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slontwovvy

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Everything posted by slontwovvy

  1. If I've said it once on this forum, I've said it a thousand times. Tolerance means respect for the person, not necessarily the belief. Tolerance does not mean letting anyone do whatever they want.
  2. I'll agree with Venturer2002 in that the First Amendment has lost its original intent, though I'm going to differ slightly in my response. In the first amendment, as in many others, people latch onto a phrase and don't look for intent. I'm going to go back to my earlier quotes from George Washington: Whatever may be conceded to the influence of refined education on minds of peculiar structure, reason and experience both forbid us to expect that national morality can prevail in exclusion of religious principle. He also wrote, Of all the dispositions and habits which lead to politi
  3. This is a country of majority rules but minority rights. However, when the minority has more rights than the majority, something's wrong. Too many people forget that the majority has rights too.
  4. I've seen both. My troop seems to have Eagles in clumps of three. They usually work out pretty well. However, if they want separate ceremonies, go for it.
  5. Very good point, evmori. The phrase "separation of church and state" was first used by Jefferson in the letter to a Baptist group in Danbury, Connecticut. Oddly enough, what Jefferson was attempting to reassure them about was the intrusion of the state into religion, not the other way around, as is commonly believed. "Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof; or abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press; or the right of the people peaceably to assemble, and to petition the government for a redress of grievances."
  6. Venturer2002- If when you refer to Thomas Jefferson's "adultery" you refer to the alleged affair with Sally Heming, a point of clarification. It is "alleged." All we know is that her descendents have some Jefferson blood. Now in Thomas' time there were at least 25 other males with Jefferson blood within five miles, many of whom have assured places in history as people who did fool around. Just a point of caution-allegations do not equal proof.(This message has been edited by slontwovvy)
  7. He was willing to spend any amount of time helping you if you needed it.
  8. Encourage fun things that help in advancement. Possible patrol activities (used in my troop): Visit the state capitol. Go swimming. Get the pool to give you ten-pound bricks and a ring buoy. Go skiing (probably easier in Wisconsin than it is in Georgia). Do an edible plants hike (always an impressive thing...if you need a book go with Peterson's Field Guide to Edible Wild Plants My troop owns a large, 6-ft diameter ball. It is a great team-building exercise to play a sort of soccer with the ball. Go on a SCUBA test run (We got a local SCUBA outfitter to show us
  9. This conversation is becoming so ludicrous it hardly dignifies a response.
  10. Although Venturer2002's point is correct, I find it interesting that during the whole Catholic priest scandal, most priests were accused of molesting teenage or older boys, not 7-year-olds. Amazing how the media had everyone believing that the problem was pedophilia, not homosexuality.
  11. Yet another example of political coerciveness gone astray in the muddling idea of "let's discriminate to end discrimination." If Scott McKenzie re-recorded his famous song today, it would probably be something like: "If you're going, to San Francisco, be sure to take, your lawyer with you there. If you're going to San Francisco, you're gonna meet, some screwed up people there...." Sad this world has come to this.
  12. I've always preferred dining hall, because it allows the Scouts to have more time to get out and enjoy their camping experience rather than miss something due to cleanup. Even at dining hall camps, there are still tables to be waitered. A short task that allows patrols to take charge of a table for the week, setting it and cleaning it up. Still keep separate patrol campsites, and assign each patrol tasks during the day (building the fire, cleaning the latrine, etc.).
  13. I believe it became official last March.
  14. Try the merit badge activity. Also, encourage more active meetings. Not just talking, but doing. I echo Bob White's sentiments about the fifteen minute attention span. Spice things up. Do a quick head-shoulders-knees-and-toes. Do something unexpected. Change the atmosphere. If you don't, the meeting will seem boring. If you do, you've created a program that doesn't feel like it's taking up any time.
  15. I agree with sctmom on this one. Obviously don't deny the parents all contact with their children, just encourage other Scouts to befriend the lonely Scout and most problems will be solved. Often, though, contact with parents makes things worse.
  16. A few more camps are dry, so you'll need to haul a lot of water (I'd recommend bringing four or five water bottles). No showers, the only place we got them was at Cimarroncito. All treks were in the South and Central country, but the North country is opening up soon.
  17. One idea my troop has toyed with is the idea of going on an across-the-state bicycle trip. We have been blessed with two leaders who are avid bike tourers and a state (Wisconsin) that is just the right size. It takes a week, going thirty to fifty miles a day over easy terrain, a set itinerary including meals, all for about the cost of summer camp, in one week. Maybe next year.
  18. What an incredible experience!!! God's country is truly the right name for Philmont. Awesome staff, awesome views, awesome! Can't get over how neat it was.
  19. Just a couple of questions. How big is this troop? Before I came to my troop, it only had 9 boys. As such, it never worked in "patrol method." The troop was the patrol. Even today, at outings, we do not have enough scouts from each patrol to keep each patrol in existence. We make up special camp patrols out of those in attendance. Is there just a general apathy or is it a matter of not knowing how to do something? I'll echo previous sentiments of training, training, training for the latter, and a large, energizing trip or activity for the former.
  20. "He said allowing Vanchieri to continue would undercut the district's character education program." Interesting.... One in which the Boy Scouts are apparently not included. A pity really. This man is clearly why we do not allow openly homosexual men in the BSA. Kudos to Broward County for giving this man the boot. Now from the liberal point of view: How can they destroy this man's freedom of expression? He clearly has the right to express himself however he sees fit. If that includes this incident, who are we to judge? Apart from that, he's a fine person. Really.
  21. Watching "Scout's Honor", I wonder if Steven is speaking up or if his father is speaking up through Steven.
  22. Just pulled this out of the archives. I can't help but laugh at some people. Steven Cozza is one of them. Go on his website if you ever want to read something bizarre and funny. And this person has the nerve to declare himself an Eagle Scout.....
  23. That is one of the best ideas I've heard. Good product, good profit, everything seems to be great.
  24. I'm not saying that there are no good 13 year old Eagles. I'm just saying, from my experience that those Eagles tend to have things handed to them on a silver platter, or don't really earn what they do. This is true of most of the young Eagles I've met, not all. 17 year old Eagles? That's why I said 16 years old, not procrastinating but late enough to mature and lead in Scouting.
  25. Ok, Rooster, that last comment was getting a little out of hand. However, I agree with the rest of your post. Too many people do not think about what discrimination really is, a necessary part of any society. The same with tolerance: contrary to seemingly popular belief, tolerance does not include letting anyone do whatever they want. Tolerance is a Voltaire-like statement, "I may disagree with what you say but I will defend to the death your right to say it." I always laugh at people who claim to be espousing tolerance and then take out that tolerance by insulting the Boy Scouts or th
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