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jrush

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Everything posted by jrush

  1. I went through some of this with regard to CPR. I don't know if it's the only one, but the Red Cross does have a Wilderness and Remote First Aid course, same as they have various First Aid/CPR/AED courses. You can get certified to be an instructor for the ARC. The Red Cross will set up a user agreement with your council and the instructor can do the courses for a significant discount. I can do First Aid/CPR/AED under $10 per card for scouts and scouters. Anyone can get certified to be an instructor for the Red Cross...not sure why the Red Cross would drop it in a specific area unless
  2. The implication is a total shift from sugar to corn syrup is an assault on the senses, so you punt and the next time, you gradually replace sugar with corn syrup and nobody notices.
  3. There is a difference in a majority being against a policy change, and a majority being so morally opposed that they would leave the program. It wasn't a "hope" that people and COs wouldn't leave; the BSA KNEW people and COs would leave. So short term retention of members and COs wasn't the point. The point was moving socially from a 20th century organization to a 21st century organization. Yes, the BSA could have delayed the membership loss by backing down, but the bill would have come due eventually. You know what else is falling in the US? Church membership and opposition to gay ma
  4. Again, what I want is irrelevant, regardless if we agree or not. The BSA finally had to choose which fork in the road to take over homosexual/lesbian adult leaders. That path led invariably to allowing transgender youth, and it leads invariably to a co-ed program. Given that we've passed the transgender mile marker, co-ed is right around the corner. The BSA gave a thumbs up to youth with female plumbing and XX chromosomes who want to be boys. Personally, I thought co-ed and transgender would have happened simultaneously, but apparently the BSA is allowing to units and leaders time to emo
  5. Like all the all-male Venture Crews that have been sued out of existence? It's a private organization. Until the US Supreme Court revisits the issue (which is unlikely), it's a done deal. Now, I can see a unit that went co-ed getting sued if they kick out all the girls at recharter to go back to all-male. That's a vulnerability. Once a unit goes co-ed, they are going to have to stay co-ed. If they have an issue keeping co-ed leadership or whatever else, I think the CO would have to fold the unit and start up a new one from scratch as all-male.
  6. Which is why they won't be redesigned. They'll just announce that Charter Orgs have the option to charter co-ed Packs and Troops. The Packs and Troops that already allow female siblings to attend events will hand them a membership form and parents will go buy a uniform. BSA will update YPT and that will be it. At this point, I can't even see it causing any disruption. The Charter Orgs that are with the BSA for the long haul have already reconciled with homosexual leaders and transgender youth.
  7. Well, the issue here is that at face value, the unit violated state antidiscrimination law by accepting the membership, then later kicking the kid out. So the council had a legal and public perception loser on their hands. Settle the suit and have a lesson learned.
  8. I can't add much except to second Stosh's comments. Well, okay, I can. If that means that you tell the Pack's leaders "my den's racers voted, here is the envelope with the winner", that's what you do. Maybe you have to go out on your own, get some tchotchke for "Den's Choice Award" and present it based on the boys' vote (if the wound is still fresh, you could still do this). If the unit leaders insist on adults making the choice, have someone unconnected with the Pack do it. Invite your district exec, maybe someone from the charter org who doesn't have a child in the pack, maybe invit
  9. No, I was just addressing points made/implied that allowing COs to approve homosexual leaders was the BSA turning away from God. Heck, my theory as to the BSA's reasoning isn't even a theory...it's a hypothesis. I have no way to design an experiment and test it to see if I can upgrade it to "theory". As to girls in the program, what I want is irrelevant. Girls are already in the program, including packs and troops. They are attending meetings. They are attending outdoor activities. We just make them wait until age 14 to let them buy a uniform and earn recognition. In practice, units ca
  10. Well, first, I expect that even once BSA goes co-ed, COs will be able to have all-male, co-ed, or all-female packs and troops, just as they can crews and posts. A dozen like-minded families = a all-male pack. You don't want your all-male pack exposed to the co-ed packs? Don't go to council events. Your PWD winners don't have to go the district PWD. Once in the all-male troop, they don't have to go to summer camps or OA events or high-adventure bases. Boys can go from Lion to Eagle and never once interact with a co-ed pack or troop. Second, nobody here or at BSA has said "no god". Th
  11. I agree, but fact is, it is, and always has been, the Boy Scouts of America, not the Boy Scouts of Christianity. Second, it is arguable that one should include young women when teaching boys and young men about virtues, as the community embraces, and then expects, gender equality in thought and deed. So, passing the "boy" mile marker wasn't leaving the path, but rather staying on the path as defined by America. The argument isn't just community versus religion. The argument is if the Boy Scouts of America should set a path in stone and then attempt to move America in line with that
  12. I certainly hope not, since it is just a personal theory. That said, the executives at National are motivated by something to make the policy decisions that they do. Policy for a national volunteer organization with the size and visibility of the BSA isn't made with a magic 8-ball. At least, we hope not.
  13. According to the BSA, about 4 million youth and adult volunteers?
  14. What does the charter say? Section 30902 Purposes: "The purposes of the corporation are to promote, through organization, and cooperation with other agencies, the ability of boys to do things for themselves and others, to train them in scoutcraft, and to teach them patriotism, courage, self-reliance, and kindred virtues, using the methods that were in common use by boy scouts on June 15, 1916." Patriotism, courage, self reliance and kindred virtues, using the methods of scouting. I don't see "via the applicable religion" in there. Sure, lambast the YMCA for not pushing Christian morals.
  15. The BSA never expected membership to skyrocket as a result of the decision. IMO, the decision to allow gays, and the coming decision to allow co-ed packs and troops, isn't because of membership. It's because the BSA pitches itself as an organization that grows responsible members of the community, not the church. Yes, the decision cost membership, but that cost was anticipated and deemed worth it to be primarily a community organization rather than a religious one.
  16. It wasn't really that long ago that CS did start in 3rd grade and WEBELOS was only a year.
  17. Maric, if your issues were primarily parent-run operations and the age set of the Troop, I would highly recommend you find a Venture Crew or Explorer Post. I hate to say this, but nearly all Troops are parent-run to a certain extent. It's simply a fact of life about how a group of 12-13 year olds are going to get from point A (their home) to point B (the Scout meeting place) to point C (the outdoor activity). It's not going to happen without adult volunteers, primarily parents, and most Troops will operate around the needs of the parents, without whom, there would be no Troop. To compound
  18. Well, don't get caught up when the BSA puts things out as guidance, Yes, the elected SPL can appoint his "staff". Yes, the boys can nominate staff, who then can accept or decline before being elected. It's largely up to the boys. As to the other part, the point is the boys have the opportunity to serve actively in a position of leadership as required for advancement. If they never showed up, the answer is "you didn't serve the unit actively in the position, you're not getting credit for this requirement". Granted, there is no set percentage that quantifies "active", it's subjective
  19. I may be wrong, but it sounds to me as though your district committee needs to be re-educated as to their role in adult OA nominations. Unless something has changed, it's one adult per 50 boys in the troop (or varsity team) if they had at least one boy nominated. The unit committee makes the nominations and the lodge approves them. According to national OA policy regarding elections/nominations, the district committee has nothing to do with it. I suppose it's possible that the lodge selection committee is the same people as the district committee, but they would be acting as members of
  20. It's sad because while many scouters are openminded about the beliefs of the young men we mentor, and recognize it's more about respecting the beliefs of others rather than mirroring our own, a few do not...and some of those "few" happen to be positions of authority.
  21. We could debate it, but we shouldn't. The BSA is in the business of teaching young men and women to be responsible, moral members of society. 95% of Americans believe something. That's why the religious component of scouting is so important. Until the BSA says their goal has nothing to do with society, but is just a kids camping club, putting those who reject ALL faith systems in charge of scouts or awarding them scouting's highest award should be off the table.
  22. Khaliela, while there are certainly scouters who would like to see a Pack and Troop chartered by a Wiccan coven along with a religious award that centers on the divinity inherent in nature, as has been said, the BSA doesn't do skyclad. The visual impact of your site doesn't give anyone a warm fuzzy that the campfire skits are going to be in keeping with BSA ideals. As far as a building, that's true. You would need to provide something with actual walls, roof, and mailing address, even if you don't use it for every meeting. Surely you don't keep everything under a bush in the woods.
  23. Merlyn, you're not paying attention. Someone who is truly atheist cannot, by definition, respect the beliefs of others. If he respects the beliefs of others, he grants value to their belief system, and he isn't really an atheist. He's just calling himself an atheist because it's fashionable, or he hates televangelists, or whatever. There's a difference between someone keeping their mouth shut and someone truly respecting the beliefs of others. Christianity is a fine example. Yes, there are many, many christians who think wiccans, jews, buddhists, muslims, even each other are all damn
  24. You know, if you want some advice on how to resolve an issue between adult volunteers before initiating a converasation with the COR about removing a volunteer from their position and the unit (because that's often the effect in the end) there are members here with many moons of experience. But, yes, as others have said, the COR is the "decider" as to who the adult leadership of their pack/troop/etc is.
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