Gold Winger

Now it's time to have yet another explanation of how a Scouting unit is organized and who works for whom and who can replace whom. The unit belongs to the Charter Organization. Not metphorically, literally. The CO creates the unit with the agreement of BSA to operate it as part of their youth program. The big boss of the Scouting unit is the Institutional Head and his lieutenant is the Charter Organization Representative. The COR finds and appoints the Committee Chair with the approval of the IH. Now the Committee Chair with the support and approval of the COR finds other committee members and the Scoutmaster. So, the sixtyfour thousand dollar question is "who can remove the Committee Chair"? Only the COR or the IH. Not the committee members, they were appointed by the CC. Not the Scoutmaster. Definately not the parents of the Scouts because they aren't on the org chart. If their are problems with the CC, someone from the committee should talk to the Unit Commissioner. The UC can then go to the COR and find out what can be done. I'm sure that someone will correct my picture of how things work.

"The term politically correct is pejorative. Initally such terms as "redman", "Indian" etc. were used and some whom were branded with such a label preferred adjectives such as Native American." The funny thing is that the Indians I know prefer to be called Indians if they aren't refered to by the name of their nation (Cherokee, Navajo, etc.). Even the federal government calls them "American Indians," only the touchy-feely PC types don't want the the term Indian used. As for "red man," they call me "white man" and I'm about as white as they are red. The nub of PC is looking for insults where none were intended.

"I didn't say this - in fact, I agreed with GW. I just said that with all the things that can happen to a small piece of paper - and especially recalling my own airheadedness as a young man " That was you. Maybe your parents were enablers like so many post 1960s parents. "Don't worry, we'll get a new one." If it means something to the kid and his parents haven't stressed that nothing is important enough to worry about, he'll hang onto them.

I must have missed it as well. Maybe it was in a double secret memo.

No he wasn't and he wouldn't have made a good president.

"Seriously, the "WWW" refers to the OA's real or secret name, only known to members. "Order of the Arrow" is the public name." It's not secret, the admonition is secret.

"PCers' are all around. Conservative, liberal & anywhere in between." Can't say that I've ever met a conservative PCer unless he was doing it because of social compulsion. Notice that it is okay to characterize Souther rural Americans as stupid rednecks but heaven help you is you say anything bad about welfare sucking, ghetto dwelling blacks. It ain't PC. Far too many liberals spend their lives waiting for some comment that can be construed as an insult. And since we aren't supposed to insult people, PC was born. On the other hand, conservatives are too busy doing their jobs to worry about insults.

" I see it as unrealistic to expect a Scout to retain all the MB apps he has earned." Why? Is it unrealistic to expect them to know that they have homework to do? Is it unrealistic to expect them to carry their drivers license? Is it unrealistic to expect them to go to baseball practice without you having to remind them? Maybe today it is and that is the fault of the over-indulgent parents.

"Out of council Ordeals are not permitted." No exceptions are given. We discussed this here not long ago, there is at least one exception and that is for religious grounds. The Jewish boys around here go to New York for their Ordeal because they have a Kosher ordeal that doesn't interfere with Shabbat.

I haven't seen the new, new ones but the old new ones were junk. My old old belt buckle was great. Heavy brass, snugged up well and held tight. They went cheap sometime in the past 25 years. That said, I usually wear a leather belt.

"A person is guilty of unlawfully dealing with a child in the second degree when: 1. Being an owner, lessee, manager or employee of a place where alcoholic beverages are sold or given away, he permits a child less than sixteen years old to enter or remain in such place unless: " So when two teens stop at Pizza Hut for lunch, they can't go in unless a parent is with them? " At the same time, your 12 yr old son has invited a friend over to play video games. You hand me a beer, you take one, we sit on deck to relax. You just committed a crime." In this case, wouldn't you be the "accompanying adult authorized by the parent or guardian"?

"Pack is right about the original use of redneck." According to a documentary about the West Virginia coal mine wars that I saw on the History Channel, redneck originally refered to the miners who wore red bandanas to identify themselves during the pitched battles. When I was a youth, a redneck was ususally someone who worked in the construction trade, usually of a conservative nature but it was never a disparaging term. Someplace along the way, it became an insult.

"I don't understand why the colonies could secede from Britian but states counldn't secede from the United States." One man's patriot is another's traitor.

If Lincoln hadn't been a nut job, hell bent on having a massive war, sending thousands to die for an unpopular cause, who knows where we'd be today. Unpopular war? Remember the draft riots? All those young men, not volunteers, who were slaughtered to prove his point. Their children and their children's children were never born. Other than gangs, I don't know of many organizations that you join voluntarily and then can't leave. Gangs, if you do try to leave, they kill you and often your family as well as burn your house. Gee, that sounds like Lincoln, doesn't it.

I think it would probably work better if the den leaders pitched it as a den activity with other dens along.

"He also went on to say if I could save it by freeing all the slaves I would do it." That's a non-starter. He was willing to do anything to preserve the union. He would have danced naked in DuPont Circle if it would have preserved the union. " Do you mean he should have let the Southern States succeed from the Union and be content with being the President of the Northern States of America?" Yes, he should have let the South secede (note spelling). He still would have been President of the United States of America. Why would they have changed the name of the country?

Alas, that's not the reality of the world today and we should only judge people by the times they live(d) in.

"So you blame Lincoln for the Civil War?" Who else is there? "Honest" Abe said something along the lines of "I'd keep slavery indefinately if it would keep the union intact." He had a grand idea for big government and a lot of people died for his ideas.

Why minimize the OA? Let the members who are elected make up their own minds. Let the Troop OA Rep talk up the OA. Like many things in life, you get out what you put in. If your son is elected to OA, goes through ordeal and never does anything else, he won't get much out of it. On the other hand, if he gets involved, it opens a whole new world for him. New friends. New opportunities. Philmont has a special trail crew program for OA. You go and bust your tail for a week doing trail maintenance and then spend the next week on a trek of your own design without any adults from your troop tagging along, just a couple of young staff advisors. Goshen Scout Reservation in Virginia has a similar program. There was some sort of big trial/service program going on around the country this summer for OA members only. There are no Scoutmasters in OA to try to run things. There are no pesky parents in OA. There are a couple of adult advisors but OA is run by the youth.

Baden, Baden, Baden, you really need a reality check. Insulting to women? It is a statement of fact. Most moms go back to work. It is also a statement of fact that the child would have access to far better medical care in DC than in Alaska. Johns Hopkins, NIH, Betheda Naval, University of Maryland Medical School, Georgetown School of Medicine, not to mention all of the special schools in the area. You live in a strange little world where the truth is insulting. I understand the situation, you're a sexist. If a man had a such a child, you wouldn't think twice about his running for office. Sexist! Shame on you! Shame, shame, shame!

I'm pretty sure that only Old Weird Harold stole his sister's baby coach wheels.

. (This message has been edited by Gold Winger)

If he's okay with them, that's fine. Who wears short shorts? SEALs wear short shorts. Rugby players wear short shorts. Olympic athletes wear short shorts.

"The woman made a long-term commitment to an innocent baby that depends totally and completely on his mother for his care and well being." What's the big deal? Most moms are going back to work shortly after their child is born, no matter the condition of the child. Governor/Veep? What's the diff? In any case, the kid can get better care in DC than they can in Alaska.

" We are told that all the commemorative flaps are for collecting and trading only, not for uniform wear." Then why bother having them? If they can't be worn, they should be valueless as a flap because they really aren't a flap, they're just a piece of embroidered cloth that serves no purpose.