Kahuna

Thanks for posting that item, Chaplain. I especially enjoyed the interview with Roger Hedgecock. A real story of heroism in a 16 year old that has great application for Sea Scouting.

Among boys, I generally use the term "guys." With a mixed group, "guys and ladies," with smile indicating I'm not being phony or stilted. In my Scout troops, for me to refer to them as "Scout or Scouts," other than in a ceremony or something really formal would be the equivalent of your mother using all three of your names to call you. You will find a number "youth" members who feel being called "youth" is phoney and patronizing.

A'ole pilikia. (You're welcome.)

Looks like they forget to pay their five bucks for the domain renewal. They have a working email server, apparently. Try nadillingham@girlscouts-hawaii.org. Or their phone is 808-595-8400. That's for Oahu. They are answering the phone.

When I earned my Eagle in 1960, there was no service project requirement at all, other than your participation requirement (as pointed out by Eagle in KY) and what you might have to do in merit badges. My Eagle Board of Review, which I still remember, included no "service project" questions. It was more along the lines of how you helped your community, etc. I was SM 1967-1970 and had several Eagles, but don't recall any service project issues and it was much more informal than the structure we have today.

On this and other forums I visit regularly, I put very little profile information. You never know who you're going to po that may track you down. I agree that it's safer just to exchange personal information with those who become your friends or otherwise have a "need to know." You can pretty well tell after a while who knows what they are talking about and who doesn't (and you know who you are).

UK: Tea US: Dinner, supper UK: Tube US: Subway UK: Carriageway US: Highway UK: Pint US: A beer UK: Dustbin US: Trashcan UK: Gammon US: Ham Some of those are regional.

Indeed, Bobanon, you have struck a goldmine of hoopla and probably this thread will go 10 pages. Personally, it doesn't seem to me that Scouting excludes agnostics. In Buddhism, you don't necessarily believe in gods or God and certainly (most) don't believe that there is a god dispensing justice or intervening in affairs of this world. Yet, there are many Buddhists in Scouting. The same is true of Unitarian Universalists, although the UU relationship with Scouting is a bit tenous at times. The BSA will eventually change on this issue, but who knows when? In the meantime, I think everybody has to decide for himself or herself whether they qualify under the Statement of Religious Principles. As a leader, nobody will ever cross examine you on your religious beliefs unless you bring it up. For boys, it is a different issue, but I have met very few truly agnostic or atheistic boys.

I guess conquest is in the eye of the beholder. After all, had the American Revolution failed, the Founding Fathers would have been disgraced traitors to the King. To me, conquest represents an intent to keep, although the dictionary doesn't define it that way. We have no intention of keeping power over the Iraqis and have already allowed them to establish their own government. I would also point out there is a difference between lies and something which is not true. The intelligence that our government and other governments, back to the Clinton administration, had indicated WMDs were there. And there is a lot of evidence that they were there. I will agree, however, with those who say that isn't the reason that Bush wanted the war. I don't know in fact why he wanted to, but it's obvious to me that he did. It isn't my position that the Patriot Act is an entirely good thing, but we obviously have to have some unusual procedures in place to deal with this kind of conflict (War on Terror, not Iraq). I just think people are pretty indifferent to the kind of liberties given up in the name of the war on drugs, which we are losing anyway. It scares me to death that police can stop me and confiscate money in my car simply because I have a lot of cash in there. It scares me more that, if I were Hispanic or Black, it would be much more likely to happen to me. If George Bush wants to read my love letters to Osama bin Laden, that's fine with me.

Members of the color guard should not, imho, salute. The theory is they are guarding the flags and should just stand at attention. On this topic, here's an interesting tidbit of information: Members of the military in uniform do not recite the Pledge. They stand at attention, hand salute and remain silent while it is being said.

Okay, movies. Sea Scout weekend outing: "We're gonna need a bigger boat!" Looking into a cooler not checked since the last campout: "It's alive!" Your DE on hearing you are starting a new unit: "This is the beginning of a beautiful friendship." SM contemplating annual program planning: "I'll think about that tomorrow." That's all I could come up with on short notice.

Boards of review: You report, we decide.

Maybe a little perspective is in order. Perspective or propaganda? We have conquered an inferior country for a lie. We haven't conquered Iraq, we liberated them from a demonic government. You may believe that the stated reasons were a lie, but others have a different analysis. We have run the debt beyond anyone's dreams and plan to continue to do so. Yes, and Bush hasn't vetoed or used his influence against spending, but Congress holds the purse strings. We have turned our backs on our own liberties with the Patriot Act. We have given up few liberties with the Patriot Act. We gave up much more liberty in the legislation (confiscation of money and property without judicial review) in the war on drugs. Supported by both Democratic and Republican administrations and Congresses. We are supporting an occupation that has destroyed many thousands of American families. And the end is not in sight. And, regardless of whether you think we should be there, who has presented a reasonable alternative? It seems incongruous that as a nation we support the administration in all of the above, but not in a decision to have new management for a few ports. Huh? I'm not at all sure that we as a nation do not support the administration in the management of the ports. All the rhetoric seems to be coming from politicians and pundits. This is kind of like fighting hard to gain legal recognition as a private club...and then objecting to the legal requirements of being a private club. We asked for it. We got it. Time to suck it up. Yes, we did, and there are valid legal arguments that can be made for our right to "have it both ways." I, for one, don't feel guilty at all about it.

We would always have the boy leaders ensure that all the kids went to shower on Wednesday night. Once in a while, one would slip through, but generally, they were fairly clean on Saturday morning. I agree that nakedness factor gets into it big time. Kids never take public showers anywhere anymore. Used to be we all had to shower in PE. Didn't take long to get used to it. Now they don't. Our troop took a lot of road trips by bus, overnighting at military bases. Come morning, we took 'em all to the gym and hearded them into the showers. Kids would narc on each other if they didn't shower. A couple of days of that and they would think nothing of showering in front of everybody else. Still, I don't think it's as big a deal today as it was years ago. Kids are not used to being dirty these days so they find a way to keep clean.

Well, it matters to me what you guys think. I understand the advancement gurus have the authority, but I'd like to have my ducks in row before it goes to them. The more nits get picked now, the less later.

Not silly at all. My understanding is: In uniform, salute. Out of uniform, hand over heart. During the Pledge and the National Anthem of our country and any others played.

Some of you folks who read the Scouting History section know that I have done a lot of research on James Austin Wilder, who was the father of American Sea Scouting. He was born and died in Honolulu and is buried in the Oahu Cemetary in Nuuanu. Wilder's grave is not far off the central road thru the cemetary. A landmark to find it is the commemorative marker pointing to the grave of the founder of modern baseball. Wilder has a small metal marker from the BSA indicating he was the Chief Sea Scout. No indicator from the main road to the grave. I would love to see a marker there so that passers by could visit the grave if they wish to see it. Generally, Eagle projects should benefit the community in general and not Scouting in particular. An Eagle project to fund, obtain permission and get constructed a marker for this man would benefit the community, IMHO, more than Scouting per se. How does this strike you as a potential project? I am thinking of taking it to a wise old SM who could then lead an Eagle candidate into taking this on as a project. I'd like hear thoughts on it. If you want to see the gravesite, visit http://findagrave.com/cgi-bin/fg.cgi?page=gr&GSln=+wilder&GSfn=james&GSmn=austin&GSbyrel=all&GSdyrel=all&GSob=n&GRid=11268877&

It should be fun, but not overdone. Years ago at Philmont we ordered Philmont patches for the trading post/commissary operation featuring a broken down truck where the Tooth of Time would normally be. You can still find some of these floating around. The bosses nearly had a cow at first and then realized how funny it was. Nothing was ever said about it after that.

Thought of the old gent yesterday and then got busy and forgot to post. Next year will mark what would have been his 150th. Happy Birthday, Stephe!

Your local council: "How do we do it? We're in debt up to our eyeballs! Somebody please help us." (Paraphrased.)

While I admit a certain unfamiliarity with hunting laws of Texas or Alabama, I am certain that your statements are ridiculous. The legislators of those states are 99.9% lawyers.

Never heard of that being done. I never did that when I was a DE 100 years ago. Probably would be a good idea, but they don't have time to do it every year.

He probably does know at 16 whether he is or not, but if he isn't "avowed" you don't have grounds to keep him out. The general knowledge of your crew that he is gay doesn't come into it, unless he is acting out sexually, in which case you have a different issue. Since it doesn't seem to bother them, you wouldn't be likely to lose crew members over it. If this situation happened in my ship, I would have no hesitation about letting him in unless he is the president of the local chapter of some gay rights organization. Only remaining question is, does he want to join?

>>Maybe Geico don't know that most meals of pie and chips are eaten in the pub!!

>>It's time we go to a basic flat tax. No deductions, No tax returns, No tax lawyers or tax accountants. Just take the National Budget, divide it by the total annual income of everyone, and have that fraction of everyones income withheld from their paychecks, dividend checks, interest income, social security income, capital gains, etc.