been here, but I have found this thread to be very interesting and informative. Both MomScouter and Bob White recognized an issue in the way this troop is being run that deserves emphasis. It is a small thing, but a sign that someone is either totally ignorant or playing games. That is the fact that the SM uses his own tax ID (ssn) on the bank account. As Bob White says, this is a major no no. Not only could the troop lose all its funds, but the SM could end up in trouble with the IRS. Any time you see this, take it as a danger sign that something is wrong. Hope you enjoy the walk MomScouter.

RE: Guide to Safe Scouting The guide to safe scouting is getting bigger, but I personally think that is just fine. The more information that can be provided to me about how to conduct activities safely, the happier I am. I have also found the policies a useful way to deter other adults who want to do stupid things. I can politely point to the guide and settle the issue without getting personal or having an argument. RE: Sex and the single scout I for one am somewhat puzzled at this prohibition of discussing sex with scouts. I would not initiate such a discussion, but I would feel awkward simply turning a boy away who had a serious question. This hasn't happened yet, but there ought to be some flexibility here.

I have no objections to a thread about the ACLU. Believe it or not, many years ago I used to be a small contributor to this organization. When the ACLU was more focused on helping ordinary people suffering from abuses of authority at different levels in different ways, it did a lot of good. My argument with the ACLU today is its emphasis on creating social policy through the courts. The ACLU now seems to take cases primarily for the publicity they generate and the possible impact on policy. If the courts have become politicized, the judiciary has only itself to blame, for its willingness to create policy from the bench. The ACLU has been a big part of this.

How about preparedness for a terrorist attack? In light of 9/11 a lot of people might appreciate something that was both educational and fun. We are, after all, supposed to be prepared.

The distinction has been drawn between written policies and a parents' manual. A parents' manual can be very useful, and in effect be a means of communicating policies. We have few written policies, but we do provide information to parents. Another vehicle for communicating policies and other information is the troop's web site if you have one. Here is another area of concern that has gone unmentioned. Who has the authority to approve outings and put them on the troop calendar? We had a situation in one troop I was involved with where a dad got up at a meeting and simply announced an outing that conflicted with a major activity. This bothered a lot of people and the committee adopted a policy that no outing could be announced or undertaken without committee approval. This leads to another related issue. Who has the authority to modify, or even reschedule, an outing? Has this ever been an issue with some of you folks?

I too took a sabbatical from the Issues & Politics forum some time back, not because the issues aren't important, but because I found people repeating themselves so much. I also found some of the personal attacks distasteful and unscoutlike, to say the least. I do hope we hear from you from time to time R7.

Sorry, more words are required. None of which I am aware. I am not the committee chair and do not see any of the adult applications.

I heartily endorse OGE's suggestions. Putting too much focus, and even pressure, on badges can take the fun out of it real fast. My impression of most kids who burn through the badges in their first three years, or less, is that they don't take the time to smell the roses along the way.

Concerning laser tag and paint ball, the following is quoted from the Guide to Safe Scouting: "The activity commonly referred to as 'War Game' - in which individuals shoot paint or dye at one another - is an unauthorized activity." Laser tag is no more dangerous than capture the flag. People have been hurt playing paintball, and I would surmise that that is the reason that BSA prohibits it.

Recruiting and maintaining a database of counselors can by itself become a major volunteer activity. As noted in other posts, many districts try to maintain databases at the district level. Also as noted, most district databases are badly out of date. People lose interest, relocate, etc. As a general rule parents should not be counselors for their own sons, but sometimes this becomes unavoidable, if that parent is the only counselor for a particular badge.

I suspect that few troops have written policies. Most would benefit by having at least some things written down. The one area not mentioned that should be covered is expectations for youth elected to leadership positions. Above all keep it simple and cover only those things that need to be covered.

I have also seen eagle boards that included a non parent representative of the unit.

Pass him.

The fact that your commissioner even came to your committee meeting is a helpful sign. That means you are getting some backup at a different level. These are extremely difficult issues to deal with. It has been my observation that some people make larger emotional investments in volunteer activities than they do in their careers, or even their marriages. I too have observed the antagonism towards female volunteers in scouting. Fortunately I have seen very little of it here. Most scoutmasters are crying out for more volunteer help. The lack of sharing by your SM of positions and authority does indicate a power trip. Asking the SM to step down is an extreme step, but may become unavoidable.

Hey Mike, Is that Gators, the big lizards in Florida? I suspect they would take care of your ankles?

Hey Chief, Gotcha! The instructions said nothing about shooting the geese first. The new standard, approved by PETA, requires that the geese be kept alive and provided with psychological counseling in the morning.

I have been to Havasupai twice, most recently in 1995. It is a great trip. Only once did we hike below Mooney Falls about halfway to the Colorado. As I recall we wore our boots all the way before we turned back. We had not planned to go all the way down. I suspect a lot depends on the discharge running in Havasu Creek. We never had to wade. Perhaps the best advice is to be prepared to carry addional footgear for wading and hope for the best.

There is no rule preventing you from coming up with your own awards if you think that will help with motivation.

jmcquillan's insights are right on target. My observation has been that the wealthier the community the less directly are the parents involved in their kids lives. When we lived in Southern California I remember reading about a youth sports league, either baseball or soccer, in Beverly Hills that hired people to coach the teams. When you have the dough, writing a check is so much easier, and doesn't disrupt your golf and tennis schedule. Scouting's formula for starting a troop is interesting, but I think it usually starts with a parent or other adult who takes the initiative, not a potential CO. The idea of a committee recruiting a scoutmaster is highly relevant when the scoutmaster position becomes vacant.

I find the idea behind this flow chart somewhat apalling. Never heard of it and would hate to see it implemented. As with the previous post, the only appeal process I have heard of involves Eagle awards. I can't imagine why any council advancement committee would want to get involved in such things. Reminds me of our federal judiciary that complains about its case load at the same time that it invents new law and new legal processes for things that should never be brought into a court room.

This has nothing to do with scouts, but is too good not to share. News Alert! ANGERED BY SNUB BY PRESIDENT BUSH, LIBYA, CHINA AND SYRIA FORM AXIS OF JUST AS EVIL Cuba, Sudan, and Serbia form Axis of Somewhat Evil Other Nations start own clubs. Bitter after being snubbed for membership in the "Axis of Evil," Libya, China and Syria today announced they had formed the "Axis of Just As Evil," which they said would be way eviler than that supid Iran-Iraq-North Korea axis President Bush warned of in his State of the Union Address. Axis of Evil members, however, immediately dismissed the new axis as having, for starters, a really dumb name. "Right. They are Just as Evil -- in their dreams!" declared North Korean leader Kim Jong. "Everybody knows we're the best evils, best at being evil. We're the best." Diplomats from Syria denied they were jealous over being excluded, although they conceded they did ask if they could join the Axis of Evil. "They told us it was full," said Syrian President Bashar al-Assad. An axis can't have more than three countries," explained Iraqi president Saddam Hussein. "This is not my rule. It's a tradition. In World War II you had Germany, Italy and Japan in the evil Axis. So you can only have three. And a secret handshake. Ours is wicked cool." THE AXIS PANDEMIC International reaction to Bush's "Axis of Evil" declaration was swift, as within minutes France surrendured. Elsewhere, peer-conscious nations rushed to gain triumvirate status in what became a game of geopolitical chairs. Cuba, Sudan and Serbia said they had formed the Axis of Somewhat Evil, forcing Somalia to join with Uganda and Myanmar in the Axis of Occasionally Evil, while Bulgaria, Indonesia and Russia established the Axis of Not So Much Evil As Just Generally Disagreeable. With the criteria suddenly expanded and all the desirable clubs filling up, Sierra Leone, El Salvador and Rwanda applied to be called the Axis of Countries That Aren't the Worst But Certainly Won't Be Asked to Host The Olympics. Canada, Mexico and Australia formed the Axis of Nations That Are Actually Quite Nice But Secretly Have Nasty Thoughts About America, while Spain, Scotland and New Zealand established the Axis of Countries That Be Allowed to Ask Sheep to Wear Lipstick. "That's not a threat, really, just something we like to do," said Scottish Executive First Minister Jack McConnell. While wondering if the other nations of the world weren't perhaps making fun of him, a cautious Bush granted approval for most axes, although he rejected the establishment of the Axis of Countries Whose Names End in "Guay," accusing one of its members of filing a false application. Officials from Paraguay, Uruguay and Chadquay denied the charges. Israel meanwhile insisted it didn't want to join any Axis, but privately, world leaders said that's only because no one asked them.

Both men were imperfect and both transcended their imperfections through prayer, reflection and action. We are so fortunate to have the opportunity to honor them.

One occasionally runs into people in important positions in volunteer organizations of all kinds who get on power trips. Since scoutmasters do not have fixed terms in office, this is especially hard to deal with. How long has your troop been in business? Why he would keep people on the charter who are not active is beyond me. Many units carry boys for a year in the hopes they will come back, but if this has been going on for some time, one has to wonder why. It could be to pump up his numbers. This also costs YOU money. You did not say how the troop is funded, other to say that the SM controls all the funds. If you are paying you own money, or supporting fund raisers, to carry phantom scouts, that is reason enough for power sharing. The district commissioner staff is supposed to help with these situations. As others suggested, you need to talk to these people if you have not already done so. You need to talk to your COR, and with that person go to the governing body or person in charge of the CO itself. The CO is entitled to know what is being done in its name. The other alternative, as you have mentioned, is to walk. Sometimes that is the only viable alternative. Good luck