Fuzzy Bear

Uz2, I read your statement. I was speaking in general and not replying directly to what you said. Many Scouts read what we write. I would like for them to understand that adult reactions and words are not always what they appear. Many times, as in own my case, has been a lack of preparedness. It was also anger against my own short-comings which is harder to acknowledge. I hope my joining in did not interfere. FB

I want to address the use of metaphor and/or epithets for Scouts. I also want to let you know that when I have been angry about certain behaviors that I have thought those words (or worse) in my head. A few experiences with Scouts took me right over the edge of my limits with my reaction to them, nothing physical or profane but my response was long-lasting for the Scout and myself. In every instance, it was because I had not anticipated the incident(s). We did not have a policy in place or the people that I worked with were unreliable with their support. I felt like I was alone without any idea of how to respond. When we did get the supports, what I found was that I was angry with my own lack of preparedness. Even before these incidents, I had read in one of the older manuals, I do not know if it is in any of the new ones, not to call boys, boys. It was suggested to be careful to call them Scouts. This stuck in my head because of an earlier incident involving the use of a phrase I had used in a group. I had said that I didn't care if ... The response to my phrase was that I didn't care about them. That was not true so I quite using that phrase because I did and do care. I had learned that Scouts understand and are sensitive to the use of words and phrases, some Scouts much more than others. Now, I also realize that in some parts of this country some are more direct with a term or a phrase. This makes it difficult to communicate this idea without misunderstanding or without stating all of the exceptions. Some Scouts know when a person cares in spite of word usage. Some Scouts observe your caring actions and don't even listen to your words. The real message is what is happening inside of you. Leadership preparedness reduces anxiety, fear, and anger. When this happens, the exceptional experiences that come from the vast majority of our Scouts begin to permeate and change our word/phrase choices. This in turn helps to change behaviors in Scouts that we might have thought otherwise. FB

I take one job per year and work it like a WB ticket item. I apply the Skills of Leadership to each duty. This effort takes all of the extra time that I can give to Scouting and it is more than one hour per week. It took a long time to learn the importance of this balanced approach. It also allows me to have family time, Church time, and quiet time. I recommend it. FB

OGE, You are equitable, fair and discerning. Your unequaled judicial qualities will be missed. The Forum will be all the less without your care and guidance. FB

Remember when we used to write messages on our home computers to each other? Now we have virtual Roundtables via our tele-watches. We used to write things that we would never say to another's face. This new invention has made us polite and friendly but still with lively conversations. Remember O.G.C. and Hops cutting us off in mid-stream because we got a little worked-up over some finer point of Scouting? That's all gone. "Yes, I know and I think we have lost something because of it." It makes me long for those good ole days." Hops is now a SM and his Troop will be going to the next Jamboree on the moon. I heard that there is a judgment out against Scouting using the moon because it belongs to several nations. Yea, but Scouting is now worldwide and allows most in as long as they arent married to an alien race. O.G.C. is also in Scouting and has taken a group on a trek to Phil-Mars. They will be hiking the 6,000 mile cavern that is 2 miles deep. I took a group last year and it really is Gods country. How about when we used to play like we had a campfire and we invited everyone to sit with us but now through holographic imaging, we really do have a campfire and it actually puts out warmth and food can be cooked on it. We can share it by physical transmission through Quantum movement. It sure brings us closer together for an evening of fun and fellowship but I am looking forward to the new Body Quantum transmission coming out soon. It really will bring us closer together. It will reduce the world to having everyone or anyone the same as your next door neighbor. Scouting is more important now than ever. Those rules, regulations and guidelines really keep us from infringing on others and helps us to get along. I can remember us writing about their importance and if we should bend them or ignore them. "If we had only known then what we know now." I feel sure things would have been different." FB

Welcome DDM, You are welcome to sit here with us on this log. It is a little chilly tonight and it is closer to the fire. I believe we have some hot chocolate left in the pot. I hope you brought your own mug. If you didn't, someone might have one of their collector mugs you can use. Just be real careful with it. Do you know any good songs? We are always looking for a fun song. Well, even if you don't just join in anywhere. We are glad see another friendly face. FB

Reach, row, throw, and then go; a litany given to all to remember from the lifesaving class. In an emergency situation, you hope and pray that you still know it. When confronted with a drowning person flapping their arms, you hope that there is a pole, a rope, a rowboat or anything by your side and at the ready. You hope that you have a bathing suit on and you do not have to take off gear and clothing first. Being ready to save a life, means that you learn the rules and relearn the rules and relearn the rules. In an emergency situation breaking the rules is what causes the rescuer to drown along with the victim. A person that knows how to swim will not think twice about jumping in fully clothed to save another person. They have learned to swim and that is their inclination. You must carefully retrain a person to think differently for an emergency. The Safe Swim Defense and Safety Afloat are rules that work for the rescuer and the victim. Breaking or bending the rules can be detrimental to both. I am going to use the word "order" here not because this is the military but because following the rules in an emergency situation is so important. So, order is used as verbalizations to prioritize and organize all behavior in the fastest safest methods of rescue. If a group were to come up on a drowning person, it might be best to order the older Scouts into action if you know the adults are not trained. If the adults are trained, then order the adults to get ready and order the older Scouts to find ropes, branches, anything to reach. There needs to be a person in charge that knows the rules of the situation and controls all behavior by ordering. "Going" is the last thing you want to keep from happening by anyone. Someone needs to keep people from following their impulse to do the easiest thing and that is jump in the water, generally fully clothed. Now when it comes to going, if a Scout were the only person able to do this, I am afraid that I would order a wait until the victim was down before pulling them out. I would then order First Aid, including going for help. This last order is only my thoughts on this issue. Others may feel that this is overly protective and undervaluing of life. I value the life of every Scout and want no harm to come of anyone but I do not want two victems. FB

If I were in a church that cooked the books, my belief in God would not be shaken. My belief in mankind's greed would be affirmed. I fully expect men to act like men in all given situations. What I don't expect is for men to act in accordance with God-like characteristics. My belief in Scouting and the principles of Scouting is not shaken because a few or the many lied, cheated, stole and acted like criminals. I am sure these were common, cowardly bureaucrats with little aptitude or ability to do little else in life. They thrive on emptiness and would do so in any business and in any place, in any time period. Throughout all ages and countries there have been men/women that have taken on a heroic nature. Their bravery consisted of knowing that truth will simply rise above all else. It is these men/women that we cherish and that lives in all written material and our hearts. We do not build statues to remind us of the slovenly and the weak- willed but of those that did things that men cannot do on their own and that is act with principle. FB

Getting evidence not hearsay is important. Move carefully so as to not to make a false accusation. Speak with the person(s) that made the accusation. Ask: What did he know?, Did he see anything?, Were there other witnesses?. Speak to the young man and ask if he had actually stole the item. It may have been a (false) brag and there still needs to be evidence. Let's say the first Scout said he saw the young man take the item. An actual witness to the evidence ties the person closer to the event but without evidence. Was there more than one witness? Seeing the act is harder to refute and also places relationships at risk in a closed community if the truth does not soon come out. If the Scout that was accused now refutes the act, the act may not be stealing but lying. I would confront both Scouts with what I thought about the event. It may be that one Scout was trying to get the other Scout into trouble. Even if neither Scout confesses, it is time to let both clearly understand what Trustworthy means. I worked with youth in a different setting for several years. We didn't have the Scout Oath and Law as our agreed on boundaries. Most did not have parents to back them up and yet somehow we worked together. I had a few things stolen but when confronted with eye witness accounts, they generally told me the truth. These kids didn't have any reason to tell me the truth and yet they did when I spoke to them one on one. Finding evidence is generally hard to do. Either we are too clumsy or we don't have the right equipment. I don't try to figure out if the youth is lying. I don't play good/bad-cop. I speak to the individual(s) directly. I also let each individual know that this is a preliminary review and that if a resolution is not found quickly, it will be taken to the next level. Most do not want their parents brought into an event that soon could bring notice to the larger group and also involve the committee. I let them know that making it larger also brings impatience, scrutiny and creates problems that they have not thought about but I am more than willing to do so. Once the word gets out that quick resolution to a small problem prevents larger problems/consequences, then it reduces the number and intensity of the occurrences. Taking the Scout Oath and Law brings responsibility to those ideals and with that responsibility brings with it the burden of backing it up for Scouts and Leaders. Stealing a candy bar is not the same as stealing a car but it is stealing and/or could be lying which violates the foundation of our agreement. Are there mitigating circumstances, sure and it is at this point the reasons become clear for the acts. It is also at this point that the punishment becomes easier to figure out. It is at this point that the Scout Oath and Law become clear and it is at this point that their value is realized. FB

Welcome Davy, Before anyone gets to it, do you have a locker? (I bet you have heard that one before.) Feel free to jump in at any place and stay as long as you like. The "hood" is jumping with plenty of opportunities. FB

Quality Unit is not a quantitative award. It does not measure one group against another and rank order the units. It merely means a unit has met criteria that approximates a quality standing. A Quality Unit could possibly fold within a week of that review without surprise. The criteria for achieving Quality Unit status is insubstantial and cannot possibly reflect the most important elements of a strong program. It is confusing because the idea of Quality infers unit strength but that is not the goal. Try this: If you were in charge of judging which elements a Unit should have to meet the minimum needs for Rechartering for the next year, what would be your top ten requirements? If you wanted to judge the overall strength of a unit to know where you best leaders and resources are located in the district, then what ten elements would you use? The criteria one uses to judge should be based on what one expects to achieve with the results. Naming an award and its' definition is not always compatible with the criteria for judging that award and its' outcome. Possibly the QU award would be better named the Mediocre Unit Award or the Barley Making It Unit Award. The D.E.'s main job is to have units and numbers even if it means they are just above the level of paper. The Commissioner's job is unit health. More failure can be accounted for by the lack of Unit Service than an award that means little more than Just Getting By. FB(This message has been edited by Fuzzy Bear)

The Scout Law is not a law that can be as easily defined as wearing Scout Socks. If a law, such as driving 55 mph, were posted and one were driving 56 mph, then one would not be observing and following the law, which is easily understood. If one is asked to be Friendly, most people would accept that a smile and/or a kind word would follow. But let's say that someone's basic tenor was harsh, critical but insightful and knowledgeable, this could be construed as a type of friendliness with a sharp edge. But if one was simply harsh, without a point then most would agree that it is outside the Law. The Friendly Law may come in various shapes and sizes but there is a limit even to something with such a wide variance. It has to do with the feelings one creates with words, so after the measure has been meted out, if one feels belittled, small, left out, put down, or depressed then one knows the boundaries have been breeched. If this happens on a regular basis and with intensity, it can be detrimental. So, making another person feel this way is wrong and is not just so a Law is needed to point out its' importance, for Life. The Law of Friendliness is one of 12 priority Laws in Scouting with a clear purpose and reason but with latitude. This may well be considered a higher Law or method of insuring that we can live together in harmony to achieve and/or pursue happiness, a goal most hold closely. FB

I guess we will have to settle on looking down at our Scout Socks, which may well make us a minority.

I disagree with ending the last column about Weapons Dealers. It was just getting interesting. People were warming up to the fire and beginning to really open up. We were so close to answering the great question about Scout Socks when the plug was abruptly pulled. It will take us a long time to return to that point ever again. It is like hiking up the mountain and only getting near the top. We may never see those beautiful vistas below and that deeply saddens me. Oh well, one must move on. FB

CNYS, I can only imagine the reason for the 80% rule. It may be that a person(s) wanted to define ACTIVE or they wanted to to encourage Scouts to attend outings on a regular basis. Rules that define program usually mean that there is a problem with the Program not with the Scouts. Program can only be defined by the Scouts that plan and represent other Scouts in the initial process, of course, with the consent and the support of an active Troop Committee. Take the 80% rule and reverse it. Make it an 80% rule for all of the adults that lend support for a Scout planned program. Let the Scouts decide if their own program is worthwhile to attend. Penalizing Scouts for not attending is an open admission of a poor program which is one that is generally adult planned with little adult support. Another Adult Rule- if one Scout shows for a program, if it rains, if it snows, have the program and fully support it. Make sure that it is the best program ever. Capturing one's will through understanding is much better than subjecting it with rule keeping. The reason a Scout or a Scouter willingly wears Scout Socks is not because of a rule but because he is proud to be associated with the greatest organization in the world and that person wants everyone to know it FB

If one attempted to teach abstract principles to concrete thinking children, the results would appear unusual to the observer because of the lack of insightful and useful interpretations. Likewise, an adult using an abstract thinking process cannot easily model concrete thinking processes without several failings. The adage, "Don't do as I do but as I say," is such an example. The idea is to have trained Troop Leadership made up of Scouts that do understand the failings of concrete interpretations of abstract concepts and that can model proper Scout-like behavior, also known as Setting the Example. This of course does not release the adult from the burden of trying to conform to a stricter set of ethics than one would choose if one was relieved of such a duty/responsibility. Wearing Scouts Socks is one such rule. FB(This message has been edited by Fuzzy Bear)

Ed, That is one of the two main points here. It is a fool-proof way to divide the True Scouters from the False Scouters. Oak Tree, I counted my Scout Socks just because of this column. They fill a pretty good size drawer. I still have Scout Socks from when I was a youth. A couple of my garters are a stretched and some threads are hanging from some of the Socks that needed no support which now can be used with the stretched-out garters (* kind of a restriction band). I usually bought more than one pair so when one disappeared or had a large hole, I would still have three, to be used on odd days. I even have the new snazzy Scout Socks. Over the years these Socks have been in places that I don't care to mention, nothing illegal of course, and in places that I would love to share but that would miss the point completely. I wanted you to know that I wear my Scout Socks on a regular basis. It has been a good rule and I would recommend it to anyone in Scouting, of course. I don't find the rule cruel or unusual. I stand by it. FB

Jd, I believe that the crux of this matter is the wearing of Scout Socks. A good rule is generally meant for the welfare of those governed. There are notable historical examples where a leader ruled to the exclusion of the welfare of those they governed. They have been given minimal space in the history books probably because of bad PR or maybe so few were allowed to write about them. They usually buried their mistakes. So, BSA rules most likely carry the intent of being helpful. It would be difficult to find a BSA rule that carries the intent of harm. FB (This message has been edited by Fuzzy Bear)

The other day our unit had an outing at the lake. I was bringing the life jackets and I was running late, so I left off putting on my official Scout Socks so that I would not need to drive over the speed limit to arrive on time. As it worked out, everyone was wearing their lake shoes and no socks, so it all worked out just fine. Had I known about the lake shoes, I would not have even worried about the socks but I had failed to pay attention when the discussion was held at the PLC. My real sin was not paying attention but I was unsure as to whom to ask forgiveness for a sin that actually never occurred since I was doing what was expected. Had I been on time in the first place, then I would have worn my Scout Socks and been "out of uniform" making for a bad example. I would then have been guilty of simply not listening which was my sin in the first place but then it would have been noticeable. I began to worry that while traveling to the event without my Scout Socks was also a violation because I really was out of uniform even though the uniform of the day was to be no socks. What might have occurred was that I could have been stopped for a traffic violation and a policeman would have found me out of uniform. The policeman might have been a former Scout and would have been disappointed to find me with the incorrect uniform. Since I didn't pay attention, I had not worn my lake shoes. I had worn my good shoes, so into the water I went with them. Of course I got my good shoes wet and it ruined the inside cushion and later my wife got upset with me. Since she is not part of the BSA, I was not concerned with the outcome. I found out later that I had underestimated the importance of this last rule. FB(This message has been edited by Fuzzy Bear)

...today we still have three branches of our government that gives credence to any and all laws, at least for a while longer or until a few decide that they should make law for the many, by themselves in the dark without consent. Presently the courts are selected by consent and they examine the law in the light of day under close scrutiny. In spite of the problems of the BSA management and with all of the legal problems, the results of the "survey" (*which is all it claimed to be) the BSA can point to positive results that indicates a great influence upon the youth it serves, whatever the number. The BSA can do this in spite of those that challenge the organization and I am sure it encourages others to pursue more rigorous analytical examinations on that influence. (*I feel sure that there will be a positive correlation.) FB

Request that one parent per boy must do one job per year. At the end of each year, have a COH/Banquet and recognize each parent and their contribution. Announce each parent's decision on what they will do for the following year. Hand out the following year's calendar and show last year's accomplishments on an edited CD with Scouting music in the background. The CD is copied and presented to every family. About 200 pictures will fit, so make sure that every event and every family is represented, including last year's banquet. The CD can also be shown to the CO's board during the review of your program and during the Charter presentation. The edited CD can be edited again for time restraints for the review and the presentation. Just include the highlights. Potential Scouts and Scouters will be watching. FB(This message has been edited by Fuzzy Bear)

Only if ya stretch it.

Kahuna, My 3 year old sat on my lap yesterday while we listened to the patter of the rain pouring down in our backyard. Both of us fell asleep there in the white wicker chair under the cover of our back porch. It was a pleasant, refreshing, deep sleep and it was a way to clear the air. As we awoke and the rain stopped, the pollen flow began abruptly. My throat itched again and the mucous began back building in my nasal cavity. It was most unpleasant. FB

When the church takes over the state, then it will not only silence science, no matter what the definition but it will also do away with freedom of religion. It is inevitable. The Christian Coalition believes that they are of one mind but in reality they share little in common. Look closely at their belief systems. They have for years cast doubt on each other in order to sanctify their own individual religions and they have written extensively to prove it. The way to take control is to carefully craft a universal system. Afterwards, they will be forced to make it so. Science is now a convenient target to accomplish that one goal for the greater good, a rallying point. Intelligent Design is little more than a Toady that will later be dumped with little fanfare and even fewer proponents. When people already have all of the answers, anything else is superfluous, unnecessary, a threat to be disposed of. It is a type of cancerous infection that will turn in on itself in a valiant effort to prove its worth. FB

One alert reader wrote, "The Cub, Webelos and Boy Scout programs have been patched and bandaged over and over and over. I think it is about time for a general overhaul, similar to but hopefully better planned than that in the mid-70's. Easier paperwork, streamlined training, more adult leader-friendly environment, better pack-troop integration, etc." The Webelos to Scout transition has always been a problem. I think it has to do with the leveling effect brought on by age and additional quality programs. The graph for Scouting in the population from ages 11 to 18 looks a little like a triangle with the point to the sky. As kids age, fewer kids choose Scouting because more opportunities, sports, band, cars, girls, etc. are available, so the population decreases for Scouting. The easiest answer would be to say that better training is needed so that more leaders would provide quality programs for Scouts of all ages. I am not sure that would do it but it might be a start. Many people write that when they returned to Scouting as adults that they viewed themselves as a First Class, Star, Life, etc. Scout. It might be that they are relating to Eagles that say that they are always Eagle Scouts. It might be that somehow they are stuck in time and are reluctant to move on with their life because of a failure to reach a goal. It may be that they truly desired to be Eagle and just cannot get over it. The desire might be that strong. Maybe we should do with the Eagle rank what was done with the First Class badge. Make a program to achieve Eagle in two years. This allows a kid to come roaring into the program at 11 years of age get First Class and then push right on into Eagle at age 13. The Scout could get out of Scouting at that time and enter any number of other programs as the desire of so many has shown in the past. This would make the young person happy, his parents proud, and the SM feeling like he/she has done their job. I would like to hear from other readers what they feel could be an answer to this age old problem. FB