Proud Eagle

The new Fieldbook looks nice. I haven't gotten one yet, but the council was selling them at the door during the council recognition dinner a couple weeks ago. I didn't buy one, because they only had the soft cover version, and they were charging a price higher than that in the catalog. Since there is a national shop in Louisville (nice to have one about 5 mins. away) I assume they will have it at the same price the catalog does.

McCain won't run with Kerry. The reason for that is Kerry won't ask him. The democratic base would have a heart attack (or if they are related to Cheney, 3 or 4). Besides, Kerry's liberalness would overshadow the moderate conservatism of McCain to the point that moderates would not be easily drawn to the ticket. Also, this would be the making of a great attack add for Bush/Cheney. John Kerry... Democrat one day... Republican the next... It would be the most transparent grab for the moderate voters in the history of presidential politics. Anyone with a brain would see through it

Huh. Last time I looked at this thread it wasn't eve half this lenght, if I remember correctly. I would be glad to get into a mature discussion about the proper role for men and women in the BSA. I would be glad to discuss ways that I think the abilities of various female leaders could be used in more productive ways than is currently the case. I would be glad to discuss the ways that women do sometimes cause problems under certain conditions. I would also be glad to discuss the fact that many men do not contribute as much as they should, forcing others to make up for this. Howe

I am not entirely certain how this responds to my points, but I do certainly thank you for the time and attention. You may be right that there may be unforeseeable consequences of allowing women to be leaders in the BSA. However, if that be so, then worrying about it doesn't do much good since we can't figure out what problems we need to prevent. I personally think that women do contribute something to the BSA. However, I have yet to find a case of a woman contributing to the BSA simply because they were a woman. On the other hand, I have known trained, competent leaders that happen

WOW. Never thought that would infuriate anyone. Being lumped together with Bob White is also something new. On the charge of being out of touch with the Cub Scout program, I pleed guilty. I haven't had regular involvement with Cubs for quite some time. The last Cub event I attended was my nephew's pack's pinewood derby. I did not intend to suggest that Cubs shouldn't be doing outdoor activities. In fact, I think it would be great if Cubs did lots of stuff outdoors. However, there is a difference between outdoor activities and overnight camping. Most packs probably need more of

There go I, but for the Grace of God. Wheeler, I have a book for you to add to your reading list. It is one I am reading with a group of fellow students. It doesn't really have anything to do with the current subject, but it is a good book that can be thought provoking. "The Sunflower: On the Possibilities and Limits of Forgiveness" by Simon Wiesenthal. It probably isn't worth going on a search for it, but if there happens to be a copy in the local library, it is worth a read. In fact, I would recommend it to anyone that runs across a copy. OK. Now back to what I had intended t

I would like to suggest that G2SS and most other Scouting rules and regulations are intended to compensate for the lowest common denominator. So while there are some dens that could camp safely, there are many that could not. One could suggest that something like Introduction to Outdoor Leader Skills be required to take your den camping. However, I would suggest there are better uses of a den leaders time. They should be focusing on the cub program. I would rather a bear cub den leader go take Wood badge before they take Outdoor Leader Skills. Keep the focus on the program as is. If you

I personally was hoping this case would go before the Court. It would have been far more intresting either way they could have ruled. Unfortunately, what we have now is sort of like a 4th of July celebration where they forgot to order the fireworks. I am really not concerned about this one particular case of a partially publicly sponsored fundraiser. I am concerned about the greater dangers that such viewpoint based punitive actions could have. It could soon be possible for very widespread state sponsored viewpoint discrimination to take place against the BSA and many other organi

I just happened to be skimming over the Guide to Safe Scouting available on-line. I noticed three potential violations of the guide to safe Scouting. Two of these violations are related to things at either do happen at Philmont, or are at least advertised as happening. The other is council related. At Philmont they claim (meaning the published literature, at least in 2001) to have ranges that allow Scouts to shoot 30 caliber rifles. (.30-06 if I remember correctly) Yet Scouts may only use .22 rifles. At Philmont, the water purification method uses the "cupful" measurement, while t

My apologies Bob White. I was in error. I suppose next time I will do my homework a bit more carefully. I do imagine there are many examples of commercial products being sold for fundraisers. Scouting magazine certainly has enough advertisements from fund raising companies to indicate that. I do however, wonder about one thing. I am going to create a hypothetical situation, and I am not really certain if it is within the rules or not. Troop XYZ decides to do a Krispy Kreme Doughnuts sale for a fundraiser. However, they are aware they cannot have a "Troop XYZ Krispy Kreme Do

(Rats! I had a great reply ready to go, then I re-read your post and discovered I had missed a small detail.) You may try your council's website. Another good resource is meritbadge.com look under forms and files http://meritbadge.com/files/index.htm I think you will find what you are looking for. They have several versions of the forms available there. Another simpler idea would be to email the information from those sections without going through the hassel of using the electronic forms. Then the information can be printed and added to the work book. (You are a

I would suggest that if the materials are not available then the new requirements cannot be expected to be used. If all that is needed to complete a merit badge is the list of requirements, someone needs to be asking why there are merit badge books. Perhaps we should do away with them and just have the requirements book. I however, favor the position that the books are a key (though perhaps not always essential) resource for merit badge counselors and for Scouts. In that case it is necessary for the new materials to be available before the new version of the badge can be taught. If th

I do not have the uniform and insignia guide in front of me, so I can't say what the right answer is. However, like NW, every time I have seen someone wearing a region patch (Southern in my part of the country) it has been on the right sleeve.

I wonder what would have happened without the rescue. I would like to think 39 people could have figured out some way to dig themselves out, particullarly if they are Scouts.

I think it is great that he was able to save the person. I also think it is great Scouting is teaching people the skills needed for such action, and the courage to use them. I do however, wonder if this is the sort of above and beyond the call sort of action that deserves a medal. I would expect any Scout trained in the heimlich maneuver to help out someone that they noticed chocking. I suppose I consider that to be part of a Scouts duty. Perhaps he deserves commendation for not panicking, and for performing correctly under pressure. I cetainly can't say what I would have done.

(WE ARE GOING INTO A TANGENT. BRACE FOR TANGENT.) Bob White, I believe, is correct about the rules. They are somewhat strict and restrictive. They are also a bit unrealistic in my opinion. However, the best interests of the BSA are being looked after. There is a certain notion that the BSA is endorsing a product that it sells. That being said, you will see many unit fundraiser being done all over the place. "Boy Scout Christmas Tree Sales", "Troop XYZ Pork Chop dinners", "Pack LMN Pancake Breakfasts". These will be done with participants in everything from troop shirts and ha

My grandmother works at a St. Vincent de Paul store. (similar to Salvation Army or Goodwill) We used to have her keep an eye out for any Scouting related things, particularly uniforms. Unfortunately, I think our uniform bank is no longer in operation. That only ever turned up a uniform every once in a while, but it turned up flags in need of retirement all the time. If you are able to work out an agreement with a couple of thrift stores in the community, you should be able to pull in a decent amount of uniforms over time. I would second the suggestion of checking with the local cou

We have enough troop tents for everyone. We have yet to have a camp out since I joined the troop in 1995 where there weren't enough tents for all Scouts and leaders. I think there were a couple of "family" campout when there weren't enough for all the parents, brothers, sisters, etc. The tents are Eureka Tiberline 4s (4 person model, we only put two people in them most of the time). The newer ones are definetly the Outfitter 4 version, the older ones may or may not be. We also have a Timberline Outfitter 6 used by the adults, mostly on longer trips. Many of the families involved

This is a very tricky issue. I certainly don't want to turn Scout camp into Proud Eagle's Political Re-education Camp. I would also hope most Scouts are mature enough not to easily be taken in by someone who does, in part or in whole, turn Scouts into a political tool. Certainly part of duty to country is staying informed about current events. This is important for Scouts, but not as important as it is for voters. For someone that votes, it is a great obligation to remain as informed about current events, politics, and related issues as is possible in their situation. (That doesn't m

This list didn't by any chance come from some third source did it? It sounds like something I have heard or seen before, though I could be wrong. I know I have seen several different similar lists based on the Scout Oath and Law. Some are very good, while others aren't so good. This one seems to be pretty good.

It seems to me that if in doubt you should err on the side of showing respect. That being said, I would also lean toward using the "civilian" mode of showing respect when in doubt. Though if it is part of some planned ceremony, and the person leading it calls for "Scout salute" I would think it better to play along. Now I know the Army only uses the salute if the national anthem is being played. I am certain the reason is rooted in history and military tradition. Also, the Army does not salute for the pledge, if I remember the regulation correctly. It does however salute

I suppose it was all the way back in 1995 when I was at Old Ben. I was also a very new Scout, so my perception was likely a bit flawed. At the time the facilities seemed very nice. The layout was a bit unique, but I didn't really see that as a plus or minus. The Amish or Mennonite or whatever they were cooks were exceptional. The old chaplain seemed like a good guy. The dining hall procedure was excellent. I particularly liked the detail of filling everyone's glass with water, essentially forcing everyone to have one glass of real water before switching to kool-aid. There were cert

This is about as strange as another palm related happening I heard about. Apperently a BOR in my general area (I won't be specific to protect the innocent, and the guilty) approved palms for an Eagle based on the number of extra months he had since fulfilling the 6 month requirement for Eagle, rather than counting from when he actually earned Eagle. To make matters worse, they awarded multiple palms at the same time. It would seem there is a need for at least a bit of clarification about palms to prevent these sorts of things from happening.

If the parents determined that the values of the Girl Scouts are not compatible with their values, they should have removed their daughters. The GS don't have to have any "bad" values for their values to be insufficient. Instead the GS could just have some value these parents see as being critical lacking from their values. It is clear that the GS don't have any firmly grounded value against teaching the various things that these PP literature and coarses taught. Also there is the indirect connection now between GS and abortion (GS linked to Planned Parenthood, which in turn is tied to abo

I personally don't like popcorn sales. Every time my troop has done it recently it was nothing but a mess. It requires a large amount of effort for very little return. Generally most reported after popcorn sales that only a very small fraction of all those approached actually agreed to buy. I know that matches my own experience. It isn't just the Scout parents that think it is overpriced. The customers also think so. Most people I have asked to buy popcorn would not do so because of the cost, or they simply bought the cheepest thing because the felt guilt tripped into doing it.