SR540Beaver

Brent, I won't dignify your question with a response because it would be pointless. Your mind is closed to rational thought on political subject matter.

Brent, Of course any president, current or future, can trust any of the intelligence agencies to advise him. That is their job and they did it. Sadly, ALL the data was not considered or passed on to other leaders. The trouble comes when you have an administration with a preconceived notion that cherry picks the information to support that notion. That same cherry picked info is then supplied to those whose support you are seeking. Even Colin Powell will confirm this for you. War with Iraq was a goal of many of Bush's top people long before Bush was elected and Clinton was still President. You can read their letter to Clinton here: http://www.newamericancentury.org/iraqclintonletter.htm 9/11 gave them the momentum they needed to further their agenda.

Brent, It looks like you lose two pools in one day. I'm not a liberal. I'm also not a GWB style "conservative" either, but I am an honest conservative and I don't like the way the name has been coopted by the current crowd of so called conservatives. We do engage in torture. Do you have any idea what we have in common with the Khmer Rouge, the Soviets and the Nazis? Waterboarding. Why is it torture when they do it and interrogation when we do it? Because Bush and Cheney say it isn't? Open YOUR eyes. And yes, I brought up the WMD's because it was the primary reason given to justify a war of choice. I don't care what any other nation said or who may have voted to give the President autority to flex his muscle. The sole responsibility for the war rests with the one guy who gave the order. The buck stops there. He was wrong then and he is wrong now to authorize torture.

"Bush says we don't torture." He also said Iraq had WMD's. I hope no one has been holding their breath waiting for them to show up. Fool me once, shame on you. Fool me twice, shame on me.

Heartbreaking. My prayers are with all those who have experienced a loss.

Whatever your particular political stripe is, the day is upon us to exercise our right and duty as citizens/patriots to cast our ballots and thankfully put an ad to all of those political ads, junk e-mail and robo-phone calls. Vote your conscience, but as for me, I'm voting against the current crop of bums more than I'm voting for anyone. Time to let a new group of crooks line up and decide if they will do the right thing or not. I've listened to all the talking heads on the radio and TV try to convince me that their bums are better than the other sides bums, so go ahead and vote for the old bums because otherwise it would be worse than it is. Sorry, I don't buy that argument. If we reelect the current crop, we know what we will get for the next several years. More of the same. Time for a change. Vote!!!

Brent, The interesting thing about torture is that at some point it can no longer be resisted....even if you know what is coming. You just want it to stop and will say anything to make that happen. That is why torture is a highly ineffective way to obtain useful information. So knowing the methods used is kind of a moot point. Trust me, the bad guys already know what we do as they practice the same techniques. What the administration really wants is for the American people not to find out what they do in our name.....and to not be tried for war crimes. Just think sausage.

Amen.

I am totally "making this up" as I go, so my opinion and 10 cents (well, $3.50 if you go to Starbucks) will get you a cup of coffee. While it appears that Boy and Girl Scouting started from the same background and ideals, they have gone their separate paths here in the US. I say this as a total outsider to GS'ing. While they may strive for many of the same goals, GS depends far, far less on doing it without the emphasis on the "outing" in Scouting. Honestly, how often do you come across a GS troop camping? People argue from time to time wanting Boy Scouts to change and be more "relevant" to the times. I believe that is what GS has tried to do and depending on which side of the fence you are stnding on, they have either failed or are very successful. For those who don't want to do spa days, they move to venturing and sail or rock climb.

Jeffrey, With all due respect, you need to retire the old horse and buggy and get one of them new fangled horseless carriages that are all the rage today. Seriously, yes broadcast TV of today isn't what it was years ago. The reason for that is because cable TV came along and marketed to niche markets. In order to stay relevant, not to mention stay in business, the broadcast channels did the old capitalist thing of competing. If you limit yourself to broadcast chaneels and use it to judge all other TV media, you do yourself a disservice. Today's TV market is like buying produce. There is a wide variety to pick from and you have to thump a few mellons and squeeze a few tomatoes to find the good stuff you want in your diet. Heck, there are multiple 24 hour news channels. There are multiple channels that deliver nothing but weather. You can find out what the weather will be like on the other side of the nation at 3 AM if you are so inclined. There are any number of educational channels with some absolutely wonderful programming. There are channels that give you nothing but your favorite style of music. There are channels with cooking shows where you can get some tasty as well as healthy recipes. There are even outdoor channels. There is literaly tons of programming for kids. Even with all it has to offer in a positive way, it can be overdone....but they put this cool thing called an on/off button on the remote. Yep, put ol Hoss out to pasture and buy you some driving goggles and gloves and enjoy motoring around town in style.

Ain't wikipedia cool? Here are lists of the oath and law from other nations. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Scout_Law http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Scout_Promise

Barry, Oh no, no, no, no, no!!! I'm quite content serving under someone who has far more figured out than me. But thanks for the vote of confidence. Besides, doing the ASM thing instead of SM gives me a little more freedom to spread my wings in scouting like staffing WB and such. I just signed up to be in the Campmaster Corps at Kickapoo. I'm sure I could do those things as an SM, but it just looks easier to do from an ASM perspective. Speaking of Campmasters, we sorely need more.....what's on your scouter plate?

kudu: "Why should a Patrol have an election unless they are not satisfied with the Patrol Leader's performance?" Boy, I'd like to make a motion that we adopt this approach to Presidents and Congressmen!!! In all seriousness, elected positions usually have some sort of term limit rather than a lifetime appointment.

He needs to finish his term. After all, he is in leadership and is supposed to be leading by example. What message does it send if someone in a postion of responsibility quits any time they want to. I told my son when he was playing sports that I would never make him play sports, but I would make him finish out any season he had signed up for because he had a team depending on him. Now that he is a Patrol Leader, the same rule applies.

Turning 18 is the "end" of the scouting trail for being a "Boy" Scout. Getting your Eagle is not. I wish a few of the 14, 15 and 16 year old Eagles knew this. I'd prefer to have as many Eagles as possible stay involved on the boy side of things than become JASM's. We've had some discussions within our troop concerning office tenure and term limits. We've had boys who get elected multiple times to PL or SPL and there are other lads in waiting who start to get upset that they can't serve in those positions. Most of them see it from an advancement perspective more than anything else. In that case, there are other positions they can serve in for advancement purposes. My point of view differs from the SM in that I'd like to see these guys who have served multiple times as a PL or as SPL and/or earned their Eagle to recycle back into the troop as Instructors, Troop Guides or ASPL's. Many of the boys see it as a pride and pecking order issue and think it would be going backwards for a former PL or SPL to take a "lower" position. We tend to make former SPL's who hang around after their tenure into JASM's. Again, I'd like to see them stay at the boy level. Count me in as one who finds the practice of moving an SPL who earns Eagle to JASM odd. He should finish his term of office first.

Back in the day (early 80's) I was told I looked like Andrew Stevens....who seems to have dropped off the face of the Earth. I've also been told (again, years ago) I looked like James Brolin. I've never seen it looking in the mirror. I'm much better looking! Brolin and I both have the same hair color, he just seems to sport more of it than I do. My wife was often compared to Erin Moran (Joanie) from Happy Days.

Trev, According to my wife, your wife and I would get along splendidly!

gwd, You need to add Dirty Jobs to the list with Mythbusters. Both are quitr entertaining. My son and I used to watch Junkyard Wars when it was on. Another favorite is Survivorman, but I'm tired of seeing the same reruns for the 20th time. For those who might not know about Survivorman, the host plays out different survival scenarios in different terrains and climate conditions. Besides the little bit of gear he is allowed, he carries about 60 lbs of camera and sound gear and self films himself in his survival bid. That is why there are so few shows. I'm sure he can only do so many shows per year without killing himself or becoming extremely worn out or sick. The show needs multiple hosts so they can do more shows.

orennoah: "I've been perfectly warm in my sleeping bag in 20 below and I know that mountaineers sleep well in worse conditions and they don't haul heaters up Everest". Would those be the same mountaineers who regulary lose toes, fingers, noses and ears to the cold?

I'm one of those rare breed who will actually admit to being a TV watcher......and enjoys it a great deal. Watching TV is like anything else in life, a little judgement and descretion needs to be employeed. While I can still get a kick out of an old Leave it to Beaver show or Andy Griffith, I think there is a ton of great programming on today. Probably better than ever. I try not to get hooked on any show and get tied down to having to be home to see it. But I have a DVR, so I can easily record something and watch it when I want. That being said, most of my viewing goes to the 5 different Discovery channels, National Geographic, History Channel and Food Network with a smattering of the cable news channels so I can yell at the stoopid talking heads. That is how I get my cardio work in.

I'm a fairly hip cat and I think technology is the bee's knees. I've even been known to program a VCR back in the day. Maybe I'm missing something here. Wouldn't it be better for boys to teach other boys the skills they need under the watchful eye of adult leadership instead of playing a video for them?

Gonzo, Before my dad passed away 5 years ago, he and my mom spent every summer in Colorado at an RV park full of retirees. All the old guys set around and made walking sticks and canes from fallen pine and aspen salings they harvested. Aspen makes a near 90 degree bend just under the surface and makes a natural cane handle. The fallen pine limbs had been burrowed by pine beetles just under the bark and left beautiful and unique markings in the wood. In either case, don't go cut a limb and make a walking stick. The wood needs to cure and dry for a year or so before being worked. I took all of my dad's tools and stock after he passed and occasionally makes sticks as a hobby. Another place to take a look for a beautiful piece of wood to make a stick from is http://www.sticksite.com/. This guy makes and offers raw sticks of diamond willow. You'll be the envy of your scouter pals with one of these sticks. BTW, I remove the bark, sand the stick and use polyurathane. If you strip the bark after cutting, you'll get a "white" wood. If you leave the bark on while it "cures" for a year or so, you'll get a natural "stain". With aspen, fresh bark peels like a banana. Once it cures, it takes dynamite to get it off. But it is worth it. Have fun.

I bought one of those Coleman heaters about 3 or 4 years ago. It is out in the garage collecting dust with much of the other gear I thought I HAD to have. I think I have used it once when I was getting ready for bed and it was 3 degrees outside. At that temp, you could put your hand right in front of the heater and feel a little warmth, but not much more than that. I've left it home ever since. I just dress warm and bring extra bags and blankets.

OGE, Sadly, my dad passed away about 5 years ago. There was nothing my dad couldn't do. I have an older brother and sister. When my twin brother and I came along, more than a two bedroom house was needed. Did my parents buy a new house? Heck no, dad added on. He built a den, bedroom and bathroom onto the house. He did every single job himself except pour the foundation. The man never put a car in the shop for engine or body work. He seldom paid anyone to do anything.....he simply did it himself. Unfortunately, Imy brother got those genes and they bypassed me. I'm fairly dangerous when I attempt DIY.

There is a remote control???? Oooooooo, me, me, me, me, me!!! Let me have it!!!