Gold Winger

Half a small white foam ball. On the back, hot glue the tube from a 12 ga. shotgun shell, the crimped end works to hold it on the necker. Use jiggly eyes. A small red pom-pon for the nose. Cut the mouth out of colored foam craft sheets. Glue together with elmer's. Hair? Yarn.

"-Den leaders, pack leaders, and parents or guardians are expected to accompany the boys on approved trips. -The adult partner must accompany the Tiger Cub on all trips and outings." Since this was neither a trip nor an outing, this doesn't apply. :-) "It does seem like the pack was violating the *spirit* of the rules" I don't think that it violated anything because they never left their usual meeting place. It wasn't an outing. It wasn't camping. It was just a long meeting that might have involved a nap. If the nap makes it camping then kindergarten was camping. Heck, for that matter work might be camping.

" Not to mention that an 85 pound scout drinking eight eight ounce glasses of water is silly." That's only one cup of water every two hours that you're awake during an ideal day. That's not really a lot.

I never thought socks or sweaters, I thought of highlanders. As in Argyle and Sutherland Highland Regiment.

I don't think that we ever went to a campground where it would have been possible to put the patrols 300 feet apart. With six patrols, you'd need to have campsite about 400 x 500 feet.

Sounds like "Lord of the Flies."

Camping? Not really but it is at a "camp." However, we're still have the fact that the Cubs in question never left their regular meeting place. By your definition, it would be camping if the boys watched "Monster Theater" til 3 AM in the family room of their Den Leader. In any case, I don't see why BSA is so anti-camping for Cub Scouts.

To me, it comes down to "what is camping?" The dictionary says camping is living in temporary shelters. Hanging out in the basement of a church with walls, electric lights, bathroom, running water, TV, and video games is not camping. If anything, it is just a long den meeting in the regular place. Heck, since you're still in the CO's basement, there's not even a need for a tour permit under the most strict reading of the tour permit rules. Chuck, as is often said here, for a definitive answer, go to your DE or SE.

Oh, Cubs like the team! I thought that you had fans of Cub Scouts and I was trying to figure out what Met Scouts were. Duh!

A mini-troop is not a good thing because there the numbers are so small that if a few Scouts can't go on an outing, it becomes senseless to go. A big, big troop can overwhelm a boy's ability to lead but with help and guidance it can work well. The first good thing is the ability to have enough boys so that different things can happen on the same weekend. Fishing weekend for the young boys and a 30 mile hike for the older boys. Maybe have the hike end up where the fishing is happening so the younger boys can say "wow!" Different patrols with different interests: hiking, canoeing, primitive camping. The danger with any troop is that the adults take over and run things.

"in regards to scouting, anytime the group spends the night it IS considerd a campout and all rules and regulations are to be followed." Really? Where is that written? Anyway, since the prevailing wisdom here is that the G2SS can be ignored on a whim, I wouldn't worry about it.(This message has been edited by Gold Winger)

Many times sports is pitched as the child's key to the future. "You'll get a scholarship!" So he wants to continue with sports. The reality is that very, very athletes get scholarships. Unfortunately, sports has changed since the time of my youth. Back in the day, you played for your school or you played AAU or American Legion ball but the seasons were well defined. Now, other than football, most sports play year round. Trying to play a sport and stay involved in scouting can be daunting, if not impossible. Most SMs don't have a problem if a Scout says, "I can't go on the campout because I have a game." However, how many coaches are understanding when as player says, "I have to miss the game because I have a Scouting committment." More than likely, the coach will mock the boy for being in Scouts. It can be done. My son's troop had an Eagle who was a varsit soccer player, varsity track, Civil Air Patrol, jazz band, concert band and an honors student. He wound up at a service academy. I went to Philmont with a group of Scouts that included varsity football, baseball, baskeball, soccer, and track athletes. It can be done.

Nah, I think I'll go beat my kids in protest.

I've always thought that if Ed McMahon visits me with a check or I win the Lottery, I'd donate enough money to have a camp named after me ("Camp Goldwing", can you dig it?) I'd bet that if I did that, I'd still be expected to pony up for FOS. Give until it hurts and then give some more.

Is sleeping in a basement really camping? If that's camping so is staying at a motel.

"The SPL is supposed to run the meeting with the committee, not the CC, approving decisions made by the PLC when necessary " Someplace buried in all of my literature is a statement that Committe doesn't have to have a say. The CC should operate based on concensus but that isn't required. The committee members jobs are to do their assigned tasks, not vote or approve.

I never heard of it before today and I'm sorry that I even know that it exists. I'm really, really tired of all these special days and months to "raise conciousness." "Oh, gee. I really want to bury my son up to his neck in mud but it's NACPM! I'll have to wait a couple weeks." Yeah, right.

All I can say is "Oh, good Lord!"

"Your local programs are basically junk!!" Would that really happen? Most local programs are run by the volunteers. Let's look at other successful programs that are run by volunteers with minimal paid staff . . . soccer, football, baseball, SCCA, NRA. Perception is reality. The perception is that BSA always has their hand out to the members. The problem is that there are too many layers to BSA asking for money. The parents that pay ther $50 to the troop don't usually differentiate between troop and national. They just know that the Boy Scouts took $50. Most don't realize that Council doesn't get a penny of that $50 and that national only gets $11. Maybe units should be encouraged to roll $10 for FOS into their dues.

Leno had the Illinois corn flake ad on his show tonight for "what sold on ebay" It sold. It is amazing how many Illinois shaped cornflakes are on ebay. Another that Leno highlighted http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=320229960066(This message has been edited by Gold Winger)

You need just enough of that sticky stuff to hold the seams of your fine blue jeans. I say yeah yeah. I say yeah yeah. There ain't never a catch, all you got to do is snatch, do the velcro fly, do the velcro fly.

I didn't have any real sympathy either (I did say, "Gee, that sucks"). I figure that if I could do it, anyone could.

"GW, you probably wouldn't have been able to speak to the manufacturer anyway, unless you are fluent in Vietnamese, Mandarin, or Bangladeshi." Nee how! Well, Coleman's stuff is made in China but at least I can call Coleman and talk about the product. Merell, same way. Sony? Same thing. Itasca? Rotsa ruck.

When to the local shoe repair guy (they are getting hard to find) and he replaced all eight speed lace hooks with brass hooks for $10. $1.25 per hook. I can't even complain to the manufacturer because their web site doesn't have any contact information.

I know one Scouter who didn't make the weight cut and had to go home.