SSScout

If the mom in question wants to go as a Scouter, she should step up, volunteer as a ASM, take the training and see what happens. If , indeed, the SM meant "no females allowed", that action would flush the question out. Speak to the Charter Org Rep or CO Head, local DE, the Friendly Neighborhood Commissioner, and go for it.

" I always go to funerals. I figure, if I go to theirs, they'll come to mine, ya know?" =Yogi Berra=

Many different possible accomodations and plans. Sabbath considerations between the various Christian and non-Christian religions leads to all sorts of variations. At my WB course,(friday,saturday, go-home-sunday late) there were accomodations on saturday morn, saturday night (movie night) and sunday morn. The council also held a go-home-saturday WB course in the fall (arrive wednesday afternoon). Some Districts in our Council hold LST and IOLS in Sunday start courses (go home Monday late). At my WB course, on sunday, worship was divided into "Scout's Own" and "particular faith". Catholics went to one area, LDS gathered in another. The most adaptable seemed to be our Muslim WB brothers. I spoke to one, he said he had no problems worshipping in the Scout's Own, said it was a new and interesting time.

In my travels I have come to be acquainted with several Council Camps. I would like to see a discussion as to the possible reasons a camp is popular/successful/on going or not. One possibility I would put forth is the use of Scouter Volunteers. I know of one very popular camp that is operated largely by volunteer Scouters. The Camp Master program essentially does everything off season, weekends, and oversees much of the summer program. The Pros do the "heavy lifting", but make use of the eager, loyal cadre of Scouters to help make things happen. I know another Council that made a conscious decision to rid itself of the Camp Masters that had done much of the camp upkeep and weekend management. When the Chief CM was told his loyal group was to be disbanded, he ceased to be a Council person and is now(if he still is, I have not seen him in several years) only concerned with his local unit. Guess what happens in that unit when FoS comes around. And I can only guess about the rest of the disbanded CampMasters there. Only Pros at that Council Camp, (Scout Staff is paid, of course). This camp complains of "low useage". I know of another camp that is well run, Where the pros are good at what they do, that welcomes all Scouters or volunteer projects. They do not have an organized volunteer program like "Camp Master", but goes out of it's way to utilize Scouters when they come by. I am sure there are other mitigations, such as distance, age, financial concerns, changed neighborhood, that come into play to lead to a camps popularity, use or ultimate closing (shudder). What have you observed?(This message has been edited by SSScout)

NJCubscouter and Scoutnut have it in an eastern state nutshell. As a Quaker Scout Chaplain and Commissioner, (see "Urban Legends" threads) I have had to disabuse folks on occasion about the "swearing" and the "Christian God" thing. The Scout Promise is just that. It is not what some of us know as a "judicial oath". It is not "swearing by". Check James 5:12 and Mathew 5:33. Some COs "may" make a requirement of specific declared belief for membership in THEIR units, but it is not BSA's requirement. I commission Islamic units and find much agreement between their religion and BSA's teachings. Sometimes the Muslim parents express pleasent surprise when the religious requirement is discussed. I hope someone has approached the family in question here ("a Scout is courteous"), and determined their true reason for leaving Scouting. Change of address? disagreement with a malinformed Scouter? "boring" program? bullying issue? misunderstanding of "Oath" vs "swearing" vs "promise" vs "religion"? Perhaps there is education possible on both sides here.

Remeber the "Rock Throwing" CSDC activity? With trained Range Safety Officer?

"Do not light a fire unless you have established the means to easily extinguish it". Note the word "easily" . A one quart pot of water does not qualify, in my experience. A shovel, a rake, and several 5 gallon buckets, FULL of water, all close to hand is more like it.

Research Scouter dot com. you will find much good discussion about W/C. and Totin' Chip (the Boy Scout sharp tool award). Realize that 1) there is NO official BSA curriculum OR requirements, other than what is on the W/C card. 2) All instruction is dependant on the tradition, skill, and experience of the instructor. Google "Whittling Chip, Cub Scouts" and you will find many good, well established instruction and award sites. Teach the boys to have pride in the safe, skillful use of a well maintained tool. Sharp, oiled, valued, useful. A respected instructor, who uses the EDGE philosophy, will be well remembered by the boys he works with.

NASA is no more socialism than the National Parks, research into fertilizer, requiring safe automobiles and airplanes, regulating the EM spectrum, monitoring water quality, rescuing drowning crab fishermen, checking the cleanliness of hog farms, or requiring that elections at the county level be fair and honest. And only a couple of these things are directly directed by the USCon. I think I'll go to the Webelos Weekend down the road and watch the Scouts burn some American flags. We are expecting a local TV film(video?) crew in attendance.

I would POLITELY inquire as to the venue of the earning, encourage the parent/Akela to realize that part of Cubbing is the group experience. If the Cub is to earn the bowling BL, why not organize a Den outing? Many BL and pins MUST be earned at Council/District events, notably archery and BBs. Clarification can be a good thing. If you want a fun time, ask the Cub about the earning....

W-E-E-E-L-L.... Should be a a huge affair, for sure. I'll be in the welcoming contigent, Wave as you go by. I'll be the one with the beard in the Scout uniform ;-)> Welcome to our Nation's Capital, in advance!

It all seemed so simple, once upon a time... Walt Disney and Werner Von Braun, http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FRCQ2Cu3bSE&feature=related

You are right in that there are many important problems here on our Big Blue Marble to solve. I'll not list all of my choices here. But Humans have always sought new places to go and see. True, Francis Drake and Eric the Red were not merely tourists out for a "new" experience, but the inherent desire is there: to "Go and See". (where did I hear that?) It is not enough to send robots to send back pretty pictures. As I get older, I like the idea of knowing that someONE has been there. Many moon ago, as I led my then young son thru our park, I noticed the NEED in him to go and climb and look under things and ask questions. True, most of the places he wants to go now, some other human ( a whole lot of humans) has been there first, but the desire to go new places is still there. I would much rather my grandson go to Mars than to a battle front in a unsettled corner of our world. Can we not help bring calm and peace where there is now death and strife so our wealth can be used to explore and "go and see" ? You want to see a "moneyhole"? I'll point you to my brother-in-law's sailboat!

Had to go check out my memory, and yep, it's still there... "Scout Field Book" c.1948, 1959 printing... pg. 83, bare chested "indian" Scouts. pg.129, canoeing and swimming Scouts, sans shirts. pg.149, "construct a shower bath (and) a good wash basin stand". Scouts washing up, shirtless. pg. 150, Shirtless Scout hard at it, chopping down a tree. pg. 175, Scout cooking "planked fish", smoking himself, too, it would appear. pg. 202, "Fun in the Water", etc. WoW!Birling at Scout camp??? pg.216, "indian Scouts" (?OA ? )and pg225, demoing breechclout wear. pg. 231 A pirate skit, bare chest with skull &crossbones painted on. pg. 235' "The indian camp is the place for advanced Scout camping." And there are many more. So what is the problem now? When "FIRE ON THE MOUNTAIN!" was called out, we knew to dress up, 'get more decent' as my old SM would say. It's not your Father's Field Book.....

"Why would any patrol be using three pots at once, let alone two frying pans at once? I can't recall once when my old patrol used the cocoa pot. (And why does the kit only include four plates and four cups? Has the ideal patrol since been halved recently?) " Waaay back when, we used the Patrol Cook kit. Either divied it up for carrying, or one boy schlepped the whole kit and one or two carried the tents and grub. Big pot was for boiling water for washing and coffee/tea/cocoa. Keep it full and hot until time to pack up. Coffee pot was always for Tang(!)or powdered milk. Small pot was for cocoa mixing, and then dish washing. The plates were augmented with more plates, and the cups were discarded in favor of personal cups. The inside of the teapot was filled with a roll of "AP"paper. One frying pan for cooking, the other for serving, usually. Everyone had their own utensils, but the Chef's Kit was used as is. Aluminum plate served as cutting board, not that many "precooked" meals in the stores, but we learned to premeasure and prepack the raw stuff to simplify things. Our Troop had a "property" that someone's uncle's brother-in-law owned, and we went there very often. Natural spring water, creek thru the camp for foot dipping. It was filthy with downed American Chestnut and we used that almost exclusively for cooking. Unmatched coals. Every other wood for other purposes. I agree the plastic wrapper for the Chef's Kit is a problem, our original kit was housed in cloth, made drying easy. ! Don't forget to "soap" the bottoms/outside of your cookpots. Campfire black comes right off. Check out the Thrift Shops in your area. Tell the staff there what you want, they usually have stuff in the back.

"Oh, you can't get to heaven (oh you can't get to heaven) "In a red canoe... (in a red canoe) "Cause the darn Girl Scouts/Moose Patrol/Aquatics Staff/Scoutmaster ((pick one)), (cause the darn Girl Scouts...) "Will follow you... (will follow you) "Oh, you can't get to heaven in a red canoe , 'cause the darn Girl Scouts will follow you, "I ain't gonna grieve, my Lord, no more..." usw.

In my experience, the FoS gimme is done by anyone who is concerned about supporting Scouting. I have seen it done by the local DE, an unlocal DE, a Committee Chair, a DC, the Cubmaster, lots of folks. I am among the crowd who is put off by some of our "pros", however. When I approached one DE about a problem, he asked me why I would want to bring such attention to myself by asking about it? Another time, another was heard speaking to a Cub Parent who had asked him to come to their Pack and speak about the Scout program and he replied that (quote)" I don't do that kind of thing. I have people that do. I'll get'em to call you". Cub Parent told me he no one ever did (call them). I can readily understand how some Scout folks are not welcoming to someone who asks for mo'money, after camp fees, dues, popcorn purchases, and such. But then, it is like alot of publicly visible things , very often the "visible" charges don't near cover all the expenses. We just hope that the PTB don't try and sell off the Council Camps to cover 5 or 6 figure salaries.

Look at the following. Lots of good ideas about Webelos and Readyman in particular. http://www.boyscouttrail.com/webelos/webelos-scouts.asp

In as much as the 13th point of the Scout Law ("A Scout is Hungry") is by far the easiest for a Scout to follow, I think a Patrol cooking award is a fine idea. A consideration might be how far the Patrol has to schlep it's gear. A beef wellington that is produced 50 feet from the Troop trailer needs to be weighted against the peach cobbler cooked from raw peaches 5 miles up the AT. And proper sanitation and camp gadgetry taken into the formula. Judging: Are you just pleasing the SM or is there a vote among the PLC? I remember a "Salamagundi" I attended as an OA staffer( I was one of the fire marshals). There was a Troop that had, I think, 3 Patrols, and each had set up a camp kitchen and lashed up tables. The Scouts had camp stools they carried in. The Patrol cooks actually COOKED, and all had good meals, I forget the details, but I remember baked potatoes and one patrol, something smelled of fish. I remember this, because one of the Patrols had a really big fire and I had to ask them to knock it down, as we were in a drought condition. They were making coals, but too much! Perhaps a cooking contest in a "neutral" spot, a public park and a "impartial" judge, and definite rules and limitations (no steel stoves, only wood and/or charcoal, "only what you can carry in a backpack", whatever is appropriate...). If it is a big enough affair, call in the local press! Bon appetite!

Local Baptist church chartered a successful Cub Pack. Well known in District, at Roundtable. I knew CM. (he later became UC). New Pastor. Story from my friend the CM, at next RT: "he doesn't want a CubPack, he wants to do Awana." So be it. Cub Pack given 3 months notice to NOT MEET IN THE CHURCH ANYMORE!. Pack leadership goes "CO shopping", personal contacts, RT announcements, Commish phone tag, DEs burn up the email. Local Lions club becomes new CO, with proviso that the Pack may move again if they find a new home "with amenities" (Lions Club is admittedly a "CO of convenience", so CP meets in the VFD hall that the Lions Club meets in. Result: Boys remain Cub Scouts.

I heard that in order to free up "future new Merit Badge slots", the BSA is going to combine some Merit Badges... Frinstance, Pets and Cooking... Wood Carving and Forestry... Motorboating and Waterskiing... Might be more...

Thank you, skeptic, I always wondered about that. Wonder if it was "market value". Naw, I guess that's not really a concern. The USArmy is a publicly supported (!) organization and might view helping the BSA as part of it's possible purview. I do like the idea of BSA having it's own site, area politics not withstanding. Now, the USArmy can use it's training site for all of it's time, without worrying about Jamboree time.

Most excellent, o nascent Fearless Leader! Let's narrow this down a little for us advisers/counselors/Old Goats/critics-from-afar... Hike in? How far? Unload the car within sight of camp? Back yard of the CO? You speak of a Patrol Box. Is thisthe storage back at the CO or a carry-it-with-us box? We can talk about splitting up the Patrol supplies among the Scouts or doing it pallaquin style, a "BOX" carried by two or more Scouts. A good breakfast and a lesson in quick co-operative clean up is a real step in the right direction.

I wonder how much rent BSA paid to the USArmy for use of Fort APHill?

Okay, so if "past is prologue", as the philosopher said, put your leetle gray cells to work. We all know where scouting has been.... where is it going? What might we see in the future of Scouting? Here? Abroad, around the world? Out of the world? New activities? New gear? More of the same, only different?