SSScout

I have known Scouts who did not want a full blown special ECoH. I have known Scouts that settled for an elongated "normal" Troop CoH. I have known Scouts that relished the notoriety of the hotel catered dinner with speech from the State Senator. I have known Scouts that "went thru" the CoH for their parents and were never seen again at any Scout event. My favorite was a pair of brothers. The older waited for his younger to pass his EBoR and then they planned a campout on their grandparents' farm. Everything and everyone had to hike in to the site about 500 yards. Tables set up, campfire, candles, bring your own campchair, SM and other speeches (short !). Campfood, stew, brownies, coffee and cold water and ice tea. . Very moving as the sun went down and the shadows lengthened. At the close of the ceremony, all the civilians(!) packed up and went home. The Scouts stayed and the visiting (so I am told) went long into the night.

In any emergency (ANY emergency) there are three possible responses: 1) Panic, cower, freeze because one cannot think what to do. 2) Stay calm, consider the situation, consider the tools and possibilities at hand, think creatively as to what one might do and do it. 3) Do what has been taught and practiced for just this type of occurrence, because somebody thought "what if..." before hand. Scouting is all about number three, IMHO. The more our Scouts have been led to consider the "what ifs", no matter how terrible the situation, the better they can deal with and help others out of THAT situation. Car accidents, earthquakes, fires, splinters in the finger, a math test not studied for, active shooter, somebody forgot the matches, a girl joins my Troop, dead tree falls on the tent, flash flood, "oh THAT's what poison ivy looks like....", electrocution at the Jamboree..... We need to remember what has been said before.... "... why for any old thing."

Do or do not. There is no try. = Yoda To do is to be. = Socrates To be, or not to be. = Hamlet Do be do be do. = Sinatra

Here's a sticky point. Scout units may not ask for "donations", only the National or Local Councils may solicit outright donations. Scouts are specifically required (?) to EARN their way, thru selling products or work. That has been my understanding for a long time. Am I wrong? Now, if the donee gives something without being asked, if the need (watercraft?) is somehow sensed...….

IMHO, this is an issue that deserves a wider audience. As I suggested, take it directly to the SE, and to your COR. The COR is officially your rep to the Council. Talk to your RoundTable, to your District Leadership. Compare notes with other Units. Conflict with popcorn sales is not a valid reason to NOT fundraise somehow for your Unit. The only "discipline" the Council can do is pull your Unit Charter. That, and rescind everyone's membership in BSA. Those are the only things the Council thru the SE can do. I seriously doubt they would go that route, but ya never can tell. Thus the need for lots of back up, make the issue not just yours, but the rest of Scout Worlds....

Directly ask the Scout Executive "why?" and go from there. If your Fund Raising Application was fully filled out, answering all questions (how, where , what, etc. ) you should be able to get an answer as to "why". Be politely persistent . A Scout is Courteous, Loyal, Obedient, etc.

Thank you for the correction/notation. But Webelos still became a two year program rather than "just another Cub Rank".... And then Lion became the youngest rank , rather than the next to oldest,,,,, Ah me.... I once put up a display of my Scout memorabilia. I glued my old badges to a board. After the night, I discovered the Lion patch had been peeled off. When I mentioned this at another Scout event, I had a wonderful old Scouter GIVE me a Lion patch to complete my collection.

Mash, your Scout should definitely raise his hand and say "OVER HERE, HEY, I'm GOING THERE TOO... I LIKE CHOCO-PEANUT BUTTER COOKIES<<< ! ! "" The more the merrier....

I hope there are SOME Scouts left in the rest of the world.... I am missing the WSJ because at least some of that time I will be in Belgium and Netherlands with LW while she pursues her muse. As a late awakened talent painter ( nice sense of color) wife Margo has discovered Van Gogh. I will (among other things) be looking for Scouty things along the way while she indulges in painting classes and touring Van Gogh sites. Fair weather, Summit.

It would seem that your Cubmaster, Scoutmaster and Venture Crew Advisor are worth $25. per hour. Sez so right here: https://independentsector.org/news-post/new-value-volunteer-time-2019/ MAYBE for Commissioners or Den Leaders or Committee Chairs. Can't say.... 😉

Jeep's 8 Scouter Rules....1) It's a Scout led program. 2) Never do anything a Scout can do for themselves. 3) The Troop Leader is the Senior Patrol Leader. 4) The Patrol Method works ! 5) It is a game with a purpose. 6) Fail to plan and you plan to fail. 7) A Scout is Taught, Tested, Reviewed and Recognized. 8. The trail to Eagle is a trail, not a destination….

It will be hot, even if up in the mountains. Be comfortable. If I was attending (which I cannot, mores the pity)I would wear my usual "activity" shirt and BSA shorts and wool socks and comfy hiking boots. Scouty hat, sun glasses . And many extra neckers to trade..... It is up and down, and spread out. Oh, and a canteen of some sort. Hydrate, hydrate.... Maybe a rain jacket in my daypack, just in case....

There is a bridge on a historic trail nearby. It has steel frame and wood slat deck. The deck can be slick in rain, but it has a slight curve and dries quickly. I think the type of wood , the chemical used in it's treatment, has a great deal with it's slickness when wet. That's like saying the muddy trail should be marked "slippery when wet". Duh. That said, any surface can be slick when wet. This was a sad occurrence. The State authorities could have contacted the Scout, they knew who he was.....

"It depends" . . . It is done, just depends on how structured. Way back in the day, while I worked on my "Eohippus Husbandry Merit Badge", our Troop of four Patrols (Eagle, Moose, Beaver, Cougar) had a Patrol Competition thru the year. There was a chart on the wall. points were awarded for uniform inspection, attendance , advancement, service projects, all sorts of Scouty things as I remember. The prize was a "all expense paid" camping trip to Assateague Island on the shore. Back then, that was a big thing ! No bridge yet, ferry boat ride, rough road thru the dunes, trek over the dunes with water cans (bury them in the sand for cooling), tents and cooksets. The Scout dads footed the bill and catered (!) the meals. Us Scouts only had to help schlep the gear out to the beach. Deer flies were an understood problem.... Each year the Patrols fairly drooled over the chance. Eagles did win one year.... So if the winning Den is judged by SELLING record, that may work, but realize some folks can sell icebergs to Inuit. Is there a way to "make it fair"? That is the question.

Whoa thar pardner, T2Eagle has part of the answer, but you , as CM should not be the one who opens a bank account. Check with your Committee Chair and Charter Org. Do you have a Unit Treasurer named? Your CO may have a recommendation or requirement to consider, too. Where money is involved, even piddlin' amounts from popcorn sales (did I say piddlin'? ), folks need transparency and open handedness. My CM friend, do NOT cover the Pack checking account by yourself. Do. Not. Procedures. Signature cards. Tax ID's. * A Scout is Trustworthy and Thrifty and.....

Jealousy, pure jealousy... "gee, why didn't I think of that?" Rugs, skeeter netting, cots, camp chests, lanterns, where's the Welcome Mat? Obviously, these Scouts have been to Scout Camp before. My buddy Don and I once got an award for the "amenities" with which we had embellished our campsite at an OA "Salamagundi". I still have the medal in my box... Reminds me of the electrical outlet a Scoutmaster strapped to a tree. He plugged in his battery powered cordless shaver each morning, and the Scouts went "wowwww".

Home made canoes.... Yes, I agree that a lengthy shakedown cruise on a smaller body of water was in order. "Mythbusters" has often built rafts, canoes out of duct tape and PVC pipe and cardboard. Motor boats out of sawdust impregnated ice blocks, with varying success, and enviro-suits, PFDs and LOTS of rescue all around them. Many moon ago, a wonderful former Navy CPO founded a Scout Ship. They built a raft out of 2x4s and fifty gallon oil drums and floated down the Potomac and into the Chesapeake. Eventually, that SSShip had to fold due to lack of Scouts, but not before the local Councils named the regional Sea Scout Regatta after Henry Nygard. And there is this:

For real.... That was my Troop's fund raiser for many years. Early on a Saturday morning, a Troop dad drove his station wagon down to the Silver Spring KK factory. About 6:30am, the Troop assembled in the church parking lot to meet this delivery. Each pair (!) of Scouts and their parent driver, took on , oh, maybe 20 or 30 or 40 dozen donuts and drove off into the neighborhoods. Back then, homes were fewer and farther apart, as I remember. In uniform, we went up to the door and knocked. Generally caught by surprise at 7:30am on a Saturday morning, folks, some with coffee cup in hand, some in bathrobe, were easily willing to buy a dozen donuts "to support the Scouts". "JANET ? YOU GOT YOUR PURSE HANDY? THERE'S A SCOUT HERE AT THE DOOR SELLING DONUTS !" rarely were we politely refused. Some bought 2 or 3 dozen, "to freeze". . By 10am or so, the back seat was no longer smelling of fried sweet bread. We did this about every other month. "Where were you last Saturday?. I was HUNGRY ! !" I truly believe we could have done this every other Saturday on a regular basis, but even the parents realized us Scouts had other things to do.....

Ditto to Qwazse… You might contact your District Training Chair/Committee. They might be able to recommend some "older Scouts" to help, be examples, from other Troops. I think the main thing is to encourage the Scouts to think that the SM wants them to lead, not just follow the SM.... "You mean I can make that decision??" DUH ! !

There ya go.... Weren't we talking about Boy Led vs Adult Led vs Troop model vs Patrol model Scouting? I firmly remember Scouting where the Troop HAD NO EQUIPMENT. I think my Troop's only equipment might have been the flags and the stands, which a Scout dad had made by welding some iron pipe to two old Chevy truck brake drums . They are still used, painted an OD green.... The Patrols had all the equipment, cooksets, tarp tents (unless you owned your own), Patrol chuck box, maybe.... And the Patrol QM had to keep it in his basement/garage/toolshed. Troop stuff (. flags and stands and MBBook collection, CoH candlabra? ) was in the church closet, next to the advancement poster taped to the wall. And then there was that hike into the campsite, up hill both ways....

""Compile my list..." Sounds ominous.....

There is Justice, and there is Mercy and there is Grace. The three concepts are often conflated. Mercy is called for when the accused individual was not aware of his transgression, not aware of his situation. Perhaps not aware of alternative actions, or not responsible due to immaturity ? If a young child might somehow cause the death of someone thru their ignorance of the results of their action.... Grace is concerned with forgiveness, This is for the other person (if any) involved and with the accused's Creator, God, Spirit to consider. Can the accused be forgiven? Justice thru the courts and state is never involved with Grace/forgiveness, it should only be concerned with responsibility of action, with "making the injured person whole", if possible. Mercy? Perhaps, but not "officially". If the state, thru it's intelligence, has declared the punishment for a declared crime, then that is what the accused should expect IF HE GETS CAUGHT and CONVICTED. For a judge to declare the accused and convicted to be given leniency, in effect mercy, due to his prior good behavior or future possible good behavior is questionable. One's future behavior is predicted by their past behavior. Ya gotta change the future past behavior by behaving in the future the way ya want to be judged by your past behavior ! As I said before, for an Eagle Scout to behave as this fellow was accused and convicted , I still ask, From Whom Did He Learn This Behavior?

"If a tree falls in a forest..." Trees can fail at any time, seemingly healthy trees may give way to wind, rotted trunk centers, formerly dry ground now saturated with water.... I would drive to work at 3:30am (!) every day. I enjoyed the clear skies, quiet mornings, empty roads. The first road I traveled went thru a wooded area. One morning, I was surprised as a BIG Oak fell across my path , just as I went under it. It landed astraddle the road, with the hood of my car under it, the main trunk about 6" from my windshield. I was able to back out, car untouched, me only adrenaline excited. I phoned in the incident, and went on to work, on the wide shoulder of the road. I always urge my IOLS folks to consider looking up , not just around, when setting up camp.

Priest, police officer, politician (pick a position), military officer, Eagle Scout.... Many are seen as role models, as examples of the "light side". When bad things happen and are brought to light, it is only right that their previous expectation of "good behavior" be mentioned. Yes. we need to make known the good stuff Scouts do. the 95% of the world that goes about it's business, treats their fellow humans fairly and respectfully is often ignored by the press. This young man learned what is right , but fell short in his behavior. He learned how to behave with the opposite sex from... who? Perhaps he needs to consider that. Perhaps the judge needs to consider that too. Good grades, school record, Scouting, and … add up to a soft slap on the wrist or a harsher punishment? "well, I got caught this time...." How often did this occur before he "got caught"?

What Qwasze said..... Here's a summer camp: https://vimeo.com/66719272