scoutldr

Again, I'm not a lawyer, however... In order to win a tort liability claim, I believe the plaintiff would have to prove injury or harm. Missing a meal won't qualify, unless there is some underlying medical condition (e.g. diabetes) which would be exacerbated. Hurt feelings don't count. I agree with the others who advised dropping her and her little darling from the charter. It aint' worth it and there's no reason you should have to put up with raving maniacs. Next time just report the arson and illegal firearms to the Camp Director and let him deal with it. That's why he gets the big bucks ;-)... Packsaddle is right on...my experience with State Farm was the same. Just a tad over $400 for a $2M umbrella policy, and I had to increase the limits on my auto coverage. That goes for any licensed driver in your house...my 24 year old son, who has his own car and insurance also had to increase his limits. He was not happy.

Me too! I had chores to do today anyway.

Perhaps he'd be willing to join the forums? We could start a special category..."Ask The Chief"...

Ahhh, grasshopper. Your lenses are rosy indeed. What I took from the article is that he's been a BSA Pro for 36 years, rising through the ranks from DE. Ya don't stay with one company 36 years by going against the tide, eh? I think it said he came through Eammon's neighborhood (SE in Pittsburgh) ...perhaps he can share some insight.

Problem is, they are faced with too many more comfortable alternatives, courtesy of Mommy and Daddy. Why break a sweat when they don't have to? An unlimited supply of video games, MySpace and Pepsi will beat sweat, bugs and tiredness (aka, WORK) every time. IN my day (60's), I wasn't asked which I preferred to do...my Dad kicked my butt out of the house and said I wasnt' going to sit around wasting my life in front of the boob tube. Then I joined scouting and this fat little bookworm did three 50 milers and earned Eagle, which I still remember as my best times. Maybe it's time to explain to the PLC that "Scouting" = "Outing", and NOT camping and hiking is not an option. It's kinda like joining a bowling team and then staying home because you'd rather watch TV. If no one wants to bowl, why have a team? I'm sure the adults have other things to do rather than try to provide something that the kids don't want. It has to start with the parents, and if they let their kids decide everything, they will choose the easy way out every time.

Nor sure what else to call this thread, except that sometimes when I read these posts or read my latest issue of BL or Scouting magazine, I feel like a mushroom...kept in the dark. Eammon's post about "leader podcasts" got me thinking...am I the only one in the nation who didn't get the memo (or e-mail?) announcing this new resource? From the latest Scouting magazine...things like Race to Cub Scouting recruiting program Trail's End Support our Troops program New Cub Scout Den Leader Kit to be provided by COuncils to all new Cub Leaders Den Meeting in a Box ScoutParents.org program ScoutParents Quick Start Backpack Before reading this forum, I'd never heard of the "Tribe of Micosay", even though I'd been in the movement over 30 years. And in other areas of the country, Scouters have little or no knowledge of the OA, even though it's THE official BSA honor camper program. Now I admit, I've been out of the CS program for a while, but I would think that I would have heard at least a mention of these initiatives at District meetings, Roundtables, Council e-newsletters, Council website, or from my Unit Commish. Maybe local council SE's are free to decide, "we aren't going to do that."...or maybe I'm just a mushroom. (kept in the dark and fed BS)...

My first 50-miler, in the Blue Ridge mountains, circa 1969, was with a BSA Yucca pack with aluminum external frame...no hip belt or shoulder pads. Pre-Vietnam era leather combat boots with steel toes. USMC surplus canvas shelter halves. Didn't know any better. My back and feet still hurt.

Not sure what iPods and cell phones have to do with school? My office is collecting school supplies for our adopt-a-school which is in a low-income area. I was thinking pencils, paper and maybe a glue-stick. Perhaps the little darlings will be sorely disappointed? I have been using the same computer for at least 5 years. Sure, it's not the latest and greatest, but it does what I need it to do. For school, they need Microsoft Office student edition, and Internet access. That can be had for under $500. (Unless of course they are computer science or engineering majors)... At work, they have the same mentality...we just threw out our year old 20 inch LCD monitors and replaced them with 24 inch which cost at least $450 each. Your tax dollars at work.

To me, the term "filing charges" means that someone was arrested, sued or had a complaint sworn out against them. Otherwise it's just slander or libel...unless it's true, of course. Perhaps the SE will see fit to revoke her membership for not being "trustworthy". In the meantime, if you have historical information, or were a witness to the alleged offenses, it would be prudent to put all the facts to paper with dates, times, and witnesses, before memories fade.

Sad... A perfect SM minute. "There but for the grace of God go we!" ALL actions have consequences...some we may never know about.

Disclaimer: I'm not a lawyer, but I do deal with labor laws in my profession. If I state anything incorrect, please correct me. "Filing charges" with whom? Since there is no employee/employer relationship, and a scout unit is not a workplace, not sure what laws were allegedly broken. If law enforcement was called, and they pressed charges, then the CC should notify the COR and Scout Executive immediately. They will handle it from there. If law enforcement was not involved, and it's a matter of adults not acting like adults, then it's a unit issue that your CO and Committee needs to deal with.

"structured recess"...around here we call that "PE"....when they have time for it.

Hyperhydration (hyponatremia) is a real, life-threatening condition. http://waterintoxication.org/

As an Industrial Hygienist, one of the first things we learn in Toxicology 101 is a quote from the "father of Toxicology", Paracelsus: "All things are poisons...it's the dose that determines which are toxic."(This message has been edited by scoutldr)

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE August 29, 2007 Release #07-295 Firm's Recall Hotline: (877) 204-5510 CPSC Recall Hotline: (800) 638-2772 CPSC Media Contact: (301) 504-7908 Gerber Legendary Blades Recalls Pocket Knives WASHINGTON, D.C. - The U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission, in cooperation with the firm named below, today announced a voluntary recall of the following consumer product. Consumers should stop using recalled products immediately unless otherwise instructed. Name of Product: Gerber EAB (Exchange-A-Blade) Pocket Knives Units: About 154,000 Importer: Gerber Legendary Blades, of Portland, Ore., a division of Fiskars Brands Inc., of Madison, Wis Hazard: During use, the back of the blade of the knife can slide past the blade support, posing a laceration hazard to consumers. Incidents/Injuries: Gerber has received eight reports of individuals cutting themselves while using the knife, including several individuals who required stitches. Description: The recall involves Gerber EAB Pocket Knives, model numbers 22-41548, 22-41548CDIP, 22-01548W and 22-41548W. The knives are small, folding utility knives that can be clipped to the owner's pocket. The knives are marked with the "Gerber" trademark. Sold at: Retail stores nationwide, including Wal-Mart, and through on-line stores from September 2006 through August 2007 for about $11. Manufactured in: China Remedy: Consumers should stop using the recalled knives immediately and contact Gerber to receive instructions on how to return the knife for a free replacement knife. Consumer Contact: For more information, contact Gerber Legendary Blades toll-free at (877) 204-5510 between 9 a.m. and 5 p.m. PT, Monday through Friday or visit the firm's Web site at www.gerbergear.com To see this recall on CPSC's web site, including pictures of the recalled products, please go to: http://www.cpsc.gov/cpscpub/prerel/prhtml07/07295.html

A psychiatrist once told me..."People who are truly crazy don't wonder if they are. They are sure that they are not."

Bluefish, rockfish (aka stripers), flounder, spot, croakers, Chesapeake Bay blue crabs, Lynnhaven oysters, Smithfield ham biscuits(sliced so thin you can see through it), Brunswick stew (cooked long and slow in an iron kettle over a wood fire), silver queen corn and tomatoes (fresh from the Eastern Shore), shad roe, softshell crabs, sweet tea, collard greens, ... Oh man, am I hungry! PS: I almost forgot...Carolina style pulled pork BBQ (vinegar sauce with hot pepper), and Hatteras style clam chowder (clear broth).(This message has been edited by scoutldr)

As you said, "BSA leaves the details of when/how to present the stars up to the individual unit." I'm not here to argue semantics. Just telling you what we do in our unit. Sheesh.

Were you a bad parent? Only OJ knows for sure....ask him in about 10 years.

Like ranks and merit badges, we award stars when the scout earns them...not just at the end of the year.

When he crosses over to a troop, the clock resets, since he is now in a new program. Boy Scout service stars are green. After one year in the troop, he can wear a green "1" to go with his yellow cub scout star. (Color denotes the plastic backing which is worn with the metal star) Also, please remember, only one star of each color is worn. When you receive your new "2", the "1" comes off. (Sorry, pet peeve. I even see Eagle candidates who don't get it right)

Service stars denote individual tenure in the BSA. If a scout joins in January, then he should receive a star in January every year thereafter until he crosses over. Unit recharter date has nothing to do with it.

"They own the business and yes can dictate how it is run" And the same is true of the BSA. The Boy Scouts of America, Inc., is a not-for-profit corporation, which is governed by an Executive Board and the Chief Scout Executive. They control the program, content, publications, trademarks, etc. That program is licensed (chartered) through local COuncils to Chartering Organizations who agree to deliver the program as designed (with the exception of the LDS). They also decide the membership criteria, and since the Supreme COurt ruling, can discriminate however they want. I'm not sure what you mean by "stand up and take back" the BSA...we are customers of the BSA...not owners or shareholders. If you don't like the product, don't support it...or get yourself elected to the Executive Board. The important thing you are pointing out is the inconsistency in the interpretation of BSA policy among Councils. And, yes, the program is different from what B-P envisioned. It has morphed and changed with the times....as have we all. I personally think it is wrong to revoke the membership of a Scout who declares himself an atheist or gay. But I don't get to decide. So, my choices are to live with it, or leave the program.

Rikki, as you read more of these posts, you will learn that we volunteers have very little "power" over how the BSA is run. It's similar to going to McDonalds. If you want your kid to have the joy of a Happy Meal, you take him to McDonald's and get in line. If you don't like the way they put the mustard on the bun, you don't get a vote at the Board of Directors' table. All you can do is havea chat with the manager about your opinion. If the manager gets overruled by corporate headquarters, your only option is to refuse to go back and take your money to Wendy's. Sorry for the oversimplification of what is a very serious manner, but what would you like us to do? A lot of people like McDOnalds just the way it is. And those people provide a lot of money and members to the BSA.

Rikki, thanks for sharing this situation with us. It's making the decision I'm wrestling with become more clear day by day. I would venture to say that what the scouts did happen every day in Scouting...or worse. I admire the scout's honesty and his willngness to take responsibility for his lapse in judgement. I also admire the SM's wisdom in his handling of the situation and a very insightful reaction. As long as the basic membership requirements are met, I see no justification for the Council's interference. The units belong to the Chartered Organization, and decisions on how to handle discilplinary problems should rest at the unit/CO level, assuming that legal charges were not levied.