NJCubScouter

My oh my, how one person can take a discussion down a road... It has always seemed to me that it is better for a person to attend an educational experience (whether it be called training, school, orientation, continuing ed, or whatever) reluctantly, with a negative attitude, etc. than not to attend at all. Chances are you will learn something even if you did not think you would, even if you did not want to, etc. (Never an issue for me, I like school, in fact in 2 weeks I am voluntarily attending the weekend-long statewide training class for new school board members. It should be an int

So Yaworski, what you are saying is that BobWhite is a liberal? He sure hasn't struck me that way. I really am a liberal, on most things anyway, and I've never seen Bob at any of the secret meetings. And since Rooster sort of two-thirds agrees with me on this issue, I guess that must make him a moderate -- and not a rapid ultraconservative as I had previously thought. Strange bedfellows indeed. Speaking of which, in discussions of that other subject that we used to discuss frequently in this part of the forum, it seems to me that "liberals" were often being accused of not caring e

I did not comment on this previously, partly because I was just shocked by the whole thing. I was even shocked by how shocked I was, since I have become so jaded by life in general, that very few things have that effect on me anymore. It is really the words spoken by the older boy, more than the "humping" that creeps me out, but the combination is just, well, shocking. Can you imagine being this younger boy? I think he acted quite bravely and obviously has a great deal of self-confidence. I think many younger boys would not deal with this situation quite so well. I know one particula

I may be wrong about this, but it is my understanding that the BSA follows a "Made in the USA" policy for their uniforms. I think you would be hard-pressed to find one of those reasonably-priced garments at Walmart or Target that is made in this country. That has a major impact on price, though I think there are other contributing factors. I am not saying the BSA should change that policy. Perhaps they should survey their "customers" as to what is more important, lower price or "Made in the USA." I personally would vote for "Made in the USA," though I think there are other issues th

d_seibold, that sounds like a very creative solution. It does raise some questions. You mention "badges," I assume that means there is a uniform. What is the uniform? Did you design your own, or do the girls wear Boy Scout uniforms with badges of your own design? Do the girls use the Boy Scout Handbook? What about the structure, you mention patrols, but do you have the whole patrol method, including a girl-run "troop," a PLC, a girl as SPL, etc.? You follow all the "rules," YP, G2SS, etc.? What training do the leaders get? The implications are, well, interesting.

I wonder if, if Oscar de la Renta designed the official BSA uniform, did Oscar de la Hoya design the official BSA boxing glove? (This message has been edited by NJCubScouter)

Hmmm, when I go to that page I get a picture of a Boy Scout hat (baseball cap), not a yellow female Cub Scouter's blouse. Has my browser lost its sense of direction? As for BobWhite's statement about discontinuation of the yellow blouse... uhoh, I just told our 2 new female den leaders that they could choose either the tan shirt or the yellow blouse, I hope they run to the store while they still have a choice. Actually, I think they both said they would get the tan anyway. (Actually, both of them were reluctant to get a uniform at all, but I reminded them that our pack expects all lead

jbrogranjr says: It would also be nice if "Program Helps" went back to webelos hints! As far as I know, all of the hints for the Webelos requirements that once appeared in Program Helps as well as other publications, have now all been consolidated into the Webelos Leader Book. I first became aware of it last summer, it could not have been out very long (at least not with its current cover) because the cover shows the new oval badge for the Webelos rank.

Well Venturer, the field cap (aka overseas hat aka flat hat) was NOT before MY time, it was the hat I wore when I became a Boy Scout. There was never a question of, do we like the hat, or what other kind of hat can we wear, because there was no other hat. If you were a Boy Scout, that was the hat. It was when I was 14 or 15 (1972-73) that the BSA introduced the red beret and re-introduced what we called the Smokey the Bear hat (aka the campaign hat, the Baden-Powell hat). I think it was shortly thereafter that the first baseball-type cap came out. My troop's initial vote was for the Smoke

Rooster, I have a little question about your mentoring session. Let's say the boy has his parents' permission to get his ear pierced. Do you still ask the same questions? Despite the fact that your questions are neutrally worded, it is obvious to the boy what you are trying to get him to do, and the fact that you call it "mentoring" clinches it. So you are trying to influence the boy's behavior. Does it matter what his parents think?

The beret, really? I don't know how well that would go over these days, I think the baseball-type cap is more in keeping with current headwear trends. On the other hand, a few months ago my father told me that my old troop (in which he is still semi-active) had voted to adopt the red beret as their hat, and that a lot of them had found official BSA red berets on e-bay or elsewhere. (It probably goes without saying that the troop in question is in a fairly affluent area, I am sure those berets were not cheap.) Go figure.

The key to the whole thing is your son who is still in the troop. You might get the COR to tell the SM that you and your son are still in the troop, but is your son going to want to face an SM every week who wants him out? Who denies him advancement opportunities? My first priority would be to find another troop for my son and leave the petty politics of this troubled unit behind.

DDHII, based on what you have said, I wonder whether unit commissioner is the position you really want right now. As BobWhite says, the UC works with adults, not the boys. If you work well with the boys and you have something to teach them, and you are having difficulty getting respect from the older adults, it seems to me that the best position for you right now may be the one you already have: ASM. The Scoutmaster also works with the boys, of course, but also has to deal extensively with other adults. Consider yourself fortunate: As someone who has made the wise decision to continu

Since this is, after all, a Scouting forum, I will just say that one of the great things about Scouting is that there is room in its membership for the opinions expressed above, as well as the full range of other opinions about the origin of mankind and other subjects. Scouting welcomes all who profess a belief in God (capitalization not necessarily required), regardless of whether they believe every word of the Bible, or none of it, or in some other book, or no book. And that's how it should be. Right?(This message has been edited by NJCubScouter)

ScoutParent, I will not doubt your religious beliefs, but I do have to wonder whether it was really a religious belief that caused you to refuse to expose yourself to a health hazard. What we have not discussed so far in this thread is "duty to self," which overlaps with "duty to family" but is not exactly the same. It seems to me that when you refused to sign the waiver, you were mainly thinking of your own physical well-being, including your ability to have healthy children (so duty to self and duty to family both came into play.) I, for one, do not fault you for doing so. I have never b

Ed asked me: Since you believe in God as a concept perhaps you could explain how we as humans came to be. Actually, I didn't say I believe that, and I didn't say I don't. Unlike some people, I rarely find it appropriate to announce and discuss the details of my personal religious beliefs. Nor do I find it necessary to justify my beliefs to others.

Ed says: Duty to God should always come before duty to country. I think you are missing my point. Let me try it this way: Can you give me an example from YOUR life, that actually happened, in which you believe you violated your duty to your country because you could not satisfy your duty to God and your duty to your country at the same time? God is in control of everything. That is your belief. It is not the belief of everyone who believes in God (and I am including those who believe in God as a concept independent of the Bible or any other book.) That fact is part of w

Ed, I think the example you gave is so unrealistic that it actually supports my point. We do not live in a country that forces its citizens to make that kind of decision. If we did, I suspect that the government would also make other kinds of decisions that were so irrational and repressive that we would not be having this discussion. Think about China, or Iran. What do people there think of when "duty to country" is discussed? I suspect that what they think about is what will happen to them if they do not act sufficiently patriotic. They are also told what their "duty to God" (if any)

Just looking around after my computer-less vacation, and I see this thread is still perking along. It is interesting that after a week and a half, NOBODY has been able to present a real-life example in THIS country of a conflict between "duty to God" and "duty to country." I guess it is a sign of the religious freedom that we have in this country that the two "duties" rarely if ever come into conflict. Or to put it another way, what Rooster said in his point number 4. If your country is good enough, and free enough, doing your duty to your country will never (or very rarely) interfere

This type of information (in written form, not as a class) is generally available to parents, outside the Scouting context. I am not sure where it comes from, but I know there are pamphlets floating around that tell you how to tell if your kid is on drugs. As parents, we should be aware of this information. Of course, not all Scout leaders are parents, and some parents may not have educated themselves on this subject. I don't think a course is necessary, but I do think the information in written form should be available to leaders (and parents) who desire it. Perhaps this is already the c

Sctmom, that picture does seem to be of what YakHerder is describing. I've never seen that statue. It is rather odd, isn't it? I don't see that the man is necessarily wearing any clothes at all, though it is difficult to tell what is going on with his, er, private area. There's almost like a G-string thing across his hip. And what's with the man's right arm? It is at a strange angle and looks almost like it's melting or something. And what's he holding in his other arm? A torch? A big bouquet of flowers? Part of a transmission? This is the national Boy Scout statue? (As th

It could be "bias." It could just as easily, if not more so, be incompetence on the part of the editors in gettings things staffed properly. Or it could be a lack of staff, caused by financial problems. It used to be that there would be 2 daily papers covering almost every place with people in it, and in major areas (like the LA area), even more than that. These days, if 2 papers are covering the same area, it often means that one of them is about to tank. Or merge with the other one. Just for laughs though, have you or someone at the council level actually spoken to the top editor o

jmcquillan, I think that the impetus for the change in the Pledge in 1954 was not thanksgiving for our victories in 1945, but as a response to the Cold War. The proponents wanted the U.S. to distinguish itself from the "Godless Commies." At least that is what I have gleaned from the articles I have seen about the recent court decision and the history of the change to the Pledge. I was not around at the time so I cannot personally attest one way or the other. As for your second paragraph, I basically agree, that's why I was asking for examples of where duty to country and duty to God mi

I think we tend to rationalize around any conflicts between Duty to God and Duty to Country, so that there's no reason to choose which one is "higher." Your sad story from WWI or II, whether fact or fable, may be an example of that. Both groups of men were acknowledging the same God (ok, they were singing to a tree, but they were in the Christmas spirit), the God that commanded "Thou shalt not kill." And yet, as soon as the truce was over, they were ready to kill each other. Were they placing duty to country over duty to God? In all likelihood, they saw no conflict between the two; each s

Acco says: Now, why does the double bar script Bill keep appearing at random spots on this web page? (Patrol Leader Bill?) You don't know about Green Bar Bill? That logo is supposed to be in the bar that runs down the right side of every "page" on this site, on the bottom under the heading "Site Dedication." There you can find a link that will lead you to a biography of the late William Hillcourt, "Green Bar Bill." But I know what you are talking about, because the other day, the Green Bar Bill logo suddenly appeared in the middle of someone's post. It has not happened agai