BartHumphries

A dome tent is easier to play a good round of cards in during a campout, since there's enough headroom for multiple scouts to sit in a circle with a flashlight/lantern strapped to the ceiling while "stuck" inside the tents because it's pouring rain outside. It's also easier to stand up and get dressed in the tent. Plastic/nylon is more waterproof than any treated canvas could be. The dome tents are far lighter than canvas tents and if you stuff your pack inside the tent whenever you make camp then you don't even have to bother staking the dome tent down (it's not going to fly away with 30-

So, why did the Army say it? Why not three or "salute" or something else?

Last night a scout asked me why he was supposed to say "2" after the pledge of allegiance to let us know when to salute. I had to admit that I had no idea. Why do we?

Do your scouts even know about the Committee, who its members are and what they do? I didn't, when I was a scout. I am changing that situation now, though.

Pointing any type of firearm (including paintball, dye or lasers) acco40, all squares are quadrilaterals but not all quadrilaterals are squares -- some quadrilaterals are instead rectangles or trapezoids. All firearms are prohibited, including firearms which have a laser embedded in them, or which have a laser as the primary component of the firearm. That doesn't mean that all lasers are firearms, or that all lasers of any type are prohibited, in my opinion. Perhaps we'll have to agree to disagree on this issue.

Firearms may not be pointed at another person, even if those firearms are "fake" and "shoot" completely harmless "stuff", such as paintball guns, laser guns, etc. But there's nothing wrong with lasers in and of themselves and I don't see any reason why you couldn't use them to play tag, as long as they patently aren't "firearms".

I love Wikipedia -- I have almost 4k mainspace edits. It is not, however, the be-all end-all ultimate authority to turn to if one wishes a discussion arbitrated. It is a great starting point, though. As I've said, laser tag usually involves lasers made up to look like firearms but that's not necessarily true in all cases. I have personally seen and used laser tag sets with lasers which do not resemble firearms. I regret that I do not remember who manufactured them and that I do not have a reference or website ready to toss out, but I have seen and used them. What is the common factor is

Its NOT laser tag then. Laser tag IS running around shooting 'laser guns' at each others, with harnesses on to know that you made a hit. No, laser tag is playing tag with lasers instead of your hands. Look at the words "laser" "tag" -- tag with lasers. It doesn't necessarily have to involve "guns" (it usually does but it doesn't have to). Laser tag is tag but played from a distance instead of running up and smacking someone.

"I am assuming that the BSA does not have a problem with scouts running around waving flashlights at each other." That's what I'm saying. As long as you're not "shooting guns at each other", then laser tag should be ok, right? Besides boxy lasers, "pen" ones like http://cgi.ebay.com/2-Pet-LED-Light-Laser-Pointer-Toy-Cat-Dog-Puppy-Kitten-/360314546543?pt=LH_DefaultDomain_0&hash=item53e46ba96f would seem to be ok too -- they can hardly be called "firearms". Yes, you can do laser tag with "a square flashlight-type box that couldn't possibly be confused for a "firearm", as long as - per

Thanks, I'm looking up those activities in the G2SS now and no, it wasn't pointed out in the ASM/SM specific training that I went through. You're saying that laser tag is prohibited because of the "no firearms pointed at each other" section of the G2SS? What about laser tag that doesn't use a "firearm" but instead has a square flashlight-type box that couldn't possibly be confused for a "firearm"? One that looks like a http://www.gbfans.com/equipment/ghost-trap/ That's ok? Sheesh, you all had me worried about nothing. You mean the training updates at the National Website that just bar

About 3/4 of a century before Baden-Powell published Scouting for Boys, the LDS church was preaching boy-led "patrols". Sure, the vernacular (the names for things) is different between the BSA and the LDS church, but both still generally emphasize boy-led groups acting within a specified framework.

In researching that, I found the following links. Requirements for the award itself, including a color picture of the patch: http://www.fws.gov/heinz/pdf/Heinz%20Refuge%20Scouting%20Award.pdf How visiting a similar site can help fulfill various Scouting requirements (probably holds true for the Heinz Refuge as well): http://www.fws.gov/northeast/patuxent/scout_pl_boy_scout.html Boy Scout/Venture recognition certificates: http://www.fws.gov/educators/educators.html

I've been thinking of getting a copy of these rules myself. Lazer tag is prohibited? That was a shocker. Scratch that activity off next year's calendar. As an Eagle Scout, who was a merit badge councilor at a scout camp, and is continuing to teach scouts as an adult volunteer, I really didn't see the point in having to take IOLS -- I know that material backwards and forwards. I signed up for that class in the beginning of September, then in the beginning of October the council rescheduled it from a week ago today to a week from today (and my troop already has a campout scheduled for t

When you chat with people on the committee, just lay out the facts, why you're worried. You don't need to tell them why it's important to fix those things, just what's broken. The Troop Committee should be overseeing the Scoutmaster. If the Scoutmaster is taking time off, well sometimes people have to do that, but he should be making sure that somebody (an Assistant Scoutmaster, perhaps) is doing something and things are getting done while he's gone. If it's been months and nothing's really happening, then perhaps the Troop Committee or Chartered Organization Representative need to start

If you don't hear anything back from an email, you might want to mail them a letter.

Why wouldn't you register them as adult scouters? Sure, get some new blood in. At the first meeting, tell them there's some paperwork and that afterward you'll give them a nifty shoulder patch to put on the uniform they'll be buying because surely they're going to want to visit a camporee or something during the year to get a first hand look at what's happening and how things are going and they don't want to stick out like a sore thumb. The second time they meet, spend 20-30 minutes and run them through Youth Protection, so that they will know what to be looking for when they go on a fun tr

His signature is on Eagle certificates from the White House. I just wrote them and requested one about a month ago for a boy in my troop and it came about two weeks after I dropped my letter in the post office.

http://www.harborfreight.com/45-watt-solar-panel-kit-90599.html http://www.echolink.org/ Now, with a list of repeater stations in your area, with a General license so you can bounce the signal off the atmosphere for longer distance, if you're willing to take along 30 pounds of gear, you too can play World of Warcraft from the top of Mount Whitney or, well, from any almost anywhere. Edit: not that I actually do that.(This message has been edited by BartHumphries)

If you really want something troop/patrol specific, something on the uniform that your group and only your group has, take a look at neckerchiefs. They can really be whatever you want them to be -- whatever color, they can have whatever image you want on them, like a patrol symbol, BSA symbol, etc. It's whatever you all vote on. Some groups vote on "no" neckerchiefs (invisible neckerchiefs), some have elaborate designs, some wear the regular ones from the store. That's the place, though, where your unit can do its own individual thing (if you all want to). Just don't embarrass the rest of

Look at the html address. store.lds.org/... It's part of the main LDS website and more is offered than just books -- that's not "just an LDS book site". It's the real deal. The Scouting Handbook that I linked to is the only LDS Scouting Handbook (last updated in 1997) and as I said earlier it's free precisely because it's so short -- just over 5 pages long. BadenP, perhaps you'd like to spin off a new thread and talk about what the differences are, as you understand them, between LDS Scout troops and non-LDS Scout troops. It can be easy to misunderstand other religions.(This message

The LDS church does not publish its own scouting handbooks. There is a single 8.5x11 booklet that's about 10 pages long that goes into how to setup a scouting program when you don't already have one. It explains what a scoutmaster is, etc. As has been listed in this thread, that "handbook" also states that non-members can, if the Bishop chooses, "be called" (serve) as adult leaders. As I've said before, there are a number of people in a ward, so a ward generally doesn't recruit outside people since there are usually numbers of people who are already interested in being adult leaders. That

"Just so it's clear, during the procession or recession, the U.S. Flag needs to be to the right (in relation to its direction of movement) of any other flag. This can be in the center aisle or by some other path. It does not need to be to the audience's right (i.e. it does not need to pass to the right of everyone in the room)." Or the US flag can be in front of another flag, either way is correct. You're right, though, it doesn't have to pass on the audience's right while advancing to the front.(This message has been edited by BartHumphries)

I have the color guard advance up near the audience, with the US flag in front, then stop. The US flag is brought forward, then the State/whatever flag is brought forward. Thus, the US flag is always in front and the whole right/left thing doesn't matter except for making sure the flags are planted where they're supposed to be.

Did he sign up as an adult Scouter so that a background check was done on him? Did he take the online Youth Protection training? If his son was still in, I think only the latter is necessary, but if his son isn't in the pack anymore than I believe both are now necessary?

That's awesome, jet526! I can't believe they were scoring based on having the G2SS out. Are people's memories that bad that they need constant reminding of what's inside it (or was this the first time that most people had cracked it open and thus they really needed to learn what was actually inside)? I'm glad you all were rewarded on what (in my opinion, at least) really matters to a campsite. I mean, most of our camping is done in areas where unless we pack in branches ourselves we can't go build gates and we certainly wouldn't have a tour permit out in the open -- that goes in the p