SSScout

When I received Surbaugh's letter (email), it reminded me of one of my favorite Monty Python skits. We see two pilots in the cockpit of their airliner, obviously bored on a long flight. One says, " here we go" and he picks up the microphone for the PA system. He says, "Good morning, this is your captain speaking. There is absolutely no cause for alarm". and hangs up the mike. ???!!! So captain Surbaugh assures us there is no cause for alarm. I feel the BSA has a 'lotta 'splainin' " to do, to use another media reference some of us older folks may recognize. It is sad he has inherited such a bag of expensive worms. "All Scouting is local" may have to be the mantra we live by . Problems: Unattended sexual abuse scandals. Overly paid folks who might not have been really devoted to the "idea" of Scouting. Inside folks that did not really know what the ideals of the Scout Promise and Law entailed as applied to "REAL LIFE". The GSUSA set the scene by not allowing fathers to help their daughters be Girl Scouts. The GSUSA not promoting "outdoor adventure" in addition to "indoor leadership" for their Scouts. BSA trying to adjust the "program" to match the new kids on the block, rather than staying to what they were good at. Some faiths not agreeing with the idea of true equality among humans. Societal attitudes changing. I know I have left some things out, but so long as we can provide kids with guidance "on the trail", I think Scouting, if not the BSA and GSUSA and the World Organization of the Scouting Movement as we now see it, will evolve and be there for the future.

There ya go. A non-topic Topic, if I ever saw one. Personally, I need all the blessing I can get, I do not differentiate from whence they come. 😊 Some years ago, I was moved to seek and was approved as a Scout Chaplain to the Nat Jam in 2005. The title stuck, and I have been trying to explain Scout religiosity ever since. I find that if one does not come across as "my way is the only possible way", people can get along nicely. Every faith I have come across has somewhere in it's precepts the idea that THIS is the best way to the godhead. And it seems to be true for those people. As the carney barker says, ya pays yer money and ya takes yer cherce. Our faith is dependent on three things: First, Our upbringing, who our parents/family (if we had any to claim) were, what they taught and espoused and exampled ((I tell new parents it is their DUTY and RESPONSIBILTY to give their kids something to either claim as their own or reject outright)) . After that, second, our own experience and search, should we do any.... and third, our revelationary experience, our "vision" or "voice" or metaphoric "tap on the shoulder". By these three things , our faith is formed. Duty to God? If there is one.... or many?... When I got hip high deep into Scouting, I offered my experience to the IOLS leader in our District. We are good friends now. I soon realized, IOLS had NO discussion included about "Reverent", so I offered to do one, and have been for the last, (?) ten years. Here is the outline I now hand out. I have had good comments from my Christian, Jewish and Islamic Scouters. https://www.dropbox.com/s/76zk9ri7glgu9gt/ScoutsOwnDutytoGod.docx?dl=0 Here we are in the best, possibly the most successful democracy humanity has created, and we pray about a "King of Kings". Is there any irony in that? Lord? lower case lord? father? Mother? See you on the trail.

Yes, sometimes we have to be reminded that "God ain't done with me yet". Scoutson worked hard to buy the truck of his dreams, a nice 1996 4wd F250. Cleaned it up, touched up the paint, daily driver to school and work. He set off to school (junior college) one late March morning, met the last patch of ice on the road, touched the guard rail and another on coming truck, and flipped and rolled thru all three axis, landed on it's wheels, not two miles from home. He called us cell phone and by the time mom and I got there, he was sitting on the side of the road being tended by the EMTs, as we watched a police car slip on the same ice patch and slam into the same guard rail. Truck was crushed, totaled, glass all broken out, not a single piece of sheet metal unaffected. The other truck went off the road, stayed right side up and that driver also walked away... Scoutson had a badly bruised knee. How he came out of the wreck so unaffected, no one can say. There were no other witnesses. At the hospital, Scoutson and mom and dad agreed there was more than a seatbelt at work. He said he "woke up" outside his truck, does not remember how he got out. Both doors were smashed and not easily openable. Yes, we prayed alittle more that week.

Transferring this worthy question to the Faith and Chaplaincy Forum.... oh, wait....

SCOUTS. Five types of SCOUT in the BSA : CUB, . . . . . , Venture, Explorer, Sea,,,,, The problem is that second classification. What to call the female Tenderfoot? THAT is the problem, to my mind. I can name a female Wolf or Bear Cub, I can name a female Venturererer, but how to refer to a young lady First Class... ?

John-in KC, good to see you around again. Ideally, WB is supposed to MODEL the Patrol Method (did BP really use that term?). As a Scout Leader and Sub Teacher I continue to be surprised and disappointed when I see kids that have to be practically knocked up side the head to work together and plan and make decisions AS A PATROL..... Most of our kids seem to be unable to think for themselves in the lower and middle grades. They have been so browbeat into WAITING for instruction, to be told what to do.... The idea of a Scout deciding , with his/her buds to go somewhere, do something as a team is foreign to them. WB should, if it doesn't usually, encourage the adult leader to permit the Scout to think and make mistakes (and deal with the results) themselves.

Absolutely, as he continues as a DC, one would hope he gains experience and skill. Same Cubs? As they move up, he moves with them? What better recruiting example. AND... encourage him to serve as a "Visual Aid" 😉 for the DC training in your area....

Check in with your District. Your experience would be very welcomed in several areas, I am sure. Some Ideas: ** Eagle Coordinator. EBoR organizer and fact checker. Very appreciated fellow. ** Training. IOLS, NYLT, BALOO... many possibilities for your years of Being There, and Doing It.... ** Commissioner. Different types, as a Commisher, you can do almost anything you think needs to be done. ** Program Committee. These folks organize the Camporees and Webelos Weekends and such. You could even invent something new, like one of my new Scouter friends. He developed a "Scouteree" as a recruiting event. Invite the public, let'm tie knots, climb walls, fold flags, etc. ** First Assistant Everything Else.... You name it, they will probably let you do it... See you on the trail ?

I share the experience as a single father. My daughter wanted , at first, to join GS, so I found the local GSTroop was led by the PTA president. I was not welcomed and it was just as well, because daughter then told me she didn't want to join the "cookies and fashion" troop. Later, when I was a Cub master for my Scoutson's Pack, we thought, let's do a joint recruiting, rent out the school gym with the local GSTroop. Brownies and Cubs, natural. The local GSTroop leader was the PTA president (!) and when we asked, she said (quote) "oh no, we have enough Girl Scouts, we don't want any more." I thought that was bizarre, but found out it was not so strange to hear that the GS LIMITED their membership !

For some reason, I forget why, perhaps it was a "remembrance "day of some sort, in my junior year high school English class, the topic of the Holocaust came up. After some back and forth in the class, one of my classmates spoke up and said "you know, all that stuff is made up, don't you? It's just a fable made up by Zionists." (what he said!). I had a feeling he was trumpeting what he heard from his dad... Our teacher, Mr. Emlich, got very quiet, sat down on the edge of his desk and starting telling the story of how he in his army unit had entered Buchenwald. What he saw, what his unit did. The rest of the hour was Mr. Emlich quietly keeping his composure, talking. He mentioned (I remember this, after all these years, ) how some folks have a need to explain things so the "facts" better match what their "opinions" are, regardless. The kid that made the comment was not quite as well respected after that. I was never in his crowd, anyway.

Many camps as a young boy..... . My folks were all in favor of my independence (until I went off to college, then mom cried). Mast Cove Camp, outside of Portland Maine. Stanwood Cobb was the owner/director. Salt water sails and swims. Gimp craft work. The Nature Camp, outside of somewhere in southern Virginia, I think GW Forest, perhaps. 4am bird walks. Fern ID. Formal theatrics. Camp Theodore Roosevelt , BSA, off Calvert Cliffs, the Chesapeake Bay. Sea Nettles. Astronomy.... "The Property" (named Camp Freedom), summer camp organized by my Troop parents on somebody's uncle's cousin's "property", Germantown MD. Long dead American Chestnut for fire wood cooking. Spring water. Camp Wilson, BSA, Fairfax County VA (I think) . Pine woods , sandy and hot. Broad Creek, BSA, north of Baltimore MD. Hemlock dark woods. Very few bad times.....

THERE ! You SEE !!!

Please refer to my previous entry. The Scout's Troop must be the source of most, if not all the Scout's Scouting, else why have a Troop? National sets requirements, standards of operations, but the Troop, it's Scouts and adult leaders are where the Scout grows up, where he (now she ?) must learn How To Be A Scout. Who does the Scout look to for guidance and "passing of rank"? Not some strange (tho friendly and gracious ?) people he may never meet again. The last thing before being awarded any rank is normally the Troop's BoR. How is this different? Same for Eagle. The Troop's BoR is important and a natural thing to expect. Eagle is a special thing, unique, a final threshold to pass. The District/Council Eagle BoR is perhaps the last formal requirement and the last thing a Scout will ever have to pass/endure/learn from. For many Scouts, it is an "age out" event. The Scout will probably not do anything like it again, before they apply to college, or trade school, or that BIG job.... A practice BoR? Every BoR preceeding should have been a "practice" BoR.

" "Twas in the restaurant where they first met.... Romeo and Juliette. Twas where they first went into debt, for Rome owed, what Juli et ! ""

Not "required" but " expected". That's how they get folks to staff the boards....😉

So I guess it isn't time... Oh well, on to other things...

HAA ! "It's not like.... Signing away years of your life..." Only one hour a week.... Ha. If Scouting gets ya, it gets ya. Wood Badge not withstanding.

There have been several threads of late that have wandered off into the murky area of religion and belief and faith. Again, I would like to ask, invite discussion, about establishing a separate Forum on "Faith and Chaplaincy". There are facebook pages on such, I feel this is a good area to include here, thus allowing for diversions of topic from fundraising, difficult leaders, etc. What say ye, member Scouters and Moderator Folks ?

"Patience is defined as tieing the hammock leads to a pair of Palms and waiting for them to "grow up". " Or ignorance.....

Oh good. I like it when we have entries in the "Faith and Chaplaincy" forum. Oh, wait....

All the world’s a trail, And all the boys and girls merely hikers; They have their exits and their entrances, And one Scout in their time plays many parts, Their acts being seven ages. At first, the Tenderfoot, Huffing and aching in the Patrol Leader’s gaze. Then the willing Second Class, with his backpack And shining new boots, creeping like snail Willingly to camp. And then the First Class, Working like journeyman, with a woeful ballad Made to his buddy’s ’ cookset. Then a Star Scout, Full of fun tales and dirty like the worker, Jealous in honor, sudden and quick to help, Seeking the bubble reputation Even in the campfire’s smoke. And then the Life Scout, In fair proud and downlooking to the Tenderfoot, With eyes severe and mien of formal cut, Full of wise saws and modern instances; And so he plays his part. The sixth age shifts Into the sage and sought after , With spectacles on nose and pouch on side; His youthful face, well shaved, a world too wide For his Eagle earned, and his big manly voice, Turning again toward childish treble, pipes And whistles in his sound. Last scene of all, That ends this strange eventful history, Is Scout Leader, signed and devoted he, Sans time, sans money, sans gear, sans everything but Scouts to inspire.

Oldscout and Latinscot: Points well taken. It has been a while since the last BoR , either Troop or District Ebor I sat in on. My home Troop always held that the Troop had the right to pass their judgment on the Scout's progress before passing on to the District BoR. Might save some more serious embarrassment/trouble later. In any event , the Troop Adv Chair always helped review the Scout's records before Council was asked to vet them. Our Troop always sat the Scout down with the Troop Committee to ask about their Project Proposal. Being a small Troop, the Committee were the defacto advisors and old timers. Seemed to work. Same idea with the Troop BoR. It was not meant as a "practice" District EBoR, only our own congratulatory review.

The trouble is finding the campcraft experts, the folks that have "been there and done that", that are willing to share their craft and experience. The comparison of the 1950's era Fieldbook with the more recent ones is instructional. Pictures and instruction in chopping down trees and building fire pits/ditches/ and even off the ground fire tables for camp cooking from the older GBB book, compare to the modern Management style book. Of course, a lot of the changes can be blamed on the need to NOT cut down so many trees (one per Tenderfoot?) and not burn up every stick to cook over (Leave Less Trace), but still... The modern boy /girl may seek some adventure, but not without a good WiFi connection back in the parking lot. Once upon a time, a Scout might just add some gear and take off to Philmont. Nowadays, signing up for Philmont includes buying new gear (my old Troop made their own tarp tents), several "shake down" camp trips, and "conditioning hikes". Yes, the world has changed. Not every home has a practical fireplace, where a fire may be laid when the snow is 3 feet deep across the road and the power is out for a week. If you send your Scouts to NYLT, and your adults to Back Country Camping and Wood Badge, would they each and every be ready to take off on a "surprise hike" with an hour's notice, as one old Scouter bragged about of late?

Yep. And then merged into the BSA as an opportunity for boys that might not live close enough to a regular Scout Pack or Troop. See https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lone_Scouts_of_America for a good history. "Lone Scout" is not usually promoted in urban areas, but can be pursued if you insist on it.

In our very active, urban District, we hold EBoR twice a month in two sites. Our District has at least (last time I checked) three or four long time serving Eagle Coordinators, who organize and check these EBoRs . Each Eagle Candidate is expected to schedule their EBoR (after his Troop's BoR) with one of the EBCoordinators, on one of the evenings. Sometimes, if there are truly extenuating circumstances, I have heard of the EBoR being scheduled another night, but not often. Each Eagle candidate is expected to be accompanied by his parent/guardian(s), his SM (or designee) and anyone else interested. His records have already been checked and vetted by the Council and all the pertinent records are available there and then. There are always more than one Eagle Candidate at the evening event, therefore the EBoR(s) are easily made up. The EBoR for each Eagle Candidate is made up on the spot with the Eagle Coordinators, the "other " Scoutmasters and available parents. On the evening of my son's EBoR, I sat in on three other EBoRs. There is usually a short intro for folks who are new at this, before they are assigned to a Board. There is always at least one experienced Eagle Coordinator on each Board. There are printed guidelines for the board members and check sheets for each candidate. The adult Board members review the Candidates paperwork and read thru his recommendation letters. As the EBoRs for the evening are assigned their rooms, the Eagle Candidates sit and fidget in the hallway . The appropriate SM leads the ECandidate into the EBoR room, introduces the Candidate to the EBoR (most if not all of whom the Scout has never met) and then leaves. The Candidate the evening I served is asked to repeat the Scout Promise and Law, then sit down and a conversation ensues about the Scouts life, history in Scouting and memories and perhaps his life goals and desires. It is not as tough (so my son reported) as he expected, and was even enjoyable. I hope my Boards did the same for our Scouts. One of my Boards that evening had one glitch with one Merit Badge whose date we noticed did not exactly tally with the Scout's other dates (dang Council !) . We decided it was a mere penmanship problem , it was not a "required" MB, and so could not affect his candidacy. "Passed" . The adults excuse the Scout, he waits in the hall, we hem and haw a bit, sign his paperwork, call him into the room again, congratulate him (?Scout left hand handshake?) and on to the next Scout....