scoutingagain

Church, Methodist to be precise. SA

" don't know how you grew up but I was taught if someones throws a punch at you you have every right to defend yourself" So when does one turn the other cheek? SA

"Too bad that's not their agenda though. If it were they would not be against so many religious concerns." Jason, do you mean the case where the ACLU defended the rights of Christians to conduct Baptisms in a public park? SA

SR540BEAV, I'm well aware some COs have little involvement. I'm a member of a unit whose CO is somewhat involved but not to the degree they should be. Those COs that choose to be more vocal members, particularly at the national level, would seem to be able to influence the policiy agenda more so than those that are less vocal. Or a group of COs or franchisees of like mind, as in NielUp's example. SA

BobW, again thanks for the explanation. I think I have a better picture now. The Charter Organizations appoint representatives (COR) that do have some say in how their particular organization is represented at the national level. However the BSA, as a private organization, can choose to accept or reject those organizations it wishes to grant a charter to, exercising it's right to associate with those organizations is wishes to associate with. So while the BSA is not governed by representatives of it's membership, it is governed to some degree by representatives of those charter

We could always bring the stars back! SA

"These people are selected for what they bring as an individual, their skills, knowledge and experience. If the task requires feedback from the field then the committee will search that out. But you cannot run a programs this size through consensus." With all due respect Bob W.,( and I do mean that,) I am a member of professional societies, investor in some large corporations, and a citizen of the US. All these organizations seem to be able to govern themselves quite nicely using a relatively open and democratic system where members, or shareholders, get to elect their leadership. This

This issue seems to come up every spring. Delusional, well meaning adults seem to take the attitude that kids will drink anyway and they may as well provide a safe place for them to do it. Massachusetts has a social host law as well, and several adult homeowners in nearby towns are charged every year with hosting such events. The law seems to have had some effect the last year or so. Ironically, these events seem to occur in the more affluent towns around us. (My bias I admit.) I can assure those from other parts of the country, anyone from Nahant, MA with a house on a lake in NH, is doin

I believe manufacture of the lyme disease vaccine has been discontinued. From the CDC Website: " Lyme Disease Vaccine A safe and efficacious vaccine was, until recently, available for protection from Lyme disease in endemic areas of the United States. However, the vaccine was withdrawn from the market by the manufacturer in February 2002 because of low sales and is no longer commercially available. " SA

I see nothing wrong with the concept of one believing that their's is the one true faith, as long as they accept and respect that someone of another faith may have the same conviction about their faith or belief. SA

Note: My last post should have a at the end. SA

Hunt, I tend to agree with you, but it seems as if TP has a point. If some are free to disagree on membership requirements, merit badge couselors, uniforms or whatever, those that disagree with the BSA's policy of tolerance of dissent are also free to express their opinion as well, although I would suggest they are free to form their own organization that does not tolerate dissent if they wish. SA

I thought I had remembered such a requirement but could not find it quickly, hence my post, which was inspired by my subway ride. SA

I didn't know where else to put this so I started this. Riding to work on the subway yesterday I was approached by a young man, I'd guess in his late teens. He was resonably well dressed, slacks, clean shirt. He asked if I could tie his tie for him. (I was one of the few on the train in a shirt and tie.) Now the only way I can tie a Windsor knot is to put the tie around my neck, tie the knot and adjust it. Which is what I did, loosened the knot, lifted it over my head and gave it back to the young man. He put it on and the woman next to us helped him adjust his collar. Appa

Thanks Bob, and a wish that all the other Dads had a day as nice as mine. Got to spend the whole day with two teenage sons & their mom. Great weather outside all day. The boys at this stage are usually out and about with their buddies on a weekend. I also got to talk to my Dad, who is my biggest hero. In his 80's he still plays a better golf game than I do, but I can finally beat him at tennis. SA

Having sat on a jury that aquitted an accused child molester I caution against a rush to judgement. In the case I sat on through testimony and cross examination it became pretty obvious a disturbed young man wanted to cause trouble for quiet older gentlemen that lived in his neighborhood. I don't know the facts in this case but based on the article so far there is only one alleged victim. In most cases there are usually multiple victims. I'll wait and see. Any one of us could end up in this man's shoes if a 12, 13 or 14 year old wants to make a beef with local authorities. Some

Goodkidsmom, Well I'm glad your son made the effort to call the SM. Good for him. It may be trivial to others but for him, I'm sure it took a lot of guts. Sorry the outcome wasn't better. As far as summer camp goes, you might want to look into having your son attend with a provisional troop, or look into another scout camp or High Adventure activity on a provisional basis, even with Dad. Sometimes there are last minute cancellations and I wouldn't be suprised if you could find room someplace. I tend to agree with the others, seems like it's time to at least look at other t

Ed, You said, "If one doesn't repent from one's sins then one will spend eternity in hell." Do you imply that anyone that doesn't believe this or accept this as fact should not be in scouting? SA

One other thing. I believe Requirement 2, listed earlier is looking for more than just meeting the membership requirements. Meeting the membership requirements will earn Scout. The Scout agrees to do his best to live up to the Scout Oath and Law. The Eagle Candidate and Candidates for other ranks should be able to show evidence of their efforts to do. SA

BW, Thanks for the explanation. If I understand things correctly, the Religious Reference is just that. Someone, anyone, who can attest to the scout's efforts to do his duty to God, (and respect the beliefs of others or others who have different beliefs, but that's the other thread.) not necessarily a Pastor, Rabbi, Minister or other Religious Leader, although I can see how those would be prefered. SA

FScouter suggests "If he is going to be a stinker about this, I'd challenge him to point to the specific pages in the Scout Handbook that your boy needs to work on to meet the listed requirements. And challenge him to point to the pages that say the Scoutmaster conference is a subjective test that must be passed. " I agree 100%, doing so a politely as possible. But, I think if you could get your son to make this challenge, it would demonstrate the "assertiveness" your SM is looking for. That might be all he's looking for. It could start out something like, " Excuse me Mr. SM, do you mi

Hunt, You asked "What exactly is the value that is being embodied? " I'm going to take a stab here, I think the value the BSA is promoting here in the 12th point is Faith and Reverence towards that Faith. Faith in a power or something that can't be proven scientifically. Not just the logic of good over bad or ethical behavior versus unethical. As I understand the BSA's concept of reverence, reverence could refer to God or however the individual perceives God. I believe one council indicated they would accept Faith in Mother Nature. It could even be the "Force", as in "Mma

Goodkidsmom, Glad to hear your son is as active as he is. I guess I was projecting the image of the two scouts I've described onto your son based on your intial post. My appologies. I'm curious about what the SM would consider as "more assertiveness" ? Not that I believe it's a requirement. As far as I'm concerned it sounds like your son has met the requirements to advance, except the BOR that he has tried to schedule. Good luck. SA

Goodkidsmom, I'm sure your son is a good kid. I would probably like him and have a couple of scouts that might be a lot like him. They are very eager to earn merit badges, attend all the meetings, quickly sign up for merit badge universities, attend parades etc. They are advancing relatively quickly. They excel at the more academic merit badges have earned quite a few. They have achieved the rank of Star and are working their way towards Life. One wanted a SM review and BOR for Life, and I had to remind him that there was a time requirement for participation between the Star and Life

WcdD.., Congradulations on being an Eagle. As a fellow Eagle I can tell you from experience that being an Eagle gets you a nice patch and a medal. All the other things, college acceptance, job prospects, interviews etc. come from the qualities that you have that enabled you to earn your Eagle rank, not the rank itself. Some of those qualities include persistance and determination. All I can tell you is to keep trying. You will get a job and an opportunity. Learn from every rejection. If possible, go back to a prospective employer and ask why you were not considered. Ask them t