scoutldr

I think that Bullion refers to the thread, which is actually metal wire. The best example of a bullion patch is the Fleur-de-lis patch which is worn on a blue blazer for the dress uniform. Not to be confused with mylar thread which is plastic but looks shiny like gold or silver.

Agree with Rooster. Your first call should have been to the COR. Let them decide what action to take, including calling for an external audit to verify that a crime was committed. For the other unit leaders to conduct the audit is probably not very credible.

I think the book answer is that Ships and Crews, as part of the Venturing program, are free to decide their own uniform and its parts. That would make the answer "yes".

All of the above items are permitted in my unit. Electronics must be used within the privacy of one's tent and with headphones that cannot be heard by others. No sheath knives (council rule). Use of knives and matches ok with Totin Chip/Fireman Chip. Summer camp meds must be turned in to health lodge. For other trips, leaders do not handle meds unless parent requests it. I know of one unit where all of the members have to have long sleeved Scout uniform shirts, campaign hat, and all of them have the same poncho, flashlight, pocketknife, boots,unit t-shirt, etc. They are generally not permitted to wear the "activity" uniform. IMO, those leaders need to get a life, unless of course, all of those items were donated to the troop for the boys' use.(This message has been edited by scoutldr)

Gabe said, "An addendum then is this: what about "ADD" cases and other such anomalies? We had one boy who was incorrigable, except sometimes when his meds were working to calm the little livewire down. It was hard on everyone because if we held him to a regular standard, he would not have lasted a month in the troop. I do believe they asked him to leave after a year of disrespect and general insanity on outings and troop and patrol meetings." Consider this: To hold ADD kids to a different, more lenient standard is not fair to anyone. Kids and parents need to know what the standard is...for everyone. I firmly believe that kids will rise to the occasion once they figure out that there is no other option...and that mom and dad will not be around to pick up the slack or make excuses for them. When they get into college and the work force, no one will care that they "just can't focus" and "that's just the way their brain is wired." What counts will be results...and the scout needs to figure out how to get there... with or without medication. Too harsh? I don't think so. I have adult ADD and one of my sons has it. You have to overcome and adapt to the world...the world doesn't have to adapt to you.

When I was in school, the teachers' favorite line was "I didn't fail you...you got the grade you earned." Likewise, Scouters do not "fail" Scouts. We simply verify when the scout has completed the BSA-prescribed requirements. We don't make the requirements, we just keep track of their completion. Nowadays more importance is placed on self-esteem than on learning to be prepared for and how to handle life's hard knocks. As an employer, I don't particularly want someone who has never known failure...because their version of success doesn't count...mine does. Too much self-esteem is not a desirable quality.

District training is free to all units who participate in Popcorn. Summer camp, we get 2 free adults. Any others who want to go, we split the cost equally among all of us. Woodbadge, Philmont, etc is at our own expense. Camping trips, adults pay for and cook their own food and pay their own camporee registration fees. We pay for our own membership fees. The troop even pays the recharter fee because the COR doesn't. We've been paying for gas out of pocket and claiming IRS mileage, but with gas headed back to $2 a gallon, we are going to start reimbursing the drivers. I buy my uniforms on Ebay for about half price. I even bought a brand new Venturing shirt for $15 because it was in my size (X-fat) and I might need it one day.

There is no "try". There is either "do" or "do not". "Do your best" is for Cub Scouts.

Perhaps the Unit Commissioner should do his/her job, which is to keep an ear to the ground for potential unit problems and recommend solutions to the District Commish before anyone else knows it's a problem. I agree. These "mega-units" and "mega-dens" do the boys a disservice. In every den of 13 boys, there are between 13-26 potential den leaders. That should be more than enough to work with.(This message has been edited by scoutldr)

My mind is made up! Don't try to confuse me with facts!

When I was a Scout, my mom taught me how to sew. Getting home after a Pack mtg or Court of Honor, I would stay up late sewing that new patch on then hang the shirt on the doorknob so it would be the first thing I would see in the morning. Maybe I was just abnormally gung-ho, but the scouts in the troop in which I currently serve don't seem to care...most rank patches never make it on the shirt...the pin stays on until it falls off in the wash or until the next rank is earned...usually in the wrong position. One inventive scout uses Velcro...doesn;t look as good, but at least we know what rank he is.

I'm not new to Scouting, but my new military boss is, and is new to our area. Being a born and bred in New York City, he did not have exposure to much as a youth except drugs, crime and the Yankees. Knowing he had a 5 year old, I have been "working him" for the past year, waiting for the New Member night in Sept when Son of Boss could become a brand new Tiger. So far so good. He goes to Open House at school where the local Cubmaster has a table set up to capture all those brand new young-uns and their parents. Next day, Boss comes in and is livid..."Why do they need my SSN and references...all I want is for my kid to be a Cub Scout." I guess it is now de rigeur that "Tiger Cub Partners" are registered as "Leaders". After all, the form says "Adult Leader Application". He is genuinely concerned that "here is yet another uncontrolled group of people I don't know collecting my personal information." I did my best sales pitch, but deep in my heart, I know how records are handled at the unit and Council level, and I can not in good conscience tell him that I believe his information will be protected to the level that will make him comfortable. I should note that all of this comes after he had to call the Federal Credit Union and had to give all his personal account information to someone in India. I finally suggested that, if he felt so strongly about it, they should just sit out the Tiger year and start as a Wolf, when they won't care what his background or SSN is. Is that the only solution? How many prospective scout families are we losing because of this?

It's nice that the "Key 3" gets a nice plaque. As a mere District Committee member, I would have been happy with a QD patch for my district shirt. We are a brand new District and made QD in our second year. The DE said he didn't know such a thing existed, but would get them for us...but here it is almost October and we are still waiting. We worked hard and are proud of our accomplishment. i would gladly buy one myself, if I could find a source.

Every scout can be a den chief. All he has to do is ask.

Actually, it was and still is "Webelos"...Wolf-Bear-Lion-Scout and the word is both singular and plural. I too wore the diamond "W" patch on the right sleeve before Webelos was just a den and not a rank, circa 1962. Only had two kinds of dens...Cub and Webelos. Cubmasters and "Committeemen" were always male and Den Mothers were always, um, Mothers.

If you run a Google search on "Scout Board of Review", you can get some sample questions to get you started. Pick and choose what you like. Bob will say that some are inappropriate, and that may be. The questions that are a "trivial pursuit" of scouting, such as obscure facts of scouting history are probably not useful. I use the BOR for probing questions on leadership, family relationships, ethics, scout spirit, career goals, school accomplishments, and goal setting for the next rank. Of course, the BOR for Life will be longer and more in depth than a BOR for Tenderfoot. Ask open-ended questions that can't be answered with a "yeah or nawww." Ask him for suggestions on how to improve the Troop...some of the best ideas come from 12 year olds. Good luck!

We don't have the Rovering program in the US. We have Venturing...a program for boys and girls aged 14-21. What country do you live in?

After becoming an Eagle Scout, you may earn Palms by completing the following requirements: Be active in your troop and patrol for at least three months after becoming an Eagle Scout or after award of last Palm. Demonstrate Scout spirit by living the Scout Oath (Promise) and Scout Law in your everyday life. Make a satisfactory effort to develop and demonstrate leadership ability. Earn five additional merit badges beyond those required for Eagle or last Palm. Merit badges earned any time since becoming a Boy Scout may be used to meet this requirement. Take part in a Scoutmaster conference. Complete your board of review. You may wear only the proper combination of Palms for the number of merit badges you earned beyond the rank of Eagle. The Bronze Palm represents five merit badges, the Gold Palm 10, and the Silver Palm 15.

When I served on the Church Council, we had a Financial Secretary and a Treasurer. Two different people. Counting and handling the money and checkbook was never done by the same people who kept the accounting books. I believe that was a requirement of the liability bond. So, your situation does not seem out of the ordinary to me. The problem is that someone needs to be assigned to keep the records (Pack Secretary/Troop Scribe)...and that person is not necessarily the Treasurer, whose job it is to maintain the checkbook and approve expenditures and pay the bills. To simplify...keeping track of income should probably be a different job than keeping track of and approving spending. In those units which feel compelled to amass large 5-figure treasuries for no obvious reason (we have a few), this can be an important issue.(This message has been edited by scoutldr)

Girl Scouts of Broward County Inc 4701 NW 33rd Ave Fort Lauderdale, FL 33309-6807 Phone: (954) 739-7660

Den dues of $100 payable up front does seem out of line, and I know a lot of parents that would object to that. Does your Pack also charge dues in addition to the registration fee? What do the den dues cover? How is the money accounted for? We still have more questions than we have answers. In my experience, typical den dues, if any, is rarely more than $1 a week, payable weekly. In a den of 8 boys, that should be more than enough to cover any routine den expenses. Of course, if there's a field trip that requires an admission fee, that would be extra, but those should be rare.

It's not "discrimination". It's a reality. Scouting costs money. When the Pack advancement chairman goes to the Scout Shop to get badges and arrow points, there has to be money to pay for them, or Council won't let them out the door. As a training chairman, if I want to copy handouts for a training class, my Council charges me 9 cents a copy. The money has to come from somewhere. I either "eat it" or pass on the cost to the students. Your Pack faces the same choices. Ideally, Scouts are encouraged to "earn their way" ... getting Mom and Dad to fork over the dues is not the first choice, either. Every kid can do "something" to earn money. Wash a car, mow a lawn, rake leaves, sell popcorn to add to his "Scout Bucks" account (which he can then use to pay his dues). But the answer "you can't have a Wolf badge because your mom did not stroke us a check" is not the right answer either. Have a good Pack fundraiser...then no one will have to pay "dues".

You missed the joke, Unc. You said 30'...30 FEET!!!! Even I'M not that big!!!

I get it. They can be married, as long as they don't "act" married around other youth. Kinda like other discussions we have had here. At least National is consistent. Sheesh.

I saw your response too late to edit. But that's how I found them...off the internet using a Google search. The entire District committee is listed, with their phone numbers. They are already in the public domain.