epalmer84

"Commissioners must not be registered simultaneously as unit leaders. Some commissioners may be registered on a unit committee because they have a son in the unit or because of previous personal history in the unit, but their principle Scouting obligation should be with commissioner responsibilities. Commissioners may be currently registered in only one commissioner position." Reference: http://www.scouting.org/nav/enter.jsp?s=cm Ed

Neckechiefs: We opted out of the neckerchief. For formal occasions, we wear Wood Badge, Eagle Scout and NESA neckerchiefs as applicable. Uniforms: BSA terminology is "official Boy Scout uniform" (used to be field uniform) and "activity uniform". Our activity uniform is a set of five troop t-shirts in five different colors- during summer came we set a color for each day so we can ensure they at least have on a clean shirt. Many folks refer to these as "class A" and "class B". This is a carryover from military terminology and oficially frowned upon by the BSA. http://www.scoutin

We had a former Scout die in Iraq last year. He was with the troop only a year, but we still recognized him. The DE and the troop leadership attended the memorial in uniform. His mother was my assitant Webelos den leader when his brother was a Webelos Scout. She wrote a book about Jason and his service: http://www.whenjohnnydoesntcomemarchinghome.com/ On a side note, one of our Eagle Scouts was selected to play Taps at the Pearl Harbor service: http://www.newsleader.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20061212/NEWS01/612120311&SearchID=73265948886792

A few years ago we switched to the troop activity uniform during the summer months. From Memorial Day through Labor Day we wear the troop T-shirt. We wear the official uniform for ceremonies and the like. We tend to do a lot of our meetings outdoors during the summer and we felt it more appropriate. When we visited the jamboree last year, we started out in official uniform. Given the example we saw and the weather, we switched to troop T-shirts after lunch. Do remember that the uniform is a method, not the goal. Ed

I taught Computer merit badge in the 70s and 80s. I seem to recall that you had to build a circuit as well. We have a bunch of old merit badge pamphlets in our quartermaster, but I don't think there are any that old. You might try eBay- I collect BSA first aid kits and First Aid merit badges. I found all but the very first of the First Aid merit badge pamphlets. Ed (looks at punch cards and punched tape on display shelf, right beside Civil Defense manuals)

To answer an earlier question: yes, the CO and the host can be two separate organizations. We have been sponsored by the Ruritans, but meet at a church where we have had ties since the original troop was formed in the 1930s. The Ruritans have given us decent support, but their membership has been declining. We approached the church, but really did not get any feedback- their membership is rather on the older side and is stable and their youth group is struggling. In the meantime, the pack has been sponsored by the Methodist church here- their membership is growing and they have two pas

I just saw all of those this morning. Where did the Trustworthy and Helpful ones come from? Ed

As I understand it, West opposed the Girls Scouts from the start. He threatened to sue over their use of Scout, as he had sued the American Boy Scouts. He wrote to B-P about it. He only desisted when Lou Henry Hoover, who had become the president of the Girl Scouts of America in 1922, then became the First Lady in 1929 (and yes, it was GSA until 1947). West had earlier worked with Luther Gulick when the Camp Fire Girls were established and always considered them to be the sister program of the BSA. Ed Reference: Rowan, Edward L (2005). To Do My Best: James E. West and the H

Petard: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Petard

I figured it was going to be this old wheeze. Still funny though. A bit more on this at: http://www.snopes.com/military/reinwald.htm Ed

There is a form that the chartering organization and the council will fill out when a unit is created or the charter is moved. I don't have it at hand, but it spells out the relationship between the CO and the BSA. The CO agrees to abide by BSA rules and regulations and can apply Scouting within that framework to their program. For example, a Catholic church could restrict troop membership to Catholics but could not open membership to girls. The BSA has revoked individual membership- Dave Rice comes to mind. http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?file=/examiner/archive/1998/09/13

A bit of clarification on the fleur-de-lis (FdL). The fleur-de-lis in and of itself cannot be copyrighted as it is a very generic emblem that has been in use for thousands of years: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fleur-de-lis However, specific versions of the fleur-de-lis can and are copyrighted. The BSA "universal emblem" consists of the fleur-de-lis with eagle, American shield and two stars. The universal emblem is the used as the rank of Tenderfoot in Boy Scouting and as the emblem of the BSA movement. BSA emblems are variously covered by copyright, trademark and congressional char

Methinks someone filed the serial numbers off of a Heinlein quote: "A human being should be able to change a diaper, plan an invasion, butcher a hog, conn a ship, design a building, write a sonnet, balance accounts, build a wall, set a bone, comfort the dying, take orders, give orders, cooperate, act alone, solve equations, analyze a new problem, pitch manure, program a computer, cook a tasty meal, fight efficiently, die gallantly. Specialization is for insects." Time Enough for Love (1973), Robert A. Heinlein

Currently, I am a senior tech support specialist for a printer manufacturer here in Virgina. I work mostly via phone and e-mail, but I go on-site for major issues. The job has taken me all over the US, Canada, the UK and Denmark. Previously.... dog handler, nuclear missile technician, radio technician, Bradley infantry commander, warehouse manager, blacktop paver and yarn analyzer technician. Ed

Thanks for keeping me straight ScoutNut. Ed

I think this is the article in question: http://www.girlscouts.org/news/media_coverage/a_new_girl_scout_pledge.asp The GSUSA award was Golden Eaglet until 1940, Curved Bar Award until 1963, First Class Award until 1980 and is now the Gold Award. Since the sweeping changes of the Improved Scouting Program in 1972 proved so unpopular, National seems to be keeping the changes more incremental. There have been several changes in the last few decades to update the program: WoodBadge for the 21st Century, Tiger Cubs, Scouting and Soccer, Venture patrol, Venturing and so forth. Ed

For those with inquiring minds and stong stomachs here is some further information on Phelps and his church: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fred_Phelps http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Westboro_Baptist_Church Ed

I would really like to see this one in writing- this just does not sound right. Protecting copyrights is perfectly fine, but requiring payments for use within the program is rather draconian. Requiring a 90 day approval for literature really would put a crimp in newsletters for units and councils. I have yet to see any literature on any event in any council be published in final form in that time-frame. If they start requiring that literature pay royalties on the use of the universal emblem (the fleur-de-lis with the eagle, shield, and two five-pointed stars) and other logos, then

Add in the sad fact that Fred Phelps is an Eagle Scout: http://www.rickross.com/reference/westboro/westboro4.html I just don't understand some people. Ed

I'm confused as well. The uniform, insignia and emblems are variously protected by copyright, trademark, and congressional charter. http://www.law.cornell.edu/uscode/html/uscode36/usc_sec_36_00030905----000-.html You can also check Use of Organizational Identity and Program Symbols: http://www.scouting.org/identity/ As I understand it, all of the BSA logos are fair use within the program. U.S. Scouting Service Project is using the logo. The Scouting project on Wikipedia has permission to use BSA emblems. I suspect a failure to communicate. Ed

You might also want to check out the Bellamy Salute: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bellamy_salute Ed

There is rather a difference between questioning authority and defying authority. I would hope that we are always questioning- if we don't understand why things work the way they do then we will never understand how they work. Defiance should never be done as a knee-jerk reaction, but only after careful consideration and all other avenues have been exhausetd. Ed

The swastika was used by many cultures before the Nazis co-opted it. There is a good article at: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Swastika It references an article on the swastika and Scouting: http://www.scouting.milestones.btinternet.co.uk/badges.htm Ed

> really liked the Ipods that our Scouts took along this summer. We don't allow music and game devices and the like on campouts. The only electronics allowed are watches, GPSs, FRS radios for certain events and cell phones that are turned off and used only for emergencies. After an incident with a boom box many years ago, and the loss of a GameBoy in the river, the PLC decided to ban them. I'm one of the biggest gadget freaks around, but I agree- when I go camping I don't want the phone ringing or rap music playing. We have one indoor campout each winter where they can bring

Mike Walton references this question at: http://www.mninter.net/~blkeagle/uniform.htm "BSA uniform policies does NOT allow for "mixing and matching" of new and previous versions of uniform parts, except for hats, neckerchiefs and socks." He references the BSA Administration Manual and older issues of Scouting. Unfortunately, the online versions of Scouting only go back to 1998. Ed