scoutldr

How active is your COR? The SM doesn't "work for" the committee or the CC. He reports to the COR, and is charged with training and mentoring the troop Junior Leaders who deliver the program. The BOR (consisting of at least 3 committee members, NOT SM or ASMs), has an obligation to uphold the advancement standards (no more, no less). If the boy did not perform, don't advance him, and let him know what he needs to do to meet the standards (which are set by BSA...not the SM). Let the chips fall where they may. Just a caveat, though. If he has signed blue cards by registered merit badge counsellors, those are a done deal. The only thing you can do is work to fix the problem and restore the standards of quality to the advancement program. "Scout Spirit" means living the Scout Oath and Law in their daily lives...not attending meetings or activities. As a BOR member, I like to craft questions in the "Socratic" method...to lead the scout to his own logical irrefutable conclusions as to whether he met the standard or not.(This message has been edited by scoutldr)

When I was a kid going on 50-milers...Korean War era C-rats.

"SM is the dad" This is unwinnable, unless they replace the SM. I assume from the title that you are a Member of the Committee (MC). The right thing to do is to bring it up at a committee meeting as a discipline issue, just like you would with any other scout. But be prepared to be looking for a new SM.

The Council is not a governmental agency and is not covered by the Privacy Act. They have no legal obligation to safeguard your private information, since you willingly turn it over to them. If you expect privacy then keep your information to yourself. (Same is true for e-mail...the words "private" and "Yahoo" do not belong in the same sentence!) I don't think you owe anyone an apology. The SE is captain of the ship and is responsible to the Executive Board for what happens on his watch...why didn't he/she take corrective action 8 years ago, or as soon as they recognized the problem? I'm tired of listening to excuses from people who didn't do their homework and it's "not their fault". This country is going down the toilet because of it.

I'm sure you meant to say "Cub Scouts". Boy Scout joining age has always been 11 (or 6th grade). Sorry for the rudeness of the others. It's my opinion that the BSA would have changed over time, however it could not survive the backlash from some of its largest benefactors, the conservative religious organizations. The Girl Scouts USA never had that conundrum, since they don't use the "Chartered Organization" concept. Each troop is independent and reports only to the Council. A member's sexual or religious orientation is simply not an issue for them, and it doesn't seem to have harmed the organization any. Interesting...as I write this, there is a Google ad (with racy picture) in the margin for "GayCupid.com", right above the picture of Green Bar Bill. There HAS to be a way to block those...

Yes, there is gross incompetence. By my observation it is a surging epidemic in this country, and it frightens the bejeebers out of me. From the kid in the DQ window who can't make change, to the NASA engineers who can't keep metric and English units straight. No one is being held accountable any more, and we all suffer for it. "A few days ago I received a form letter from my council's Program Director" If it were me, I would have muttered "Morons" under my breath, tossed it in the trash and keep on Scoutin'. As long as you have your cards in your pocket, who cares what the Council records say? Not my problemo.

I can't imagine borrowing an expensive canoe, damaging it and then asking the Troop to pay for it (insurance or not). In fact, I can't even imagine borrowing something that expensive for a Scout outing! No, I don't think there is any such insurance available. The two scouters need to cough up a thousand bucks.

As as former boss once told me..."It's always better to be wanted, than to be qualified." (after he selected someone unqualified for a promotion)

There is no longer any gender discrimination in the BSA. Males and females can hold any position. No, females do NOT need to be 21 to be an ASM, according to BSA policy. But it could be that a chartering organization can set policy for its unit that is more stringent than BSA. Is this an LDS unit by any chance?

I thought it was clear that you have no responsibility in this matter. The young man's employer (SE) has the responsibility and from what adamsdwa said, it is being addressed in a confidential manner, as it legally should be. Your reponsibility is to your unit and to your family. If you think you have enough information, and you are not happy with the outcome, you can remove yourself and your family from future involvement with this DE, and let the SE know why.

As usual, we devolve into pointing the righteous finger of indignation and giving advice and counsel where none was asked. The point is, the young man doesn't have the badges...for reasons that are irrelevant now. He asked a simple question, which was answered long ago. He just wants to buy replacements, and he can either ask his SM to pick them up or go to the scout shop himself and present proof of earning. Sheesh.

I got an ad for Auld's Lluminous Llamas! And I think you guys have WAAAYYYY too much time on your hands...

About the only place online would be Ebay. Otherwise, you can call your local Council Scout Shop and explain that you need to buy some replacement merit badges and that you have your signed blue cards. Or, as the others suggested, ask that your Scoutmaster pick them up the next time he goes to buy awards. Getting replacements should not be a problem. Good luck.

I just checked my uniform and couldn't find any wreaths. Should I quit providing service?

It's clear that the Scout Executive is responsible for both the administration and program delivery of the Council. He answers to the Executive Board, a group of volunteers who has the power to hire and fire him (or her). The Executive Board includes the CORs of all the units...the only unit level people who get a vote. If the SE does not perform and the Board does nothing, the consequences can range from loss of membership, financing and units to adverse publicity to legal problems. As I said in my other post, us lowly volunteer members are considered "customers" of the Council. If we don't like what's going on, we can choose not to buy the product and take our kids, donations and volunteer time elsewhere. That was a revelation for me a few years back...I who grew up in Scouting since I was 9 years old figured I was as much a part of the BSA as anyone. ASM59 asks, "where do we draw the line?" The fact is the line is not ours to draw.(This message has been edited by scoutldr)

What the DE did is not right. It set a poor example and violated policy. Unfortunately, in the Council, the SE IS the law. Councils are independent corporations and the SE is the CEO. As a parent or unit leader, the only real power you have is to either, a) vote with your feet and leave Scouting, or b) raise the issue via your "chain of command" which means convincing your unit's COR to take the matter to the Executive Board. Your COR does go to all the meetings, right? He/she is the only one with a real vote/voice in Council matters. The rest of us are just "customers". But usually, how an SE manages his employees is considered "none of our beeswax."

Definitely NOT BSA. Looks homemade.

We are all assuming that the TDC produces better trainers. I did not find that to be the case.

Make sure that the ring you buy is licensed by the BSA. I wonder if the one from Germany is? Otherwise it's an illegal use of BSA trademarks.

I don't think Swimming should be optional. Dr. Leonard Sax has written a book, "Boys Adrift: Five Factors Driving the Growing Epidemic of Unmotivated and Underachieving Young Men" He mentions physiological factors, such as that young men's sperm counts today are half that of their Grandfathers at the same age. Testosterone levels are also lower, perhaps due to environmental estrogens that we are all exposed to. I haven't read the book yet, but here is an excerpt from an interview: Lopez: So how does a boy catch this weird new virus of apathy? Sax: Good question. I have families in my practice where one brother is motivated, intense, hard-working while his brother is a goofball whose main concern is reaching the Kilimanjaro round in Halo. Same parents, same family, same opportunities. Some boys are clearly more predisposed to this syndrome than other boys. Whats troubling is how much more common the syndrome is today than it was 30 years ago. http://article.nationalreview.com/?q=M2YyODgwMzEzODRkOThmOTQwNDBiOTVkZGQyNjMzZDA=#more

Since the CC serves at the pleasure of the Chartered Organization, his job is to manage the unit to the satisfaction of the CO. That doesn't mean that everyone will necessarily be kept "happy".

Webelos is the last 2 years of Cubs here in the states. 4th-5th grade, typically age 9-10.

Ron Paul for President!

"I was on the phone with the Jamboree Committee person for my Council and he told me that I will be refused. He said he will look into it but he believe either way I would be refused. How do new leaders get experience if they are not given a chance? When I heard about the Jamboree I started asking around at the Round tables. I was told that staff positions are harder to get in because they only look for people with Staff Jamboree experience. Do you believe this is true? I don't care what type of position I am in I just want to attend. Never attended as a kid due to money but now I have the money I am too old to attend, lol.." I had the same experience for a previous Jambo, rdcrisco. I contacted the Council guy (you know, the one who's been around 110 years and has 15 rows of squareknots). I had lots of vacation time to burn and said I was willing to do anything, even drive the garbage wagon. The response was "sorry, we have all the help we need." In my council, it seems the same people get selected time after time. How do I know? They're the ones who start wearing the new Jambo patch a year ahead of the event. The Good Ole Boys(and Girls) club is alive and well, it seems. Some of them will be sorely disappointed this time, if they choose to enforce the physical fitness requirement. Do the new centennial uniforms come in 4XL??? The bear said, "Most councils have been at this for over a year now". If that's true, they've sure been real quiet about it. (This message has been edited by scoutldr)

It's "Lenni" Lenape. However, the tribe themselves preferred "Lenape", which means "original people". Since "Lenni" means "original", it's redundant. Since the Lenape language was originally written down by the Pennsylvania Germans of the region, most Lenape words are pronounced as they would be in German. A bit of useless trivia for around the campfire...