FScouter

From my experience, you never really know why folks quit. You hear lots of "logical" reasons but you never know the real reason.

Here's a thought - if you have a fun and engaging program, folks tend to not quit. All the "reasons" then don't seem to matter much.

"I was/am at a loss for words..."

It is not a purpose of Scouting to have a finely honed and efficient operation. It's to teach boys how to do stuff. They learn by actually doing stuff. So you explain to the the well-meaning-but-misguided-adult that his "take-over" idea doesn't teach boys planning skills and doesn't further the purposes of Scouting.

God made the human body with a fantastic feedback system: when there is not enough water in it, a thing called "thirst" is triggered and the brain sends down the signal to "go drink". It works pretty well considering the longevity of the human race. Maybe some guy that cruised the internet for knowledge that transcends all else stands up on a chair and pontificates "me is all knowledgeable and powerful... thou shalt drink now... or die..." - maybe he's right, and maybe he just wants to be right. Yawn ...

It doesn't fit any forum.

It's a youth award.

http://www.scouting.org/scoutsource/Awards_Central/RecruiterStrip.aspx

Speaking of Wheeler... remember FOG and Goldwinger and Juris and The Dude and Jason and Mountain Man and Old Fart and Zorn Packte and Yaworski and Pappy???

I've been accused of being heavy-handed, capricious, stifiling, biased, a petty tyrant, running roughshod, a coward, a naked emperor, and a maniacal censor. Other stuff too. Such is the internet.

Eamonn's advice to "take plenty of no notice" is sound.

Dummy indeed. And don't forget you're not "mentally awake", and don't follow the Scout Law either. The beav told us it was so.

Arguments tend to get heavily discounted when you accuse others of "lying". It serves no real purpose; merely an attempt to belittle and trivialize another person. You've done it twice on this page, and do so with regularity. I find that rather revealing of one's character. And that's no lie.

"So, please, stop spreading rumors, and half truths ..."

Isn't that the purpose of the I&P forum?

I would never call someone a "liar" because they repeated a Scouting myth. To "lie" is to deliberately state a known falsehood with the intention to mislead another person. Get real.

The troop needs to arrange transportation for all the Scouts that are signed up to go. It really shouldn't be up to each kid to figure out his own ride.

Nellie Belle, Rinty...

What is the "Eagle Scout Oath"?

"I still am not comfortable making a character judgment..."

Everyday we all "judge" everyone we interact with based on the things they say and the things they do. How else do you "judge" a person's character? Judgments are made instantaneously all the time. It's the nature of the species and required for survival.

Refinements come with more information. If all you know is that a person refers to gay people with derogatory and nasty terms, it is natural and appropriate to "judge" that person as hateful and a bigot.

First class rank falls from the unit's program. With a good and active program a boy can't help but earn first class in a year or so. Does the unit have an annual program calendar, with regular outdoor events scheduled in advance? Do they know what they're going to do next month? Do the troop meetings center around getting ready for the next outing? If so, there's a good chance those Scouts will be first class in a year.

The "flaw" in the national inititive was in thinking that units would actually follow through and plan a program with activities that would enable boys to earn ranks in a reasonable amount of time.

"Searched and called our DE without a straight answer."

Ask the district training chair instead. The DE wouldn't know the answers - it's not his baliwick... but he should have referred you to the training chair.

"By the way folks, the U.S. Flag Code is a federal law. Because there are no legal penalties does not mean one may ignore the law."

My son wrote a letter to his senator pointing out that some government buildings in Washington D.C. flew the flag all night long with no lighting, and asked why that was so and suggested that the flag code be followed. The response from the honorable senator was "There is no penalty for violating the flag code."

My son has been cynically anti-government ever since.

Floof. Kinda like pant cuffs, shirt collars, neckerchief, sash, ball cap, silk-screened t-shirts, anything engraved with BSA logo, flag patch, baseball socks, sequins, contrasting thread color, colored fabric, embroidered alligator.... ALL clothing has some sort of floof.

"As I stated before people don't follow the Code for one of two basic reasons, #1 They don't know the code or #2 They don't care, they just do what they want and don't worry about it being done respectfully."

Kinda like Scouting - uniform, advancement, YPT .....

One of the roles of the troop committee, and the committee chair specifically is to advise the Scoutmaster of Scouting policies. The uniform, insignia, and the patrol method would all seem to be part of that bailiwick. The SM can't be expected to know everything and the committee is there to help. Read all about it in the Troop Committee Guidebook.

"I've seen..."

"I've also seen..."

Haven't we all.

I've seen correct uniforming too.

"That is not even a complete sentence. It conveys no information."

It would be simple be make a clear and concise statement of policy, but they chose to not do so. There is something amiss if generally intelligent adults have to think about it and wonder about it and generally cogitate ala "well, it could mean this, but on the other hand...". So... conveys no information.

By the way, units all over the country have been selecting their own leaders for decades - nothing new about that.

So, mumbo jumbo policy statements aside, how many openly gay Scout leaders in that council?

Do they accept gay leaders?

That is true only if one knows what an epaulet really is.

"Lets not judge the smokers unless we are going to start judging everyone's bad habits."

Ah ha. The 'ol "judgment" card - pulled on he who would state an opinion about another person. Sounds like another judgment in itself, leastways that's how I judge it.