Gold Winger

I don't know if BSA would be interested since they seem to have a heavy if unofficial interest in "Troop Master" software. There may be individual units out there which are interested. FWIW, I think that the Scout should know where he stands for advancement and if a parent is really curious he/she should ask the Scout and then look in his book. We already have a BSA system in place that usually works if a Scout transfers from one unit to another. It is called ScoutNet, and all advancement is supposed to be entered into it by Council. However, I am in the minority today who think that boys should know what they are doing and I'm sure that thousands of parents would welcome the opportunity to micromanage their son's Scouting as they do with homework, sports, and social relationships. I know that I sound sarcastic and I appologize in advance if I offend. Good luck with your endeavour.

Boy this one has really gotten Bob in an uproar! Don't even think about the Klingon translator patch or the Untrainable one. Funny thing, I looked at the web site and I didn't see any "BSA property" reproduced. As for "what right" he has. He has the same right to produce that knot as the guys who make the Untrainable patches or any other patch. The onus is on the purchaser to wear the patch properly.

One other thing. If you decide to build your own first aid kit, you might suffer sticker shock. If you have a friend who works for a doctor or at a hospital, he might be able to get things like gauze, betadine, bandages donated. Look at some of these http://www.sportsmansguide.com/search/search.asp?r=Page%3A+%2FDefault.asp+KW+Box&s=SEARCH&a=search&k=first+aid

" Your providing first aid, and that should never include the dispensing of any kind of drugs - even asprin." I don't know about that. My son's troop has a full complement of EMTs, PAs, RNs and Sharks . . . lawyers, and our first aid kit includes bendryl, tylenol, immodium, and pepto-bismol. The standard waiver includes a place for excluded over-the-counter drugs. If you buy the OTC stuff at Mart-mart, it comes in blister packs of about 15 pills per card.

I've never heard that is not to be cleaned but I have heard that it cannot be cleaned. What I've been told is that the red runs. Others may know better than I. However, there are many who say the sash should be dirty because it is worn during service projects and the dirt represents service.

Let's go to the ultimate source, the US Flag Code. http://frwebgate.access.gpo.gov/cgi-bin/getdoc.cgi?dbname=browse_usc&docid=Cite:+4USC7 (i) When displayed either horizontally or vertically against a wall, the union should be uppermost and to the flag's own right, that is, to the observer's left. When displayed in a window, the flag should be displayed in the same way, with the union or blue field to the left of the observer in the street. The US flag doesn't need to be higher than the state flag, it rules only say that the state flag cannot be higher.

I'm an indiscriminate burner. What ever happens to be lying around goes into the campfire. If I have my druthers, it would be oak, well seasoned, but out in the woods . . . whatever I don't have to cut and is dry.

In my son's troop it was 100%. To be an ASM you had to complete training. All committee members with named positions (Treasurer, Chair, Advancement, etc) had to be trained as well. Others, like the third mom who brought refreshements did not need to be trained. Yes, we were unusual.

They say, "How can you do that to anyone without their permission." Evidently, pierced ears are different. Next we'll be seeing infants with Harley Davidson tatoos.

"As cub scouters, the ONLY way to join the local lodge is to have been elected to the OA as a youth" It is possible that a Cub Scouter could be nominated by the district, not likely but possible.

Find a developer who is clearing land and ask him if you can take some of the thinner trees. He might already have a sub-contractor who is taking the wood so might wind up talking to a couple people. Do you know someone who has a cabin in the mountains? Farmers?

Arugue amongst oursevles? We do not! Who the heck do you think you are to claim that we argue?

" And there is a natural tendency to not want to "punish" young Bobby by not givin' him an award because he was sick on the last three campouts where the boys did firebuilding." If a boy was really motivated to advance, he'd say, "I missed the firebuilding stuff so I need to work hard to catch up." Unfortunately, his parents probably tell him, "Don't worry. It's not that important. Worry about soccer."

"GW, do your kids bang their heads on the ground?" Nah, they're Epicalopians. I just view the whole thing as part of the destruction of America which includes those idiotic voice menus that tell you to press 1 for English.

As I said, that's as it should be. When I was in college, we'd borrow cafeteria trays and use them as sleds which were completely uncontrollable. A couple of my friends wound up in the hospital with concussions. In high school we visited the Grand Canyon. I wanted to stand on the railing and have my picture. My father said, "get down from there." One of my high school hobbies was making explosives. Car surfing was popular when I was in college. Would I now recommend doing such things? No but I understand it. Life would be incredibly boring if young people didn't do stupid things. :-)

Good question. I was drafted. If I was you, I'd call the District Chair and say, "Hey! I want to help!"

"There was training available on the weekend my husband and I were going skiing." A-ha! " Council never told the CC or CubMaster." It would be District but in my experience, the UC tells the unit, "Congrats! You got me! " Charter Org? Sometimes you have to chase them down but they do own the unit. Sometimes you do have to step back and let people fail or succeed on their own. BTW, it is "Webelos" it always has an "S" on the end. Singular or plural? It is neither, it is an adjective as in "Webelos Den" or "Webelos Scouts"

" I notice a lot of people around my age tend to think they are invincible and behave like it " That's part of life and as it should be.

I'll pass, I don't even want the ACLU to even know that my kids' school exists.

"So who is supposed to get the information about Scoutorama books to everyone? Who is at the Den Meetings to sign up new people and collect money? Who is supposed to handle all the parent questions? Is "Call so and so" really the best way to do thing?" Back in my days of Cub Scouting, questions were directed to the person in charge of the event or activity. Pine Wood Derby questions came to me. Popcorn questions went to the Popcorn Kernel. Camping questions went to the Den Leader. New boys at a Den Meeting? That could be handled by the Den Leader. It sounds like you have typical pack problems. A few people wearing too many hats. People take on jobs that they really don't want. Etc.. So on and so forth. A committee chair's job is really to find qualified people to fill the committee positions and keep them on task. Different packs do it differently. The solution to your problem lies with the Charter Org Rep and the Unit Commissioner. Talk to them, see what they have to say. My two cents.

Only the Charter Organization can remove a Committee Chair. Does the CC need to attend den meetings? Not at all. Does the CC need to attend pack meetings? No but they probably should from time to time. Does your hubby have an assistant Cubmaster? He should, especially one who takes over when he's not there.

"The government is not allowed to lead a prayer. Nothing in the Constitution prevents anyone from praying...or not praying, even at a public school." Only Christian prayer is prohibited. Muslims are excused from class so they can go bang their heads on the ground. At my kids' school, the Muslims have a room set aside for their use.(This message has been edited by Gold Winger)

The first mistake was buying ANYTHING at a major league ball park.

Since nothing in BSA requires skills to be mastered, retesting would be silly. In my simple mind, re-testing should be allowed or perhaps the BOR should be THE TEST. "Learn all of the skills and when you're ready, go to a BOR and demonstrate them." This would be far better than the "show me how that you can tie a half-baked square knot while being prompted" way things are often done today. An Eagle BOR should be preceded by a test of all knots, first aid, fire building, knife work, etc. before he gets to sit down and talk to the actual board. Of course, that will never happen :-(

The old Scoutmastership Fundamentals which in my district took about seven weeks and included patrol meetings outside of class. Gave me a solid understanding of how a troop was supposed to operate.