Fuzzy Bear

To the young man that "passed" the Life Saving Merit Badge: For several summers, I taught Scouts how to swim, how to save a life, how to keep their life. Actively listen to what he is saying. Encourage him to enter a program that can engage him in the requirements, enough so that he feels confident. It is a badge when learned properly can pay off. If learned poorly, well, you know the results. FB

We had worked all day Saturday assisting the OA members in putting together the ceremonial grounds for the Call-out. They wanted the teepee set up and a large fire area and a rock pedestal for the fire. They pointed out the things and we just followed orders. They wanted an Indian Dance spot and a cleared place for the troops and a lighted winding pathway to the ceremonial area. That night the Troops came silently down the pathway and lined in a semicircle around the pedestal campfire. The fire began to glow and sparkle and then it mysteriously began to flame slowly and to burn. In the background, several of us were in the teepee gathered around the drum beating and singing lowly to provide a soothing audio backdrop. Each Scout and Scouter was marked by the Call-out Team dressed in their headdresses and costumes. Each candidate was brought over near the teepee until all was completed. Afterwards, the Chief asked for the candidates to stand and then he lead us single file behind the tent and into the woods. I was near the end of the line to insure that there were no stragglers. After a few minutes, the line stopped and we stood still. Minutes turned into what appeared to be a problem. So, I sauntered up to the head of the line and silently asked if there was anything that I could do. I was told that nobody knew where we were going. I thought it also an opportune time to ask why we were standing knee deep in poison ivy. The Chief that evening was also one of my best Scouts that had grown remarkably over the years. I was proud of his accomplishments and also of the good case of itch that I and many of us had for the next few days. Just one of the many loving remembrances, FB

Since this Hot topic had been posted, it was read 51 times so I felt a great need to respond. I couldn't find the board either and now where am I! I am not sure where else to go with this topic, so I hope we both can find it. This may be one of those times we should be Thread Closed because we are Thread Bare FB(This message has been edited by Fuzzy Bear)

I was astonished that a can of popcorn costs $10.00 and it took about 2 minutes to eat. It certainly was tasty but I wish there had been enough for somebody else. I think the rest of the family was also astonished. Didn't BW say something about the fairness of the cost-product relationship being a guiding principle for Scouts selling items? It is possible that the price of popcorn has increased over the years and that I missed it when it soared to new all-time astronomical heights. I would rather give a check for double that amount directly to a unit and tell them I am giving a Campership for any Scout that needs it. I know; I know it would not be tax deductible but that would be ten times better than being ripped for an overpriced can of corn. Just my personal opinion that is always subject to all kinds of sCorn, FB

I know that this is becoming controversial and may be cause to close the thread but it may mean that Trail's End has some money that they have made available to give to a D.E. to establish a Quality District. This answer comes only from a deep personal belief in knowing about the English language. As always, I stand to be easily corrected, FB

Censorship is an attempt to control people and their thoughts possibly for fear that somehow the dispenser will become the leader (of the Forum). As an American, I applaud our freedom of speech and am willing to allow people the right to speak their mind even when I believe they have stepped over that line. I do have lines but they are personal and based on what I believe to be correct. I sometimes simply stand silently to the side knowing that there is a Higher Power at work, one that is much more powerful than any words. Since I have personal evidence of this it is easier to believe than if it were a wish or just words on paper. I understand Mrs. Smith's concern about FOG and his "way". It would be simpler if FOG was just like BW. It would reduce the clutter of emotional interference. But God made FOG and he made BW different and I would rather both were here than elsewhere. FOG has grown from being here as I have grown. I know that he may not admit it but I have seen it in some of his posts. FOG also has insight and sometimes it is keen criticism. He says it precisely but without decoration. It just so happens that the mix of a FOG and BW sometimes gives the kind of dialogue that wrenches the truth from a question. It also makes for the type of dialogue that takes both parties to their extreme ground and brings about emotions. Emotions can drive us to anger or to our senses. How we handle it comes from our personal discipline. I do not believe that other people control our thoughts and actions. I believe each individual stands solidly behind their own thoughts and actions but sometimes when we get mad our mask slips and others view our ugliness. I would hope that we would teach our children personal responsibility about their thoughts, words, and deeds first and foremost. We can then dispense with worrying about what issues forth from others. If our children are so weak as to not be able to discern goodness, to believe in it, to know the reason for it, and to live by it, then our teaching has little use. If the reason for this Forum is simply to inform, then the approach should leave little to interface. Answers should be arranged alphabetically and numerically. Each person should gather their basket of answers and go about their business. What I have found here has sometimes been difficult to contend with and it has made me think very carefully about what I believe and what I am as a Scout(er). I just want to thank FOG, and BW and Mrs. Smith because of these dialogues I have found something of value. I just hope that we do not lose it. FB

In FOG's situation, the Lodge Executive Committee makes the final choice but the unit committee makes the recommendation. The District Chairman, Council President, Scout Executive, or members of the professional staff may recommend to the Lodge Executive Committee adult leaders in council or district positions for consideration. In both situations, the Lodge Executive Committee makes the final decision. 1989 OAHB, page 101 On a personal note, if FOG believes that he can be a positive influence on the Scouts in his Troop, in regards to the OA, then he would be a good candidate. Because he states that he does not have time to assist in other ways, he just needs to know that his first consideration is always to his unit. Remember, there are unit leaders that disdain OA activities and are not positive influences on the Scouts being active in the OA. He might also consider suggesting to his unit committee that they recommend one of his assistants, if that assistant can give some time and lend a hand with transportation to the Order. FB

PS, I have a few trophies and my beaded moccasins. I gave my costume to a fellow dancer when I left for college in hopes that he would carry the torch. I asked about him and the costume later and found that he had danced for a while and passed the torch on. I guess the costume suffered the same fate. Our advisors had taken 8mm reels of our attempts. I failed to retrieve any of the evidence. The pictures must be around in a closet somewhere. I remember us being pretty good but probably the pictures show that memories are better sources of judgment. FB

Mikinakawa- 101 Summer 1961- elected to the Order of the Arrow- 3 shoulder taps at Camp Wisdom. Ordeal at Camp Wisdom in the Fall. Carved Arrow but received no notches. 1963- Brotherhood Member- Called out at Camp Texoma and completed my Brotherhood there. Winter 1964- formed Clan Indian Dance Team *the Hoop Dance was my specialty 1965-1966- Clan Chief *We planned and carried out a Fall Tap Out with fires, canoes, and Indian dancers. Of course, I was the Chief and I "Tapped Out" my new Brothers. 1966- District Elections Committee Spring 1967- Vigil Honor called out at Saturday dinner in the Camp Wisdom Dining Hall during the Spring Ordeal. *our dance team danced for Cub Pack Meetings, many other events, as well as traveling throughout the state. Summer 1967- Vigil Ceremony- Camp Texoma- Saturday 6:00 P.M. until Sunday A.M. Then off to college, I transferred to Nishkin Halupa A Pe Lachi- 489 for several years. *I checked a few years back and the Dance Team continues. I have recently moved and am presently inactive. FB

About Adults being elected, OAHB, 1998/1998, Page 101 Membership- Adults- 21 and over and registered in the BSA, candidates are selected based on the following: 1. the unit committee may recommend to the lodge executive committee one adult for induction, provided a. based on the adult's ability to perform the requisite functions and is not for recognition of service. b. the individual would be an asset to the OA due to demonstrated skills and abilities which fulfill the purpose of the OA. c. the camping requirements set forth for the youth members are fulfilled. d. the leader's membership will provide a positive role model for the growth and development of the youth members of the lodge. As for adult leaders in council and district positions, they may be chosen but all requirements set for adult leaders in units must be fulfilled, with the exception of the camping requirements, which may be waived by the lodge executive committee... All must complete the Ordeal experience and participate in the induction ceremony. Adults are not elected as a recognition...Adults should only be considered when their OA membership will make the OA more meaningful in the lives of the youth members. In regards to the role of the Scouter in the O.A., O.A. Handbook, revised 1998, Page 8 Mission of the Lodge The mission of the lodge is to achieve the purpose of the Order of the Arrow as an integral part of the Boy Scouts of America in the council through positive youth leadership under the guidance of selected capable adults. The Role of the Scouter in the O.A.- Page 61-62 is the same as in the Scouting program...includes training, counseling, and advising leaders and sometimes individuals. ...most Scouters in the O.A. take a back seat role, lending support...but without a direct advisory relationship... As a Scouter, you wear the Arrow to make it more significant to Scouts...it is for this reason rather than an honor or award... although you may obtain personal growth from the experience and you are asked to be an exemplary participant. Even if you were elected as a youth you are no longer planning, voting, leading... The role of the nonadvising Scouter...your main responsibility in Scouting lies outside the O.A. Your main duty within the Order is to support its program in your Scouting position. Your first duty is to your unit...but you should speak well of the Order...encourage your assistants to make the Order a special responsibility... to be a source of transportation and inspiration. OA functions can be a source of relaxation, a time to take stock, meets other Scouters and gets to know the youth better. Be a positive example and encouragement to all Brothers. When I was a youth, I was given support and positive encouragement by many adult OA members. As an older adult, I am still appreciative of their service. Their good work has continued to be a good part of me today. FB

Is there a trick that anybody has on keeping the thread from unraveling? There has to be a glue that would fix it. If the snaps are falling off, there has to be an easy fix for that also. People that are familiar with sewing techniques would most likely know these anwers. Surely these have to be easy fixes? FB

OGE, Since you are the Moderator and an experienced Scouter, I am asking you for the password to get into the Order of the Arrow forum. I have checked the spelling that I have of the admonition to the Lenni-Lenape language and it matches but does not work as the password. Is there a different problem? FB

After listening to eight years of Clinton bashing, I came to understand the reason people love to attack a politician's personal life. Remember, people voted for Clinton to make public policy and he did just that. His opponents attacked him for his personal life; sad. What is the reason? His political life was more difficult to attack. I personally do not support Senator Thurmond's segregationist policies. I do not personally like that he had a child out of wedlock and that he ignored her emotional needs and that he made policy that would hurt her. Those are my personal views of a man that appears reprehensible. But, he fairly represented his state and he advocated for their viewpoints. That is what a politician is supposed to do. A politician represents those viewpoints of his/her constituents that have elected him/her to represent. If those people do not believe that his public policies represented their viewpoint, then they elect somebody that does. But, his state continued to elect their best representative that held with their public policies first, even if others disliked them for many years. (*By the way, in a small segregated state, probably everybody knew of his personal conquest and accepted it as an acceptable cultural convention, kind of a badge of honor.) If we ever begin to believe that we have elected a person that represents both our personal beliefs and our public views, then we have most likely made a serious mistake in judgment. There have been several examples of this from both parties. People tend to want more than a politician. They want more than the security of fair representation. They want an idol that they can bed down with and worship personally. It just doesn't happen not in this world anyway. FB

OGE, I have been gone a few days and when I returned, Em and BW are voluntarily gone. Jason is involuntarily cast out. Threads are closed prematurely. It looks like BW's request to close discussions, post the guard, and direct the issues have been initiated with Terry's approval. I decided last week that friendship over religious or political bias in Scouting should be observed. I learned and changed on my own. I don't like censorship but to be a Scout is to modify or change many of our ways, so it must be. I still believe it would be better if the entire BSHB, SMHB, FB, PLHB, and other resource material were simply posted with alphabetic indexes and page numbers. Questions could be answered directly and quickly. Input on suggested interpretations and ways to implement directives could then be shared and debated. I again regret that the Forum has been forcefully changed. I will be looking forward in the future to see how you and Hops divide the material for resource use. I am sure that both of you will do a good job. I have enjoyed sharing some time here. Sincerely, Fuzzy Bear

I would like to take a shot at defining Patrol Spirit. A flag and a yell is not patrol spirit. They are the afterthought at the end and the spark of inspiration to begin. Most flags have colors and symbols that are historical in origin. A patrol flag is the same. If a new patrol wishes for a goal, then their history has begun and so has the making of their flag. The flag reflects the group's identity and history. A yell is insignificant when taken out of context but when it is put into context with the meaning of that unit then it takes on a new life, as well as bringing the group a reminder of who they are and what they want to become. Does a patrol need a good leader to make patrol spirit? Yes, it will be done much quicker because the leader will set the example. What example? Good uniforming, sharing duties, good directions in camp arrangement, keeping the group together, and keeping them going. He will delegate fairly and will represent the group by knowing what the group desires. Does it take a brotherhood? Yes, because they support their leader and are willing to follow in the right direction. It is first a good patrol leader and first (not second) a brotherhood of Scouts dedicated to making themselves the best they can be. Two more points, the first is that to have good patrol spirit the unit has to be willing to seriously discuss and act on what it means to help other people at all times. Why? Because it is the basis of our identity as a Scout. Life provides us with opportunities to do good and to do bad. Usually the bad has many more benefits and enjoyment than the good. But if you could look back on both events, you will find that the good things in life have a richness much like a cool breeze over an extended period that the bad never does. Secondly, the unit must make a decision to be brave. Why? When choosing the right things to do in life it takes a strong person to make those choices. When a group decides to be brave, then making those choices will be easier. The third point (you thought I said two!) A Scout is cheerful and so goes the patrol. Try being ugly, mad, argumentative and see where the patrol goes. Lastly, for those Scouts who like a little knowledge about rocks. Fools' gold is bright and fairly easy to find. Real Gold is not always easy to identify and almost always hard to find. Patrol Spirit has the same qualities of Real Gold. Don't be fooled. Choosing Patrol Spirit will be well worth your time to develop. It will pay off in hundreds of ways. So, give it a chance to see if I am right. FB (This message has been edited by Fuzzy Bear)

It was in June 1956, my older brother attended Summer Camp and I got to visit for one day because my Dad was the Scoutmaster. My brother allowed me to follow him and some other Scouts up to the top of the local "mountain". It was a fifteen minute climb and he showed me a cleft in the rocks where a Scout had broken his arm. The place was named for the Scout and the accident. I joined Scouts that Fall because I thought it was preordained. I didn't know any difference but if I would of had a choice, it certainly would have been Scouting. We moved from that Council to another in June 1959. I continued and received my Lion award and later my Webelos. In July 1983, I moved back to the area of my first experiences in Scouting. I requested a job as Camp Commissioner in that first Camp that I still remembered and with some reverence moved in to the staff area. That evening I made the pilgrimage to the top of the "mountain" and sat down beside the cleft in the rocks. Sure enough it was for real. I thought silently to myself, "I guess a Scout could break his arm if he fell into that spot or a guy could fall in love with Scouting by just being here." That Summer I also taught the Indian Lore merit badge. Since the camp area really had Indians in the past, it was a natural. Each afternoon, we met in a different area that I called a beautiful spot. I figured that if I were an Indian, I would have used the same spots for protection or to communicate with the Great Spirit or just to meditate. I felt like it was a way to communicate or know some of the same thoughts or to have a few of the same feelings others had in the past. For the last evening when each person made their last presentation in the most beautiful spot in the camp, it was up on the mountain next to the cleft and overlooking the valley below. FB

Jason, Thanks for the retraction. I meant what I said about friendship, so give yourself room to consider being a friend of a sinful person. I have been wrong on more than one occasion about any number of things and will continue. I am not proud of it but that is just me and my life. So, I must reserve the right to be wrong. Since you are a one answer type person, it leads you to believe that any other answer is wrong about JC. I have seen this in your other posts as well. I search for truth where ever I find it and I do not limit my sources, so I find this forum to my taste. This is an open forum. It is not restricted to one opinion about any issue. As you may have found already, even the best of answers will have many secondary opinions. It allows all of us to form new ideas, especially when some of the old ideas may have been wrong or outdated. (*I have found this happens frequently in Scouting.) If this type of forum offends you, it was not the primary intention. It simply will happen and not to just one of us but to all equally. Fuzzy

Try to read BL sometimes. It's audience is about 8 to 9 year old's. Somebody has forgotten about their main emphasis in an attempt to cash in on numbers. FB

As you have called me stupid and small minded and insinuated that I am a Heathen and/or a Philistine, and possibly part of the Sanhedrin, I suppose that makes us best of friends. At least I can count on honesty from one person here.

You must now stand alone. I believe squelched is the word even by those closest to you. I don't believe anybody wants to hear another word about True Religion. The ride has been long and righteously funny. I believe if we squeeze one more ounce of adrenaline from this thing that it might stroke out all by itself. Happy Fourth of July to all of us that believe in Freedom.

Jason, I have really enjoyed pulling your chain. Don't take it personally but you are very easily riled. Just because you are from Oklahoma and a disciple of Tim Lahaye doesn't mean you know all truth. I sincerely hope you are not doing these injustices to the Scouts you serve. By the way, today is the Fourth of July. We can celebrate the birth of real freedom, religious freedom, freedom of speech, freedom to know and worship God as each of us has come to know him. We can celebrate our multi-cultural backgrounds and all the differences we have. We can celebrate the freedom to speak our minds and not have the police come and lock us for having differences. that is great news! FB

Jason, I have every right to quote from the books and the authors where I find truth, the same as you. I have every right to question any truth and to follow that truth to the ends of the earth, unlike you. Truth is more subtle and complicated than you have made it. That is the very reason that you should temper your rash pronouncements. Notice your words, you believe yourself to hold all truth and have deemed yourself the judge of all. A seat never offered to you. You sit in the seat of God and have begun your condemnation proceedings. Sad FB

This doesn't sound anything like the criminal deeds that happened at Enron. It doesn't sound like people cheating others for millions. It doesn't sound like a company where hundreds were involved in making as much money as fast as they could with no forethought or personal honor. It doesn't sound like people denying their guilt while smiling and saying that they had no idea what was happening. This sounds more like people that have lost a great deal of money and they are trying to figure out what went wrong. Yelling at each is the first clue. Blaming is the next clue. It won't even make the headlines. It will just make allot of people sad and then they will figure their options. By the way, Summer camp counselors are paid through the council, your wages, now that is a scandal. All of this can be turned around. FB

If you quit, what are you considering as an alternative? Does your son wish to remain in Scouting? What goals has he set for himself? Where does he want to be in five years? Greg was a severally disabled Scout in our den. We were careful to include him until the other Scouts made it part of their routine. Greg was the last to complete the Arrow of Light and then only with his family's cooperation. He did not understand or learn at the same rate but he could and did learn. The ideals of Scouting were not the only thing that we learned but they were always a part of every meeting. What does it mean to do your best? I Fuzzy Bear promise to do my best... We learned what it meant to do your best at every meeting. We did not create the Special Olympics for Greg in our Den but we modified some of the activities to include him. When we had finished, there was a kind of a pride in what we each had done, including Greg. Each of us had benefited because there was not just a bunch of talk about doing our best we had also lived it because Greg had helped each of us to do our best. His entire family showed up at the Bridging. FB

It may be that modern day evangelicals have decided that God has blessed their special edition of the New Testament but Mark was the basis to the writing of Luke and Matthews texts. Even the Gospel of Mark has been shown to have been tampered with. When totaled there are over 250,000 mistakes, misquotes, intentional deletions, edited passages, interpolated ideas, scribal errors, subtractions, spelling errors, and alterations due to doctrinal or theological beliefs. There are thousands of New Testament manuscripts which differ. These texts have been reworked extensively over the years, According to Professor Merrill M. Parvis, it is safe to say that there is not one sentence in the New Testament in which the manuscript tradition is wholly uniform. The oldest text Codex Sinaiticus unequivocally shows that the modern day text was edited and embellished for doctrinal reasons. The Codex Vaticanus another manuscript of a slightly older date agrees with Sinaiticus in that it demonstrated scribal editing in later versions. These are texts that Zondervan isnt telling you about. Try again.