fgoodwin

At Jamboree, Scouts Master Trickery of the Trade Patch Swapping Inspires Obsession -- and Mischief http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2005/08/02/AR2005080201755.html http://tinyurl.com/exs9f By Karin Brulliard Washington Post Staff Writer Wednesday, August 3, 2005; B01 FORT A.P. HILL, Va. -- The sour scent of sweat pierced the night air. The forest floor was barely visible under beach towels covered with Scout patches displayed for trading. A tiny youngster in a baseball cap skipped frenetically through the crowd, his high-pitched scream rising over a cacophony of haggling. "Anyone want this?" he yelled, holding a patch aloft. He stopped, jabbing his fingers at the patch. "Look! It's silk! SILK!" Nearby, Tim Baldwin, 16, of West Chester, Pa., tried to pawn off a piece of "bait" -- a truly lame Cub Scout patch covered with rainbows and bears and the words "Day Camp." He fibbed, earnestly telling the trader that it was unique, and scored a patch showing a cartoonish bee. But it was a Boy Scout patch -- a slight step up. This is the heated world of patch trading at the National Scout Jamboree, one so addictive that some Scouts practically abandon canoeing and mountain biking to concentrate on frenzied quests for patches that glow in the dark, change color when warmed by the sun or feature the video game Halo. Today, the last day of the quadrennial campout, many of the 32,000 Scouts here will depart with bags full of patches -- the kind meant to be keepsakes, not earned. Most Scouts will have traded fairly, but some will have deceived, stolen and even paid -- a strictly forbidden practice -- for their treasures. Once home, the fever worn off, most will store them until the next Jamboree. "It's gone overboard," said Tony DiSalvo, 76, a Distinguished Eagle Scout from Williamsport, Pa., who has attended every jamboree since the first one, in 1937. "But they enjoy it, so what are you going to do?" For 10 days, business has been brisk. Scouts have lined roads all day, their wares displayed in neat rows. Come nightfall, they toted their collections and lanterns out to wild patch bazaars, where they sealed deals with handshakes and called one another "Sir." "There's no friendly words," said Chuck Schappert, 16, one of Baldwin's troop mates. "It's strictly business." In the old days, Scouts traded to learn about each other. Iowa troops, for example, would swap patches and homegrown potatoes for a California troop's patch and a chunk of redwood. Fellowship remains; some Scouts collect patches from each state, and brief chats ensue over most trades. But the targets for the most rabid collectors are "top tier" patches, official 2005 jamboree badges craved for their rarity -- some councils order fewer patches -- or design. During this jamboree, those included the Connecticut Rivers Council's patches, which are adorned with the green lizard of SoBe beverages, and the Bay Area (Tex.) Council's Halo patch -- for which, rumor has it, one Scout traded his iPod. "People will trade anything for a Halo patch," said Erik Chumbley, 15, of Colorado Springs. That is, Scouts say, until word got out that a shipment of Halo patches arrived over the weekend, reducing their value and causing demand for SoBe patches to skyrocket. By Monday, though, the shipment report was in doubt, and Halos were back on top. Other market forces, such as jamboree geography, are also at work: A Pennsylvania patch is no big deal near the Northeast troops' campsites. Carry it two miles to the Western Region camps and it's like Marco Polo bringing spices to Venice. Stories of theft abound. Ruthless Scouts stick duct tape to their boot soles and slyly step on desired patches. Traders protect against crime by covering their merchandise with clear plexiglass or, like one Scout, using a mom-made blanket with transparent plastic compartments for display. Owners of coveted patches demand multiple patches for a trade, which Scout leaders condemn. Scouts determined to make such deals move farther toward the center of the campus, where adults less often tread. On Friday, Erik and troop mate Thomas Foster, 12, set up shop near a row of portable toilets at the juncture of two jamboree arteries. Chumbley said he caught the trading bug only upon arriving at jamboree, having previously deemed the hobby "extremely dorky, like beyond belief." On his towel lay his favorite, a jamboree-edition Virginia State Police patch showing a patrol car with battery-operated flashing lights. Erik said it was a "four-for-one" patch. A bespectacled Scout arrived, his eye on the police patch, a stuffed resealable bag under his arm. He skipped the greeting and offered three patches; Erik declined. The Scout offered two others, one of them a Snoopy patch that Erik desperately wanted. Erik offered other patches, but the kid wanted the police patch and countered with four patches, including the Snoopy. Erik deliberated. "It is a light-up," he said of his police patch. "But I have always had a thing for Snoopy." No deal was made. Hidden in his bag, Thomas had one of the Hooters patches circulating the Jamboree -- illicit badges known as "spoofs" that, officials said, probably were traded by an outsider seeking official jamboree patches, which do good business at Scout memorabilia trade shows and on eBay. Scouts and leaders say that trading, no matter how cutthroat, offers valuable business lessons. It can teach strategy: Many Scouts pair up, one scoping for patches and one staffing the towel. And marketing: On a recent night, two Scouts decided to place their patches on posters of bikini-clad women. Some leaders joke that today's Scouts learn such lessons too well. David DeCaires, a scoutmaster from Oahu, Hawaii, cited the rule -- often broken, Scouts say -- prohibiting trades between adults and Scouts. "In all reality, I think it's to protect the adults from the boys," he said.

Jesus never said I couldn't run you over with my car -- does that omission make it OK? Of course not. Jesus failed to mention a lot of things -- that doesn't make them OK. The Bible's condemnation of same-sex relations is consistent in both OT and NT -- I can't think of a single instance where the Bible says same-sex relations are OK. If you know of such a cite, I'd love to read it. Until then, the language of the Bible is clear and consistent in its condemnation of same-sex relations.

Planning for 2010 Boy Scouts of America Jamboree Has Already Begun http://biz.yahoo.com/prnews/050803/daw037.html Wednesday August 3, 12:00 pm ET FORT A.P. HILL, Va., Aug. 3 /PRNewswire/ -- As 43,000 Scouts, leaders and staff leave the 2005 National Scout Jamboree, planning is well underway for 2010 -- the 100th anniversary celebration of the Boy Scouts of America. The Jamboree's Project 2010 Committee first met earlier this year to begin planning for the next National Scout Jamboree. The committee is chaired by Dick Burdick, International Commissioner of the BSA and chairman of the board and chief executive officer of Thermon Industries; Jerry Hasting, an executive with the Boy Scouts of America National Council, serves as the director of Project 2010. The committee is tasked with reviewing the information gained during this Jamboree and making recommendations for improving the planning and procedures for the next National Scout Jamboree. They will review the after-action reports requested from volunteer staff members, and the reports of the committee chairs and Scouting professionals. Further, a special subcommittee is being formed to specifically focus on the Jamboree health and safety procedures ensuring they continue to receive top priority. "Building character through fun, wholesome activities is the bedrock of Scouting's success, and safety continues to be at the forefront of all our planning," said Burdick. "We want to learn all there is to learn from what took place at Jamboree '05, and put it to work at our centennial celebration in 2010." Roy Williams, Chief Scout Executive of the BSA, thanked the hundreds of professionals and volunteers in Scouting as well as personnel from the armed forces, area fire, police, and emergency response teams for their service during Jamboree. "I want to express my deep personal appreciation, and the thanks of the Boy Scouts of America to all of these remarkable people," said Williams. "Through it all, the question that was asked by thousands of volunteers and dozens of agencies was 'What do you need?' or 'What can we do to help?' These folks are living examples of the Scout Oath to help other people at all times. "I hesitate to specifically name individuals or agencies for fear of missing any one of the dozens who contributed so much. With advance apologies to anyone I miss, I'm going to try." Williams recognized: * All of the branches of our armed forces, including their reserve and national guard units, with special thanks to 1st Army, NORTHCOM, and FORSCOM * Commonwealth of Virginia * Rappahanock Emergency Medical Service * Public Health Service * Virginia Department of Emergency Management * Caroline and Spotsylvania Counties * Cities of Richmond, Fredericksburg, Bowling Green --------------------------------------------------------------------- Source: Boy Scouts of America

Boy Scouts woo Hispanics Group faces culture hurdle, label of 'sissy' http://www.azcentral.com/arizonarepublic/northphoenix/articles/0720ext-boyscout0715Z3.html http://tinyurl.com/co9pm Betty Reid The Arizona Republic Jul. 20, 2005 12:00 AM Boy Scouts of America is courting the Latino population. It's a charge that started in 2000 when the Boy Scouts of America National Council discovered they were not reaching out to America's fastest-growing minority population. But Hispanic youngsters are not coming out of the woodwork to join. Phoenix scouts and leaders say the Boy Scouts have been incorrectly labeled as a club for rich or dorky kids, and it's been hard convincing many Latino kids, especially immigrants, that the group shares their values and works toward the good of boys. Alex Estrella, for example, is familiar with the barriers. The 16-year-old south Phoenix resident joined the Scouts when he was in first grade and plans to continue with the program through high school. Alex saw a troop he joined with 16 members fall to four. While recruiting on campuses, some students tell him they are busy with sports, while others taunt the institution. "We get called 'sissies.' It's sad because they don't know what they are missing," Alex said. "I try to explain, shooting 12 gauges and rifles. If they find that sissy, then honestly, they don't know the definition of sissy." Alex had the support of his grandmother and his parents, but when he could not find a ride to events, he caught the city bus. "Scouting is to bring the better out of people," said Alex, who aspires to be a psychiatrist. Librada Martinez is district executive and a community liaison in the Pueblo District of the Boy Scouts Grand Canyon Council of the Valley. Pueblo, which serves central and south Phoenix, Maryvale and parts of Glendale, is heavy populated by Hispanics. "I believe that if we would have a Boy Scout unit in each neighborhood, we would change the face of our community," Martinez said. "The result of Scouting is children, families and communities that are stronger and better prepared for the future." Pueblo district has 70,000 students who potentially could be Boy Scouts, but currently only 1,000 are Scouts, and Martinez estimates fewer than 100 of those are Hispanic. The low count perplexes Martinez because Hispanic families want similar values to those taught by the Scouts. Scouting promotes education, faith, healthy relationships and family. But immigrant families from Mexico believe Boy Scouts are for rich families. In "Latino countries these kinds of programs are for privileged kids," Martinez said. Then there is the language barrier ever so present for parents or guardians of young Latinos. Many speak Spanish, and some believe they won't be able to communicate their children's needs in the Scouts, so they don't pursue it. "Our main challenge is to reach Latino parents who are able to serve as leaders of our units (like) Cub Scouts, Boy Scouts. We provide training in Spanish," she said. "If they want to run a unit in Spanish, they can do it." Armondo Chavez is a Scoutmaster for Troop 407, a group in west Phoenix with 18 members. They are a 48-year-old organization whose membership is diverse. Chavez's unit had a booth at the Fabulous Phoenix 4th celebration. Only 10 of about 500 people who stopped by filled out an application at Steele Indian School Park, Chavez said. But even those numbers are encouraging, Chavez said. "We talk to people about the program being family-oriented," Chavez said. "The other is, we tell them, it is an important program and that it nurtures their child's activity. If a parent is interested, children get motivated early on, and they can pair up with their child. The boys' interest in programs goes as far as parents' interest."

I know the feeling -- my son is eleven -- too young for Jambo05 and will be too young for WorldJambo07. Like you, I hope he's still interested when Jambo10 rolls around. Its funny, I was talking to a dad last nite at our Troop meeting who's son will be going to his second Jamboree next week -- and I told him about our situation. Talk about unfair -- but there's nothing either one of us could do about it. I guess I could lie about my son's age on his World Jambo application, but how Scoutlike would that be?

I disagree with your thesis that BSA reflects the views of conservative Christians -- clearly, UUs, Episcopalians, Buddhists, Muslims and many others are members of BSA. So, I guess I'm still waiting to see your support of that contention. BSA has a faith component, and as such, is fully consistent with the Founder's views.

P-S, as I expected, you've pulled the "out of context" card. All I can say is, that charge can be leveled against *any* quote from *any* source. At least I provided quotes, which so far you've not done (and I understand you've already said you don't plan to). So, since it was *you* who posited that BSA's current policies don't comport with the Founder's beliefs, it really should be your burden to support that claim -- it really shouldn't be up to me to show otherwise.

Again, the claim was made that BSA's policy toward faith is not compatible with what the Founder believed. I believe I've shown otherwise. Whether BSA's current policies should be changed is altogether a different matter.

With all due respect, that may be, but the assertion was made that whatever BSA is doing today with respect to religion, it isn't consistent with the Founder's beliefs. The claim was made, but so far, without support. I've posted quotes that show clearly how the Founder felt about Scouting and faith. I'm still waiting for those who feel otherwise to make their case.

THE FOUNDER'S THOUGHTS ON CHRISTIANITY, RELIGION & SCOUTING "Scouting is nothing less than applied Christianity" - (Scouting & Christianity, 1917) http://members.tripod.com/~kclocke/index-6.html

In your opinion, what exactly is BSA doing that B-P would not have "had in mind"?

What was Baden-Powell's position on God and Religion in scouting? "No man is much good unless he believes in God and obeys His laws. So every Scout should have a religion ... Religion seems a very simple thing: First: Love and serve God. Second: Love and serve your neighbour." (Scouting for Boys) "When asked where religion came into Scouting and Guiding, Baden-Powell replied, It does not come in at all. It is already there. It is a fundamental factor underlying Scouting and Guiding." (Religion and the Boy Scout and Girl Guides Movement -- an address, 1926). "The atheists ... maintain that a religion that has to be learnt from books written by men cannot be a true one. But they don't seem to see that besides printed books ... God has given us as one step the great Book of Nature to read; and they cannot say that there is untruth there - the facts stand before them ... I do not suggest Nature Study as a form of worship or as a substitute for religion, but I advocate the understanding of Nature as a step, in certain cases, towards gaining religion" (Rovering to Success, Robert Baden-Powell, 1930, p. 181). "Where a man cannot conscientiously take the line required, his one manly course is to put it straight to his Commissioner or to Headquarters, and if we cannot meet his views, then to leave the work. He goes into it in the first place with his eyes open, and it is scarcely fair if afterwards, because he finds the details do not suit him, he complains that it is the fault of the Executive" (Baden-Powell, Aids to Scoutmastership) http://clipart.usscouts.org/ScoutDoc/FAQs/f02_rsi.txt

Military's aid to Boy Scouts is a front in larger legal war http://www.startribune.com/stories/484/5510422.html Michelle Boorstein Washington Post Published July 17, 2005 WASHINGTON, D.C. -- The Boy Scouts' Jamboree, held every four years, is an epic event for Caroline County, Va. Held at Fort A.P. Hill for 25 years, the event more than triples the county's population, bringing 40,000 Scouts, leaders and staff members together for 10 days of sports, conservation activities and the construction of an elaborate tent city. County officials estimate that when the latest jamboree begins a week from Monday, 300,000 additional people will stream into the area, including parents, vendors and other spectators. The jamboree is also an important event for the U.S. military, which has been supporting it since the 1930s with contractors, 1,500 troops and $2 million a year in Defense Department funding. That relationship is coming under scrutiny, however. A federal judge ruled late last month that the Pentagon funding is unconstitutional because the Boy Scouts are a religious organization, requiring Scouts to affirm a belief in God. The case was initiated by the American Civil Liberties Union. The Scouts and their advocates -- including Senate Majority Leader Bill Frist, R-Tenn., and Rep. Jo Ann S. Davis, R-Va., whose district includes Fort A.P. Hill -- are livid, saying the jamboree provides a unique training opportunity for troops. Among those speaking out last week was Nathan Diament, director of public policy for the Union of Orthodox Jewish Congregations of America, who said the ruling in U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Illinois amounts to "discrimination against religious entities." Even as the government plans its appeal and Davis pushes legislation to try to ensure that Pentagon funding for the jamboree continues, experts say the ruling by U.S. District Judge Blanche Manning is part of an escalating battle over government funding of religious organizations. Stanley Carlson-Thies, a former adviser to the Bush White House on faith-based issues and now an adviser to groups through the Center for Public Justice, said people are closely watching such decisions. He said that Manning's ruling should be overturned and that society needs to focus more on what faith-based groups do rather than what they believe. "We ought to say different groups have different standards. We may not like each of them, but they make up the mosaic of American society. If we force them to have the same standards, then we lose that diversity," he said. The Boy Scouts declined to comment on whether the group would be able to continue the $26 million event without government support. According to the ACLU, the Pentagon spends $15,000 on pediatric medical supplies, $10,000 for mementos and $5,000 on cookie dough for the event. Since 1937 All sides agree that the relationship between the Scouts and the U.S. military is a long-standing and unusual one. The military has been supporting the jamboree since 1937, and Congress eventually made financial support of the event part of federal law. Davis and Frist said they believe a new congressional measure could be stronger and unchallengeable. During the jamborees, thousands of U.S. troops set up and take down 17,000 tents and provide security, communications support and medical services, among other things. But the relationship was called into question in 1999, when a group of Chicago taxpayers -- including a Methodist minister and a rabbi -- sued several government agencies for their financial support of the Boy Scouts. The ACLU represented the group. Named in the suit, along with the Pentagon, were the Chicago school board and the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development, because some schools and housing projects were sponsors of Scout troops. A settlement was reached on government sponsorship and the practice was stopped, but the part of the suit that concerns jamboree funding remains in the courts. At the heart of the case, Carlson-Thies said, is an issue that is increasingly being brought before courts as the government increases its partnerships with civic and service organizations: How exactly does the First Amendment apply to the funding of faith-based groups? The ACLU and its supporters say groups that discriminate on the basis of religion can receive government funding -- as many social service groups do -- but that they typically are competing with other groups for neutral grants that have specific requirements, such as providing services for the homeless. "To the extent that camping is a worthwhile activity, there's no reason why this has to be limited to the Boy Scouts," said Adam Schwartz, lead attorney for the ACLU of Illinois. "If the money is good for local merchants, why not give other groups a crack at it?" 'Symbiotic' But supporters of the Scouts-Defense Department relationship say no other group would be able to provide a training event for the military like the jamboree. "This is a symbiotic relationship," said Robert Bork, a communications consultant who represents the Boy Scouts on legal issues. And besides, Bork said, other youth groups -- including Big Brothers, Big Sisters and the YMCA -- receive millions of dollars from the federal government. Public money is also sometimes "earmarked" for a specific recipient by having requirements written with a particular group in mind, a practice that constitutional law expert Robert Tuttle calls "the dark recesses under your fridge in constitutional law" because it skirts the rule of neutrality. "Until the last 10 years, all the energy in this field was focused on parochial schools; no one paid attention to faith-based initiatives," said Tuttle, who teaches at George Washington University Law School. "Now that's changing. People are starting to understand there are all these nooks and crannies in funding and really looking at them."

Aug. 3 deadline set for Valley Scouts to sever school ties http://www.azcentral.com/news/articles/0715BoyScouts15-ON.html Associated Press Jun. 15, 2005 07:29 AM The Boy Scouts of America has ordered groups across the nation to split from schools by year's end, and officials have set Aug. 3 as the deadline for the Phoenix metropolitan area. The Boy Scouts are severing formal ties to schools, fearful the American Civil Liberties Union will sue because the boys pledge allegiance to God. The decision will affect dozens of Phoenix-area Boy Scout troops and Cub Scout packs and their roughly 2,300 members. Scout officials made the move because they anticipate the ACLU would file lawsuits that challenge the constitutionality of having government entities sponsor an organization that makes boys swear allegiance to God. Most Phoenix-area Scouts are chartered through private groups, such as churches, charter schools or civic groups. The minority of school-chartered units will need to find similar groups. They can continue to meet on school grounds, however, just as any nonprofit group can.

Report says youth programs aren't meeting all needs Five elements called crucial for success Thursday, July 14, 2005 http://www.courier-journal.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20050714/NEWS01/507140478/ http://tinyurl.com/bdpdu By Chris Kenning ckenning@courier-journal.com The Courier-Journal It takes five things to keep young people out of trouble, experts say: friendships with caring adults, safe activities, attention to a child's health, work skills and a chance to help others. But a study of 101 youth services in Kentucky -- from after-school programs to counseling -- found that less than one-quarter addressed more than one or two of those needs. That's a problem because coordination among such programs is generally poor, leaving too many people ages 8 to 24 without the full range of help they need, according to the author of the report by Kentucky Child Now, a youth advocacy group. "To prevent young people from taking drugs or dropping out, you need to address all those areas," said T.J. Delahanty, who presented the report yesterday at a forum in Louisville attended by about 100 youth advocates and officials. Organizers plan to press state officials and advocates to improve services in part by having their programs work more closely to provide each young person with the services he or she needs. They will present ideas to General Assembly leaders later this year. Gene Foster, state Child and Family Services undersecretary, agreed that improvements could be made. "We need to do a better job of aligning the resources," he said. The 101 programs studied included state services such as child support, substance abuse, child health insurance, mental health and school-to-work programs. Also included were organizations like Boy Scouts and the YMCA's Safe Place. Together, the programs had a combined budget of more than $1.4 billion in 2004. Some, such as Boy Scouts and Girl Scouts, do address the five key elements by focusing on such things as adult mentoring, structured activities and community service projects, according to the study. Those that do not are not necessarily ineffective, the study found. But those programs could be far more effective if they broadened services or could refer children to complementary programs, advocates said. Often that doesn't happen because programs lack a system to ensure that youths are getting comprehensive services, advocates said. "We have many different agencies doing wonderful things for youth, but a lot of them don't talk to one another," said Rebecca DeJarnatt, a coordinator for Louisville's Youth Enhancement Services, which distributes state money to nonprofit groups serving at-risk children and others. DeJarnatt said her office has tried to increase coordination among youth programs by organizing regular meetings. The issue is becoming increasingly important because funding for youth services or programs is declining nationwide, DeJarnatt said. "There's less to go around and more need," she said.

Defending the Scouts By Amy Doolittle THE WASHINGTON TIMES Published July 13, 2005 http://www.washtimes.com/culture/20050712-102159-7567r.htm -------------------------------------------------------------------- The Boy Scout motto "be prepared" now means more than building campfires and learning first aid. For Hans Zeiger, being prepared in the 21st century means defending the organizational honor of the Boy Scouts of America. The 19-year-old Scout has made preserving the Boy Scout Oath and Law his personal battle. Honor, he says, is essentially what the Boy Scouts are all about. "The Boy Scouts are an institution of honor that serve to connect young men to things higher than themselves, such as God and country and the ideals of service and duty," Mr. Zeiger said. "It's a good organization, and one that has contributed so much to America and one that teaches self-government, without which we can't have constitutional government." An Eagle Scout from Puyallup, Wash., who now works as an assistant troop leader, he began writing his new book, "Get Off My Honor: The Assault on the Boy Scouts of America," when he was 16. Left-wing groups, he says, are doing more than attacking ideas by "assaulting" the Boy Scouts' belief system -- they are attacking the honor and character of the members of the organization. The Boy Scouts hold to a strict code, embodied in the Scout Oath. The oath reads: "On my honor, I will do my best to do my duty to God and my country and to obey the Scout Law; to help other people at all times; to keep myself physically strong, mentally awake, and morally straight." It is that oath, and therefore honor, that Mr. Zeiger, a student at Hillsdale College in Michigan, attempts to defend through his book. "Scouts' honor is under attack in American culture," Mr. Zeiger writes. "Honor, 'the foundation of all character,' has been nearly forgotten by a generation of Americans who, as products of a morally relativistic culture, care more about serving themselves than about their obligations to the community, the nation and the world. Character itself has gone by the wayside." In Mr. Zeiger's estimation -- and in the view of most of the Boy Scouts of America -- it is the honor, not the "intolerance," of the Scouts that is at issue in the battles over the policies excluding homosexuals and atheists from the organization's ranks. The Boy Scouts maintain that they are not exclusionary -- they say homosexuals and atheists exclude themselves by identifying with groups and agendas not compatible with Boy Scout values and ethos. The Boy Scouts' public proclamation, Mr. Zeiger said, is nothing more than a statement about the groups' purposeful self-exclusion as being necessary to the organization's code. "Their membership standards and the issue of honor suggests that only certain people are going to live up to that code, and there are others that are going to choose not to," Mr. Zeiger said. Homosexuals are excluded from the Boy Scout ranks because they hold values that are harmful to American society, Mr. Zeiger said. "Regardless of what leads to homosexuality, it is a thing that has an agenda in our society and is very harmful to the traditional family and is causing a tremendous amount of harm to young men," he said. "The Boy Scouts are one of the few organizations that have the moral sense to stand against the homosexual agenda, and it's an agenda that's quite different. It's definitely highly political and is accompanied by an entire body of moral relativism." After lengthy court battles in the past several years, the U.S. Supreme Court ruled in 2000 that the Boy Scouts can ban homosexual troop leaders, saying that because the organization is a private institution it has a right to exclude whoever it chooses to. "The Supreme Court affirmed our First Amendment right to gather peaceably," said Greg Shields, a spokesman for the Boy Scouts of America, headquartered in Irving, Texas. "We simply feel that a homosexual is not a role model that we would choose for leadership, and you have to be a member to be a leader in Boy Scouts. It's that simple, and it's always been that way." Much of the battle over the Boy Scouts' rights as a private institution stems from the group's use of public buildings, says Madhavi Sunder, a professor of law at the University of California at Davis School of Law. "The Boy Scouts fought for their right to exclude; now, other people are exercising their right to exclude them [from using public buildings] because they have different values," Miss Sunder said. "It's the classic case of calling the kettle black. Boy Scouts told young gay kids that they are not fit to be associated with, and the Boy Scouts are now being told that they aren't fit to be associated with." But the Boy Scouts maintain that they always have been a private institution and that recent criticism over their membership policies should not affect whether they are allowed to use public buildings. "We respect other people's opinions -- we would simply ask them to have tolerance for our values." Mr. Shields said. "We can hold our heads up and do what we are about. The court has given us the right to do that, and we are going to continue to succeed."

I came across the following items being sold in the Scouter.com bookstore: http://www.scouter.com/books/shop.php?mode=Books&item=B0008I84PM http://www.scouter.com/books/shop.php?mode=Books&item=B0008HA0YQ http://www.scouter.com/books/shop.php?mode=Books&item=B0006S1FD2 I was a bit surprised to see such things being sold here, but maybe I shouldn't have been. Fred G.

As ScoutNut says, its always a good idea to check with your local Council to see what they have to say about it (don't forget to fill out your tour permit!). You may find that, if the cave operator is putting on the program and providing the food, you may not have to worry about whether or not the cave on the list of approved campsites. This would be no different than camping in the outfield of a minor league ballpark after a game, or camping aboard a carrier or submarine. The reason Councils approve campsites is to ensure some basic requirements are met if you plan to go on a Pack Overnighter and you must provide your own program and food. In the case of a cave campout, that wouldn't be necessary and so the approval probably isn't necessary either (but you still need a TP). Still, it never hurts to ask your Council just to be on the safe side! And of course, if I'm wrong about the program & food, then all bets are off. Fred G.

Anybody who ignores BSA policy, procedures or guidelines (and the Insignia Guide certainly qualifies as an official statement of BSA policies) is running their own Scouting program -- not the BSA Scouting program. Everyone who signed an adult application pledged to abide by BSA rules and regulations -- if you can't do that (and you're not one of those whose signature means nothing), then you should do the honorable thing and resign.

I inadvertently omitted the second para. when I posted the story above -- the full article should read: Mandrell never wavers in support for Boy Scouts By: STAN VOIT, Editor July 11, 2005 "One of the scout leaders came up to me after it was over and handed me a check," Mandrell recalled. "I said, 'What's that for?' He said it was for my expenses. The scouts had gotten a donation from a man who was so excited about me coming to perform. I said, 'I don't want that check.' He said, 'It's a check already made out to you.' "'What should I do with it?' I asked him. 'I really don't want it.' 'Then take it home and give it to the local Boy Scouts,' he said to me. And that's what I did." Thus began a 10-year association with Boy Scouts that moved from Nashville to Sevier County, where she has continued her support of scouting by sponsoring an annual 5K run. The eighth annual event is scheduled for July 23. It starts and ends at her theater in Pigeon Forge. She fires the pistol to start the race, greets the participants as they come back, then has lunch with everybody. She even has donated a tractor as a door prize. Mandrell announced in April she would be ending her eight-year performance run in Pigeon Forge. She has sold her theater to the owners of the Comedy Barn and Black Bear Jamboree. Her last performance will be New Year's Eve. Then she returns to Nashville where she says she'll put her husband, John, first. After all, she says, for much of their marriage her career has come first, and that's been OK with both of them. But John suffers from reflex sympathetic dystrophy syndrome, a rare and painful disorder that causes intense pain and is hard to control. He is free of pain now. "We take things day to day," she said. "We don't know what tomorrow will bring. We don't know how long he'll be pain free. He's still working, but he wants to see more of me before we have any surprises. We thank God for the time we have. Each day is a new blessing." The Mandrells will meet with his doctor in August, "and after that well make a decision about our future and all future decisions. In the past it's always been my husband's support of me, but in the future we'll make all decisions together. I've never done anything before to prove to my husband I love him, so I'm going back to Nashville." But for now she remains involved in this community, with her theater and charity work. She has "a bunch of causes," but at the top of the list is the Boy Scouts. "I admire scouting, not only because they keep God in scouting, which is good enough for me, but they also encourage young people to be all they can be," she said. "It gives them s elf-confidence and pride in themselves, in their country, and a strong belief in God." I am the father of an Eagle Scout, and I saw what the program did for him. It made my son more mature, it made him set goals and work to meet those goals, it made him more self-reliant, it made him less self-centered. I watched scouts learn important skills that will serve them long after they stop playing team sports. "I know how much work goes into becoming an Eagle Scout," Mandrell said. "There are so many distractions for these young men. By the time they go after their Eagle, girls come along." Scouting is under attack these days, for its continued adherence to God - not religion, but God - its exclusion of openly gay scouts and leaders, allegations of inflated troop rolls in some states, the loss of some corporate sponsorships, and a backing away of support from some school systems. Can it survive? "I don't have a good answer," Mandrell said. "I'm pretty outspoken, enough to get me in trouble. I have a lot of friends in scouting. Some have resigned because they disagree with its positions, some work harder because they do agree. I know that I see young men getting an opportunity to do things they don't normally get to do. It's not about politics, it's about young boys becoming better men. If scouting stopped tomorrow, I'd be very sad, but I wouldn't let it stop what we've been doing." In the lobby of the Louise Mandrell Theater are some photos, plaques and awards. Prominent among them are the citations she has received from scouting. "I'm proud of them," she said. "I earned them. I worked hard. The reason I display those, and not many other awards, is that I love kids, I believe in Boy Scouts, and I want people to know I put a lot of time into it. Those are not just awards for donating money. It's for hours of work." Mandrell will be at the July 23 event for what likely will be her last time as sponsor. She'll autograph T-shirts, dine with the participants, fire that loud starter pistol again, and soak up all she has enjoyed putting together. "Somebody asked me one time how come I got involved in Boy Scouts when I have a girl," Mandrell said, referring to daughter Nicole. "It's simple. I believe in what they're doing." So should everyone. - Stan Voit is editor of The Mountain Press. His column appears each Sunday. Write him at svoit@themountainpress.com or call him at 428-0748. http://www.zwire.com/site/news.cfm?newsid=14836276

Mandrell never wavers in support for Boy Scouts http://www.zwire.com/site/news.cfm?newsid=14836276 By: STAN VOIT, Editor July 11, 2005 "One of the scout leaders came up to me after it was over and handed me a check," Mandrell recalled. "I said, 'What's that for?' He said it was for my expenses. The scouts had gotten a donation from a man who was so excited about me coming to perform. I said, 'I don't want that check.' He said, 'It's a check already made out to you.' Thus began a 10-year association with Boy Scouts that moved from Nashville to Sevier County, where she has continued her support of scouting by sponsoring an annual 5K run. The eighth annual event is scheduled for July 23. It starts and ends at her theater in Pigeon Forge. She fires the pistol to start the race, greets the participants as they come back, then has lunch with everybody. She even has donated a tractor as a door prize. Mandrell announced in April she would be ending her eight-year performance run in Pigeon Forge. She has sold her theater to the owners of the Comedy Barn and Black Bear Jamboree. Her last performance will be New Year's Eve. Then she returns to Nashville where she says she'll put her husband, John, first. After all, she says, for much of their marriage her career has come first, and that's been OK with both of them. But John suffers from reflex sympathetic dystrophy syndrome, a rare and painful disorder that causes intense pain and is hard to control. He is free of pain now. "We take things day to day," she said. "We don't know what tomorrow will bring. We don't know how long he'll be pain free. He's still working, but he wants to see more of me before we have any surprises. We thank God for the time we have. Each day is a new blessing." The Mandrells will meet with his doctor in August, "and after that well make a decision about our future and all future decisions. In the past it's always been my husband's support of me, but in the future we'll make all decisions together. I've never done anything before to prove to my husband I love him, so I'm going back to Nashville." But for now she remains involved in this community, with her theater and charity work. She has "a bunch of causes," but at the top of the list is the Boy Scouts. "I admire scouting, not only because they keep God in scouting, which is good enough for me, but they also encourage young people to be all they can be," she said. "It gives them self-confidence and pride in themselves, in their country, and a strong belief in God." I am the father of an Eagle Scout, and I saw what the program did for him. It made my son more mature, it made him set goals and work to meet those goals, it made him more self-reliant, it made him less self-centered. I watched scouts learn important skills that will serve them long after they stop playing team sports. "I know how much work goes into becoming an Eagle Scout," Mandrell said. "There are so many distractions for these young men. By the time they go after their Eagle, girls come along." Scouting is under attack these days, for its continued adherence to God - not religion, but God - its exclusion of openly gay scouts and leaders, allegations of inflated troop rolls in some states, the loss of some corporate sponsorships, and a backing away of support from some school systems. Can it survive? "I don't have a good answer," Mandrell said. "I'm pretty outspoken, enough to get me in trouble. I have a lot of friends in scouting. Some have resigned because they disagree with its positions, some work harder because they do agree. I know that I see young men getting an opportunity to do things they don't normally get to do. It's not about politics, it's about young boys becoming better men. If scouting stopped tomorrow, I'd be very sad, but I wouldn't let it stop what we've been doing." In the lobby of the Louise Mandrell Theater are some photos, plaques and awards. Prominent among them are the citations she has received from scouting. "I'm proud of them," she said. "I earned them. I worked hard. The reason I display those, and not many other awards, is that I love kids, I believe in Boy Scouts, and I want people to know I put a lot of time into it. Those are not just awards for donating money. It's for hours of work." Mandrell will be at the July 23 event for what likely will be her last time as sponsor. She'll autograph T-shirts, dine with the participants, fire that loud starter pistol again, and soak up all she has enjoyed putting together. "Somebody asked me one time how come I got involved in Boy Scouts when I have a girl," Mandrell said, referring to daughter Nicole. "It's simple. I believe in what they're doing." So should everyone. - Stan Voit is editor of The Mountain Press. His column appears each Sunday. Write him at svoit@themountainpress.com or call him at 428-0748.

OGE: can you fill us in? I know he was a highly touted QB (at USC, I think?) but was a disappointment in the pros. In fact, few HS athletes earn college scholarships, and fewer still eventually are offered a chance (much less are actually successful) in the pros. So if that's what parents are looking at, I think they are looking in the wrong places. The lessons learned in Scouting will serve a young person throughout his or her life, including whatever profession they choose to go into. In fact, exposure to many fields through earning MBs may be more valuable in the long run than the long-shot odds many kids face trying to earn a college athletic scholarship and eventual draft spot on a pro team. Just my 2

Boy Scouts produce outdoor skills, life lessons http://www.newbernsj.com/SiteProcessor.cfm?Template=/GlobalTemplates/Details.cfm&StoryID=22414 http://tinyurl.com/dv7cd July 08,2005 Ed Wall Special to the Sun Journal Times sure have changed. Just a few years back, explorers traipsed across untrammeled and, in some cases, yet-to-be-discovered expanses of the landscape. The "explorers" were young boys and girls, and the "wilderness" they forged their way through consisted of overgrown residential lots, small patches of suburban forest, creeks that meandered through secluded glades and, in some cases, a relative's small farm outside town. The fact that their adventures took place right around the corner from home rather than on the High Plains or in the Adirondacks didn't diminish the value of the experience. In its own way, the sense of accomplishment the youngsters realized when they were able to ford a small stream without getting their feet wet or when they slept out "under the stars" for the first time was just as real as what John Wesley Powell felt as he made his way through the Grand Canyon that first time. Today a youngster's view of nature is more likely to come from a television screen or a video game. Rather than spending hours building the perfect camp down in the woods or trying to catch crayfish with string and pieces of hotdog, kids are likely to sit from morning to night jiggling a "joystick" - trying to attain a Master score in "Alien Combat III." There is nothing intrinsically wrong with video games or computer simulations, but there is a very real danger that a lot of youngsters today are missing an opportunity to see nature fact-to-face; to challenge themselves in a real world environment that can't be "deleted" or "re-booted" at their convenience; to develop an understanding of how different forms of life are interrelated and interdependent; to understand why they are responsible for protecting the natural world around them, and making it better for the next generation. Too many kids are watching screen savers rather than sunsets; sitting in their bedrooms smoking dope rather than around a campfire smelling wood smoke; hanging with their "buds" at the local mall rather than hanging from a "zip line" on a climbing course at summer camp. There is at least one place where outdoor skills are emphasized over mental fantasy, though. It's the Boy Scouts. Since it was brought to this country from England in 1910, hundreds of thousands of youngsters have been in the Scouts and those that participate today will tell you that it's just as relevant now as it's ever been. The lessons that are learned are just as meaningful and the fun is just as exhilarating. Anyone who questions those facts should visit Camp Bonner, a summer Scout camp located on the south side of the Pamlico River between Chocowinity and Aurora. For six weeks each summer, about 250 youngsters age 10 to 17 and their adult leaders sleep in tents, swim in the pool, canoe on the river, climb on the COPE course, shoot shotguns and rifles, learn how to find their way through the woods with a compass, and take part in a myriad of other outdoor activities. For those who love to compete, there are soccer, horseshoes, softball and even a mini-triathlon. Mixed in on an informal basis are turtle races (with real turtles), flashlight tag, "Slurpees" at the trading post and searching for fossils among the limestone rock that forms the base for the camp's roads. Perhaps the most important activities at Camp Bonner, and similar facilities maintained by the Boy Scouts, is the challenge that each camper faces within himself. There was the one boy this summer - a first-year camper - for example, who had never shot a real gun before. Under the tutelage of a trained adult leader and with the advice and encouragement of older Scouts, he not only got to the point that he could hit the target with a little single-shot .22, but won an NRA-sanctioned match on the last day. He learned that, if he listens to those with more experience and follows their lead, he can achieve things that he probably didn't think were possible before. He also learned to handle a firearm safely and to respect its capabilities. The young marksman wasn't alone in reaching a goal. That's a common theme in Scouting and a daily occurrence at places like Camp Bonner. One of his buddies needed to pass a swim test in order to participate in a canoeing class. He didn't make it the first time. With the encouragement of some older Scouts and the assistance of an adult leader he did it, though - at 6:30 in the morning. Learning swimming techniques that may someday save his life was obviously important to the boy. Having the courage to try again and accept help from others may be even more important in the long run. The number of Boy Scouts (including Cub Scouts, Webelos, Varsity Scouts and Venture Scouts - related branches) has declined slightly in recent years. From 2003 to 2004, for example, enrollment across the country dropped 1.7 percent. Today, approximately 3,145,000 boys are registered with the Scouts in 126,232 units (packs, troops, crews). According to many Scout volunteers and professionals, the decline can probably be attributed to a number of factors including the rise in the number of conflicting activities for youngsters of Scout age; more single-parent families; and a more sedentary, urban-focused lifestyle for many people. Evidence of the importance that parents continue to see in Scouting, however, is the number of adult volunteers (nearly 1.2 million) that registered with the Boy Scouts in 2004. According to Joe Collins, District Executive for the Neuse Basin District of the East Carolina Council of the Boy Scouts, Cub Scout packs and Boy Scout troops in this part of North Carolina have experienced a slight drop in numbers along with the rest of the country in recent years. He said recently that the decline does not seem to reflect a downward trend, though, and that most units are strong, both in numbers and leadership. Over 800 youth and 350 adults participate in Scout units in his district (Jones, Pamlico and most of Craven county). Collins pointed out that there is a spot in Scouting for any boy or adult leader who wants to participate and that the annual "round-up" will be held in area elementary schools for both Cub Scouts and Boy Scouts at the beginning of the fall term. Generally, Cub Scouts are for boys age 7 to 10. Boy Scouts are from 10 to 17. Although most start out in Cub Scouts, that is not a requirement for joining a Boy Scout troop. Anyone who is interested in securing additional information about the Scouts at any level can contact Joe Collins at 636-9793 or Larry Cumbo at 637-6537. Ed Wall can be reached at edwall@cconnect.net. Some Scout Facts A recent nation-wide survey indicated Boy Scouts comprised: * 85% of high school student council presidents * 89% of senior class presidents * 64% of Air Force Academy graduates * 68% of West Point graduates * 70% of Naval Academy graduates * 72% of this country's Rhodes Scholars * 26 of the first 29 NASA astronauts

I don't rely on the numbers alone -- my own eyes tell me sports are more popular with middle school and HS age kids.

I just think its sad when only 1 in 5 kids have time for Scouts (or other Scout-like organizations) but somehow 2/3rds of them find time for sports, and over half find time for youth group or other religious instruction! Copy of the full study (60p, 1.2MB) is available here: http://www.publicagenda.org/research/pdfs/all_work_no_play.pdf