FScouter

The addition of under God in 1954 was not unconstitutional until just last Wednesday. Considering that the court has stayed their own opinion, we can ignore it for the time being.

I think the founding fathers would be appalled if they knew about a lot of the things we have done since those days. Thanks be for their wisdom in making the constitution so incredibly difficult to amend. The problem with tinkering is that one can tinker until the cows come home, but there will still be someone or some group that is not satisfied. If we take out "under God" now, will that satisfy everyone? Tinkering with the Pledge now, almost 40 years after the last tinker, is divisive to our country and totally non-productive. On another note, it is interesting that our gove

Responding to Sctmom "If you believe in God and that this is a nation "under God", why do you have to have everyone say it in the Pledge? " - I have no problem with "under God" being either in or out of the Pledge. I have no problem with any individual choosing to not say those two words, or even choosing to not say the Pledge at all. Mr. Newdow may be an atheist if he wants to. He can raise he daughter to be an atheist too if he wants. They dont have to say under God if they dont want to. They dont even have to stand and recite the Pledge at all. The point is not whether und

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Methinks that anyone howling in protest over the Pledge of Allegiance and/or the words "under God" is mighty insecure in his personal beliefs or non-beliefs.

I heat my house with a woodstove. I split the wood by hand using three wedges and an 8 pound sledge. My son splits all the kindling with a hatchet. He also sells kindling in the neighborhood, $5 for a grocery sack full. Maybe I'm a throwback, but I like it that way.

I teach our boys how to use a hatchet. We don't get into axes though. There doesn't seem to be much practical use for them anymore. We use the hatchet to prepare kindling. There is an inherent danger in using a hatchet or axe. My thought is that some time down the road many boys will have an occasion to use a hatchet, and I'd like them to be confident and safe knowing the skills the learned in they Boy Scouts.

Your "understudy" idea hits the nail on the head.

Have him un-register as Cubmaster and re-register as Tiger den leader until he has a full twelve months on the books. The pack can go without a Cubmaster for the time being, and he can "help out" until such time as he can register as Cubmaster. Maybe this approach seems silly, but there is something to be said for going by the book.

Perhaps it is time to establish a new forum entitled "Homosexuals & Scouting" where that topic could be discussed at length by those interested in same. Scouter-Terry?

Hmmm . . . What if the Scout decided to pay the 25 cents and leave his shirt hanging out? There is no price for this. "We're a troop boys. Get with the program. Shirts must be tucked, no exceptions, no excuses!"

A very nicely designed and uncluttered site. The pages load quickly. I'd agree with the comment from dan. The "under construction" notice fooled me into thinking there was nothing else on the site other than the opening page.

I voted for cooking, but there's a lot to be said for pioneering too. How many people do you know that can splice a rope? Maybe that's not something one does every day, but if you can do it, you're a step ahead of the rest of the pack.

It is so cool that you want to start up something like this! You may need some help to get going. Is there any adult in the troop that has a military background? He may be able to show you how to arrange a formation, or how to march. Or call the leader of your local VFW (Veterans of Foreign Wars) chapter. The band or orchestra leader at your local high school can offer advice as to music that works, and how to locate instruments. If these people cannot personally help, they may be able to tell you the name of someone else that can help. Call the leader of your chartered organization. Y

The aggressor Scout has been removed as a consequence of his actions. It's unfortunate, but BSA isn't particularly set up to properly deal with his issues. The safety of the other Scouts is important too.

In my opinion the issue of who should have the money pales in comparison to the issue of Scouts suing other Scouts when they have a difference of opinion.

I got suckered into an Amway meeting once. I was quite annoyed at the friend that hooked me because I specifically told him I was not interested in selling any product. My wife did Woodbadge and has told me everything I wanted to know. (I have not done Woodbadge.) There isn't anything secret about it. She says it's difficult to describe exactly how it is. You have to be there to really know what it is about. The ticket thing is part of the program, but the program does not center around ticket items. It's the unstructured part of the training that you do on your own, after the

Our committee consists strictly of parents of Scouts in the troop. All the Scouts know all the committee members quite well, and most of the boys have had sat in multiple boards of review with the same committee members. Ideally, the boys would sit in front of different adults occasionally, including some they dont know well. On occasion, when we cant pull together enough committee members for a board of review, weve asked outside people to help. There is an elderly Eagle scout in the community, and one or two other strong people that do an excellent job. They are willing to help ou

This thread from a few months ago dealt with snipe and hazing and such. Seems apropos to other current threads.

Singing a silly song sounds kind of dumb to me. But it hardly sounds like hazing. In our troop, lost items are turned over to the Scoutmaster. Scouts that cant find their things know who to check with. He may or may not have the lost item, but either way, the boy gets a chance for a little discussion with the Scoutmaster.

What is the standard practice for a Philmont trek?

I can see where some kids would fail to claim their lost item. I can also see some other kids "find" things belonging to others, just to be able to watch the show.

Why so quick to sue? That should be the last resort. Did you talk to the Scoutmaster over a cup of coffee? Did you ask the committee chair to put the subject on the agenda for the next committee meeting? Did you have a discussion with the chartered organization representative? The court system is there to handle things when the two parties fail to solve their own issues. Our courts are jammed today because people stubbornly refuse to deal with their own messes. Take the high road and work this out with your troop. Show your Scouts that adults can be adult and work out their issue

I like post-mortems. Note the problems and bad stuff. But list all the good things that happened and the fun too, so you can repeat the successes.

Boy accounts are all well and good. They need to be managed according to written rules or guidelines. In the absence of written bylaws, or a written parent guide or such, there really is no agreement or contract. So it was the parent's understanding that the boy could keep the earnings. And apparently it is the troop's understanding that the funds stay with the troop. There is a disagreement. Maybe the troop is sloppy in the way it handles things. That doesn't make their actions fraudulent. How about if the parent would volunteer to write up a set of policies or rules? That wo