JoeBob

Ad hominem already?

Nah. When you have lived as long as I have and driven those miles, 10 mph over the limit equals years. InquisitiveScouter: "The facts (stubborn things) and statistics don't support you." Oh yeah? You quote me the official government website with a safety bias. I'll refer you to a religious website: "Seven out of ten motorists disobey the traffic speed limits. Further, less than 10 percent of highway sections had more than 50 percent compliance with the law! " So on 90% of the road at least half of the drivers are speeding. https://truediscipleship.com/speed-limits-people-comply/ and Wired: https://www.wired.com/2008/11/the-boy-who-cri/ "The study of 988 drivers in that county, where Purdue is located, found few people have any respect for speed limits, which they consider nothing more than vague guidelines they can ignore. Civil engineering and economics professor Fred Mannering says that means highway officials set artificially low speed limits because they know people will ignore it." Which directly supports my premise that stupid nitpicking BSA rules undermine respect for and compliance with needed regulations. On a personal note; if you are one of those few people driving the speed limit on I-285, causing everyone to slam on their brakes and weave dangerously to get around you, move over! I have places to be and a life to live! Grrrr.

The stupid rules undermine the necessary rules. Once you get used to fudging: using a wheel barrow, picking up your nephew on the way to scouts, tossing water balloons, playing laser tag, and ringing the kettle bell; it's easier to let: chainsaws, one on one contact, alcohol, range safety violations, and political campaigning in uniform, leak into your program. For those who reflexively advocate obeying every rule; how many years have you wasted driving the speed limit while impeding the flow of traffic and being a general hazard on the highway?

Use your common sense. And remember that the bureaucrats/lawyers who wrote the fine print don't have any common sense. "Help other people at all times", one of the very basic tenets of scouting, is a higher law than "don't ring the Salvation Army kettle bell in uniform". With the current PR situation, BSA should be grateful the the Salvation Army doesn't have a rule prohibiting Scouts from ringing the bell in uniform.

@CynicalScouter, I think the High Horse you rode in on is ready to leave...

If you're bothered by political discussion, why read the I&P threads? Masochism? I come here to get a feel for what reasonable people are thinking about current affairs. I don't think that every poster is 'reasonable', but I try to understand their thinking feelings. The pretzel logic and false comparisons used for justifying behavior that would have unquestionably landed one in prison 30 years ago are frightening. But maybe I should be afraid. I'll check back next week to see if I'm over-reacting.

I have a friend who wants to give 2 parcels of land to the Boy Scouts. A 10 acre plot on the Oxxxxx River to be used as a put in / launch point for canoes. And a 100 acre plot 3 miles down river to be used as a primitive camp. The 100 acres is 60% in the flood plain, 40% high ground. Both plots back up to the Oxxxxx national forest. He has already spoken to a local council pro, who is not interested in the land if it is encumbered. My friend's father gave 50 acres to BSA many years ago, on the condition that it be used for Scouting or returned to the family. After many years of trying to get the land released for sale, the Scouts lost interest and the land reverted to family ownership. So my friend is not going to donate land un-encumbered. My advice to him so far has been: Wait until the bankruptcy is finished. No reason to tempt fate. Speak to a district volunteer who is not interested in using his donation to pay someone's salary. Consider making the gift to 3 to 5 local troops as an un-divided interest in land. That way the land would be well used; close to the troops' home. Enough resources to share development projects: one troop builds a pavilion, one troop builds latrines on high ground, one troop builds a rifle range, etc. What advice would you have?

"Black Lives Matter leader Hawk Newsome made terroristic threats against the United States on Wednesday. “If this country doesn’t give us what we want, then we will burn down the system and replace it,” the BLM leader declared. " I would find it difficult to loan this man my gas can. And if I didn't watch him carefully as he moved on down the street, I would be shirking my duty to my neighbors.

^ Disappointment Lake: our best campsite 3 years ago. ^ This is by far the best link for information on the BWCA: https://bwca.com/index.cfm Be sure to haunt the forums and trip reports for current info. I'd guess that your biggest challenge is going to be finding campsites large enough to accommodate your group. Or multiple campsites close enough to together. Remember to have backup sites in mind, in case your destination is occupied. If you use Snowbank Lake as your entry point, you could swing by the BSA facility on Moose Lake to get some bling. https://www.bing.com/images/search?view=detailV2&ccid=uQ%2BlZxkx&id=7CF54F449285C1BAE5A2090DF73BC7A66DD37FEB&thid=OIP.uQ-lZxkx2M3mgyWGnidV2AHaE8&mediaurl=http%3A%2F%2Fep.yimg.com%2Fay%2Fyhst-62545716082916%2Fokpik-trail-system-16.gif&exph=600&expw=900&q=bsa+northern+tier+map&simid=608007029298102957&ck=BD325D1B743BD8077DA82D8FE3CB0720&selectedindex=4&ajaxhist=0&vt=0&eim=0,1,3,6,18&sim=11 We entered Snowbank, went through Parent to Disappointment and Ashub; and back. Site 1381 was our best. (Photo above.) https://bwca.com/index.cfm?fuseaction=maps.camp_info&entityid=820&elat=47.98872&elon=-91.348531

Get rid of 'Scoutmaster' ? I think you're pandering to an appetite that refuses to be sated. So what word are you going to use when a Scout 'masters' a skill? Oh; wait... Scouts are no longer asked to master Scout skills. BSA was ahead of the curve!

" I have thought for some time now that the roots of racism in our country lie in the fundamental inability of white people to see black people as human in the same way they see themselves." No. The concept that my many black co-workers, a couple of black good friends, and my black GP might not be human has never entered my mind. (Oh, I forgot that my daughters boyfriend is from Liberia, so I guess that he is considered black; even though his English is crisper than my own.) But why should I waste my time protesting my racist label? I am a Caucasian who refuses to genuflect at the BLM altar, so I am obviously a racist. Do I think that blacks are not human? Absolutely not, but I pride myself on having an open mind; so, keep talking...

So, anybody bet that this is not what the new flag ceremonies will look like? https://pmcvariety.files.wordpress.com/2017/09/nfl-kneel.jpg?w=1000

It worked! She "helped aid the confusion"!

Now I'm stuck on all the possible things that a Head Catheter is supposed to drain...

Upon reading your prefacing arguments, I thought I knew where you were going; but I came to the opposite conclusion. Faith based organizations as COs have been a long and true friend to the BSA. What have 'certain external advocacy organizations' done for you lately?