KoreaScouter

BSA doesn't require uniforms, even though it's one of our 8 methods. Unless or until they do, units will continue to have this problem. You can beg, suggest, encourage, cajole, bribe, whatever. But if push comes to shove, you can't force a boy to wear any part of a uniform, let alone a full uniform. Our Troop is fully uniformed, although the Troop custom I inherited is full uniform on the first meeting of the month, and activity shirts for the remainder of the meetings. I've asked the Green Bars to wear full uniform to all meetings (usual reasons), and I'm getting about a 90% compliance rate. Little KS is playing football right now, and I help with the team. I've never heard a football parent complaining about the uniforms and other accessories they need to play as being impractical. That only seems to be a Scouting phenomenon. It's funny though, when their sons are more experienced and a good bit along the Eagle trail, they tend to fall in line if they stuck with it that long. I wouldn't fret it if I were you. You do the best you can and accept the fact that you can change clothes, but you can't change people's attitudes until they're ready to change themselves. KS

Cheffy; At a properly run OA Ordeal weekend, there is no hazing. Although OA is youth-run, there are adult advisors present, and all Guide to Safe Scouting BSA policies apply. Plus, there will almost certainly be adult candidates going their Ordeal at the same time, in the same place. These adults are also volunteer leaders, and probably parents, too -- very unlikely they'd tolerate or condone hazing. Remember, these parents have a trump card if they're genuinely concerned. All Scouting activities are open to observation/visits by parents at any time. All it should take is a call to the Lodge Advisor beforehand, and I'm sure they could work something out that would satisfy their concerns and at the same time not detract from the experience for their sons. KS

I was stationed in Korea at the time, and that time in our time zone was 9:00 p.m. We had just put the kids to bed, and didn't have the TV on. The phone rang, it was the command post, recalling me to work. The next several months were a blur, but I can count the number of days off we had on the fingers of one hand. Fast forward to 2004, and the third anniversary finds me back in Korea, this time just for a month, part of a team revising defense plans at various joint use bases here. Early in the morning on Sept 11th, our team pulled out of the base we were staying at in Pusan to head for our next stop, and I noticed more combat police than usual on post, in the rain, outside our gates. I dismissed it, since they're always out there in some number, and figured there must have been a demonstration scheduled or some similar event. Three hours later through continuous driving rain, as we turned onto the access road to our next location, I noticed the combat police buses from a distance, and scores of combat police posted outside the gate there, too. Soaked to the skin, they stood a silent sentinel while we pulled in the gate. As the senior Korean military guard checked our IDs against the visitor list, I asked him if they were expecting trouble since there were extra combat police on post. He pointed to the calendar on the wall and circled the date with his pen. I was immediately reminded that his country has been a staunch ally of ours for 50 years, including this war on terrorism, that they are no stranger to terrorist attacks themselves, and that our alliance now places a bullseye on their country and its people. It's funny, we Americans collectively have more in common historically and culturally with the countries of western Europe, but when it comes to understanding what 9-11 was all about, the Koreans "get it" in ways our European allies just don't seem to. We expect 9-11 to be etched into the consciousness of Americans, but to think that a pen stroke on a wall calendar, on a rainy Saturday in South Korea, by a 22 year-old Korean military conscript who's probably never been to America, could mean the exact same thing to him and to me, is something I don't think I'll ever forget... KS

In my opinion, if your desired end-state has some gender specificity, then the criteria and methods used to get there must also. The reverse would be true if your desired end-state is gender-neutral. An oversimplification, but suggests this is not an either-or issue, but somewhat situational. I'm always amused when men are "bashed" for creating most of the conflict in the world. That may be true, but I would submit that it's also largely irrelevant if who we're talking about are people in positions of national leadership and power. Men have traditionally held most of these positions and the means to wield that power, so of course they've created most of the conflict. But, by the same token, men have resolved most of the conflict in the world, for the same reasons. If women have not created their fair share of world conflict, it's only because they have not held the reins of power in proportion to their share of the population. If you look at situations in which women have held the reins of power in given countries, they are no less involved in conflict than men are. Golda Meir, Margaret Thatcher, Megawati Sukarnoputri, Gloria Macapagal Arroyo, Indira Gandhi, and the recent female Pakistani PM whose name I can't recall, are all examples that come quickly to mind. They may not have started it, but took measures to deal with it decisively. In other words, if you smooth the data to account for the sample size, are female national leaders any less likely to be involed in conflict than male national leaders? My guess is no; regardless of gender, they deal with the reality that's presented to them. I don't think that's a negative. If you want a boy to be a good carpenter, the person who teaches him may be a good male or female carpenter -- doesn't matter one whit. If you want a boy to be a good man, the person who teaches him should be a good man. Am I a Neanderthal? KS

I don't mean to put words in peoples' mouths, but I think many of us (maybe me included) consider "mentor" and "serve as a role model" interchangeably. Using the definition of mentor that I understand, I think a female or a male can serve equally well, given most circumstances. However, it gets a little fuzzier for me when I look at serving as a role model. Before I have to start ducking spears with Rooster, let me say that I think there are situations in which a female can serve as a role model for a male youth; educational, vocational, etc. But, I think that when we use term in the BSA context, we're talking mainly about serving as a male role model. In other words, modeling positive, wholesome adult male behavior in hopes the lads will behave similarly when they're grown. Again, I may be wrong, but I have more than a few Scouts, being raised by single moms, who have declined program delivery (ASM) roles and opted for committee positions because they want their sons to have...you guessed it, male role models in the execution. I understand their point. My dad died when I was four, and my older brother provided mostly a bad example. My mom did everything she could, but steered me toward activities, like Scouting, that exposed me to positive male role models. I find myself using their examples to raise my son now. But, isn't that the idea? I don't mean to come across as some sort of chauvinist, and hope my comments aren't taken that way. I think the optimal situation for any child is to be raised in a home with a loving mother and father. And, they learn a tremendous amount about how to deal with the opposite sex by watching how their parents deal with each other, and the give-and-take that comes with a healthy relationship. There's a role for an adult man and an adult woman, and they're not the same role. I think it was George Carlin who said, to paraphrase, that if your kid needs a role model and you ain't it, you've both got a problem. If any parents criticize the gender of a Pack's leaders, that's a golden opportunity to call those dads out and have them sign up...or shut up? I've had my experience, training, and "street creds" questioned on occasion, and I always respond by offering to step aside in favor of someone more experienced, more knowledeable, or more "local". Funny, no takers. KS

Roger that, but at the same time, we're expected to make sure that camp menus make sense, they're practicing "thrifty", that we use methods that achieve the aim of physical fitness, and that we coach and mentor and lead our Scouts toward healthy lifestyles. Sure, they can drink whatever their parents allow them to, but that doesn't prevent me from staying informed, steering them toward healthier alternatives, and insisting that the vending machines at summer camp offer water, sugar free drinks, and fruit juice in addition to the Coke and Mt. Dew... KS

Watch the ingredients, even on the sports drinks. Some are glucose based (better I'm told), and some contain high-fructose corn syrup, the stuff that dieticians say is making us all fat. I'm a big label-reader... KS

I gotta admit, I trade quality for convenience WRT coffee in the wild. Mrs. KS gets me these packets of coffee mix from the asian market. They're cylindrical and hold coffee, cream, and sugar for one cup. The empty cylinder, if you hold it right, can stir the whole mess in your cup after you pour the water in. Tastes great (considering) and comes in flavors, too. KS

I'm the father of a teenage boy, and while there are certainly things he would be "uncomfortable" discussing with me in the room, nothing related to Scouting is on that list. And, the same is true for all the Green Bars in our Troop. It's their program, they drive it, and they know it. In our troop, I think peer pressure is a bigger human dynamic with them than parental influence is, when it comes to PLC decisions: "...C'mon, man, we went there twice last year..." and hands will start to go down. A "no parents" rule is unenforceable if a parent knows BSA policy and presses-to-test...although you might be able to get away with a gag rule. I've experienced parental interference to the point where it affects the program delivery for the youths. This is a time for a SM or CC to play the role of union steward on behalf of the lads. I always try to start at the low end of the conflict spectrum, but I'll escalate as high as I need to to get the behavior change that's needed, short of fisticuffs. Yes, I've publicly embarrassed parents who were behaving boorishly, but as an exception, not the rule. And, in fairness, boorish behavior is the exception, not the rule in my experience. Mostly, it's well-meaning parents who are accustomed to things being "smooth" and "efficient" in their work, family, and leisure activities and want to see the same in their son's Scout Troop. I go out of my way to make sure our parents know that when adolescent boys are learning to lead, to plan, and to think abstactly, the process is in no danger of being called smooth, efficient, or slick. And, those aren't our aims anyway. I think they get it. A fair number of our parents are also registered as leaders, so they have a good idea of what everyone's role is. The ones who aren't also leaders, seem to watch what goes on the same way Jane Goodall observed groups of chimps in the wild -- with a sense of bewildered admiration: "...I'm not sure I understand it all, but they're enjoying themselves and it seems to be working...". If you go back and read MMHardy's original post, you'll see straight away that committee members were at the table with the Green Bars at their PPC. I don't know why you'd do that, but if you do, for whatever reason, it sets up an awkward situation and that's what they got. KS

If you PM me with your e-mail address, I'll figure out a way to get them to you. I have a number of high-res digitals. KS

Scoutldr's spot on; most families and many if not most Scouters don't understand BSA above the unit level, and how many volunteers it takes to really make this thing go. The irony is that the same people who bash the District/Council run like they stole something when they're asked to volunteer. Sadly, many people who shy away from adult leader roles because of available time, impatience with boys, whatever, would be a great fit working with adults at the District level. We've got too few commissioners, too. One of our District's large charter orgs is shaking the tree to get more vols, many of whom have no Scouting experience. The jury's still out... KS

You know what, I did get back into TM, and there's general purpose forms that print out with all the names, organized by patrol. Just what I needed! KS

It's all legal, since all Scouting activities are open to parents. We did our last PPC in several two-hour sessions, and many of our Green Bars' parents stayed rather than drive back and forth. The lads were up front, the parents in the back of the room, and the parents just watched. IMO, their opportunity for input is when the proposed plan is presented to the committee. I don't know why a parent's presence at a PPC would inhibit a boy's input. Selection of a monthly theme, or where to go camping, shouldn't cause any tension between a boy and his mom. It sure doesn't stifle any of our boys! KS

I actually had to draw arrows on the pages so the Troop Scribe could line the names up with the boxes -- they're that skewed. Maybe I need to dig into the TM utilities a little more than I have; if I can print a few sheets of paper that'll do the same thing as the TRB, that might solve my problem. KS

OK, here's the problem. Troop Record Book pages don't line up. They only have room for 42 Scouts. Shuffle patrols, or get adds/drops, and your book's a mess. I need help; does anyone know of an excel spreadsheet-thing that clones the TRB, especially the attendance pages? Please don't tell me TroopMaster. We use it, but not to take meeting attendance and I don't lug a computer on every outing. KS

I'm not an IT guy, but I understand it's a simple matter to map IP addresses & quickly determine if multiples are coming from the same computer -- moderator can do that if it's important enough... I trace the decline in civility to the invention of the telephone -- the computer's only made it worse. KS

Nobody needs to complain about a Scout or volunteer adult for more than a year. The system's self-cleansing. If their behavior isn't compatible with your program, don't put them on your recharter and let their membership with your unit expire. I'm not suggesting an ambush, but if you're going to talk with them anyway? KS

Okay, FOG, I'll play your game. Why not, indeed? National sets requirements; presumably, they can set them anywhere. Come to think of it, we watch videos and consider ourselves trained... KS

Strip away the politics, and it comes down to accepting the tradeoffs we make, collectively. If you want to cook or heat your home, the gas has to come from somewhere. Want to turn on a light? The electricity has to be generated somewhere. We want cheap gas, but no new drilling. Cheap electricity, but no nuclear plants. We want our trash to "go away", but no new landfill

Mass e-mails, COH announcements, and form letters are like eating a rice cake -- you're going through the motions, but not getting satisfied. I've had good luck sizing people up, and asking one-on-one when I need them. KS

Some say the glass is half full, some say the glass is half empty. I say, the glass is too darn big. Put another way, you can argue the MB requirements are easier, or more difficult than they used to be. Fact is, some are easier, and some are more difficult. Ultimately, it doesn't matter. One main purpose of the MB program is to give Scouts an exposure or introduction to hobbies, vocations, and topics they

I have a multi-pocket red vest, not the felt, but made out of a cotton/poly blend. It's lined with a mesh to help it breathe. I put event patches on the back, and on the front I have my name embroidered, unit number, a CSP, and my WB patrol emblem. I put everything in those pockets, then I'm not sitting on them, can get at them while I'm walking, sitting, driving, whatever. I don't wear it with

The NPS goes to great lengths to warn you how dangerous it can be. The Saturday before we got there, a man died right there when he ventured out onto the recently formed shelf, and it broke off, tumbling him and some tons of lava rock (terra not-so-firma) into the ocean. You have to actually walk past the flow under your feet to get a view of it rolling into the water. You know when you're right over it from the heat and smell. If it's dark enough, the glow comes up through the cracks in the lava rock. I guess it's dangerous in the sense that visiting the DMZ in Korea is dangerous -- in a potential sense. Lots of guns and p.o.'d guys all around you, but not a lot of actual shooting on a daily basis. At Volcanoes, if you get a group over a weak part of crust and it fails, they turn into human fondue. But, it doesn't happen often. So, it may not have been the smartest thing I ever did, but was far from the dumbest. KS

Our Venture Patrol has a HAT planned for Jan 2-8th of '05. We're staying at the Kiluea Military Camp, right inside the park. They're sorting out their desired activities right now, but they will include hiking the crater, watching the lava flow, stargazing on Mauna Kea, and hiking as far up Mauna Loa as we can. Additional musts are Ken's House of Pancakes in Hilo, and the Hawaiian Style Cafe in Kamuela. I couldn't sp

(My posts have been getting truncated lately; if it looks like I fell asleep mid-message and my nose hit the "submit" button, please forgive me...) It's not our mission to produce Eagle Scouts. Hence, I don't measure my performance by how many I crank out (hatch?), and tend to hold at arm's length those Scouters who do. When a Scout tells me his goal is to earn Eagle, I encourage him to think of Eagle as an intermediate goal, followed by Palms, and continued service in OA, as a Scouter, and so on. Many Scouts earn their Eagle and then quit, because they reached their goal -- push that goal out until they have kids of their own in the program and they're hopelessly hooked like we are! I don't spoon-feed Life Scouts. At the Life conference, I make sure they know what they need, and our council provides the project workbook, and other materials, along with the Life badge. I check in with them regularly, to see how they're balancing school, family, work if applicable, other extracurriculars, etc., with Scouting. I make sure they have opportunities for leadership, service, and Merit Badges they may need, with an eye on their desires, available time, and their birthdays. I'm not aloof, but I don't open their mouths and cram a project in either. I also converse with parents along the way to see how he's doing, what kind of time he has, how his grades are, and so on. I'll lead a new Scout working on his Tenderfoot by the hand -- I expect a Life Scout to not need a ding-dong school on planning and goal setting. On the subject of parents, their involvement is critical. Support, understanding, cheerleading, encouragement, nudges when necessary, should come from them as much as from me -- they know the lad better than anyone. I would suggest that it's a very rare Scout who earns his Eagle without the active support of his family. I've never seen one; if you have, please tell me about him. KS