FScouter

The idea of a parent/Scout information guide separate from by-laws sounds good. The guide would be a brief discussion of what is expected of the Scout and his parents. The by-laws would be directed more to the adult leaders and the troop committee. By-laws would cover issues that are not addressed in official BSA publications, or that are not specific. There are a number of thorny issues that have come up that a good set of by-laws would help leaders deal with: To what degree and with what frequency shall the treasurer report on the troop finances? What portion of the proceeds from a mo

Our district has decided to do a joint Boy Scout-Webelos Camporee this spring. Troops that have feeder packs are being encouraged to camp with their Webelos den. There will be some Boy Scout only events, and some Webelos only events. Staff wants to have one or two joint events where a Boy Scout patrol works together with a Webelos den. Does anyone have any suggestion for a fun event that they could do together without losing the interest of the Boy Scouts? We don't want the Scouts to feel like the Webelos are dragging them down, but still want the Webelos to make a significant contributio

We've had some success in our troop by having periodic uniform inspection and awarding an official uniform inspection patch. We've also awarded one Hershey's kiss for each uniform part that is worn: shirt, pants, belt, socks, neckerchief, cap, insignia. That way everybody gets at least one treat.

I can relate to what Bob White said. As a kid, I was terrified at the prospect of moving from Webelos to Boy Scouts. We had no link to a Troop, no Den Chief, no visit to the Troop, and no joint activities. None of the boys in my Den bridged. I'd suggest setting up some opportunities for informal contact with the boys in the troop.

I'm sorry. I thought you were from the LA area. Melrose Avenue is in Hollyweird. Oki-dog is (or was) the hot place to go after clubbing. It's just a small fast food joint that has been there forever. Spielberg and other movie types can sometimes be found there with grease dripping off their chins at all hours of the day or night. Tommy's is another small chain that offers big drippy chili cheeseburgers at all hours.

How about a dog with potatoes, eggs, chiles, and cheese? Try the Oki-dog on Melrose Blvd. at 2 AM. Nothing better.

Do you mean that Mom & Dad are merit badge counselors for their kids? If that were the case, the kids miss out on the interaction with an unfamiliar adult. That helps build character.

Im in the process of writing a set a troop policies. The purpose is to help avoid misunderstandings between committee members, other adult leaders, boy leaders, parents, and the charter organization. The basis of the troop policies will be the official BSA rules and regs found in the various BSA publications. We will expand on those rules and regs and apply them to the real life scenarios found in the daily operation of a troop. Some of the topics to be covered are: troop expenses, money-earning, boy accounts, dues, uniform, discipline, adult leadership expectations, program, trans

None.

I'm slowly working our troop towards the boy-led goal. At our last PLC meeting I asked if there were any suggestions for our next activity. The only thing the boys could think of was to repeat our last campout. (We had a great time.) That's the time to throw out an idea or two. That gets their brains in gear and soon enough they come up with a list of possibilities. I would agree with Bob White that adults can be intimidating, even when they don't mean to be. The hard part is to facilitate their thought processes without overwhelming them or sounding dictatorial.

I'd like to see various program ideas: How to build that Pepsi stove, matchless fire building, games. And some practical ideas on implementing the boy-led troop.

Several posters here have repeatedly demanded to see a definitive BSA policy regarding homosexuals. They seem to imply that without a clearly defined policy, BSA should be obligated to admit homosexuals. The burden however is upon those pushing for change to justify their position, and to persuade the executive board to write a policy to admit homosexuals. In light of the recent resolution adopted by BSA just three weeks ago, that seems unlikely. The resolution says in part that homosexual conduct is inconsistent with the traditional values espoused in the Scout Oath and Law. It goe

If a seventeen year old cannot read, that should not be a slam against public schools. Rather, it's because the kid and his parents don't care whether or not he can read. Kids do poorly when the parents don't care. And parents that put their kids in private school, or do home schooling, care.

This could be a nice feature. It would be helpful if the links went to the actual Scout article instead of the homepage for the newspaper. One then needs to use the newspaper search function to find the Scout article.

Heres a true story about a strange telephone call involving caller ID technology. An acquaintance has become friends with the pastor of a store front church. The pastor's church is called the Almighty God Tabernacle. On a Saturday night several weeks ago, the pastor was working late, and decided to call his wife before he left for home. It was only about 8:00 PM, but his wife didn't answer the phone. The pastor let it ring many times. He thought it was odd that she didn't answer, but locked up the church and left for home. When he arrived he asked her why she hadn't answered the p

You can wear separate stars for each phase of your Scouting service, or as a leader, you may combine all your youth and adult tenure into one (or two) stars with the blue background. I usually only wear service stars for more formal occasions, but only because of the inconvenience of removing and replacing them when the shirt goes into the laundry. Welcome back to Scouting! I too came back, but after a 25 year hiatus.

Certainly BSA needs to have a appeals process in place. But I would hope that the process not be used simply to mete out justice for any and all perceived wrongs. If a boy feels he has been unfairly dealt with he basically has two alternatives. He can complain about it to his dad, who can complain further, demand justice, and initiate a formal appeal. If the appeal is ruled in favor of the boy, he will have attained his objective. On the other hand, the boy can accept the decision of his Scoutmaster, and work with him to meet the expectations, however unfair he may think they are.

Reflection on the visions our founding fathers, and other great statesmen, helps put things in perspective. Thank you Chippewa for your post.

OGE: I stopped by a professional photo shop and asked about flashbulbs. Apparently they haven't been manufactured for years. But I did get a source. This guy has got more bulbs than you can shake a stick at. Here's his link: http://www.flashbulbs.com/index.shtml

I've heard the claim before that one will be warmer sleeping buck naked, than wearing socks, long underwear, and a long sleeved t-shirt. Could someone explain in scientific terms how a layer of woolies next to the skin would not help keep one warm at night?

We have a rule in our troop about parents (registered adult leaders) signing off requirements for their sons. It ain't permitted. On one extreme we don't want the parent to fudge a requirement for their kid. On the other extreme, we don't want a parent to impose an unreasonably high standard.

There may be no need to try to hold him back. The Eagle project requirment may do that for you. If he is too busy with work, play, or whatever, he won't have time, or won't make the time, required to put his project together and make it happen.

My Thermarest has worked well for 20 years. The official patch kit fixes leaks that are expected. Thermarest will also fix leaks at no charge if you're willing to ship it back to the factory.

Don't like to pack out food scraps?? Finish your meal so there are no scraps to pack out.

Use the regular air mattress for comfort, and put the closed-cell pad over it for insulation. Sleep in a tent, and put the rain fly on too. And wear your socks.