scoutldr

OK, Scouters, don't we have better ways to spend our time than to sit around casting aspersions on the honesty of a young Eagle Scout, Scouters and a District Advancement Committee that we don't even know and have never met? Is that very Christian, Jewish, Islamic or Scout-like? To the young Eagle, I say, Good Luck, God Bless and welcome to our ranks! You took an oath on your honor to "do your best" and to be "Trustworthy". I have no doubt that you did exactly that. Now let's focus on keeping our own back yards a little cleaner.

eBay is an on-line auction house. If you have an item to sell, you post it, maybe with a minimum bid or reserve price specified. IF you want to buy, you register and then bid away! Just search on "scout" and you will get almost 300 pages of items for sale, ranging from the common to the extremely rare (like a 1935 National Jamboree patch or a COMPLETE uniform and all accoutrements from a 1925 Eagle Scout). I enjoy just browsing and learning about Scouting history, and have spent more than I want my wife to know...a few bucks at a time. One of the saddest things I saw was an old Scouter wh

Would be nice if the CS trainers could get advance copies, so we can develop FAQ sheets and incorporate the new changes into the training curricula.

Jeff, thanks for your first aid service to scouting. My best days in Scouting were as a member of a Fire and Rescue Explorer Post chartered to a Vol Fire Dept and Rescue Squad, and we provided advanced first aid/ambulance support to all District and OA activities (our Advisor and those over 18 were state certified and licensed to drive the ambulance). Just a comment on your Health Lodge experience...an 11 year old is a minor and does not get to decide what emergency medical treatment he will receive nor from whom. That is specified on the Health and Medical form signed by his parents, a

OK, that's it! "The Navy is not part of the military"??????? According to MY dictionary, "military" used as a noun means "armed forces". Period. So, even the Coast Guard is an "armed force", even though they are not in the Department of Defense. "The Navy is not part of the military?" Come to Norfolk and say that to the crew of a submarine full of Harpoon cruise missiles coming home from a year-long deployment! I guess the President was mis=informed when he flew out to the aircraft carrier last week. I'll admit, I don't know what our Congressional Charter says. But I do believe the

Maybe I missed it, but nowhere in your posts do I see a mention of a Chartered Organization. They are the ones who "own" the unit...not the parents, leaders, boys, district or council, and they are the ones to address your concerns when the COmmittee won't. THey are the ones who have the fiduciary responsibility to ensure that finances are handled properly, with the proper checks and balances of authority and proper audits. If they are a non=profit organization, under IRS rules (which may or may not apply in Okinawa???), there are laws that govern this, since the unit is an extension of the

Let the boys lead...be honest and explain the situation to them. Tell them you need 3 more of their friends to form a Troop and challenge them to make it happen. Then help THEM find a leader. It could be the most challenging and rewarding thing you will do...and this is where the rubber meets the road.

We used to have Position Description pocket cards (an entire sheet covered all the positions in a Pack or Troop), available for purchase. Are these still available?

Pipsico Scout Reservation (Camp Lions, Camp Kiwanis), starting in 1966, Tidewater Council, VA Hidden Valley Scout Reservation (winter camps), Keystone Area Council, PA

eamonn: If the book is out of print, try www.half.com or www.alibris.com. The former deals in used books and the latter deals in rare, OOP, and first editions.

Or the Chicken Dance or the Hokey Pokey! What if the Hokey Pokey IS what it's all about?????

First of all, these are MY opinions and perceptions only, and before someone jumps down my throat again, I do not share these with those that I train...I sincerely hope that I am wrong. But as someone else pointed out...if a die-hard Scout like me has these perceptions, there is something wrong with how WB is being marketed: 1. Wood Badge was for the GOB club (good ole boys) because these were the same people who got the Silver Beavers, District Awards of Merit, Vigil Honor, and now, James E West Fellows. As was pointed out by another poster, most of these people did no unit level scout

"A ship in port is safe...but that's not what ships are for." I think you have to decide where you can do the most good for the most youth. There will you find your answer.

Certified Industrial Hygienist.(you asked!) I work for the U.S. Navy as a senior civilian manager. Industrial Hygiene is the science of recognizing, evaluating and controlling occupational health hazards, including hazardous chemicals, noise, radiation, ergonomics, and now, chemical and biological warfare agents. In another volunteer capacity I serve as a Director on the American Board of Industrial Hygiene. I have worked in shipyards, as an OSHA inspector, and as a College instructor. Been in scouting in the same Council since a Bobcat in 1962.

Who represents Council at these "chats"? The Scout Executive? I have seen the SE exactly twice in 12 years. Once at summer camp about 5 years ago when he came up on Weds night to meet with the unit leaders (he got such an earful, I heard he never did it again!). Camporees? OA Events? Univ of Scouting? Forget it.

"Handkerchief"? What's that?

Thanks for taking the time, dsteele. That was good information, and more in line with what I was looking for. I have no ulterior motives...but now that I am in a District position (among others!), I'm trying to learn and understand the operations and (uggghhh) politics of a Council. I think if more volunteers understood what the professionals have to deal with on a daily basis, we would have better working relationships. But, too often, I get the attitude of "we're the professionals here...you don't need to understand it, you just need to implement it." And to be honest, a few volunteers

I didn't say we shouldn't have stretch goals. I only meant that if we don't meet them, it's not always because of our shortcomings and it doesn't help to beat the volunteers harder(as is happening in my area). Indeed, it's very counterproductive. Yes, I increased my pledge this year...but the only response was, "it's not enough, we need to do more."

In some states, if you are a registered Scout leader, you may be a "mandatory reporter"...meaning if you have reason to suspect child abuse and do not report it, you may be guilty of a crime, as well. I think you need legal advice (I am not a lawyer, nor do I play one on TV).....if you cannot afford one, look up "Legal Aid" in the phone book. Be very, very careful about your allegations. State (verbally or in writing) only what you know to be facts through personal knowledge or observation. State only facts (on this date, this is what happened), not opinions, conclusions or moral judgm

The original post stated that FOS pledges were 20% down this year. When most people I know have lost 40% of their retirement savings in the current Bear market, I would say they are 20% to the good. The glass is half full! Let's keep it in perspective.

Barry, You and I are obviously from the same school of scouting. And big fans of Curly in "City Slickers". As I enter the second half of my life (I hope there's at least half remaining!), I have also adopted that mantra, oft reminding myself of what's really important in life. My latest hobby is collecting old scouting literature and reading about our "roots". Some of my most fascinating reading is that of the words of the Founder himself, B-P. I read a passage about Scout Masters (as they were called then) that suggested that the ONLY badge a SM should wear is the SM badge of office, a

Actually, from what I remember from Chemistry 101, a liquid is a state of matter that will flow to conform to the shape of its container, and is not compressible. Therefore a gel hand sanitizer is a liquid.

OK, I concede the point on "Troop X only", that is the MBC's choice. My point was, it's getting to the point in my District, that unless a troop goes out and recruits their own MBCs, they're out of luck. And in my opinion, that circumvents the intent of the MB program...that is for the SCout to show initiative, seek out someone in the community that they may not know, introduce himself, get to know them and learn something from them, in addition to learning and practicing necessary skills for living and working in the world. Not to sit in a troop meeting while "Billy's mom" teaches a

Have your Pinewood Derby District or Council Championship at the local mall. A neighboring Council has an annual Merit Badge Midway at the mall...booths set up where the scouts can spend the day and come away with 5-6 completed merit badges. All in full view of the public. Until the mid-late 80s, we used to do an annual Scout-O-Rama/Scout Show and sell tickets to the public for $1. Not sure why they were discontinued.

OK, so the simple answer to this is for the CC and DE to sit down with our COR and explain up front what our criteria are for accepting "gifts". No targeted fundraising using immoral, illegal, or "against policy" methods. However, if the CO wants to budget a certain amount out of their annual budget and designate it for Scouts, we won't ask where the money came from. As long as they are not "avowed" BSA fundraisers, it's ok. (Sorry, couldn't resist that.)