Fuzzy Bear

I would like to think that I have an answer for the "war" in Iraq but it is now in such a mess that the terms winning and losing makes no sense to me. Cutting and running doesn't mean surrender either; it means that we just don't have a clue as to what we are doing there. We are presently getting the living dog do kicked out of us. If that means we are losing given the complexities there, then it may only be one definition of the term. Terrorism isn't a war that stops at the border either. If we stop them there, it doesn't mean we win and they lose. It means that we still have a group of people that hate us so much that they will stop at nothing to kill us even after we win whatever it is that we are trying to win.

I am not a Bush fan but I was for the limited war that Bush first talked about. Remember the "We are not nation builders" speech? I believed that there were WMD at that time that was headed our way. I almost believed Chaney when he said that if there was any chance of WMD that we should have gone in to Iraq also. The one that threw me the most was Saddam himself with his stay out of my country tantrums. It looked real to me from a distance. Now I find that everyone was lying about all of it. All of this is much, much bigger than the "I didn't have sex with that woman" thing that those on the Right were so enraged about just a few years ago. People are now dying for who knows what reason. Coming home will only give our guys a rest. There will be plenty more battles where this one came from.

Health insurance; 15.8% or more of Americans are without it. That doesn't mean that they have poor health insurance like the Canadians either. fb

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Hmmmm, let's see, because of the Republicans...

Our national debt is at an all time high (a real cliff hanger). Because of the continued wars, we may never recover economically. Because of our blunt speaking diplomats, we are looking more like Attila-the-Hun to all of the world. Our national health coverage favors the wealthy, while 50% of the country has none.

I can think of many reasons other than change for the sake of change, it is now imperative that we change but don't let that stop you from doing what you believe to be so righteous.

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I have been on the receiving end of too many calls from the Governor's office to tell me how to run my business. I have witnessed a Governor that has feathered his own nest by appointing his buddies to high offices with high salaries in return for their support. Needless to say their only talent has been their enormous arrogance. Politics breeds the ugly in people. I cast my vote as soon as the doors opened for early voting. I wanted to be first in line to show my utter disdain for what has been happening. I have had enough.

It is too difficult to comprehend and too sad for words. fb

From what I have seen from several districts, the 15% may not be enough to make ends meet when considering several overruns due to poor planning.

usetobafox,

Several options are open to the SM and the CC.

Look at what should be happening: The SM is a non-voting member of the TC (*keep it so no matter what), so it is important that the CC enter agenda items for the SM. The TC should be supporting the program set for the year. If the CC is subverting the program, then he will not have the support of the other voting members of the committee. He/she can easily be outvoted on most all issues. That will cause some frustration.

When people cannot work together, it is a poor example for the Scouts and they will know what is happening. It is paramount that a person grit the edge of his seat and swallow hard to get things done for the Scouts. I can tell you that avoiding a person that you dislike doesn't work well in the close quarters of the committee system. (*The Scouts will appreciate what you are doing.)

I don't advise walking out because when dislike is in the air, someone will eventually leave. People know when you are trying to get along in rough waters and they will appreciate your bravery.

(*Parents will appreciate what you are doing.)

Make sure that the program that you are trying to instill is one that the Scouts have been instrumental in creating. You will then be on the moral high ground which is easier to defend, especially if parents are on the committee.

Make sure that you pack the Troop with as many parents as possible. The stink of a bad relationship will be soon sniffed out and the CC will change attitude or set sail into the sunset.

Be proactively patient. Resist getting rid of the CC yourself.

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I had just turned 13 when tapped out at Scout Camp in June. During my first Summer Camp, we were not allowed to watch the Indian ceremony even though it was held in an adjoining field. From a distance, (we watched) we saw the Chief and his helpers walk back and forth in front of the line of Scouts. It didn't make much sense but I knew it was exciting. The next Summer Camp, we were in the line to be chosen but nothing happened. Over those couple of years, I became APL, PL, ASPL and SPL and obtained Star and then it happened. Later, I went to my Ordeal. It took another year before I attended an OA meeting and then I was elected (then Clan) Chapter Chief. I didn't really know what to do other than I knew I wanted to learn to Indian dance and that became my mark which also lead to the Vigil. Had I not stayed in the OA through high school, I would not have figured much of it out. As I look back, I still only scratched the surface.

The OA is larger than any one person's desire and there is room for growth in so many areas. It is an organization that takes the village (concept) and many leaders to make it all happen. It takes the support of many adults to mentor, advise, and drive. It is worth the expense of energy, time and money. I would advise any Scout that has not gotten involved to do so and any adult that can give the time to do likewise. You won't regret it. fb

When a SM works with one other, makes the rules, runs the committee, decides on the kind of tents, etc., then whatever is decided upon is usually what is done. When the Troop gets bigger and there are multiple ASM's, a real troop committee, and parents then things generally get changed in the shuffle. When the District gets involved, then there are many others with their own good ideas and strong opinions. When you get the Council involved in making up the deficits of other poorly run programs with hundreds of volunteers and professional staff, then your ideas may/will probably never see the light of day. Things get changed for a variety of reasons and most are very good ones. Your idea may be very good with great reasoning behind it. At this level you are working with committees. Welcome to Scouting.

At our last planning session for District Activities, I thought we were brain-storming so I made several suggestions to the group/gang of twenty. I was told to put my weird ideas back inside the box. I had to grit my seat kind of tightly or I might have come unwound. Working with a group is an art requiring unparalleled emotional strength and possibly an AED. fb

Not only are the troop committee members performance (*functions and assignments) reviewed at Recharter time but Scouts are allowed to discontinue at this time. The SC/sponsoring institution must approve the charter prior to its' being sent to the Council office. fb

Secrecy may attract a Scout but it is not what keeps them. Our Chapter brought in 75 Scouts this last year beyond the 100 plus past members. At our last 10 gatherings, we had a high of 10 members to show at any one meeting, non were new. We have cancelled meetings where we scheduled things the Scouts said they wanted to do. The mystery is how to get them active. Maybe the parents know something. fb

At the end of each year, the Charter is renewed and at that time all slots on the TC as well as the SM and ASM's are open for renewal or appointment. The one year term limit is good because it allows for a person to discontinue a job that he/she is not doing well and/or to settle issues when one side or the other does not want to work with the other. If there are problems between the sponsor and the unit, then this is also a time to realign personnel. It allows for fine tuning of people resources. It allows for new people to enter and for others to exit or to mentor new ones. It allows for people to strike bargains for new directions or to get rid of others.

A one year term limit is a good way to recruit new members. Most adults are willing to accept a job for one year with a one hour per week commitment, than if they were told they would be signing up for an indefinite stay. The one year mark is an excellent time to review and evaluate performance to reset a units direction. It can also be a time to reflect on what went exceedingly well and declaring a continuance. fb

There is no absolute direction, so those without directionality may more nearly reflect reality, unless they are in the woods.

Lets say that the BSA had lost the suit. Some might say that the BSA would then be required to purchase an interpreter for every meeting, all events, campouts and planning sessions at $35 per hour or that they would need to provide an aide for a week at camp at $200. per day or they should provide a bus service for anyone with a disability that needs a ride (*purchase of a small bus plus gas, insurance and maintenance). They would not need to comply simply because of the obvious reason that it would be unreasonable. Units and Councils are legal entities and would not have the funding to comply.

But the BSA didnt lose and they arent required to abide by the ADA, so they are off the hook. Yet, they have made an attempt at including young men with disabilities that want to be Scouts. There are several provisions for including PWDs. Most Councils have Special Needs volunteers or Committee Chairs. They have modified requirements for badges and extended time requirements. Some run Special Needs Camps. Many units attempt at accommodating special needs Scouts with less than optimal provisions using the resources within those units. Many Councils build accessible trails for Scouts in wheelchairs. The BSA does have faults but it does try. Still there are many PWDs that would like to be Scouts, including women with disabilities and people with atheism, not a disability but it comes with BSA limitations.

Because the BSA is attempting inclusion, it still needs to give voice to those that desire to be there. It would be optimal if they allowed PWDs to grieve/appeal problems not because there is a legal issue involved but because there is a desire that justifiably needs to be heard. Problems involving limitations/barriers are regular events when planning for PWDs involvement. Most of the time it is not a lack of resources that disallows participation but it is a lack of resourcefulness. It takes a committee of people with experience to lend insight into many problems so that proper adjustments can be made. It does not always have to include money either. Justice is greatest when those without a voice are given a hearing even when it is not required. fb

that is almost my whole list of airplane(s)

It looks easy to a child that wants to play like the other kids. I was given a push to safety by that "unseen hand" after going under for the third time. Nobody knew what had happened. After getting out of the water, I strapped back on my lifejacket. I then understood. fb

The Andy Divine Show

A Twin Beech Cessna

Everyone has some kind of scheduling problem. After being made painfully aware about this issue several years ago, I learned that meetings are to start and stop on time. If someone wants to come early or stay late then that is done before or after the meeting. If more material needs to be added, then that material is entered into the next meeting. Most of the time, added material is unnecessary anyway. People have things to do and they schedule for the time slot that is posted. People hire others to watch their children. People double schedule meeting nights. People have to drive distances and some expect to spend time with their family. The scheduled meeting time is purchased at a cost and should be treated the same as any object with great value by everyone.

Meeting notes should be posted on email as soon as possible for those that could not attend or for those that ran late. The simplicity of starting and stopping on time saves time for everyone involved. This is especially true for those that host the meeting. fb

I want to throw in my two cents into this pool.

I have taught swimming to all ages of Scouts, including Scouts with disabilities. I want to remind everyone that swimming is not taught in the deep end first. It is taught in the shallow end first to acclimate a person to the water and to make it fun. It is a progressive exercise that allows a person to get their head under the water so that they will know how to return for air. They learn to kick and build strength. They learn by being successful and they then move on to the next level. A person does not go to the next level until they feel comfortable with previous one. If a person halts at a level, then one instructor remains behind with that Scout(s) until he is ready to move up. If a Scout is ready for deeper water but not over their head then an instructor will hold the Scout up while practicing a kick or they will be close to watch. Scouts use the wall and kick boards for practice and may also be allowed to go to water that is not above their shoulders to practice, only while being watched. Every Scout has a buddy and the swimming pool is marked off for levels of ability. Structure and discipline lends itself to a sense of security especially for beginners. Most that go in the water will find some problem at some time. If they learn that there will be structure and discipline while being in the water and if they have learned the techniques, then they know they can rely on both to help in times of trouble.

If your Nephew said he had an incident where he felt that he was going to drown, then most likely he did. Most people know when they get into trouble in the water and they will know they did not have the skills or the security to help. He probably survived the incident by an "unseen hand" of some kind. He also knows that he might not get that kind of help again unless he does something to help himself the next time. He needs to be reassured that he is doing the right things to help himself in the future. Being prepared means that he is getting himself prepared for anything that comes along. This includes water incidents that can be fatal if he hasnt prepared for them beforehand.

He is not ready to move down to the deep end. He and you need to go over the Safe Swim Defense and make sure that the staff that is teaching uses a similar system. He can learn to swim but his fear is keeping him from doing so. Work within his ability range until he is ready to move to the next level. He will do so as he learns the skills and trusts those that are working with him to assist when he has a need. fb

We used the time honored Trebuchet at our last two events. The first event was for Cub Scouts. The Trebuchet was built by adults for the Scouts. The second one was at a Camporee. Each unit was to build one for their own use. The problem with competitions is that adults refuse to allow Scouts to win or lose on their own merit, as in PWD's and any other event.

I make four recommendations for Boy Scout events using the Trebuchet.

1. Do not allow metal posts for the axel, unless it is specified for everyone.

2. Require that all posts be no bigger than eight inches in diameter. Larger posts tend to create safety considerations when building. Even eight inch diameter posts are heavy. I also realize that when cutting posts it is difficult to find exact dimensions. The problem is that some units come with ten and twelve inch diameter posts that are ten to twelve feet long. If any fall, it will hurt that which it hits.

3. I am unsure but I think that the Scouts should be wearing safety hardhats?

4. Another recommendation is that all materials, diameters, and lengths should be listed prior to the event. All materials should be brought to the site and stacked and numbered. Everyone then takes a number from the hat and that is the material that their unit gets.

*The exception would be the launch basket/ropes and the materials for the weight loading could be kept out of the drawing. This could be the secret weapon, as well as the center launch post placement on the axel.

When adults build for their own Scouts, they tend to overbuild. When the Scouts are building bulky machines, they may not have the strength to safely hold them in place. When Scouts chose materials, they tend to undersize the materials, making them unstable and possibly not useful. So, recommendations for size and length should be given to all units well in advance.

Practice is the key to making this event safe, which should be done first by the Event Committee before making recommendations.

Practice is the key to making this event successful for the individual units.

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Got back from Camporee early this morning so I got the family up. I cooked and we ate breakfast and hauled a load of wood. I finished cutting it to length and stacking it about an hour ago. We installed a fireplace insert this year and we are heating with wood. It has been great on the coldest of nights. When we moved to our new home, which was built in the 60's, we didn't bother with the cable, which was limited to the econo-pack anyway. We can pick up PBS, 2 national networks, an Hispanic religious channel, and something that comes and goes with the clouds, I think. The antenna has saved us around 300 plus dollars this year.

I grew up watching the national channels and PBS. We watched them like some kind of religion or something. On every night of the week, we had a sacred list of shows and then there were Saturday morning cartoons to get us going. Saturday night was a mixture. My Mother would start it off with C and W shows and Lawrence Welk. My parents would go Square Dancing afterwards. My older brother would turn off the lights when they left and turn on Monster Piece Theatre. There would be some guy laughing hideously while the camera moved down a darkened hallway and lighting bolts would ring out through the windows (*in a hallway no less). We found out how to kill Wolf-man with a silver bullet, Dracula with a wooden stake through the heart and Frankenstein by burning his house down around his thick neck with a bolt through it while he was in it screaming. The natives were always satisfied with the results of their completely justified efforts at keeping the peace by mob rule. I appreciated them taking charge. Those were the good old days! I would sit and watch while getting the bejibbers scarred out of me.

My parents would return around 10 P.M. and my Dad would watch Rassling. It was great. Big guys in bathing suits stomping on each others heads while taking a dive from the top ropes. I don't understand how they kept their brains from squirting out. Sunday afternoon was all Dallas Cowboys. There is nothing like pro-ball to deliver the much needed punch in our lives. We would then top the week off with Bonanza. Pa and the boys killing off any low lifes that would cross over onto their thousands of acres was always uplifting. Church was not optional because we had much to forgive and still do.

I suppose that may be one reason that we have a selected library of films for the boys and one library for us. I like to watch the news on PBS. Any shows that we do get on the few stations that come in are totally optional when we find time to watch. The boys are now getting ready for bed while chasing each other around. They are playing some kind of game that needs an imagination. They would like a little dessert, so I gotta go. FB

Your SM needs training. If he would let the boys run their own program, then he would not need to rant, kick things over, or belittle anyone. He might feel less frustration if he were to learn to do his own job.

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I remember one leader that is a current WB SM yell at his Scouts for not having their shirts tucked. He had all of the training but sometimes people refuse to believe that it really works or they just don't connect the dots. Options are always plentiful with just a little thought..

He also sounds like he has some kind of agenda for harsh training makes-the-man approach. That doesn't work unless a person wants to train kids for war. I also realize that life isn't a bowl of cherries but does he really want Scouts to learn his ill-tempered ways because they will follow his example(s). He needs to be video taped so that he can watch himself. I am sure he would be horrified, I hope. fb

I am married to a most remarkable person. She can run circles around anyone in the outdoors. She can also cut and paste, change the oil, build, cut grass, haul wood, give demonstrations on all kinds of little animals, bugs and birds. We have waded and canoed creeks and rivers, hiked trails (once while she was PG with son number 1) and she is a female to boot. She is presently staying home to raise our two boys. I keep them nights while she works her job. When they get to be Cub Scouts, they are in for a program that is already well under way. If other females are holding back in today's world so they won't smear their make-up, then they deserve to be angry about being left out. Scouting's door and life is open to any that don't mind being in the great outdoors. fb

I met and traded with (along side of) Phil over several years. He was a quiet man with considerable resources. He had an incredible collection and generally looked for unique items that most could only hope to have. He ventured far and wide. He told me he was going to build a museum which is a considerable undertaking in the world of Scouting memorabilia. I heard a few years ago that he was having troubles but I didnt know any particulars. He was likable and will be missed. fb(This message has been edited by Fuzzy Bear)

acco40,

Your son was correct in questioning the existence of a God that allows good people to die. He is expressing a natural outpouring of grief for the senseless poverty of this life. He may also be recognizing the fact that bad people suffer the same fate as well as all of mankind. It is depressing to know that the world that we love will inevitably end. Our homes, our schools, our Troops, all that is real will crumble into history. Monuments will be erected to remember the brave and stories will be written of their exploits and all of that will fall away as well. The stars will eventually burn out and the sun will shrink and the earth will be swallowed up and crushed into fine dust.

It is a hard question to resolve and those that have pondered it generally refer to it as the mystery of life. It is a mystery that has remained with us for centuries. The same mystery that he is thinking through is the same that others have thought about during each age. There are those that have ignored the questions and have disallowed the inadequacy of the standard answers but for many that is dishonest and insufficient.

When a person dies, part of all of us dies. When all that we know dies, then all that is left us is hope that our love is large enough to transcend the darkness that appears on the horizon. I hope for justice. I long for a home. I fear nothingness.

I don't question God as much as I question a policy that falls far short of the intended mark. fb