local1400

For those of us who wax nostalgic about the good old days of Scouting should consider this: The soon to be extinct DeLaHoya uniform is almost 30 years old and 10 years from now your Tenderfoot Scouts will be awed by your "antique" uniform!

I don't think I would enjoy a camp where everyone is stacked up like Manhattan skyscrapers. And yes, money pays the bills. If you had to foot the bill entirely for a week at camp, you probably wouldn't go. My first week of camp in 1982 cost me $45.00 for the week, a tidy sum back then. For that, I ate 17 meals, was served by over 40 paid staff members, enjoyed the use of all the camp facilities at no additional charge, and had a great time!

Welcome from the Whites.

No OGE, most of my meals are eaten straight from the wrapper.

Welcome Max. I have the 86 printing of the 74 Signaling MB pamphlet, so here goes: 1. Know the proper application of the international Morse and semaphore codes and when, where, and how they can be used to best advantage. 2. Make an electric buzzer outfit, radio transmitter, audio oscillator, blinker, or other signaling device. 3. Send and receive a complete message of not less than 35 words in the international Morse code by buzzer or other sound device at a rate of not less than 35 letters per minute. 4. Demonstrate an ability to send and receive a message in the international Morse code by wigwag and by blinker or other light-signaling device at the rate of not less than 20 letters per minute. 5. Send and receive a message by semaphore code at the rate of not less than 30 letters per minute. 6. Discuss briefly various other codes and methods of signaling that are in common use. End of Requirements.

Moxie, a real Mainer would eschew the stick, and use their hands!

It's okay to be fat. Rows upon rows of knots don't look right on skinny folks. Local. (2X, no knots.)

No thank you Merlyn, I will stick with the BSA. My beliefs are about the same as theirs. Now, would you please answer my questions?

T.S.- I am not saying el Pres is in charge of pricing. But an oil man in the house with record oil prices. It will cost me almost $3000.00 to heat my home this winter. I would like solar panels, but are out of my reach. Now, with this recent GA sugar refinery explosion (prayers and condolences to those lost/affected), you will see sugar reach over $3.00 for a 5# bag. (Currently $2.79 in my area.)

Yeah T.S., theres supply and demand, then there's gouging.

Merlyn writes "You know, maybe you should join an organization that teaches ethics." I am ecstatic you have suggested that. Well I've been to the site of that group you hold in such high esteem, Scouting for All. I couldn't find any information on a SFA unit in my area. I actually couldn't find any info on any unit in any area, or a council either. What kind of structure does this organization have? Now I am not an attorney, but as a Union Officer I am fairly well versed in such things as labor agreements, the CFR for transportation, as well as FELA and The NRLA. So I enjoy a frivolous lawsuit as much as the next guy. And since there appears to be NO SFA "troop" in my hometown, it appears that Scouting for All isn't really for ALL. They are excluding me and anyone in my town who may want to join! THATS DISCRIMINATION! But back to organizational structure, I didn't see any Uniforms, Handbooks, or other useful information. All I saw was anti-BSA propaganda and bumper stickers and 'send money now to end this travesty enforced by the BSA'. Now if SFA is really for All, let me ask you something Merlyn. Suppose you have an 11 year old son going on a SFA outing. And I was his leader-a proud member of NAMBLA. Would you feel comfortable? It is for all, after all. How about you, self-proclaimed atheist. Suppose we were at that great SFA Scout Reservation, Camp Is-No-God, and we were bunkmates for the week. And all week I preached Christ crucified and raised from the dead non-stop, would I still be welcome? I am sure you are educated and fairly intelligent Merlyn, so why is your life's calling to change and blaspheme the BSA? Can't you get involved in Healthcare for all, affordable prescription medication for our seniors, how about social security for Americans, jobs for American men and women, less profits for oil companies, immigration and a virtual cornucopia of issues of much more importance and impact than BSA's policies? What are you doing to eliminate those all men or still even all white men golf courses? And Merlyn, though you deny Him, His hand is outstretched to you-take hold for the days are short.

Nice Gern! Although I can't help but remember the good ole' days when Bill was up in the DC, with 89 cent gas and 99 cents for a 5 lb. bag of sugar. I have become vegetarian, but only because hot dogs ain't exactly meat and the good stuff is too high. It seems like everything has tripled except my wages, and we do pretty good. And my man Edwards is on hiatus, so I think I will abstain this year. I just can't get behind anyone. I think Hillary is the lesser of two evils because it is familiar territory. Obama, he scares me.

Merlyn wrote "You people can't even see criminal behavior when it comes to the BSA." Nope. I can't see it, when it pales in comparison to the criminal behavior of our elected officials or corporate America perpetrated almost daily.(This message has been edited by local1400)

Merlyn LeRoy wrote "Maybe you'd approve of hitting old ladies with lead pipes to take their purses to fund BSA programs as well..." Maybe, after we helped them across the street.

Merlyn, do you have UNDENIABLE proof that those BSA councils intentionally "defrauded", as you put it, HUD? Now it was not right of me to call you a gay atheist, but one can only assume that you are, with your eternal spewings from your soapbox on those two subjects every chance you get. Why do you feel compelled to get involved in these "fraudulent" situations in CA and CO if you're in MN? If you are a true champion of the taxpayer, please get involved with the fleecing of us hard working Americans by the US Government and our elected officials, rather than the BSA. If you are not a member of the BSA, please register today-we will take your money! And the last thing I will type, I do not ask an 11 year old boy who wants to join our troop if he is gay or hates God. EDITED to ADD: Merlyn, to answer your question, I would rather see BSA get my tax dollars to help out children in America than see my taxdollars used to kill and maim children in Iraq. Local.(This message has been edited by local1400)

Merlyn, care to make an FOS donation to either of those councils? You can write a nice letter telling them how bad BSA is, how wrong they are, and they will still cash your check!

Since I am unsquelched this morning, I have to respond. This happened in California and Merlyn claims to be in Minnesota. Why do you care? And are you saying YOU personally are responsible for taking public money from a program for kids? Shame on you. What kind of man goes out of his way to deny kids a recreational opportunity? In a day when more and more youth are a) overweight or obese, b) involved in dangerous gangs, c) using or experimenting with drugs, d) becoming violent offenders, or e) all the above, Merlyn wants to contribute to the further delinquency of youth in America because he's a gay atheist and can't be a Scout leader.

Welcome to the forum cackle. While I don't have the requirements available for you (just in my old BSA handbook), it is nice to remember the good old days!

Pappy, if the uniform AND units are disappearing in your area, did you ever consider it may be because other people and Scouts don't want their Scout unit to be confused with or associated with the potato-launching, push-up punishing, crazy ccsc unit? BTW, when you combine a pack and a troop, you get poop.

"Sounds lie a local problem to me." Is that some kind of pot(roast)shot at my moniker BW?

I am always amazed at the number of people who are in charge of a Boy Scout program who want to re-vamp the entire system into what they personally believe BSA should be. Sure we all (myself included) have certain aspects we would like inserted in order to what we THINK will improve the program, but a wholesale, radical change? Again with the Co-ed program. Seems like this comes up every so often. I honestly don't know many 11 to 18 year old girls who would be into a Scouting program. I am sure there are a few, but not the millions "shot-in-the-arm" the pro-girls group thinks it will be. Now, some food for thought before I go shovel more snow: The kids in our community go to a large, regional high school with a almost thousand students. Our troop has 5 h.s. aged boys. If we went co-ed, would they all come flocking? Maybe, but I am just not convinced.

Anyone who does actually come to Maine or New Hampshire, let me know and I will help out all I can. Now, if I had one place to choose, it would be to spend a week or more exploring Baxter State Park in Maine. Solitude City!

"IN SHORT, THERE IS SOMETHING VERY WRONG HERE." Please direct your attention to the What has happened to Courtesy thread.

Yeah, Ed beat me to it. Manners and all that go with them start in the home. If a child has been raised with poor manners, they will exhibit them even though they are a Scout. Why? Because the Scout Law and Oath are just words they say at meetings. Same problem here Kat. Have two or three that clean up after the other Scouts all the time, without being asked. The rest need to be prodded or told to.

Derf is right about kids being bored by the time they reach Boy Scouts. I blame this on Tiger Cubs, start them too young and after 5 or 6 years, yes, they're ready for something else. No Tigers in my day and I stayed in until I was 17 (and yes, we had video games then too, the old Atari 2600).