firstpusk

Rooster professes to respect only one faith and one book - and he uses the Bible as a weapon against those who disagree with him. He need not listen to them merely slap them with a snippet of verse while looking down on them. Those unworthy of a snippet are simply insulted.

My Cub is now an 18 year old Eagle, so it has been a few years since I have been involved in a pinewood. My first year in the pack we ran double elimination. Half of my den was from single-parent households. The involvement of the father in these families was spotty at best. These boys got little help from home. They were out after two races and cried. One tried to destroy his car. After that, our pack never ran double elimination. We used a method much like the Perfect n. The boys all got to race. Everybody seemed very happy. The time to run the derby was less than the double e

Let me put it this way Rooster. For me 'Left Behind' is where you pain me.

Rooster, You can call it belly-aching if it makes you feel better. You can also dismiss me as bitter. However, that will not make it so. I am disgusted by the immaturity of this particular teaching. The rapture is a teaching that was unheard of before the early 19th century - one cut from whole cloth. It is a proof text lifted from a few phrases snipped completely out of their original context that is being used to avoid acting as responsible adults. Interesting how turn the whole issue on its head. A lover of Scripture should have more respect for the text. It is the apocalyp

Pack, thanks for the link. Religion can be a force for good. It can also be a weapon of hatred and destruction. The hope and yearning for the end of the world is a perversity that is only surpassed by the effort to spur on Armageddon. To think that so many Christians would embrace this monstrosity on the threadbare theology of the "rapture". That so many would selfishly despoil the world that they claim God created for them to care for as stewards is a mockery of faith, hope and charity. Perhaps they should hope that no judgement ever comes for their actions.

"Just thinking..." This was refuted by the rest of your sentence. I've worked with scouters of all political stripes. For me the important thing is the delivery of the program. Setting the example is the key leadership skill I seek when I am recruiting. You don't seem to be ready to set the example on the first point of the Scout Law. For the good of the youth you are working with please resign. We can do better than you.

The ACLU is not responsible for the predicament of the Boyd County Schools. The World-Nut-Daily is not exactly a reliable source, but even they did not claim the district was "teaching sodomy". There are more than a few ommissions in the article you linked. >The students themselves sought to start the Gay Straight Alliance (GSA) after classmates unanimously passed a resolution favoring an open hunt on gay students during a mock legislature session. In another incident, a student in an english class said that they should, "...take all the (an extreme profanity describing homosexu

"The key difference is however, that while the Church can say that abortion is a grave evil, and supporting it in any form is therefore also evil, the Church has a harder time on social and economic issues. For example, the Church can say that we need to care for the poor. However, the question of how to care for the poor, and what is actually in the best interests of the poor, is something the Church does not speak on with the same sort of authority as life issues. It is the difference between moral imperatives and matters on which each person must exercise prudential judgment." I think

"Whew, we really dodged a bullet there. The American people elected the guy with the higher IQ." Trail Pounder Not quite, the guy would have to be willing to use the IQ. Thinking of any kind is not our President's long or short suit for that matter. Couple his intellectual laziness with his utter lack of scruples and I think Menken has our President nailed.

eisley, I am truly disappointed in you. The Swiftboat Liars did more to slander the dignity of all veterans by slandering a comrade in arms and establishing themselves as liars. The record of their claims being debunked as pure fabrications or half-truths twisted beyond recognition has been clearly documented. Those funding the Swiftboat Liars also funded the smears directed at Sen. John McCain.

Pretty careless with the truth eisley. What was the context of Kerry's 1971 testimony or do you only listen to the Swiftboat Liars funded by Bush?

What I learned it that it is possible to win a national election in the United States on the basis of fear-mongering, lies and bigotry. God bless our President that has taken mendacity to such extremes...and God bless America. We're going to need it.

My WFA certification is up this coming winter. I will be taking it again though my local council office. They have been offering it for a number of years at a reasonable price. If your unit is planning on a trek, I HIGHLY recommend at least one adult have this course. Talk to your council about getting the ball rolling down the road.

I'll be working an evening shift my Council's booth at the Minnesota State Fair this week - in uniform, of course!

Don't be jealous. That fool in a Lear Jet is missing so much by not taking time to share time with his child. The youngest pusk turned 18 a week and a half ago. I always chose jobs that allowed me to share time in scouts with my two sons and daughter. As I watched them grow to responsible adults and good citizens, I knew I did not make a mistake.

For summer camp, I always bring an expresso pot and frother. Both are stove top versions. What can I say? I like my cappucino. With my Finnish upbringing I take great joy in the number of scouts asking if I would be willing to whip them up a foo-foo coffee. I am a true yuppie scouter except for the young and the urban part ;^)

I saw something similar in my younger days. Bear tore up a camp and finished off the six Canadian beer but left the White Label (cheap American brand) alone after tasting a can. Tastes great, eh!

I have worked with excellent 18-20 SAs and I have worked with poor ones. Perspective and patience seem to be the keys. Any SM asking for help from these guys needs to make sure they understand how to work collaboratively. One thing I have noted is that the young SAs that have camp staff or JLTC staff experience tend to do better. They have learned to work with adults on an equal footing and have a bit more perspective. I feel training, mentoring and defining a role for them within the troop are critical to success. One we had a young SA a few years back with experience on staff at Ph

I am certain that Eamonn can tell the difference between Guinness and Ranier. After all, he is smarter than the average bear. ;^)

Most of my canoeing is done with the scouts or my local paddling club. We note the condition of those with whom we share the river. We avoid those that either through lack of skill, poor prior planning or substance abuse endanger themselves and others. We generally can move down the river faster because of better skills and lack of impairment. If we can't, we gunwale up in an eddy and wait for them to clear. It is situations like these that bring home the need for good discipline within the crew. Planning how to deal with rescue is critically important. Those that are not trained sh

This is an excellent advancement opportunity also. Camping merit badge requirement 9. b. requires that the scout help plan and conduct two of five activites. One of them is a float plan for a three hour float. We are having several scouts plan our upcoming canoeing trip on the Bois Brule River. Available to them are the G2SS, maps, guidebooks and the MB badge books for canoeing and whitewater. They not only want to do it. They are excited about it. There is nothing wrong with the PLC "subcontracting" such work to a group of scouts. They simply have to make sure the final product is

A skeleton walks into a bar. He says to the bartender, "I'll have a beer and a mop."

sctldr, Sorry if I seemed a bit testy in my response. The BOR is in place to make sure that the counselors are following the program, just like in the BSA program. The program requires a fair amount from both the youth and the counselors. Still, we wanted the requiremetns to be followed rigorously. As ScoutNut indicated, the youth need to consult and get a signature from their pastor. One thing I would like to clarify. A number of young women in the Archdiocese have earned the Pope Pius emblem through their participation in the Venturing program. Also, we have been conducting j

scoutldr, Look at the requirements for the award and examine the program before you criticize. I have had the pleasure of sitting on boards of review for dozens of young men and women that have received emblems. They have worked hard on their own and participated fruitfully in their groups. All have come to a deeper understanding of their faith. Most have expressed a deeper commitment to bringing it into their everyday lives. These emblems should not be set up as the program for regular scout meetings. I have seen classes addressed and organized during meetings but the religious

I used to chair the Catholic Committe on Scouting for my Archdiocese. I understand your concern. I agree that it can be frustrating for folks that want to counsel emblems to be told the training is completed for the year. The Catholic emblems require trained counselors. We found that often potential counselors decide to start a group after the training is done. We have been fortunate to have a group of dedicated scouters willing to step forward to volunteer to do this training several times a year. I would discuss your concerns with the chair in your Diocese. It may be that