Narraticong

BadenP, take a deep breath, slow down, and once again go back and read my earlier posts. You will find I am not a Republican and have no use for their tactics any more than I do for those of the Democrats. I believe both parties are equally to blame for the mess we are in. But you do an adequate job of making my point. Mr. Obama claimed his administration would be different. Bi-partisan? Not happening. No lobbyists in his administration? The exceptions to the rule keep growing. No pork? I don't see Mr. Obama taking the tough stance and getting out his veto pen. He is very quickl

I hope everyone will take the time to read the second paragraph of the original post very carefully. Then read it again. Then print it and put it in your wallet. These few words speak to the heart of what Scouting is all about. This boy was obviously struggling with his home life. Scouting was providing him with the stability he did not have at home. Probably some good male role models. Probably some close friends who love him as he is. Probably some activities which take him away from an unhappy home life. Probably some leadership and advancement opportunities which help him see h

And then, take a marker and cross out the "Boy" in Boy Scouts of America. Absolutely insane.

Well...since Detroit has already been brought up, and it has been mentioned how we suburbanites just don't understand or care about all the troubles in the big city, let me clue you in. I live in a suburb of Detroit, just across the infamous "Eight Mile". The high school my daughter attends is a "school of choice"- meaning students unhappy in their own district can come to school in ours. Being next to Detroit, with a school district which is corrupt and in shambles, many parents opt to have their children come across the border. Two days ago, a boy was assaulted at gunpoint, insi

BadenP, I think you need to go back and read my post a little closer. I didn't mention Rush Limbaugh at all. I don't listen to him. I also certainly did not show support of the Republican party. Actually, I have little use for the current leadership of that party. What I did say, was that Mr. Obama made some grand promises of change during his campaign. But what it appears he wants to deliver is more of the same old, tired, Democratic tax and spend. Although he promised a bipartisan government, he either can not, or will not, deliver on what he promised. The key point is that he made a

The fact that many of these skills are not properly explained in current BSA publications shows why it's a good idea to keep pre-1972 editions on hand! As always WWGBBD? Yes, Bill Hillcourt is my Scouting hero! Last week we had a Totin' Chip class for our entire troop. One of our Scouts is really a master presenter of this material. Full size axes and hand axes were discussed. It was taught that most times you could likely save energy by picking fire wood off the ground rather than cutting down trees or cutting up huge logs. But we also remember that Scouting should be fun. And

Several folks keep stating that Republicans / Conservatives need to cooperate and work with Presdient Obama and the Democrats to get this country back on its feet. Mr. Obama promised bipartisan efforts. But it has become clear that by bipartisan cooperation, Mr. Obama means "The election was in November, we won, now get over it". I don't think non-Democrats in government were allowed to have any meaningful input into any of the recent legislation. So, of course they are screaming. And yes, they are getting just what they dished out when Republcans were in the majority. They were

As a Scout in the mid 70's, the "Leadership Corps" of our troop was informally named the "Moon Patrol". Sometimes amid our late night mischief, there were six or seven pale moons shining at one time. But I think nearly every member made Eagle. And I think we all became productive, responsible citizens! Today my son is Patrol Leader for the Square Root Patrol. Our other patrol is Patrol X. Go figure.

FScouter got me really thinking on this one. I am the Scoutmaster and often believe the "old ways" are the right ways. This means no electronics on campouts. But my son and the other boys live in a new time. Unknown to me, my son once brought his game machine on a campout and was playing it during downtime. I was questioned about it and had to have him put it away. Similar to FScouter, I received the dreaded question "Why?". I was able to work through the situation and there was no problem. But this discussion gets me thinking. Who does the program belong to? Why should the ad

Many denominations have Scouting organizations. Check with yours to see if they offer any appropriate awards. The National Lutheran Association on Scouting offers some beautiful award certificates which they will personalize and word for whatever your need might be. I imagine other denominations may do they same. These might be just what you are looking for.

I can vouch for the bugles at Scoutbugle.com. I ordered one for my son. I think I paid less than $50.00 with a soft case. It works just fine. Not a fancy instrument, but I'm more comfortable with that being in the field than an expensive trumpet!

I'll jump on the Alps bandwagon. We have used our Taurus tents down to about 10 degrees with no snapping of the fiberglass poles. You flat out won't find an equal quality tent at the same price. The folks at Alps are very helpful and pleasant to deal with. It is a family owned company. We have boys who use the Zephyr model in warm weather. Lightweight and good quality. Easy in and out, full flies. I have one question...why do some units need giant tents for the Scoutmaster. I'm a BIG guy and I often sleep in a 1 man tent, on the ground. Lead by example?

ScoutNut is right on target! As an Eagle Scout and Scoutmaster, it is my privilege and responsibility to know every boy in my troop. If you do not already know what makes this boy tick, then find out. You put your boys to the test to see if they knew the meanings. Now put yourself to the test to see if you can put the words into action! We don't always have success and you can't save every boy. But even if you think you fail today, your words and caring actions may come back to him in the future. We are in this for the boys, and especially for the difficult ones.

Our president said he would bring change. Specifically there would not be the same old Washington insiders and their ways. But that is exactly what we are getting. And yes, Lisa, neophytes with spotless records might be a wonderful thing, real change! I'm tired of those same old insiders who "get things done". A big part of the problem is the way in which they "get things done". It's called "pork". And speaking of neophytes, wasn't that how Mr. Obama sold himself to us? As not being a Washington "insider"?

In an earlier post I mentioned I attended a crossover Sunday with several of our Scouts. The boys handled the crossover as I stood in the background except to shake hands with the new Scouts and parents. Yesterday my wife had her car in for service. The service manager has a younger boy in the Pack. He told my wife that if (when!) his boy joins Boy Scouts it will surely be to our Troop. He said it looks like we do things the right way and that the boys are having fun. So people do take notice of how we do things. I had made it a point to tell the boys to socialize at the Blue an

When my son was a Cub, our pack started a new tradition involving the crossover bridge. The planks are made of 2 X 4's and there are probably about 15 of them. The near end of the bridge says "Goodbye to Cub Scouts" and the far end says "Welcome to Boy Scouts". Both ends have appropriate symbols. The first Webelos den to crossover took off the first plank a week or so prior to their Blue and Gold. Each boy then signed the plank, as did the leaders. Webelos Den name and symbol went on, too. An adult then either routed or wood burned the signatures into the plank. the plank was then ur

Have had a dozen for several weeks now. They take about 6 weeks to receive. I think they look really sharp on the new shirts.

Did a crossover at a Blue and Gold yesterday. As SM, I stood in the background during the ceremony. At the end, I shook hands with and welcomed each boy and his parents. I think that is appropriate. But the boys were obviously in charge of the "Scout side" of the bridge. We used our two Patrol Leaders and the Scout who served as Den Chief for the Webelos Den. We don't have enough new Scouts this year to form a new patrol. In talking to our Patrol Leaders, they came up with an interesting idea. They figure it will take a couple of weeks for the boys to "earn" their Scout Badge. Duri

My personal beliefs bring me down solidly on the side of anti-abortion. That is, until you start making me think about the real world. I'm the father of a 14 year old daughter. She is a great kid with sound morals. But there are a lot of temptations in the world. What if one day she makes a mistake? I made my share and may be lucky to be alive. Would I be able to turn her life upside down? Or would an abortion be the lesser of two evils? We would still have to live with the thought of having committed that murder? But life, and college, and career, could go on. It's an

Our Scout Executive has done the same and I think it's a great idea. More people will see the sash and ask about it. A perfect opportunity to make our lodge better known. Remember, there should be "mystery", but it should not be a secret. Our troop will be receiving three new boys at a Blue and Gold Sunday. I'll surely wear my sash.

In my long ago, much younger, much thinner, and better looking days of youth, I often served as a model for BSA publications. During the late 1960's through mid 1970's my neighbor worked in the publications department for BSA. Whenever they needed Scouts for projects he would come get the boys from our Pack and Troop (we lived under a mile from HQ in New Jersey). They did their best to make sure we were fully uniformed, but I'm sure somethings weren't perfect. We basically just showed up in our uniform, as is. One picture I've always regretted is in the 1973 edition of the Fieldbook.

My impression is that BSA wants volunteers to improve our training. And especially in current economic times, I'll bet the PTC is not overflowing . I had been invited one year and could not attend a session for Commisioners. A couple years later I found a differnet course I thought might be useful. I let our Scout Executive know I was interested and within a couple of days he had cleared the way. At that time I was not even well known to our SE. But he was very enthusiastic about a volunteer wanting to attend PTC. So my advice to you would be to just let it be known you want

Couldn't tell by your original post just what your familiarity was with current gear. Tents have changed a lot since I was a kid in the 70's and I have had to do a lot of research and experimenting. This has led to me basically being a "gear junkie"! But it's fun. I also have several of the old military shelter half tents. My son and I used one of those tents on a weekend campout when he was a Cub. It's a lot of fun, but I wouldn't want to use it all the time. Too many times I have seen parents or Scouts show up with inappropriate gear. If (when) something goes wrong with it, s

I highly recommend the Alps Mountaineering (purchase only through Scoutdirect). Personally, I own five of their tents and have bought several dozen Taurus 2 man and 4 man tents for our troop. I can tell you they withstand weather very well. They are quality gear at a manageable price. Eureka is also nice and I own a Timberline 4 Outfitter. I love it and it is a great four season tent. But is also more than $200 to purchase. Service by ALPS is outstanding. They are small and family run. Campmor is also very good. You may find better pricing than Campmor, but not better service. A

Packsaddle- I agree that I don't think things will get better any time soon. I believe our country is in a spiral that will result in some very major changes of SOME type. I have no idea what they may be. Many people will be put in a terrible situation. But please don't be so sure that I am going down with you. Many people in America are prepared and capable to survive the coming changes, be they economic, political, or whatever. And there is also the question of whether this is the Apocolypse. Only God knows when those final days are. But I'm hopeful my Christian Faith will carry