fleetfootedfox

The BSA discourages units from filing for their own tax status separate from their CO.

Cubmaster responsibility is: "Meet with the unit commissioner, Webelos den leader, and Scoutmaster to establish plans for the Webelos Scouts' transition to Boy Scouting." ... and ... "Help plan and conduct impressive Webelos graduation ceremonies involving parents and guardians, the Scoutmaster, the Webelos den chief, the Webelos den leader, and the troop junior leaders." Scoutmaster responsibility is: "Provide a systematic recruiting plan for new members and see that they are promptly registered."

I skimmed many of the posts in this thread, so forgive me if this has already been brought up, but I don't think it has. There is a fundamental difference between many other activities and Scouting. That is anybody can be a Scout, even if you are disabled. On the other hand, not everybody can play sports, and even fewer will be good enough to play at the high school level if they are not in a very small school that is just begging for players. My son is a 7th grader who plays basketball. Already the competition is tough to be on the high school feeder teams. He wants to play high sch

I agree with Eagle1982. I have camped plenty of places where there is no space that is flat. If I'm on an incline, I like to have my head higher than my feet and my head way from the door.

What is the point of these single-color ghost patches? Is it just to be different? I saw a "2002 NOAC Red Ghost Back Patch" advertised for sale at on a web site, and this is what has gotten my interest. Were these made to be put on the back of a red jack-shirt?

In my Council I found out that the Scout Executive had authorized the wearing of the sash at other times than spelled out in the handbook. When I met him at a camporee I asked him myself for clarification and he told me I could wear it at Courts of Honor, closing campfires, parades, or whenever I felt it was appropriate. So, you might want to do the same. As other people have said, it is not always black and white. Most rules have loopholes, and this one has a big one.

I disagree with the "Don't do it!" comment. If you follow the guide to safe scouting (http://www.scouting.org/healthandsafety/gss/gss13.aspx#a), you should be able to do winter camping and winter sports. There is a first time for everything. Everybody who has ever done these things had their first trip. Of course, you are doing the right thing by asking for advise and gathering information for your trip. Anyway, I would say boys (and adults) who don't have or cannot borrow the proper gear (such as a good zero degree bag), should not be allowed to go.

IM_Kathy, The original post you're talking about was in a different thread. This thread is about bylaws. Unlike a parent handbook, bylaws are supposed to be binding and difficult to change (normally requires 2/3 vote).

Please read this: http://tinyurl.com/6xs4uj This bsa doc clearly states that scout units should not incorporate or apply for their own tax-exempt status. If a unit, which is not a legal entity, is tax exempt, it is only because it's chartering organization is tax exempt. As it is clearly stated that the unit is not a legal entity, it follows that the law does not require it to have bylaws.

I like Bob White's example of a scout unit being kinda like the church choir and the CO like the church. I think that points out pretty succinctly why we do not need bylaws. Only problem with the analogy is that if I am in the church choir I am probably also a church member, but if I am in the scout unit, I may or may not be otherwise involved with the CO. Anyway, I think this is a complicated issue, because there are multiple questions. Here are some... 1) Does your unit have to have bylaws? Answer: No. 2) Does your unit committee want to have bylaws? Maybe the answer

We have bylaws that discuss discipline for behavior but don't get specific about what constitutes bad behavior. Unfortunately, I think our bylaws are still too specific in various ways and should be more flexible, but that's another topic. I agree with those who are pointing to the scout oath and law. There is also the Outdoor Code. I think beyond these there should be no need for an additional code of conduct. You will notice that the scout law is about what a scout is striving to be whereas Codes of Conduct tend to be about "don't's". There are some very good reasons why B-P did no

I like it. My boys are working on Craftsman and should be done before the next pack meeting. I'll see if I can use this.

I have now taken two different webelos dens to a local YMCA and gotten swim lessons from their staff. I tell them that I am a scout leader and want the boys in my den to be able to swim before summer camp and to earn their aquanaut pin. They charge only a few bucks per kid for a one hour lesson. After 3 or 4 lessons I have been surprised/impressed how much progress some kids make and they all got their aquanaut pins. One boy who is special needs still did not want to swim when we got to camp, but that was more fear factor of being in a big lake. Next summer we'll be at a camp with a

What you describe may have been bullying, or it may have been rough play. Hard to tell not having witnessed the incident. In our civilized adult world, you would expected to get into some serious trouble for punching a co-worker, but in the boy world, they have their own rules which come from a sort of animal instinct which takes years for us to master in order to become part of this civilized adult society. For the sake of argument, let's assume that the boys were not being malicious but were in their primitive way actually giving the boy a chance to become friends with them. Instead

Some of the parents who sign up as den leaders don't want to do recruiting later because they are happy with having small groups. That's not an excuse. They just plain don't want to do it. I see that to a lesser degree in our troop. The SM is afraid that if we get lots of webelos cross over with no parents willing to help then we will have problems. It seems like in our pack lots of boys sign up as tigers, but then as time goes by some of them get very involved in sports which are increasingly demanding. 2-4 practics per week, games, tournaments all year round. It used to be that th

I have mixed feelings about these kinds of depictions, but art immitates reality. I haven't seen this myself. I'll have to check it out. Sounds like good skit material.

Well, the guy who said wearing camo gear is "illegal" is making some big leaps in logic. First, he is assuming that any camoflauged gear is intended to be military. That's rediculous nonsense. What about hunting gear? Second, it is another huge leap to suggest that anytime a person is wearing camo pants that he is trying to immitate a military uniform. Finally, it doesn't sound like this guy is an attorney, so I don't know that he is an authority on what is legal or illegal. Regarding the story of a scout executive kicking out scouters for wearing camo pants, the details are left out

Given what you've told us, it sounds to me like the parent who called the police was blowing things way out of proportion as you say she admitted to over reacting. I used to have a neighbor who would call or threaten to call the police on neighbors and their kids at the slightest provocation. I think this shows a real lack of character, an unability to deal with conflict that will cause your troop problems in the future. I think your troop would be better of without somebody like that. The leader, on the other hand, acted to protect a boy against possible abuse, an act which sh

Solutions, please? Here is my suggestion. It helps if your troop and/or pack has people who are involved with leading cub scout roundtables. Webelos leaders who are looking for a troop to crossover to will likely be asking at roundtable, so if you are there when they are asking, you can make a pitch for your troop. Just don't beg them to come. Talk about your vision for the troop and ask them how they would see themselves fitting into that vision. If you aren't part of the regular roundtable staff, now might be a good time to approach the roundtable staff and offer to lead a webe

The boy has to have an approval signature, but it doesn't have to be an "eagle adviser". It can be the scoutmaster. The form says "Scoutmaster/Coach/Adviser". So, your husband should be able to sign the form and take it to the district eagle board himself, bypassing this other guy completely. The reason your son got turned down by district is because he has to have a signature, not because it has to be the adviser's signature. Another option might be for your husband to appoint another ASM to be another eagle adviser, and have him sign the form. The boys can then choose who to go to.

I think there is no reason for him not to be OA troop rep just because he's a new member. In fact, if he's the only one going to meetings, he is the logical choice, isn't he?

Yeah, people need to go to training and try to do what they recommend. Far too many people, I think, either skip the training or let it go in one ear and out the other saying something like, "well, that's not how our troop does it." A large portion of the SM handbook is devoted to planning troop meetings and activities using the standard troop meeting plan form which includes time for skill instruction. Our troop was not using this until I talked our new SM into trying it. This has been a big help to us.

Given what I have heard here, I would be 100% in favor of the SM (your husband) taking away the eagle adviser job from these guys.

In college I used to hear discussions that sounded a lot like this between people advocating a broad eduction vs. those who didn't want to be bothered with courses not related to their major. If my major is chemical engineering, for example, why should I need to take history or political science. Seems kind of irrelevant, doesn't it? Of course, I remember people saying things like this even going back into high school. "I don't like math and I'm not that good at it, so why do I have to take it?" or "Why should we study Greek mythology? What practical value could that possibly have?" I h

I am not in favor of giving boys a hard time about hair or musical taste, but I also don't think this has much to do with how military or non-military scouting is. I have a picture of an ancestor who fought in the civil war and he had long hair and a long beard. These are more issues of style and fashion. However, some sub-cultures also use these as symbols of their rebellion and solidarity, the same sub-cultures that have promoted drug use. Unfortunately, then, boys may not understand all the implications of adopting these symbols, and I think it is appropriate for scoutmasters to point