SSScout

It's been a long time since I went down to Kensington and drove that stickshift Rambler around the National Guard Armory. Twice. I (used to) teach driving and safety to our new bus drivers before I retired, so I ended up teaching our Yearly Meeting Summer Camp counselor/bus drivers. Most of them had never driven anything larger than a Toyota Corolla, so it was a fun thing. I would set up cones in a big parking lot for a slalom course and manuevering practice. The scientific term is "proprioception", the ability to reach out and grab something : your brain knows where your arm/hand is, your eyes see/know where the glass of milk is, and makes that connection without conscious effort. Same thing in driving . Knowing where the bumper and wheel is in respect to the curb/wall/street sign/pole allows one to drive without hitting something and changing the shape of your motor conveyance .Many a cone was "killed". On The Road practice was a challenge sometimes, but the kid (!) would sometimes thank me afterward, teaching from the "Smith System" perspective. Repeat after me: "If it looks like a railroad crossing, I will treat it like a railroad crossing." Presto, so to speak, you have a Class B CDL with Passenger Endorsement. Good for a part time, fall back job, if your MA in philosophy doesn't work out. Over the years, I got to know which testing sites here in Murlin were busy, available, which had sympathetic examiners, which had examiners with chips on their shoulders. It takes some time to get really good, with the proper attitude , to be a safe driver, but it starts with the confident ability to aim your vee-hic-kull thru spaces just barely able to accommodate it. That said, I was amazed a few years ago to learn that Murlin would no longer require nascent drivers to demonstrate (!!) the ability to parallel park. My bus drivers would still be required to demonstrate that skill (with a forty foot long bus !)., but not the kid in the Corolla. Defensive driving took on a whole new meaning. I have seen driver training machines, but one must still do it in the real world. I had one trainee, a petite young woman, who became very good at everything I had to teach her. We went to the examining site and unfortunately it was pouring down rain. The examiner was very sympathetic, gave her every "break" as I watched. He stood out in the rain in his official slicker, but my student couldn't even SEE the cones to drive around, much less avoid them. We came back two days later and she passed all the tests easily. Virtual reality. We used to laugh about our bus system drivers inability to "phone their work in". Will our Scouts be allowed to "phone in" their outdoor experience?

"Snowplow " parents. I like that.....

Desert rat77: Amen to much of what you say. Please remember, too, the Scoutmasters and Cubmasters of that time (and before) were generally part of the "Greatest Generation", they had been thru stuff they did not want their kids to endure, but still wanted them to be able to endure. Yep, I slept under canvas, made my own tent/tarp of 8mil black plastic, duct tape and hand set grommets. totally enclosed, bug proof tents weren't readily available yet. 6-12 was used, alot. My M4 plywood packframe (Koean war surplus) weighs more than the whole pack our Troop Scout takes out for a weekend. The GI wool blanket I used for summer camp is mothproofed and still hanging in my closet, iron on name tag in the corner. Greenbar Bill's column spoke to the Scout, not to the Scoutmaster or Committee chair or COR. I read that.....

Well, perhaps he is trying to be true to the Scout Law. A Scout Is Clean, and there is nothing much cleaner than a disenffected key board.

A Scoutmaster in self quarantine ?

Thankee mate, now I can sleep better.😚

I've been waiting for SOMEONE to correct the thread title.

If the code geeks can arrange it, Whittlin' Chip, Totin Chip and Fire Safety/Building might be done with Wii.... Didn't we have Smell-o-Vision and Sensarround and Cinerama some years back? And that Golfing video game? I've even seen a bowling version and the clack of pins at the end of the alley.... Don't even need to heft a 10 pound ball.

Well, I tried to respond to this wonderful memory before but router trouble prevented. This is the kind of personal adventure we need to remember. It is what made our Gparents and parents so wonderful. It is the kind of expedition that today gives the lawyers teeth grinding angst. One can google month long Scout adventures that involve ONLY the Scouts. I remember reading about a dozen NYC Scouts set out on the AT, supported by adult supply drop off every so often,I seem to remember 6 make it thru, this in the 1930's. I will see if I can find it again. Would any one sanction such a thing now adays? According to strict reading of BSA script, a Scout Patrol should not (cannot?) even meet together at Panera without a "two deep" adult presence. Go explore a rock quarry? "Not if we know about it." Hike a five mile trail , as a group (virus not withstanding), without an adult trailing/leading with a GPS equipped emergency beacon? Our Scouts are so conditioned at school (and in Scouting?) that they are reticent to raise their hand, discuss, give an opinion, but will wait for the teacher/ASM to TELL them the where/what/when. Ya want to know why BSA is seen as on the skids? It is not only the poor decisions about youth protection made 40 years ago, or the number of high (?!) paid execs, or the helicopter parent personnae or the selling off of camps, or the cutesy uniform choices or poor PR .... it is also , to large degree, the loss of BSA's adventure image . Why are (some) young females wanting to join BSA? The BSA has been living on it's past glory (yes, getting dirty and falling down rocks and trying to find one's way BY YOURSELF) . That is what folks want to see BSA as being, but . . . What has it become? What is it ,,,, really ? "All Scouting is local" . For sure. If we define a successful Scout Unit as one that attracts and retains members (Scouts !), the successful Troops/Packs exhibit what behavior? Can National see that and reinforce it ?

What do the Scouts care about what name is on the left sleeve patch? There might be some nostalgia about the camp they attended, and when that is sold to correct somebody's accounting problem , the Troops and Packs and Crews may have some re-planning to do. That seems to be the biggest problem, the adult's need to pay bills and meet payroll. If the camp property can't be made to pay it's way, the Councils can be merged to lay off some DEs and Camp Directors and Rangers and shuffle some CSEs and RDs to show a good profit/loss sheet. The Scouts that have already passed thru might not be affected, but the Scouts yet to be will NOT have the chances that you and I old timers had, and THAT's the real pity. When I attended Camp Roosevelt (which was sold in the 1970's to purchase the Goshen Scout Reservation) on Chesapeake Bay, there were alot less Scouts around then there are now, and evidently a lot more Camps. Now, we decry the loss of Scouts from membership, but there is still many more Scouts NOW than THEN in need of places to camp and swim and shoot arrows safely. What happens to them if the properties are sold and the Councils merged "to save money"? Our goal, at least judging from alot of the discussion in this chat room, , is to get MORE youth into Scouting so as to give them that advantage. Merging Councils does not solve that problem. It solves the adults' balance sheet problem, but not that problem.

The Local Councils are chartered by the National Council, rather like a restaurant franchise. The Council meets the branding requirements of the National Org, and all is well. The Local Council will be incorporated as a Non-Profit org in the local state, the Board of Directors is by definition all the Charter Organization Representatives (you can read all this in the incorporation papers in your state's records). Guess what? The CORs may /maynot never come to a meeting. "The work is done by whoever shows up". The local executives (voted in, approved by, the CORs present) do what they want. Look up the many sales of campgrounds . Some years ago, Chicago Area Council went about selling off the many camps the Council owned, with Nationals encouragement and blessing. SOME of the CORs finally got together and took things to court, worked with the local county government involved and saved Owasippee from Luxury Resort status. You can google and look it up in the Scouter dot com records. Don't say it can't happen. Cape Cod is facing the same dilemma. Bankruptcy? Separation of assets? The various churches/fire companies/American Legion Posts that sponsored the Troops (and approved the leaders) that suffered with the abusive leaders won't be sued, they don't have any assets to attach.

I'm with sst3rd on this. If you have the gung-ho Scouts you sound like you have, and the parent support, you can brainstorm a local neighborhood summer camp. Check with your District leaders for Merit Badge Counselors, and Scout Leader Trainers. Put an event/campsite in each of several backyards. Hike between them. Cook meals on the backyard grill. Visit local historic sites. Totin' Chip? Ask for your District's IOLS folks. Knots/Pioneering? Sea Scouts in your Council? Map and Compass? Ya know any surveyors? No requirement that any of it must be done at an "official" camp. Swimming? Boats? Might need a connection and arrangements with a local pool or lake front. Archery? Shotgun/rifles? Check with your local Isaac Walton League. Around Baltimore, there are many Scout Friendly archery clubs. Poke around, you can find the solution to your desire. Way back when, I passed several FC requirements in backyards, not at camp. It can be fun, will build lasting friendships and memories. It does take alot of "what if" planning, and trust and commitment from the Troop Scouters, but it can be done. Scouting started out with NO professional leadership, remember that. It was and should be as ""LOCAL"" as possible.

Very Scouty. Passed on to my local SScout Commodore.

Royal Rangers? Vanguard Scouts ?

Pet Peeve . . . Ya ever go for a hike in the park, see the sign at the parking lot that reads "All Dogs Must Be On Leash . . .Please Clean Up After Your Dog" and along the trail you find that folks have cleaned up after their dogs, picked up the poop in the little plastic bag, AND THEN LEFT THE BAG ON THE TRAIL . . . .

Bugling is always good : https://www.nbcnews.com/nightly-news/video/boy-scout-plays-moving-tribute-to-veterans-who-died-from-coronavirus-81856581806 @SSScout

The manufacture of toothpicks is one of skill and daring.

Oh, you would love the Ken Burns documentary. You can find the DVD for sure (Amazon?), or try this: https://www.mlb.com/news/ken-burns-baseball-streaming-free-on-pbs Realize it is a nine "inning" series , each 90 or so minutes. Sit back and enjoy. My pleasure. Belgian Zot.....

Howdy, BPPatrolonaRoll.... You can research the National Parks Junior Ranger and Scout Ranger Award. These are particular to each national park, so go to the Chief Ranger. Next, you can check out the National Historic Trails Award of the BSA, which I understand can be earned more than once. If you get down to Washington DC (Covid19 considerations !!) there is a Scout History Trail Award to pursue around the DC area. When your Scouts have their Totin' Chip in hand, they might consider the BSA Paul Bunyan Award...., Oh, there are lots of badges and patches to earn. Religious faith awards? Those can be done at home, mostly. Stay warm and dry and socially distant.... Welcome to virtualScouting.

Is the National BSA Meeting still "on" for May? Can "ordinary" Scouters attend?

The center of Scouting is indeed the "safe outdoor adventure". I ditto all the above comments/suggestions/encouragements. I remember my paleoscout era days. A lot of my rank requirements were learned and passed in various backyards, not on campouts or hikes. The skills were then applied, practiced and perfected in camp. Nature requirements? ID plants, animals, animal signs? Much of the IDing can be done with online, book materials, and HOPEFULLY retained to apply when the outdoor part of our safe adventure returns. I just saw a rufous sided towhee on our back porch feeder. Squirrels, chipmunks, deer, all thru the neighborhood. Passing the requirements? With some effort, alot can be done online. I just completed a video "BlueSky" medical appointment. Whodathunk such a thing would be possible only a few years ago. Skype, ZOOM (make sure the privacy settings are correct) has great potential. Religious services, choral practice, family reunions and check ins, committee meetings, meritbadge sessions (going to try Bugling in the near future !). If a Scout is Trustworthy, much can be accomplished before we again take to the woods. Our IOLS/BALOO session for May was canceled, our October sessions are still on. We shall see. Pass the Peach Cobbler, please.

Just because the "rule" isn't written down doesn't mean it isn't a "rule". Perhaps the analogy is not exact, but the reality is there. For many of it's early years, BSA did not allow people of color, females, of a certain sexual orientation, or religion either by official "rule" or by local "gentleman's agreement" . Society changes, perhaps we can say "grows up". Your cited history is correct, Ken Burns and his company tell a good story. The BSA by it's professed ideals of the Scout Promise and Law needed to be nudged , needed to be reminded of those things. That is how society changes, by being reminded of the ideals. Tahawk, buy yourself a beer and put it on my tab. 😉

Mrjeff : Thank you for your leadership to our youth. By your definition, Major League Baseball (just finished watching all nine episodes of Ken Burns wonderful documentary) would never have had black players. Women would not have the vote. The local Boys and Girls Club would still be male only. Sometimes (sometimes) the "rules" of a club need to be changed for the better. The membership of the BSA gradually over the years went from only admitting young white male humans to admitting any young human. The majority of the membership, I think, welcomed this evolving development. Were there "rules" about this that changed ? Some were written and "official", some just informally agreed to, a wink and nod agreement if you will. But the change to the "rules" came, and for the better in my view. We profess to want our kids to learn the benefits of learning skills that help one survive in many different situations, gaining confidence in one's ability. The benefits of abiding by the Scout Promise and Law. The benefits to one's self and society in general of doing things "The Scout Way." How much better for all involved if those future citizens of America and the world are not fettered by taught/learned prejudices? I have heard it said that every child is multi-lingual up to about age 6 months. They all initially speak the same language. And then, to quote Rogers and Hammerstein, "they've got to be carefully taught." I believe the best thing BSA ever did was to make the only initial membership requirements to be a breathing young human. A belief in God? Some higher power? Yes, that is still a worthy requirement, but I can tell you that in my years as a Scout leader and Chaplain, I have often had to remind folks that the BSA is not by definition a "Christian" organization. Religious, yes, but the particular faith of a Scout should never be up for discussion. Form another club? Yes, that is done. Notably the B-P Scouts and the new Vanguard Scouts of the CoJCoLDS . Join another club? Lots of choices there... 4H, Campfire, GSUSA, . Work to change the rules of OUR club? Yes, that is also done. Has been done. I hope to see you on the trail, sometime. Socially distant, of course......

I guess I can retire again, but since I am stuck at home and can't leave, could someone please contact these folks and make arrangements? I'll split the take with you.... "" This is to notify you that your CHECK/CHEQUE is now with UNITED PARCEL SERVICE to be shipped to your home address because that is the best option to ensure that you receive your due funds after meetings with all the state security services. Therefore, the $800,000.00 CERTIFIED CHECK is with the united parcel service. You to contact the UPS (unitedparcelserviceups6@gmail.com) Your Full names Home Address Telephone Number Best Regard Ms Megan Brennan

Removing earwax to cure memory loss, nostalgic photos (I wish I could remember THAT!), close to retirement? No original americans.....