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Lisabob

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Everything posted by Lisabob

  1. I'm glad to hear it went well and that your friend/the SM have a common vision of where you think the troop needs to go in order to better serve the boys. Sounds like there could be some real drama along the way, unfortunately. Hopefully, the drama will be dispensed with quickly and you can all get to focusing on having a great program.
  2. Moose, yup. So once again: if the BSA doesn't wish for controversy, then the BSA shouldn't have such controversial policies. Til that time when the BSA recognizes this simple fact, the BSA will continue to reap what it has sown.
  3. rant on/ Calico, Michigan's Republican majority has been bent on fiddling away its efforts and time on many inconsequential things, this apparently being one of them. Keep in mind, we're (um) "blessed" with very, very short term limits in our state legislature and that has resulted in a lot of hyper-oppositional ding bats (both sides!) posturing and spouting off, but not much in the way of good, thoughtful, governance. And heck, since most of them will be term-limited out soon enough, they don't NEED to pay attention to voters, anyway. So nope, I doubt a call to any of the current maj
  4. Brent, Going back to the source: if the BSA doesn't wish for controversy, then the BSA shouldn't have such controversial policies. And they certainly could have handled the petition differently. Even had their public response been "we got this petition and so now we're clarifying..." that would have been better than "we had this super-secret panel that might or might not have actually existed and done the study we claim it did..." and certainly better than "this is what our members want" without actually asking the members. Nope, the BSA brought this flurry of discussion and gla
  5. I don't know if I have really strong feelings one way or the other about this, but geez, doesn't Mr. Perez have something IMPORTANT to do? This seems like some rearranging of deck chairs to me. If pushed to hold an opinion, I guess I'd say that there's some challenge to reflexively assuming that all BSA programs are all about Boy Scouts. Why not adopt the Cub oath for all? After all, many more boys are cubs, than are boy scouts...say that sucker every week for 12 years and you'll remember it just fine. And Mr. Perez's progression argument is silly. He can't be seriously saying that
  6. BSA-87 opines: "Why are there 8 different Active Threads right now about the gays? Really, this has gotten absurd." Well I bet you know this, but here's your answer. Last week, somewhat out of the blue, the BSA publicly renewed its commitment to a membership policy that excludes gays. Their spokesmen then insinuated that this was the result of some sort of polling of the membership or relatively democratic process, yet there is actually very little (any?) evidence to support that. The fact that there has been a lot of discussion since that public announcement is har
  7. There's an international jambo going on around here this week, scouts from 17 different countries participating. Interestingly, none of their leaders seemed to be obese. Also interestingly, most of their leaders are in their early 20s. I can certainly see how that would change a LOT of things about the older scout programs that they can offer.
  8. jblake, FYI: the NAACP has always been open to people of multiple races, was founded by a racially diverse group of people, and in fact did not have a black president until the mid 70s. Probably not the best example for your point.
  9. last I heard, we were now part of the "southern shores" council. Funny, I thought pretty much all of lower peninsula MI was supposed to be one big old council, yet here I sit in SE MI not that far from Ken, and we're evidently in 2 separate councils, still? And roadkill adds a third? Confusing.
  10. Seattle, that's not an extraneous issue. I would not be part of a unit where adults express their frustration by physically pushing other adults around. And so yes, I would be explaining to the current unit leadership that either they assure me this will be dealt with, or my family will do its scouting elsewhere. I also happen to think that when a family is serious about leaving, they ought to do a courtesy of explaining why to the unit's owners and key leaders. If the problem can be corrected, then that's great for all concerned. If not, then at least the family has given a head's up to
  11. Seattle, I agree that the leadership recruitment method I outlined isn't "ideal." Yet, it happens a lot. Don't tell me you've never seen a cub pack tell a group of brand new parents "hey, one of you needs to be DL or you won't have a den!" Heck, that's standard for Tiger dens practically everywhere. But suppose I check references and get to know Johnny's mom. When I check her references, should I be asking them what kind of sex she prefers? As I get to know her via cub den meetings, at what point might I reasonably inquire whether she's a lesbian? Supposing it is Johnny's dad we're
  12. Barry says: "I dont see how this troop will retain 50 percent of its new scouts in six months. A couple more campouts like this and I would be looking for something more fun like sleeping late on Saturday morning. " Well I do agree with that. And the food safety thing is no joke and did need to be addressed. The SM may not be fully aware of how poorly those left in charge oversaw their young scouts and delivered the program, in his absence. Dean should certainly have that discussion with the SM. On the other hand, I don't think that parents of new scouts are well positioned
  13. "I guess that I feel there is never a reason for any adult leader or scout to get physical with another in any way, shape or form. And I was looking for input on who I should talk to about this issue to help the troop move forward as this is an on-going problem. " This is the kicker for me. I would be talking with the SM, CC, and COR to explain to them that my kid isn't going to be in a program where adults solve their problems or vent their frustrations by shoving each other around (literally or figuratively).
  14. Peregrinator, are you familiar with how most cub scout recruiting nights go? Here's my experience. 1. Flyers go out through the local school, local civic groups, local churches, etc. Ads in local paper/radio/whatever. Recruiting booths set up at back to school night, movie in the park night, and so on. 2. Round Up night takes place, often in the local school cafeteria or gym. Hordes of folks, many unknown to you, show up with a boy in tow who wants to be a CUB SCOUT!!!! (excitement!!!) 3. Boys go play some games while parents/grandparents/uncles/somebody fill out paperwork, tu
  15. Dean, I'm glad your son had a good time. Couple of things. 1. You have identified some items that are definite concerns, and I agree you should have a good talk with the SM/friend about this. 2. but you might also want to seriously consider backing away for a bit. I do not want to make light of the issues you raise, but when you (as a parent, unregistered, and new to the troop) are telling a 12 year old PL to sign off on something for your son, you are probably too involved. This doesn't mean you're wrong, but there are other ways to address this that don't include ne
  16. I live in MI, where the local councils have been replaced by a nearly-statewide mega council. Since the new council doesn't yet have shoulder patches, the "old" council patches are still out there. My question: do those/will those old council patches be of much value, once the new council patches appear on the scene? Just curious mostly - I don't really trade, but my son does, occasionally, and he might want to stock up now, if folks think it's worth it.
  17. So Peregrinator, are you suggesting that at recruiting night, pack leaders inquire into the sexual orientations of each parent who shows up with a boy who is eager to join the pack? Umm, no, I'm not going there. Or are we supposed to somehow divine by looking at them, that this one might be gay while that one is definitely straight? My gaydar really isn't that well tuned. Or do only boys who show up with both mother and father present (with matching wedding bands and the same home address?) to join? Or....well you get the picture.
  18. Maybe this is another reason to back away from the frequently-lampooned and shallow use of Native American lore as the basis for a scouting honor society. (I know this will upset Eagle92, but in truth a lot of folks in a lot of places just do this really poorly anyway.)
  19. Hi Snug, Better than letting the kids' moms know - let the KIDS know. Have the SM explain to them about the BSA's desire not to be used as a lure for other fundraisers. 14 year olds might say "well that's dumb" but they also ought to be able to understand, or at a minimum recognize the need to comply. And I do hope that by age 14, their mothers aren't still dressing them. In this case, I'd say, let the boy run with it. This is how your troop has been handling the service hour requirements and it doesn't make sense to do an abrupt change right now without laying some ground work
  20. Like anything, this could be done well, or done poorly. But let me give an example of why I think it could be helpful for non-profits and public entities to have a wish list, and to get some frequent (annual?) communication from the local BSA council about what an Eagle project entails. A boy recently approached a camp that serves special needs children, asking if he might do his Eagle project for them. This boy knows the camp well, because some of his siblings have attended over the years. He knows the camp needs help on a variety of fronts, but of course he wanted to work WITH the
  21. I'll split the difference and call it 12. Honestly, Trev, I don't know if I could present the diversity segment in the WB curriculum, because I am not convinced that the BSA actually means it, based on current actions.
  22. One thing that might help is if somebody from council would approach local non-profits with an explanation (in writing, but simple - one or two pages, max) of what an Eagle project might look like. We have many non-profits who know next to nothing about scouting, but who could benefit from an Eagle candidate's attention. Maybe a letter, going out once a year to local non-profit camps, for example, highlighting a few projects done by past Eagles, would grease the wheels? That way, when a Life Scout contacts a group, it would not be the first time that group thinks about what Scouts might do
  23. I am curious why you agreed to be SM of this bunch? And why you want to stay, if in fact you do want that? Do you have the backing of your CO? If the CO is not involved, what circumstances led to you agreeing to be SM? (who supports you?) Frankly, the things you are describing would cause me to find the nearest exit and look for a troop that welcomed my involvement. Unless there's some overwhelming reason for you to stay, I think you should find a happier place to contribute to scouting. ETA: Ohhhh, wait a minute. Are you SM'ing because it is one of your WB tickets? Keep
  24. Hang on, if I'm SM in this troop I am not sure I want the parents of new scouts accosting PLs with "advice." Especially not the younger PLs, who might not have much savvy in deflecting well-meaning but over-zealous adults (not saying Dean is one of those, but we all see them from time to time). I'd far rather that the parents of new scouts come to ME or some designated ADULT leader with their concerns, questions, and observations, than going to their son's PL. Let the PL do his job and lead his patrol - let adults deal with the parents. But, Dean, your SON might double check with h
  25. Something to keep in mind: just because YOUR boy doesn't know the answers to those questions, doesn't mean the questions have not been answered within the patrol. It may be that because HE isn't the one buying the food, he didn't pay attention to who will buy it. It happens. About the tents, it could be that this is being taken care of by the patrol or troop Quartermaster, or by the PL. While we might see a different way of handling it, it might be that the troop has a process in place for ensuring that there are enough tents. And who tents with whom is easy to figure out on the sp
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