Gold Winger

" Its not up to a third party (like this forum) to prove (or disprove) it." Mebbe not but it is fun and without it most of us would have to go outside to cut the grass.

In the end, the program will peter out and die. LA will realize that they are no longer protected by LFL insurance so that will restrict the activities that the Explorers can do. Then they'll have to come up with their own locally grown handbooks, manuals, flip charts, etc.. So the task of developing them will be given to the overworked advisors. I don't know about LAFD but I know that the advisors for my Explorer Post were paid for their time by out sponsor. So the time needed to develop new materials will probably bust the budget for the program. So instead of nice handbooks, they'll have a few photocopied sheets and most material will be delivered orally on an ad hoc basis. The you will say, "This is lame. All we get to do is sit around and TALK about what it is like to fight fires." No ride alongs. No training. No helping out with clean up or accidents. "We quit!" The program collapses and Meryln and his cohorts will have accomplished their goal and the goal of Satan by putting the youth back out on the street where they'll get into trouble and start doing drugs.

So when A says "BSA has no written prohibition on doing XYZ" I tell them, "you've got it backwards -- show me where BSA says you CAN do XYZ?" That's just silly. Usually BSA rules are written to exclude activities because the number of permitted activities is excessive. No where in BSA literature does it say that the traditional game of tag is permitted, does that mean that it is prohibited? Nooooo. I'm pretty sure that chess isn't mentioned either. Monopoly? Use of paracord to make clotheslines? Refried beans of campouts? As a sports official, I would often be told, "that's not in the rules!" The standard assumption for any official is that the coach doesn't really know the rules becaue that's our job. There were exceptions but they were few. I'd usually respond, "That is the rule and I'll be glad to explain it after the game." Often an ejection would soon follow.

"In my mythical idea of heaven, one can see just past St. Peter (who is a stunning transexual) . . ." That's just too wierd!

"I always thought Bernoulli's Principle came into play with an airplane" It does or it doesn't, depending on which body of research you accept. :-)

Haven't been to summer camp in a couple years but we had the simple rule, "Fresh water in the buckets every day." Let's look at a typical scenario. A Scouter decided to sneak a smoke in his tent. Oops, tent is on fire. Everyone says, "we're not trained to do this" and stands back and watches the tent burn. The flames shoot up and catch the trees on fire. Soon there is a conflagration going and the whole camp is on fire. Sounds like the old medication issue. They took fire extinguishers out of my kids' schools for much the same stupid reasons. I guess we now live in a world of "no action is better than some" which goes along with the currently popular thought of "don't try to fight off an attacker, you might get hurt."

Moderator! He said, "Poo-poo"! That's offensive. I want him moderatered!

Ya want official policy, you say??? Yah can't get thaya from heah! LOL! Unfortunately, it is hard to get official policy from BSA.

Like any loan, it depends on the people involved. I cringe whenever my brother asks to borrow something because I don't know what condition it will be in when I get it back, if I ever get it back. If you're confident that the other unit will take care of the gear and will handle repair or replacement if necessary without getting lawyers involved . . . go for it. If you're nervous about it, don't do it and blame it on the lawyers.

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I'm pretty sure that homosexual youth members are permitted, it is only homosexual adults that are excluded.

"Notice that airplanes can really fly." Sorry, it is only your belief that they can fly that keeps them up there. Before Wilbur and Orville, enought people didn't believe strongly enough. Notice how aviation improved as more and more people came to believe in it. Physicists and engineers simply make up rules to explain what they observe. Considering that you have to use their tools to verify their claims, the whole system becomes suspect.

"Some people dislike discrimination so much that they won't associate with a discriminatory organization to save a few bucks. It's called having principles. " Considering your belief in human rights and dignity, am I correct in my assumption that you own nothing that was made in China?

" I'm a Christian, eh? I don't believe in Loki. That means we must be screwin' up da 4,000 years bit somehow." Being a Christian shouldn't preclude belief in Loki. Or Thor. Or Apollo. Or Shiva. Yahweh or told us "have no other gods before me" not "there are no other gods." I believe in Yahweh/Allah/Jehovah but I also believe in tree sprites, wood nymphs and Cronos.

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" Maryland DNR Venture Crew shows, the BSA hasn't quite lived up to their promise to recharter all such units." You know, I read that website that you linked to and nowhere did it say that the DNR chartered the crew. Maybe you have access to other documentation.

Assistant Den Leaders cannot earn the Webelos Den Leader Training Award, that's pretty plain. It says, "Complete one year as a registered Webelos Den Leader." Pretty clean, eh? However, they can earn the Cub Scouter Training Award, you can be in any registered position for two years to qualify "Complete two years as a registered adult leader in Cub Scouting in a pack.

Be prepared . . . to move. As I understand it, advancement usually requires a transfer to a new council.

"Yeh left off da attorney to consult on liability and legality of care! I think you're prejudiced." I figured that the attorney that was along to consult and advise on risk management could do double duty with the medical side. Maybe not.

Alas, I'm neither a Naval Aviator (thank you for using the correct term) nor an NFO, diabetes ended all of that for me as well as my general aviation flying. However, I was a pilot, I have a Bachelor's in physics and I took a couple courses in Aeronautical Engineering back in the day. Wilbur was the instructor. As Calico said, my Gold Wings are on my motorcycle but I do know a bit about aviation. So, despite my wings of gold not flying, I do have a pretty good handle on why and how planes fly. (This message has been edited by a staff member.)

"I want him to be meeting with chartered organizations who might be willing to expand their Scouting programs and be on the look out for organizations who might become CO's." Isn't that the job of the Vice-Chair for Membership? At least that's what our Vice-chair does. "I want him to be out and about in the community doing what he can to sell Scouting to business leaders who might be willing to support the Council financially." Sounds like what one of FOS guys does.

"and doesn't seem to be an attempt to pick a fight." For the record, I never attempt to pick a fight. I state facts and if the other person chooses to fight, that is up to him.

" Physicists agree on why airplanes fly . . ." Actually, they don't.

"But wearin' a PFD has little bearing on evacuation time, eh?" Maybe they toss the ailing sailor overboard and let him float to better qualified help. :-) I'm sure that this one will be moderated. :-(

To be really prepared, your unit should include and make sure they accompany every outing, a nurse, EMT, two PAs, an internist, an orthopod, and a general surgeon. Along with those folks you'll take two pack mules who'll carry the field operating theater and diagnostic equipment.