Hal_Crawford

Kathy: Scouts are required to fulfill the current requirements. There are requirements that are not in the current edition of the Handbook. Current requirements can be found at http://www.scouting.org/scoutsource/BoyScouts/AdvancementandAwards.aspx or in the 2009 Requirements Book. I wonder how many scouts nationwide do not actually do all the requirements for rank because some requirements are not in the Handbook? Many troops use the book as the only record of advancement and scouts certainly use it to learn what the requirements are. It is discouraging for a scout to think he ha

Does selling his sister's dolls on e-bay count?

Another thread just posted this link for requirement changes. http://www.scouting.org/scoutsource/BoyScouts/AdvancementandAwards/2010RankUpdates.aspx No changes to required merit badges are mentioned so I would guess that is something for future consideration.

I feel a great disturbance in the Force.

New Handbook is coming out in August. That might have the new requirements. Rumor (from other threads)is that there will also be changes in the T-SC-FC requirements as well. I think they gave some warning the last time they changed Eagle required MBs. Once they publish the changes they should also say what the policy concerning scouts working on Eagle. I would say that this should light a fire under any Life Scouts to try and finish by 1st of the year. I vaguely remember that there was a 3 month grace period during which Eagles could be completed with old requirements. I could be

John raises an excellent point about going through the IH/COR. I doubt that it will insulate you all that much as there is no doubt that your ex-husband will know that you are the source. If the IH/COR will not intervene then I would still suggest you talk to the SE. Does anyone know if the routinely check the DHS/CPS registries or only the criminal sex offender registry? That might be the problem. If they took the call from the wife and then did not find his name on the criminal registry then they might have written her off as a woman scorned and out for revenge. I would hope

Assuming everything in the post is on the up and up then the council has acted irresponsibly to assign this man to be a Jamboree SM. I suggest you call the person at council that you spoke to before. Better yet, speak directly to the SE. Express your dismay that they would do this knowing that the man is on the child abuse registry (he is, right?). Ask him if the council would like to see this in the local newspaper or on the evening news. Tell him you expect action within the next ten days. Maybe your husband is only a threat to his own children but the council cannot afford to take th

Sounds like you guys are on the right track. I think you will probably end up thanking this guy for his service and replacing him with someone more suitable. Oh and BTW, welcome to the campfire. Let us know how things turn out. Best of luck. Hal

Is this a new SM or new behavior from an established SM?

Our troop goes to the same camp (Goshen Camp Bowman) every summer, always week one. Our experience has been good in 10 years I have gone there (troop has been there over 40 times) because there is very little turn over from year to year. Camp Directors tend to be former Program Directors; PDs have been area directors who used to be counselors and some may have started as CITs. Sometimes they lose senior staff to take more senior positions at other camps but there are a lot of the same faces from year to year. The wheel rarely requires reinvention. I believe that the staff comes back

"All "Leadership Development" theory is a knife in the back of Green Bar Bill." A wee bit melodramatic, are we? Let's play Clue: It was Mr. Mazzuca in the parlor with the scout knife. Hal

Our troop always goes to week one and while there are always bumps we have never experienced anything remotely like what ASM59 has described. As a service to the other units in your council you should put all of this in an e-mail to your SE, the head of the council camping committee, the council president and anyone else you think appropriate. The solution needs to start at 0800 tomorrow! I say that because yesterday is not an option. Truly, the SE should be in his car now, heading to camp to find and fix the problem. Others have pointed out the obvious safety concerns. I am al

In our district they have password protected the MBC list and recommend that Scoutmasters not give access to the scouts. The SM assigns the MBC rather than allowing the scout to go shopping. This was done in response to situation similar to yours. Based on our experience, I recommend that you and your district nip this one in the bud. One bad MBC who doesn't play by the rules can cause untold chaos on your unit's and district's advancement program. If this guy is in your unit let him know that he will not be approved for any further merit badges. Contact your district advancement c

Nick: I don't know if this will help as I don't know what your project is. You should consider talking to the businesses from which you plan to buy your needed supplies. Explain your project to them and ask if they can help by donating or discounting the materials. Have you talked to the organization benefiting by your project about the materials? Often the organization will provide some or all of the materials since you and the scouts are providing the labor. A lot of scouts in our district do projects in the county parks with the Parks Division providing the materials and some

I guess they are thinking that professionals are by definition trained and if they aren't they would rather you didn't know it. ;-)

Brent: Again, I don't think one shows more character than the other. I lost interest in trying to convince our PLC to consider neckers when I realized that the contemporary ones are too small to be used as a triangle bandage. It seems that over the years the BSA has moved steadily away from anything practical for an outdoor organization. The new uniform is a small move in the right direction. Hal

Sorry Brent, we're gonna have to agree to disagree on this one. If both scouts are otherwise identical in activity and demeanor, I would not use the lack of uniform to disparage the scouts character, morality or ethics. For all I know the one in uniform, angered by being told that his Totin'chip patch is not for uniform wear, is thinking about ways to chop the other scouts into small pieces. Is a troop that votes not to wear neckers demonstrating less character than one that does? They are within the rules and regs but are they sliding into a deep moral abyss? I hope not becau

"So you have two Scouts, both know what the official uniform is, both know the policy. One is dressed in the complete correct uniform, the other is wearing just the Scout shirt, blue jeans, white socks, no belt. In your opinion, do both of these boys have the same degree of character?" I don't know, Brent. What are the two scouts doing at the moment? If the one in full uniform is sitting in the back of the room making snide comments while the one in jeans and tee-shirt is teaching a couple of new scouts how to pack their packs for their first camp out then I would say that the one in un

I feel really old now. I was already married when the Poster came out. I remember a few years ago seeing a child stand perplexed and on the verge of tears in front of a dial phone. He didn't know what to do. I was in a museum and the I saw a teenage girl looking at an old 45 and saying "so that's what they looked like". When my son joined scouts I learned that we don't ditch tents any more. The place way out in the country where we used to hold camporees is now an urban park. To me, nothing has changed things as much as the computer. Internet, e-mail, instant messaging,

What is a "Field Uniform"? Don't think I have seen that term in BSA uniform guide. I like that scouts have a uniform and I like that the new uniforms are approaching useful. I think that scout troops should strive to do their best to maintain uniform standards. I do not like equating uniforming with character. A scout out of uniform may be many things but to say that he lacks character is going too far. Someone in this thread said that it is the heart not the wrapping. I agree. Hal

Scouters at a laundromat? I am shocked! In our troop the adults usually hand wash socks, tee shirts and underwear mid-week and the scouts rarely wear all the clean clothes that they brought. Hal

Nldscout: If he isn't who he says he is and if he wasn't there, how did he know about this incident before the news of this incident went up on any website? I was initially skeptical and thought that it might be a hoax but my skepticism vanished when the news hit the web even though he had some of his details wrong (not surprising or unusual in such a situation). I believe him. You on the other hand accused him of being "way oout of bounds here and he didn't even have his fact close to being correct" in your very first post on the thread. Why this response? He touched a nerve perhap

Here we go again!

The news piece seems confused about the Jamboree and High Adventure sites. Jamboree will be at Goshen and HA will be at the WVA site. Our troop is at camp this week at Goshen and I will be interested in hearing what was said at the leaders' supper. I will be up there in two weeks for their high adventure program but I doubt any of us will get an opportunity to partake of the SE's hospitality.

Beaver: Perhaps Wayne has been unclear. I believe based on what he has posted here and a PM I received from him (in response to one I sent) is that no one runs through the hydrolic. He wrote, "The hazard is very easily avoided I row my boat around 4 times a day without the help of my customers. I found out tonight that they ran it on the first trip but only hit the right side which kicks to the right out of the hole". I believe this guy knows whereof he speaks and I am disturbed that some on this forum have attacked his credibility. Maybe in the chaos he did not get the detai