Fuzzy Bear

I was in Cub Scouting as a youth, a Den Chief, and later as an adult in many different capacities. Getting ready for Boy Scouts was the easy step. We enjoyed each and every other step along the way. There is a magic about the Cub Scouting program. It is a unique and wonderful experience. I recommend it to any youth and adult as a worthwhile program. It can stand alone on its' own merit. There needs to be no apologies or excuses given for its' existence. FB

Killing a chicken can teach a proper lesson. In many areas of the world the refrigerator is considered the live chicken in the yard. It doesn't appear on the surface to be survival until you witness the full extent of their living conditions. The Scout exercise used to be to secure one chicken in a wire cage per participant. Both the Scouts and the chickens are brought to a wilderness area. The chicken gets a one hour head start. The Scouts are let go for the weekend in hopes they can catch, kill and eat the chicken or run, shout and return home hungry. FB

Has everyone been asleep for the past 37,000 posts? If this forum isn't taking things too seriously, then I would hate to see it when it finally happens. The interchanges here over the smallest supposed infraction is like watching a group of dogs fight over a scrap of meat. I have asked for more forgiveness here than anywhere else. Yes, we, I are too serious and your question is like asking if the green fence is green. Yes it is green and yes it needs more color, much more color, more fun. FB

dan, I cannot change the past nor can it change because we speak about it here. I was confronted with a problem that appeared unsolvable. Looking back seems to make it somewhat easier but being there was different. If it were a problem that was clear-cut, then making my decision would have been different. My explanation/defense was based on what I thought was correct and I accepted information given to me by those I trusted. I understand and accept your judgment of me. I realize that you see my act of voting for the young man as being contrary to principle, therefore wrong. I am asking your forgiveness for me not always having the knowledge to know what is right. I can assure you that I am still learning and will continue to do so in the future. Following the Scout program is my desire and I will continue doing so to the very best of my abilities. FB

My fun detector went off after reading several of the posts. It was not a loud bark but a bark none the less. OK, some of the posts were vain attempts at humor and some not so vain. Now, I would like to reflect a minute on BP's post. Was it fun or was it not fun? Those voting against seemed to have less fun than those voting for it. One vote counted the echoes of non-laughter making it a hollow victory and by the way, welcome Kfox. Now, giving a newbie SM a virtual Troop is a great idea and funny all at the same time. Of course, we would want to program it ourselves with several of the most horrendous adventures anyone could think of but based on True Scouting Adventures. It would be fun to watch someone stumble around trying to figure out which way is up while the Troop runs amuck. As far as ripping off a patch, I would shutter to think of the reaction of the seamstress(er) when that happens. It might be better to just pull out a roll of Duct Tape and cover the patch with a strip of tape until better behavior takes hold. Ed, hot dogs are the life blood of a young person and it would be torture to take such an awful staple away from them. I would suggest something kinder like making them cook something that takes more than two minutes. Dan, you have not forgiven me for my past misdeeds. You need to look beyond the shallow hull of this mortal body and look to the heavens for relief. I know I do. FS, fixin' Scouting is not what it is cracked up to be nor is our humor. PS, Internet Survival is a great name for a possible great game. I can think of about twenty ways to begin play. Keeping everyone on the fun track requires allot of those little smiley faces, like a laugh track. SP, Don't misquote me. I take a fence to that kind of thing. What I said was that some humor impaired Scouters need to sit around a campfire once per month. I am thinking now that it should be two times per month. Itsme, that reminds me of a "friend" I used to have in Scouting. He would invite several of us over for a project and he would leave to pick some things up. We were then supposed to begin work and go as far as we could until he returned. The first time it happened it was funny. The second time it happened it was still funny but in a different way. The third time it happened, we found that sitting around a campfire was what we needed. wWw, instead of reinstating banned skits, make it a priority to "fix up" the acceptable ones. This would accomplish two things. It would get all skits banned and then you would have to resort to sitting around the campfire. FS, your acorn analogy did get a nut joke from BW. That was a "feet" all by itself, one I have not seen before. Actually, I have not seen the other one either. Kahuna, "fun should be the major ingredient of all Scouting activities" now that is a quote worth remembering and doing. Itsme, I have known some who have scored pretty high on the effect-o-meter. wWw, the Muahahahahahaha.... was great. I have not seen that one in print before. FS, umbarge is a great word and pretty funny. What is even funnier is the bickering over defining funniness. I know that we are civil because the spelling is still pretty good. Ed, you amaze me, Dan Fogelberg! OGE, If our only food for thought was the BSHB, I am afraid that some would starve. The following is not intended to be funny or angry. Slow sad music arises in the background. Lights are lowered. Eyes are cast downward. Analyzing the BSHB is not the task that some might think, since it was written for young people wanting to be Scouts. It is a practical, how-to manual, so taking it apart to find out what makes it tick is the very act it defies. A person would do better in attempting to understand human growth and development and then comparing it. The BSHB does a great job in providing a program that meets the needs and characteristics of a young person. The few times the BSHB missed the main point of boyhood, there was an instant reaction by the people that it affected the most, the boys and it was their analysis that mattered the most. FB

I would like to add: All Scout Leaders should be required to sit around a campfire and have fun once per month even if their lack of a sense of humor has incapacitated them. FB

Let's make a list of the Top Ten things that could, should or would be fixed in Scouting to make it one great program. I will start. Every Troop should have a friendly Unit Commissioner other than just me. Every Pack should have access to an unbiased Pine Wood Derby track with officials that travel with it on a bus. Cub Scouts should learn more about what it means to just do your best. How else can one explain that only one person wins a derby? Every unit should have an interested CO instead of the other way around. One parent from each family should be involved with a unit activity. Just driving a patrol to one campout does not count. Any patrol that wants a Chuck box, must build it and good luck. All Eagle Scouts should give a five minute speech before the entire school on the benefits of Scouting, Ouch! There should be a National SM conference held once per year for a week in a great location for thousands to enjoy. ASMs would be welcome also. One program I would like to see installed is a virtual interactive Roundtable and training sessions. A person would sign up for it and then get credit without leaving the house. Theoretically it could be completed only in your underwear for those that find the uniform uncomfortable. I believe that Being Square is still a good idea. One doesn't roll down hill so easily. FB

Kahuna, (I will bite) The idea of joining the BSA, studying the BSA literature, going to the BSA training, and then running a program totally different than any of the BSA standards; appears not only to disagree with the BSA but is inviting the illegal and/or the dangerous. (that should be antithesis enough) After being a UC, ADC, and DC for a number of years, I have witnessed all kinds of little changes made by people that were just trying to make the darn thing work. When I was SM, I know that there were things that I did that were not correct. The problem comes when somebody makes a big change (*different than little change(s)but not pure BSA) and it becomes clear that something ain't right about what is happening. It generally centers on the mysterious check book and how much should be in the account or it has to do with somebody being a One Man Show no matter what size the group. Sometimes it has to do with the choice of activities, which is more subtle but makes one wonder why age appropriate things are not happening. Now even in the worst of these cases, there are those that have been lead astray by some 'wild' idea about it not working any other way but their motive remained ethical. It just so happens that in many of these same kinds of cases the motives are not so good and either money does the disappearing act or somebody gets hurt. I can testify to having witnessed both kinds of problems in different parts of the country so it appears to come from the same family tree. But lets say for a moment that if one were to follow all of the letters of the BSA laws, is it possible for a person to get hurt and/or money to go up in smoke? Sure, but it is more difficult for either action to occur. I was a shop teacher some time ago. It was a dream come true for me but it lasted for only a few short years until our leaders thought up the great idea that all kids should go to college. The next year after I was released, one of my students stabbed a kid in the back for waking him up in an academic class and another got shot in the face for a similar infraction of her rights. For the five years I taught, we only had one minor accident and it was because a student broke one of the few shop rules we all agreed to follow. Heck, a kid even brought a gun to class one day for show and tell. I sent him packing to the office just in case he thought of something else to do with it. I really had another point to make that had to do with shop arrangement. I took a class on that very subject. Now, I am the kind of person that starts thinking outside the box before I even read about it. I have a suspicious inner nature that makes me believe that people are lazy and do not think through things no matter how smart or experienced. I like to think that I am at the far end of Evolution; therefore it gives me more insight than anyone from ancient Greece to the present day. So, I decided to give the class a chance and read about the best way to arrange the saws, wood room, work tables, wood bins, nail bins, etc. I returned to the shop and drew it to scale, including all that could be moved. I worked at it for about two weeks and came up with same arrangement that had been offered by the book. What bothered me most was the lack of novelty in shop arrangement. Most that build and work in a shop try for economy of motion, safety, and efficiency of use of materials and machines. When one follows those ideas, there are just a few ways to do it in a given space. I suppose someone could reverse all of the principles but wouldn't it all come out the same? I have studied the BSA and I have come to the conclusion that it is similar to shop arrangement. Lots of things have been tried and lots of things work. I am sure that in the future there will be changes because everything changes and people always have great ideas. But, sometimes reinventing the wheel is not all that it is cracked up to be. FB (This message has been edited by Fuzzy Bear)

The decisions made in the past to boot someone have been done very well and with exceptional care. Most that have been released exceeded the three-mile limit by a wide margin. So, I am of the opinion that Juris made other remarks off-line or something similar. I do not want to know what he did and I would rather it not be posted. I am not weak of stomach or religion about such things but I would rather it remain confidential. He will go away and someone else will take up his banner. It will not remain long. I wish others would not take offense and leave. We will have one less opinion to give strength and lend credence to a place that remains informative and enjoyable in many other respects. FB

I have always had mixed emotions when any person leaves here willingly or with the boot. I love freedom of speech but have learned that some limits must be in place or it spirals into an angry one-ups-man feud without end. It is true many just look/lurk and never say anything and it is true we have data that could help others but many of us are simply learning from each other. When the antithesis to a position is posited, sometimes it brings the best out of our easy existence. Most of the time it is a new person with a question but when an older more experienced person brings a different perspective, we must take out our thinking caps and then it becomes, 'now what is it that I learned or knew or thought I knew' type of thinking. Many of us have sat in training sessions and read pamphlets and put into practice much of Scouting but as I have learned, it is easy to miss the boat on any number of issues. Some that have left might have been poor Scouters or spellers at their very best but some had insights that I did not expect and I had to carefully think through. So, getting rid of anybody is a complex decision and one must be careful not to throw out both the water and the baby or we are all the less. FB

Parenting is made difficult because of the overwhelming love that comes attached. Safety is always first. I hope the best for Kyle and for you. FB

One Sunday afternoon my Father had invited another family to go with us to the lake. I was 17, an Eagle Scout and a good swimmer. Mark F. was the same age, an Eagle Scout and a good swimmer. My Dad always drove the boat, so I did not know how to start it or drive. Looking back, it was really pretty simple but it was Dad's domain, kind of an unspoken policy. Both families had taken boat rides, some had water skied so by early evening most were up under the dining fly eating supper. Mark and I were sitting on the beach talking when he heard his sister. She was about 12 and had strayed out too far. She was drowning. Mark jumped up and began swimming. I yelled to my Dad to get the boat but I didn't wait for a reply. I instinctively grabbed a large rubber inner tube and went in after them. I was swimming with all my might when I heard Mark yell something. I knew he had reached his sister but they both were now waving their arms and I couldn't figure out why. I kept on swimming with this tube that now felt like a million pounds. I finally reached them and when I did, I realized that all of us were about to drown if not for that inner tube. Nobody on the shore had heard my call. Both Mark and I were too embarrassed to tell anybody what had happened. We had acted without really thinking and all of us could have easily gone down that day. I was never sure of the reasons I had grabbed that tube other than I might have remembered in the back of my head about "reach, throw, row, go". It somehow just didn't seem right to just "go". I am grateful for the little bit that I did remember. FB

I don't see it as either a Democracy or a Dictatorship. Council leaders believe that what they are doing is the best for those they lead. Sometimes they are doing what is best for themselves and sometimes they make dumb choices that benefits nobody involved. When somebody makes a choice you do not agree with it does not mean that it is personal, it may mean that it is business. Trying to figure out a choice usually means that one is to wonder unceasingly how they got left out when the decision appeared so easy. You can always use the, 'who benefits theory' to uncover the reasons but even that usually only tweaks out one good or bad reason. Sometimes people are arbitrary or superstitious or religious with their reasoning. Sometimes they vote with their friendship, feelings, their pride or their greed, who really knows? The Scout Camp that I first attended as a youth had a certain mystic about it for me, and now as I look back, so was it for others. The city grew up around it and now the camp appears to be more of a park than a Summer Camp. The city was not to blame for the encroachment nor was the Council leadership to blame for not selling it to the highest bidder to use a shopping mall. Something was lost in all of the change and the times. People held on to their past, their traditions, love and yet, it is still gone. Only a vestige remains with all of the best of intentions and choices. Looking back on one column written here, it was about a particular Scout Camp that somehow died an unremarkable death. There was a strong following of Scouts and Scouters that attended it on a yearly basis. Most were Staff members at one time. There were wonderful traditions and spectacular ceremonies. There were staff members that were held in high esteem and ran the camp to perfection. Odes and website offerings were written when those individuals passed into that GSCITS. The camp has since been abandoned and sold off piecemeal. One young man hiked the paths and took pictures and tried to write about some of the stories but even that was of little comfort. As I read each entry, I could feel the pain of separation and of loss. My conclusion about the choice made to close it? I don't want to know. I don't want to know what took its' place or even if it is better. Dwelling in the past causes unnecessary sorrow. I believe in actively working to build memories worth remembering for those in the present and that is a large enough task. Those that vote have their own work as Scouters and I hope they will do their best. I will FB

Being informed, no matter how thorough, will assist the by-standers with explanations and judgments and it makes for good conversation around the campfire to think ahead about safety precautions but for the parents of the Scouts, it does little to repair their loss. As for the religion of the Scout units, it may or may not give anyone an indication as to what occurred or of the amount of preparation and/or training that went undone. Most churches are free to use Scouting as their youth program and should be encouraged to do so. I strongly doubt any of the deaths were intentional. Accidents will happen no matter how much care we take but hopefully lawsuits will follow in every instance. The settlements and/or the judgments could be enough to encourage the BSA and the CO's to look closely at what they are doing and who they are using to supervise the most precious resource we have, our youth. FB

It sounds like the the people you like the best come in smaller serving sizes that are enjoyable and the the people you like the least come in three pound tubs. Scouting has an ample amount of your best flavor. FB

wnt, May I also suggest dropping bits of bread along the path to insure that you will always know where you are. It works most every time. I have read about it. FB

If there is trouble in the unit, who is it that gets involved? 1. The District Executive 2. The District Commissioner 3. The C.O.R. is told about the problem and is usually told to stand down while the experts handle it. 4. ADC's and Unit Commissioners are told to stand down. They will have an opinion and might say or do something that might have unintended effects. 5. The C.O. may be told about the problem after the intervention but it is done as an aside after the fact. 6. A D.E. wants to preserve the institution from involvement at all costs because the C.O. might otherwise shut the program down. 7. I have yet to see any C.O. outside the LDS units get involved and tell the leaders what to do. Is it a job duty of the C.O. to get involved? Yes. How do we get the C.O.'s involved and do it effectively? 1. The LDS units have taken the Boy Scout program as their youth program. 2. Few other churches want to accept the Scout program as theirs because they already have youth programs they call their own. They will Charter a unit but that is generally seen as a duty to the community. 3. The LDS unit leaders are "called" by the Bishop and are told to run it properly but within the framework of their church. 4. Few churches can marshal a "calling" of volunteers because most like the idea of a paid minister. They usually talk about people having gifts and being ministers but it is a theory. The only real minister is the one behind the pulpit. The BSA program is seen as secular no matter what is argued in this forum. What are the reasons people decide to act or get involved? 1. People enjoy friendship. 2. People want to share their interest with like minds. 3. People want to know that what they are doing counts. People in a church: Enjoy the weekly friendship. Enjoy sharing an interest that extends into involvement. Believe that what they are doing has life-changing value. Aren't these the same things people in Scouting enjoy and believe? It takes time to train a person so that they will become your friend and will then listen to you. Few of us want to marshal a person into Scouting. The people that I miss the most after any major move are my friends, especially my Scouting friends. Outside of work, I spent most of my time with them. Communication by example was the strongest with my Scouting friends because they were willing to not only listen but watch and then do. That takes time and it happens with one person at a time. FB

Juris' 10 Scouting Laws The size of one's Troop indicates the distance one is from the principles of Scouting. A SM run Troop is a happy Troop. Happy Scouts will tell their friends and they will want to join. Only SM's are issued a standard brain. All others must wait their turn. District and all other activities are not fun. Other Scouts do not understand this concept and must be told. Scouting principles are too complex, so they must be simplified to be easily consumed. A large Scout Troop does not need a committee to give it support. Leadership is a Method for the birds and for the SM. If nobody is there to tell you what to do, then having all of the right answers is easy. Why would anyone want to work with a group of people when one person can do everything? If a tree fell in the forest and it hit the SM on the head, would any Scout that had not been trained to think be able to fix him? I hope this helps. FB

Dan, I agree. The District Committee, the Commissioner Corps, the District Roundtable, the CO, the unit leadership are a loose group of individuals that loosly support each other in all of the elements of the Scouting program. You are correct. FB

The idea of hiking to find something is fun. Jeeping sounds like hunting done by the rich in England. Across your land we go, tra tra, tally ho, away we go..

Showing proper respect for the flag is a good way to define how Scouts dress for raising or lowering the flag. One night at a Troop meeting, our Scouts were not showing what I thought to be proper respect for the flag. It didn't have anything to do with their dress but their behavior. We had just finished the Pledge. I asked to have a moment to explain what we were doing. I began with the blue field and the stars and then the strips. I left my friends for the last. The Scouts behavior and respect improved after that minute. I will always remember mostly because I can't forget. FB(This message has been edited by Fuzzy Bear)

As I see the word flexibility being used, it probably is an observation on units that have a lack of knowledge or experience with a program that has lots of elements that evolve and change over time. Turnover is constant in the BSA. Training can be effective or ineffective and both levels can be found within the same year in the same district. Training is sporadic in many units and sometimes only one unit leader is trained and the training may have happened years before. Quality control could be considered a function of the Commissioner Corps but what generally happens is an occasional visit from a well meaning individual that will not be seen for another year. There are many well trained and dedicated individuals in Scouting but sometimes those can be counted on one hand within any district. Some district programs are run by the same people year after year. Turnover, a lack of consistency in knowledge, lack of constant effective training, and lack of quality control helps to make many Scouting units appear less than optimal but these may simply be growing and learning about a very big program. FB

OGE and le For me, Herman Hesse's work has been more of a journey than a ride. It is one that carried me far into the night and then remained. FB

Our Troop arrived at the Annual Scout Show with as little planning as possible. Things were thrown together at the last minute and by the end of the day I was disgusted. We still got a ribbon for third place, as well as most other units that did a bad job. My Scout Master's Minute later had to do with Fool's Gold. Most people don't know the difference between something of value and something that is worthless. They are content to search for things that glitter. Knowledge of real gold is tricky and usually takes work. It generally isn't just lying on the ground to be picked up. A year later, we retuned to the Scout Show. Planning, preparation and skill were all in evidence in an active display that attracted many and gave excitement to all. The Scouts received the Presidential Award for their effort. They came running over with their ribbon to tell me that they had received real gold that year. I received one of the most momentous emotional boosts of my life by their new found insight. I knew then that what we were doing was paying dividends. When I read that other programs are better than Scouting, I can agree in part because they may well offer things of great value. I have been in Scouting since I was a youth (given time off for college and grad school). What I have found in Scouting has helped me as a person and I have seen innumerable benefits that others have experienced as well. The program is fairly inexpensive when compared to others and yet it teaches a multitude of skills, some that are profound in nature. I like to think that nothing else compares in value. FB

The two Scouts are making decisions about a program that they had a voice in planning and were given adult support to make it happen. They should have a choice to reject their own plans but I always find that rejection a curious one. I would hope the excitement of the remainder of the Scouts would be enough to keep anyone from looking over their shoulders at those that stayed home. When I meet adults that were once Scouts, they always remark about their disappointment about not achieving Eagle. What they are really bemoaning is that they rejected a program that carries a great amount of meaning to them for things that has little or no value. When I do meet a fellow Eagle, it is not the achievement we speak about but it is the many activities we shared in common. I don't remember every camping trip but I can attest to the fact that many camping trips are among some of the best things in my life that I do remember. FB