RememberSchiff

Your luck has been better. Have not heard the SM's side. I agree there should be a SM conference. When we get a District Advancement Chair, I will ask him about that. In this matter, SM's are not trusted by the BSA so they are not empowered. If the BSA wants it that way, let's drop the signature as it implies approval which may not be the case or should a SM sign and add "Discussed. Approval should not be implied"? Mid 60's. Our Neighborhood Commissioner did. Did Councils empower differently? Maybe. He did unit full inspections and was a major presence at c

And that would be what...just talk. No authority to "do the right thing", in delivering on the promise. So Tommy Scout asks SM for a MB card. He plans to work on yet another merit badge with his Uncle Miltie, Aunt Bee, Mr. Easy, or Mrs. Alldone. The SM says he has already earn 3 from that MBC why not try another person (Adult association method). No thanks I will stick what works for me. Hrrrumph. Against his/her better judgment, the SM is required to sign the card. Hands are tied. So Tommy Scout asks SM for a MB card. He plans to work on several/all Eagle MB's with his Dad. Against

Scoutmasters are mentors to scouts - merit badges or not, signature or not. A scout can ask advice or not. So a proposal, I see no need for a SM signature if he/she has no authority in the process. For those who complain about SM's not performing or exceeding a responsibility, you get your wish. SM's are out of the loop. For all others who are allowed by council/National to change requirements for "good reasons" or not, they are not affected. Council is the sole gatekeeper (quality control) of the merit badge program. Prospective MBC's are vetted (really). Council main

If National does not trust the SM's judgment, then remove the SM from the process. Seems strange since National still unilaterally allows MBC's, camps, and MB colleges to make such decisions/restrictions. Read MB college and summer camp pamphlets and you will often see *footnotes, "MBC requires scout be FC", "Scout must be 13", "Scout must be at least 80lbs for shotgun..." Ok for them but not the SM, got it. So take the SM completely out the process. Council is the sole gatekeeper (quality control) and maintains the MBC list. Scouts select a MBC from a Council list. MBC's can carry a dec

Maybe...sounding more troll than true. Good luck either way.

Responding to Tahawk. This is somewhat hypothetical as I am not a SM or this particular SM. 1. Everyday and twice as much on Sunday. 2. Not as much these days. The dark forces of parental or peer pressure are growing stronger. 3. So the end justifies the means? The scout did not have a signed card, the 18 yr MBC proceeded anyway. Two wrongs make a right and that's okay. If I was SM, I would have a conference with the scout about what it means to be Trustworthy. What happens the next time when an activity that he is interested requires SM approval, will he do another end around?

Wow these responses woke me up faster than my coffee. Chapter and verse, it looks like I was wrong, wish I wasn't though. What I am reading is there is no longer any real need for the Scoutmaster or a "signed blue card" in the current merit badge process. A scout can just go take a merit badge any time, place, or counselor. Next up: Scout motto "Be Prepared" replaced with "Ready or Not" Refund $0.02 but not Cheerfully

What should I do? Encourage your son to learn from this and continue. You should step back and watch. This is scouting, boys learn from their mistakes and move forward. He will earn Lifesaving MB the right way. 1. The scout talks to his Scoutmaster first and seeks his/her approval to start work on a MB. Sometimes I do not return calls/email if I am traveling on business, particularly if the issue is better discussed in detail at the next scout meeting. For the scout, if a call/email is not returned, call/email again or seek a face-to-face meeting. 2. Approval is not automatic. A SM m

Don't like my example? Okay, but I think you understand the point I was making.

Less you go in severe shock, donations in money and some equipment are not turned away. Well that depends on your perspective. A PD wanting 100% pass seems unrealistic to SM. A SM wanting his scout to know and complete 100% of the MB seems unrealistic to PD. From personal experience, PD's often need to learn how to interact and trust adult volunteers. As the BSA emphasizes conflict-avoidance (ignore the geezers?), I am not optimistic. Quality of instruction and completion of requirements. Instructors unqualified as in cannot do first aid, they just read from the merit badg

Thanks for link. Your friend states "At many levels, France seems, at least partly, to be coming to terms with a new and visible generation of French men and women, millions of them the children and grandchildren of African immigrants." I would append "who are prevented or choose not to integrate into French society" and I think the generalization is true for all nations including us. "At many levels, countries need to come to terms with a new generation of citizens men and women, millions of them the children and grandchildren of immigrants or natives (legal or not) who are prevented

As has been stated, qualified adult MBC's are often available but are turned away. These adult MBC's are either there with their troop for a week or are willing to volunteer for a week or two to teach scouts and correct the MB mill process. Be aware some scout camp sessions are now just 4 weeks. These adult volunteers are just not wanted; we have listed the excuses in this thread. Maybe change the tread to "Educating Camp Program Directors to accept adult volunteer MB help." We are considering our own troop summer camp though some adults would rather just send scouts to Provo and res

Sentinel thanks for the follow-up. Do they have concealed carry permits in Paris? No. The police guarding Charlie Hebdo were not even armed.

And what happened to multiculturalism last week? We were reminded that integration into a nation's culture and laws is critically important, or as Moroccan-born mayor of Rotterdam Ahmed Aboutaleb,himself a Muslim, told Muslims who have a problem with Western culture to “pack their bags and f--- off ... if you do not like freedom, in Heaven’s name pack your bag and leave."

Update from last night's meeting, etc. http://www.wktv.com/news/local/Scout...roperties.html Steven McEwan is the Scout Executive for the council. He says the plan is to use money from the sale (Russell and Cedarlands) to make many improvements to the 400 acre Camp Kingsley in Ava."The board voted that 5-10% of the initial sale will go immediately to help the development of Camp Kingsley. The rest will be put in an endowment where we will take a 5% draw every year for ongoing maintenance and programs at camp." The plan is to build cabins at Kingsley and install plumbing. McEwan

Good points. I occasionally discuss values (our freedoms), tolerance, respect, expectations, and vigilance around recent events at camp, school, town, the world. I need to learn and think more about this and discuss with my scouts more. As citizens, what response should we have to a group here who use their religion/ethnicity/position/affiliation/circumstances/whatever excuse to justify their crimes or suppress our freedoms? Can we have pocket communities which are free to be apart from America's laws and values, can a house divided still stand? Are we to be a nation with a rule of law? A

We are not proud as war quickly shows us we are not the "good guy" or scout we thought we were. Duty, the other guy did it first, better them than us, whatever ends this quickest are our justifications. And they may work for the winning side but still don't always comfort in hindsight. Baden Powell as an example here might cause us discomfort. As to JoeBob's point about denying martyrdom and reward to "negative impact on their ability to recruit and motivate suicide attackers" is well considered, however, I think his burial idea would only motivate new recruits to seek revenge.

Having an Issues and Politics forum provided an open door. Let it stand for discussion. It seems human nature to speak disparagingly of your wartime enemy. Is it scout-like to do so? No. Is war scout-like? World Brotherhood, if so why the different set of rules? Perhaps at times, we need to think and fight like our enemy. What is a scout's responsibility during war - stateside and frontline? Duty to Country. What ideas do you have to better serve our country during this time of war? How does censoring this discussion help? Denying heaven, reminded me of John Ford's mov

As shown, the Camp Facilities Evaluation Tool (CFET) has little or no honest analytical value in evaluating a camp. It is a means to an end. If you want to see the end of a particular camp for whatever reason then that is the means to justify it. The Summit might only score a C with my subjective use of this tool. If council has no local camp, there is no need for that council. Resistance is futile.

Followup with photos and more info at this link: http://www.newstimes.com/local/article/Area-first-responders-stage-mock-search-for-lost-6006819.php "Here's the scenario: After splitting into three groups to seek help for a 12-year-old who fell off a cliff and broke his leg, seven local Boy Scouts went missing somewhere in the 170 acres of open space at the John Sherman Hoyt Scout Reservation.Fortunately, the boys were not actually missing: They and emergency responders from multiple jurisdictions were engaged in a large-scale woodland search and rescue drill led by the West Redding

Oops... The Boy Scout Revolutionary Trail Council will maintain a small parcel of land at Camp Russell. After the news broke that the Boy Scouts were selling 400 acres in White Lake many people expressed concern over whether or not the organization had the right to sell the property. Camp Russell is made up of 8 parcels of land donated to the organization at different times over the past 100 years. Some of those parcels had clauses that stated if the property was no longer going to used as a scout camp, it was to be given back to the Russell family. The clauses came with expiration

I needed some good news and I think I found it. Outdoor emergency drill by the pro's (WRFD, RSAR, a FEMA CERT service team, etc.) who will setup a National Incident Management System (NIMS) command at a scout camp. Scouts will be trained and involved in the drill. http://www.thereddingpilot.com/20852...ill-on-jan-10/ Boy Scouts from Redding Troop 15 will fill the role of lost and injured patients while also being taught the fundamentals of emergency first aid and wilderness survival. “This drill represents an opportunity for our Scouts to contribute to an important event and an

Agreed. Thanks for the link E94. Wow, this appears written by a committee of chucklehead realtors! (further colorful adjectives and punctuation clusters removed). The Evaluation Tool is meant just for facilities and property, Staffing, program, or procedures are addressed in the longer Camp Accreditation document. Okay BUT Reading the A-F grading levels The repeated key points in the Camp Facilities Evaluation Tool states - reflects well the BSA brand - it all about appearances, curb appeal eh? - paint everything whether it needs it or not. - NO MENTION OF SAFETY until

Two interesting articles about the closing of two camps Camp Russell in Forestport,NY and the Cedarlands Scout site in Long Lake,NY and the upgrading of another, Camp Kingsley in Ava http://romesentinel.com/county/boys-scouts-to-sell-historic-camp-russell/QBqoaf!3TYUVIfWShcOfYn0pkKaWg/ Plans call for using about 5-10 percent of sale proceeds from Camp Russell and the Cedarlands for immediate improvements at Camp Kingsley, McEwan said. Other proceeds would be invested in an endowment fund to help with ongoing maintenance and expenses at Camp Kingsley, he added. ... Camp Kin