Fuzzy Bear

"that you can never repay your mother, but the rueful admission that when she took the two-tone lanyard from my hands, I was as sure as a boy could be that this useless, worthless thing I wove out of boredom would be enough to make us even." boondoggle

aka, as the boondoggle

Chip, Let me make a prediction. One of two things will happen to your proposal. You will never reach the 50 limit. You will never split the Troop once you reach the 50 limit. It is simpler to say that you will never do what you say you will do. Yet, I believe that what you are proposing is truthful. FB

Is it that Danforth is a Democrat in a Republican's clothing or is he a Republican in sheep's clothing? Does he fear the right and loves the left but not enough to commit? Is it that he just leans a little too far left but not enough to fall over? Is he confused or does he not want anyone to understand what he is doing? Is he writing a book to find himself or is he trying to convince others that he really doesn't understand? Since he is neither left nor right, should we assume that he lies about all that he says and just leave him alone to walk among the living dead? He admits to strugglin

The Soft Yielding Earth I often mused upon the many sides of the Dodecahedron but only once did I think on the angles of the Polygon yet it took twelve more tries before I arrived with enough for the Dodecagon. from Poetic Moments around the Midnight Hour by FB

BrentA. I agree totally with you. If anyone, including the M. & M. man, the President or the Pope or Senators or Rush Limbaugh that uses deception to make a point, then their point is without merit. It also means that anything else that they will ever say has no merit or worth whatsoever. Wow, I thought we were diametrically opposed. I may almost a Republican be. FB

JFK, Eisenhower, Sky King, Fred Flintstone, Walt Disney, Mickey Mouse, Jerry Garcia, Grace Slick, Elvis, the Beatles, the Everly Brothers, the Smothers Brothers, the Kingston Trio, GBB, the Platters, Marty Robbins, Pat Boone, John Wayne, Simon and Garfunkle, Rickie Nelson, the Beaver, Andy Griffith and Don Knotts (*John Travolta was not pointing at the mirror ball, that was a dance pose. A mirror ball was positioned above his raised finger in that picture), Marilyn Monroe was not holding her skirt down, she had her hands in her pockets, just kidding.) FB

(This message has been edited by Fuzzy Bear)

BrentA My book says something very different than yours and it doesn't look like we are going to agree any time in the future, whatever is left of it. By the way, what present day icon are you defending, if any? M. & M. is overweight and could stand to do a few laps. FB

and he has an ugly beard

Michael Moore has been an exemplary citizen and Eagle Scout. I am supposing his detractors would love it if their rivers were overrun with lifeless fish. They would cheer if their drinking water killed any that drank from it. They would be ecstatic if the world's forests died from acid rain. They would be enchanted if the world's oceans overflowed the lands of the earth from global warming all because of a little industrial pollution. I am sure that those that hate the M.&.M. man would love for the earth to be a biter place to die. I find M.& M.'s values to be only those th

Brianb, I thought that you were seeking answers? FB

To Unit or not to Unit, that is the question. Should we have two units of ten boys or one unit of twenty boys? I would unquestioningly go with the two with ten each. Why, because -the D.E. wants it that way. I have to ask myself, is the D.E. just shooting for numbers? If he/she wants numbers, then we are both in agreement and it should not be a secret. Yes, I want numbers as much as the D.E. does. -Does the D.E. want two with ten which means that we should expect two mediocre and under funded units? Yes, the D.E. will accept two under funded and mediocre

brianbuf, I apologize for all of my silly comments. You are correct about the numbers slide in Scouting. I just disagree with your analysis and with your ideas about what can be done. Your reasoning does appear to be contemptuous of some things that I believe may exist only in selected areas of the country. Some of the things you site, I have never heard of before. If those things are happening in your area of the country, then you are correct to attempt a change. It is not that people should not address the problems in Scouting because we have done so here, plen

Scouting attracts something less than one percent of the population. The numbers has fluctuated over the last 50 years but the % has slowly decreased in proportion to the total population growth. Even though it is small, Scouting is still an important part of the total fabric of solid organizations that helps young people learn values but it would be nice to see a much larger number. National strives yearly to encourage all D.E.'s to reach out into communities across America to recruit new Scouts. Districts and units all are integral in the recruiting effort as well. Training and

A new Scout leader arrived at her first training session. She was told about all of the duties for her specific job. She scratched her head as she asked herself how it would be possible to do her job in one hour per week. So, timidly she raised her hand and asked the question. The trainer merely laughed and moved on. Later she returned home and asked her husband how she could get it done in one hour per week given the long list. He didn't know the answer either. So, she took her problem to her minister who was supposed to know all of the answers to all of the mysteries of life and the u

Changes in Scouting have been a standard since I can remember. Here are a few: First Class, Morse Code required. First Class without Morse Code. First Class with specific requirements with optional Belt Loops, such as Communication First Class in a year. Each of these changes brought out the Old Codger in me for a time. I had to trust that somebody was making good choices and that they were not just giving away what had become special. A really bad choice was made during the 70's. People left Scouting by the thousands over the new and improved program and many wer

I am a library borrower myself and every time I work on the truck, which is often, I intentionally put my borrowed books on the driveway beside me so that when I finish, I can roll over and read a few pages with my greasy hands. I do admit to then putting them face down on the drive while inadvertently backing over them with my old beat-up pickup but now I know that is a mistake. A Scout is clean so I then take them to the bathtub with me and read them while taking a Mr. Bubble bath. I sometimes ask myself if these practices are necessary but how else will I get my old P.U going again.

Brian, I am having a great day! I am right there with you. Ed, TV watching, why didn't I think of that? As a follow-up though, I think that knowing and singing TV jingles should be an added MB and all nursrey rhymes should be thrown out the window, out the window...

A scientist put 5 monkeys into a cage and they were given three poles that could be telescoped into one long pole. Outside the cage a bunch of bananas were placed. The monkeys figured out how to successfully make one long pole fairly quickly, so they used it to clobber the scientist. First things first. Traditions are foundational to preserve the intent of the founder. By the way, Moses was commanded to make a copper fiery serpent that was to be used to cure snake bites, if a person looked upon it (followed orders). 700 years later, it became known as Nehushtan or just something ma

I can see them adding go-carting and amusement parking. These would be relevant and exciting. Kids could camp out on Tom Sawyer's island as an adventure and then ride the "river boat". Next, they could ride the big round boat down the dangerous river with lots of water splashing all over them. Don't forget the runaway Mine Train either. One MB could be offered with each ride. A weekend pass would include fun and plenty of hotdogs, a staple kids love. Enough can't be said about Go-carting. They could ride and race them all weekend long. The parents could come out for a Tail-gate party

Watching Scouting change over the years has not always been exciting. Scouting has had highs and lows just like any other living entity. People come and go, get mad, agree, disagree, and are complacent. Some want deeper meaning in their lives and some don't want any. Scouting has never been high on the list of activities of Americans. The Hula-hoop probably sold to more people than Scouting. In the U.S. alone there are far more than 200 million and Scouting may reach as high as one percent of the market. In the fifties and sixties, Scouting was the home I loved. All of my friends

Scouting Today? Scouting is all wrong for todays Youth! The 100 things wrong with Scouting Get rid of all of those tiresome traditions you bunch of Chipmunks. I am now trying to figure out what things to pitch first. The ship is sinking fast and the passengers and crew must be saved! Scouting is not for everyone. There are many wholesome activities for young people and it is alright if they choose other things over Scouting. If Scouting ended tomorrow, people could still go camping as a way to reminisce about the good old days. Scout camps could close by the dozens and kid

The Hebrews did lose sight of their God and were punished several times over several centuries. The Hebrew decedents are alive and well and not just a few love and respect God and follow the commandments willingly. Being good and teaching good is neither easy nor natural due to the basic nature of mankind. Even if one does not believe that mankind is unkind, it is difficult to find those individuals from any religion/culture/time period that show(ed) a wealth of goodness. Scouting with its' Service to others, Good Turn, Scout Law, Eagle Scout, on and on should be counted as an or

For all MBs there is only one agreement and that is to complete the requirements as stated. Q: Then who is holding up the advancement? The Scouts are the ones holding up the advancement if the Scouts have not completed the requirements. Q: Why are you blaming the Scouts and not the MB counselor? The Scouts should have the MB book and should know that each requirement should be checked off. That is the agreement. Q: What if the MB counselor tells the Scouts that a requirement is not necessary? The Scouts have agreed to complete each requirement. That is th