John-in-KC

Rooster, "The buck stops here." Desk sign of Harry S Truman. He understood. Gunny, concur. Both times, our forces got the basic job done. We were sorta ready for the aftermath in Afghanistan, we (as in the Defense and State DEPARTMENTAL folk) were clueless in St Louis for for Iraq. We didn't serve guys like you well as a consequence.

Bob should read the good Lisa's comments above. Since I have learned Lisa's bona fides I give her more credit for understanding pedagogical models than I do Bob. There is a right way to play decision-making-model games such as WAUC.

Sounds politically correct in that emphasis.

My issue is not with the Strategy, not with the Operational Art, or even with the Tactics, Techniques and Procedures. My issue is with how we got where we did. When I was a Lieutenant, long ago, General Shy Meyer was the Chief of Staff, Army. I remember a Division Officer's Lecture he gave to the Big Red One, the First Infantry Division, at Fort Riley. He talked about the Three Days of War: - The Day Before war, when armed forces train, maintain and prepare. - The Day of War, when armed forces fight for their nation to win the battles their political masters say must be won. - The Day After War, where armed forces assist the nations they fought within to recover and become whole again. We failed, desperately, to resource the Day After War during this little fracas. Had the President called General Mobilization, had he used the incredible pool of talent in civilian occupations and professions which the Reserve Components bring to the table, we'd have had Iraqi Military Age Males helping us reconstruct their nation before the end of 2003. We'd have destroyed the leftover grenades, 152mm, 122mm, 105mm, 155mm artillery shells which became the basis of all too many first generation IEDs in the opening months of the counter-insrugency. No, we let the Ba'athist special operators and ordinary soldiers melt away to fight as insurgents another day. Oh by the way, we didn't have a force large enough to support a decent turnaround plan between home station in the States and the Theater of Operations. I saw in Army Times last week that we're just about at Viet Nam promotion points for the officer corps: 18 months second LT to first LT, no more than 18 months first lieutenant to captain, and captain to major no later than the 10th anniversary. We the American people, in the personage of our civilian political leadership, are riding this force hard, putting it away wet, and calling out it again before the dawn. I'm glad I'm retired. I can say such things. We can do this war, but we need the support of the American people to have enough troops in force to get the job done.

From where I've sat, service projects need to be a combination of rewarding, fun, and fed. We're working to set the ethic of service, not expecting it to arrive, HUZZAH! Units in my area do a lot of "bikes and trikes for tykes", rebuilding bicycles and tricycles for re-use by another generation. They find that fun, they find it rewarding. They find the pizza party we tend to do after it enjoyable as well

Medicaid is socialized (government owned and operated down to the level of the provider)redistribution of wealth. Medicare is socialized (government owned and operated down to the level of the provider) redistribution of wealth. I've noticed, in my lifetime, that the "doctor's office" is generally now a group practice with 15-20 physicians, more nurses, and a lot of staff onboard. I'm told by docs I know "we had to do it in order to make any money for ourselves." Yes, Obama's a Socialist. I don't see him advocating out-and-out Capitalism.

He didn't have to design and implement a project. He only had to participate for one hour in someone else's project. Good prepatory work against a day in the future though...

Abortion, vice pro-life. Distribution of income. Redistribution of income. "Peace in our time." IOW a proposed capitulative foreign policy. The list goes on. He's a Socialist from where I sit. BTW, I make something less than 60K a year. When Billary hit town, I was making about 35K. I found even then my taxes went up. No, I don't trust the Democratic party.(This message has been edited by John-in-KC)(This message has been edited by John-in-KC)

Follow the driving limits set by Tours and Expeditions 33737D. I think max daily is 700. BTW, I've driven I-80/I-29 Reno to Kansas City twice in the past year. I find even 650 miles to be a very, very long driving day, and I take as few breaks as possible enroute. With Scouts, soft drinks, and travel, I think 550 would be a full days drive.(This message has been edited by John-in-KC)

Obama comes across to me as an unabashed Socialist. McCain comes across to me as a pragmatist. He's proven, time and again, he can and does get the deal done. As for McCain's military service, I thank him that he kept the Code of Conduct. I've noticed among Presidents in my voting lifetime that those who have been to war understand the profigate waste of young life it means. They are loathe to do so randomly, and they do commit forces with a vision of "what right will look like at the end of the day." Presidents in my voting lifetime who have not been to war have brought us Desert One, Cruise Missiles into caves, and war plans that disgregarded General Shy Meyer's dictum to be ready for the Three Days of War.

Ed, Do you know how many Scoutmasters are generalists and who don't emphasize dotting i's and crossing t's? Regardless of how some folk here may feel, the process of getting an ELSP approved and of getting an Eagle app suitable for Council done seem to require an attention to detail kind of guy/gal to shepherd the youth.(This message has been edited by John-in-KC)

I do have to love the folks who say "America is a Christian Nation." I'd like to know how they got to that piece of scholarly historical interpretation. Last time I checked, the vision of the 2d Continental Congress was America was to be a God-Fearing nation, with an open door on what faith meant. The last time I studied Constitutional Law, the Framers meant for America to be a God-Fearing nation, with matters of religion not to be inside the government (which is wholly different from "the wall between Church and State"). The idea that America does not need God would roll the Framers in their graves, time and again. How many of the Founders and the Framers were 33d degree Masons? God fearing, each and every one of them. ETA: BTW, I switched from Democrat to Republican for the 1980 election. Another four years of Jimmy Carter? That wasn't a formula for success. That said, I'll leave my acid test issues to myself.(This message has been edited by John-in-KC)

I know he's a liberal. I was using a grammatical term of art. He is also someone of honor, integrity, and conviction. That goes a long way in my book, beyond what political POV he holds. Unfortunately, we haven't picked a true Statesman since FDR, unless you arguably include Bush the elder.

Modular Training (NLE+Position Specific) was not rolled out until 2002. How can someone do NLE in 1999 when it didn't exist?

As a participant, our course was more to the open interpretation. Going outside your own "box" was credited to the diversity item by my TG.

Lieberman may be a liberal, but he's also a gentleman of honor and conviction. That goes an awful long way in my book.

My question to you is: How much energy and emotion are you willing to give to do what needs to be done? You've accurately assessed the challenges. If you get a lot of pushback from current leaders after taking this on, it's not going to be very rewarding for quite some time. If the leaders decide to wait you out, that could be for however long you hold the job. From what I see, the other parts of the Scouting system which should surround you simply are not there. Search your brain and your heart before you decide to take this buy-in. Who is there to support you when the times get tough? Please, let us know how you decide this one.

TheScout, If we are as strong a Nation as we claim to be, a full set of diversity, because those diverse people are the very best available, is due and past due. My dream ticket was Powell/Rice or Rice/Powell. McCain is older than I really want him to be. My Dad was also a former PW (WWII), I've seen how captivity saps a man in their aging years. There is stuff that happens to the body during captivity such as the Japanese or North Vietnamese provided which comes back to haunt you 40-60 years downline. McCain can do better than the other wannabes who ran alongside him. Plenty of superior, motivated folk ... not necessarily male, not necessarily white. Then again, I'm just a 50-something white conservative Christian guy. What do I know?

No, thank you. As I said, long enough ago that I feel I should re-take a certain program. I have my own learning pace, cadence, and retention. Mine is different from yours and from anyone else's. I will say that in other threads I've publicly posted I used to be an Owl in C-40-05. That implies I returned to Scouting as an adult some years before that.

scoutldr, I was also a program member in the 60s and 70s. LFL now. One of the things I enjoy about the program as it's been worked in the intervening 40 years is the steady ramp towards Eagle. A kid entering BSA now, when he hits Star, is well on the trail. Depending on how he does his Eagle MBs, most youth are over the top and on the backslope to Eagle from the MB perspective when they hit Life. That's a far cry from our day, when it was 1 Eagle Required to Star, and 4 to Life. It was still uphill to the summit.

< SARCASM > Happy, happy, joy, joy, an iron-on. < / SARCASM > You want your new volunteers to connect? Give them hard paper. < cynicism > They've already made the decision to charge us a subscription. They'll make up results if the real data doesn't meet their needs. < / cynicism > Welcome to the world of big business, Scouting volunteers. PS: I wrote these comments after doing their survey.(This message has been edited by John-in-KC)

I see Mr Obama made a nice safe choice for veep. I really wish Senator McCain could talk Dr Rice into running for Veep. Another good one would be Sarah Palin out of Alaska. Not because they are women; they're good smart people with good executive and management skills. That they also have political vision is not a bad thing. In the Democratic party, gender appears to have a glass ceiling still. Hillary didn't shatter it. My thoughts.

Within certain limits. A year ago, I rented a car with a manual transmission. I'd had several stick shifts before, even one as recently as two years ago. Once I'd learned stick, I thought, I'd just have to adapt to a cars peculiarities. 10-15 minutes learning curve. This one, something wasn't connecting. I had to go all the way back to basics ... a couple hours in a parking lot with someone watching me, until I got a smooth hang of it. Sometimes it's useful to go back to the basics. But that's ok, part of it depends on the type of learner you are. For me, the type of learner I am requires some gut-check reinforcement now and again.

Ed, Well, since BW didn't understand that my training is old enough that I think I need to review it at the most basic level, ... I don't think he understands that training is a perishable commodity, even when used. Sooner or later in any endeavor the process, the materials, or the equipment changes to such a point that updates are insufficient. I've reached that point in one program, and I trained in it less than 10 years ago. That's why I didn't specify a date. "I've been trained for 32 (2008-1976) years" is not a badge to be worn self-righteously. Better to ask "how can I serve the youth better?" in a quiet room. Something about not letting the left hand know what the right is doing...

What our district has done to make Roundtable night a "must-do" for unit serving Scouters is make it one-stop shopping for any unit service need: - Professional Staff takes back apps, advancement reports, anything which needs to go to the Council Office. - All Scouting programs (Cub/Boy/Venturing) have their RT same place, same night. That way a multiple registered leader can get whatever info he/she needs. - Advancement Committee runs Eagle Leadership Service Project reviews. - OA does chapter meetings. - Commissioners are encouraged to be there, and to contact their unit leaders to be there! - Each operating committee of the District Committee has a rep and is supporting their ongoing activities (finance... FOS and popcorn, activities/camping...day camp, camporee, Klondike, Webelos Woods, whatever...) - Training Committee runs, monthly, NLE and YP. Advancement runs MB Counselor training/certification. The one thing we do not do is run Eagle BORs. District Guests travel to the units and to the site where the youth wishes to have his Board. Our DAC, with many others, believes EBOR night is special, almost a celebration of the young man and his Scouting career. If a youth wants to have his EBOR on "the Point" overlooking Truman Lake at H Roe Bartle Scout Reservation during the off-season, Guests have and continue to drive 2 hours to support the youth members. When you make RT a chance for the unit serving Scouter to consolidate several trips into one night, he or she is more willing to devote the night.