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Narraticong

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About Narraticong

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    Warren, Michigan

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  1. I am a glaring example of an Eagle run amok. I earned my Eagle in 1976 and then went away to college several months later. The next ten years are filled with questionable behavior. But then I grew up and went right back to what I knew was right. Back to my faith in God. Back to the Twelve Points. I am well known now for being very conservative. People don't believe I was ever that "wild child". So, I guess I am not overly concerned when a young Eagle strays, as most young men will tend to do. I am more concerned with what he becomes later on down the path. And I will contend that
  2. Nice rant John! But I am pretty much in agreement. We have taken a very simple game and added far too many complicated rules. You really summed it up for me early on when you said "Scouting isn't school". I don't know if your remember when we met at PTC in 2008, but I had my then brand new Scout son with me. He is now a 16 year old Junior in High school and just earned Star last night. That took a long time, and I don't know if he will make Eagle. But I do know that he earned every badge he has worn, and knows his stuff. Of that I am proud. He finds the outdoors aspects of Scout
  3. Totally agree with Skeptic and Beavah on this. Scouts are prepared to do whatever is needed, when it needs to get done. In days like today, when Scouts are often looked down upon, it is rewarding to know we are still the ones people count on to help out. The Inauguration team very well could have left us out due to our "politically incorrect" standards. I don't doubt some of the Scouts will hear some unfortunate comments from some folks in the crowd. But what other youth group could they assemble who could actually represent the youth of America and serve a genuine purpose at the s
  4. Obviously, accidents do occur with guns, as they do with automobiles and bannana peels. But we have banned neither cars nor fruit. My reference was to innocent people being shot by an armed citizen acting in defense of himself or others. I am not saying it has never happened, but I don't recall any cases. Living in Detroit, I often hear of unarmed innocents being killed by thugs with evil intent.
  5. Thankfully, we are not now anywhere near a need for insurrection. But we only need to look back to our Civil War to see where citizens took just such action. Obviously, the Confederacy was, in the end, unsuccessful. But it was surely a fair percentage of Americans saying "We don't like the way things are going, and we are going to do something about it". I think the Founders were brilliant to give such power to the everyday citizen over the federal and state governments. They saw a need for the government to have as little power as possible. Rights belong to the people and never to the
  6. There is much evidence that the term "well regulated militia" does not refer to the rights of a state or federal government to form an armed militia. Instead, it refers to the need to control, or "regulate" any governmental militia. The founders were quite concerned about the potential possibilty of a need for another insurrection. We must remember the Revolution did not start with colonial militias. It was bands of citizens who decided thay had had enough. Remember the Boston Tea Party? So, the 2nd Amendment may actually refer to the right of the individual people to not have fe
  7. I think you might be mistaken on several counts, WasE61. In general, state laws require a person to particpate in a class before being allowed to carry a gun. A very large part of the class time is spent learning when it is legal and ethical to use a weapon. Any instructor worth a darn will also impress upon the students the potential danger of a stray shot. When my son studied martial arts, his teacher spent much time on how to avoid or get out of trouble without resorting to violence. It is always better to run away, if possible, and live. Violence should always be the last chance optio
  8. My red jacket is one of the new versions, so I know it is not the heavy duty all wool one. So, comparing it to the green jacket, I think the green one is actually heavier. Reinforced at the elbows, etc.
  9. I have always been very partial to my traditional red Jac-Shirt. I love to wear it to Scout functions. But Supply had those darn new green ones on sale recently at a very good price, so I went for it. I have to admit I really like the new one. I think the quality is better than my red one, considerably more sturdy. It is also a nice shade of green, such that I like to wear it out in public, not just at Scout events. It does have the Scout symbol on the pocket in black, so it still shows I am a Scouter. All in all, it was a goos purchase and I think I will keep wearing it. It wi
  10. I'm part of the same "Area 2" project. Hard to tell what will happen and when. Two years ago I was part of Detroit Area Council, and today I am part of Great Lakes Council. When Area 2 takes effect we will be something else. I'll have lots of extra patches. Oh boy! Ken
  11. As a veteran of nearly 45 years association with Scouting, I've never thought the goal of Scouting has been to create great men. I've always thought it was a goal to help boys become men who would be upstanding citizens and the kind of neighbor any family would like to have. You know, the kind of guy who is Trustworthy, Loyal, Helpful (you know the rest). But just like education and Faith, the foundation must be laid at home. That foundation work must be the labor of the parental units. No? Scouts, school, church can have little impact on the success of our children without involved pare
  12. Congratulations!!!! And good luck... You have undertaken an adventure I started on five years ago. We started with five boys and have been as high as 25 and now sit at 20 in our troop. Sounds like you are going in the right direction. Let the boys learn how to lead on their own, with some "direction" from the SM. Our biggest challenge has been a lack of older "role models" for the leaders to pattern themselves after. Developing leaders will take you longer than an established troop. Make use of any and all available training. Another challenge has been a lack of knowledgeable
  13. Glad to see he is an Eagle Scout. That in itself does not make him qualified, but at least he has walked the path to the end. I'm all for giving him a chance. Ken
  14. Narraticong

    Red Berets

    I have been immortalized in a red beret! As a kid I lived less than a mile form National Headquarters in NJ. My neighbor worked in the art department for BSA and would often use us local Scouts as models for various publications. The last time I was used was for the 1973 (I think) edition of the Fieldbook. Four or five of us from my troop were in the First Aid section. There is a great head shot of me (with early 70's long hair) showing how to remove a foreign object from the eye. On top of my head is one of those blasted red berets! You would never have caught any Scout I knew then wea
  15. I made the donation some years ago and received the James West knot. A good friend was FOS chairman and was looking for donors. Scouting had been a major influence on my life and I was more than willing to contribute whatever I could. It's no different than being willing to give my time. The uniform I normally wear has only my Arrow of Light and Eagle knots. I do have another shirt with all of them. I wear it "sometimes". Knots are not why I am a Scouter, but I am not ashamed of my accomplishments, either. Maybe seeing the depth of my involvement might encourage another Dad to get
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