scoutldr

I can empathize. Our first mistake is climbing up on that roof with no one else in sight.

I don't recall that "Be as mature as your SM thinks you should be" is a requirement for any rank. Scout Spirit is, however.

Not sure if they are still published, but there used to be a Cub Scout Songbook, Boy Scout Songbook and Girl Scout Songbook, with guitar chords, as I recall. YOu might be able to pick them up on Ebay.

Growing up, my boys ate almost everything. #2 son drew the line at Lima Beans (which he still won't eat at age 27), and #1 son is now a gourmet cook and restaurant manager. When I first re-engaged in Scouting, early 80's, I was amazed at the kids whose diet consisted of hot dogs, pizza, french fries and junk food. The dining hall would serve things like pork chops, roast chicken, fresh green beans, corn, salad bar, etc. and it would go untouched. (More for us adults!). But right after meal time, the line would form at the trading post for candy, ice cream and sodas!

This is indeed a shame. I think I would have a not-so-cordial chat with the SE. I've seen more than one good Scouter leave the program due to incompetence and downright arrogance at the District and Council levels.

Depending on the location, this could be a safety issue. Bears, raccoons, foxes, other critters. Or it could be a nutrition issue...some kids won't eat what's served, if they know they have their "stash" of junk food to fall back on.

I checked several acronym websites and the closest I can come is "Money, Ideology, Coercion and Ego" (reasons people become spies...or cooks, maybe)?? Don't have a clue. Also found several sites on how to properly cook a mouse.

The first red flag for me would be that the SM is appointing the CC. That's not the role, not the authority of the SM.

"He did this with all the other scouts and parents around. Not pulled him aside but kind of loudly told him this stuff." Praise in public, criticize in private. I am almost 55 years old...I still remember vividly each time my Father called me a humiliating, derogatory name. I remember...each and every time. Yes, I was (and am) fat. Yes, I was being a jerk...or stupid. That doesn't lessen the pain. Spankings? Sure I got them...but it's the words that I remember with explicit detail.

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!!!