Once_Eagle-Always_Eagle

>> Cub scout Family camping rules by taking the Webelos den camping with out an adult for every scout. This is getting stranger with every post! They really are off the ranch here. Family camping and Webelo den camping are two different events. Family camping indeed requires a 1:1 ratio (and even then the rule is not firm- e.g. a father with twins). On the other side, Webelo den camping is much more like traditional troop camping and requires 2 deep leadership. At least, this is what I teach the last two times I taught BALOO. If the rules are different, someone better co

I won't speak for anyone but myself... this is not for my unit, my chartered org, or the BSA.. but if you look at the danger to the boys (homosexual vs pedophile), you're only capturing a portion of the problem. I don't believe homosexuals pose danger to the immediate safety of my son. Instead, I'd frame the problem is defining the standard you use to conclude homosexuality is contrary to the idea of a scout remaining morally straight. And if you have a leader that is openly against that principle, then I argue there are other people that would be better role models- and should be. Le

My unit may be more conservative, but speaking for my pack, i wouldn't limit it to just camping either. I suspect that if I did the 'secret ballot' test asking 'Would you keep your boy in the den/pack' if one of his direct contact leaders were openly gay? It wouldn't even be CLOSE!

Excellent point on camping at council approved destinations. However, I suspect council would be hard pressed to justify why a pack destination is not accepted if: 1) The destination is accepted and used by scouts in other districts/councils; and 2) The destination meets the same acceptance criteria used to measure allowed destinations within council boundaries.

The BSA does not refuse any boy participation in scouts because the guardians are openly gay. They just prohibit openly gay individuals from serving in leadership positions. As a former Eagle scout, I personally embrace the ideal of holding a moral high ground, despite what society embraces. It doesn't mean that I hate gay people (because I don't). They are free to embrace whatever they want to and we'll just agree to disagree on whether or not their behavior is 'sin' (oh no, I used the forbidden S word.) It *does* mean that I (and for time being the BSA) believes their sexual prefer

My sympathies sir! I spun your comment to a new thread cuz i don't think they can do that!

Spun off from another thread... >> Had my meeting with the district committee last night....... >> I am not allowed to take the Pack out of District or out of council >> to events any more. WUH? Can they do that? I suspect not. You are an entity under your chartered org and as such you are entitled to go wherever your chartered org sees fit. Sounds to me like district/council is floundering and rather than fix a failing program, they want to mandate continued attendance. I would be angry beyond speech. Good luck with this!

Jersey: It was more than being a pot stirrer. That was what I thought at the time to be a more light-hearted way to introduce the topic than to say "Hey guys, I don't agree with the claims being made by World Net News Daily but I respect and solicit the opinions of other people in the scouting community especially on this forum, plus as scouters committed to increasing the diversity of those participating in scouting, I believe everyone should understand the claims being made about the BSA so that you are prepared to answer intelligently if and when someone in the community or around th

A scout is HELPFUL, FRIENDLY, COURTEOUS, KIND I hate to choose sides but I will. ;-) Basement: your replies are generally wise, well thought out and add value. I like reading your regular posts, don't stop. :-) But your post to Cricket was more hard and critical than helpful, friendly, courteous, or kind. Cricket professed to be a newbie. I join Moose in encouraging Cricket. If he can follow a bureaucratic JTE outline to hit Gold while he learns the ropes, I predict it is the boys that benefit in the end, and *THAT* I strongly applaud. Similarly, I don't see

This came to me from a friend. I wanted to be a pot stirrer and put this out for comments in the scouting community: http://www.wnd.com/index.php?fa=PAGE.view&pageId=352145

I have been trolling through other posts looking for other suggestions and wanted to repost a suggestion from another thread back to this to: 1) Keep all the suggestions in one place 2) Revive this thread into the active topics. I need more content still. :-) Oh, and the suggestion I liked so much: Early on, teach the boys to obey the "signs up" signal. Thanks to Basement Dweller.(This message has been edited by once_eagle-always_eagle)

It would probably help if I say my target audience is cub scout leaders rather than boy scout leaders. I don't want to discourage advice from boy scout leaders because it could apply to cub scout leaders also. Regardless, this thread is doing well. Keep the good advice coming. Thanks guys!

I asked this in a previous thread called "What do you know now that you wish you knew earlier" but it appears that thread has been corrupted. Second, it didn't evoke the response I had hoped for so I wanted to try again with the question asked differently... Based on your own experience, if you were giving advice to a brand new leader what advice would you give them?

ha! i love the premise! http://www.vote4noneoftheabove.com

"Feedback is a gift" Seriously, your comments are well received. Send my a private post with more details and I'll work to improve it. Since I developed it, I understand it without documentation and I know what I meant to do. However, if something is not intuitive, I want to fix that. The goal of the site was not to create double work, but to create less work. I don't want my treasurer to create reports and mail them out to families. I want her to just track the records and tell families to check it themselves. The ability to export records is duly noted and I will work to add

All but 3 counties counties in Texas are currently under a burn ban. I've talked to the county fire marshall and the ranger at the scout camp we are heading to, and they both confirmed that all open fires and even charcoal cooking is currently prohibited- limiting us to cooking on gas stoves only. My question to the collective group is what are your favorite recipes that you would serve cold *or* would feed an entire patrol cooked solely on gas stoves? Thanks in advance

Tampa: Tell me more. Where do you get them? What is the cost? How do you use them in conjuntion with your current filtering system? Does anyone else have experience with them? I just purchased this today: http://www.rei.com/product/709006/katadyn-carbon-cartridge My plan is to filter the water with this carbon filter to make it pretty then use the steripen to make it safe but I'm interested details of teh charcoal bags too.

Carrying water for the duration of a weekend trip is certainly possible- even for backpacking but skirts the issue of how to have a portable system to quickly deliver clear tasteless water. Getting water from a strip pit is a good example of the challenge I want to be able to overcome because if I can deal with strip pit water, I believe I can deal with anything else. I've tried bandanas and even coffee filters and they get out the chunky... but they still don't turn muddy water clear. And while I like the potential of steripen, I still have to deal with the muddy water issue. I'm

I really don't want to mess with boiling water other than as a last resort- particularly as a backpacking option. I want something that I can use to refill water bottles as we cross streams or pass ponds. I don't want to stop, get out the stove, fire it up, boil the water, let it cool off (water and stove), pack it up, and then start hiking again. I also don't want to deal with chemical after tastes. Again, my goal is to get municipal quality water as fast and reliably as possible. Also, as future replies come in, if you are discussing how you filter, please include details on how

Wow... looking at the other replies, you're going to get sticker shock to read my post. Our pack charges $95 for the first year and $80/year to renew. For that fee, the boys receive $15 Annual BSA registration $12 boys life (we are a 100% Boy's Life Unit) $45 dues (5/month dues for 9 months) $10 pack t-shirt (given first year only) $8 book (for their current rank, and then they get a second when they promote up at the end of the school year) $5 neckerchief/neckslide presented at end of year pack meeting when boy promotes to next level With this, we tell families that ever

>> It's up to you whether JTE is a goal, irrelevent, or an eyesore. Well stated!

Well, this is my second time to try and type this but my browser crashed last night after I typed the novel describing my frustration trying to find a good water filtering solution. My message today will be shorter than last night. I can summarize my dilemma like this- I have a problem/concern with every single water filtering solution on the market.... but here are the nitty gritty details. Most of my trips will be around Texas, Arkansas, Oklahoma, New Mexico, etc- so silty cloudy water is a bigger issue for me than for someone in Utah, Wyoming or Colorado. My primary use will be for

>> in my council JTE is being used to identify units that don't meet >> Bronze levels this rechartering cycle (December 2011) as "flagged >> units." >> if there is no evidence of improvement (note, they don't have to >> make Bronze, just show improvement), their charters will not be >> renewed at the end of 2012 Woah! that is a bit intrusive and authoritarian. :-/ While I understand their lofty goals, there are a number of reasons units may not hit bronze- interest in the program being one of them. While I like the program and BSA sett

Basement: Am reviving this topic after it has been inactive because I just learned about the program today and the first thing I did was came here to see what others are saying about it. Like you, I believe I run a pretty quality unit and I don't put much stock in what national, council or district does. On the other hand, there are resources to be had by working with these larger groups rather than against them or even ignoring them. Personally, I eagerly embrace the change from Quality Unit to Journey To Excellence and I'll explain why with an example: The way things were laid o

I have had some time to relax and think about the different replies from different people. I believe the root of the heated exchanges stems from a disagreement of whether or not truth is knowable/relative. The majority of posters in this thread appear to believe that truth is not knowable or it is relative to the position of the person trying to discover truth. There are others (and I put myself in this camp) that contend truth is absolute and can be known through study and pursuit. Our difference in this position is worthy of a different thread on its own and I suspect at the en