Stosh

Now I'm confused. How does Title IX discrimination for governmental institutions fit in with shaking hands, unless one is making the effort to shake only certain people's hands? I do recall it customary to shake a woman's hand, but only if she offered her's first. Then of course there's the hypocritical discrimination processes creeping in where it's okay for a gal to hold a door for another gal, or even a guy, but a guy holding a door for another guy is okay, but not for another gal. So, the polite customs book is being rewritten.... when's it going to get published so we know w

A few minutes during new scout orientation might be on the subject of anger management. I think it falls under A Scout is Friendly. What we often forget is - it isn't the "weapon" that's the problem, it's the person holding it. I guess in the long run, I"m more worried about the person's attitude than the knife on his belt.

No, it was not directed at you @NJCubScouter it was directed at all the others out there that simply find it necessary to protect the integrity of the Eagle process beyond the requirements. We get a lot of that in the lower ranks, but when it comes to Eagle, the zealousness of the leadership seems to take an entirely different set of criteria from which they work.

And what's wrong with just going with what the requirements say without adding or subtracting anything from them?

And today, if it isn't able to be plugged into the back of an X-Box with the fingers, it isn't allowed.

One of the things we often forget in Scouting is that we are teaching the boys independence. That in and of itself runs counter to today's parental control of the child. 40 years ago I took a course in college titled, "Child Development". Too bad that, along with many other things in life, has changed. Childhood back then was defined as ending at 18 years of age. Now it's defined as when they move out of the basement.

Special Forces training teaches that anything can be weaponized. With that as our guide we could be in a heap of trouble trying to redefine the world.

Yep, I still have the freedom of choice, at least for the present time. I can quit my job. It's my choice. This is why I never worked for what I felt was an unethical or immoral institution. I was once a minister in a "Christian" organization. Once it abandoned it's moral compass, I left. It was my choice. The same dynamic apples to the BSA. I do a lot of volunteering for the Red Cross. They put it out there right up-front their position of helping other people at all times regardless of their cultural, religious, etc. backgrounds. I know how it works and I find it okay. They do

And so do defines the "moderating center position"? If one adheres to the Scout Law, A Scout is Friendly, Courteous and Kind. Offering one's hand as a gesture of congratulations and it is refused? How does one go about redefining the Scout Law to accommodate local traditions? It's a slippery slope we are on in light of today's PCisms. It's getting to the point where everything is now under suspicion and what was once a cultural tradition is now a forbidden taboo.

We had an incident in my locale recently of someone jamming a pen through someone else's hand. Does that mean all pens, pencils, protractors, biology scalpels and probes, etc. are now outlawed and need to be digitized for on-line learning. I hate to think of the day when my scouts show up at the bank for doing the paper work on a house closing and they have to put an X where there name is because they haven't been taught to sign their name with a pen. Hey People, this is your Brave New World! Your New Norm! Times are changing and one has to adapt to it. The day is soon upon us where one'

How are we now to do Scout Vespers around the campfire? Is this yet another tradition down the drain? OA Tap out ceremony, air taps are now like air kisses? Only one scout on a toboggan at a time? How does one go through a life of Scouting without treating everyone like they have leprosy?

Probably for the same reason those in the Middle East can't pull it off for thousands of years. And the same reason the Christians can't pull it off for hundreds of years. And the same reason political empires come and go on a regular basis. And the same reason why maps of the world change before the ink dries. It's called human nature and everyone feels more comfortable around like-minded/value people. People go where they feel comfortable.

To this day I do not remember the name of my patrol, but I do remember the names of everyone in it.

I, too, have never heard of the advisability of washing anything the size of a sleeping bag in a mechanical device. Bathtub soak, wash, rinse and the carefully dry. The weight of the water absorbed by the down can cause damage to the bag itself. Once the vast amount of water is removed, then one can gently finish off in a dryer with old tennis shoes or tennis balls to restore loft.

It would be nice to be able to teach the scouts facts about these things rather than knee-jerk reactions in the political arena. It's unfortunate, but businesses go out of business every day. Even businesses like General Motors who a mere 40 years ago was touted as "too big to fail," took a nose-dive here a few years back. Brick and mortar business are closing right and left. Kiosks are popping up all over the place replacing the need for high labor costs and automated manufacturing has been the new normal for over a century. Cottage Industry hasn't been around on a large scale fo

The kindergarten child that falls and skins their knee won't get any help getting up. They have to do it on their own, while the teacher stands there and cheers them on in their endeavor with kind words like, "Suck it up, Sonny, and head on down to the Nurse's office." No teacher hugs..... No pat on the back for doing a good job.... No handshake at graduation... No helping a little kid get up on the bus. With individual rights being foremost in today's culture, individual isolationism is close on it's heels. Some teacher is going to accidentally brush up against

Local option in America traditionally means: Trail Life/USA Heritage Girls Royal Rangers Campfire Girls Pioneers etc. And these choices don't have the branding, glamour and glitter that BSA has. But then again, BSA doesn't have the branding, glamour and glitter of a whole ton of other highly subsidized youth programs it has set itself up to compete against.

I'm sorry, but that just isn't true. Your unit is local, everything else isn't. Camporees are not local. Summer camps are not local. Jamborees are not local. HA bases are not local. This misconception is tantamount to the old no-smoking sections in restaurants. Someone lights up 20' away, everyone in the no-smoking section knew it . Unless some unit decides to be a BSA hermit and only go on non-scouting activities, this trite phase is not correct. Let's at least be honest about it. Only your local unit is local.

@swcline Welcome to the forum

With this kid, one might have had to take PTO the next morning.

At least in my neck of the woods, I have experienced how these things work. Like I said, the Council deemed one of my previous troops as exemplary in it's program. They rotated between BWCA, Sea Base and Philmont on a three year cycle. They turned out 4-5 Eagles every year. They recruited 20+ boys every year into the program. They had at least 15 ASM's. They selected the mixed-aged patrols and assigned the SPL and PL's on the basis of needing POR's. The lost an average of 20+ boys every year keeping the number of boys in the troop around 40. The annual calendar was exactly the same eve

Yep, it gets them ready for all the PowerPoint preso's they will encounter when they become scouters.

Unfortunately I don't think differing points of view from mine as derogatory, just different. But I guess I just roll that way too.

http://www.boyscouttrail.com/webelos/boyscoutreqsaid.asp @NJCubScouter Here ya go.

It's how we teach our kids intolerance today.