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 struggling with the God issues as a politician, so we are left to believe that he can do neither very well. The ancients of China have a little information about his situation that could really help him.

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 that we teach in Scouting. His work has been above and beyond that needed to make him a Distinguished Eagle Scout and Silver Buffalo.

FB

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 units.

I accept this as well.

What reasons are you giving for wanting things this way? Are you just going along to get along? Are you kissing behind to get a badge or what are you thinking?

I have stories to tell but it boils down to this.

-Competition is good.

-Having units struggle allows them to grow by reaching out to all of their resources.

-Having units struggle allows them to get to training earlier and to use that training.

-Having help to assist from the District allows people with resources to help those without. We help one another. We dont want units to feel like they have entered a vacuum and they are drowning.

One example and I will sign off.

We have a District person that signed on to put together a Where to Go Camping guide. That was two years ago. I could have completed this one Resource activity in two weeks. Am I better than the other person, No, matter of fact, he is much better suited for the job and that is why it surprises me that he is incapable of accomplishing the task.

What keeps him from performing?

No competition for the job.

He has not viewed his duty as a struggle and he has failed to use his resources,

He has failed to use multiple resources.

He has failed to ask for help from others that could have helped complete the task months and months ago.

Moral of the Story-Know and use your resources.

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, plenty.

Many of us have stood in parking lots after meetings, held coffee meetings after meetings and roared with anger about problems we found in Scouting for years. Several have come close to being censured by Scouting Executives for our comments and some have been.

Well, where does that leave us?

Since you are gathering information about the reduction in numbers, you should try to understand the impact of the inflated number scandals, ghost rosters, multiple listing of People on unit rosters, litigation regarding loss of sponsors, and the impact of the numerous sexual abuse problems. It is not just that Scouts are embarrassed about the uniform or singing silly songs but it may be much larger and that there is now a trust issue that may not easily be overcome.

FB

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 Activities soon follow to ensure the strength of the program and to retain membership both old and new. Individual units are asked to build quality units and the Commissioner Corps follows along to encourage that quality. Overall, Scouting is still a large organization that is sometimes unwieldy.

In the past few years, Scouting has had several sexual abuse problems and lots of litigation as well as losing many traditional sponsors. Internal number juggling has created its own problems with professionals playing with ghost units and creating quality units where little or nothing existed. Pressures come from all directions for professionals to perform or leave so they do what they can.

Since Scouting is built with volunteers, it becomes difficult and sometimes impossible to achieve the kind of quality that is expected of them, yet many do. What is asked of a volunteer that finds Scouting in decline? They are asked to do their job and do it well. They are asked to ensure that there is a quality program for the youth that they serve.

There are volunteers that are asked to serve at the National level and to give input. Many that do this find that Scouting is a large organization and change is never quick. Even if a person had a certifiably great idea that would pull Scouting right out of the slump and right into mainline America for all youth, I doubt that it would ever get off the drawing board. The reason is that volunteer organizations sometimes are messy. We no longer have kings that can change all with a command. I accept the problems given the alternative. FB

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 universe. She could only scratch her head as well. So she decided that she would go to her God in prayer about this issue. After scratching his head, God told her that she could probably do it in one hour per week but it would be lousy.

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 were even "kicked out" for not agreeing. When the administration saw the error of their ways, they reversed field and Green Bar Billed it. Slowly the numbers came back.

Tradition has to do with the depth of attachment that an individual has for something. If you take the wrong tradition away, there will be those that lose their attachment. So, it becomes very important to change slowly and carefully.

Does anyone remember the new metallic Scout badge? They used the basic old badge but made it wider and sleeker. They tried to infer change. Many of the faithful disliked what they were doing but tipped their hat to the change.

The old WB grew into a Good Ole Boys Club where either you were in or you were out, according to certain made up rules. It was a good course and I will always pay homage to the curriculum. It is funny but I remember hearing people say that they had been to management training and they had learned nothing new much like what I hear from the new and improved model today. I also have noticed certain Scouters becoming the authorities on WB, hints of the God Ole Boys Club again.

Change is difficult. In my work the new leader said we would get used to the changes. It was something new every month for about four years. They made the work so difficult and constricting that now they can't get new people trained and most leave out of shear frustration. The leadership failed to recognize that there has to be a balance between the old and the new. Most of the old people are just hanging on until they retire, so they care very little about the quandary that all of the new has made for us. A close friend that died a couple of years ago would always put on a great big smile when another change would our way come. He would say, don't get in a hurry to jump on the new bandwagon. They will just change it again." The reason that it had to be changed again and again was because the fix was always worse than the problem they fixed. FB

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.

A guy has to get to Scouts.

FB

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 made of copper. People had forgotten their heritage and their traditions, so it was broken into pieces (*there were many more violations than just this one thing) but it was too late and it was captivity time for those that had forgotten.

Moses broke the *tablets which were later put in the Ark of the Covenant. It was thought that they might have some relevance (*the 10 Commandments, they were broken in spirit and physically, I might add, right away.) The act of breaking them or putting them into the Ark was not to put away tradition but to enhance the sacredness of something that will always hold relevance to mankind.

Six Scout leaders were sitting around a campfire late one night. They all wore the same kind of round Smokey hat and red coat. The topic of conversation was which tradition should be thrown over board first so that Scouting would be more relevant. The first one said that he would throw his round Smokey into the fire to get things going. All agreed and everyone pulled their hats off and threw them into the fire. The next one said that he would get rid of his expensive red woolen jacket. They all agreed and threw them quickly into the fire. The next one stood up and said that he would get rid of his expensive leather hiking boots, so all went into the fire right away. The next one got up and said that his uniform was next so in went all of them as well. They all stood up in their longees, drank the last of their coffee and finished it off by throwing their favorite coffee mugs in without any ceremony. Then they all crawled into their sleeping bags and the last one unplugged the fire. FB

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 with lots of hotdogs all around.

What about soccer teams instead of Troops. They could simply wear their uniforms to the meeting and then go straight over to their regular soccer Team practice without even changing or maybe having the meeting on the same practice field. I can see band practice instead of Patrol meetings. There would be a symphony every other month. It would be cheaper because they would only have to pay for lessons one time.

We need to do away with Tenderfoot Second class Eagle, etc. These terms are outmoded and unnecessary because it shows that there are distinctions between people. Kids would just simply be called kids and having fun would be the goal.

When kids are out of school, they do not want to burdened with learning things. Meetings would be planned by parents over email. They would just show up at whatever activity that the group thinks will draw the biggest crowd and everyone will then have a blast.

The D.E. would be expected to scout-out any activity that kids may find interesting such as Mall walking or driving around town and eating at the D.Q. I can think of plenty of things kids love to do. Right now, Scouting keeps them restricted and they can't cell-phone enough. By the way that could be a great new badge. It would have a picture of one of the fancy ones with fake diamonds and that takes pictures of people in compromising positions which might be a great idea for a National website for the "Kids".

Dont get me started.

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 did other things. Scouting drooped in the 70's and began its' comeback in the 80's. Here it is in the new century and Scouting is still a part of my life. All of the people that I work and fellowship with outside of work are not Scouters. Number wise; to me it is basically the same.

I wonder if we should change Scouting to make room for the millions of UnScouted? What would happen if we changed the program so that nobody could recognize it as the BSA? We take away the uniforms and badges, add leather with chains, nose rings and tattoos. We adopt loud Rap music and require boomboxes and green hair. We would also charge around town in our Lowriders. Instead of Troops we would have Gangs with names like the Crips and the Bloods. We would initiate everyone by beating them to a bloody pulp. We could jam in the streets to late at night and party to the dogs come home any night of the week. Instead of district events, we could have big battles with the opposing gangs.

Naaa

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 kids could still find values, sunsets and swimming holes. What is Scouting anyway? It is just a bunch of old codgers with round hats and red jackets standing around drinking coffee and telling each when, what, and where it happened.

Excuse me! What happened? I think I got stuck in reverse and couldnt pull of the nosedive.

Here is my take on what is wrong with Scouting. This is based scientifically on everything that I know.

1.

We do not have enough websites that the Scouts have made to show what they have planned and have accomplished over the past year with more of the same but better for the new one.

2.

Most adults dont know that keeping your mouth shut is one of the main duties of an adult leader.

3.

Does anyone remember all of the fake number scandals, all of those in School Scouting programs (sure that is where real Scouting happens), and the loss of hundreds of traditional sponsors? That should about cover the 10.9% drop but I am surprised that it wasnt more. They are probably faking another number.

FB

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 organization that holds Peace first as well as the best elements in life.

As far as the beggar, don't make eye contact and don't drop a few dollars in their hat, humbly offer to teach him/her to fish. Probably, they will give you a couple of dollars to leave them alone.

FB

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 their job.

Q: Isn't it disrespectful to say otherwise?

A Scout is expected to be Brave and to be Trustworthy. Simply stating the facts of the agreement is not disrespectful.

Q: What if the MB counselor says that it is too much work?

The Scouts simply state that it is the agreement and that they will need to find another counselor if she is unable to complete the requirements with them.

Q: What if the MB counselor says that one requirement is too dangerous?

The Scouts can take the person's word for it and let the SM and the BOR know the reason behind the deficiency.

The Scouts need to understand that when something is dangerous to leave it alone and let others take care of it. That is also their job.

FB

(This message has been edited by Fuzzy Bear)