HICO_Eagle

Calico, I understand what you're saying except that somewhere in the 15 preceding pages I think it was said the project was approved by the troop Advancement Chair without consulting the SM, CC, etc. The SM might very well have wanted to have a discussion before approving the project. This is all kind of moot as I believe the District will probably try to find a way to get mdsummer45's son his Eagle outside his troop. I don't even blame them for it because at some point you're led to all kinds of damage for the district or council no matter what happens. They probably don't want to

Never heard of this before and I think it's despicable. I'd be recruiting every Life Scout from that troop immediately ...

Clearly you have an axe to grind Merlyn. Let's see if we can clear up some of the intellectual dishonesty in your claim these groups haven't tried to deny Scouting access to public facilities available to any other civic organization. Your claim is that any voluntary membership organization can't be a private organization with its own by-laws and membership criteria if 10% of their affiliates are sponsored by public schools. I suppose then you support girls joining Boy Scouts and boys joining Girl Scouts. High school GLBT clubs would have to admit Christian or Muslim fundamentalists wh

Ah, you seek meaning. Then listen to the music, not the song.

Eagle92, my experience is the same. Admittedly I have only served in 4 councils but I have never seen -- or heard of until now -- a troop that DIDN'T treat the TnC as a "license to carry" with the fourth offense leading to revocation and relicensing. It's a useful training technique as it reinforces the safety training without pulling the license immediately (unless the offense was extremely serious). For those against using it this way, think of it as a driver's license in a state using the point system for moving violations. Would you automatically revoke the DL on first offense? Wo

Vicki, the point about the ACLU and the Second Amendment is that it proves the point that the ACLU is NOT about protecting civil liberties in general but rather about picking and choosing which civil liberties they agree with. The ACLU is also rather lax about defending the Tenth Amendment or Congressional abuses of the Commerce Clause as the root of federal regulation because they generally agree with the idea of increasing federal powers except when they interfere with using recreational drugs, open sexual conduct, etc. The Second Amendment was so well understood as an individual right

I'm a bit of a die-hard old fart in attitude but your stick-in-the-mud no-women ASM needs to grow up a little. The mom needs to get registered and trained properly but there shouldn't be any issue with her going on the campout as long as she behaves properly. If she goes, she goes as an ASM or CM, not as Mom. It's not her fault if he has so little self-control that she might present some kind of temptation (even assuming she'd respond to him). The 10-year-old daughter is a whole other matter. Teenage boys can be enough of a handful without throwing hormones into the mix. I don't have

I have a problem with cutting off the corner if things happened the way you relate but I'd like to hear the other side of the story. I have a HUGE issue with your complaint about "many young adults with no children leading as SM and ASM". I've been a Scouter for nearly 21 years now and have yet to meet Miss Right. In fact, I was acting SM at my first summer camp as a Scouter and had no complaints. Most parents seemed to think my age then was an asset as I straddled the bridge between parent-age and Scout-age and the fact I DIDN'T have kids in the troop gave me an aura of objectivity.

Nice lyrics for The Lost Boys but what tune do we use? (and where's Wendy?)

You went to the '89 NSJ? So did I, but I was 12 so my shirts only lasted a couple more years. Not officially. I was ASM with the troop at the time, the SM planned out a big road trip in a bus we renovated for the purpose. Part of the trip involved 3 days visiting the NSJ. Fantastic, would have loved to do that as a Scout but couldn't afford it then. Incidentally, I just met one of the Scouts who was on the trip with us at our council's Scout Expo last weekend. He's not only grown up, he was an SM and ASM at another troop and is now the Packleader for his son's pack. Scouting is

Eamonn, I hear you. I think that attitude is just sad. On the other hand, I just saw something on TV about "Snuggy Parties"?!?!? Seriously, maybe things AREN'T so bad if people can afford to waste $20-30 on an acrylic blanket with sleeves sewn on to run around drinking alcohol like idiots. Most Americans today have NO idea what real poverty -- or thrift -- is like. Amazing.

Fred - One of the reasons I rejected OA as a Scout was that it was (in my council) nothing more than a longevity award or popularity contest. It is simply unrealistic to think every eligible Scout should be an "Honor Camper". Even a 60% selection rate indicates that either you have a truly superior group of boys or the standards for selection have relaxed but 100% selection rate is crazy. The two who didn't make it should be asking their troop mates why they AREN'T considered honor campers so they know what to work on until next year's elections.

Interesting posts on the ones who are looking for well-worn uniforms. I wonder what they would think of me since I try to bring two full neat looking uniforms with me to summer camp. One shirt is the same one I bought for my Eagle ceremony 25 years ago and use regularly. The other has been to the '89 Jamboree, numerous summer camps, countless meetings, etc. Unfortunately, I have to confess the shorts are only 10 years old and I just had to buy a couple new pairs of slacks as the older ones seem to have shrunk on me. I think my shirts are shrinking too ...

We have the boys plan all menus although adults are watching the process to watch for safety issues or offer suggestions or help if asked. We have interjected recently but only because the boys were falling into a rut of the same menus on successive campouts. Typically we choose to lead by example by having the adults plan their menu separately and show the boys that camp food doesn't have to be cold sandwiches and canned soup. We typically cook the both breakfasts and dinner, lunch may be cold unless it's a winter camp. It used to be easier when we had two grocery stores right next to

I'd probably harass him a little so he remembers to secure his gear in the future but I doubt I'd take a corner for either offense.

If the council registers all SMs as Camping MB Counselors then they can legally sign off on requirements but bottom line is that MBCs sign completion of requirements, SM signs for readiness to start the MB and acceptance of the completed blue card from the counselor. An SM signing off requirements on the blue card should be doing so with his MBC patch on, not his SM patch. I will take notes from others claiming the Scout did certain requirements (like nights camping, visitation to public official, etc.) but will spot check to make sure the Scout did the requirements to my satisfaction.

Calico -- That would fit my theories. I never thought the Dow deserved to be above 10000 -- and frankly it's STILL higher than I think it deserves given our high level of deficit spending that has to get paid sometime. I was expecting a correction anyway around 2001 or 2002 but it took a lot longer to surface than I figured. The spending on the war as well as continued propping up of the housing market by the federal government probably skewed things. In any event, I suspect CNN/NBC/CBS/ABC/NYT/WP/etc. were intentionally playing up the "bad economy" the same way they did in 1992 t

many of the principles are the same as what I covered multiple times in business grad school earning a management degree. I have been to the old TDC and really didn't learn anything there, since I have developed and conducted training courses in the 'real world' I too would like to know about the worth of Trainers EDGE from the perspective of someone who has been training Scouts for 20+ years and/or been training people in the 'real world'. I felt like TDC was a waste of a day except for the 20-30 min session at the end that told me where National is going with training requirements. I

See that's the problem with something pumped up and supported by hot air. When the air cools, the whole thing collapses. Greenspan warned against "irrational exuberance" back during the Clinton administration. Financial analysts worried about people using their houses as ATMs. I thought we'd have a huge correction when Bush was elected and the house of cards that Clinton/Rainer/Tyson/etc. built up collapsed but the spending continued. Perhaps Bush felt he had no choice due to the panic felt in the wake of 9-11. Whatever the reason, the result is the same. The "money" disappeared

No spin. Most of the participants in Scouting pay taxes. They are therefore as entitled to use available public facilities as any other citizen group, whether it's the school band or a chess club or drama club. However, AUSCS and *sexual lobby groups have taken it on themselves to deny Scouting that right rather than create their own groups ... perhaps because they know there's extremely limited demand for their alternative groups. They therefore have embarked on a campaign to defame and destroy OUR group. If a rising tide lifts all boats except theirs leaks, they have chosen to drill hol

I can believe his son has wanted to be an Eagle Scout since he was a Tiger Cub. I may have wanted to be an Eagle Scout since before I joined Cubs -- there was once a mystique and an aura about the status of "Eagle Scout". Enough of one that boys could desire it before knowing what it entailed. On the other hand, Daddy_O's statement, is there a website, or a spreadsheet which shows data, such as: *troops that graduate the most Eagle Scouts *Highest percent of Scouts earning the Eagle rank Or something like that, by region, which I can study and figure where my son has the bes

Indeed, many people choose to be unclear on something that really is very clear because it doesn't say what they want. Lawyers and politicians do this unnecessary twisting of the English language all the time to satisfy their constituencies. This is precisely why lawyers frequently try to change the "reasonable person" standard to an "any person" non-standard for judging whether something might be offensive or determining liability. A reasonable person might not think it was a smart thing to put a extra hot cup of liquid between his or her legs while driving, especially if s/he was espe

None. I have seen too many people of all types with "awards". I respect the person, not what s/he is wearing.

Eagle92, agreed, which is why I refused OA as a Scout (wa-a-a-a-ay too many years ago) but accepted it as a Scouter (in a different council/lodge).

I'm honestly not sure what meaning it used to have. I refused to have my name on the ballot for OA elections when I was a scout because they seemed little more than a popularity contest or longevity award then. I accepted it as an adult because the lodge and council I was in then seemed to really have their act together and it really seemed like a group of honor campers. However, I never went past Ordeal -- I was too busy to go to lodge meetings and never got my membership book anyway. Perhaps it would have meant more to me if I'd been involved in it as a boy but I'm just not into do