scoutldr

Sometimes they do surprise us. Glad it worked out...

"Dat's the way the MB program is designed to work. As long as your troop is providin' reasonable T-2-1 opportunities each year, the rest of it is up to the boys." Beav, what are you saying??? You mean the boys are supposed to show initiative??? How in the world are the Eagle Mills supposed to stay in business? Our Eagle rate would drop back to 2% like it used to be! Seriously, though, our guys almost never take Camping at summer camp. Too many other things to do that they can't get anywhere else. Nothing wrong with saying to them, "Camping is Eagle required, and that means you need to include X, Y and Z into your campout plans."

Ekmiranda, no offense, but you have very high expectations. Having a non-involved CO is the norm, in my experience. We even have to pay the $20 recharter fee ourselves. Our CO (a struggling Methodist church) gave us a key to the "fellowship hall" out back (think portable classroom), that is termite ridden and falling apart. We even shared the room with a rat this past winter. (He seemed like a nice rat, so we co-existed.) They even went so far as to ask us not to use the heat, since it cost them money for the 90 minutes per week that we use the facility. In exchange, we are grateful that there is no meddling in the troop operations such as what some of our fellow posters experience, and we get signatures when we need them. Count your blessings.

First, welcome to the forums. I understand the frustration. So, I take it from the information provided that you are not a registered Scouter in this troop? Not a criticism, but it does limit your ability to influence the troop operations. As a parent, you have the right to voice your opinion and vote with your feet and checkbook. That's about it. You state that " I understand the Troop Committee has discussed this issue with the Scoutmaster over and over. The Scoutmaster has spoken to the senior Scouts and they are also frustrated since they are getting nowhere with the Troop." I presume the adults and senior scouts are "leading by example" and are in complete, proper uniform at every meeting? How often is the Unit Commissioner invited to do a uniform inspection? (Should happen at least annually). Offer a reward to the Patrol and individual scout with the highest score! (As a parent, you could offer to fund a pizza party or special outing for the "honor patrol") As some here will quickly remind us, BSA policy is that "a uniform is not a requirement to be a Scout". But it is taught as one of many methods to deliver the program. When the uniform is worn, it should be worn properly and with respect. As you said, when we were scouts in the 60's, we were proud to wear it correctly. Heck, we even wore ours to school on meeting days. I have a 6th grade class picture with 3 of us in uniform. Times are different now. Good luck!

I thought "volunteerism" was one of our "timeless values"...apparently I was wrong. So, lest I be thought of as a "pinko socialist", I'll notify my COR that my services as a Troop CC are now at the rate of $60 an hour. (If figure that's about right for 35 years' experience, and still less than our SE makes!). The boys had better get busy...that's a lot of popcorn!!! (This message has been edited by scoutldr)

The problem I have is when I see council fundraising supporting 6 figure salaries. The units see very little of that. Sure, it goes to maintain council properties (camps), but none of it goes to the units to buy all the stuff they have to buy from the Scout Shop (badges, cards, books, etc). The units have to fund that somehow, otherwise our yearly unit dues would be $100 and up. If the council said, "if you support us, all of the program materials will be free", then I could maybe begin to see it. But there ain't no free lunch. And as gas heads towards $4 a gallon, a lot of families are having to make hard choices (let's see...FOS donation, or buy gas so i can go to work...Hmmmmm.) I'm afraid we are in for some lean years.

Let's hope that when the Advancement Report is filed with COuncil that ScoutNet will reject the MeritBadges for the Cub Scout. Too bad he will have to do them all over again. Requirements completed before you're registered as a Boy Scout don't count.

Withdrawn...Ed beat me to it...(This message has been edited by scoutldr)

I said we had them...didn't say the scouts actually use them...

I'm no expert, but you can plagiarize the HTML code by clicking on "View Source" in your browser. The website you looked at appears to have been abandoned, a common problem when leadership changes hands. I attended a session on unit websites at our last Univ of Scouting, and abandoned websites appears to be a common complaint. There's no way to get rid of them, unless the owner takes them offline. You might want to shoot an e-mail to the Texas council where this troop is located, and they can maybe put you in touch with the troop's current SM or CC.

We have two central showers, one at the pool house and one on the other side of camp. Both have hot water and are open 24 hrs. No showers in the sites.

I'll bet that not much actual sleeping would have happened anyway.

Assuming the price of gas follows simple supply and demand economics, even at $3+ per gallon, demand is not wavering. People are not conserving, which drives the price even higher...because they can. Eventually we will be paying what the Europeans pay...and glad for the privilege. I have noticed this week that the Citgo signs have disappeared from the 7-11 gas pumps. Maybe I can go back to buying my gas there now...

I replaced by 1999 Grand Cherokee with a 2005 Ford Explorer about a year and a half ago. V-6, 4x4 with third seat, primarily for my Scouting activities. It is nice to have about twice a year for the trips to Home Depot. It is my daily driver to work, and I'm averaging about 17 mpg according to the trip computer. Every time I fill it up, spending over $50-60 per week, I think hard about replacing it with a subcompact econobox...my son gets 36 mpg on his 2005 Focus. It's costing me almost $10 a day just to go to work and back. I'll just have to tell the parents to get their kid to camp however they can...I'll meet them there. We do have an 83 Suburban which was donated...we fold down all the seats and load that with troop gear to the tune of about 10 mpg (350 ci V8).

So, do we owe the same allegiance to the scout who declares himself gay or atheist? Or do we just summarily revoke his membership? That's where I have the problem. Inconsistent messages.

Ultimately the decision to approve his plan is up to the SM, Troop Committee and District Advancement Chair. The plan should include financing the project, either through fundraisers, donations in kind, or parental support. Soliciting cash donations is generally not allowed, because that cuts into the Council's FOS turf. Also, as was mentioned, the BSA does not permit its members to do fundraising for other organizations. Another question that might be asked...is this a project that was conceived and designed by the scout, or is he just supplying labor for another organization's project? Case in point...supplying labor for a Habitat house would count as service hours...but the scout did not conceive, design, plan and lead the project. For that reason, Red Cross blood drives are no longer approved as Eagle projects in my local council. PS: The Scout may want to contact some Airlines to see if donations of Frequent Flyer miles would be an option...I regulary donate mine because I don't accrue enough on any one airline to be able to use.(This message has been edited by scoutldr)

Happy Birthday, Mr. West. (May 16, 1876 - May 15, 1948). David, when will your book be out? I am looking forward to an autographed copy!

"So, are we considered chartered or not?" A "charter" is a certificate presented by the BSA to the CO. Has your CO been given one of those? Do all the members have membership cards with a Member number on them? Have their member applications been processed and the checks cashed? Do you have a printout of the membership roster from Scoutnet? Are the leaders getting Scouting magazine? These are all characteristics of a chartered unit. If the answer is "no", then your son's advancements may be in question as well. You need to have a chat with your Council's registrar, and request a current roster printout from Scoutnet. She/he will quickly let you know your status.

The Eagle Court of Honor is usually designed by the scout, his family and his troop. There are no hard and fast rules.

If I were the CO, and the unit backed out on a commitment like this, I would have to think twice about rechartering the unit. The youth need to understand that their behaviour is not only un-scoutlike, but it's rude, selfish and inconsiderate. It's not just a matter of funding their fun, the CO is depending on their help. There should be consequences.

Despite what Stosh says, I understand your concerns. Boys that age will mimic what they see. Is that the weapons-handling techniques you want them to emulate with their BB guns? Seeing the show would be entertaining for all...but I wouldn't do it at a Scout sponsored event. Just my opinion...

To answer the original question, I live "somewhere down south" and I have not heard of such an incident. If it had hit the news, I'm sure Fred would have posted the article.

Sometimes I wonder if we're practicing "truth in advertising"... What if we advertised a restaurant with the best steaks in town? Then when you're in the door, you find out that the steers are out back, the tools are in the kitchen, and you have to do everything yourself, including cleaning up when you're done? I think when scouts and parents sign up, they expect everything to be provided for them...when the secret is revealed that they have to boy-lead (including planning, execution and paying for it), and the parents realize that if there's going to be a program, THEY have to participate, a good many say, "forget this"...it's too hard. I had a parent once who thought that being Cubmaster was my full time job...and that since she had paid her $10 registration fee, I had an obligation to please her as a customer. Just a random thought...

Ditto what eagle90 said! Unfortunately, I don't see a way forward with this. The mom is intent on producing a neurotic, dysfunctional mama's boy/man, and we cannot stand in her way. The only one who can influence this is Dad, and it sounds like he's dysfunctional too...the term "whipped" comes to mind. At least it sounds like they're rich enough to afford the therapy that will be coming down the road. You might suggest that Perrier can be added to the patrol menu, but only if she pays for enough for everyone!

As this thread winds down, I guess I share some of the responsibility for igniting it. After all, I was at the EBOR. I am not in favor of a BSA-sponsored "witch-hunt". But I do feel that when the information is placed in front of you in a sealed envelope (Letter of Recommendation), we have a responsibility to factor it in to the decision. What do I think should have happened? 1. I think the SM and CC should have called a special troop committee meeting to let everyone know the scoop prior to the EBOR. Its' not fair to blindside the Eagle Board members, and then claim "we didn't think it was relevant to scouts". That's a copout...they tried to hide it and they got caught. 2. I think the District was wrong in overturning the original Board's decision. Such things should only occur if there was some procedural error or misinterpretation of the requirements. For requirements such as "morally straight" and "Scout Spirit", there are no stated requirements, so the Troop committee gets to decide. 3. The moment the young couple found out she was pregnant, they gave up their right to the benefits of being a "youth member". They have committed an adult act and now have the responsibilities of adult parents. Playing the childhood game of scouting advancement is no longer a benefit that you should have the luxury of, and you certainly should not expect to be treated like a role model for the younger scouts and the public (aka, "Eagle Scout"). For the record, the scout did not show any sign of remorse, regret, contrition or repentance. His attitude was "hey, stuff happens." In fact, he was proud of the fact that he was living the baby's mother with and "supporting my child" (as much as you can with a part-time minimum wage). He was an "avowed" fornicator, and proud of it. Is that any better than being an avowed homosexual or atheist? Some here seem to think so. He said they DID plan to wed...eventually. Don't know if they ever did. But we all know that such marriages are usually doomed to failure, and we all pay dearly for that lack of judgement.