Papadaddy

So now I'm confused. Now we WANT untrained people serving with units? Seems like just another numbers game. And maybe they will donate to FOS, too.

Not sure of the purpose of this. We just changed their registration to ASM, and they are still "connected to the unit".

Didn't mean to imply that.

Well, I used to think values were important, but my liberal Democrat friends have convinced me otherwise. With their wild, unflinching support of the likes of Ted Kennedy, Charlie Rangel, Bill "Ididnothavesexwiththatwomanmonicalewinsky" Clinton, and Obama, whose past we know NOTHING about, (other than he hung out with Bill Ayres and Rev Wright), I am convinced that past sins are not important. It's all about what is best for the country going forward. With that, I will vote for whomever is running against Obama. I frankly don't care how many wives he's had. At least he's claimed redemption, something that Obama, Kennedy and Clinton never did.

Initial thought: paying for the project yourself or getting mom and dad to stroke a check is not "Leadership". The funding is part of the project and should be part of the plan that he will lead others in executing.

If the EBOR rejected the Eagle because his project was

@Schiff...nope.

They probably don't want us to know who they are...

Looks like you could put your events/dates in an Access database, then format and print a report.

I used to use Calendar Creator when it was still an MS-DOS program. (yes, I am a dinosaur). Just checked and v12 is out from Broderbund for $30.

Now that you mention it, I think I've seen OA Handbooks for sale in our Council-run Scout Shop. In fact, I think I bought one...no proof of membership required.

Just to be clear, the Religious Emblems programs are NOT BSA programs. They are adopted by and operated by the religious denominations. BSA merely allows the emblems to be worn on the uniform. Presentation of the emblems is normally done at the youth's church service by their religious leader, NOT presented by the UNIT at a Pack Meeting or Court of Honor. I would even go so far as to say, if the youth is not religiously active, they are probably NOT going to meet the requirements for the award.

This sums up the Scout Leader's role, and it is from the Praypub.org website:

Slide 10. Encourage the boys to talk to their parents and religious leaders about earning a religious emblem for their faith. Help the boys get started by setting a target date: Lets set our first goal together as a Pack. Id like everybody to talk to their parents and clergy about earning a religious emblem. Together decide whether or not you will earn your religious emblem, and if so, get the booklet and talk about setting up a schedule to earn it. At our next Pack meeting on ________ (date), I want to find out how many of you decided to earn your religious emblem. Even though this is a project that you will be doing with your family and clergy, I am interested in your progress and will encourage you to complete it.

They regularly show up on Ebay. You'd be surprised what you can find with a Google search (maybe not).

Virginia had one in the "proposed" category for years. In Va, the proposing party has to collect 350 prepaid applications, before the plate will be put into production. I just had a problem sending personal information and a check to a private individual I didn't know. We do have "Tobacco Heritage", though, probably paid for by Big Tobacco. I've only ever seen 1 on the road, and that was a farm truck.

"for pretty much any scouting related purpose" As Beavah would say, "Yah, hmmmm". I seem to remember having this discussion before. If I use fundraising money to buy myself uniforms, camping equipment, dues, food, etc, isn't than "income" that must be reported? If my kid quits scouts, do I have to give it all back to the unit? I hate to be a nitpicker, and I'll be the first to admit that the IRS probably has bigger fish to fry...but aren't we in the business of teaching how to follow the rules, even if we won't get caught?

My 2 cents: If the UNIT would like to donate to FOS (and many do), then that needs to be decided up front and listed as an anticipated expense on the Unit Budget Plan, which is developed by the Committee and subject to approval by the CO. If the scouts and their families would like to donate, that's up to them and they should write a separate check from their private accounts. Deciding mid- or late-stream to donate money from Scout Accounts is not appropriate. That's not what the money was raised and designated for in the budget. The only exception I might see, is if the unit had an unusually successful fundraising year and really has more money than they need...but that would be a one-time exception approved by the CO. (The CO might have other ideas for their money!)

I'm not an acccountant, but since the money technically belongs to the unit (and thus, the CO), I would get the CO's approval to do so. Money in the scout account does not "belong" to the scout, and thus is not a legal tax deduction for the families. ...In my opinion.

My nephew, now 18, will NOT eat a vegetable of any kind. He grew up on frozen pizza, burgers and fries. He and his dad (died in Sept), lived that way. When we take him out to eat, his two "sides" are french fries AND mashed potatoes. Or "double fries". If we make him put a vegetable on his plate, it ends up in the trash. Dad was a heavy smoker and died at age 50 of a massive heart attack. Go figure...

Nephew was in Scouts long enough to go on one campout...I suspect this is why he dropped out. That and the fact they expected him to get up before noon.

PS: Thanks for the recipe, Lisa. I'm going to print this out and try it!(This message has been edited by papadaddy)

My standard reply to stuff like this is "or else what?"

Proud of having been elected by my peers as a youth. Probably meant more to me than the Eagle badge. Sadly, today's youth don't feel the same way, in my experience.

Fatal peanut allergy in 7 year old, Chesterfield County, VA:

http://www.wtvr.com/news/wtvr-chesterfield-student-death-20120103,0,4150762.story

Our council went from 4 districts to 7, and last year went back to 4. I could understand it if there was a decrease in professional staff (and salaries), but the same names seem to be on the roster, just with different titles. Now each district has more than one Pro assigned. Long ago I quit trying to figure out council organization and politics. We only have one council-owned camp, so I hope that is fairly safe. Wouldn't surprise me to see them sell off some excess acreage, though.

http://opinionator.blogs.nytimes.com/2011/12/18/good-minus-god/

Ditto what the others have said. In the lodge I joined as a youth, and still belong to, OA is an individual activity, not a unit activity. For things like chapter meetings, Ordeals, Conclaves, and Fellowships, Arrowmen are expected to make their own arrangements for travel and tenting...no adult supervision required, other than the adult Arrowmen who are attending the function as advisors. If our lodge had requirements like Twocub's, I wouldn't join, either.

"compelling argument" from a lib? Can't think of any...