scoutldr

Man...what an eye-opener this forum is!!!! I never realized there were so many troops/Councils operating in Bizarro world! My advice...find another troop...and council if you can! There is nothing I can see about this troop's operation that upholds the Scout Oath and Law, not to mention those "Rules and Regulations" that no one has seen. My only hope is that with over 400 "active participants" logged on at a given time, some of those lurkers are from the Council/Regional/National level.

Showing my age here...in the 60s, boys were eligible to join at age 8. The ranks were Bobcat, Wolf, Bear, Lion, then at age 10, you went to a Webelos den for a year. UNtil then, you stayed in the same den, and worked on achievements and electives at your own pace with your parents. The "Den Mother" just recorded what your parent wrote in your book. At age 11, you graduated to a Scout Troop, regardless of what your peer group was doing, and, as I recall the AOL was automatic as you walked over the bridge. BTW, the term "WeBeLoS" originated from those ranks, Wolf, Bear, Lion, Scout. FF

Officer SL here. The red jac-shirt is an official piece of the uniform, and patch placement on it is governed by the Insignia guide. To my recollection, the only things authorized are the universal BSA patch that comes with it on the left pocket, the Philmont Bull (which is where the jacket originated) and a SINGLE back patch, such as the OA patch. I see many scouts, as well as scouters with their jac-shirt filled with patches, but this is unauthorized. Some on this forum have said that activity patches may be worn on the MB sash, but I think that is in error.

Please don't teach your scouts to use denatured alcohol or other solvents (flammable ones at that) to clean their hands. In addition to the obvious fire hazard, it can lead to defatting of the skin, resulting in a nasty, cracked dermatitis and infection. Only use hand cleaners designed for that purpose, which also contain moisturizers.

That one went over my head, too.

Just saw an alert go out to the professional safety community...a recent incident occurred where (a nurse, I think) had just used hand sanitizer when a static spark ignited her hands. Sounded at first like an urban legend, but after reading this thread, I don't think so. CDC has just recommended to the health care community that alcohol based hand sanitizers are much more effective than soap and water. We use this stuff almost exclusively now when camping, and I will instruct everyone to make sure their hands are thoroughly dried before getting near fire or spark. There is even talk of the

You're right, Bob....I'll pull my claws back in. Perhaps my paranoia was working overtime last night. But if the R&R are that important to the operation of the COuncil, I don't buy the story that "we can't find it." THe correct answer should have been, "come in next Monday and we'll have it available for you." THen scramble to get a copy, even if you have to borrow one from the next council or have a replacement FEDEXed from Irving. It may not be relevant or useful, but that's not the point. THere's too much of an attitude among the professionals that "we're running this organization

Absolutely! It used to be that BSA would stock square knots with the appropriate background color to match the uniform...for instance, Eagle knots (R/W/B) could be purchased with a dark green, blue, white or olive green background. It looked much nicer.

"One need not display every achievement and honor accorded." I believe the quote is from B-P himself, referring to Scoutmasters, and I think the rest of it is "lest one appear like a Christmas Tree." I will look for it ...

"It is after all in details correctly worn that the inner discipline of the Movement is shown. But the correct wearing of the Uniform and smartness of turn out of the individual Scout depends largely on his pride in himself and his Troop. This can be largely developed by the Patrol Leader encouraging his Patrol to outshine its neighbors in these respects, and each fellow plays the game to the best of his ability for the honor of the Patrol. The Scout kit, through its uniformity, now constitutes a bond of brotherhood among boys across the world. "One slovenly Scout, inaccurately dresse

Do you get the feeling they don't WANT you knowing what the rules and regs say??? As the BSA is a non-profit organization chartered by Congress, I would think that the Freedom of Information Act should apply, if not by the letter of the law, then at least in spirit. Everything the BSA does, including publications, should be "in the sunshine" with free access to anyone who wants to see it. Posting on the internet would be a good first step. Reminds me one time I asked the Comptroller at work (govt agency) to see the Joint Travel Regulations...the reply was, "they are too complicated for you

Do we still have "Venture Patrols" within the troops? They wore the "Venture" strip above the "Boy Scouts of America" strip on the tan shirt.

The first thing I would do is go online and take the Fast Start training. That will give you some basic knowledge. Also, ascertain if they expect you to "do everything". In some troops, the SM is God and he rules the roost. The way it's supposed to work is the youth run the show, with guidance and support from the adult committee. The Committee Chairman is actually the "CEO" of the Troop, with other committee members in charge of such things as finance, advancement, transportation, program, training, etc. Needless to say, the CC and SM need to work closely together and establish common g

We keep a percentage for the troop and for the rest we put each scout's "proceeds" into his "account" for his use (summer camp, camporee fees, etc). In actuality, the money stays in the troop account, but we track it on paper. If the scout leaves the troop, the money goes back to the troop treasury. If we need to have a fund raiser to build up the treasury, we do that separately. I was recently told about a related, but separate problem...a very large Pack decided several years ago to "opt out" of the popcorn campaign because instead of cutting checks to the units, the proceeds were in

As I see things, the bottom line is this: hundreds (if not thousands) of Scout units are chartered by churches...LDS, Presbyterian, Methodist, etc. Some of these, notably LDS(Mormon) and the United Methodist Church have adopted Scouting as their de facto youth program, and church members are expected to participate. From what I have read elsewhere in this forum entire Councils are allowed to be ruled by these Church groups, to the exclusion of others. If the BSA changes it's stance on gays and atheists, the fallout would be catastrophic, and I'm afraid, insurmountable. So, we're stuck bet

Unfortunately, pack, your information is already "out there"...anyone with a computer and internet access can learn anything they want about you. In VA, your SSN is on your driver's license and every time I write a check, the clerk demands to see it and writes it down. BSA is just paying a contractor to search the "public sources" for information because it's more cost effective for the large volume that they expect. If you want an eye-opening experience, type your full name into Google and see how many hits you get. For genealogists, it's a wonderful thing!

KS, Well, I guess that's one way to rationalize it. But if gambling is "wrong", it's wrong, whether it's "in the family" or not...no wonder our kids grow up confused. Personally, I see nothing wrong with it...what drives me crazy is BSA's inconsistency.

Haven't heard from OGE in a while...

I would have a frank discussion with the parent, since this seems to be a chronic problem...I agree with one post that recommends Dad stay home. Inform them that the Scout's responsibilities to his patrol end when you arrive back in the parking lot to be picked up and all of the gear is clean and put away...and if he "needs" to leave early, then perhaps he is too busy to participate and should take the whole weekend to practice his instrument. Also, to follow up someone else's idea, I would "coach" the PL that if "Johnny" is expected to leave early, then the "Duty Roster" needs to reflect th

These are all good ideas, but we are already doing something. I am in a military town...a battle group (of ships) returned home this morning, and while they were still several miles off shore, the CO of the USS KAUFFMAN was on the phone with the local news crew...his final words were "and thanks to all of the Coaches, Teachers and Neighbors who looked after our families the past 7 months." I'm sure he intended to include "Scout Leaders" in that, but I got a warm glow in my gut nonetheless. So on behalf of all of the military and civil service personnel who can't always be there, "Thanks for

There's nothing that says a Unit cannot accept a donation. If that were the case, I would be many thousands of dollars richer right now. Formal fundraisers must comply with the Unit Money Earning Application and be approved by the Council. The Chartered Org can do whatever they want within their own policies and consciences. I guess this means that all the Packs who raffle off baked goods at every Pack meeting need to give the money back?

Our DE has said that MB counsellors MUST fill out a new application every year....so that's how they will get criminal checks done for them...the rest of us will follow soon...new app every year...new background check to make sure you've kept your nose clean. Screw up and you're out. Glad to see that's where my FOS money will be going...and all this time I thought it was for camp improvements. I'm not saying that the checks are a bad idea...but the best protection is for Chartered Orgs to properly select leaders from among people who are known and respected...and to follow YP rules scrupulo

Say it ain't so!!!! Don't leave me here to represent Virginia by myself (as far as I know!)... I didn't necessarily agree with your politics, but you serve a vital purpose here and in Scouting. You cause us to think and examine our ideals, politics and mores. I think we are a lot alike...firing for effect to stimulate discussion and lively debate. Whenever I get discouraged and depressed or overwhelmed with "cheerful service", I stop and think about why I still do this after 40 years in the movement...it's because Scouting was and is such a key part in my development and upbringing. My

Just a suggestion, KS...if the PL is going to take a "leave of absence", why not ask him to step down and appoint the APL to that position. It's not really fair for the PL to be getting credit for leadership that he's not providing, and for the APL to do all the work and not get credit for it. Also, I'm not sure what all the discussion is about patrol positions such as quartermaster and scribe, but they don't cut it. The only patrol position that gets "Leadership" status is the PL.

In the midst of our heated debate over gay rights, let's not forget our fallen brother. Any update or address yet? mike