KurtB

( long post alert ) Let's see if I understand this... - This is not a "Troop Function". - The money is being donated to the Troop, after the fact, by a 3rd party. - The labor for the beer booth is being provided by Adults with something in common (scouts, beer, fun, etc.), NOT because they are Scout Leaders. - The labor for the soda booth is provided by Kids of scouting age (not scouts, but childen between the ages of 14 and 18). - There is no promotion of Scouting (uniforms, signs, etc.). Assuming all of this is correct... - The CO would have no say in the event. - The CO could decide if the donation would be accepted or not - as it would be a donation to them (they own the unit). - The Troop would have no say in the planning of who works (it is not a Troop activity). - There could not be any "mandatory" work requirement focused on the members of the Troop or their Parents (it is not a Troop activity). Bottom line... It could be done as a "non-troop event" but the way it is being presented sure does make it look like it is a troop event, and not just a 3rd party that is really interested in supporting the local troop. - "Friends of Troop XXX". - Telling customers that the workers are members of the the Troop. - Mandatory work requirements. - Complaints about having to wear the uniform of the Fair instead of the scouting uniform. Call it what it is - A Troop Fundraiser - and get the proper aproval or don't do the event. I agree that $8000 is a lot of money to walk away from - but a Scout is morally straight, obedient, thrifty (learn to work with less if necessary - no troop NEEDS a climbing wall). JMNSHO YMMV Kurt

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Juris, I went back and read all 8 of your current posts (including the one where you referred to another member of this community as a 'jerk'). It appears that the #1 thing that was done to increase your program was to working with the sports teams to keep the schedules from interfering with your troop plans. What I don't understand is... You claim to have had a "waiting list" of scouts wanting to join that caused your district/council to split your troop. I was not aware that there was a limit on the number of scouts a troop could have. Or was that one of the things that you added to make your program more inviting? Because your troop size shrunk (due to the forced split), you no longer had the influence on the coaches. What prevented the scouts that were moved to the other troop from transferring back to your troop? If your program was really that strong, they would have come bursting down the doors - at least the people on the "waiting list". It sounds like (if there really was a troop at all), that a different troop was started, following the BSA program (not just the parts you agreed with), and members RAN from your group - to the other one. Just my opinion (normally I don't feed the trolls, but I could not resist this one). Kurt

I bridged from Webelos to Boy Scouts in 1979. I still have all of my Cub Scout uniform patches (Rank, Arrow points, AOL, etc.). Up until I got married 12 years ago, they were hanging in my house, but not on the Shirt. The shirt got passed on to another cub scout, the same way as how I came to have the shirt. The wife of our Webelos den leader made each scout a wall hanging consisting of all of our badges, sewn onto "cub scout blue" fabric - the fabric was then hung via 3 loops on an arrow. There were no "panted arrows" or anything like what have seen done now, just a square piece of fabric, hung from an arrow, that reminded each of us of what we accomplished in scouting. I hope to do something similar for my sons Den, but that is still 4 years away... Kurt

B&G is the birthday party for Cub Scouting. Why does anybody not do their B&G in February? That is sort of like celebrating my November birthday in June...

Blue and Gold is a birthday party for the Cub Scout program, complete with cake, clowns, and pony rides (actually no pony rides, but some other form of entertainment is a must). Ranks are awarded as they are earned. We do crossover and AOL ceremonies, at B&G if the cubs are ready. Because this is a "goal" for the scouts and the W2 den - we have very few that are not ready. This past year, we did have one boy that was not able to complete the AOL work by B&G. He elected not to cross over, and to work on the remainder of the AOL requirements. I have not checked with the DL, but the AOL should be awarded at the Pack meeting later this month. Our B&G is atteneded by members of the CO and many of the grandparents, aunts, uncles, etc. of the cubs. Some of those adults that are not directly involved, may not understand the work that is involved with earning rank advancements - the awarding of the parent pins could be used as a gateway to a BRIEF explination of what was learned. May need to look into that further - our Pack does not currently award the parent pins. Kurt

This is a "sticky subject" that has been discussed quite a bit on the board (sorry, could not pass up the obvious pun). I use BadgeMagic for the "temporary" patches that will be replaced periodically (Quality Unit, Badge of Office, etc). I made the decision having seen the edges of the patches on other Scouter uniforms start to loosen up over time. So if it is staying on the uniform more than a year, (two at the most) then I sew it on. For my son's red "Brag Vest", all of the patches & segments are sewn on. It is a little more work, and takes a little longer, but should keep them from having to be fixed. As in all things YMMV. Kurt

The main problem with soap is not taste (unless you are soaking your DO in hot soapy water for hours at a time, and even that will not be a big problem). The problem with soap is that the soap takes off the protective coating provided by the process of seasoning the Dutch Oven. If cast iron absorbing tase was really an issue, lets all hope we are keeping seperate ovens for "hot and spicy", "Garlic", "Sweet Stuff", etc. as any of these types of dishes, when cooked for the hours that are sometimes required, would give the cast iron more than enough time to absorb the taste (garlic cake anybody?). A "swish & rinse" with soapy and clean water will not effect the tase. (It can however contribute to rusting as it will remove the oil coating provided by the seasoning process). Kurt

I have not seen it as I cannot find anywhere in the Chicago area showing it. The official web site did not list a single theater in Illinois or Wisconsin that is showing it. As for playing Roger Ebert... He did review it on TV (Sunday) here in Chicagoland both he and Richard Roper thought it was terrible. They said that the acting was shallow (equated it to reading the Dagwood comic strip), and the story line was lacking - paraphrasing the review "How can an adult get so worked up over racing a little wood car? It is just not believable." They also said "the younger the person watching the film, the better." Sounds like it would be a good movie to take a pack of cub scouts to, even if the acting is bad - most of the 1st through 5th graders that I know, don't understand what good acting is. And some of them have seen first hand how out of control an adult can get around PWD time. Kurt

I would rather have a Playboy reader lead my sons troop than I would a smoker. At least he doesn't bring his Playboy on camping trips and read it around the campfire or sneak out to his truck every 30 minutes to gaze at the centerfold. Based on the original scenario, the magazine was sitting on the bathroom counter, not hidden under the sink, while a commitee meeting was going on. I took this as an indication that Mr. Z did not care if other people knew of his interest in pornography. Certinaly if he cared, he would have put the magazine away for the evening. Of course, hiding it brings up other issues that we are not discussing (yet). Character is what happens when nobody is looking Scoutldr, what would make you think that he may not bring it out while sitting around the campfire (just like I may bring out a Stephen King novel) and start reading it? Many, if not all, of us have heard stories of people reading Playboy, Penthouse, etc. while sitting on an airplane. Why would sitting around a campfire be any different to somebody that does not think twice about leaving an "adult" magazine sitting on the counter in his house. To answer the original questions: 1. Maybe 2. Not based on this 1 scenario. 3. Maybe 4. If I had reason to based on other dealings with him I would talk to him, but nobody else until after discussing it with him. If the CO strongly condemns such material, I would discuss it with Mr. Z regardless of previous dealings. 5. I will not be head of the BSA, nor is it the job of the BSA to make that determination, it is the role of the CO. Just my $.02 Kurt

All of the Web sites that I designed are scaled to fit on a 800x600 display. My PC settings are: 1024x768 on the laptop (no external monitor) 1280x1024 on the laptop (17" monitor attached) 1600x1200 on the desktop computer (19" monitor) That way I have more desktop area to work with. I usually have IE, Firefor, Dreamweaver, and something else open at the same time. So far, the eyes can handle it, but I am sure that will change eventually. Kurt

edited: somebody beat me to it...(This message has been edited by KurtB)

I am a new ACM. When going through training last month, either at NLE or the Cub Specific, the issue of uniforms came up in a power point presentation. Plain as day up on the screen, the pants, socks, and hat for the Cub Scout uniform were listed as "Optional". There must have been a shocked look on my face, becuase the trainer asked me about it after the training session. I mentioned that I have been out of scouting for a while, but I thought that at least the pants & socks were still considered required. The "Welcome to Scouting" paperwork that our Pack gives to the new cub scout parents explains the entire uniform - direct from the book. It then goes on to state that the uniform is not required in order to join scouts (also from the book I do believe). Finally is stresses to purchase at least the shirt, and required patches. Most physical activities that the pack does (camping, hikes, bike rides, etc.) we do not require the uniform - and many times tell them NOT to wear it. Those activities "in the public eye" like parades, flag cerimonies, etc, the uniform shirt is required. I khink the reason was related to preasure from the parents concerned with loosing pins or "ruining the expensive shirt." All this may change with the recent changes to the CC, CM, and ACM...but only time will tell. Kurt(This message has been edited by KurtB)

I think this is the correct link to the store: http://www.worldscoutshop.org/ And this is the link to the WOSM web site: http://www.scout.org/front/index.shtml I could be wrong on both, but this is what I had bookmarked... Kurt

BW, I agree with a large portion of what you said, however, reality says that the BSA will at some point seek legal advise. You are correct in the fact that they were just the employer. You asked if my employer would seek out a lawyer if I stole a car. If I was employed as an auto mechanic (quick examples of semi-related industries that came to mind), and there is even a remote chance that what I did may have taken place "on the clock" - I don't know of a responsible employer that would NOT seek council (at least for advise). We do not know the full story. We may NEVER know the full story. Let's see how it plays out, and remind everybody that brings it up - one bad person does not represent the entire body of Scouting. And while you are reminding them, it may be a good time to let them know that we are always looking for volunteers with good moral character -maybe volunteers just like them... Just my $0.02 Kurt

With the sale of the Hoover Education Center in Yorkville, we will be looking for a new home for our annual Spring Camping trip. I will keep that phone number handy when we start working on the schedule.

Thanks for the warm welcome. With the snow flying around today (Ah, spring in Chicago - can't beat it), I sure am glad that the fire is toasty, and the coffee is hot...

well....probably a little bit more lurking, but after hanging around here for 6 months, I figured I should introduce myself. I will be around a little more often and posting a bit as I am a new Assistant Cub Master for my son's Pack - with a lot to learn. My name is Kurt and my son is a Tiger that will be moving to Wolf soon. I was a cub scout from Wolf through AOL, and then a boy scout for about 6 months (unfortunately, the troop that I was in was not very good, and I quickly lost interest). Cub Scouting was one of the best times I ever had, and I am relly excited to see how much my son is liking it as well. Short story about how they recruited me as ACM... I was interested in being the Tiger Den leader, but they had already filled the position by the time I found out about it. I stayed active with my son, and had (am still having) a great time. At Blue and Gold this past February, a friend (the ACM moving to CM) walked up to me and said "You know, if that shirt was a lighter color, you could almost pass for leader...you interested?" I realized that the shirt I had on was a dark Khaki color. I also found out that the other ACM was becoming the CC. My wife would be the first to tell you that I cannot say NO to anybody that asks me to volunteer - especially when it is related to my son. That night, I became the new ACM. So here I am. I have already been through the 4 basic trainings, (FS, NLE, Cub Specific, and YP) now trying to find a time to squeeze BALOO in before our pack camp out at the end of April. Not required (nearly every other leader is BALOO trained) but I figured it would not hurt to get it done sooner than later. I think my wife is right - I don't know when to shut up when talking about scouts... Later, Kurt