P_Swigs

I agree with Rooster. Having had success at the Pack level, you bring a certain amount of expertise to the situation, and as Committee Chair, you also bring an amount of clout. While nothing should be force-fed upon your small Troop, I think you have the background and authority to try and get things going a bit. Find at least one other parent and work together with the Scoutmaster to pick up the pace and have a more structured program. Have you and the Scoutmaster gone through training? If not, go at the next opportunity. See if you can convince another parent to go as well. Ther

OGE, I was afraid someone would reference the MICHIGAN Wolverines. After Saturday's gift at Wisconsin, their yell could be "whoopee!" If it were a Badger patrol, I know what the yell would be... "Argghhhhhh!!!!!" (Sorry for all the football references in this forum).

The Webelos activities in our Council (and our district) have been upgraded over the last year or so. Where we used to incorporate the 5th grade Webelos into the fall camporee, that has now changed. We have initiated the program to which Eisely alluded - a separate Webelos program in conjuction with the camporees. It's run as it's own event, with it's own patch, it's own staff, separate camping sites, etc. It has been pretty well accepted in it's first year and will likely get bigger and better. The Webelos and Boy Scouts did share the flag ceremonies and campfire program. It was a nice

I'm not the owner of the Acme Judgement Company. By what I see here, some of you as individuals or as members of the unit committee sit around and pass judgement on the worthiness of each potential new leader based upon his being married to the woman in his house (the roles could be reversed also). If you can find that somewhere on the leader application, you've got different applications than I've seen. Rooster, please don't start twisting the gay issue into this particular thread. They're not even in the same thought process. However, if you feel a man and woman living together outs

Let me get this straight - a man with boys in Scouting is divorced or is a widower. He now lives with a woman and his boys, but is not married. Perhaps this man was a Scout as a boy, maybe even earned Eagle, but he's living with the woman out of wedlock. He fills out an adult leader application and everything looks good until someone points out that he's not married to the woman he's living with. You're going to tear up his application? Hmmmmmm...

I'm right there with you, Mike. As to the original question, when do you wear the actual Eagle Award? Technically, one could wear it anytime. However, from a practical sense, wear the Eagle pocket patch until you're eighteen, then change over to the red, white and blue knot. Keep the Eagle award for special occasions. It's a proud moment every time I pin mine on, and it keeps my special award looking nice. I suppose you can always buy a new one if you break it on a rock during a High Adventure trek, but you only get one "original" award.

As someone once said, "The only thing I can add is... I have nothing to add." Thanks for a great idea that our Troop will try next camping trip!

OGE, You've had so many great and insightful posts in this forum. I can't believe you said that!

You're doing a great thing and your district and council should surely be standing with you in your efforts. Contact your District Executive and/or your Council office and tell them of your needs. If they don't have the right books, etc. in stock, they should be able to get them. Let us know in this forum of your findings. The Hispanic population is growing across the country and the publications you find may help others, too.

It's also far better to know that there are many, many more Scout leaders who guide the boys toward truly EARNING their way instead of getting "pencil-whipped" through. The satisfaction in having done the job completely will stay with them forever.

What would possess a Scoutmaster (of all people) to think a ten mile hike could be incorporated into the twenty mile hike? One would think a suggestion like that would come from an uninformed parent looking to make things easier for "little Johnny", not the leader of the Troop to whom the Scouts are to look up. Scouts shouldn't do things because they are easy. They should do things because they are hard, because it's the best way to measure their skills, preparation and endurance. For a Scoutmaster to suggest otherwise is ludicrous.

To save sewing (and removing) the temporary patches all the time, I suggest the plastic patch holders, available through your local Scout gear store or Council service center. They cost between $0.50 and a dollar and are available in different sizes to accomodate the varying patches.

The Webelos crossover bridge doesn't need to be extravagant. The bridge should be used in a ceremonial way, with emphasis on the meaning of crossing. Therefore, a bridge can be made nearly any way you would like. I would, however, utilize the woodworking talents of parents in your Pack to make it as special as you can. You could even have a Webelos den assist. As an example, you could make it about 6' wide with a rustic appearance, complete with handrail. I encourage you to make it without a step up, allowing boys that may have a handicap or trouble walking to go over it withou

Amen, brothers, Amen! Their are people in this country so tied up in knots over not offending anyone, they offend the very people who make up the country. THIS IS AMERICA for goodness sake, THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA! We're darn proud to be Americans. Why wouldn't we be? What would any visitor or immigrant see as being wrong with that? What could possibly be offensive in flying the American flag or saying the Pledge of Allegiance? While our country isn't perfect, no one's is, it is OUR country and it's the greatest on earth. Putting our patiotism on display is not only appropriate, b

Since we're listing some cute things about Scouting, I had to offer this. Dave got some good laughs from this, and personally, I thought it was pretty funny, too. From the Home Office in Wahoo, Nebraska Top Ten Signs You're In A Bad Boy Scout Troop 10. You get merit badge for picking the trifecta at Aqueduct. 9. You help old ladies across I-95. 8. First rule in handbook: "Blame the kid who can't speak English". 7. You're part of a very special troop called the Gambino family. 6. To become an Eagle Scout, you have to catch and eat a Bald Eagle.

Thanks for the outstanding poem! It truly represents what responsibility we as adult leaders have with the boys and young men that follow us. I took a group of Cub Scouts to a Resident Camp a couple years ago and the camp had this saying on the doors to the dining hall. It kind of echos your poem. "Don't worry that Scouts don't always listen to you. Worry that Scouts are always watching you." The moral... the same as in "A Little Scout Follows Me". We should lead by example.

This entire situation involving the Supreme Court has caused many people to become frustrated. I am no different from many of you in that regard. I believe in the Scouting program and what it does to reinforce good morals, good character and leadership skills that boys of today need to become outstanding men. What gets me upset the most is seeing people speak negatively about Scouting when it provides so much to the community in terms of positive programs for young boys. What we need to do as a group is continue to speak positively about Scouting, be proud of Scouting and continue to h

I've been told that it's based on discrimination "within" the guidelines. Boy Scouts don't allow girls which is ok, but they can't discriminate within the ranks of the boys. They must be available to ALL boys I believe is the arguement.

Eisely, you are on top of things! I'm a Scout leader in the Bay-Lakes Council and live in Green Bay. The story is near and dear to me. Fortunately, we have excellent leadership in our Council who wouldn't give in to the United Way of Brown County (Green Bay), nor did they give in to the United Way Fox Cities, which is another well populated area based around Appleton, 30 miles south of Green Bay. All of this occurred because both United Way offices made a new requirement that they expected their member agencies to sign stating that they wouldn't discriminate for any reason. It was a

Sounds good to me. It's just that there's so much in Scouting that is positive. I would much rather talk about that side of things. I AM glad there is a forum like this for Scouters to share thoughts, so, to all of you, keep bringing it on.

I don't participate much in the posting in many of these forums, but I do enjoy reading the experiences and insight into Scouting that most of you have. However, I am starting to get a bit concerned about the negativity in this thread. Yes, there is a faction in the world that wants gay Scout leaders. Yes, there are things that could make the BSA a better organization than it already is, and yes, we as a group can constructively criticize anyone we choose. I guess the point I'm trying to make is, a Scout is Cheerful, so let's keep this forum as positive as possible.

Mike, Thanks a lot for the website. It's very informative and has lots of information on the trail, the campsites and the island in general. We're really looking forward to the practice, the planning, and, of course, the trip itself.

I'd like to start a high adventure posting, mainly due to our Troop's plans to hike the Greenstone Ridge Trail on Isle Royale National Park in Lake Superior. Have any you done this and could you share your experiences? We've got location in our favor by living in Wisconsin so travel is not a factor. I'd like to know more about Troops' experiences hiking Isle Royale and any other similiar trails. Thanks for the help.

My only experience is with Packmaster from Troopmaster Software Inc. (TSI) of Palmyra, VA. (804) 589-6788. While there are other brands of Scouting software available, I have always been happy with Packmaster and it's capabilities during the 2 years we've had it. The record keeping is incredible and it interacts with Troopmaster software. This particular company also has accounting software for Packs and Troops that we have not utilized yet. If it's anything like Packmaster, we'll be making a purchase soon.

As the originator of this topic, I thank all who have responded. Please don't stop. Ideas come from all corners and can all be utilized for the benefit of the boys. A few questions however. First of all, I'd like a definitive answer on the competition aspect of a camporee. The patrol method seems to be the winner here, if in fact competition is still allowed. From what I've heard, camporee programs are encouraged to be learning experiences and not competitions. I don't agree with that, however. Secondly, in regard to Eisely's comments about "new boy" patrols, etc., I feel that