gwd-scouter

Of course, my mistake.

Excellent idea, Pack. It is clearly the only thing left to do. Edited to add: You realize that we are going to need Medicare for the medical bills that will pile up because of our high cholesterol? Oops, too bad, guess we're on our own. Heh heh.(This message has been edited by gwd-scouter)

Entertainers, of course. And, God Bless 'em, they sure know how to make a buck.

Isn't Ahnold already a spokesman for California?

Regarding reading the bills: Recently on Washington Journal (C-SPAN) the head of the Sixty Plus Association, a self-proclaimed nonpartisan group of seniors, was stating that ALL of the Association's members read the bill - all the way through. They KNOW what was in the bill and that is why they opposed it and want to repeal the law. Really? They all read it? I find that very hard to believe. I find it disturbing now to hear all the outcries about the deficit commission proposals. Nope, can't have any tax hikes. Nope, can't do anything to Medicare and Social Security. Nothing about defense

Oh yes, be careful what you wish for and never underestimate the gullibility of the American people.

I will tell you that Pack is not a troll. But, if any of you can guess what special pillow cover he takes to summer camp you win a prize. This thread has digressed from its original post, but I would like to add something that has been bothering me since I keep hearing about "fly over country" and in other places about "real Americans." I grew up just outside Washington, DC (Potomac Maryland). I now live in a small-ish town in upstate South Carolina. While each place has differences in lifestyle, neither has an ownership on values or heritage, American or otherwise. We are all Americ

Just curious. President Bush has been out on the show circuit touting his book. Oh yeah, he comes across as very affable, friendly, just did his best, kind of thing. Most of what I've heard from pundits is that he is rehabilitating his reputation. But, just because he comes across as friendly and affable in the interviews, does that excuse the things he admits he did and approved? Waterboarding for instance?

The time has finally come. Many of you have followed my posts over the years and know of my early struggle in reforming a dying troop. Through much work, we finally pulled this Troop together and a couple of years ago grew from 9 to 24 Scouts. We have a terrific and well-trained group of adult leaders now, the boys are enthusiastic and in charge of their troop, the program is strong, and we are attracting Scouts. Yep, we're the talk of the town. OK, enough bragging. You may also remember that for several years I have been suffering from health problems that slowly but surely affected my a

83Eagle. You will probably get a lot of different responses to your question, since many Packs handle AOL and crossovers differently. I will say that most do the AOL and Crossover at the B&G banquet (ours was in February), but it is quite nice to give the Webelos Scouts their own special ceremony apart from the B&G. 1. Yes, a boy earns AOL at the time he has finished the requirements. No need to crossover immediately to Boy Scouts. 2. No, once he crosses over to Boy Scouts he is no longer a Cub and cannot be a participant in Cub activities. If you have boys that don't w

Eagle732. I am very familiar with the "bigger must be better" mind-set of many parents/boys in Scouting. Our District also has a mega troop, though not as mega as it used to be. They have a fairly consistent drop out rate, but many of the boys just transfer to another troop rather than dropping out altogether. Our Troop suffered small numbers for years, never having more than 12 Scouts at a time. There were a lot of reasons for this: Scoutmaster changeovers every year or so, no active recruitment, poor program. At the point I stepped up as SM, we were down to nine boys and only five

I would like to comment on the health issue since it is a problem I face as well. Do be honest and upfront about it with the boys and their parents. About five years ago I started developing strange symptoms of random arthritis, muscle pain, fatigue, and a lot of other stuff. Took several years, but finally got to a diagnosis of lupus and fibromyalgia. Over the years, my involvement in outdoor activities with the troop kept decreasing to the point now that I cannot camp overnight, spend more than a few hours outdoors in heat, sun, or humidity, must rest every four to six hours, and a lot of ot

Scoutfish: I can understand what you originally posted. Gosh, folks, here he was trying to help answer the original poster's question and giving an idea about how things are done in his Pack, and poor Scoutfish is jumped on because he and his adults leaders feel the need to quiet the room by "shouting" Signs Up. Back in the day, I was CM for a pack of 120 or so boys. Our Pack meetings were, well, packed and loud with siblings, parents, grandparents, etc. At our Blue and Gold we could have close to 300 people in the fellowship hall. Yep, before the selected boys brought in the flags, I wou

"Soylent Green is PEOPLE"!

Bear den: I've always found the G2SS puzzling when it comes to Webelos camping. Our Troop has taken Webelos Dens on campouts for years. While we prefer that each Webelos Scout have a parent along so that the parents get to know our Troop leadership and see for themselves how our Troop operates, it is not always possible. Our Council has had a 3:1 ratio for Webelos Scouts for as long as I can remember (1 adult for every 3 Webelos Scouts - of course remembering to have 2-deep leadership to start with). We require the Den Leader or Asst. Den Leader and one other parent attend any campou

Probably a stupid question that I'm sure someone will point out, but this is something I've been wondering about. It has to do with Medicare. I believe Medicare was established because seniors had difficulty finding insurance on their own, for many reasons including no longer working so they couldn't get it from their employer, costly because of seniors' diminishing health, pre-existing conditions, etc. If the new healthcare law says insurance companies can't turn people down for pre-existing conditions, and if everyone actually does wind up purchasing health insurance, thus expandin

Sharon Angle...attractive? I don't think so. She looks a little Asian to me. The blonde Fox News babes are certainly attractive. I always feel sorry for the lone brunette-sort of like being the token Democrat on that network. Hello Forums - I've missed you.

President Bush didn't come to Jambo in 2001 when my older son was there and President Obama was absent from this year's when my younger son was there. Neither of my sons think much about it either way. My younger son was thrilled he got to go backstage after the opening show and hug Miss America and later got meet and talk with Mike Rowe. He did say he was angry about all the booing. In his words, "It was sad, Mom, you could hear cheers from some areas, but not in the Southern Region (our area). I was going to cheer, Mom, but I was afraid of being pounded by all the people around me."

John, it really is an awesome sound when played on a tuba, isn't it?(This message has been edited by gwd-scouter)

I may have missed something, but how did my Father's Day wish turn in to Taps being played on the tuba? I know I posted something somewhere about Patrick doing that, but not in this thread.

Gern, that may be true. However, we just lost a Scout - a most excellent Scout who loved the program - that is moving up from middle school to high school football. He is a small boy and I doubt that he will ever be a star football athlete. But, his Dad wants it and his coach demands 100% participation through the summer practices, through the fall season, and throughout the rest of the year. I told him that our door will always been open for him. He loved our Troop's program and has never missed a campout since he joined a couple of years ago. I do hope he comes back.

OGE brings up what I have noticed. Having just been at summer camp and looking around my district over the years, I have seen that most of the adult leaders are older folks like myself - the boomers. I ask - where are the young parents? Is it true that they were not raised in an atmosphere of volunteerism and giving? Perhaps. Maybe it is also that these younger adults were also not raised with the idea that you make your own fun. Go outside, find your friends, and make up a game. For the past couple of decades the play date, restrictive safety zone and structured games have been the norm

Sniff, sniff, the ceremony brought me to tears a few times. Our Scouts did the traditional Scout Law opening, lighting the 12 candles and talking about the meaning of each point in the Scout Law. After reverent, one Scout (who should wind up being a preacher) said the opening prayer. That got my tears started as he spoke about Patrick and his ongoing journey in life. A few of our Scouts spoke about Patrick as their mentor and how much they've learned from him, a couple of adults told stories about Patrick's journey through Cub Scouts and then Boy Scouts. A lot of the camp staff told funn

Frank17: Our camp is almost 2 hours from our home, but our Troop is there this week as are most of the others from our town. So, with a few exceptions, everyone that means something to Patrick is already there. It is just perfect.

I wear my pink pajamas in the summer when it's hot.