Beavah

Hops, da real issue is that if the team/school didn't like their uniform, they'd be free to design a new one. And if Nike didn't produce it for them, they'd have a few dozen other suppliers to choose from. Kudu, who is Mike Walton? A law enforcement official? It is as you suggest a question of contesting something. The government or the powerful are free to trample any right until they are opposed. Which is why, as good citizens, we should always be quick to oppose such nonsense, even and especially when it comes from organizations we support. Though the circumstances in the case

Insignia is the property of BSA. You purchase only the right to use the badge in the manner permitted by BSA. See the Insignia Guide. Sorry, der, FScouter, but I'm afraid you are da one who is mistaken. The controlling law here is not a BSA publication, it's the Uniform Commercial Code and the Trademark and Copyright Acts. Oh, yah, and the right of the people to be secure in their persons and property. Isn't citizenship in a freedom-loving democracy a pain?

the BSA owns all the badges and insignia, so as such they can say where they can be worn. Nah. Yah got your legalment all befuddled. The BSA owns, as "intellectual property", the symbols on the badges. They can control who manufactures/distributes/sells things with those symbols. To the extent to which they sell something like MB's only through their own shops, they can also control who they are sold to, within limits. But if they're distributing through Dunhams or another sporting goods shop, they can't. Once you purchase a badge, you own the physical badge. You are free t

In an odd thread in the Issues forum, someone comments: But on the 2-hour drive back home from Enchanted Rock, all they could talk about were video games, the new Xbox, which games they wanted for Christmas, etc. So we should ask ourselves...Why? Why is the video game so addictively popular, even after one of our campouts? * It is not adult-run. At all. * A kid achieves new levels at his own pace; no one is "pushing" him except his own desires. * Failure is just a stepping stone to getting better. * It is very engaging... physically, and mentally. You are neve

We must make rules that are clear and then enforce them blindly or we must be ready to admit that we support vigilante justice. I dearly love these views of the world. Why in heaven's name would we ever buy this as being a binary choice? Well, happily, neither we nor our founding fathers did. Instead, we trust to the goodwill and intelligence of fellow citizens. We rely on juries and judges and law enforcement officers and the like to be Mentally Awake. We recognize that it's impossible for even the most intelligent human lawmaker to come up with a law that is so clear that it

Good role models are people the kids can be proud of, and identify with. I haven't yet met a kid who is proud of or really identifies with the 1980s Oscar de la Rentas. Most are embarrassed to be seen in them. The uniform "benefits" we talk about are mostly an adult fiction when you take the time to listen to the kids. There are lots of uniforms kids are proud to wear. Functional, active uniforms like those worn for sports teams. But we've got to decide whether we care more about the active outdoor life of boys, or more about the adult indoor life of dressing up to show status.

What in Heavens name are people thinking about when they argue AGAINST the uniform !? Dat's Easy. The uniform loses us good kids who would otherwise join scouting. There are dozens of reasons to wear the uniform and promote the uniform method. Right answer to da wrong question. We should na' be caring about promoting the uniform method. We should be caring about whether the uniform method as enacted is promoting our Aims... with the kids. It doesn't matter whether we adults think the uniform represents Truth, Justice, and the American Way. What matters is what the kids thi

For us it's Scouter + firstname for any of the SM/ ASMs, except for Harvey, who is just Harvey. Non-scouter parents are Mr. or Mrs. + Lastname. Institution Head (pastor) and his assistant are both "Father" + Firstname, and Deacon Joe is Deacon Joe. I'm "Doctor" + firstname. Nicknames abound. I think it's generally polite to refer to folks as they would prefer to be addressed, and the kids are pretty good at adjusting. All of the SM's I've seen who are expert at the Adult Relationships Method end up on a first-name basis with their scouts well before they turn 18.

I really don't know how a leader worth his salt, who is charged with helping make young people make ethical decisions can stand up in front of a group of young people and tell them that he knows what the uniform policy of the BSA is and he understands it, but has chosen to ignore it and that's OK. Dat's Easy. The leader is being Mentally Awake, and encouraging his scouts to follow their Oath and be the same. He or she recognizes that for the boys in the troop in their area, the BSA uniform guidelines (not policy, BTW) are not achieving the aims and purpose for which they were i

Easy der, OGE. We're only hearing one side of the story. The SM is accountable for his actions to the chartered org., and to a lesser extent to the committee in terms of following committee policy. But the only way to hold a volunteer SM accountable is to get him to leave... either because he gets ticked off about being reversed on a very public decision, or because the IH in this case says "Go." Aquila is right here. If the SM is dug in, the only possible outcomes are a lot of troop infighting with no change in the decision, or a lot of troop infighting and the troop being left w

A scout is courteous. Before everyone goes running off to council and committee chairs and the like, the first step is the one that our SPL Meechgalanne suggests. Your son, and perhaps one or two of the other boys, should sit down and talk with the SM. Politely, respectfully, and share concerns. I'd do it privately to start, Meech... it makes people less defensive. I suspect this SM is a guy who is in over his head, and like many folks in over their heads he swings from underreacting (not providing direct feedback and training to the youth leaders) to overreacting (firing ever

Yah, I agree with Voyageur. You could step this up to pulks (pull-sleds) if you wanted to have an option to get a bit farther. I'm always a bit mystified by folks backcountry snow camping with fires. Insulated clothing works both ways - keeps the heat out as much as in. Fires are mostly just a way to melt snow and nylon. Sounds like a good campout, though.... more den enough stuff to be havin a load o' fun and leave the lads tired out. Is the area you're lookin' at pretty free of slopes with avalanche risk if kids wander about?

Hi Eagle76, Sounds like participating in the training was an expectation, and that a few folks are just agitating for an exception that y'all don't want to give. If that's the case, just say "no." Depending on where you live, winter camping can be a real high-load safety issue or not too big a deal. Up here in the Wisconsin / Minnesota area it can be pretty serious. Pre-trip experience definitely required. Aside from that, I've never been fond of gettin' too rules-bound on dis stuff. We're running a kids' program, not a law firm. The old expectations should stay in place u

Often times donating or raising money is a more helpful form of service for a charity than doing labor. The money can be more easily directed to exactly match a real need than 20 kid laborers who are only available on Saturday the 21st. And it's not a bad thing to get kids into the habit of thinking about giving financially to charity as a form of service. That's a habit I hope my kids will carry with them into adulthood. That having been said, I certainly wouldn't want this to be the only form of service a troop does. There is also a huge value in kids being hands-on in their ser

The old Soviet system was very good at uniformity. Uniformity like that often looks attractive in theory as a solution to poverty (i.e. poor units). But the theory wasn't so... the result of enforced uniformity was impoverishing everyone. Adaptation of the program to local circumstances and the needs of kids and the capabilities of leaders is not only a good thing, it is a necessary thing for success. If you tweak the Scouting program, how can you tell if you have achieved its intended goal? Dat's easy. You measure the outcomes. Are the scouts who have been in the program d

Nah, I vote with Kudo. Unless a boy knows basic scoutcraft skill well, he can't be a good leader in a scouting environment. He doesn't understand enough to make a good decision at the PLC. He isn't capable of implementing the SPL's decisions within his patrol. He can't earn the respect of his patrol members and peers. Program success and retention depend more on good cooks and map readers than they do on some adult-abstract notion of elected representation. At best, such higher functions as effective representation come into play only a long time after the basics (like havi

Yah, dat's pretty funny. There's as much or more stored energy (and therefore potential for harm to persons or property) in pumpkin catapult as in a spud gun. And model rockets in space exploration merit badge are chemically-propelled fast moving objects. So there's nothing inherently stupid here. At that point, you have to use your brain. Set up a safe range on private land, use a proven design, test all "cannons" yourself in a safe manner (remember, failure is more likely from poor construction than from poor design), inspect for potential problems after each firing, train boys

I gots a chuckle out of Kudu's friend's list. If you read it closely, ya can identify some common themes in his points. Burnout themes/causes that can/should be fixed in the program: * Excessive and unnecessary BSA paperwork/bureaucracy. * Lack of support/follow through from parent volunteers and council pros. * Advancement stuff that undermines scouting's goals. * Poor behaviors by fellow scouters. * Poor council communications. Burnout themes/causes that are probably inevitable and need to be counteracted by support and humor: * Lack of courtesy from scouts and parents

Yah, Okay der. I see whatcha mean. I think that you're assuming an adult or a youth leader like Brian, your Eagle Scout senior who "got it." I'm just not sure that this "webelos 3" troop has anybody, youth or adult, like that. Building up things through employing the different methods of boy scouting isn't JUST for developing youth understanding ... it's as much or more a set of steps for helping the ADULTS to build understanding and capacity. They have to learn to let go gradually, as they see successes build. Da kids can learn fast, eh? They're used to it. It's da

Ideals and Personal Growth are all well and good, but if it isn't done by Patrols, it isn't Scouting. Yah, riighhhttt. And if it's done by Patrols without sound youth leadership and support in place, it isn't Scouting either. It's a bullied gang, da Lord of the Flies, or wreckless endangerment.

The Patrol Method is an important method in scouting, at least for troops that get big enough to form two patrols. But when you are starting a new unit, or attempting to recover/recycle/improve an old unit, it's not the FIRST method you should pay attention to. You tried to "turn on" the Patrol Method before you had taken any steps to address the Youth Leadership method. So you removed the adult leadership structure with nothing else ready to take its place. You need to start with the Adult Association and Personal Growth methods. Build good relationships with kids, and identify

I agree with all the comments about boy led, being careful about food safety and local and state food regulations, etc. But I think it's important to remember that in many cases, raising money for an organization is far more helpful, and considered more of a service, than dropping off clothes or cans or raking their yard. Money is easily transported to where the need is, without requiring the organization to sort through stuff and pay for shipping, and it allows the charity to get the exact resources needed (instead of being left with 100 gallons of prune juice). If Scouting for Food is a s

Wags spelling may not be great, but his data and reasoning are flawless. Paintball at established ranges with proper gear is substantially safer than many other allowed BSA activities and many well-accepted youth sports. There is no safety or insurance reason for a BSA paintball prohibition. The laser tag prohibition is hysterical. Prohibitions based on philosophy should probably be left to the CO's where possible. In any event they don't belong in a safety manual. Such fraud short-circuits the democratic mechanisms for establishing philosophical policy in the BSA - through our elect

Dress does project an image about someone, if you're smart enough to read it. Me personally, I think twice before I hire anyone who wears a suit. It often means they are more focused on personal appearance and "power"/advancement than on service. Goth dress in teens is a good external indicator for a young person who is independent, of above-average intelligence, and likely to be exceptionally kind and accepting of others. But, yes, it also can be a tip off to a teen struggling with depression.... but actively struggling by seeking out this support group. For many jobs, I'd be more

I can't really speak to the boy's duty to God. All I can really do is respond to my own duty to God. And that's really very simple. To "let the children come to me, without hinderance." Doubt is one of God's gifts to young people; it saves them from arrogance. The boy would stay welcome in our troop, and the conversations would continue between friends, and the examples (hopefully) of how other good people do their duty to God would continue. We get at least one of these kids every year at a BOR. God bless them, they're great! Over the years, some of those agnostics and athei