MarkS

Jeffrey H "...keep in mind that the BSAs policy against avowed homosexual leaders and members is not an arbitrary position, but grounded in the Judeo-Christian beliefs held by many of its members..." Different Christian churches don't even agree on this. The Roman Catholic and Lutheran churches ban gays from membership, the United Church of Christ accepts gays, and while the Southern Baptists don't accept gay membership, the official position of their church is that they can live moral lives if they remain celibate. I see inconsistancies in BSA policies accepting diverse religio

I've read that the council spent $2.6 million on renovations to the building in the mid-'90s and $60,000 a year for maintenance and upkeep of the property. I wonder if the dispute would be resolved if they stayed in the building and paid fair market rent while the city paid $60,000 a year for maintenance and upkeep of the property. What is fair market rent? Could they move and pay less than $60,000 a year elsewhere? Point is, the "free rent" doesn't really sound like a bargain, but I'm missing info on what the city wants to charge for rent of the building.

I wonder what, "Scout officials plan to meet with city solicitor Romulo Diaz Jr. in the near future to 'hopefully' adopt a policy 'not to discriminate.'" means? I don't think a council can go against national policy.

fgoodwin wrote... "The problem with your "if-then" is that no court has ever ruled that it is unconstitutional for schools to charter scout units." You're right but what do you think the chances of the BSA winning the issue in court? Where do you want the BSA to spend its money in this case. On litigation or on the boys? I'd rather spend it on the program.

I'm going to have to agree with Merlyn that the issue of scout units being chartered by public schools is more than a nitpick. It is a big deal. If the courts have decided that it is unconstitional for a public school to be the chartered organization of a scout unit, then as scouts and scouters we have a duty to our country to obey that law. However, we need to think terms of the path forward and not dwell on the past. Because units only update their charters once a year, the scout units tend to be run by parent volunteers with a high turnover rate, and public schools and their officials

For the most part in our troop, the only equipment that goes home with the boys after a campout will be a wet tent. All tents are numbered and we have a white board mounted inside the door of our trailer with a list of the tent numbers and how has them. A clipboard with lists on a chain attached inside the trailer will work too.

In its original forms, Buddhism did not teach of the existence of transcendent, immanent, or any other type of God, Gods, Goddess, and/or Goddesses. However, many Buddhists -- particularly in Japan or those of Japanese descent -- do believe in a pantheon of deities. As far as the issue with the "Do you believe in God?" question is concerned. I don't think it should necessarily be considered an adversarial question. Especially if you already know you will receive an open and honest answer in the positive. However, given that one of the guidelines for properly administering a BOR is to

stlscouter, That's similar to what we do. Personally, like AvidSM, I would prefer that councils provide the necessary storage and staff to administer medications at long-term camps on their properties, but in lieu of that, I think its best for units to establish safeguards and procedures for ensuring medications are properly administered under adult supervision rather than leaving that responsibility to each individual boy. Safety dictates that access to such medications be restricted until they are needed. Mark

With all due respect to AvidSM, I don't see how he can assure the safety of the boys in his troop if he's letting the Johnny's and Billy's carry their meds around in a Ziploc bags labeled by their parents. What if Billy gets his hands on Johnny's meds either by intent or mistake and ends up comatose under the troop fly? How do you know what's wrong with him? Better hope Johnny's mom and dad labeled that bag correctly. Otherwise, he could end up with the wrong treatment for Billy. That's why we insist all medications be stored in their original containers with the dosage instructions. We m

All medications must be provided by parents in the original RX container. They are kept locked up (we use a large tackle box) and dispensed by the unit leader. We create a schedule for when each boy is to receive their medications based on the directions printed on the RX container and conduct med calls using the schedule. The schedule shows every dose of every medication throughout the outting. The boys initial the schedule each time they receive their meds. The only time the camp medical staff stores medications for us is if it requires refridgeration. Our council do

"Solar collectors and windmills will be standard outfit on most houses." No way! Not unless we get rid of the deed restrictions or Conditions, Covenants and Restrictions (CC& R) that those subdivision Nazis are enforcing nowadays. The real solution is to replace coal fired power plants with plants that utilitize alternative sources such as solar and wind to produce electricity.

It's only a forum... Don't put too much into the way people state things. Sometimes we forget to be as polite as we would if the real person we are talking to was actually present. Sometimes it's more difficult to articulate something in the written form than to just say it. For example, who among us have not once spent 30 minutes composing an email that could be handled with a 5 minute phone call? Just turn on the final forum filter between your ears and remember to "shovel it, pile it, and pick out the good stuff." ;-)(This message has been edited by MarkS)

I'm not sure how turning in a permission slip two weeks in advance of an outting affects the cook's menu plans. Turning in a permission slip does not mean no one will drop out of the activity. Besides the patrol should be planning the meals, not just the cook. Our Patrol Leaders are taught to find out who is going to participate in an outting and plan accordingly. Paperwork does not interfere with our planning process. We meet someplace and travel as a unit to our outtings. Parents transporting boys to an outting is okay as the need arises but it is perferred that we travel as a unit.

Its Me, You did solicit the advice of the forum on "Why stay when there appears to be so little return on the investment?" I'm not sure what kind of answers you were expecting to get in this forum other than differing opinions on the value of the investment in scouting. My only advice is to let your boy have a say in what youth programs he participates in. If you don't have time and budget for all of the ones you approve of, let him be involved in setting priorities on which ones he prefers--perhaps he's not ready to do that yet. I just don't see return on investment as a s

Its Me, You're right, there's not enough time in the day for our boys to do every activity that's available to them. I suggest setting up a time and financial budget for extra curricular activities and letting your boy pick what he wants to do within that budget. After all extra curricular activities are just that... extra, not required. They're supposed to be things he wants to do. Don't choose for him, but reserve the right to veto choices you find inappropriate for him. Mark

fgoodwin... You hit the nail on the head. That's what I meant by the WL being more forward thinking than the disappearing packet. The WL need to make sure that all opportunities to participate in outdoor activities such as the summer residents camps and campouts with the troop are taken advantage of. The packet just helps you make sure you have all your bases covered. Mark Former WL too.

GS-CS... I read the thread. You asked what the rules are for transferring to another unit and I told you. All you have to do is fill out the applications. Unless the applicants are unwilling to subscribe to the Declaration of Religious Principle and to the Bylaws of the Boy Scouts of America, the pack must accept them. Albiet, the pack may want to refer individuals with special needs to a special needs unit but that doesn't mean the unit is allowed to refuse their membership. As far as the other issues you indicated. All of them are manufactured by you and the leaders of the oth

GS-CS... All you need for the boys is one of these: http://www.scouting.org/forms/28-102.pdf . Just fill it out and check the "TRANSFER FROM" box filling in the appropriate info. There is no reason any pack you want your boys to join should say no. All you need for the adults is one of these: http://www.scouting.org/forms/28-501.pdf . Just fill it out, and check the "TRANSFER FROM" box filling in the appropriate info. However, the Committee Chair of the unit you want to join has to approve new leaders and their needs may not be consistent with the job you want to do. If only all pack

Check out the Webelos to Scout Transition Disappearing Packet supplied by the Greater St. Louis Area Council... http://www.stlbsa.org/NR/rdonlyres/E8D2FE74-4D0D-4530-AB7E-B293C8FE0FD3/0/Resource_DisappearingPacket.pdf The packet indicates that you should begin planning the transition when the boys finish fourth grade. However, I found that a Webelos Leader needs to be a little more forward thinking than the packet shows. A Webelos Leader needs to understand the age requirements to join Boys Scouts, the inter-relationship of the requirements for the Outdoorsman Activity Badge and

For best results... The Cubmaster does not run the pack. The Committee Chair does with the help of the Pack Committee. With the help of the Pack Committee, it's up to the Committee Chair to recruit the other adult leaders (including the Cubmaster), ensure they are trained, and are following BSA policies and guidelines. The Cubmaster recruits boys, conducts the Pack Program, and ensures that Den Leaders are providing quality Den Programs. The Committee Chair makes sure the pack is operating properly and Cubmaster makes sure the programs are operating properly. They work toge

Yes, we all know they make the boys more at ease with public speaking but they also make the boys more involved in your meetings. When they know they have a part in the meeting, they may pay more attention to what else is going on. Skits offer quite a lot more to the Cub Scout program. For example, If you make costumes and build props, they teach craft and tool usage skills. They provide the boys with planning and preparation skills. They have to figure out what skit they will do (never tell them they have to do a specific skit, don't give them a choice between doing one or not,

1. Dad & Lad campout with my son when he was a Wolf. 2. Wood Badge. 3. Making a difference in a boy's life... teaching him a new skill or having fun with a new activity, and learning something about myself in the process.

Here's a back door approach... Work with your SPL to invite the local DARE officer to a Troop meeting in the very near future as a guest speaker on drug and alcohol abuse. Don't single out the parent or anything though. It might be a step backwards towards those long gone Webelos days, but this is a safety issue and that's top priority. Maybe the DARE officer can stay until all the boys are picked up.

We ended up doing what we should have done all along. We worked together to find someone else to fill in.

Don't just recruit, have a year-round, 24/7 recruiting plan. For example... Have an adult be an ASM for Pack Liaison/New Patrols. Get a couple boys trained as Den Chiefs. The ASM should find out what Packs are near you (especially those whose CO does not charter a Troop), contact the adult leaders, and establish a working relationship with them. The ASM should ask to attend their committee meetings on a regular basis to keep the packs aware of joint activities you are planning or are available through your District and Council. Remember Packs are adult led. Let your ASM make the