SSScout

Jblake: Sorry I didn't get back to your request to "hire out" the bugler. I was speaking of the Troop I grew up in, not the one I ASM. Would that I could speak thus of my son's Troop. I would mention that a fair bugler CAN earn a little. As has been mentioned in other places here, the American Legion, and other vet orgs will pay an honorarium for someone to play a real bugle at ceremonies (burials, flag, etc.), and can refer such a player to others that are seeking a real bugler. It matters not the age of the player, just the willingness and skill. So many times, a CD or tape player must stand in for the real thing. YiS

"Emma's Weight Loss program" (popup) I have always thuht the reason for all safety training is to get folks to think "WHAT IF" and learn from OTHER peoples mistakes. The guidelines in G2SS are full of the results of other people's accidents and lots of 'what if' exercises. It's the Scouters job to make the Scout think about the 'what ifs'. Camporee camp fire set up by the OA. Someone thought that (because it was a BIG camporee), two campfires would be good, lots of light, lots of space, big stage space. Lots of acts on the ticket. Several Scouters finally convinced the OA MC that ONE fire would be sufficient. Then someone noticed, NO WATER BUCKETS OR SHOVELS. Mucho running around to collect the necessary requisites. As it happened, the fire was quite impressive, built with many oak pallets. It also provided some of it's tenders with first degree burns as they attempted to limit it's spread in the grass that the OA planners also neglected to clear from the site. Many of the skits were entertaining. There was a long debriefing afterward.

Icongratulate you on your new adventure. As a newly minted DDC whose "specialty" is officially new units, let me second all that has preceded. And add one suggestion. If the nascent Troop is, as you say, sponsored by "interested parents", this implies a seperate incorporation. This can be well and good, but if you search these forums, you will discover some threads that discuss the pros and cons of such a self-sponsored unit. It almost always turns out easier and better if the overall charter org is a seperate self sufficient institution. As you no doubt know, Scout units are successfully chartered to many types of institutions: churches, volunteer fire departments, granges, Lions Clubs, American Legion Posts, schoolPTAs, even hardware stores. Yes, a CO need not be a non-profit. I would suggest as you build your Troop's program, also seek out a sympathetic CO. Good uck and Godspeed, Scouter.

LlamaLlamaLlama Patrol

"Sheriff George Wilcox says he has found strange debris on the ranch where he works".

mmmmmmmmmm.... Yep, caught on that one... shorthand will trip ya up..."(funding hospitals that treat burn victims, etc.)" English as a language is word order sensitive. Just ask Yoda!

I like museums and history. We only fully appreciate where we are going by remembering where we've been. Eagle92 has a lot of realy good ideas. Gift Shop? would that conflict with the Council Scout Shop? A local Council has a full service Scout Shop at each Scout camp, manned (personned?) by volunteers. A share of the income stays with the camp. Is the building donated? Owned by whom? If it is Council owned ( as I read/assume) then you may be in a better place, but even so, make sure. Long term lease at a dollar a year? Make sure of your legal basis, as one owners charity might not be shared by the next. Make sure of who/what "owns" your collection. Council? Seperate non-profit? A person? On loan? Spread your publicity wide. Newspaper articles. Web articles. Go to RoundTables in ALL the Districts you can. Offer to come and do a Show and Tell at CSDCs, Unit meetings, and other venues. Get on your Council Tiger Cub Go and See list. What? Well, create one! Don't forget a donation bucket out front. Does your Council have a Scout store nearby? Ask to put a "Change Drop" bucket near the register for donations. They do mount up! Eagle projects? Sponsor Collecting MB classes. Model Making MB. Stamp Collecting. Coin Collectin MB. Any others as appropriate? Do other presentations in conjunction with Council meetings, meet the big bucks that come in. Develope that support committee. And don't forget to smile and wave as you go by.

We really do need a "Scouting and Faith" or "Chaplaincy and Religion" or "Duty to God" or some such thread section, don't you think? This thread is about MORE than an alleged atheistic Cub Scout and/or family, yes? It's not just "Cub Scouts" or even "Issues and Politics".

So my dad always said he could not join a church that was "too organized", that too many churches had the wrong idea about belief. And he was a 32nd degree Scottish Rite Mason, Shrine member. Masonic ceremony at his funeral memorial service in a Methodist Church (chartered my Scout Troop). I attended Demolay (Junior Masons, see Knights Templar) at his request, but ultimately saw no real reason behind it. Scouting was all the "brotherhood" and service to others I needed. The secrecy and oaths, even in Demolay, were too weird and ultimately unnecesary to me. Even at that tender age, I realized the futility of swearing something if the underlaying belief was faulty. The "blood oaths" were really not appropriate to my Christian teaching but when I mentioned my doubts, I was told they (the Oaths) were only symbolic anyway and don't worry about them. Then why declare them? Tradition and history, iwas told. Seemed rather hypocritical to me, even back then. When the "Worshipful Master" at my dads funeral asked me if I had ever considered joining the Scottish Rite, I told him of my history in Demolay and my misgivings about the oaths being unBibical, that the secrecy was counter to my newly found Quaker faith. He tried to argue that there were many different religions represented among Freemasonry, that FMs did much good work (burn hospitals, etc.). I said no thank you just the same. Perhaps in the past there was a rational for the Knights Templar and the Masons (even they have internecine conflict about dogma and ritual), but today?

CSDC:: "Where's Frankie? Anyone seen Frankie?" Webelos Weekend::: (Saturday Morning) "Well, Tom told me that Jake was picking up the Archery stuff from Council...."

"YOU are number SIX..." The bumper sticker reads..." WILL WORK FOR COLORFUL SCRAPS OF CLOTH"

Ditto twocubdad: My wife, the CSDCDirector, and I the FAEE, only used a excel spreadsheet. The Council would send us immense spreedsheet data dumps as registration progressed, and she would condense and eliminate many columns as unneeded. Tote up the columns for tshirt sizes and numbers and den sizes, etc. As to advancement, we always provided each Den Walker with a pile of pages to distribute to each Cub to take home with their souvenir patch on the last day. This page liasted all the badges, belt loops and awards that (1) the Cub DEFINITELY earned by virtue of having attended 5 days of CSDC (archery BL, Flag courtesy requirement, for instance) and (2) MAY HAVE earned, depending on their participation (such as knot tieing practice, ultimate frisbee BL, archery sports pin has a seperate signed card from the Range Officer)and (3) CAN earn, depending on further work (Summer Activity Award, Leave No Trace award). Check your Rank Books. We say that the Cub Leader should discuss with the Cub what he did and how it may apply to a particular requirement. We point out that the awarding of a rank, BL or pin is ultimately the responsibility of the Cub Pack. We have even been asked by a Cub Masters," do you (the CSDC) buy the BL and we award it?" and "can we award the marbles BL because the Cub said he did it?". No, it was not on the list of activities, was it? Have fun with the Cubs. The records will come together.

Old style non-spring clothes pin. Adult carefully drills 1/16th inch hole crosswise thru solid (not "leg" part) of pin. Paint pin to look like Cub Scout (blue pants, white tennies, blue shirt, dots for awards, round head painted 'flesh' tone, little eyes&nose, etc.) . Carefully push blue pipe cleaner thru hole for arms. Cut 1/2 inch pvc pipe 1 inch long, sand smooth. Hotglue pincub to tube. OR, if you can push TWO pipe cleaners thru the hole (slightly larger hole?), one for arms, one for twisting together for neckerchief holder.

Wash te.

"What has the District done for me lately?" Yep the District can "own" nothing unto it self, but yet it can, as a Scout is Trustworthy. I presently have probably $500. worth of equipment in my shed that by rights is the Districts (or some Districts, we've been reorganized and amalgamated three times in the past five years). It was bought with fees from CSDC, Camporees, and Web Weekends. It is brought out and used as needed. It will go onto somebody elses shed eventually. Out our way, Camporees and WWeekends are sponsored and organized by local units. The stuff needed comes out of their trailers and Scout dads' sheds. And then it goes back. Jake knows that Sam has XX and Pete remembers that John T. has a PPP that we can use. It gets done. "the way opens" and things worth doing get done. By Somebody, doesn't it? Around here, we do not think of the word "scrounge" as a bad word. Just remember to put a NAME on the popup shelter so it can go back in the right garage.

Thank you. Goes to show you don't get help until you ask for it. Go ahead and ASK.

Scoutnut! Consider the results of your suggestion! Take a 1/2 inch PVC pipe (free scrap from your plumber friend), cut off a 1 inch length for the slide, sand smooth. Hot glue a leaf shape to it... I would love to see a life size Sycamore leaf on a Tiger NCh slide! Our Sycamore has 12 inch wide leaves! A Mature Black Oak would be similar sized! Wonderful...I think it would be GREAT! Use soft craft foam sheets, various colors.

"The humble, meek, merciful, just, pious, and devout souls are everywhere of one rreligion; and when death has taken off the mask they will know one another, though the diverse liveries they wear here make them strangers." = William Penn = The Fruits of Solitude = So when is the Forum going to give us a Chaplaincy and Faith Forum? Seems to me that the Politics is/are a seperate thing from the G word items... There have been many times I have been asked, at public displays and private confabs, "do you have to be Christian to be a Scout?" or it's converse, "how can you be a Scout if your not Christian?" I can only point at the mono-faith Troops I met at the 05 Jamboree (NY Jewish) and the Muslim units that I now Commish for, and then count the boys in my home Troop (Hindu, Methodist, Catholic, Quaker, Baptist that I know of. Unfortunately, the Hindu family is inactive presently). I have a problem with a faith that seeks to control it's members with fear, whether that is fear of damnation or fear of dissassociation or fear of ...what? But it is not for me to judge. I can only live my example for others to see. My God is one of love and forgiveness of my faults and acceptance of me and mine despite all the reasons I should not be accepted. WWJD? is not a new radio station. Happy Purim and ( in advance) St. Pat's Day, by the way, begorra.

Correction to previous post: Yes, I guess I have met some whose religion will allow a mention of doubt. But it is still,hey, (as Paul said) 'come and see', my truth may well be a better truth than yours. Personal experience: I once worked with a young lady (well, we were both youngER then...) who was a devout Jehovah's Witness. We were both on the late night shift, not much to do but watch after the building. And we did discuss religion! It was interesting to me how we both professed belief in Christ as Savior, but how she refused to read anything I passed to her for consideration while she could pass to me stuff for me to read (Watch Tower). If I could tell her my material was "history" and not meant to "convert" her, then that was all right. Verbal argument and comment, personal witness was fine, but she "was not allowed" to accept anything written, unless it was "history". Allowed by whom? Why, the Elders of the Temple, of course. The Bible was okay, but only THEIR Bible. No other religious work was "allowed". Biblcal argument was good, but not unless it matched the JW argument, verse for verse. My first introduction to the idea that there is more than one Bible. And that the Bible may be inerrant, but some parts of the Bible are more correct than others. Depends on who is doing the declaring. Nuances. I could certainly come and visit her religious service, but she would never come to visit mine. She would not set foot in any building "dedicated" to any other religion. Well, this did present a problem, when I invited her to my birthday party, since first off, they don't celebrate BDs(!) (parties are okay, just not BDs) and second, since a Quaker Meeting for Worship can rightly be held anywhere at all ("wherever two or more are gaithered..."), even the Community Hall of our Meeting (where the BD was to be held) might be seen as a religious building. But she was a very good person, and I had large respect for her, as she expressed the same for me on more than one occassion. But were we both Christian? Some might not say so. Were either of us convinced of the other's version of Christianity? Nope. She saw mine as having little or no "authority" behind it, I saw hers as having too much human and maybe not enough spiritual behind hers. But I saw hers as being sufficient for her and I think she suspected mine as being sufficient for me. But still hers was more right than mine to her... And I decided that was alright in the end. Perhaps she felt sorry for me as being 'doomed' but I felt no such pity for her. Doom, is , after all not mine or your decision. What was that about 440,000 select?

Scout Field Book, c1948, 1959 printing. Any book by Ernest Thompson Seton. Seek them out.

Is this a "special" colection, that is not ordinarily done? Or is it a mere extention of a regular, usual, ongoing collection? Our Council does "Scouting for Food" in Novenber for a local agency that collects and distributes food to needy folks. It is not an Eagle project, but is Council sponsored. The SfF collects well over 50% of the pantry's total yearly supply. The scope of your Eagle's project needs to be considered. Could it be expanded to include the whole county? The whole District? The whole Council? Now, there would be leadership demonstrated! Get others to help write letters, contact community leaders, news media, etc. Bon appetite!

It is the duty of every parent (and they fulfill this duty,whether they are aware of it or not) to school their children in what they feel is the best way to honor and worship God/higher power/universal spirits as they have perceived this method to be. Most of these methods are codified into "official" religions (or lack there of). It is then the children's duty (again, they fulfill this duty, whether they are aware of it or not) to either ACCEPT or REJECT that method. It will happen, either way. Christian parents will end up with athiest children or Bishops. Jewish parents will end up with Rabbis or Buddhists. Jehovah's Witnesses will end up with Quakers or Elders. Athiests beget Priests and nihilist philosophers. It happens. I do not know of a single religion that says (officially) "our faith may not be the best way to God". I can point to a couple that do allow as much as to say that one person's faith may not be the best for another, however. Each faith is demonstrably the "best " way to God. We can be proud of our progeny, or dissappointed, or disgusted or second guess ourselves. We DO ask our Scouts to "DO MY BEST" er that's "DO YOUR BEST" , etcetera... We do not ask them to DO IT or ELSE.Do we? If the Scout is asked to "do his BEST" when it comes to spiritual faith, can that be judged absolutely as one might judge a correctly tied square knot? I keep coming back to my experience at the 05 Jamboree as Chaplain. I met and signed off on the "Duty to God" rocker for at least ten Scouts who told me quote I'm not so sure about this God stuff unquote. If I extend that to the other 35 Chaplains who were doing the same thing, I estimate about 350 Scouts out of the 40,000 had the same,what, ideology? Not quite agnostic? Not quite athiest? In conversation with some of my fellow Chaplains, I did not come across any who would favor actively "outing" any of these Scouts. I still say that Scouting is a self selecting organization. If our standard is the Scout Promise and the Scout Law and assuming Irving doesn't try to adjust them ( the definitions for the Law have been changed thru the years), those that feel they cannot even ATTEMPT to meet those ideals will leave. "A Scout is Trustworthy" should be what we concentrate on. See James 5:12, perhaps. Course, now, you will find the occasional UnScout Scout. Swearing to tell the truth in court doesn't guarantee the truth will be told, either. Which leaves us, where?

Optimist: The glass is half full. Pessimist: The glass is half empty. Engineer: The container was not designed so as to optimize the volume to contents ratio. Scouter: Is the source of the water safe? Pass the iodine tablets.

*ahem* "Reverence to God and reverence for one's neighbor and reverence for oneself as a servant of God, is the basis of every form of religion. The method of expression of reverence to God varies with every sect and denomination. What sect or denomination a boy belongs to depends, as a rule on his parents' wishes. It is they who decide. It is our business to respect their wishes and to second their efforts to inculcate reverence, what ever form of the religion the boy professes." ==Robert Baden-Powell, "Aids to Scoutmastership" That said, if the form of reverence the parents choose is NOT to believe in a "higher power", then all the Scout Leader can do is not pass on the requirement. And remind the Scout that he has been asked to make a promise. Has he kept that promise? Is it no longer possible to attempt to keep that promise? So as to not keep repeating ourselves, see: http://www.scouter.com/forums/viewThread.asp?threadID=227967&p=1 There are worthy youth organizations without a religious componant. (This message has been edited by SSScout)

I am familiar with JCorbi's. We've been on both sides of the pizza box here. I've never seen anything but Corbi labels on their packages. Never "XYZ Elementary School Pizza" or "Boy Scout Troop ABC Pizza". It's aways labeled Joe Corbi Pizza. Eagle32, has your Council declared WHY , what has happened to get Corbi declared of limits? Perhaps Corbi is claiming that one can "raise money for your Scout Troop!" Is that too much?