fred8033

Dumb questions ... #1 Payments to the trust fund ... Perhaps I missed something. To get out of bankruptcy, BSA must put money into a bankruptcy related trust fund. Once out of bankruptcy (aka for the next five years), I did not think there were further payments into a bankruptcy related trust fund. Is that true? Would the new post-bankruptcy BSA still have debt to be paid to a bankruptcy related trust fund? #2 proceedings duration ... give BSA can show a viable business plan ... and given there is no dispute to that future business plan and ability to continue ... then how can the cost of the bankruptcy proceedings be the cause to fail emerging from chapter 11 ? It seems that the money that would go into the settlement trust would be (and has already been) the money to fund the bankruptcy proceedings. Obviously I'm not a lawyer. It just seems that the money that can pay past debts has already been identified. That money should go into the trust to close out the legal proceedings and pay debts. It is just perverted that the bankruptcy legal proceedings themselves would be the cause of a business to fail.

I wanted to jump on this statement, but grammatically thinking about it ... I'm ok. All sides could quickly address the issues, say three plus months. That's quick in this process. "Quickly" modifies "address those issues". ... When they start updating (July / August)? Not sure. How quick an update moves thru other hurdles? I wanted to jump on applying it to "get to a plan approval." ... There is no quick to reach a next decision. ... Negotiating doors are re-opened. ... Parties will want a better. A different deal. ... Many law firms looking to somehow re-coup their investments. Simply updating who represents who will take time. ... Add negotiating and agreeing on procedures to negotiate an update would take a month (July). ... Multiple parties posturing during multiple negotiation sessions. New vote? New hearings on updated plan? At least a month for judge to review / write a new decision in holiday season (Nov / Dec)? January plus. Six plus months at least if this pending decision is not some type of conclusion.

My sympathies. It is hard. I wish you the best. ... My only advice is don't let problems linger as such problems poison others experience and can just lead to more issues.

I've seen these too. My paranoia says ... is it an attempt to subvert the settlement? It would be interesting to see if these articles have a common root, as it smells like another manipulation of the legal process. On the flip side ... the BSA bankruptcy news has been quiet. It could be a simple effort to keep the story alive until the decision.

Agreed. Mission. Goals. Aims. Methods. ... Those words attempt to box scouting into a formalized structured algorithm. I'm not sure scouting always fits cleanly though a scouting is not any single objective. Rather, scouting has always been about getting youth together in an outdoor environment to stretch their comfort zone. Thru that environment, scouts learn and grow.

Calendar wise, yes. Timing wise so things happen well, no. There is a short window of 2 to 3 years when habits and the scouting experience is imprinted. Generalizations ... 16 & 17 years old ... lots of distractions ... girls, gas, jobs, school, graduation, applying for college ... for scouting, your son will have "habits" on how scouting works ... few scouts change habits during these years ... most can grow experiences or skill or leadership ... good time for adventure 13, 14 & 15 years old ... executing what you learned ... good time for scouts to show leadership in their troop ... learning to lead, stepping up 11 & 12 years old ... this is where those new to scouting are still forming habits. ... learning how the program works I've taken four sons through scouting until they turned 18. The years go quick. The timing is critical. If things derail, it's really hard to get them back on track before the magic time window is closed. I can't say any of my sons had an ideal scouting career through their years, but they all had adventures and grew character and learned skills. One of my son's friends had his connection to the troop implode when they were 13(??). Out of support, my son switched troops with his friend. The journey was very different. BUT, it was still a great journey. It's like high school football. You can always join in 7th grade or 9th grade or 11th grade, but it's harder to become a starter. The time window is short. Most do best by following a common pattern that starts in the earliest of years.

Sadly, these situations don't have an easy answer. Scouting is great when the magic mix of friendships, adventure and fulfilling the program comes together. When two of the three happens, it can be painful. My only comment ... Your son's scouting career is short. Help him find the positive. Perhaps it means you and your son sign up for special scouting adventures you both can find. It's not the perfect scouting idea, but he can be in the realm of scouting and have great experiences. EXAMPLE: Go to summer camp with a single camper program that many summer camps offer. Sometimes these can be great experiences. Look for other adventures. Perhaps it means protecting your scout from his own SM. That's sad, but it might be necessary. Perhaps it means letting your son solve his own problems with the SM. Perhaps if your son like the troop generally, maybe it will give him his best scouting experiences. I cringe at what you describe. If your son is already butting heads with the SM, it might grow worse. I'd hope your son would be looking up to the SM as an example. If that's not happening, I'd really want to change. I'm babbling because there is no clear easy answer. ... except it is okay to protect your son and help him find the right path.

Most COs would never know if there is a leader that is not registered as most COs never had that level of involvement. It was the rare exception when the CO knew the leaders in detail. ... Taking it further, until recently it was always a gray area if someone was a registered volunteer or just a parent or a leader who's registration never got completed. For this reason, I can hold the other unit leaders and the parents much more accountable than the CO. They saw the interaction. Someone should have spoke up.

COs ... I can't blame them much ... CO ownership was always more honorific than liability ownership ... all people involved in the paperwork knew that. BSA professionals. unit leaders. CO leaders. Except LDS, most unit leaders were not chosen by the CO except in honorific terms ... can you sign this form? It was more signed after-the fact and for awareness. .... Even twenty years ago, few believed the liability that the forms are now implying. ... COs thought they were doing a good deed for the community. Giving space. Supporting a good community program. ... Similar to opening their building for elections or a community meeting. Councils ... I don't blame them much either ... THIS IS MY VIEW. It might not be popular. ... From what I've seen, it was the standard of care for the time. If they removed the perpetrator and tried to track the person to keep them out of scouting, they did more than many organizations. I believe the circle of blame is ... #1 the perpetrator ... (less than #1) #2 the other adults in the unit (leaders, parents, etc) ... (less than #2) #3 local community (police, school, etc) ... police were often involved but could not pursue. schools were the experts with adults working with kids and where scouts recruited ...) .... #2a the experts ... CSA was really not well understood or managed or prevented or educated until last twenty years. I hate marking this has #4 of the outward radius from most blame as the real issue is CSA was not well handled until recently. I had #2a as #4 except it was the real cause. CSA was not well understood until last 20 years.

No humor, but I've had relatives that did similar. Older relatives that protected their garden with a BB gun or 22 from the kitchen. My natural reaction is to defend any person or group that is constantly beat-up / vilified / demonized by others. It does not mean I agree with them. I just hate society lifting itself up by trying to label another group or individual evil. Opposition is broader than NRA. Here are two examples. NAMI https://www.nami.org/Advocacy/Policy-Priorities/Responding-to-Crises/Extreme-Risk-Protection-Orders "NAMI supports Extreme Risk Protection Orders (ERPOs) that focus on specific, current behaviors and evidence-based risk factors for violence. NAMI opposes any ERPO laws that target, single out, or discriminate against people with mental health conditions." "Most people with serious mental illness are never violent toward others and are more often victims of violence than perpetrators. Moreover, only 4% of violent acts in the U.S. are attributed to mental illness. Research tells us that other factors — such as a history of violence, misuse of alcohol or drugs, or prior convictions for violent misdemeanors — are greater predictors of violence." The Hill .... biased, but interesting points ... https://thehill.com/blogs/pundits-blog/civil-rights/319859-nra-the-mentally-ill-have-gun-rights-too/

Any reason on theft? Recycling value of the metal? Anti-BSA? Re-sale of the art?

Hugely agree with this! Thoreau wrote "The mass of men lead lives of quiet desperation."

Your points are well taken. Switzerland. Mexico. etc. I've hesitated responding because of extreme political intensity here. IMHO, it's not a gun problem, but perhaps gun control could help save lives. ... perhaps could break the cycle ... I'll avoid deciding either way on that ... I value the bill of rights just too much to take it lightly. My view. This is a fundamental civility, empathy and understanding the real hard facts of life. These murderers are playing out a demented fantasy to show their personal pain. Scouting has a place in this discussion. Hard lessons teach understanding your actions and choices have implications and results. Example ... You forget to zip your tent shut? Then you and your buddy are going to sleep with mosquitos and/or rain soaked sleeping bags. These small, safe scouting level screw ups help teach survival, empathy and responsibility to each other. Is NRA good or bad? I don't know, but political vilifying NRA is just another demented fantasy that stops larger reflection on what the heck is going on.

Not explicitly. Rather, it's inherently the key part of scouting and has been that way since scouting was created. Without that element, scouting is not distinctly different from many other groups.

My initial reaction was a mismatch. OA being an elected selection of scouts across many units. Venturing being yet another unit type. Not parallel concepts. ... Also, OA is very much about giving back; service; often to local camps. Perhaps, OA could benefit from a partnership with older scout programs like venturing; a symbiotic relationship. Venturing would benefit from visibility. ... I don't think it solves the fundamental instability of specific venturing units.

I don't know you, but your story sounds similar to a several scouters I've met. Most started at the unit level. Once shown effective, they often help at district / council. A few are plugged in at the national level also directly contributing to key areas. ... Given the number of councils and volunteers and I've run into several plugged in higher, I'd expect this is a broader pattern that you represent. ... From what I remember, that's how the G2A 2011 re-write was done. I was not plugged in to that effort.

Sad note ... I plan to start posting less. For the last six to twelve months, I've been quietly inviting a set of volunteers to help in my role. I'm hoping that if I build enough excitement in them, the next generation steps up to take my last role. If not, the best way to recruit the next volunteer is to walk away and leave a vacuum to fill. Someone will get sucked in. My target date is September / October to have the new group in place and then to step back. I learned scouting when my oldest son joined in August 2000. I found the closest, dearest friends in scouting, but most have moved on. I could continue in my role for years, but I think it's time for me to let the next generation help ... and my golf game really really needs attention. It's the shame of all my friends. I post this hear because I'd really like to see a venturing solution. And a membership solution. And an adventuring solution. I'm not sure I'll see them.

I can understand your thoughts. It aligns with my view of recent citizenship badge changes. The changes were done during a highly political time and have not been smoothly received. On the flip side ... there is a current problem and a strong need. The long term solution might need time to design, etc. In the short term, do you keep a program that fails 75% of the time? ... I view the inclusion of crews as extensions of a troop as a "work around" that could smoothly give young adults a path to experience scouting. ... Then again, I agree with statements about Sea Scouts and Exploring, etc. They have solid paths. .... Different though is venturing. Venturing has always been nebulous in goals and structure. I tend to believe Venturing aligns well with core scouting where cubs are the younger years and Venturing are the older years. IMHO, I'd love to see them under the same committee Tigers thru Venturing. Then again, this will take time to wash thru. I've tended to favor learning much more from our tea taxing friends.

It's not BSA. It's the legal environment in this country.

Well said. Sounds like my exact words on teaching responsibility and leadership. It's why I usually emphasize leaders should focus on executing an active program and not on teaching leadership / responsibility. ... The flip side is we have a repeatedly failing program now. Venturing crews rarely survive more than a few years. A few survive. The vast majority don't. That's a call for re-engineering.

Matching with a troop ... Many times an existing troop could be a good match for a crew. Not always, but often. Crew (patrol) purpose / objectives don't have to be a 100% match with the troop. It should be able to set it's own objectives. Just like any patrol doesn't have to do all the activities of the troop. Patrols should be able to execute their own activity schedule. In fact, that's an ideal that patrols have their own patrol activities / camp outs / etc. Crews (patrol) not well matched with the nearest troop should be able to be structured under another troop or create their own troop. Similar issue with patrols and scouts not matched well with an existing troop. Feels more like a concern where it's hard to get people to play well together. The big differences are minor ones. crew --> troop and venturing patrol. Advisor --> scoutmaster. Dark green uniform --> tan scout uniform.

Agreed. In many ways, the whole crews, packs, posts, etc is really confusing. A simplification would be welcome.

Given ... Programs that partially work often do more damage than good. Always looking to simplifying the program. Existing challenge how to deal with scouts that turn 18. Crews would benefit from being attached to a troop. Continuity. Program. Equipment. Friendship. It also allows a structure to handle the youth transition into adulthood. A GSUSA leader taught that scouts often learned best when we think of learning as a progression of responsibility. I think it's true here too. Crews fail because of turnover (advisors and members). Being attached to a troop has lots of benefits including future members. IMHO, troops should be thought of as a home with a progression of options from the 11 year old on his first camp out to the 18/19 year old looking for the scout fellowship and adventure.

Agree. Play to the strengths of the program. The strengths are the uncomfortableness of being outdoors in new situations. It naturally teaches responsibility, leadership and fellowship. In reality, the program works better when you don't emphasize the marketed goals and instead focus on the basics. Hiking. Swimming.

I'd argue then that it's how your camp does it. Our summer camp never offered chemistry. Any badge if done really well can be popular.