SSScout

Checks. Cheques. True story: Second World War. American army officer. Goes into a British army officers' club as a guest. For cash, he writes a "cheque" on a plain piece of paper (sometimes said to be the back of a cigarette package, but no matter), to be drawn on a local (to me) US bank. The bank is so well known, (in Britain!) that the cheque is honored, and makes it's way, all the way, , back to the USA where it was , for a time, displayed in the bank.

Oh, let me share a coin horror story. While working as a Transit Bus Driver, in rush hour, it was not unusual for folks to pay the fare with a handful of coins, carefully dribbled into the electric farebox. I had a lady board and proceed to unroll a penny roll and carefully line'm up into the slot. It took a few seconds for me to realize THEY WERE BRIGHT UNCIRCULATED STEEL CENTS. I put my hand over the farebox and asked her where she had got that roll. She responded out of her husbands desk drawer, as she needed money for the farebox. I explained to her that each of those "pennies" were probably worth a couple of dollars EACH. She still had about 2/3 of the roll left, but I explained that neither I nor her would ever see those pennies again.....

Yep. I earned that MB. One of my "specialties" was the Franklin half dollar. My dad had dealings with our local bank, and one of the tellers (wife of a Lion's Club member, in which my dad was very active) had nothing much to do one afternoon (!) and took it upon herself to scan several hundred (!!) dollars worth of halves and found the one date I was looking for....

There goes my dividend....

Good on ya, mate. My stints as Cubmaster and "First Assistant Everything Else" for CSDC are some of the most fun I have ever had. I still run across some of the "boys" in my travels and am remembered. One CUB made Eagle , is now head cashier at my local bank . Not my story, but I can claim some credit. One year, the CSDC theme was "Way Out West" and our District decided to tell the story of the Lewis and Clark expedition. My partner, name of Ted, and I were the chief instigators. Every morning at opening, we would "tell " a story about the L&C trek, and thus set the theme for the day. We thus moved the expedition across the country. Ted did a cartoon French Voyageur accent ("augh augh augh, you tie ze nout laak zis, an' zen you peek heem up laak zis,,, augh augh augh, mes ami....") . We carried a canoe around the site, led the Scout Skills Pavilion to good effect. Ted once told me he and family were in the local Safeway when a young boy ran up to him, pointed his finger up at Ted, cried "AUGH AUGH AUGH ! ! !" and ran off. Of such are reputations and memories made.... Lead your song. Help the Scouts make the memories. AND... never forget , these are the people that will pick out your Assisted Living Facility. See you on the trail.

Oh for the days of yore... My Cub Pack, back in paleolithic Scouting days, played in a Cub Scout softball league. Each Pack in the area fielded a team, I seem to remember this was spring time and thru the summer too. Ribbons for the flag. Tshirts and a REAL ball cap (wool !) for the Cubs. This was in addition to the usual Den meetings, trips to the zoo, hay rides, fire station visits, and movies, Cub-a-rees, and Pack Meetings . My dad was one of the coaches, I was a first baseman owing (so they said) to my long arms (at age 8 and 9?) and reach. Competition with Little League? Maybe, it was softball, not hardball. Even I learned the softball didn't travel as far as a hardball when hit, but it did travel. We learned alot about sportsmanship and tactics and predicting where that "lefty" would hit. No more Scout sports, eh? Too bad...

Why would the Catholic Youth of America be concerned with this?

This is certainly not crazy, it is very well thought out. But it ain't Scouts. It is Parents who are afraid to "trust" their Scouts to do the Scout thing, within safe. sane limits. The Parents can always veto any project/activity, but as to the actual desire, planning, accomplishment, that is what is lacking here. The SCOUTS should be the originators, not the parents. THEY should be the encouragers.

Native American,,,, First Nations,,,,, Anyone here heard of "Straight Arrow"? http://iloveshreddedwheat.com/1949-52-straight-arrow-cards/

USPostal service letters (remember them?), email, phone calls/tree, cell phone texts, Knock on door leave card in door..... You try, you "do your best". When you are convinced the horse is dead, you quit beating it. Schedule a last B&G picnic with magician and catered BBQ, spend the last of the Pack's treasury, transfer the remainder on to the CO, and move on to ScoutsBSA.

Measure distance between the lug holes in the spare wheel. Go to Tractor Supply or Harbor Freight or equivalent and buy a looong square u-bolt to match the distance. Four nuts and four big fender washers to fit. Decide on location on front or rear door of trailer, drill holes in wall/door. Reinforce with a piece of scrap lumber inside if deemed necessary. U-bolt thru wall, run first pair of washers/nuts down. seal with appropriate goo against water infiltration. Mount spare, run second pair of washers/nuts down to hold. If you are lucky, the u-bolt thread will match the wheel lug thread(ours did) and you can use extra lug nuts to hold spare on. Total cost about $20. Leaves tow bar empty of obstructions. Doesn't catch rain, promote rust. Go to Action Auto, buy a cover for the spare, paint a smiley Scout face on it .

Eagledad: Yep, the ideal. Somebody ought to do something about (this). Yep, very often, nobody will step up and "do something". Why? Because "I might be wrong". "I don't want to get involved". "I don't want to embarrass an (otherwise) good person." "I haven't got the time for this." "It's not my problem." "Somebody else, better equipped than I, will take care of it." "I might be affected/hurt/threatened." This is what "assertiveness" training in our schools is about. Our kids are correctly taught about this.... Child abuse? See something say something? If it makes you uncomfortable, speak to an adult you trust? yep. It does take a certain amount of.... ""A Scout Is Brave."" Make the ideals well known (Scout Promise, Scout Law, Golden Rule, US Constitution to name a few) and then when something don't seem right, speak up about it. As Barney Fife used to say, "You got to nip it in the bud ! Nip, nip, nip it ! " The longer such problems are allowed to continue, the harder they are to "nip". And it's certainly not just Scouts.......is it ?

It's gonna be a long, long time....

You miss the point (sorry....)

Should the Scoutmaster be held to account for his lack of Scout Spirit and not following BSA guidelines ? Yes. Should the Scout accept the brunt of this man's vengeful behavior (and that is what it is, the Scout not bending to the SM's will) ? No. Should the parents of this Scout speak up for what they see as un-Scoutlike behavior ? Most definitely yes. And all the other parents. Should the COR and IH of the CO involved be apprised of all this ? Yes. A long sit down and several cuppas are called for. Should the COR be involved? It is their noted responsibility. Should the District Executive, the District Commissioner, the Council Scout Executive and the Advancement Chairs of Council and District be apprised? Yes. Should a journal like documentation be made? A very good idea. Include other folks names and signatures. I have great sympathy for these men's families, both the SM and the UC as described. A Scoutmaster and Commissioner are supposed to be about the Scouts, not the Scoutmaster or Commissioner.

International Owl Awareness Day , , , , Today , , , https://www.internationalowlcenter.org/owlawarenessday.html

*sigh*. The Scout Uniform is preferred, yes. The kid's nakedness should be covered (I guess). Time was, the Scout's uniform needed to be "used". It is called the "FIELD " Uniform for a reason. It was designed (used to be) to be worn "In The Field".,. If you wanted a clean uniform, you got more than one . I know many a OA denizen who will tell you there is more respect garnered by a dirty , calloused sash than from a bright shiny one. The character ingrained is to be respected. Service projects? Field uniform in my day. The public visibility was desired and utilized. The senior Scouts in my Troop had no problem in wearing a pair of Scout pants that obviously had been thru some "history". If you watch "Follow Me Boys", see if you can find a whole complete uniform amongst the Troop. Here are some Scouts, from Malawi . . . . Their uniform is first and foremost the neckerchief. The Cape Maclear Scout Facebook page is wonderful. Uniform? My favorite story is of the young newly minted Cub Scout who was told the family was going to his cousin's wedding, and they would be wearing their best clothes. That Saturday, after breakfast, he showed up in his Cub Uniform. They let him wear that to the wedding. Scouting is supposed to be about SCOUTING not clothing.

Sounds like a Venture Crew or Explorer Post to me.... Make it happen ! Even by ZOOM....

*sigh*. I guess the days of worrying about one's good word and reputation as being as good as a handshake are over ? There is a local story about a US soldier in London during the Blitz needing some cash, so he wrote a "check" on a local US bank on a scrap of paper (the legend says a cigarette pack wrapper) and the London bank cashed it on sight owing to the reputation of the bank in question. My dad trusted the cash in his pocket, but used the banks , and they knew him. His reputation is what got me my first car loan. Same bank..... Then too, one might worry about forgetting where one buried that Mason jar full of Grants or Franklins and Clevelands......

Over the past few years, I have been surprised/pleased and honored when folks learn my name and say' "yeah, I knew your (Mom (or) Dad). He/she were good people. I remember when...." It is said that no one really dies until no one else remembers their name. Write up the stories for your kids to remember gdad by. I hope after the tears, you can easily smile. See you on the trail.

Time is relative and judgement and behavior can be changed.... That is what we need to encourage ...

As that old Belgium Scouter Hercule would say, "Zee leetle graay cells , they are vibrating, n'est pas ? " I like the idea of a nation wide, virtual, eJambo. Tent in your own back yard, Social distance your Scouts. How many customers in a ZOOM ? There is a wonderful ZOOM choral concert that was built up https://ericwhitacre.com/the-virtual-choir MAYBE Irving can think to put their staff to work organizing such.

History of child abuse? The BSA has no more "history" than many churches or schools. Canada is going thru some soul searching about the Original Nations' forced schooling. Is the Scout program at fault in general ? Father ? Lord ? Shepherd ? Too many jokes? What jokes? The "snide comments" say more about the speaker than their topic. of so-called "humor". An abuser is an abuser, no matter what their title or official position or gender. Or organization. The title is not the problem. Should we not call a Police Officer a Police Officer because a few choose to use their "POR" in less than admirable ways? It is not the title that is faulty, but the person who claims it that needs attention.

Perhaps it is the usage of the word that gives one pause. If a title is needed to refer to a particular person, the context of that person's position and history in that position might need to be considered. Slaves were incorrectly, unfortunately considered property, true, and the "master" of the plantation was who gave them orders, if not the "Foreman" or "Overseer" . Us Quakers are reconsidering our use of the term "Overseer" in our hierarchy of responsible people in out Meetings. More on that later. Is "captain" a title that should be reconsidered because of it's association with less than "ideal" captains? Captain Queeg? Captain Bligh? The term Master implies authority, if not control. Jesus was referred as "master". So was Buddha. School master? Master of Arms? I find no problem with the term "Scoutmaster" The context of the title needs to be always considered. It is not gender specific. It implies knowledge, authority, concern, counsel. In loco parentis. I do not know of any Scout Organization that calls their adult leaders anything other than "Scoutmaster" (or the language equivalent) We are going to have Scoutmasters that encourage the Patrol/Youth led method and those that insist on Marine DI method. The title has no reason for change. Only the context needs attention. See you on the (ZOOM) trail....

God ain't making any more land. When a camp is sold, it is sold and lost to Scouts. And to the future. The lack of forward looking management is always a shame. Such properties can be utilized and pay their own way if imaginative people work at it. Nature, ecological education programs. Public and private school programs. Agricultural education (organic? ) Demonstration gardens. Church , weddings, office "retreats", Isaac Walton utilization, Audubon Societies, even selective harvesting of timber. Publicity , even among Scout groups (limit to BOY Scouts? Why not offer to GIRL ScoutsUSA even?) , LDS has their own program now, can they use a few extra camp grounds ? The State might PAY for the opportunity to plant new trees (experimental American Chestnut?) . The NEED for our ("our") professional Scouters to be so often parochial ("it's got to be SCOUT stuff") is very sad. Want to know WHY Chicago Council wanted to sell all four of their camps? "Follow the money...."