SemperParatus

1 bar per boy should be fine...maybe 2 if you want them to practice on one and create on another. I would also have a big box of bandaids at the ready. Have fun!

Try this site for possible scout pen pals in other lands... http://sne.tripod.com/findpal.htm

You seem so lonely here...maybe a rousing song will help - Do you hear the scouters sing? Singing a song of angry men (and women)? It is the music of a people Who will not wear bad pants again! When the beating of your heart Echoes the rubbing of our thighs There is a life about to start When our new pants arrive! Will you join in our crusade? Who will be strong and stand with me? Somewhere beyond the BSA Are there some pants you long to see? Then join in the fight That will give you the right to be olive free!! Do you hear the scouters sing? Singing a song of angry men (and women)? It is the music of a people Who will not wear bad pants again! When the beating of your heart Echoes the rubbing of our thighs There is a life about to start When our new pants arrive! Will you give all that you can pay But not more than $45.95 per pants Some will split and some will fray Will you stand up and take your chance? The bug juice of the scouters Will water the latrines of our camps! Do you hear the scouters sing? Singing a song of angry men (and women)? It is the music of a people Who will not wear bad pants again! When the beating of your heart Echoes the rubbing of our thighs There is a life about to start When our new pants arrive!

Now that sounds like one sweet fundraiser that can light my fire.

Zman, When we allow one person to dictate what can and cannot be done during downtime on a camping trip, we are doomed (especially when that person is a parent who is sitting comfortably in his home enjoying the peace and quiet while lil' Johnny is away for the weekend). The scout that is 'not allowed' to play by his parents will surely find something else or someone else to help him occupy his time. Usually, the card playing crowd is small - most boys would much rather run around playing capture the flag with Fscouter.

For years we were out $7.50 per person per weekend. Just upped it to $10 recently.

So am I to take it that the snippet from the Boy Scout Handbook defines in totality what obedience is all about? What about the rules of your faith, your sports team, your clubs, etc. etc. Are you implying that because of their omission from the Boy Scout handbook that the BSA does not promote obedience in those areas as well. I seriously doubt that the language in the handbook was intended to be all encompassing and suggestive of disobedience in other spheres of life not otherwise listed in the handbook. I understand the need to show caution in the case of arbitrary obedience in potentially dangerous situations, but we are talking about a simple request to remove an earring that was made with other adults present. I doubt the scout's compliance would have led down a slippery slope of the kind of abuse we really fear. Don't get me wrong - there is fault all the way around on this one.

Yes the scout was brave...but he sure wasn't obedient when asked to remove it. Does one Scout Law trump another...or are we to only be obedient about those requests that we agree with? It is a shame that the scout has been taught that his earring is of such importance that it warrants walking out. Sounds to me like his parents have taught him to wear the earring on his sleeve as well as his ear - that is the unfortunate part of this story.

T, Nice to ketchup with you again. Lately, I can't seem to cut the mustard. Sure is getting chili round these parts.

On the 50/50...I hope I'm the big wiener!

OUCH!

A Hot Dog Gala... To be frank, I would relish the idea of our troop putting on a red hot event like that. I can think of a whole lot of wurst ways to spend an evening.

For those that are aghast at the request to remove an earring, how do you feel about...nose rings? cheek pins? facial implants? fangs? mascara, false eyelashes and long painted fingernails? All good and should be celebrated for their individuality and diversity? Or, do you draw the line somewhere too, just as this adult did in the BOR?

Joining the conversation a little late, but thought I would share another 'how dumb do you have to be' story... Several years back it was our new troop's first summercamp (mostly 11-12 year olds). My son, another scout, another adult and I head down to the shower house early on Monday morning. The shower house is next to the pool and is clearly marked for separate facilities for men and boys. We split up and do our business. I am standing outside waiting for the boys and could swear I hear a man talking to the boys in the house. I pass it off as just an older scout. The boys come out and tell me that there is an old man in the scout shower. I peek in and sure enough there he is (about 70 years old) shaving with a towel wrapped around his waste. Just as I am about to go in, one of the lifeguards shows up and asks me what I am doing. I told him that there was a 70 year old naked man in the boys' shower house. The response was something like, 'oh, thats just ol' Charlie our shooting range instructor...he likes to come down early and use the boys shower because stall 2 has the hottest water...its okay, folks just know to come down after 7 am'. I was like WHAT?!? and made a beeline for the Camp Director's office. He did not seem too concerned about the whole thing, knew it had been going on for years and why everybody knows that the unofficial rule at the camp is that scout shower house does not open until 7 am so ol' Charlie can get himself cleaned up (of course, this is not printed or disclosed anywhere). Sure enough, for the rest of the week there was ol' Charlie in the boys shower house. I instructed our scouts that all showers would be taken at night rather than in the morning during the week. As we were an out-of-council troop, I never bothered to complain to the Council folks. I have always considered this one of the most bizarre (and stupid) situations I have encountered in scouting. Needless to say, that camp is forever on our blacklist. In hindsight, I should have blown the lid off of that practice but being an 'out of towner' and a first time summercamp SM, I did not feel at that time that my efforts would amount to much. Today, I would probably videotape the guy in the boys shower house and not stop until National closed the place down for retooling.

Poker chips have no intrinsic value. They are used for keeping score. At the end, they are packed back up by the owner and taken home.

I don't think there is such a thing as a perfect SPL. Just like there is no perfect SM or perfect human. Everyone has strengths and weaknesses, which may be an advantage or a detriment to performing some of the functions of a scout leader. In some cases, scouts that I would have guessed would struggle with this position (disorganized, uncomfortable speaking to crowds, etc.) performed extremely well. What I have learned is that it all comes down to a willingness to truly do your best. Don't try to be perfect (or only go for it if you think you can be perfect) because you will not be. Just be prepared to be true to yourself in doing the best job that you possibly can. You will surprise yourself with what you can accomplish.

O Canada! Our home and native land! True patriot love in all thy sons command... Welcome to the forum.

Other reason...availability. Over time (either a long time or a short time) the selected pants may become unavailable. Then you will end up with a new selection and mismatched look. I always know where I can buy BSA scout pants.

Why anarchist, I would never consider you rude and inconsiderate...maybe a little crazy...not that there is anything wrong with that.

Yeah!!! But I'll stick with scouter.com for the real live stuff.

I'll admit that I never liked that 'Eagle Mill' term. I am of the opinion that if you run a hugely active program, focused on strong leadership development and participation, and provide individualized attention to each scout, that strong advancement results will naturally follow. Just because a unit produces a number of Eagle scouts either cumulatively or during a short period of time, is not necessarily an indication that it is pushing boys to and through Eagle. It many cases, the number and frequency of Eagle scouts is the result of a super-charged troop that attempts to be outstanding in every area of scouting. Having said that, you will find troops that focus (almost exclusively) on advancement. They are identified by frequent and ongoing merit badge class offerings, a first class-first year program that is completely geared toward sign-off rather than skill development and fun, and an adult leadership that appears to always be bragging about how many Eagles they have 'produced'. It can be hard to identify an 'advancement mill' from just one or two visits. But there are a few questions or bits of information that may be helpful. 1. Ask about the troop meeting plans for the next three months? Are they all about merit badge classes? 2. If the troop has a First Year-First Class Program, speak with the ASM in charge to find out the philosophy - are they demonstrating, practicing, reviewing and testing on different days or is everything relating to a requirement from instruction to sign-off done during one troop meeting? What is the process for determining some level of skill proficiency? Does the program support things other than meeting advancement requirements? Observe the group - are they having fun? Are the boys engaged in a creative and interesting manner? 3. Ask about the last three/four Eagle projects that the scouts performed looking for some detail as to whether these projects were of some significance or 'gimmes'. If all the projects sound pretty much the same, done for the same organization (e.g., CO) and sound awfully simple then there is a chance that the unit leadership is setting the stage for high-Eagle output rather than scout development. 4. If you could get a copy of the roster with ranks, it may be enlightening. If all (or a very large majority) of the third year scouts are Life, the second year scouts are Star, and the first year scouts First Class - then you may be looking at a situation where rank is being pushed based on tenure. In other words, advancement correlates with time. In a balanced troop, you will most likely find different ranks at different age levels, as scouts pursue advancement on an individual basis rather than on a group basis driven largely by the adult leadership. 5. Look for a troop with a strong Patrol Leaders Council. The senior scouts in a leadership position will look for ways to make the troop fun and interesting - and advancement work is not necessarily the path for that. A weak PLC will easily settle for working on a merit badge or advancement requirement as a group. Also, a strong and active PLC is indication that leadership is being taken seriously, rather than just another easy sign-off. As far as nudging them into a new direction...that takes lots of time, patience and initiatives on many fronts to achieve a different mindset. It starts with the SM and PLC being challenged to expand their horizons and see the the scouting program from the much broader perspective. A couple of really cool trips that offer no advancement work and tie up several meetings for advance planning can help to break old habits, without folks realizing it.

Perhaps its changed in the last four years, but I am not sure where Mich632 gets the information. When we went in 2000, it was basically a lottery situation - you send in your unit application (by January I believe) and you were notified of selection (March). We were selected and had no scouts attending the Academy. I think they did give preference to units that have not attended in the recent past. Again, maybe its changed since then. The cadets are great and more than made up for the cold and rain. As Eagle1973 notes the USNA Jamboree is really good too. It is in January of each year and especially has top notch merit badge offerings in the sciences.

Looks like you got the important stuff covered already and are looking for a crossover (rather than AOL gift) but they are already 'equipped' with the basics - mess kits, knife, canteen, compass etc. So...what do you give the boy that has everything? Here are a few things I have given or seen given. 1. A keepsake box for throwing their patches in that they will accumulate in scouting. 2. A teeshirt printed with Pack XX Survivor with the names of the crossovers listed on the back. 3. A nice picture frame with a den photo and personal scout photo. 4. Those BSA commemorative baseball caps. 5. A handmade hiking staff with all of the cub scout staff emblems attached, with plenty of room for the boy scout rank emblems (this was my favorite to give). As EIKY'mon said, a personal note from the Cubmaster is always a nice touch. Best of luck to those new boy scouts.

Maybe not...but I guess that is for that scout and family to figure out. The Patrol method will not change for this scout or his family, so it will be his/their decision on how he/they respond. While I understand your concern, I would let this scout and his family work it out themselves. Scouting is not for everyone. Then again, I know more than a few of 'free-spirits' that love it.(This message has been edited by SemperParatus)

meamemg, Let it go. There are many boys in scouting that do not see the things that you see and understand the things that you understand. And there are many adults in scouting that are just plain rude and inconsiderate too. Scouting is but a reflection of our society. Happy curling!