SSScout

**Why did my screen suddenly go wiiiiide?** My aha* moment was when I visited Salt Lake City and had dinner at the " Carlos' Ratzkeller Pizzeria"

Nope. Come costumed as your usual "Scout Position" And don't forget your silly hat. And duct tape. And extra rope. Never can tell. And pillow. Maybe a camp stool. Rain Gear. Rained two whole days on my course. Camp coffee cup/mug on carabiner to clip to your belt (LNT: less throw away cups). And attitude. "Prepare to be amazed..." or bored. Depends on your staff and YOUR attitude. Have fun, despite everything to the contrary.

Okay... I thought mebbe I had a Deutscher here. Come to think, that would've been braumeister... Back to the discussion......

In college, I worked on the stage crew. It was a professional quality theater, with broadway shows coming thru, so we were paid guild scale! The christmas show was spectacular, the stage was festooned with long garlands of shiny balls, each about 18" in diameter. We had spent days making these, crumbled up newspaper and aluminum foil, fastened onto the ropes, maybe 300 feet long all together.When the lights shone on them , they were really nice. As we were striking the sets, an office secretary came thru and commented on how beautiful everything had been and gee, she wished she had some garlands like that for her tree at home. The crew chief watched her walk away (well, we all watched...) and said, "okay, boys, Ginny wants some garlands...". We stuffed her car full of the garlands such that all you could see was aluminum thru her windows.

Brewmeister: Ja,, stimmt das.

Answers in turn: Yes, Friend Nixon was a member of Whittier Friends Meeting. No, we do not object to the term "Quaker". It originated, so the story is told, when George Fox was brought before a Magistrate for not doffing his hat to his social superiors. When he admonished the Magistrate that even he must "tremble and quake" before the word of the Lord, the Magistrate reportedly commented that he supposed that made Fox a (guffaw) "quaker"? and the name stuck. That Magistrate later became a convinced Friend. Now, just to be complete, I will say that there are "Friends Churches" that share the original unprogrammed worship history, but are the result of a theological split back in the 1820's. These Friends do have a paid pastorite. They are nice people , too. And we share much with our Mennonite cousins. And the Amish. But we ain't them, and they ain't us.

Here we go again... The G2SS is fairly specific about what Scout Units SHOULD and SHOULD NOT do. Doesn't say a thing about what a family and it's boys can/cannot/should/ought/must/might do. If the parents are comfortable with Johnny firing a 12 gauge on Uncle Grayson's farm, hope they have fun. But the Troop shouldn't be the sponsor of that activity. If the Wasnofsky family has a big backyard, and they like plinking soda cans (almost said tin, but they aren't made of tin any more)with a BBgun, hey, have fun, but the Cub Pack should not sponsor that activity, even if they have Mr. Daisy RedRider himself there. If the Izacc Walton League chapter invites the Troop to come up and participate in an NRA certified Rifle and Shotgun MeritBadge day, it might be a good idea to have the Council Shooting Sports Committee (you do have one of those, don't you?) certify the opportunity for Scout participation. But the Troop cannot , by itself, do so, IF IT WANTS TO FOLLOW THE RULES. The private shooting club can invite whomever they wish to their property, but it cannot , shouldnot ,on face, be considered a Scout activity. Our Troop camped at an out of Council Scout Camp and wanted to use their Archery Range. This would be allowed IF we had an Archery RO with us. Unfortunately, my cert was two years out of date, so I could not serve in that capacity . Sorry, boys, gotta do more other stuff.

TT: The real answer to your original question is: "It depends" I was led to apply to be a chaplain representing the Religious Society of Friends at the 2005 NatJam and have never regretted that service. As Quakers, we have no pastor to lead our worship, no paid or ordained ministry is seen as required or needed. So, in my case, it was sufficient to be "recognized" by my Meeting for my leading. I can discuss Quaker theology at whatever length you wish another time (PM me). The other "mainstream" faiths , to be a Chaplain, I would say being "ordained" or otherwise approved might be required. But most that I am aware of recognize the "lay" minister, if so led by the Spirit and well educated in the faith. As a Scout Chaplain, being knowledgeable of other faiths is definitely a plus. One must be sensitive to the reality that one DOES NOT have to be Christian to be a Scout. I have had to gently disabuse more than one person of this fact. I have become the defacto "Scout's Own" instructor at our IOLS training, and been complemented on the "aha!" moments in the sessions. Something I can say is that if you have some Scouts interested in being C/As, they will often be more attuned to the sensitivities of their buddies faith than any adult leader. As a Troop or District Chaplain, I would follow THEIR lead. PM me and I can email you my S/O stuff.

If all you are allowed is a table and chair, then have lots of Scout propaganda to hand out. Bracket table with US flag, Pack/Troop flag. Photoes of Scout fun, and pass out mini Boy's Lifes and brochures. Take phone numbers to call back. Check with your DE and Council for lit-a-ra-toor to hand out. If room is available, set up a Pine Wood Derby track with some expendable cars that kids can race. Hold races. Set up a tent kids can crawl in and out of. Boy Scouts can have a charcoal fire and make Dutch Oven brownies (Ooops? Indoor display? well, set up the tent anyway.). Have Scouts actually chopping wood with hand axe/hatchet, make tent pegs to pass out as souvenirs. Make sure your Scout (Totin' Chip!)is REALLY skilled at this.Keep folks at a safe distance for this, of course. Monkey Rope Bridge? Pioneer lashed tower? Make it visual and eye catching.

The awards and patch stuff is forgiveable and could be written off as old man forgetfulness. The laying on of hands and sexual innuendos are something else again. If this had happened at my workplace, that man would have been suspended ON THE SPOT pending dismissal. IMMEDIATELY contact your CO's Institution Head (church Pastor, Lodge president, etc.) and the CO representative. If you do not know who these folks are, find the charter and see who is listed. If that is not available, contact Council and get their copy. It is "public record" for any Scout involved. This man has no business being a role model for your children. You and your fellow Pack Leaders need to come together and confront this problem NOW. Your Pack MUST have a new CM, and these two folks (the IH and COR) are the ones who must remove him from his office. Don't worry about not having a CM. Your Pack will survive. A new one will be chosen. Your friendship with his wife is not relevant. I dare say she already knows something about this kind of behavior. We do this for the kids. Your CM is NOT doing it for the kids. He certainly is NOT doing it for YOU. He is doing it for himself.

Woggle World http://cubclub.tripod.com/ for a start.

Duct Tape Forever http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Duct_Tape_Forever http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KhSqvycZZ0c&feature=related

Ditto everything said above. Any successful restauranteur will ttell you that he doesn't worry about the first time visitor. He worries about getting them back the SECOND and THIRD time. And you do that by giving the first time visitor a memorable first visit. I still seek out the little place in West VA I visited four years ago , and seek it out for the next time I travel that area. And I avoid the place that had the filthy toilet room , even tho I told them about it before I left, I hope they get lots of NEW first timers, but not me the second time... Look at your camp from the Scout's point, taking in the ideas voiced above. Good food? Interesting activities? Knowledgeable Staff? Clean, well maintained facilities? Does the Staff LOOK like they are glad to be there? Does the Key 3 let them know THEY appreciate them being there?

Depending on how it is arranged, you could hike in with your packs almost a mile into a ten acre lot. Half a mile anyway. Park at the CO and hike in . Leave the cars' trunks behind. Sounds like "Scout Camping" to me. Sound out your local zoning requirements (got a plumber in the Troop?) and build a privy. Is there a spring? Carry in water? Drill a well or establish a hand pump. What more do you need? My Scoutson was VERY dissapointed when he could not count our Yearly Meeting camps for his Scout camping MB requirements. 5 days and nights on the AT, canoeing and bicycling camps, every bit as strenuous and "Scouty" as Philmont , but can't count it for MB.

"M is for the many things she told me..... O is for the other things she told me.... T is for the THOUsands of things she told me.... H is for the HUNDREDS of things she told me... E is just for everything she told me.... R is for the REST of the things she told me... Put them all together, they spell MO-THER, I wish I could remember all she told me!!!!

Pockets...looka the pockets. How come the pockets went from the jacket to the trou? I guess YSL didn't like pockets. I have an old LLBean Baker Park Parka, and I always seem to fillup the big pockets on it. Markers, matches, snacks, notebook, tickets, mittens, interesting pine cone, multi tool, sunglasses, birdbook.....

Seatle: Saved a whole 'nother salary, too.

Go back to your grandparents and ask them about "the correct use of food" vis-a-vis the depression years. Talk about avoiding waste. Speak to Philmont campers about "human sumps" and waste of food. Speak to your local Food Bank (here it is called "Manna") about waste of food. Be aware of the number of folks around the world without the assurance of tomorrow's dinner and be thankful for our abundance. Maybe after that, a cream pie in the face will be acceptable. Cubmaster ala mode. As I walk thru our local super market, I marvel not so much at the AMOUNT of food (amazing in it's tonnage and source), but the innumerable VARIETY and CHOICE. And the fact that there is SOMEONE out there that will buy it, whatever it is. (Hearts of Palm from Israel? Tangelos from Chile?And we expect it and are dissapointed when they aren't there?) The Romaine lettuce comes from the Imperial Valley in California, and I decide to buy it because it is priced at $1 a head (oo! a bargain!) instead of $1.49. 3,000 mile lettuce.

"the purpose of an organization is often only visible to the ultimate customer. All too often the higher echelons forget that , and only worry about THEIR purpose in the organization." Go listen to "Alice's Restaurant and Massecre" , pay particular attention to the Group W Bench...

www.praypub.org/dutytogod.htm http://usscouts.org/profbvr/reference_room/relemblems.asp I have a really nice booklet about the Religious Awards Program from the National Jamboree Chaplain Corps, but it is not available online, so PM me and I can copy it to you. Define your ticket such that you can actually claim accomplishment . Don't make it too precise. See Oak Tree's example. Ustabean Owl...

Shucks, missed out on earning my COBAL strip... Is cuneiform available? My sis-in-law actually can speak esperanto...

CQ...CQ...CQ....

Water supply... Hard sided bottle (Gatorade, etc.) is desirable. Camelbacks are hard to clean when the "back splash" occurs. Recycle choice: "Box o' Joe" from DD has an all but indestructable plastic bladder within the cardboard. Take it out, wash well with detergent and chlorox, rinse well. It will always smell somewhat like coffee , but it can be rolled up compactly, holds a liter, can be used for swim flotation (not USCG certified, fun only), punching bag, bug juice, sun shower, camp pillow (empty it first!), canoe/kayak flotation,boat bumper, shiny decoration, throw/rescue tosser, filled with sand a weight for training or whathave you, Recycle them "Box o' Joe"...

You will find that there are two kinds of Scouters on these pages: Those that think there are two kinds of Scouters, and those that don't.

Uses for Morse Code: (so far)(other than Scout badge earning) + Saving the world from alien domination + Ham radio + Impressing girl friends + secret (maybe) messages between friends at school + POW communication between cells + Lifeguards commenting on beach patron physiology (okay, this was semaphore when I observed it) + Buddy bonding between upstairs bedrooms across the street (by flashlight) + Saving train from imminent wreck ("Young Tom Edison") + Announcing final railroad spike driving for UP-CP join up + HowmIdoin?