scoutldr

I don't care if it is his own kid. This is emotional abuse. Why is this not a YP issue, reportable to the CO and SE? If this is how he treats his own kid, I sure as heck would not let him in a direct contact position with the unit.

I earned "Marksmanship"...a red and white bulls-eye. Now that was cool.

I kinda liked the old Red/Khaki community strips (prior to the red/white, which were prior to the multicolor CSP). More subdued. The more colors, the more the uniform looks like a cartoon or comic book. It seems that today's kids need more sensory stimulation than they did in the 30's - 60's in order to stay interested and engaged. Now we have full-color MB books....what next...MB and Handbook videos that they can watch on DVD or iPhones? Compare today's high school textbooks with what we had in the 60's...more full color pictures and white space, very little text (too "boring").

Bill Gates used a raw material...his brain. Intellectual capital is a raw material too. The point is, he didn't sit around and wait for the Govt to dump money in his lap...he got off his duff, teamed up with Ballmer and developed a product. As did Jobs and Wozniak. And if Hunter had sat in his cave and waited for a Mammoth to throw itself on the fire, none of us would be here. Survival requires individual effort, not handouts.

The council currently serving that area is the Arbuckle Area Council in Ardmore, OK. Perhaps they could provide some info. www.arbucklebsa.org Also see: http://www.arbucklebsa.org/CampHistory.html(This message has been edited by scoutldr)

The BSA only reflects the beliefs of its major supporters, without which the organization would perish. Personally, some of my best friends are gay or atheist (maybe both!). I think they live their lives just as "morally" as I do. Will God admit them to the rewards of Heaven? I don't know...not my call. All I can do is live my life the best way I can, which includes trying to mentor young men in Scouting. Do I wish we could offer it to all? Sure I do...but that's not the rules of the organization, so I do what I can with what I have.

"Talked to a guy this week, friend of his hired a kid to mow yard, next thing he knows OSHA shows up and demands payment of $15,000 for him hireing an underage worker (by one year) to run power equipment, said lawnmower. Turns out it was the kid that turned him in, thinking the $15,000 fine would be his reward." Um...I used to work for OSHA as a compliance officer. The above statement is simply not true. First of all, OSHA law does not cover independent contractors, and secondly, it does not apply to employers with less than 10 employees. And a $15000 fine would be for a "Willful" violation with severe consequences, such as a fatality...very rare and hard to prove. OSHA officers do not "show up and demand payment"...they issue citations which can be contested and are usually negotiated down in court. SHeesh. We now return to the topic at hand...

Ok, JOhn, I concede those points. LNT, certainly. But what I was remembering (from memory) was Edible plants First aid Trailing, tracking and stalking (incl trail signs) Cooking Camping Knots and Lashings Hiking (as in "five mile hikes x 3") Swimming Fire starting (w/o matches) Knife and axe Celestial navigation Orienteering (Map and compass) (ok, maybe "map and GPS") Signaling (I still remember most of the semaphore...hope to use it one day) Basic survival

"Anyway, for a Scoutcraft one week course, what would you say would be essential?" All of the T-2-1 requirements. From the 1965 edition of the BS Handbook.

As someone said earlier, the registration fee goes to National. If they want a refund, tell them they'll have to call the Council because you don't have it to give back to them. As to the kid who was elected PL on his first night...well that may have been a little overwhelming to him, and I don't blame him. He can't even spell "Tenderfoot" yet and they want him to be a PL?

Simple answer: BSA says any adult 21 or older can be SM, as long as they are not avowed gay, agree to the Declaration of Religious Principles and are approved by the CO. Your chartering organization can limit it to whomever they deem suitable as long as they meet the membership rules of BSA.

Yah, the link doesn't work. Must be a local lodge thing...we don't have them in this neck of the woods...just the universal arrow "dangle" that most people don't wear anyway.

The original Venturing pants and shorts are on clearance for 17.99 and 15.99.

It's encouraged, but there is no BSA policy on it. You may hear an urban myth that in order to be covered by BSA accident insurance, you must be in uniform, but that has been debunked. We do it, just for PR purposes, but as soon as we arrive at destination, the shirts come off and we get down to work setting up camp.

The shorts and pants are already being advertised on Scoutstuff e-mails. I thought the Switchbacks were supposed to eliminate the need for shorts.

Not sure why a scout would wear a pin to signify something his parents did. Shouldn't THEY be wearing the pin? I agree with the others...be clean and neat. Leather dress shoes are good, but any shoe should be fine, as long as it's not ratty looking. The pins are not part of the official uniform, so take them off. Do wear the correct service stars. Start sewing the merit badges. I don't mind seeing an "experienced" uniform that reflects an active Scout, as long as it is proper and clean. Wear the MB sash...it's part of a complete uniform (as are the pants). Your OA pocket flap denotes your membership in the Order, so a sash is not necessary. Just my opinion. And congratulations!!!

IMHO in these days of strapped municipal and state budgets, this type of thing will become more common. I can see a whole new insurance niche rising up to meet this need..."Rescue Insurance". In the old days, fire departments were by subscription only. If you wanted fire protection, you paid your fee and put a cast iron plaque on the front of the house. If the fire brigade pulled up and there was no plaque, they kept going and let 'er burn. Living on the coast, the USCG will no longer respond to boaters who have run out of gas or have engine trouble. You need to call a tow service and expect to pay about $400 for a tow back to shore (think AAA for boats). Fair? I think so.

Boomer...your example depends on someone getting off their duffs and creating something of value from a raw material. That's the piece that's missing from today's society. Wealth cannot be "created"...it is merely a raw material (supply) which is transformed into something that someone else thinks has value (demand). When the "supply" becomes available for free (i.e., redistributed to those who don't pay for it), it ceases to have value (wealth), and there is no longer an incentive for someone to get off their duffs. And that will be the end of our society as we know it.

"Wealth cannot be created out of nothing" You obviously haven't been following politics.

Sounds like they need to retire that game. Nowadays, we just print enough money so everyone gets what they want.

There's also the "Herbert C. Bonner Bridge".

Short answer: no. Since the trailer was already purchased, isn't this discussion moot?

Hmmm...after Boddie-Noell Enterprises of Rocky Mount, NC no doubt. Expect to see a lot of hamburgers and french fries in the dining hall.

Repeat after me: "LAFFEY" Again: "LAFFEY"

First of all, kudos for having a monthly "outing". A lot of troops don't do that well. But if they only meet twice a month, that only gives them (usually) one meeting to plan the next "outing". (The scouts plan, not the adults, right???) The "goal" is to meet weekly with one outing a month...12 months a year. And there's nothing that says the meetings have to be indoors in a classroom setting. Be creative.