RememberSchiff

Follows down the chain of command, with frequent hiccups and repeats SPL ---> PLC,TC PL's ---> scouts scouts ---> parents ^ SM....: ........................> ()TC() <--> ()TC() yes TC wears earmuffs, SM has hearing aid

http://www.theeagle.com/news/local/former-defense-secretary-robert-gates-explains-leadership-as-a-matter/article_ab9df5ab-4f4f-5553-8060-04be58bb302e.html Former Defense Secretary Robert Gates said his first leadership role was as a patrol leader of a Boy Scout troop in Kansas many years ago. He said nothing teaches leadership skills like trying to get a bunch of 11- and 12-year-old boys to do what you tell them to do -- especially when you're only a year older than they are. ... Gates said there were two aspects to his book. The first is to give a practical approach on how to lead change in a bureaucratic environment -- how to delegate authority, empower people and hold people accountable for performance. The other side of the book, he said, are techniques for how to deal with stakeholders, community members, alumni, athletics fans -- all the people who have influence in the affairs of an organization. He also discusses the personal leadership characteristics he believes are necessary for someone who intends to lead change. Gates drew a distinction between leadership and management. He said education can make someone a good manager, which every organization needs, but it's hard to teach good leadership traits. "If you don't like people, if you don't respect people, if you think you're superior to other people, you're not going to be a good leader," he said. "It is a matter of the heart, it is how you look at other people -- can you empathize, can you motivate, can you inspire? I think those are hard things to teach."

Our scouts don't e-mail. Texting, Xbox live, face-to-face (troop meeting), handouts. Face-to-face at troop meetings appear the most effective communication. Even our adults rarely read/respond to e-mails, they prefer texts or phone calls. YMMV

Provisional crews organized by Philmont. Minimum age: 14 or 15 depending on trek. Duration: 6-21 days. Cost: $300-900 depending on trek (does not include transportation) . Two adult leaders provided by Philmont. Transaction between individual scout and Philmont, no troop or Council middle-men. http://www.scouting.org/~/link.aspx?_id=E2D2654CB05840F79E53AA1F29149456&_z=z Something a couple of our free-spirited, thrifty scouts are considering.

^---This. Like any job know what you are walking into. Review http://www.scouting.org/filestore/financeimpact/pdf/Fiscal_Policies_and_Procedures_for_BSA_Units_March_2015.pdf

1. If you can in your state, move your council camp(s) into land trusts so neither Council nor National can sell it. 2. Vote NO to merger. 3. Most of scouting is local, keep control local. Good luck, resistance is not futile. Some councils have voted NO.

Well supposedly a Snowshoeing Option was added to Snow Sports MB this year but I can find no info online. National Merit Badge Maintenance Task Force, General Quarters

Needs an Executive or Blue Ribbon adjective to be taken seriously. It amazes me that rank and mb requirements are in such a constant flux. They are like Adobe software, in that you have to download an update before you can start. Local scout store still has a dozen 2015 Requirements booklets on the shelf.

Might as well put the whole merit badge booklet too. Have you seen how thin the pamphlets for Citizenship in the Community and Nation now are? A Girl Scout Thin Mint is thicker,

http://www.vicksburghistory.org/battle-of-sunset-lake Between 200 to 300 volunteer reenactors from the North West Territory Alliance (NWTA) will kick off the event with a Fue de Joie on Friday evening at dusk, when all of the reenactors will fire their guns into the air to signal the opening of the two-day event. A Fue de Joie is a rifle salute fired by soldiers on a ceremonial occasion, each soldier firing in succession along the ranks to make a continuous sound. The feu de joie - literally, 'the firing of joy' - began with companies discharging their muskets one soldier at a time, going from right to left and back to front, hundreds of years ago. ...(more details in source links) Joining in will be an estimated 400 to 500 Boy Scouts from Southwest Michigan who will be helping out during the weekend activities and will camp out at a nearby church, Moore said. They will be "runners" providing water, ice and assistance to the re-enactors and their families. They will be led by the Vicksburg Boy Scouts of Troop 251 who got the village thinking about the Battle of Sunset Lake when re-enactors from the 84th Scottish Highlanders regiment of the NWTA attended a Vicksburg scouts' 75th anniversary camporee last April at the Historic Village. ... The idea for such an undertaking began with the 75th anniversary camporee that the Boy Scouts in Troop 251 celebrated in April in the Historic Village. Stefan Sekula (co-commander of 84th Scottish Highlanders re-enactors) was invited by Troy Smith, a Boy Scout volunteer, to come in costume and help educate the campers about the Revolutionary War. He brought two other members of his unit, Ric Hansen, and Larry Hengesbach. The scouts were enthralled with the gear, the clothing, and the historic aspect of the Scottish Highlanders Sekula was representing. He was asked if they would come back again with lots more of his compatriots. Thus the idea was hatched for a full scale re-enactment. Sekula and his larger unit of the 84th Scottish Highlanders regiment have volunteered to be the host unit from the NWTA. This means he and his helpers will make decisions about staging the mock battles, recruit the re-enactors, and plan for their participation. The sponsors of the event will help with the expenses, promote the two days of activities, and provide the venues. http://www.mlive.com/news/kalamazoo/index.ssf/2016/01/vicksburg_to_host_revolutionar.html http://southcountynews.org/2015/08/05/battle-on-sunset-lake/

Unfortunately in this book, he makes no statements of his experiences as BSA president, but perhaps we can infer from his stated experiences as president of A&M University. When interviewed for A&M, he made it clear he was not a maintenance guy but rather an agent of change to make the institution better while preserving core values and traditions. I suspect when he was interviewed for the position of BSA president, he stated the same to the Executive Committee and expected their support for his changes if they selected him. My guess anyway. As democracies go, the BSA is not one of them but it is definitely a bureaucracy and Mr. Gates did change it.

I should have given Mr. Gates quote its context from Chapter 1 where Mr. Gates talks about the problems of bureaucracy (with examples). He states bureaucracies are everywhere, getting worse, and how a leader can change it. He is particularly concerned that as government and industry become more bureaucratic, more young smart people turn away from serving government and working for those companies. IMO, his advice applies to changing a troop to scout-run, changing a summer camp away from being a merit badge factory, ... Another quote that he cites from President John Adams to his son Thomas "Public business my son, must always be done by somebody -- it will be done by somebody or other --If wise men decline it others will not: If honest men refuse it others will not." So when we say (pick an organization) is too hard or too much hassle to change, then we allow the fools or crooks to win there. Which yes is true, but there is also wisdom in picking your battles for the time and resources available, e.g., maybe it is better to join another troop than try to change your current troop. Thought provoking.

p24 "To be successful agents of change -- of reform -- leaders not only must be able to envision a new way forward but also must be practical, with the skill to build broad support for and implement their vision."

A sign or law doesn't make a "gun-free zone". Logan Airport probably has a couple hundred local, state, TSA police while our local multi-town, multi-school district cannot afford ONE cop ("resource officer"). So IMO, to establish a "gun free zone", the government assumes responsibility to add fences, screening devices, and police just like the airport and if that can't be done then do not prohibit conceal carry by law-abiding citizens. My $0.02

I look forward to reading his new book. I hope there is a chapter or two about the BSA.

I will take the old Cold War Duck and Cover over today's War on Terror Shelter in Place. Duck and Cover were luckily just silly drills. Shelter in Place is ... saved by the dinner bell.

The world is more dangerous. "...Camp Strake (outside Houston, Texas) closed down in December 2014 after serving the Boy Scouts of America for 70 years. According to the representatives at the luncheon, the sale of the land was due to urban development and gang activity becoming a concern for its existence." http://www.yourhoustonnews.com/humble/news/construction-set-to-begin-soon-on-new-camp-strake/article_35a890b7-d4c6-5c59-9993-2a0ff5a2b50b.html

Mighty big 10mm cannons to carry concealed, congrats to those who do.

Legally, the BSA can restrict on their property beyond that probably not. So there is no confusion, we have "non-scouting", family shooting at the local gun club. The club has it's own safety rules and they work well.

I reread the Adult Application background check information The consumer reports may contain information bearing on your character, general reputation, personal characteristics, and mode of living. The types of information that may be obtained include but are not limited to Social Security number verification, sex offender registry checks, criminal records checks, inmate records searches, and court records checks. The information contained in these consumer reports may be obtained by LexisNexis from public record sources. The consumer reports will not include credit record checks or motor vehicle record checks(?) This does not seem to be working for us, just Google and see arrests (abuse, porn, drugs). Assuming all the above is being done, what else could be done? Add checks of family members (including arrests)? Check social media accounts? (BSA would terminate RS and some others here ) Check browser history, email via volunteer's internet service provider ( put NSA to work) OR punt. leave the background checks and liability up to the CO and respective local governments? Are teachers screened better than us?

Good points.

No sash, no official problem 8.0.0.4 Wearing the Uniform—or Neat in Appearance It is preferred a Scout be in full field uniform for any board of review. He should wear as much of it as he owns, and it should be as correct as possible, with the badges worn properly. It may be the uniform as the members of his troop, team, crew, or ship wear it. If wearing all or part of the uniform is impractical for whatever reason, the candidate should be clean and neat in his appearance and dressed appropriately, according to his means, for the milestone marked by the occasion. Regardless of unit, district, or council expectations or rules, boards of review shall not reject candidates solely for reasons related to uniforming or attire, as long as they are dressed to the above description. Candidates shall not be required to purchase uniforming or clothing such as coats and ties to participate in a board of review. http://www.scouting.org/Home/GuideToAdvancement/BoardsofReview.aspx

That would be just a criminal record check. Background checks do that and often more - credit history check (debt), police calls to your house, memberships, family criminal background, social media check, reference interviews ...

As OP, this thread topic was the selling of drugs by a scouter on scout property, the apparent unawareness of the troop over two years, and concerns about background checks. Concealed carry discussion is encouraged to go another thread. The moving this thread to Issues & Politics seems to have encouraged the straying. This is a BSA issue. While researching the original topic, I found more arrests for recent activity of scouters than I expected. I am becoming skeptical of our background checks. I would like to see an after conviction review of our background check. Why didn't it filter these criminals out of our program? Maybe for this individual this was new criminal activity(no previous record), maybe we failed to check Facebook or known associates,.. the former is understandable, the latter not so much. My $0.02

So a council with no camp, no hq/service center, and no scout shop?