scoutldr

Nope. I hope to be retired by the end of 2016 and have debts that need to get paid off. I can't afford to pay for the privilege of being "staff".

Weather apps and smartphones are great...as long as you have cell coverage. At my lake house, we do not.

http://www.findagrave.com/cgi-bin/fg.cgi?page=gr&GRid=5057291

You should have advised him that if that's all it meant to him and his son, he could just buy an Eagle badge on Ebay and skip all the character-building crap.

I think the BSA would be well served if they concentrated their religious aspect down to the Great Commandment. Not sure why it has to be disguised in a "secret word" that can only be whispered.

My advice would be to call the SE and say you've reconsidered and would like to have a meeting over a cup of coffee. Choose a neutral venue. Get the facts from the horse's mouth. If you have violated the Scout Law (friendly, courteous, kind), apologize. We don't always like the pros but we do have to work with them. We owe that to the boys. Complaining to the Executive Board will probably not get you anywhere. They are usually hand picked by the SE and will do his bidding.

One of the lead stories on Fox News this morning. Made a laughingstock out of the BSA. Good job, Irving.

Would be interesting if political elections were held that way...one vote per dollar of taxes actually paid.

"Life ain't fair" is a life lesson that we all learn. How we deal with it is determined by our character. The best we can do is show them what fairness looks like and encourage them to incorporate it into their character.

Technically he is not a "Lone Scout" unless he is registered as such. Since he's a member of a unit, they are asking for a tour plan, I guess. Seems strange that they don't have provisions for "Provisionals". We did it all the time. The provisional scout is assigned to another troop in attendance if the troop is willing. It was always a good experience for our troop.

Good point about the money belonging to them anyway. Don't tell them. I have never had a unit donate money. However, "paying back" with service projects is common. Our last CO had a "portable" out back that was used for Sunday School classes, that they allowed us to use. They did ask us to not turn on the heat in the winter. Other groups did and we got blamed for it anyway.

Stay thirsty, my friends.

I believe that's what I said.

http://video.foxnews.com/v/4229440881001/is-girl-now-optional-for-the-girl-scouts/?#sp=show-clips

The Scouting experience is as much about giving back as it is about taking and getting awards. It your scouts aren't "getting it", then we need to re-examine how we are delivering the program. I would have no problem in dropping from the rolls or not advancing those scouts who only show up when they want to or for the "fun" activities, but are conspicuously absent from service projects or shun leadership roles (A Scout is Helpful). Unfortunately, National just wants the numbers and the $$$, but the SM is the gatekeeper for "Scout Spirit".

Fox News - 11 May GSUSA announces they will accept as members "boys who consider themselves to be girls".

The issue of having custom neckers made (or patches, etc) can have you run afoul of trademark infringement if you incorporate any of the BSA's protected trademarks. The fleur-de-lis for one. In our council, anyone having patches made for an event has to run the design by the SE and use "approved vendors". It still irks me that they put "made in China" stickers on the back of official patches.

Back when I was attending RT, we were always encouraged to bring our SPLs. Few ever did. Seems like the scouts fell for that "one hour a week" thing.

Reusing like textbooks is an idea, but I doubt they are durable enough for that. Maybe if they had hardcover editions...

Well, they did elect Sheila Jackson Lee ...speaking of "nutters"...

I think what CubDayCampDirector suggests would be illegal. Those pesky copyright laws again. If the BSA didn't care about the money, they could put ALL publications online or on a CD and all members would get one free with registration.

Not sure if it's the marketers, or the fact that if it's not in color, with lots of pictures, neither the parents NOR the scouts will look at it. Take a look at school books now, compared to what we had in the 60s and 70s. (no, we didn't use clay tablets). My 11th grade US History book was like reading the dictionary. Be that as it may, in my pack, the parents bought the books. If the pack buys the books, it needs to be accounted for in the Unit Budget Plan...just that much more dues to charge or popcorn to sell. There ain't no free lunch.

I'm registered as "Council Committee". Haven't seen a Scouting mag in years.

Ah, the Snipe hunt. One of my fondest memories as a young Tenderfoot.

The BSA only wants one hour a week. The DE actually said that at School Night when I registered Son #1 for cubs.