kenk

Actually, it isn't ONE NATION, UNDER GOD, WITH LIBERTY AND JUSTICE FOR ALL but ONE NATION UNDER GOD, WITH LIBERTY AND JUSTICE FOR ALL There is no comma after nation. Unfortunately most people have learned the Pledge incorrectly. "One nation under God" should be read as a single phrase, not as two distinct ideas. I heard an interesting comment made by the former speaker of the house Newt Gingrich. He pointed out that our country was founded on the idea that our rights are given to us, not by a government or mankind, but by God. From the Delaration of Independence: "We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness." The sentence previous to this specifies that they are refering to "the Laws of Nature and of Nature's God". The fact that these rights come from God mean that they cannot be taken away by government or mankind. This is a key difference between the U.S. and other countries. If you take away God, you take away the very basic foundation on which our rights/government/society are based. If you take away God, your rights now come from mankind its government, and thus can be taken away by mankind and its government, as proven in China, the Soviet Union, and Nazi Germany. It is a very powerful idea.

There may have been some misunderstanding. I was speaking of the BuckTool, which was Buck's equivalent of the Leatherman multitool. This particular model made by Buck Knives is no longer in production. Info on it is available at http://www.finest1.com/bucktool/ . Equipped.com did a review of it at www.equipped.com/bucktool.htm . Buck Knives, the company, as you say, is very much alive and well and living in Post Falls, ID. They defintely make some GREAT knives. I especially like the Summit, though I don't have one. I wish it had some form of scissors on it. One of my favorite folders is my Buck 500, which is a drop-point bladed folder slightly shorter than the legendary Folding Hunter. Ironically, Leatherman is about to come out with a new line of knives that look VERY much like the Summit. Info is at http://www.equipped.com/lm_knives.htm (they are having some server problems during the few weeks, so be patient).

Pack Committee Chair Though the Pack leaders know - and deaply appreciate - how much work they do, most of the parents seem not to have a clue that they even exist. Unfortunately the Cubmaster gets all the parental recognition and glory. I should know, I was a Cubmaster with a GREAT Committee Chair.

The best this Scout can do at this time is to donate to the American Red Cross ... and that's what I did. My company is matching 1-for-1, so my donation was doubled. I can only wish I could do more to help.

I just got both Boys' Life and Scouting today (9/3/05). By the way, I never realized that Boys' is plural. Ever since I was 11 years old (30 years) I though of it as a "boy's life" (singular). Hmmm. That's OK, it wasn't until a few years ago that I noticed that the somewhat popular singing group wasn't really "The Beetles".

Yeah, I also have a Buck Tool. While the handle folding mechanism was interesting, but it simply doesn't work well. It appears Buck & its customers recognized that since the Buck Tool hasn't been in production for quite a few years. I think you'd like the "new" Leatherman Wave. You can tell the difference between the old and new versions by the removable driver bits. The old version didn't have them.

Canoing the Boundary Waters is a wonderful experience that doesn't have to cost a lot. Some quick Googles: http://www.boundarywaters.com/scouts.html http://www.elyoutfitters.com/nonprofit.htm http://www.canoeit.com/scouts.cfm http://www.vnorth.com/vn/nichols000807/index.html http://www.gunflintoutfitters.com/scout_groups/testimonials.cfm

The Wilderness Survival merit badge book lists the follow types of natural shelters: fallen trees; hollow trees; boulders; piled up snow; caves; tree pit (naturally sheltered area around the base of a large evergreen where snow hasn't accumulated; small gulley, under a tree, large shrub, or rock outcrop; hollow in soft ground. They describe propping branches up against a boulder, weaving smaller branches horizontally, and then draping a rescue blanket or large sheet of plastic over the branches and weighing them down with rocks. They say if you lack a ground cloth to use a substantial mat of branches to provide insulation from the ground. Cody Lundin, a very well known survival expert, recommends carrying a mylar rescue blanket, a heavy duty space blanket with grommets, two 55 gallon garbage bag, and at least 50 feet of 550-pound test parachute cord. Others recommend carrying a silicone-coated nylon tarp for shelter. Others like the Adventure Medical bivy-bag, or the Tacoma Mountain Rescue Storm Shelter - both available at REI.com and other places. I've been watching the Brat Camp show on ABC, and couldn't help but notice how often you see them using the closed-cell foam pads for laying & sitting. I've long thought these pads utility to be underestimated. In cool weather one or more of these could be a real lifesaver. Though I'm no expert, in my own minimal-sized kit (Doug Ritter Personal Survival Pak, plus a small first aid kit, mini-Bic lighter, Kadadyn Micropur tablets, Ritter RSK Mk1 knife, Photon Freedom light, shelter, 32 oz Nalgene bottle, and an orange bandanna) I've selected to carry a Tacoma Mountain Rescue shelter. I also almost always carry a bivy-poncho, a wide-brimmed hat, DEET, a steel cup, good compass (the one in the survival pak is very small), and at least some form of a map of the area with me. For my son, who will be starting Boy Scouts in the spring, I have purchased a Personal Survival Pak and together we will work on added the additional components and skills to keep him safe out there. He already has a first aid kit, a small lock-blade knife, a good WindStorm whistle, two large 33 gallon orange trash bags, an orange bandanna, and a Princeton-Tec LED keychain light from the survival kit his Cub Scout den made last year. I suppose that just means adding a better knife, a mini-Bic lighter, Micropur tablets, and a better shelter. At some point I'll add a large clear transpiration plastic bag to be used to collect water from branchs, but I haven't found a suitable bag yet.

If it helps, here are two very good reviews from Equipped.com - a not-for-profit organization. Doug Ritter is well known in the personal survival arena, and provides an independent point of view: Leatherman Charge & Wave: http://www.equipped.org/lm_charge-wave.htm Gerber 800 Legend: http://www.equipped.org/gerber_legend.htm

I tend to lean toward Leatherman multitools - my personal favorites are the LM Charge Ti and the Wave, though I have more than several Gerber knives. I have also heard good things about the Victorinox SwissTool and SOG multitools. Some of the current Leatherman models are designed such that the main blades can be opened directly, without opening the pliars. On my "must have" list of multitool features: Locking Main Blades Pliars Wirecutter Scissors Can Opener Lanyard/Cord Atttachment Screwdriver - becoming more complicated as the variety of screw heads out there increases Saw blade

I stumbled upon this for my Cub Scout den: Take three strands of yarn - I prefer three different colors so that the boys can see what happened better. Insert a small eye-screw into the end of a drill. Cut 15 foot lengths of each color of yarn and tie them to the eye. Using the drill, twist the yarn as much as possible while someone is holding the non-drill end. Now the cool part - have the person holding the non-drill end carefully let go just enough to let the rope twist. It will automatically turn into rope.

We've considered games such as this for Cub Scouts and the boys have had absolutely no interest in them at all. Scout young and old just don't seem to like SPAM at all. ;-D

Some more ... http://www.troop41sg.org http://www.members.aol.com/yorkvilletroop40/handbook.html http://troop2bsa.org/pt_handbook.html http://home.swbell.net/eaglesct/parents.html http://www.frontiernet.net/~troop292/

They're all over the web. Try doing some Google searches and I'm sure you'll find some. Here are some possible links: http://www.troop849.org/memberGeneral.html http://www.bsatroop891.org/join891.html http://home.comcast.net/~mycales/445index.htm http://www.troop623.com/index.htm

Is there anywhere on the internet where I can get the requirements for the Junior GS Badges? I find a bunch of sites with links to topic information - research sites, but I cannot find a list of badge requirements.

Glad to help. Don't forget to look through http://www.equipped.com and share what you find with your whole family. It is a great site devoted to saving people from the unexpected. The forum is great too, though you will find some visitors who tend a little too much toward survivalist thinking (preping for "the end of the world as we know it" or TEOTWAWKI). Ken

Though I am a Cub Scout leader, I am interested in survival methods so a few weeks ago while visiting the summer camp I bought the merit badge book and entered the list of items into my Palm, which I happen to have with me. By the way, an EXCELLENT reference is http://www.equipped.com - it is listed at the end of the merit badge book. Doug Ritter, who runs this site, has put together a Personal Survival Pak that contains much of this stuff - the highest of quality items - at a fairly low price (about $25). This PSP is described in the web site. You local outdoor shop probably carries it. The book says that a Scout should carry: SCOUTING 10 ESSENTIALS: Pocketknife First-aid kit Extra clothing Rain gear Water bottle - filled Flashlight - w/ fresh batteries Trail food - not to be stored in tents Matches and fire starters - consider a lighter or sparker - many use cotton balls smeared w/ Vaseline Sunscreen - sun protection - hat, sunscreen, lip balm Map and Compass ADDITIONAL RECOMMENDED ITEMS: Garbage bag - 30+ gallon, bright color - contact your local road dept. for orange ones Whistle on coiled wrist lanyard or break-away neck lanyard - blow in bursts of 3 to call for help OTHER ITEMS TO CARRY: Duct tape Signal devices - mirror, bright orange bandanna Two or three bouillon cubes Two or three flavored drink-mix packets Two or three adhesive bandages Money for a phone call Nylon fishing line (50 ft) and hooks Thin (18 guage)wire (24 ft) Cell phone - or Personal Locator Beacon (PLB) Personal Medications They also recommend a partro-level first aid kit, but I don't have that written down with me. Other items you might consider: water purification gear - Micropur tablets - stored in 1 quart Ziploc freezer bag (acts as container) bright plastic flagging tape w/ Sharpie marker - for writting notes on the flags - Staples sells 1/2-sized Sharpie markers Sewing/Repair kit Metal cup suitable for boiling water - Nalgene bottle or Sierra type Insect Repellent w/ DEET Sitting pad - small closed cell foam pad or Tyvek envelope stuffed with leaves Paracord or braided polyester cord - 1-4 rolls Pencil & Paper Toilet Paper in ziplock bag - decent tinder too Other recommendations: Leave a trip plan with a responsible person Use the buddy-system ALWAYS Dress or take clothing for the weather STOP as soon as you realize you are lost or in trouble!!! Stay where you are! Don't try to keep walking. Help will find you. Make it easy for searchers to find you - find a clearing if possible Make a signal - blow your whistle, hang a bright flag, signal with your mirror Know your parents and searchers are worried and looking for you, they are not angry Stay away from deep or fast water, marshes Only drink clean water Don't climb high onto trees or steep surfaces Carry a walking stick and watch your step - not really applicable if you've STOPPED

My family attended a Cub Scout campout at our council's summer camp, and seeing the wall tents brought back a rush of memories from my own days at Scout summer camp. My wife was surprised that there wasn't any mosquito netting on the tents and wondered how the boys survived the buggy nights in those tents. I recall that we used rectangular mosquito netting that we put over our cots, but for the life of me I can't remember how these were hung inside the wall tents. I thought there might be some grommetted tabs or tie-offs, but there weren't. How do you hang the mosquito netting in the wall tents?

John D. Are you in NE Illinois? Your description sounds exactly like Cub Scout Day Camp at Camp Oakarro. My son would have been going to his 4th year of Day Camp next week, but unfortunatly broke his collarbone while at the Cub Scout Fun-with-Son at MaKaJaWan last weekend. Bummer.

Not sure if you'd heard, but apparently the lost Scout that was recently found said he'd seen several searchers but hid from them since they were strangers. Teach your kids to stay put as soon at you don't know where you are (not 30 minutes later), make themselves visible, blow that whistle, and don't be afraid of strangers - they are helping mom & dad look for you. Oh, and don't try to climb stuff (trees, rocks, cliffs) and don't try to wade through water (lakes, streams, wetlands). Stay put!!!!! I also had my Bear den put together fanny packs and developed my own version of Hug-a-Tree based upon information I could find on-line. A GREAT soruce of information is at http://www.equipped.com/kidsrvl.htm'>http://www.equipped.com/kidsrvl.htm . For adults, see http://www.equipped.com . The packs contained: Cheap fanny pack from http://www.orientaltrading.com'>http://www.orientaltrading.com . It works. 1 large orange plastic trash bag - bought them on line from http://www.spectrumtrashbags.com but you might check with your local highway dept. that often uses them for roadside cleanups. 1 whistle on a plastic "expando" wristband - bought these from http://www.orientaltrading.com . For my own kids I swaped out the cheaper whistle with orange Windstorm whistles from http://www.wind-storm-whistles.com . 1 Princeton Tec Pulsar LED light added to the "expando" wristband - got these on a major sale from http://www.campmor.com . They had a corporate logo on them - kids didn't care. This is mostly for shining at anything that bump in the night. 12 hours of burn time in a tiny package!! Since then, my own kids have added: 1 orange bandanna from http://www.wholesaleforeveryone.com . These are good for waving at searchers, swatting flies, soaking up water, drying tears, etc.. 1 small pocketknife. Can't think of a better place to store them. Might be helpful for cutting a hole in the plastic bag too. I've been thinking about adding a small bottle of lotion DEET, but would need slightly bigger fanny packs for that.

I used to e-mail lots of pictures to the parents of my Cub Scout den. At some point I even started burning CDs. I finally gave up and got an account on Smugmug.com, which is a picture uploading site that costs $30/year. They provide unlimited storage, but apparently limit the bandwidth - which is simply the number of hits per time on your site (not a problem if you're not running a public sales site). I can even order a CD that contains the pictures - as a kind of backup. Now I take lots of pictures, then I upload the ones I like to my Smugmug.com page and parents can view them, download them, and even order prints. It saves me a lot of time and trouble and is much more convenient for the other boys' parents. If you decide to sign up for their service I think you can get some kind of discount by entering my Smugmug site address: . You'll note that the scout and school pictures have a password - that is because they have pics of other people's kids.

If you haven't read it, I heartily recommend "98.6 Degrees: The Art of Keeping Your Ass Alive" by Cody Lundin. It is a fun and informative read and could save your (or someone else's) life one day. I wish the father or leaders of the Scout currently lost in Utah had read this book (assuming he is simply lost).

It is kind of an oddd thing, but I find myself unable to purchase a Silva compass in the U.S. because of the history behind them: In 1996 Silva SE (of Sweden) bought Brunton (of the U.S.). It turned out that the U.S. trademark on "Silva" was owned by Johnson Outdoors (who also owns Eureka! tents and Old Town canoes), who had distributed Silva compasses for Silva SE (of Sweden). Johnson Outdoors would not give up the U.S. trademark, so Silva SE couldn't sell compasses in their own name because they didn't own the U.S. trademark. Now in the U.S.: Compasses made by Silva SE (of Sweden) are sold under the trademark of Brunton or Nexus. Compasses sold under the trademark of Silva are made not by Silva, but by someone else, supposedly Suunto. While Suuntos are fine compasses, I'm bothered by the whole trademark thing and therefore will not buy U.S. Silva compasses, even though I like and buy other Johnson Outdoors products. Instead I buy Bruntons (either the compasses designed by Brunton or the "REAL" Silva compasses) or Suuntos marked as such. A lot of people in the U.S. buy Silva compasses thinking that they are getting the same compasses that they purchased long ago (such as the Ranger), but they are being fooled. The classic Silva Ranger - actually made by Silva SE, is now the Brunton 15TDCL. Like I said, its a weird thing.

Sounds like fun! Just make sure scavenger hunts are allowed in the camp. Our local state park, which we use for our Pack overnights, specifically forbids scavenger hunts.

I'm curious how many boys were eating breakfast that morning. As a Cub Scout Den Leader I've only had the pleasure to eat with Boy Scouts twice, and both times I was kind of surprised to find them cooking at a pack-level. As a matter of fact there was no sign of patrol-level anything. It would seem that a patrol would be small enough to make it fairly easy to make sure each boy got food. I do like the cooks eat last idea too. Also, both times the adult leaders were VERY involved in the cooking. That surprized me. When I was a boy, us boys did ALL the cooking by partrol and by ourselves. Yes, we ate lots of strange meals (macraroni & cheese soup, scrambled pancakes, and carbonized mystery meat), but we also had the satisfaction and fun of doing it ourselves.