RememberSchiff

 

So a decade or more is your answer?

 

The loss of membership is easy to track and maps to the membership policy changes. The gain of membership should follow a similar cause and effect. If not, then we won't ever know if the policy change was the catalyst for membership increases if it takes more than a few years.

 

My experience in membership organizations is that membership numbers respond fairly quickly to changes either positive or negative.

 

The irony being that it's the SAME ORGANIZATION it was in both instances, only the membership policy changed. The program has not changed to make the youth any less patriotic. Parts of society demanded that the organization change to meet their view of the world.

 

Face it Rick, BSA has changed (now) and it's so important to the left that they haven't even noticed. Most never plan on being part of BSA. It's like someone telling you the Greek place around the corner sucks. The problem is they don't like Greek food and never plan on ever going there...they just think Greek food sucks.

 

I guess I'd feel better if your friend was more informed before giving his opinion, but he's welcome to his (misinformed) opinion.

Program changes such as The Improved Scouting Program and youth protection issues (perversion files, etc,) negatively impacted membership far more than changes in membership policy.

How does Council plan to do EBOR's?

There are tons of posts about it throughout social media. I just thought it was interesting to note that in looking at BSA official social media accounts, it was as if the President wasn't even there at all. 

Most of those posters were probably not there either. 

@@lupacexi welcome to scouter.com

Less personal please.  Let's take it down a notch.

Trump had the opportunity to rise above and deliver an uplifting speech - there is even a portion of his speech that would have been fine all on its own, if he left it there. It's a shame that that part of his speech was overshadowed by his belligerence and whining, by his campaign style ramblings. 

 

As bad as that speech was, some (many?) of the Scouts present embarrassed the BSA again by acting like snot-nosed little brats and booing President Obama. 

 

The wishy-washy statement from the BSA afterwards, in response to a great deal of criticism by PARENTS of Scouts, is not helping their cause.  Unfortunately, the BSA is caught up in a storm not of their making.  It was the right thing to do to invite President Trump.  It's a real shame that the this President has brought such ill-repute to the Boy Scouts of America. 

 

As bad as all that is, the worst part is the partisan hacks in here who will defend Trump at all costs, even when he gives a wildly inappropriate and at times disgusting speech to Boy Scouts.  You people know who you are.

 

As for the Reagan comparisons to Obama - while the cancer surgery is certainly a good excuse for missing a Jamboree, the attempted assassination in 1981 is not.  The assassination attempt was in March of 1981.  President Reagan returned to the Oval Office in April.  On May 17, President Reagan started traveling domestically again, on official trips - he made 8 domestic trips on AF1 between May 17 to July 7, then did nothing from July 8 to July 29, taking another trip on July 30.  If he was healthy enough to take these trips to as far away as California and Denver, then he was healthy enough to travel from the White House to Fort AP Hill at the end of July.  So no, that excuse does NOT hold water - but I will still respect his decision not to attend just as I respect Obama's decision not to attend either Jamboree during his term - without needing to come up with some kind of snarky reason why he didn't attend. 

I think mostly we here are praising our scouts' more respectful response to the President's visit, a vast improvement over 2010.  Whether his speech was good, bad, ugly is on the President not us.

As for Reagan not attending the 1981 Jamboree, he and his administration were working the illegal nationwide air traffic controller's strike. Some 13,000 air traffic controller went on strike which did a number on air travel. 6500 Jambo scouts with flights home  were stranded. Reagan fired some 11,000 air traffic controllers. As I recall, many scouts got military flights home.

My $0.02

@@Bridget_in_MD welcome to scouter.com

Even via video Obama was more Presidential than Trump was in-person. 

Hard to say, President Obama sent a short 94 second, pre-recorded edited video. President Trump appeared in person and spoke for much longer in his usual style. A fairly edited 94 second excerpt of that would be a better comparison.

I did wonder if President Obama had taken the long view and appeared in person at the 2010 Jamboree following his Secretary of State Hillary Clinton (who did not attend)  days before, would  Hillary Clinton now be President.

Clearly his speech was controversial when addressed to an audience that I assume was 90%+ American.

 

It will be interesting to see what happens in 2019 (when I assume he will make an appearance) when the audience will be 90% non American.

If he did, he would be the first current US President to attend a World Scout Jamboree. The only other World Jamboree held in US (Idaho 1967), was attended by then Vice President Hubert Humphrey.

Also for the 2019 World Jamboree , the BSA is co-hosting with Canada and Mexico, so yes it will be interesting to see who are invited.

Topic moved to I&P,  next stop ....

 

If you and your unit were there, what would you would say, if anything, to your SPL or scouts ahead of such a meeting?

From the Summit Blog's Detail on the Presidential Visit, regarding respect.

http://www.summitbsa.org/details-presidential-visit-monday

As a unit leader or staff member, you can help make the president’s visit a success by ensuring that any reactions to the president’s address are, as we state in our Scout Law, friendly, courteous, and kind. This includes understanding that chants of certain phrases heard during the campaign (e.g. “build the wall,†“lock her upâ€) are considered divisive by many members of our audience, and may cause unnecessary friction between individuals and units. Please help us ensure that all Scouts can enjoy this historical address by making sure that your troop members are respectful not only of the president, but of the wide variety of viewpoints held by Scouts and Scouters in the audience tonight.

If I cut and pasted correctly, here is full transcript of President Trump's Jamboree speech from Time.com.

TRUMP: Thank you, everybody. Thank you very much. I am thrilled to be here. Thrilled.
(APPLAUSE)
And if you think that was an easy trip, you're wrong. But I am thrilled.
(LAUGHTER)
19th Boy Scout Jamboree, wow, and to address such a tremendous group. Boy, you have a lot of people here. The press will say it's about 200 people.
(LAUGHTER)
It looks like about 45,000 people. You set a record today.
(APPLAUSE)

You set a record. That's a great honor, believe me.
Tonight we put aside all of the policy fights in Washington, D.C. you've been hearing about with the fake news and all of that. We're going to put that...
(APPLAUSE)
We're going to put that aside. And instead we're going to talk about success, about how all of you amazing young Scouts can achieve your dreams, what to think of, what I've been thinking about. You want to achieve your dreams, I said, who the hell wants to speak about politics when I'm in front of the Boy Scouts? Right?
(APPLAUSE)

There are many great honors that come with the job of being president of the United States. But looking out at this incredible gathering of mostly young patriots. Mostly young. I'm especially proud to speak to you as the honorary president of the Boy Scouts of America.
(APPLAUSE)
CROWD: USA! USA! USA!
TRUMP: You are the young people of character, integrity who will serve as leaders of our communities and uphold the sacred values of our nation.
I want to thank Boy Scouts President Randall Stephenson, chief Scout executive Michael Surbaugh, Jamboree Chairman Ralph de la Vega and the thousands of volunteers who made this a life-changing experience for all of you. And when they asked me to be here, I said absolutely yes.
(APPLAUSE)
Finally -- and we can't forgot these people -- I especially want to salute the moms and the dads and troop leaders who are here tonight.
(APPLAUSE) Thank you for making scouting possible. Thank you, mom and dad, troop leaders.
When you volunteer for the Boy Scouts you are not only shaping young lives, you are shaping the future of America.
(APPLAUSE)

TRUMP: Thank you, everybody. Thank you very much. I am thrilled to be here. Thrilled.
(APPLAUSE)
And if you think that was an easy trip, you're wrong. But I am thrilled.
(LAUGHTER)
19th Boy Scout Jamboree, wow, and to address such a tremendous group. Boy, you have a lot of people here. The press will say it's about 200 people.
(LAUGHTER)
It looks like about 45,000 people. You set a record today.
(APPLAUSE)

You set a record. That's a great honor, believe me.
Tonight we put aside all of the policy fights in Washington, D.C. you've been hearing about with the fake news and all of that. We're going to put that...
(APPLAUSE)
We're going to put that aside. And instead we're going to talk about success, about how all of you amazing young Scouts can achieve your dreams, what to think of, what I've been thinking about. You want to achieve your dreams, I said, who the hell wants to speak about politics when I'm in front of the Boy Scouts? Right?
(APPLAUSE)

There are many great honors that come with the job of being president of the United States. But looking out at this incredible gathering of mostly young patriots. Mostly young. I'm especially proud to speak to you as the honorary president of the Boy Scouts of America.
(APPLAUSE)
CROWD: USA! USA! USA!
TRUMP: You are the young people of character, integrity who will serve as leaders of our communities and uphold the sacred values of our nation.
I want to thank Boy Scouts President Randall Stephenson, chief Scout executive Michael Surbaugh, Jamboree Chairman Ralph de la Vega and the thousands of volunteers who made this a life-changing experience for all of you. And when they asked me to be here, I said absolutely yes.
(APPLAUSE)
Finally -- and we can't forgot these people -- I especially want to salute the moms and the dads and troop leaders who are here tonight.
(APPLAUSE) Thank you for making scouting possible. Thank you, mom and dad, troop leaders.
When you volunteer for the Boy Scouts you are not only shaping young lives, you are shaping the future of America.
(APPLAUSE)
 

The United States has no better citizens than its Boy Scouts.
(APPLAUSE)
No better.
(APPLAUSE)
The values, traditions and skills you learn here will serve you throughout your lives. And just as importantly, they will serve your families, your cities, and in the future and in the present will serve your country.
(APPLAUSE)
The Scouts believe in putting America first.

(APPLAUSE)
You know, I go to Washington and I see all these politicians, and I see the swamp, and it's not a good place. In fact, today, I said we ought to change it from the word "swamp" to the word "cesspool" or perhaps to the word "sewer."
(APPLAUSE)
But it's not good. Not good. And I see what's going on. And believe me, I'd much rather be with you, that I can tell you.
(APPLAUSE)
I'll tell you the reason that I love this, and the reason that I really wanted to be here, is because as president, I rely on former Boy Scouts every single day. And so do the American people.
It's amazing how many Boy Scouts we have at the highest level of our great government. Many of my top advisers in the White House were Scouts. Ten members of my cabinet were Scouts. Can you believe that? Ten.
(APPLAUSE)
Secretary of State Rex Tillerson is not only a Boy Scout, he is your former national president.
(APPLAUSE)
The vice president of the United States, Mike Pence -- a good guy -- was a Scout, and it meant so much to him.
(APPLAUSE)
Some of you here tonight might even have camped out in this yard when Mike was the governor of Indiana, but the scouting was very, very important.
And by the way, where are our Indiana scouts tonight?
(APPLAUSE)
I wonder if the television cameras will follow you? They don't doing that when they see these massive crowds. They don't like doing that.
Hi, folks.
(APPLAUSE)
There's a lot of love in this big, beautiful place. A lot of love. And a lot of love for our country. And a lot of love for our country.

Secretary of the Interior Ryan Zinke is here tonight.
Come here, Ryan.
(APPLAUSE)
Ryan is an Eagle Scout from Big Sky Country in Montana.
(APPLAUSE)
Pretty good.
And by the way, he is doing a fantastic job. He makes sure that we leave our national parks and federal lands better than we found them in the best scouting tradition.
So thank you very much, Ryan.
(APPLAUSE)
Secretary of Energy Rick Perry of Texas, an Eagle Scout from the great state.
(APPLAUSE)
The first time he came to the National Jamboree was in 1964. He was very young then. And Rick told me just a little while ago, it totally changed his life.
So, Rick, thank you very much for being here. And we're doing -- we're doing a lot with energy.
(APPLAUSE) And very soon, Rick, we will be an energy exporter. Isn't that nice? An energy exporter.
(APPLAUSE)
In other words, we'll be selling our energy instead of buying it from everybody all over the globe. So that's good.
(APPLAUSE)
We will be energy dominant.
And I'll tell you what, the folks in West Virginia who were so nice to me, boy, have we kept our promise. We are going on and on. So we love West Virginia. We want to thank you.
Where's West Virginia by the way?

(APPLAUSE)
Thank you.
Secretary Tom Price is also here today. Dr. Price still lives the Scout oath, helping to keep millions of Americans strong and healthy as our secretary of Health and Human Services. And he's doing a great job. And hopefully he's going to gets the votes tomorrow to start our path toward killing this horrible thing known as Obamacare that's really hurting us.
(APPLAUSE)
CROWD: USA! USA! USA!
TRUMP: By the way, are you going to get the votes? He better get them. He better get them. Oh, he better. Otherwise I'll say, "Tom, you're fired." I'll get somebody.
(APPLAUSE)
He better get Senator Capito to vote for it. He better get the other senators to vote for it.

It's time.
You know, after seven years of saying repeal and replace Obamacare we have a chance to now do it. They better do it. Hopefully they'll do it.
As we can see just by looking at our government, in America, Scouts lead the way. And another thing I've noticed -- and I've noticed it all my life -- there is a tremendous spirit with being a Scout, more so than almost anything I can think of. So whatever is going on, keep doing it. It's incredible to watch, believe me.
(APPLAUSE)
Each of these leaders will tell that you their road to American success -- and you have to understand -- their American success, and they are a great, great story, was paved with the patriotic American values and traditions they learned in the Boy Scouts. And some day, many years from now, when you look back on all of the adventures in your lives you will be able to say the same, I got my start as a Scout, just like these incredibly great people that are doing such a good job for our country. So that's going to happen.
(APPLAUSE)
Boy Scout values are American values. And great Boy Scouts become great, great Americans.

(APPLAUSE)
As the Scout law says, a scout is trustworthy, loyal -- we could use some more loyalty I will tell that you that.
(CROWD CHANTING)
That was very impressive. You've heard that before. But here you learn the rewards of hard work and perseverance, never, ever give up. Never quit. Persevere. Never, ever quit. You learn the satisfaction of building a roaring campfire, reaching a mountain summit or earning a merit badge after mastering a certain skill. There's no better feeling than an achievement that you've earned with your own sweat, tears, resolve, hard work. There's nothing like it. Do you agree with that?
(APPLAUSE)
I'm waving to people back there so small I can't even see them. Man, this is a lot of people. Turn those cameras back there, please. That is so incredible.
By the way, what do you think the chances are that this incredible massive crowd, record setting, is going to be shown on television tonight? One percent or zero?
(APPLAUSE)
The fake media will say, "President Trump spoke" -- you know what is -- "President Trump spoke before a small crowd of Boy Scouts today." That's some -- that is some crowd. Fake media. Fake news.
Thank you. And I'm honored by that. By the way, all of you people that can't even see you, so thank you. I hope you can hear.
Through scouting you also learned to believe in yourself -- so important -- to have confidence in your ability and to take responsibility for your own life. When you face

down new challenges -- and you will have plenty of them -- develop talents you never thought possible, and lead your teammates through daring trials, you discover that you can handle anything. And you learn it by being a Scout. It's great.
(APPLAUSE) You can do anything. You can be anything you want to be. But in order to succeed, you must find out what you love to do. You have to find your passion, no matter what they tell you. If you don't -- I love you too. I don't know. Nice guy.
(APPLAUSE)
Hey, what am I going to do? He sounds like a nice person. He -- he, he, he. I do. I do love you.
(CROWD CHANTING)

By the way, just a question, did President Obama ever come to a Jamboree?
(APPLAUSE)
And we'll be back. We'll be back. The answer is no. But we'll be back.
In life, in order to be successful -- and you people are well on the road to success -- you have to find out what makes you excited, what makes you want to get up each morning and go to work? You have to find it. If you love what you do and dedicate yourself to your work, then you will gain momentum? And look, you have to. You need the word "momentum." You will gain that momentum. And each success will create another success. The word "momentum."
I'll tell you a story that's very interesting for me. When I was young there was a man named William Levitt. You have some here. You have some in different states. Anybody ever hear of Levittown?
(APPLAUSE)
And he was a very successful man, became unbelievable -- he was a home builder, became an unbelievable success, and got more and more successful. And he'd build homes, and at night he'd go to these major sites with teams of people, and he'd scour the sites for nails, and sawdust and small pieces of wood, and they cleaned the site, so when the workers came in the next morning, the sites would be spotless and clean, and he did it properly. And he did this for 20 years, and then he was offered a lot of money for his company, and he sold his company, for a tremendous amount of money, at the time especially. This is a long time ago. Sold his company for a tremendous amount of money.
And he went out and bought a big yacht, and he had a very interesting life. I won't go any more than that, because you're Boy Scouts so I'm not going to tell you what he did.
(CROWD CHANTING)
Should I tell you? Should I tell you?
(APPLAUSE)

You're Boy Scouts, but you know life. You know life.
So look at you. Who would think this is the Boy Scouts, right? So he had a very, very

interesting life, and the company that bought his company was a big conglomerate, and they didn't know anything about building homes, and they didn't know anything about picking up the nails and the sawdust and selling it, and the scraps of wood. This was a big conglomerate based in New York City.
And after about a 10-year period, there were losing a lot with it. It didn't mean anything to them. And they couldn't sell it. So they called William Levitt up, and they said, would you like to buy back your company, and he said, yes, I would. He so badly wanted it. He got bored with this life of yachts, and sailing, and all of the things he did in the south of France and other places. You won't get bored, right? You know, truthfully, you're workers. You'll get bored too, believe me. Of course having a few good years like that isn't so bad.
But what happened is he bought back his company, and he bought back a lot of empty land, and he worked hard at getting zoning, and he worked hard on starting to develop, and in the end he failed, and he failed badly, lost all of his money. He went personally bankrupt, and he was now much older. And I saw him at a cocktail party. And it was very sad because the hottest people in New York were at this party. It was the party of Steve Ross -- Steve Ross, who was one of the great people. He came up and discovered, really founded Time Warner, and he was a great guy. He had a lot of successful people at the party.
And I was doing well, so I got invited to the party. I was very young. And I go in, but I'm in the real estate business, and I see a hundred people, some of whom I recognize, and they're big in the entertainment business.
And I see sitting in the corner was a little old man who was all by himself. Nobody was talking to him. I immediately recognized that that man was the once great William Levitt, of Levittown, and I immediately went over. I wanted to talk to him more than the Hollywood, show business, communications people.

So I went over and talked to him, and I said, "Mr. Levitt, I'm Donald Trump." He said, "I know." I said, "Mr. Levitt, how are you doing?" He goes, "Not well, not well at all." And I knew that. But he said, "Not well at all." And he explained what was happening and how bad it's been and how hard it's been. And I said, "What exactly happened? Why did this happen to you? You're one of the greats ever in our industry. Why did this happen to you?"
And he said, "Donald, I lost my momentum. I lost my momentum." A word you never hear when you're talking about success when some of these guys that never made 10 cents, they're on television giving you things about how you're going to be successful, and the only thing they ever did was a book and a tape. But I tell you -- I'll tell you, it was very sad, and I never forgot that moment.
And I thought about it, and it's exactly true. He lost his momentum, meaning he took this period of time off, long, years, and then when he got back, he didn't have that same momentum.

In life, I always tell this to people, you have to know whether or not you continue to have the momentum. And if you don't have it, that's OK. Because you're going to go on, and you're going to learn and you're going to do things that are great. But you have to know about the word "momentum."
But the big thing, never quit, never give up; do something you love. When you do something you love as a Scout, I see that you love it. But when you do something that you love, you'll never fail. What you're going to do is give it a shot again and again and again. You're ultimately going to be successful.
And remember this, you're not working. Because when you're doing something that you love, like I do -- of course I love my business, but this is a little bit different. Who thought this was going to happen. We're, you know, having a good time. We're doing a good job.
(APPLAUSE)
Doing a good job. But when you do something that you love, remember this, it's not work. So you'll work 24/7. You're going to work all the time. And at the end of the year you're not really working. You don't think of it as work. When you're not doing something that you like or when you're forced into do something that you really don't like, that's called work, and it's hard work, and tedious work.

So as much as you can do something that you love, work hard and never ever give up, and you're going to be tremendously successful, tremendously successful.
(APPLAUSE)
Now, with that, I have to tell you our economy is doing great. Our stock market has picked up since the election, November 8th -- do we remember that day? Was that a beautiful day?
(APPLAUSE)
What a day.
Do you remember that famous night on television, November 8th where they said, these dishonest people, where they said, there is no path to victory for Donald Trump. They forgot about the forgotten people.
By the way, they're not forgetting about the forgotten people anymore. They're going crazy trying to figure it out, but I told them, far too late; it's far too late.
But you remember that incredible night with the maps, and the Republicans are red and the Democrats are blue, and that map was so red it was unbelievable. And they didn't know what to say.
(APPLAUSE) And you know, we have a tremendous disadvantage in the Electoral College. Popular vote is much easier. We have -- because New York, California, Illinois, you have to practically run the East Coast. And we did. We won Florida. We won South Carolina. We won North Carolina. We won Pennsylvania.
(APPLAUSE)
We won and won. So when they said, there is no way to victory; there is no way to 270. You know I went to Maine four times because it's one vote, and we won. We won. One vote. I went there because I kept hearing we're at 269. But then Wisconsin came in. Many, many years. Michigan came in.

(APPLAUSE)
So -- and we worked hard there. You know, my opponent didn't work hard there, because she was told...
(BOOING)
She was told she was going to win Michigan, and I said, well, wait a minute. The car industry is moving to Mexico. Why is she going to move -- she's there. Why are they allowing it to move? And by the way, do you see those car industry -- do you see what's happening? They're coming back to Michigan. They're coming back to Ohio. They're starting to peel back in.
(APPLAUSE)
And we go to Wisconsin, now, Wisconsin hadn't been won in many, many years by a Republican. But we go to Wisconsin, and we had tremendous crowds. And I'd leave these massive crowds, I'd say, why are we going to lose this state?
The polls, that's also fake news. They're fake polls. But the polls are saying -- but we won Wisconsin.
(APPLAUSE)
So I have to tell you, what we did, in all fairness, is an unbelievable tribute to you and all of the other millions and millions of people that came out and voted for make America great again.
(APPLAUSE)
And I'll tell you what, we are indeed making America great again.
CROWD: USA! USA! USA!
TRUMP: And I'll tell you what, we are indeed making America great again. What's going on is incredible.
(APPLAUSE)
We had the best jobs report in 16 years. The stock market on a daily basis is hitting an all-time high.
We're going to be bringing back very soon trillions of dollars from companies that can't get their money back into this country, and that money is going to be used to help rebuild America. We're doing things that nobody ever thought was possible, and we've just started. It's just the beginning, believe me.
(APPLAUSE)
You know, in the Boy Scouts you learn right from wrong, correct? You learn to contribute to your communities, to take pride in your nation, and to seek out opportunities to serve. You pledge to help other people at all times.
(APPLAUSE)
In the Scout oath, you pledge on your honor to do your best and to do your duty to God and your country.
(APPLAUSE)
And by the way, under the Trump administration you'll be saying "Merry Christmas" again when you go shopping, believe me.
(APPLAUSE)
Merry Christmas.
They've been downplaying that little beautiful phrase. You're going to be saying "Merry Christmas" again, folks.
(APPLAUSE)

But the words "duty," "country" and "God" are beautiful words. In other words, basically what you're doing is you're pledging to be a great American patriot.
(APPLAUSE)
For more than a century that is exactly what our Boy Scouts have been. Last year you gave more than 15 million hours of service to helping people in your communities. Incredible. That's an incredible stat.
(APPLAUSE)
All of you here tonight will contribute more than 100,000 hours of service by the end of this Jamboree -- 100,000.
(APPLAUSE)
When natural disaster strikes, when people face hardship, when the beauty and glory of our outdoor spaces must be restored and taken care of, America turns to the Boy Scouts because we know that the Boy Scouts never ever, ever let us down.
(APPLAUSE)
Just like you know you can count on me, we know we can count on you, because we know the values that you live by.
(APPLAUSE)
Your values are the same values that have always kept America strong, proud and free.
And by the way, do you see the billions and billions and billions of additional money that we're putting back into our military? Billions of dollars.
(APPLAUSE)
New planes, new ships, great equipment for our people that are so great to us. We love our vets. We love our soldiers. And we love our police, by the way.
(APPLAUSE)
Firemen, police. We love our police. Those are all special people. Uniformed services.
Two days ago I traveled to Norfolk, Virginia to commission an American aircraft carrier into the fleet of the United States Navy.
(APPLAUSE)
It's the newest, largest and most advanced aircraft carrier anywhere in the world, and it's named for an Eagle Scout -- the USS Gerald R. Ford.
(APPLAUSE)
Everywhere it sails that great Scout's name will be feared and revered, because that ship will be a symbol of American power, prestige and strength.
(APPLAUSE)
Our nation honors President Gerald R. Ford today because he lived his life the scouting way. Boy Scouts celebrate American patriots, especially the brave members of our Armed Forces. Thank you very much.
(APPLAUSE)
Thank you. Thank you.
(APPLAUSE)
American hearts are warmed every year when we read about Boy Scouts placing thousands and thousands of flags next to veterans' grave sites all across the country. By honoring our heroes, you help to ensure that their memory never, ever dies. You should take great pride in the example you set for every citizen of our country to follow.
(APPLAUSE)
Generations of American Boy Scouts have sworn the same oath and lived according to the same law. You inherit a noble American tradition. And as you embark on your lives, never cease to be proud of you who you are and the principles you hold dear and stand by. Wear your values as your badge of honor. What you've done few have done before you. What you've done is incredible. What you've done is admired by all. So I want to congratulate you, Boy Scouts.
(APPLAUSE)
Let your scouting oath guide your path from this day forward. Remember your duty, honor your history, take care of the people God put into your life, and love and cherish your great country.
(APPLAUSE)
You are very special people. You're special in the lives of America. You're special to me. But if you do what we say, I promise you that you will live scouting's adventure every single day of your life, and you will win, win, win, and help people in doing so.
(APPLAUSE)
Your lives will have meaning, and purpose and joy. You will become leaders, and you will inspire others to achieve the dreams they once thought were totally impossible. Things that you said could never, ever happen are already happening for you. And if you do these things, and if you refuse to give in to doubt or to fear, then you will help to make America great again, you will be proud of yourself, be proud of the uniform you wear, and be proud of the country you love.
(APPLAUSE)
CROWD: USA! USA! USA!
TRUMP: And never, ever forget, America is proud of you.
(APPLAUSE)
This is a very, very special occasion for me. I've known so many Scouts over the years. Winners. I've known so many great people. They've been taught so well, and they love the heritage. But this is very special for me.
And I just want to end by saying, very importantly, God bless you. God bless the Boy Scouts. God Bless the United States of America. Go out, have a great time in life, compete, and go out and show me that there is nobody, nobody like a Boy Scout.
(APPLAUSE)
Thank you very much, everybody. (APPLAUSE)
Thank you very much.
(APPLAUSE)
Thank you.
(APPLAUSE)
Thank you very much

 

I hope our Scouts are courteous and kind this time.

Jiminy Cricket, must have wished on the right star. Looks like all present had a good time. 

Could be a hoot if he brought his 11yr old son Barron along to "run the Boy Scouts",

A prediction:   "... a really, really,  great organization...."

Another prediction,

"Did you know that I have hired more Eagle Scouts than ..."

"Eagle Scouts really great people  Really great."

It seemed, programs which required kits bought thru the camp trading post were in better shape than programs which used bulk supplies on site, e.g., modeling clay in Handicraft. Or stated another way, apparently the business manager ordered for his trading post and not for program areas which was different from past years. 

@@Eagle94-A1  hope your are enjoying your new wicker chair.

Does your summer camp give a heads-up if their program areas are short on supplies? Does your camp have a "wish list" published?  Some means to inform scouters and parents who could hopefully rectify the problem,

Once again, our camp did NOT which limited and even canceled hands-on activities in handicraft and shooting. No fear, merit badges were signed-off regardless! Indian Lore was chiefly a week of Sit-n-Bull!

I had thought Council and Camp had learned from the 22 ammo shortage from a few years back, Just ask and ye shall receive.

Maybe we need to kit supplies ourselves for camp classes?

I reread President Truman's address to the 1950 Jamboree. Though the context then was Communist nations, one paragraph seemed sadly applicable to ourselves today, Maybe there is a SM minute in this.

We must not return hate for the hate which these young people are being taught to feel toward us. We must realize that they are the victims of a cynical group of leaders. We must make it clear to them that we believe in the fellowship of human beings, in the possibility of cooperative human action, and in peace based on mutual understanding. We must show them, over and over again, that fellowship is possible between men of different nations, different colors, and different creeds.

http://www.presidency.ucsb.edu/ws/?pid=13551

My $0.02

Topic moved to I&P,  next stop ....

If you and your unit were there, what would you would say, if anything, to your SPL or scouts ahead of such a meeting?

Regarding the Bush visit in 1989: I worked on the advance team from 1988 through 1990. I can tell you with 100% accuracy, the cluster that was that visit was ENTIRELY the fault of the BSA. NOTHING we submitted that was approved by the Secret Service was in place when the advance team arrived. The Service wouldn't let follow the intended route and plan until all areas were secured. So let's not imply that the visit was the fault of the administration. I was on the ground three weeks prior to the visit, several days before the visit and DURING the visit. That mess was on BSA. Period.

Okay, I'm confused.  US Army base Fort A.P. Hill, Commander-in-Chief arrives and the BSA is entirely at fault?

A little Courtesy and Kindness could go a long way. The President's visit is a opportunity for us, the Boy Scouts, to lead the country back to some civility.

My $0.02

Maine High Adventure is a great program. It's the most flexible "camp-type" program I've ever been around. You get there and then plan your trek at the base camp (which you cannot drive to, you need to get in by boat). 

 

It's a bit of an odd setup, as it used to be run by National. Then it was run by the Pine Tree and Katahdin Area Councils in conjunction. Then Pine Tree dropped out. 

 

When I was there, we started a program where you could take your troop to Camp Roosevelt, and then your older scouts would go for a four-day trek a couple of hours up the road at Maine High Adventure.

 

During my time as Lodge Staff Adviser, we did OA Ordeals there too. Really rustic, but beautiful facility.

 

We did Okpik at Camp Roosevelt in Eddington. Scouts built their quinzees right on the pond. Temperatures didn't usually get about 0 for most of the weekends. Never a shortage of snow. Usually about 15-20 scouts.

Thanks for the info. Both are always on the initial PLC year planning list but never make the final cut.   We almost did OKPIK, but got nervous due to another very mild winter this year.

Wouldn't it be cool if scouts lashed a tall Trump tower, oh wait a minute there's a 6 ft. height limit. 

I hope our Scouts are courteous and kind this time. IMO, it was a good idea for SecState Tillerson to appear ahead of President.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5mbg-oxrAWQ

http://www.wvgazettemail.com/news/20170721/secretary-of-state-tillerson-stops-in-wv-for-boy-scout-jamboree

U.S. Secretary of State Rex Tillerson along with his wife Brenda visited the Jamboree on Friday as part of a ceremony detailing the planned Rex W. Tillerson Leadership Center and unveiling a bronze statue of him at the site

..Tillerson spoke about the leadership center and the importance of instilling values-based leadership in America’s youth.

“When we acquired the site for the Jamboree, we realized we had an opportunity to do so much more than that,†said Tillerson, who served as national president of the Boy Scouts of America from 2010 to 2012. “We wanted to create a lasting leadership opportunity, and this was a part I really wanted to attach my name to.â€

The Rex W. Tillerson Leadership Center will be a part of the Thomas S. Monson Leadership Excellence Complex, which is under development. The center will be “a place for leadership and ethics training for youth,†according to Wayne Perry, another former national president of the BSA. Perry said the center will be approximately 12,000 square feet and feature multipurpose classrooms, an auditorium and a library.

The Boy Scouts unveiled a bronze statue of Tillerson and presented him with a flag and smaller replica statue.

“I feel so blessed to be led to this place and to be a part of this project,†he said. “My part is very small, but I am proud of my part.â€

...

Tillerson told Scouts to “never stop developing†as people and to be a “principles-based leader.â€

“You have to practice and work hard at it, and you are going to be challenged,†Tillerson said of improving as a leader and person. “That is what we want to teach you at this center — to practice and apply these values.â€

More details at above source link. Tillerson is a Distinguished Eagle Scout, Silver Buffalo Award recipient and past national president of the BSA.

https://www.usnews.com/news/best-states/west-virginia/articles/2017-07-21/trump-to-visit-boy-scouts-jamboree-in-west-virginia

"Presidents dating back to George H.W. Bush attended the Jamboree when it was previously held at a military base at Fort A.P. Hill, Virginia. President Barack Obama declined an invitation from the Scouts to address the 2010 Jamboree in Virginia and the 2013 Jamboree when it was held for the first time in West Virginia."