scoutldr

So, at what point were striped shoulded loops part of the official BSA uniform?

I'm surrounded by college graduates who no apparent skill in any one area. I am of the old school that believed that when you release an Eagle Scout on society, there should be a core set of skills and values attached.

And also with you. From a fellow Lutheran.

It's about time they got that rank badge black market under control. Better sell my Ebay stock fast!

Your best chance is to find a new CO in the new Council and move your charter. This will take the cooperation of your current CO if you want to retain unit number, troop equipment, bank account, etc.

RE: fake bugles...I attended the funeral of a long time family friend and church member, who was a veteran of the USCG in WWII. The USCG sent an honor guard and the young female seaman had bugle duty. When she went to push the button on the electronic bugle, it wouldn't work (batteries were dead?). As an American I was embarrassed for her and for the family who were deprived of that once-in-a-lifetime honor. Can't we do better?

Just to dispel any misconceptions, adults are not selected for OA to "honor" them (as are the youths). They are selected based on what they can bring to the table in the form of supporting the youth. Every adult wearing the flap is expected to contribute in some way, not just "hang out" drinking coffee at the fellowships, ordeals and cracker barrels, as many do. Adults can serve in many ways, some of the more common are, serve as advisor to one of the youth officers or committee chairs, serve as drivers, serve as over-21 "adult supervision", use their trade skills for OA work projects, etc. As a former Chapter Advisor, there were many times I had to ask the "adults" to remove themselves to another room during meetings, because they liked to just hang out in the back of the room and chat. And there were some who worked their butts off, if nothing else, serving as a good example of "cheerful service."

I know you have considered this, CNY, but for others who may be reading, make sure that the "Safety Afloat" requirements in the Guide to Safe Scouting have been factored in. Your statement that the troop are not "strong swimmers" is concerning.

Great project and good article (except for that "Pack" thing.) One of my other hobbies is genealogy and documenting graves on http://www.findagrave.com. I've often thought that scouts who clean up cemeteries could also add to the database by documenting and photographing the graves if they haven't been already.

I agree with BD..."scout values" don't mean everyone is entitled to everything. If I were in BD's shoes, I think I would have resigned a long time ago, and he deserves our thanks and admiration. Water under the bridge indeed. The problem has been handled, so let's close the thread and move on.

Only Committee members can serve on BOR, so this would give you a larger pool to choose from.

In my opinion, mergers are done for only one reason...to reduce the number of paid professionals and related overhead costs. There is almost always no benefit for the unit.

If it weren't for Facebook, we could lay off half the people who work here. The youngsters seem to think it's ok to work with an iPhone in one hand.

"He expressed a belief a "God" but was unsure what that meant, and wants to find something to believe in, and is actively searching" Heck, that describes me most days, and I am on the far side of 60. I think the board made the right decision.

Proponents of a US National Heath System take note. I would venture to say most US teens don't have a clue unless it involves Snookie, The Bachelor, MTV, or the latest video game.

"Doesn't like camping"? You should ask him why he joined. Would he join a swim team if he hated the water? Sheesh.

Don't worry...the government microchips are coming...just like dogs.

I was always taught, "do a good turn daily", but don't seek recognition for doing so.

Rule #1 of goal setting: don't set goals for something that you can't control. Seems to me the "control points" for QA of the project are the SM conference for Eagle and the EBOR where there should be a discussion as to why the final result did not adhere to the plan. My wife, the school nurse, was once the recipient of an Eagle project where the scout proposed to build shelves in her clinic. She agreed. She never saw the scout (or any scouts) again...the kid's Mom came in during the week while he was in school and completed the project. I had to listen to that rant for weeks about how the BSA and the Eagle Scout project was such a joke. (She is a former First Class GS). This was in a different district, so I never saw the scout at his EBOR, but I urged my wife to refuse to allow the mom into her clinic, and call the Council to voice her concerns.

In my state, insurance is not required at all, as long as you pay a $400 "Uninsured motorist fee", which does not provide any insurance coverage. In all my years in Scouting, no one ever asked to see proof of insurance. When my financial advisor found out I was a Scouter volunteer, he highly recommended I purchase a blanket liability policy in addition to my car and homeowner's insurance.

The latest trend in our state is to register your clunker as an "Antique vehicle" if it's more than 25 years old. Makes them exempt from state inspection, although they are not supposed to be routinely driven (which a lot of people ignore). It also makes it legal to park these junk heaps on the street. I also recently read an article that more and more states are doing away with annual vehicle inspections. I always found them to be a PITA, however it was a good way to monitor brake and tire wear.

Just realized I responded to an 8 year old question. Sheesh.

http://www.scoutstuff.org BSA>Uniforms and Insignia>Insignia Cloth>Other>Page 3 "BSA FDL Emblem"

I, too was in Exploring sponsored by a Vol fire dept and rescue squad. We took all the same training as the firefighters and squadsmen and provided first aid support with an ambulance to most Council and OA activities. The only thing we couldn't do was drive the equipment until we were 21. The Post went co-ed and the girls who joined went to high school with us and most were also Senior Girl Scouts. I made Eagle in 1970 ... the first Post member to do so. I fully understand the LforL program (I think). It's the USSC and Army Explorer program I find "hoky"....reading the Commander's bio...from a Navy enlisted man to a 2-star General...without a whole lot of detail provided in between. I don't want to unfairly accuse someone, but there are those who like to put on uniforms and "pretend". In my state, we have the Virginia Defense Force...similarly hoky.

I thought the BSA strove to distance themselves from lookng like a paramilitary organization? Sounds hoky to me. We already have programs for military-inclined youth such as JROTC, Young Marines, Sea Cadets, Civil Air Patrol, etc.