SR540Beaver

Frank, I think nldscout's comment was in response to the document PatB linked to.

True, Presidents and Congress don't create jobs. They do however thru their cabinet policies and legislation affect the environment where jobs are created.

Seriously folks? When are we going to start requiring the boys to wear helmets around camp for their own safety? Our troop owns a couple of sets of throwing hawks and targets. When we camp close to home, we can't leave camp too early as the charter doesn't want us unloading in the parking lot while folks are trying to leave church. We often set up a throwing yard once breakfast and KP is done and camp is broken. Just about a month ago we ran this event at our District Webelos Woods and it was the hit of the event. If I recall, our DE took a turn. Kids liked it better than the BB's or the archery. It was totally scout run with adult supervision. You simply use the same safety protocols and run it like any other range. The Webelos are told when to step to the line and are told when to pick up the hawk to throw. No one is allowed close to the line and especially not beyond the line. When the hawks are thrown, the "range master" allows them down range to retrieve the hawks. It is set up in an area where no one will be walking by down range and has a full open view so we can see anyone should they decide to walk back there. Simply, it is a fun and safe activity. For those who fear this, I can assure you that the hawks are not honed to a razors edge.(This message has been edited by sr540beaver)

Well, I'm going to go against the conventional wisdom of this thread. Our chapter was one of those that had a team stand on stage at the end of campfire and call out names to then lead them off to a short meeting. Talk about dull, boring, meaningless and dry! Everyone thought it was a huge waste of time. Over the past three years, we have gone to a more traditional call out ceremony and it is well received by the troops. Now, we do it a little different because our district swapped Webelos Woods and Camporee around where Camporee is in the fall and WEbelos Woods is in the spring. We do the callout on Friday night after the troops get in camp and get set up. The campfire is designed for the Webelos, so we keep the callout seperate. We do a Brotherhood ceremony after campfire.

Brent, Do you remember the Iranian hostage situation? Iran was a theocratic dictator regime who held our embassy staff hostage for over 400 days. What did Reagan do? He sold them arms. He armed our enemy. I'm not justifying Carter's relationship with dicators, I just want a little fair and balanced perspective. Presidents know and deal with things we can't even imagine and end up doing things that make no sense to us outside the loop. That includes Reagan.

Not to make light of it, but lets keep in mind that for the majority of a 10 to 11 year old's life, he has believed in Santa Claus, the Easter Bunny and the Tooth Fairy only to find out that these never seen characters were fabrications. That disillusionment could be extended to a benevolent God in Heaven he can't see. While he doesn't discuss it with his parents and he does go to church with them, he may just think in his own mind that the same could apply to God and isn't getting his hopes up and is waiting for the other show to drop. There may be some trust issues at play here. I remember a Council Cub camping event where one of our Den Leaders organized a snipe hunt. Everyone had a blast, except for his son who refused to come out of the tent when he learned the truth. He was angry with his father for LYING to him. Give him time.

BrentAllen: "One thing you can say about Carter - he never met a dictator he didn't like." Yes, and Reagan sold arms to Iran. Your point?

WE lead by example.....whether we intend to or not. Wh is WE? WE is everybody. What we say and what we do makes a difference. While I understand scoutfish's point, the character of a person does count and does mean something. If a guy decides to live in an apartment or a house, I don't care. If he decides to drive a Chevy or a Ford, I don't care. If he decides to wear a ball cap or a cowboy hat, I don't care. If he decides to cuss like a sailor, drink to drunkeness, smoke like a chimney, have sex with anyone willing......I do care. I don't want my kids around him. I don't want him working for me. He will bring those same qualities on the job with him. Character is what we do when no one is looking. Character counts. WE lead by example. Just my two cents.

BDPT00, As a Chapter Advisor who oversees the election teams, I beg to differ. WE absolutely need the SM involved. We can't do an election without him. He determines, prepares and certifies the ballot. He or his designee is part of the ballot counting process and he provides the contact information for each elected candidate. In a sense, he is the gate keeper to the whole process. My biggest frustration is that after sending two detailed and informative letters to assist them in streamlining the process, all that many of them do is read set a date and nothing else.

Say what you will about Carter's politics, he is one of the finest Christian men to ever occupy the White House. His work with Habitat for Humanity alone puts most of us to shame.

Old news. Captain America renounced his citizenship to become Nomad back in the Nixon years. Only lasted for four comic books before he put the old uniform back on.

It sounds like it is time for a parent's meeting where it is laid on the line. If you like Cub Scouts and you want your son to have a Den and Pack, it means some folks are going to have to step up and put forth some effort. Without it, the Pack will die. Dens of 1 or 2 boys can't be very fun. Honestly, recruiting for Cub Scouts is like shooting fish in a barrel. The more boys you have, the more potential you have for adults willing to step up. Of course, you need some dedicated adults in place for when new boys come on board. Kind of a chicken and egg scenario. If no one is willing to step up, then and only then would I bring up the possibility of merging the boys into another Pack with the caveat that the other Pack will need adult leaders too.

If the election team is trained and experienced, explaining the voting method in an understandable way should not be difficult. We switched to using the video this year. The main reason for this was because I as Chapter Adviser was not pleased with the ad libbing the election teams would do. There is actually a script they can learn and they just wouldn't do it. They thought getting up and shooting from the hip was sufficient. It was not. They now introduce themselves and explain what is about to happen. They present the election video for National which does a great job of explaining what the Order is, it's history, what you are looking for in a candidate and how the voting process works. I then have the election team follow up by reading part of the script to reinforce the points on the tape and then they open it up to a question and answer period. After that, they hand out the ballots, collect the ballots and go count them and prepare the report. If at the end of all of that a kid doesn't understand how to vote, then nothing will make him understand. Crew21_Adv, don't get me started on SM's and elections. I have a very detailed email I send out to the SM's when we are ready to schedule elections. It walks them thru the process. Then when they do schedule a date, they get a second detailed email. It contains a list of membership qualifications, an adult nomination form, a copy of the election report so they can see what pieces of info they will need to provide to the team, a request for contact information for the boys on the ballot and a spreadsheet ballot where all they have to do is enter the names on the first one and it auto fills the rest of the ballots. When we show up for the election, half of the SM's act like they didn't realize we were coming. We've had to actually hand write ballots before and then beg, borrow and steal to get contact info for the candidates. I know they are busy people.......we are too. Is asking them to read an email and be prepared so we can get in and out of their way in an effiecient manner too much to ask?

Question, how many boys are in the Pack? Do you have Tiger, Wolf, Bear and Webelos 1 and 2 Dens? How many boys per Den? Surely there are some parents you can get to step up.

Boy, did I get an education yesterday. According to Ann Coulter and Michelle Malkin, it has actually been the leftwing that has kept the birther movement going. Their theory is that they used it to marginalize the rightwing by blaming them for keeping the movement going. You could almost see their heads spinning as they said it.

Is national supply operating in the red? If not, they must be doing decent business selling items that people want, need or desire.

Oh, it's not over. It's not over by a long shot. The conspiracy theory birther nutjobs won't accept this as proof. They wouldn't accept the tattered, yellowed 1961 form from a cardboard box in his grandmother's attic even if they held it in their hands.(This message has been edited by sr540beaver)

Yep, they like to wrap themselves in freedom and liberty talk until they actually have to stand up for it......then not so much.

BS-87, I was a Paul supporter during the last election. Funny how the mainstream Republicans ignored him as crazy and wrote him off only to become "me too's" when they had him out of the way. With the rise and prominance of the Tea Party and all of those "me too" candidates, it will be interesting to see if they are just going to talk the talk or actually walk the walk like Paul does. My favorite so far is former New Mexico governor Gary Johnson this go around. He is a libertarian like Paul.(This message has been edited by sr540beaver)

Back in '99 and '00, I spent 10 months in Vermont on a job assignment.......or was it New Hampshire? They had the only Wal-mart I've ever been in where you could walk up to the counter and not have to wait in line. They also surprised me one evening when I drove up to get some toiletries and they closed at 9 PM!!! In Oklahoma, they only close for a few hours on Thanksgiving and Christmas.

We camp monthly and that won't change. Our destinations might. We are forutnate in that one of our council properties is right on the edge of town, but there are rumors that the council is going to start charging in-council troops for camp use. Bad decision. Our troop is fortunate in that we have a gentleman who was associated with the troop years ago who gives us wide open access to his land. It is in the country and only about 10 minutes from our CO. Weekend before last we had Section Conclave. If I didn't feel obligated as a Chapter Adviser to attend, I wouldn't have. My Associate Adviser drove his vehicle and we transported three boys. The Conclave cost was $25. The gas there and back was $100. I make a comfortable living.......but not comfortable enough to do that monthly. Edited to add: My son chose a troop 25 miles across town when he was a scout. He aged out in February and signed up as an adult, so we still attend meetings each week. Last year, I took over as Chapter Adviser which means another weekly trip across town during ceremony season for practices. I'm really eyeing the wisdom of driving a minimum of 100 miles per week for these two scouting meetings.(This message has been edited by sr540beaver)

There is nothing more fulfilling than knowing you've made a difference in someone's life and that you mean something to them. Bask in the glow, it sounds like you deserve it.

You are correct that states have the authority to do what they want. Of course if they do so, they risk losing the return of their tax dollars thru federal funding. http://trib.com/news/state-and-regional/govt-and-politics/article_b06ee50d-2c03-5ef6-9d89-4d29d76831cb.html(This message has been edited by sr540beaver)

SP, Yep! We are in the process of notifying candidates right now. We hold elections in the 4th quarter of the year. Some troops elect to tell their scouts immediately following the election. Others pick a different time. Some wait for the call out which we did two weeks ago. The candidates get a packet of information at call out. For the candidates and/or troops who are not at call out, we hand deliver the same packet to their candidates at their troop meetings. That is happening this week. Knowing that at least half of those packets will never make it home, we are mailing the same info to their home address and emailing it as well. Our candidates can never say they didn't know. Oh yeah, their email addresses will be subscribed to our chapter website and the same information will be posted there and on the district websie as well.

ditto