scoutldr

These were known as "community strips" and were usually accompanied by a shorter state strip directly underneath. As the name implies, they usually represented the community, city, or neighborhood. I have never seen on representing the CO, but I guess it's possible.

Does that mean you are old? When I earned it ALL MB had green borders. You are correct Bob. My comment was unfounded as I have not taken the course.

US cub uniforms have been the same shade of blue since the beginning. It could be from one of the church-based youth groups, or from some other country.

We charge the going rate for BSA registration and Boys Life (we don't mention that BL is optional), then round up. Patrol dues of $1 a week. The rest is financed through popcorn and wreath sales, and per-trip fees (e.g., camporee fees).

See http://www.yaac-bsa.org/activities/gettysburg/gettysburg.htm I recommend ordering the historic trail guide from the York-Adams Area Council...everything is explained in there. I ordered it on-line with a credit card and had it in a few days, along with a sample medal and some patches.

And (from what I've read on this forum) WB21 is a rehash of the TQM fad that we had to suffer through 10 years ago (and has since been abandoned by the corporate world).

What's going on is clear...the DE's performance metrics and those for Quality District include new units, new youth and new money. The DE and the district get "credit" for new Venture crews. They don't get credit for starting new Explorer Posts, since LFL is a "subsidiary" of the BSA, but is operated separately. The DE is simply taking advantage of the fact that the LFL Executive can't cover the whole council. It's all about the numbers. But if it results in more youth being served, who cares?

Around these parts, we have one Roman Catholic parish whose priest will NOT allow scouts (or Scouters) to meet on their property, nor will they consider chartering a unit. Even a change in priests did not alter the policy, while a parish two miles away charters a pack, troop and crew and we have our District meetings there. PTA's in this region also will not charter units. Not sure at what level in the organization that comes from. One of the longest tenured troops in our District (I was a charter member in 1968 with my Dad) is chartered to a Southern Baptist church. I do remember some competition from their own RA youth group, but it was never an issue, as far as I knew.(This message has been edited by scoutldr)(This message has been edited by scoutldr)

The counselor may not add to the requirements. If he says "do this one" and the requirement says "do one of the following", that's adding to what the book says. Likewise, if it says, "discuss", or "tell about", that doesn't mean write a report. If it says "write" that doesn't mean "oral report". To put is succinctly, the Scout chooses.

I think John D has answered his own questions. The duty of Troop Guide is to guide and mentor the new scouts as they begin their scouting careers...how can he do that if he's not there? Seems to me that being with them at meetings and on campouts is the first step to successful performance in the position.

One of the things I enjoy most about this forum are the philosophical offerings of our friend, Eammon. I think that the experience called "Scouting" can be rendered down to a single thought, which was passed on to us by B-P in his final message to Scouts and Scouters. That is, to strive to leave the world a little better than you found it. The Scout slogan, "Do a Good Turn Daily" is the way we pass this on. Each day when you go to bed, we should ask ourselves, "have I done my daily task". We can't cure World Hunger, nor prevent all crime and delinquency, nor solve all of the political and moral issues that make this country the great melting pot that the forefathers envisioned. But everyone can do something to make their corner of the world a little better. As Scouters, our duty is to pass that ethic on to our children, Scouts, neighbors and co-workers...just a little bit every day.

Green wool jac-shirts were made in the 60's (and maybe before, but I'm not THAT old). Green was for youth and red for Scouters and Explorers. I recently saw a BSA supply catalog from around 1965 and on the cover was a Scout wearing the green jac.

This "mandatory training" thing has got to be a nation-wide thing. Too many Councils thought of it at the same time. Our Executive Board (encouraged by the SE, IMHO), mandated it, complete with the "no training, no renewal of membership registration" rule, and then quickly backed off when they realized it would be shooting themselves in the foot. Many unit leaders objected to the tactic on principle. Compounded by the fact that the training records are ridiculously hosed...SMs with 30 yr tenure show up as "untrained" on the computer. The Council training committee was not consulted first, and there was a minor rebellion. My personal feeling as a trainer was, as Eammon said, that I have family and unit responsibilities, too and I'm not going to do training every night of the week for 2-3 people at a time.

I have heard it explained a little differently...yes, you can "designate" an agency for your donations. But it is decided ahead of time how much an agency will get. For example, if the allocation is decided to be $1,000, and people "designate" amounts of $500. The agency still only gets $1,000, not $1,500. If the amounts designated are $1,100, the agency will get $1,100. Perhaps this policy also varies from region to region.

The law in Va is 40 feet...not nearly enough. I am intrigued by this "early voting" thing. This is the first year I have heard about it. Some polling places are schools, also some fire houses and churches. Not sure how they are chosen. I disagree with using schools if it means the kids have to miss a day of school.

My polling place is the local elementary school. Due to security issues, students get a day off, which I'm sure makes the working parents happy. My pet peeve is the poll workers who line the sidewalk (not to mention taking up parking places), making a voter "run the gantlet" having brochures shoved in one's face. There ought to be a law that all campaign activities must cease at 6 am when the polls open.

Ok, I'm old...I'll admit it. They were for "Denner" and "Asst Denner". I believe in the 70's it was changed to a yellow shoulder cord (two cords for denner and one for asst) that could be easily removed and passed on to the next guy.

Some days I am quite down, and some days I am quite up. I think I'm bipolar. Some days the voices in my head are quiet and some days they are loud. Class dismissed.

The OA pocket ribbon signifies that you were elected to OA and passed your Ordeal. The Lodge flap signifies that you are a member in good standing of your local Lodge. If you fail to pay your dues, you are no longer a member of the lodge and should remove the flap. You may not belong to a lodge (and wear the flap) other than the one serving the Council where you are currently registered. The OA sash may only be worn at OA functions.

What's all this talk about violins in Scouting. I think Scouting would be better off with more violins. Heck, we should allow Homo Sapiens, too!!! They seem to be good people! My daddy taught me to get along with all people, even them Homo Sapiens.

In a nutshell, if the CO, in good faith intends to resurrect a Scout unit in the future, they may retain the property. If not, the charter agreement requires them to offer it up to Council for redistribution as Council sees fit. I think the rationale for that is if the equipment/funds/property was donated or solicited in the name of Scouting, it should remain in the service of Scouting.

"How many packs have a Pack Trainer? There are not many in my council." That's my point. That's akin to a Pack saying "we don't do Pack meetings because we don't have a CM." It's not an option. It's the PT's job to ensure that their Pack leaders get trained...either by getting them to the District training, or by delivering the training at the Unit level. In the COuncil in which I serve, the SE has declared that every new leader will get basic training within 30 days of registration. If that's to happen, every Pack needs a Trainer and they need to get busy. The District training team (me) can't do it all.

We had an incident a few years ago where a Dad was "called out" and showed up for the first night of his Ordeal. His son was also among the Ordeal candidates. Along about bedtime on the first night when he realized what was happening, he declared loudly, "I ain't puttin up with this BS!" and went home. The next day, he showed up as a parent to exercise his right to observe. It was an awkward and embarrassing situation, but in the end, he was allowed to stay.

The Pack Committee operates the Pack, not the CM. The committee needs to start scheduling monthly Pack meetings, and then have them...with or without him. If he doesn't show up, have an Assistant CM run the meeting. One person should not have the power to derail the entire Pack program. Just work around him.

In this city, if I want to use a school for a Scouting function, all I have to do is fill out a form and have it approved by the building Principal, and the Superintendant's office. So far, if the space has not already been claimed by another group, I have had no problem. Schools throughout the city are being used by Packs, Troops, Dens, Training, Roundtables, etc. It's free of charge unless it's on a weekend, then there's a fee for the custodian to be there. In some schools, the cafeteria is a church on Sunday mornings. The taxpayer funded buildings are there for the public's use...including Scouts.