SSScout

Christineka: It doesn't matter if it it is lds Scouting or "regular" Scouting. The MBs are meant to be BOY initiated and kept at. If the SM or ASM holds the Blue Cards or even reminds the Scout of the meeting or the necessity of keeping up with the requirements, that only reinforces the idea that the Scout will get the award REGARDLESS of what he does. Daddy will make sure sonny succeeds no matter what the mean old world does.... Sounds like Cub Scouting. Sounds like what some of us used to call No Fault Scouting . Put it in the Scouts hands. You can offer the MB, but you should not make it impossible to fail.

J: Well that is really sad. It is rough when a Scout unit has to close, or move to another home. I can't help but think there is something in the background no one is mentioning. Some unknown slight in the dim, distant past? Some concern about the BSA's political imbroglio's of late? It could be as random as the pastor's bad experience when he was a Scout umpteen years ago.... Does anyone in your Pack know anyone else in the CO membership? Thru business connections? Neighbors? that they could talk to and find out something of the "back story"? Just a feeling, but it is beginning to sound like they (the CO) is hoping you all might "take the hint".... Maybe someone wants to start a Royal Rangers or Trail Life or other youth group, and doesn't want the overt competition with BSA. If I were you (and your Cub leaders), I would politely go about our business, arrange a service to the Church ( sweep the sidewalk, weed the gardens, ) and just do it, saying "we are grateful for the help you have given us in the past". Almost like the girl I asked out, and asked out , and asked out.... until she FINALLY said "Don't you realize? I'm already going steady!!" So why couldn't she just be honest with me up front?

""3% raise? You got a strong union there, buddy. "Hey, I heard our paychecks will be a little heavier next week. The County is using thicker paper ...."

Well, we COULD discuss the trauma of the Jamboree concerts, here we are out in Westbygod Virginia, and I don't remember any Blue Grass or Olde Timey music a-tall.

Oh, insurance. In our Council, that's the one dollar extra per boy and leader on the charter application. I do not know of any one person at Council who can answer that. I honestly have never heard of any unit that has ever made a claim. My understanding is It is "supposed" to be for secondary injury (your personal insurance is primary) and liability (your Scouts damaged our whatever) and if the Scout or Unit is damaged or injured during a Scout activity (the Unit defines that). Should the Summit in WbgVA be subject to a forest fire, I am sure the BSA has insurance on it. When the forest fire out in Utah some years ago was traced back to a BScout campfire, I'm sure the BSA had insurance to cover that claim (alot!) . CSDC, hikes, campouts, whatever. The sponsoring CO certainly has some sort of insurance to cover such things under it's aegis, and if it is a CO then you are part of that, whether you are doing your Scout thing actually under their physical roof or not. So if somebody thinks they were injured due to some problem or negligence on the part of your Scout unit, they can sue you, the Scout parents, the church, the BSA, the local BSA Council and the fellow walking by when it allegedly happened. And the Council/BSA/Church insurance should defend you/the church/the BSA/the Council. I see a new reality cable TV show in the offing: ""BSA Insurance Man"" ....

Buy a 10 by 20 foot tarp. Stake down the tarp along the 10 foot edge, stake down a 5 foot piece, fold that up along three feet high, pull out the edges with cut poles of suitable size and rope guys, fold over the last bit to cover you up and pole and guy as needed. Groundcloth, topcover all in one piece. Cheap. If you don't want to cut the poles and pegs as you go, buy 'em before hand. Still cheaper than a "umbrella" tent. Room for gear. You don't sit up in the tent anyway, right? Lay and watch the world go 'round, rather than stare at nylon all night.

If the CO is a "church", then USUALLY the Institutional Head (IH) is the Pastor or Priest. Show up for a worship service and shake his/her hand. introduce yourselves and find a corner to talk in. Hey< Ask the Pack to show up IN UNIFORM and join in the service. Sometimes the new pastor doesn't really know what his/her church has/does. At my home unit's CO church, the new Pastor didn't know about the Scout Program (four units!) until I called on her and asked to do a Charter Presentation! Presto! Better relations! Now she is invited to the Blue and Gold Banquet and Courts of Honor. Our Scoutmaster has a door key, our Cubmaster has a key, the Scout Ship Skipper has a key. Venture Crew Advisor is the Scoutmaster (he has a key!). They have to KNOW you to TRUST you. Do a service (landscaping, put up birdhouses, sweep the sidewalks, hand out the bulletins at worship, help with the pancake supper , etc.) for the CO and make yourself known to them. Good Scouting to you!

POTFH

Way to go, Troops and Packs!

Each MB is different. Basketry can be done in one sitting at camp. The three C's need time and a really dedicated MBC. Family Life needs time (read the requirements!), it cannot be done in a week, or even a month and be done right, much less a single meeting. And no MB should ever be "required" of a Scout, all are optional. A MB class should be after, or before or elsewhere, never during a regular Troop meeting, IMHO. My home Troop does a neat job with First Aid MB, tho. They offer it after the meeting, a EMT leads it, over a number of sessions. When he says you know it, you know it. Tenderfoots get credit for Second Class First Aid. Second Classers, get credit for First Class requirement. Scouts that do not participate must pass their rank requirements separately.

Just one word: Ducttape.....

"Boss, do you have a minute? I have a new idea. Can I run it past you?" "Come in , Milford, come in. Sure, what's your idea?" "Well, we sell a lot of our (insert soda brand name), and the sales figures sure indicate it's popularity. It cost us (insert dollar amount) per pint bottle to produce and transport and market. Each bottle as produced, gives us a guaranteed profit of (insert dollar amount). What if I told you we could ELIMINATE all but the main ingredient of our product?" " Yes, go on..." " Well, why do people drink our (insert soda name)? Because they are thirsty. Why don't we just eliminate the sugar, flavoring, coloring and sell the water?" "...?.." " We convince folks to buy our (insert soda name) with our sexy marketing, I think we can convince them to buy bottled water! Think about it, is YOUR water save to drink? Why go to the trouble to fill up, carry, rinse out your own container? We will eliminate all that hassle!" "Milford, I think you may be on to something here. "

Yeah, I can see that. Local school installed a solar array, and I did some research for that (it is just "there", now, no longer an eyecatcher as you drive by), and the timing was a little shorter, but similar. Sandy Spring, MDâ€â€May 2, 2012 Sandy Spring Friends School(SSFS), a pre-K through 12 coed college preparatory Quaker school in Montgomery County, has announced plans to install more than 2,000 solar panels on the school’s 140-acre campus. The 473.7 kW solar photovoltaic system will be ground-mounted and grid tied with an estimated output of 600,790 kWh. The estimated carbon offset of a system this size is 414 metric tons which is equal to almost 82 passenger vehicles per year and 963 barrels of oil consumed. http://standardsolar.com/node/1921 Students, faculty and members of the Friends House community gathered at Sandy Spring Friends School on Oct. 24, 2012 for a ceremonial “flipping of the switch.†http://www.gazette.net/article/20121031/NEWS/710319433/1124/sandy-spring-friends-school-shines-with-solar-power&template=gazette

Hey, I'm not giving them permission, only saying it can and did happen! Not giving the permit, I mean, and as the ruling cabal of the town, that's what they did. Their reasons (not meeting the ordinance requirements, not being tall enough, not using black ink on the application, whatever) are why we are having this discussion, right?

Merlyn: That's exactly right. So long as they( the Council) can be democratically elected, they have shown themselves to be worthy of replacement. At least I would favor that , based on their displayed choices. The BSA Troop has shown them (at least a majority of them) to be more concerned with a perceived discrimination rather than the importance of their local children. As to the discrimination against otherwise worthy adult leaders, well , we're working on that....

Commendable. It took'em three years to build it?

The recent thread (can't "spin off" anymore) about doing a community service or good turn because it is "expected" or "in return for a benefit" or "just because" made me remember a poem . So I did some googling (!) and library searching and discovered the poem I sought was first, not authored by the person I expected and second, was originally not as I remembered it. Herewith, then, the original, as written by Dr. Kent M. Keith, and adapted by many others , in many other venues. Might make a good SMMinute, anyway.... The Paradoxical Commandments = by Dr. Kent M. Keith = People are illogical, unreasonable, and self-centered. Love them anyway. If you do good, people will accuse you of selfish ulterior motives. Do good anyway. If you are successful, you will win false friends and true enemies. Succeed anyway. The good you do today will be forgotten tomorrow. Do good anyway. Honesty and frankness make you vulnerable. Be honest and frank anyway. The biggest men and women with the biggest ideas can be shot down by the smallest men and women with the smallest minds. Think big anyway. People favor underdogs but follow only top dogs. Fight for a few underdogs anyway. What you spend years building may be destroyed overnight. Build anyway. People really need help but may attack you if you do help them. Help people anyway. Give the world the best you have and you'll get kicked in the teeth. Give the world the best you have anyway.

""The Town Council can deny permits for whatever endeavor for whatever reason they like"". (SSScout) ""No, they can't."" (Merlyn) Powers back on, so here we are... Yes, they can, and did. Doesn't make it legal, or right... (see above notes from Ms Hallsmith) . And, as she implies, it should make it easier to " vote the rascals out ". See Scoutmaster Minutes thread>>>

""Many Eagle Scout projects involve landscaping or minor building projects in the Scout’s community. While these projects are worthy in their own right, Ian Napoleon of Sandy Spring knew he wanted to do something for his project that would make a global impact. Ian, 16, is a student at Landon School, a private school in Bethesda. He advanced to the rank of Eagle Scout on June 13, after traveling to Nigeria in March to complete his service project."" http://www.gazette.net/article/20140701/NEWS/140709991&template=gazette

Somewhere on the AT is a cache of buried, slowly decomposing Dinty Moore cans....Maybe a whole lot of buried Dinty Moore cans, come to think of it.

The Town Council can deny permits for whatever endeavor for whatever reason they like. The citizens of the town can then judge what kind of a Council they elected and then UN-elect them the next time round, as they see fit. In the mean time, as in just about every democracy, they probably have the Council they deserve. Were it my Troop, I would favor giving the water away, (donations accepted). and cleaning up the streets as the good turn the town deserves, being the Troop is/are good citizens.

My father was an active (underline) member of the Lions Club. Where he went, I went. Deliver dinners to shut-ins, I was in the front seat (no seatbelts). Annual Horse show in Martin's Dairy field, I was there with the other kids, running messages, policing the jumps, directing parking, helping to sell hot dogs. Pancake suppers, I was there, carrying plates, picking up trash, doing what was asked of me. Blood drives, I was there to hand out paper if nothing else. Scoutson watched me work for the Meeting, helped with brush and tree removal, paint the rooms, shovel snow. He watched mom and me work the County Fair, pushing brooms, shoveling rabbit manure, directing traffic, counting tickets, helping the public understand animal behavior. He is a "server" now, doesn't wait for someone to tell him what to do, he will offer more often than not. The Scouts will learn by our example more than by our words. If it is the Scoutmaster's example rather than a parent, what is wrong with that? . Let them see and follow and learn thereby.

Yes, but.....

http://www.buzzfeed.com/christianzamora/indications-you-were-a-full-fledged-boy-scout Any of this seem familiar? Mmmmmm????

I would favor giving the water away. Walk the route of the parade, and give the water away. I bet you could find suppliers to donate the bottles, or heavily discounted. . Or suggesting another group sell the water and give the money to the Scout Troop. I would suggest asking Mr. Guerlain to come camping with us, and see how discriminatory the local Scout Troop is. And send him a subscription to Boys' Life.