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I think that I found this piece by Henthoff in the electronic Washington Times. I get the impression that he is writing for that paper regularly now. Go figure.

I don't know if having a specific boy scout ceremony is the way to go. Presumably you have some religious affiliation of your own. Weaving boy scouts into the ceremonies that are part of your religion is probably the way to go. We had a rather shocking event in our troop about three years ago. A dad in the prime of his life keeled over in his front yard and died. He was a parent in our troop, and had been an adult advisor on the Philmont crew just the previous summer. He had not been a career scouter (too young), but he did support the troop in a variety of ways, and was well regarde

The column below appeared in The Washington Times. Nat Henthoff would probably be offended if you called him a conservative. He used to write primarily for The Village Voice many years ago. The list of organizations opposing the boy scouts contains a few surprises, but not many. Cut America's Boy Scouts a break Nat Hentoff A year ago, the Boy Scouts won a vital First Amendment victory in the U.S. Supreme Court, which declared that the Boy Scouts right of free association enabled them to remove James Dale from a leadership position after in violation of the Boy Scou

Pedophilia is a different but related issue. The BSA policy is not based on a threat of pedophilia, and in fact states that BSA does not equate homosexuality with pedophilia. Nevertheless the threat is real and bad things do happen. The article posted below is about a nineteen year old girl scout leader in New Hampshire. Apparently the incident occurred in February of this year. This is interesting because it is the only incident of which I am aware where female on female pedophilia is alleged. It is also interesting because the Girl Scouts nationally have a policy that does not reject m

This may not have been as resounding a victory as seemed upon first impression. The follow up news stories were also somewhat confusing. Apparently, after the Helms amendment initially passed, Barbara Boxer (Democrat - California needless to say) immediately got another amendment introduced and passed weakening the enforcement mechanism of the Helms amendment. So there were two votes on this issue in the Senate, not one. The difference between the Senate and House versions will now go to a conference committee. Who knows if this element of the legislation will survive at all?

This is a long post but well worth reading. The tragedy of our modern era is that so many have lost faith in even the concept of virtue, and that scouters, coaches, big brothers, etc. end up playing the role of inadequate surrogate fathers to so many. Scouting as a movement is a partial antidote to this. One wonders if Mr. Dreher has ever heard of scouting. Keep the faith and have a great father's day weekend everybody. Pawpaw's World What is manly virtue? Are you embarrassed to ask? He doesn't have to. BY ROD DREHER Friday, June 15, 2001 12:01 a.m. EDT At bedtime, a

I too am uncomfortable with the federal government using funding as both a carrot and a stick to push other levels of government in different directions. Educational policy is not the only place where this happens. I suppose it depends on whether or not you agree with the particular policy objective. Certainly liberals cannot consistently complain about this use of federal power based on the notion that federal power simply should not be used this way. Too bad. What is sauce for the goose is sauce for the gander.

For a pure compact emergency kit, I would also consider a "space blanket." This kind of kit is probably more appropriate for day hikes, day trips on rivers, and things like that. A backpacker is already supposed to have this stuff available. I also always carry some toilet paper. The very first outing in which I participated as adult leader was a Webelos day hike. One kid got diarrhea, and we were not prepared.

I agree that GPS and cell phones are important safety backups, but they should be left in the pack until needed. Walkie talkies are similarly useful backups, but also are more like toys. I would prefer to rely on non-electronic means of getting around and communicating, but I would be derelict if I did not avail myself of such safety tools. Speaking of electrical things, sorry to hear about the wheel chair Paul. Myself, I am going in for eye surgery in July so I can once again read my map and my compass. There was an interesting piece in the Wall Street Journal today about golf ca

I am stunned and amazed that this actually passed the Senate. Assuming the amendment survives conference, and Bush signs the legislation, this may actually become the law of the land. This just popped up on the internet this afternoon. Way to go Jesse! Senate Backs Scouts Despite Gay Rights Protest By Adam Entous WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The U.S. Senate voted on Thursday to punish public schools that deny the Boy Scouts equal access to their facilities, drawing fire from gay rights activists protesting the youth group's policy of excluding homosexuals. Conservative Republ

I don't want to create a false impression that belief systems are unimportant. This ground has been covered amply in other threads. While I think that the belief systems underlying scouting and most religions are at least as valid, and likely far more valid, than belief systems based on denial of god and hedonism, the mutual rejection of each others' belief systems by the participants on both sides of this argument make rational discussion difficult at best. This is why I emphasize an argument based on evidence and scientific interpretation of that evidence. There are many things that

Thanks for the tip on the news story. I am definitely going to look it up. Maybe your bears are just smarter and stronger. Or perhaps they are evolving opposing thumbs and an ability to use tools.

Rooster7 you are correct I think in pointing out that, even if there were incontrovertible (spelling?) proof that homosexualtiy was not a choice, it would not necessarily mean that BSA policy should be reversed. Your comparision with alcoholism is apt. We now know that some people are genetically predisposed to alcoholism because of the way that their systems matabolize alcohol. That does not mean that we ahould all embrace alcoholism as a good thing. Pedophilia is a separate but related issue. BSA takes the position that not all homosexuals are automatically pedophiles. The data sup

Rooster7 touches on what to me is the most important point in this debate. Recent polling in the United States reveals that the population is largely split on the view of whether or not homosexuality is a choice, or whether or not people just are that way. In the gay rights movement, it is taken as a proven scientific fact that homosexuality is not a choice. Based on the casual reading I have done to date, the science behind this claim strikes me as ambivalent at best. I intend to do more serious reading on both sides of this issue. My own view at this time is that, pending some really co

Ditto for jmcquillan's post. I don't think I have ever seen a troop with an identifiable chaplain, but chaplain's aides are quite common. I would think that, if your troop has a broad membership, some parents of different denominations may even object to a chaplain, unless the unit is quite homogeneous in its approach to religious belief. I like the idea of having a chaplain's aide seeking outside advice from an expert. As an aside, it's a comment on the times to note how some adult scouters respond to the god question in scouting. I just came off of a weekend of adult leader training

Fairness in camporee competitions, and the judging of them, is a whole new thread. One could probably get as much feedback on this as one gets on a posting on the gay issue. Our own district has a long way to go in this, but I haven't spoken up because I don't want to get asked to do camporee. Just not ready for that. Be that as it may, some kind of minimal ability grouping, such as "all new boy" patrols just for camporee competitions, makes a certain amount of sense. It adds an extra layer of complexity to administer, but where I have seen it done, I think all the boys feel better ab

I am neither an insurance guy nor an attorney. Are you concerned about insuring against loss while in use, or loss while parked in storage, or both? Is liability insurance an issue? It would seem to me that liability coverage would be provided automatically by the owner of any vehicle towing the trailer. Likewise the property itself while under tow, is probably covered by the policy of the person doing the towing. Potential towers need to talk to their own insurance agents about this. Liability while in storage may seem to be a non issue, unless fuels or other dangerous items are sto

Finding a meaningful role for eagles under 18 is tough. A venture crew is one possibility. Such scouts are seldom interested in conventional leadership positions in the troop and probably should not block other scouts from those positions anyway. I have seen some troops with eagles serving as patrol leaders, but that is a rarity. One option is offering a "junior assistant scoutmaster" position. As I recall, the youth has to be 16 years old for this. In one troop I was in, a dedicated teenager eagle took on this role very effectively for a year before he graduated from high school and his

Apparently this legislation is still very much alive as of June 7. The legislation has now passed the House of Representatives and it is up to the Senate. Those who care should contact their U.S. Senators right away. More information can be found on a conservative web site called "grassfire." I am not endorsing grassfire, but merely informing you of its existence.

Those who have read the novel Catch 22 may remember what happened to the soldier in the hospital who saw everything twice. Let's hope that Rooster7 avoids that fate.

I am not aware on any restrictions on who can wear a campaign hat and who cannot. If you want to wear it, wear it. I am more disturbed by the requirement that volunteers purchase an expensive hat that will seldom be used.

As a bona fide veteran I applaud your willingness to have your troop participate in these events. As a scout leader, I think it is a mistake to make rank advancement contingent upon participating in a single activity or event that determines everything else as far as scout spirit is concerned. "Showing scout spirit" is an often overlooked, ignored, and difficult to measure element of rank advancement. I think some flexibility is in order. You run the risk of turning these kids off on scouting altogether.

A problem in hiking and backpacking can arise when people move at different speeds. Some people simply have longer strides than others. Some are more eager to simply get down the trail. This can create a safety problem when people get separated on the trail. I can recall two instances when the the fast hikers took the wrong turn in the back country. One time it took hours for the group to get back together. The most recent incident I was able to correct quickly via walkie talkie before people got out of range. I am interested in others' views on this subject. First of all, do you c

Eliminate all competition? If national is trying to eliminate competition, why does it sell all those fancy ribbons and streamers? Makes no sense to me.

The US Supreme Court upheld the right of BSA to discriminate based on the first amendment, I believe. Sexual orientation is not protected in any federal legislation although our recent ex president made discrimination on this basis in civilian employment matters by federal executive branch agencies against policy by executive order. The issue arises in a state and local context because many states and local governmental bodies have either statutory protections or other types of policies regarding sexual orientation in place. In fact, both the Dale and Curran cases against BSA, brought i