JoeBob

Nope. I believe in valuing individuals for themselves. I don't seek out individuals based on their group identity. "I need a black friend." "Why?" "Because he's black." Duh. "I need a girl friend." is a different topic... Attributing value to people because of their group identity is setting them up for failure.

And furthermore... If you try to degrade the quality of comradeship of seven white boys on a patrol campout, because they have no blacks or females; you are lost. Would you try to argue that seven black sisters would improve their esprit de corps by adding a male cracker to their campfire?

Nope. I have a very open mind. In fact, I invite you to convince me. I ask that you use simple words that an adolescent would understand. (We are talking about a Boy Scout merit badge, right?) Inherent truths such as Diversity and Inclusion should have no need for cerebral academic studies. Trustworthy, Loyal, Helpful, et al. were easily explained in layman's terms without high minded government funded research papers. These new three ephemeral precepts should be easy, yes? Go for it. Before you dismiss me as an avowed racist chauvinist, know that I have served with / work with bla

I can think of no better way to push away what remains of the old guard. Those of us who never bought into the concept that girls were required for the betterment of BOY scouts, are now being asked to support a hastily shammed up Eagle required merit badge that twists that knife. No one can prove that diversity and inclusion are strengths; they are buzzwords from the left. Now councils are supposed to be half female? Do the Girl Scouts' lawyers know that yet? Folks like me are changing our wills. Don't bother with an FOS request. A small bitter part of me hopes that the perv ban

SO, when BSA exceeds the stated goal of 50% female membership, do they become FSA, Female Scouts of America? Girl Scouts is taken...

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/

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 tryi

"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:

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

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?

Sorry Tahawk; check the date. That headline on Fox was fully 2 weeks ago. That Fox outrage is partially responsible for the changes that enabled all of us to plant the flags that were allowed. Not that those underground would or could care.

J-stroke, Draw, Pry, Bow-Rudder and Brace can probably be mastered in 15 minutes, right? Does it matter if the scouts can't get the boat to go straight enough to get back to the dock? Deep water self-rescue, assisted rescue, and re-entry might take half an hour. To demonstrate. But wait! Looks at the bottom of the schedule: *Must be present at the beginning of each scheduled program to complete badge * * Must be present during all blocks of program or badge to complete it * Dang fuddy-duddies interfering with our water fun.

Boy Scouts banned from planting American flags on veterans' graves for Memorial Day due to coronavirus https://www.foxnews.com/us/boy-scouts-banned-memorial-day-coronavirus-veterans At least we're trying to do the right thing.

Pretty sure that rafting is sunk. No way for 7 people to social-distance in an 18' Avon. Wearing an N95 mask is a drowning hazard; and I bet that you could inhale a wet procedure mask trying to catch your breath after an unexpected cold water dunking. And buddy-rescue... Well; never-mind.

Two deep on all video conferences? Patently absurd. Unless we're trying to convince our boys that someone is always out to get them. How better to create paranoia? In the post-lawsuit BSA, which is better: a) adult scout leaders who can't be trusted; or b) adults who can't be trusted, ESPECIALLY not scout leaders. If you're going to require 2 adults on every video call, you may as well require 3 adults. And record the call. And send a certified copy to Irving for review. And file for a tour permit before you schedule the call. And...