JoeBob

@RichardB, Thank you. I like the implication that this piece of rescue gear was used to retrieve recently submerged bodies that were resuscitated. Reminds me of my EMT class, taught by a Navy Corpsman, who recommended using towel clamps (basically forceps with curved hooks facing each other) to hook a victim's tongue to his bottom lip to maintain an airway while you tended to others.

From the bad old days: Optimus box stove, white gas. https://www.bing.com/images/search?view=detailV2&id=509D17FF45F628690CBBD8E5E9267962D2F79410&thid=OIP.fHbYv5X_QGQH0GN3NImnuQHaHa&mediaurl=https%3A%2F%2Fi.pinimg.com%2F736x%2Fe9%2F1a%2F8f%2Fe91a8f8da8f4b001b69269007425c6e8--stoves-camping.jpg&exph=736&expw=736&q=optimus+box+stove&selectedindex=13&qpvt=optimus+box+stove&ajaxhist=0&vt=0&eim=0,1,2,3,6 When the fancy new stoves fizzle out, the 40 year old Optimus comes out of hiding. If you bring up the G2SS, you get no coffee.

I wonder how much time defending counsel spent considering whether or not to file counter suit : 50 year old Puccio spoiled the sledding area with red stains and got blood on an 8 year old Cub Scout's boot. OSHA standards require that the boot would have to be disposed of as a bio-hazard, and who really needs one boot? I know, I'm cynical and jaded.

I really enjoyed perusing the standard for grappling hook design. And you could buy the whole thing through the 'Supply Service'! Can you imagine seeing one of these on the rack at your local Scout Shop? I imagine that these were intended more for clearing debris from a swimming area than for body recovery? Can someone with knowledge of waterfront standards chip in to let us know if today's environmental standards allow us to disturb natural sediment or is that considered destructive to habitat? The language used to describe the big blunt hook grapple is poignant. Not only are they considered "useless", they are "inexcusably useless"! Wooee! Sounds like somebody has had a bad time using a big grapple.

If there is not already a process or rescinding 'Eagle', this situation makes a good case for one.

Which is more important: 1- The physical well-being of someone in my care, should the need arise for a firearm in the backwoods. 2- My continued membership in BSA. If I lost someone or someone became injured due to a wild animal or wild humans, I would not deserve to continue as their leader/protector. BSA rules are what's irrelevant, and written by lawyers with an eye towards liability. No scout ever knew that I carried, my pack was just a little heavier.

PL SPL PLC Or is the Patrol method truly dead?

My COR has a nice big jar of grommets in a place of honor at his home. It got to the point that he would cut off the corners and wire the grommets together to aid in recovery after the ceremony.

Southern District of New York... Hmm. I hear they are notorious ambulance chasers!

Reminded me of a 10 mile hike my troop did from Young Harris GA to Brasstown Bald (Highest point in GA). It was a balmy 65 when we started, and the SM INSISTED that we take jackets. Huh? We had 8 inches of snow on the ground when we topped out. We were in cotton sweatshirts and tennis shoes. As sweep, I had to pick up two scouts who laid down in the snow and claimed it was warm. The weather front had iced over the macadam road to the summit; so when we reached the end, we had to glisade down the iced road to get to the truck. Sit, slide down until you hit the snow bank on the opposite curve. Crab walk over road, do it again. I still remember the piercing pain in my toes as we warmed up next to the pot-bellied stove. Worse than anything that winter warfare training (Jack Frost 77) threw at me later.

Is it a safe assumption on my part to guess that you've never taken NRA Instructor training? That can re-define 'boring' for you if you get a poor instructor. Ever handle a .50 BMG round? Know how heavy one round is? Want to carry 50 of them on a day hike? We pass inert cartridges of many calibers down the line. I've never seen a boy fall asleep when one of his peers chambers an 870. (Dummy practice rounds). How stupid are movie heroes who walk up to a confrontation with an empty chambered shotgun, anyway? And to the Hollywood intellects who cycle the action a second time a few moments later without having fired a round? Hey, are you going to leave that shotgun shell just lying on the ground? Aren't you going to need all your bullets for the next scene? That's litter. Pick it up! Give 6 or 8 boys practice/toy weapons and have them move about the room without sweeping anyone while the rest of the crowd keeps an eye on their muzzles. Musical chairs will never be the same. The purpose of firearms safety training is not to punish, but to prepare. Dazed bored boys are not getting the import of the training, so we make extraordinary efforts to keep them engaged and entertained. As for adult hot air? I promise you that I will never have to explain to the mother of a wounded scout that her son, Billy, was accidentally shot because Little Johnny did an inadequate job with EDGE while teaching Billy gun safety. Retraining Little Johnny and offering to refund her son's dues doesn't seem to be enough. Firearms are like nothing else we do in Scouting. One needs to recognize a higher responsibility; that there are even adults that should not be allowed to participate in gun safety training.

Our troop requires two 3 hour long sessions that take the place of the regular meetings prior to going on the Shooting Sports weekend. If a scout doesn't pay attention and/or fails the written test, we don't let them near a loaded firearm. The basics of gun safety are best taught in a tightly controlled environment where a boy's attention isn't distracted by "Enough about safety; when are we gonna shoot!?" So far, none of our instructors have ever been swept with a loaded firearm.

Funny. The witch hunt for a 'Secret Society' has created a secret society. Inito

I'm a big fan of candle lanterns. Especially in the winter. A single candle can add an amazing amount of warmth to a small tent. You can dry out gear, sit around comfortably, read (remember books?) and just be cozy in your tent while the weather storms outside. If you suspend a candle lantern inside, you need to use a carabiner or metal clip to isolate the hot candle lantern hanger from your cord. Don't want to melt through your suspending line and have the candle drop. Unfortunately, every Scouter that I've ever run into says that candle lanterns are an 'open flame' and barred from scouting as such. Hope I'm wrong.