jmcquillan

Although it made Reuters, it doesn't seem to have made the local news, at least I haven't seen it. But I'm not at all surprised. If you remember "The Tide is Turning" thread I started some time ago, I'm guessing that the meeting spoken of in the original article is where it all started. And Boston Minuteman is the largest Council in the state. I'm not at all surprised. I had a feeling that this would happen. Once the larger and wealthier councils in the country start down this road, BSA national will have no other option but to jump on the wagon quickly, lest they be seen as bucking a national

Mike, That is truly funny...People Eating Tasty Animals. Well, maybe we just create our own little anacromism...SETA...Scouts Eating Tasty Animals...or...SLETA...Scout Leaders Eating Tasty Animals...or... Probably would offend someone....hmmmmmmm?

No travel required. Imagine this...individual Scout Troops nationwide holding "The First Annual PETA Fishing Derby and Fish Fry" with media coverage, et al. Or, would that be just a wee bit too politically incorrect? :-)

Hey Rooster... I'll bring some fish. Great idea!! I've got extra fishing tackle, perhaps we can have a fishing derby. :-) "A Scout is humble..." I like that.

Imagine the damage that might be done to the fishing bait industry. Imagine all those folks out there who "farm" mightcrawlers. Eliminating fishing would put many out of work. Think of the commercial fishing industry. We're talking millions of dollars here. We need to support these folks in these most important industries. We need.....oh, it's time to leave. I gotta date with my fishing rod and a can of worms. I never hook the worm, ya know. I've taught them how to sit of the hook...and whistle...you know how to whistle, don't you? You just put your lips together and blow...just like my w

And, I'm not so sure that the young man understands the WHOLE TRUTH about what, by wearing the uniform, he's doing to the organization that he professes to love and still wants to be part of.

Sorry I can't hang around to give this issue my full attention. I'm going fishing.

Oops, what was I thinking? I obviously can't read at times.:-)

Our troop has been through a couple of changes over the past 20 years or so, trying to find the best make-up for patrols (no matter what Texas says):-). We've done the patrol make-up where everyone in a patrol is the same age, mostly because they all came into scouting at the same time. But the current method seems to work quite well. When new scouts come into the troop, they're placed in "new scout" patrols for the remainder of the school year (usually Feb to June). The theory is, and we tell the kids this, that that time period gives them a chance to get to know the scouts in the t

All time in service and requirements for any rank must be completed prior to the Scoutmaster Conference. Board of Review follows that, and Court of Honor after. But the time-in-service requirement, and all of the rank requirements must be completed before the Scoutamster even gets involved for the SM conference.

Interesting question, eisely... It's been my experience that if the boy comes from a family that worships often and together, he will either take his part in any scout ceremony with the same degree of faith and surety, or he'll seek to escape participating because Mom & Dad aren't there to say otherwise. As has been said above, our example can serve to reinforce that particular boys participation and understanding of his duty. For boys who come from a family that hardly ever, or never goes to regular church services, it's usually more difficult to gain his attention. He'll either

Perhaps it's just where I live, but there's never been a problem around here with Scouters = female. There's never been enough willing males to fill all the roles that need to be filled, and women have always been welcomed and valued as leaders. Glad to have them. Without them, the program as we know it would not be what it is.

Stick with the system you've already got in place. When all these new boys join, you'll end up with a bunch of new scout patrols. But having been there myself, (with as many as three new scout patrols in one year), it can work. You'll do yourself a favor by having a couple of ASM's to deal with the new patrols specifically. And you can have an experienced and willing older scout serve as a troop guide, one for each of the new patrols. But I would suggest not trying to change something that works for you just because the numbers are a little higher.

I wouldn't woory about being a few days off in either direction. I've always used the month as my guide, not the day. If the records show the a scout earned a rank towards the end of a month, I'll look for him to finish his nest one "around" the end of the month, also. That's a close as I get. I've worked with the Senior DE responsible for Eagle Advancement in our council, and I know he works that way, too. We're trying to be reasonable here, not sticklers to the day, hour, minute, etc. Just use your best judgement.

eisely said: "I still come down on the side that believes that homosexuals are inappropriate role models,..." Yep, I couldn't agree more. But here's the rub...when a don't ask / don't tell philosophy rules the day, (and I'm not saying it's wrong, not at all), who's to know just who's setting the example"? :-)

This story was published on June 12, 2001 by the Rochester Democrat in Rochester, New York. HEADLINE: Local Scouts avoid ban on gays - Otetiana Council ----------------------------------------------------------- focuses on behavior rather than sexuality ----------------------------------------- Homosexuals may be able to serve as Boy Scout leaders in the Rochester area as long as they don't engage in publicly inappropriate behavior, according to a new Otetiana Council, Inc. membership standards statement. The statement says the council will not inquire about the sexual orientation

"Hate", "Attack", "Garbage speech", are all words that should be left to those in opposition to the BSA to use. We, in Scouting, should be tempering our own speech to not include those words in this discussion. Let those who wish to take up the opposition to the BSA use the language of the gutter. We should not. We should hold ourselves above that in order to show that we do, indeed, live and breath by the Scout Oath and Law. "Discriminate", and "discrimination" are also words that we should not be using other than to say that this case is not about either. It is about the constitutionall

Our council has a camp in which has been established an honor field with the appropriate statuary, plaques, etc., and which is located in a very peaceful section of woodlands nest to the lake in the camp, but separate from the main body of the camp. Thus, peace and solitude is maintained. It is in this field that every year, especially during summer camp, those who have gone before us, and given of themselves to Scouting, are remembered. The Scouts Own philosophy is used for ceremonies, and all are welcomed, especially the families of our lost members. I've never seen ashes scattered there, so

I'm not sure I've ever seen statistics that would support that argument. I have, although, seen statistics that argue that of the 49,000 to 50,000 Catholic priests in this country, somewhere between 3,000 and 8,000 are pedophiles. Does that mean that I should never leave my child in the care of a priest? No. Statistics can be bent to favor whatever side of the argument one tends towards. "Figures don't lie, but liars do figure." I would not say that it's an impossibility for a gay person to be a pedophile. But I doubt that that tendency is significantly higher than statistics might s

I get a little nervous when people start talking about the BSA stand on gays in terms of the pedophile issue. I like to think that this whole event, and the history leading up to it has more to do with example than fear. To me, the BSA stand on gays has everything to do with the lifestyle homosexuals choose to lead, not the fear that they're pedophiles seeking easy targets, for I don't think that's the issue. In fact, I believe that that bearing on the issue does the gay community a disservice. I'm quite sure that most in the gay community are really no different than you and I, except fo

Certainly an interesting turn of events. It seems to me that the shoe may be on the other foot now for groups who have been challenging the BSA access to public facilities. Michael Resnick, executive director of the National School Board Assocation (NSBA) stated that this bill now takes the right to decide who uses facilities away from the local school districts. Well, well, well. It seems to me that the NSBA, and their evil partners, the ACLU, were using the argument that school districts that received federal funding must adhere to either local or some national standard of non-disc

This is a copy of an article that has been circulating here in the Boston area via internet Scout sites. It deals with the recent National Meeting here in Boston, and a significant change in attitude among some big players in the scene. Apparently, the recommendations of this meeting are being forwarded to National for consideration. It will be interesting to see where it all goes. But the bottom line seems to be that the tide is turning, and the change is coming from within. A Boston Globe Article relating to an action taken at the National BSA Conference. Boston Globe, June 8, 2001

A fellow by the name of George Hutcheson created an on-line document about all the POR's in a troop. It's quite good, and our troop has used this document as our own base for those positions. We've edited it slightly, but mainly only in the suggested attendance requirements for each position. You can see it at: http://usscouts.org/clipart/ScoutDoc/Troops/TroopPositions.doc It's best if the SM doesn't make up his own definitions for each position. It's better to stay with what BSA has published and go from there. In cases where a position doesn't seem to fit the bill, that position do

In answer to your question about resources, try this link: http://www.macscouter.com/ScoutsOwn/

There is a caveat to "opening Woodbadge" up to the masses in Scouting, though. I was on staff in one course where the recruitment was not going well. The course was eventually cancelled. But what I saw as really wrong, when it became apparent that the participants weren't going to be as numerous as necessary, was an attempt to recruit folks right out of Scoutmaster Fundamentals. That, I thought, was totally inappropriate. Folks just completing Fundamentals need time to practice what they've just learned and come to terms with how that information can change their troop and themselves for the b