scoutldr

We are to set a good example for the scouts who are examining what we do. The matter was raised by a scout. So, as Dr Laura says..."go do the right thing." The guy deserves due process, without the benefit of all of our uninformed opinions. But be ready...when they come to examine your life with a magnifying glass in one hand and the oath and law in the other, how will you fare? PS: The correct spelling is "patoot". If we are going to insult each other, the least we can do is spell it correctly.

As I tell my troop's PLC..."You will only be as bored as you plan to be."

I was once assigned the honor of escorting the School PTA president (my wife) to the state conventions every year. Oddly the national organization does not advocate fundraising for basic needs that should be funded by the state. PTA local fundraising is done by misguided but well-meaning volunteers that don't know what else to do to advocate for the children.

I have seen CAW used before, but only in reference to the old Exploring logo which was worn on the right sleeve of the uniform and on the hat, I believe.

My point was that it was better to offer the program to those 4-5 whose troop was folding than it was to keep a "Unit" on the books which was NOT delivering the promise. Did I mention that we have no Commissioner staff to speak of. So the problem is systemic...

FOG, the answer to your question is obvious. The goal of the DE is more units, more boys, more money, not necessarily in that order. One of my scouts told me that his buddy's troop was about to fold, and I suggested to my DE that we just invite the 4-5 boys over to our troop, since they are in an adjacent neighborhood, and we were down to 8-9 actives. His response was "don't you dare...I don't want to lose a unit."

Mercury! I have two questions: how did the car pass the weigh-in and were the parents billed for the hazardous waste spill cleanup? Or is the mercury still in the school probably spread all over with the wet mops? This is a serious health hazard. Back to the original question...how about recruiting your affiliated BS Troop and/or Venture crew to do the judging? No better way to get Cubs excited about the programs to come!(This message has been edited by scoutldr)

Do you have it? Do you wear the knot? Why or why not? Did you make the donation, or was it presented in your honor? Among my circle of Scouter friends, this is a controversial subject. I'm curious as to what others think.

Like VentureSCout said, go to the national OA website, then click on the "JUMPSTART" box at the bottom. This is info for new members.

I am aware of the EO and of service-specific instructions as well. I pushed the issue up to the appropriate Pentagon office and was told "that policy does not apply to civilians." I am the only Scouter at my command that I am aware of, so I get no support locally. Funny, we are the ones who take the lads camping and keep the units alive when Dad or Mom are deployed...using our precious vacation time in the process. Just my little way of supporting the troops some of whom are my neighbors. I know they appreciate it, and I am happy to do it.

Correct, FOG. I am FLSA "Exempt"...no overtime. But like a good Scout, I consider it "duty to country" and "cheerful service". Even when I have to give up my weekend in airports and still have to be at work Mon morning. The travel regs say "time in travel status is not considered hours of work and is not compensated." So if they want me to go to WB or Philmont, summer camp gets cancelled. I have to choose what's more important to the boys. Cancel Christmas? Wait, I'll ask my wife.(This message has been edited by scoutldr)

I am a Federal government employee. Being a senior manager, I can take off just about any time I need to, but anything greater than 59 minutes is charged to annual leave. That's the law. Gotta make sure the taxpayers get their money's worth! I take two vacations a year...Christmas and Summer Camp.

At the risk of waking Merlyn, yes active duty military can be granted "no-cost TDY" orders for scouting activities, meaning they can attend without charge to leave. As a civilian who supervises military personnel, I have to use my vacation time for camp. Back in the 60's our camp staff consisted of many military folks. A Marine LCPL ran the rifle range and taught us how to get a tight group from any position. Mess cooks ran the kitchen and a Hospital Corpsman manned the health lodge. Don't see much of that anymore.

Our district did a 1:3 split a little over a year ago. The biggest problem is in staffing the district infrastructure, which in my opinion should be in place prior to the split. The number of units and adult scouters remained relatively the same, however now you need 3 of everything, DEs, District Commissioners, district chairmen, etc. Somehow all of the experienced training staff ended up in one district, so as the new Training chair, I had to start from scratch. One of the other new districts still has no training staff, so they are all coming to my courses. A year and a half later, I am still personally doing all training with little assistance, we have no BSRT commissioner or staff, very few Unit Commissioners, yada, yada, yada. On the plus side, camporees are almost pleasant, since we no longer have over 1000 people trying to camp in the same place. Oh, and we made Quality District our first full year in existence, due in no small part to a District Director who worked far harder than anyone should have to. Where we didn't have volunteer chairmen in place, he did the work himself. I hope he was rewarded well.

I think where most people will have issues is with the "retesting". That is not the purpose of a BOR or SMC. The ideal is to ensure that the requirement is not signed off until it is learned and demonstrated. Then reinforcement of the knowledge is obtained through teaching it to others. Remember, Scouting is "fun with a purpose". It's about the journey, not the destination. The Scout Oath and Law are how you live, not what you recite mindlessly at a Troop mtg.

I agree with our new friend from Malta in another post. We need to get a life and channel all this energy into things that matter. Next time someone asks me for a Kleenex, I will say, "No, sorry, you'll have to ask someone else, all I have is a Scott Facial Tissue." But now that I know that Field uniforms are officially only for meetings and ceremonies, I won't have to constantly remind them that "Class A's are required for dinner" at summer camp. Heck, we won't even take our uniforms with us.

I visited last May during a business trip to Dallas. My favorite was the exhibit hall of original Rockwell and Csatari paintings. I was in heaven, seeing my old Boys' Life covers in their original versions! The museum itself was kind of a disappointment, but I guess their main target audience is the 11-12 year old. Just about every cub scout has raced a pinewood derby car, so I'm not sure they need to take up valuable space with a track. I know they have a lot of memorabilia in storage, and I wish they would have more of that on display for the adult memorabilia/antique enthusiast. I did like seeing the original uniform of James E. West, and Eagle medal #1. Also there was a replica (I assume) of the orginal bead necklace that B-P liberated from the hut of Dinizulu. Of course, I spent about 50 bucks in the Scout Shop, so the strategy obviously works. My overall conclusion is, if you are in Dallas anyway, make a point to visit. But it's not worth a trip on it's own. You can do the whole thing in under 2 hours.

EagleWB: The quote was from the link that Bob posted right above me. From the OA national web site. SL

FOG: That explains the brand new Eagle medals for sale on eBay. I also thought those were controlled distribution and had to be ordered from National. If not, they should be.

The SM should check. He signs the card authorizing the Scout to begin work on the badge and one of the questions at that point should be "are you using a registered counsellor". If the scout brings a blue card back to the SM without an approved counsellor's name on it, it is rejected and not submitted to Council. This is a Youth Protection issue. Anyone performing volunteer work under the auspices of the BSA needs to be registered and trained.

Living in this country grants us certain liberties that even the BSA can't take away. Down here, south of the Mason-Dixon line, I dare anyone from Irving to come tell us we can't wear "hunting apparel"...whatever that is.

In the US, we encourage proper uniforming for all Scout activities. The BSA uniform does not include camouflage. If they are not in uniform, they can wear whatever they want, as long as it does not reflect poorly on the BSA, the Troop, or the Chartering Organization. Examples would be T-shirts which depict images of tobacco, alcohol, drugs, racism, weapons, profanity or sexual connotations. Welcome to the forum! Our international brothers and sisters in Scouting are always welcomed around the campfire!(This message has been edited by scoutldr)

I agree, Bob. But if the only thing holding this back is BSA Policy, aren't they adults? It sounds like "The Order" (i.e., the youth) have no objections.

I think OWL was asking what we thought, not what the rules are. But since you pointed out the source, it sounds like BSA is calling the shots, and if BSA changes its stance, then the OA is open to the idea: "The Order of the Arrow is a program for Boy Scouts and Varsity Scouts between the ages of 11 - 18. If that Boy Scout policy changes, the Order would readily welcome venturers into the Brotherhood of Cheerful Service." It sounds like while they may be a "separate organization", they don't do anything without BSA approval. Rules can be changed...with the right justification.

I vote with you. But the membership requirements should be the same. Is the Outdoor Bronze analogous to earning First Class? Crews that don't go camping would not elect any members. After all, the OA is the "Society of Scout Honor Campers", and in my opinion, you can't be an honor camper if you don't have proficiency in Scoutcraft.