sheldonsmom

This is just more typical rightwing religious paranoid lunacy.

Just because you are paranoid doesn't mean they aren't out to get you!

Why is the assumption that "legal" abortion equals "safe" abortion. Women die from abortions today. They also have permanent infertility issues from them. Just because it is legal doesn't mean it is safe!

If you use the third trimester as the measure of when life begins, two of my children were born before that point. I have had FOUR premature babies (one at a time I might add ...no multiples). These children were completely formed and are normal human beings. Each child's dna is unique at conception, they are individual human beings. What other measure is needed. They are either humans or they are not.

Why are we as a nation outraged at Casey Anthony for allegedly killing her daughter when she could have legally done it three years earlier with no recriminations.

So many of the pro-life DO support crisis clinics, hot lines, adoption agencies, health clinics, and everything else. It is a specious argument to claim that pro-lifers do nothing but protest at Planned Parenthood and block access. We do support so many of these charities. We just don't expect media coverage every time we do something.

There are many comparisons between the abortion debate and the fight for abolition. Slaves were also considered to be less than human. I just pray we don't have to pay a similar price to resolve this divide in our nation.

You can also contact Civil War re-enactors (or other similar groups) as they have plans for tents and other items. They can also help you find the supplies for canvas, etc.

My Eagle son was also terrified of water. He was a tenderfoot for two years. The only requirements he lacked for 2nd and 1st classes were the swimming. No one in his troop offered to work with him or help him out and he was content enough to stay a tenderfoot. His dad had also only made tenderfoot for the same reason( when he aged out of scouting he was a tenderfoot with 40 merit badges!). Son came to me one day and asked to go swimming at the local pool. Over the next 4 months, he taught himself how to swim and passed the requirements. He made Eagle within two years. He uses himself as an example to any boy who says they cannot do a particular requirement. The boy must decide for himself but Mom and Dad should be willing to drive them to the pool as soon as the boy has his trunks on!

My 12-year-old daughter thought they were talking about baby catfish. The rest of us got a real craving for seafood at that point.

What a bunch of maroons!

I think part of this problem goes back to the discussion on JASM. Our boys make Eagle at 15 or 16 and are then pushed (or shoved) into the JASM slot. No more patrol leader, no more "being one of the boys", no more being just a Boy Scout: now you are an adult leader but you aren't really an adult yet either. Some troops basically escort the boys out the door after they make Eagle because they are "trained" and "responsible leaders". They expect them to be adults but they are still only 16 years old. Do we expect other the 16 year olds to be adults? Yes, they have shown responsiblity and maturity by completing the requirements but they are still boys!!!!!!!!! My Eagle son is a den chief (by request for a second year), a JASM in his troop, and just earned his bronze in the Venturing Crew he joined (and helped form). He is least active in the troop because they do not seem to want or need him. He is expected to act like an ASM and not "interfere" with the troop. How can he interfere when he is a MEMBER of the troop?

We have a real 1863 cannon we drag around, too, Stosh! We have a lot of boys and quite a few girls wanting to join up. Only problem seems to be having a few "rebs" in uniform. Around here they all want to be Union!

Teri

Hi,

What requirements do you use to earn the Bronze award for reenacting. We are starting a Civil War crew and have a Lewis and Clark crew already. We were told we could adapt the Hobbies and Crafts bronze with different requirements.

Thanks

Teri

Yep, Bush did it all by himself. He went and spent all that money all alone. Congress had nothing to do with. Bush went and wrote all those checks without anyone saying a word. Nice job. I want to be president so I can spend all that money.

If the skills are not being taught and drilled, then the adults need to use Little Sioux as a reason to insist on their inclusion. Our district has a MAJOR first aid meet every march. They participate in national disaster drills whenever possible.

Sometimes the adults have to insist on the additional training that maybe scouts don't think they need to know, but we don't need to insist any more.

Use the example of LIttle Sioux over and over and over. Please let something very positive come out of all of this for all boy scouts not just ours.

Keep bringing up the tornado and what the boys did there. I don't care if you ever know their names. My son and his friends would rather be like the nameless boy in London who led to the start of BSA. We have talked about what happened and he has repeatedly said that he wants all scouts to be ready for whatever disaster may come. He wants their behaviour to be the starting point for training. I may not be explaining this well, but they all want every scout to be ready for whatever tornado may come at them. Boy Scouts are expected to know first aid, so make sure they know it! Every merit badge starts with first aid, so drill it constantly! No, they won't all be doctors or paramedics but they will all be members of society and may need to help someone else someday.

I realize I am preaching to the choir but I really need to say it.

Thanks

I would have been happy if the SM would have shown up for the ECOH for our son.

My Venturing crew daughter wants to see the table top presentation.

Lem,

Why are you on this forum? You admittedly are not BSA and said your wife is with Girl Scouting. Are you here only to mock scouting because you didn't like Cub Scouts? You can post here as well as anyone else, but, if your sole purpose is to try to bring down BSA, why bother. You said you don't intend to allow your sons to participate, fine. Your choice and theirs. But we have the right to participate with or without our sons. The BSA is not a perfect organization because it is full of people and people are not perfect. Could it be better? Of course. Should it be better? Definately! Constructive critisism is always helpful but spiteful comments aid no one.

A few more thoughts to ponder.

If more electric and hybrid cars actually fit a family of more than 3 people, don't you think people would buy them? The smart car is cute but you can't fit a family of 6 or 7 in them!

Flush toilets are the greatest contributor to modern health. A working sewer system is what ushered in modern medicine.

Conservation and recycling are good ideas but the government should not MANDATE them. You can create more with incentives than you can stop bad behavior with tax increases. As far as I can tell, changing to one of the new (smaller volume) flush toilets did nothing to lessen our water usage. We have one bathroom for our family of six (take a number first thing in the morning!).

McCain was not a perfect candidate but what can you expect when you let the media choose your candidate! I will give Obama a chance but I am afraid of what will come. Will the BSA keep their charter? Will homeschooling still be legal? What will happen to talk radio? Maybe not top priority on everyone's list but we need to think about what is coming. Maybe I will be pleasantly surprised. I can only pray that it will be so.

I asked this of my highly-opinionated, teen-age Eagle Scout. Please understand that he was a Tenderfoot for two years because he could not pass the swimming requirements. His answer to the question was NO skill is dated or lacking in relevance because they are skills that may be needed in the real world later. Even the swimming skills he so struggled with are necessary. I think he is prouder of the effort to pass those requirements than almost any other. He taught himself to swim and overcame a life-long phobia of water to make rank.

On the flip side, he feels there should be a merit badge (Eagle required) for etiquette since "every boy will have to meet his girl's parents in a restaurant!" I think he may be on to something.

Lem is not dead but the "establishment" is trying to stifle him at best.

I whole-heartedly agree with you about "Big Education". We removed our children from public schools and started home schooling precisely because of the examples of individuals like Ayers and his ilk. I worry about how long we will be allowed to continue home schooling but will do it as long as possible.

Maybe if more of us were as vocal about our hopes and plans for scouting as the other side is, we might make some headway. Maybe if the "leadership" came out of the ivory tower occasionally they would realize it already.

I guess I will weigh in again.

GaHillBilly, I am also a homeschooler. In general, I agree with some of what you said, but I do take exception to some of what you list.

My son is in scouts because he truly loves the program. he gets frustrated with the adults trying to micromanage and pigeon-hole but he LOVES scouts. Many of the other boys in the troop are there so their dads can relive their childhood.

Yes, there is some disrespect but rarely to my son anymore. He proved his worth....the hard way. The skills the boys are drilled in here, first aid and emergency preparation escpecially, have been demonstrated. Our boys no longer ask why we need first aid training. Little Sioux is VERY fresh in our hearts and minds here. The medal my son wears was EARNED not for calling 911 but for trying to revive his friend who was killed by a tornado in front of his eyes. That heroism award is not a reward but a reminder of how fast your life can change.

My son believes in all the ideals of the Scout Law and Oath. He may not always acheive them, but he tries. Can we ask for more than that.

If we cannot believe in the ideals we teach our scouts, why are we here? Maybe we won't reach all the boys, but they are better off for the exposure to a core value. If we cannot believe in the ideals, we should quit pretending to be scouts ourselves.

I, for one, do not believe the best was in the past; I believe the best is yet to be. I know more than 100 boys who proved that June 11, 2008.

Looks GREAT!!!! My son can hardly wait to start working on his. My middle daughter is in American Heritage Girls and we are inquiring if they will recognize the award as well.

Thank you so much for your hard work and all the hours and hours and hours you have dedicated to this.

God bless!

If you don't defend the copyright/trademark, you won't have it very long.

We tried the GSUSA route with our oldest daughter and they were VERY anti homeschoolers. Not a good situation at all. We have found American Heritage Girls which is kind of a cross between Boy and Girl Scouts but they do NOT use the name "scouts" at all.

Maybe you are right and we should find another troop, but he does like the boys. He has had enough upheaval the last year and I just hate to suggest any more. I will talk to him and see what he wants to do. It is his decision ultimately. He is the leader, I will ask where he wants to lead.

He is serving as a Den Chief, but really is not mixing with the troop because he is neither fish nor fowl. In a time when leaders complain that older boys won't stay active, why would you push out an older boy who wants to help?

Other side of the coin.

I have a 17 year old Eagle Scout who is only allowed to be a JASM because of his rank. They will not let him run for SPL or ASPL. Because he has already earned Eagle, he does not "NEED" the POR and must let the younger boys fill the positions. BTW, the next oldest boy in the troop is 14.

Rather frustrating for an Eagle, to be relegated to the back burner. He is neither an adult or a boy in this troop. If we hadn't just moved to this troop (after he made Eagle), we would probably look for a different troop. I feel they are wasting a valuable resource.

Saw American Carol....loved it but the language was a bit rough. As far as Religilous, never was impressed by Maher and his "sense of humour". It is not so much that I am thin-skinned but if your only aim is to offend all people of faith, why bother? I can be insulted by most tv shows with more creativity and better plots.

Tenderfoot Scout, Eagle Scout, Cub Scout. These are trademarked and have a meaning outside the organization. The population at large knows that an Eagle Scout is a Boy Scout. It has a meaning, a reputation. If another organization started calling their beginning campers "Eagle Scouts" it would dilute the meaning and demean the achievement. If BSA does not protect the terms, anyone could call themselves Boy Scouts or Eagle Scouts and there would no longer be a reputation for boys to maintain because the name would become meaningless. WORDS MEAN THINGS: trite, but true. Would a rose by any other name smell as sweet? Why else would identity theft be a crime?

I think that BSA MUST continue to fight for the right to decide what is acceptable to BSA. If BSA choses to retain requirements of belief in God and "straight", then that is their choice as defined by the Supreme Court. If other groups wish to form, they cannot do so by stealing the names, ranks, and rules. BSA has the responsiblity to protect the organization as a whole or they will be nibbled to death by ducks! If we as an organization will not stand up for ourselves, who will? If we give in on co-ed, will that stop the litigation? If we allow atheists, will the opposition be content or will they try to change a different requirement? We must be willing to defend our positions because the other side will not stop until we no longer exist.