SSScout

As is often the case, the problem is not simple and not limited to one person. I hear a "hands off" CO in the background. Since the Pack is the CO's, and the treasurer of the Pack has control of the funds, perhaps there is more to this than first OP can tell. What a blessing is a totally open and "transparent" treasurer. I hear (again, in the background) more monetary rumblings. The transferring Wolves didn't need to pay any dues? We had "left over" money? Ummmmm.....

The "Outdoor Code" is an ideal we strive to live up to. So too the Scout Promise, the Scout Law, the Pledge of Allegiance, the Smith System Keys to Safe Driving, the Direction to the Players from Hamlet, the Preamble to the Declaration of Independence, the book Common Sense, The Beatitudes, The Lord's Prayer , Kum By Yah, Leaflets Three Leave It Be and the Golden Rule. Making the Scout Sign merely re-enforces the idea. Some are "required", some are "good to know " and think about, and some are "tradition". Some are perhaps held as more important than others. Hold the Scout Sign as long as thou canst.

Now three years ago, I hiked the Camino de Santiago in northern Spain. Many stories to tell from that jaunt. Apropos to this thread, I made it out to the fishing village known as Finisterre, "the end of the earth", where there is a small museum dedicated to the fishermen and their craft. Old boats, tackle, techniques. With my tourist Spanish (Rosetta Stone is very useful), I had a good conversation with the Docent there (same word!) . He had a placard of knots, and rope useage. I do not remember the Spanish names, but I recognized almost all the knots and splices and rigging. In maybe an hour, I was able to give him an English label for almost every item in the display. Muchos Gracias! He gave me an autographed book (in Spanish!) about the scallop industry. Scouting 'round the world. On the bus trip back to Santiago and Madrid, I met several Pfadfinder und Pfadfinderren (boy and Girl Scouts from Germany. Met no Spanish Scouts...

"Follow the money" How much do YOU owe of the National Debt? How much did YOU OK? How much will your Grandchildren (Great Grandchildren?) be paying? Consider... http://www.forbes.com/sites/mikepatton/2015/04/24/national-debt-tops-18-trillion-guess-how-much-you-owe/2/#17b065dc698e Mr. Trump's fortune was created in real estate, which has as a credo, "use OPM as much as possible". Other Peoples Money. The NatDebt is money that went from us to somebody else. Who are these Somebodies? They ain't me. Who is they, to be ungrammatical? It looks more and more that we average americans have become the Other People whose money "they" have learned to use. Public works? National Defense? A new F35? Retired Social Security folks? The interest paid on the Natdebt is more than many nations GNP. This is what will defeat us. Weimar Republic, anyone? Oh, I'm sorry, we were talking about Scout connections in the new incoming administration, weren't we?. Well, how to encourage (remind?) those good people to live by the Scout Law and Promise, "...stick to your Scout promise always – even after you have ceased to be a boy – and God help you to do it."" As I remember it...... Perhaps that is what we , who hold Scouting as the ideal, should do. Remind those "Eagles" what they learned oh, so many many years ago.

Over, under, over, thru....Three types of Bowline, only one good one. Bowline with running end INSIDE the working loop, next to it's other part. This is the good one. "Pass" this version. Bowline with the running end OUTSIDE the working loop, still adjacent to it's other part. This is a BAD bowline, but it still might hold tight. Bowline with the running end INSIDE the working loop , but NOT adjacent to it's other part , separated by the edge of the "rabbits hole". This is the other BAD one, and will slip.

Faith based petition to show our solidarity with our Muslim friends: Consider it, please. https://action.groundswell-mvmt.org/petitions/sign-the-religious-freedom-pledge-standing-together-against-anti-muslim-bigotry-1

K: "Hello, Jimmy, please sit down. You know Mr. Hoskins, and Ms Schmidt? " J: "Yes, Mr. Kenney. Hello..." K: " So, It says here you are here for your Life Board of Review. How are you doing? " J: "Okay, I guess." S: " Do you know all your knots? I always am impressed when Scouts know these Scout things. Us girls never had a chance back when I was growing up. Could you show us a , what do you call it, a Bowline?" J: " A Bowline?" S: " Yes, a Bowline." H: "Now , Betty, you know he doesn't have to show us that, but you do know that knot, Jimmy?" J: "I guess so. Here, and here, ... here." K: "Ummmm. That isn't a Bowline, is it. When was the last time you had to tie that, Jimmy?" J: " I don't know. Maybe last year at the Camporee?" K: " Well, that might show we need more knot tying practice. What do you think, Jimmy? By the way, what Position do you hold in the Troop?" J: "I'm the Cougar Patrol Leader ". H: "Let me ask, do you teach Scouts in your Patrol, Jim?" J: "Yeah, I do, but Jake is our Troop specialist in Pioneering, I guess. He always builds those tripods and things." H: "Well, if you are having trouble with a knot, I bet other Scouts have the same problem, too, What do you think?" J: " Uh-huh. " K: "I see what Mr. Hoskins is getting at. These Boards of Review are a good way for us to find out how to improve the Troop. Sometimes us poor adults don't get the big picture you Patrol Leaders see. How do you think we can help the younger Scouts "get it"? Got any ideas, Jimmy?" ***Like that , maybe? ***

""The only sitting Cabinet member to attend, that I found, was Secretary of Defense Robert Gates."" Yeah, but did he sleep in a tent? :-) Hiker67: You sound like someone of my vintage. I would point out (in agreement with the College Board Testing Corp.) that the only prediction of future behavior/activities is past behavior/activities. And that is not always accurate, yes? Still, if we look at Mr. Trump's past statements, pronouncements and activities and behavior, what could we expect? He made his monetary success based on strategically declared bankruptcies and not keeping his corporate word or being really concerned about the ultimate results of his decisions on other people. There are too many times Mr. Trump has stated something as "fact" and refused to retract or correct his statement when it has been proven incorrect or flat out wrong. The world really is round. There are too many times when he has denigrated a "type" of person or one individual purely because he has not liked what they said about him. This is a politician? Is this someone who is willing to work WITH people toward a jointly beneficial goal? Perhaps we really do get the president we deserve. """Politics is the best show in America. I love animals and I love politicians, and I like to watch both of 'em at play, either back home in their native state, or after they've been captured and sent to a zoo, or to Washington.""" = Will Rogers =

SO this will be not too soon after the Nat Jam? I wonder what will be left standing for the Spartan race to use. And the Spartan ("Remember the Spartans") website notes "Free Beer to the Finishers"? I agree with Remember Schiff, what must happen with our concern about alcohol use on BSA property. Not to mention when the World Jamboree comes along.... Perhaps the finish is in Glen Jean... Seems there will be new artifacts for our Scouts to find along the trails..... And what happened to Mount Hope? That's a nice little town, Summit has a new post office? There goes the neighborhood.

Knots and awards depend on (1) What you do and/or (2) what people see you doing. Thus, some awards are EARNED and some are AWARDED. For instance, one can BUY a James West knot. One must be "nominated" and awarded the District Award of Merit (the DAM knot) knot. There are various knots for Scout Leaders, Commissioners, and other folks. It does take some research to find out how each one is obtained. There are forms and score sheets to fill out. When my good wife was going to go to Camp School for Cub Scout Day Camp Directors, we decided (she thought) it would be good to have some bling on her uniform, so we did some research and discovered she had qualified for a couple of Cub Leader awards. Presto! she had two knots. After her stint as CSDC Director, she was awarded the DAM for her efforts, well deserved in my humble opinion. As to the religious awards, as has been said, they are not BSA bling and should not be considered such. The BSA says they are allowed on the BSA uniform, but the faith decides how the Scout should earn it. Speaking as a Jamboree Chaplain, I do not know of any adult faith award that is individually, purposely earned by the Scouter, perhaps some faith allows that, but I do not know of such. The faiths I am familiar with require the adult be "nominated" for the adult recognition. It always entails an active involvement in Scouting and the faith. The trick is that anyone can nominate someone for the adult recognition, just find out the responsible body (committee) that administers that faith's awards and contact them. All the faith liaisons are listed in the BSA (http://www.scouting.org/scoutsource/Awards/ReligiousAwards.aspx ) website, do not depend on PRAY (https://www.praypub.org/) for that information, as PRAY has become very particular about what faith awards they help administer. As ordained clergy, you should be able to contact your Scout Liaison Committee to find out about this topic. Granted, some faiths are more Scout friendly than others. As to your Tigers earning their Religious Award, I trust they are all of your faith? It would not be correct to try and require any Scout to earn any particular Religious Award. You can, of course, encourage them to earn (with their parents help!) the emblem of their particular faith. Good Scouting to you, KevinRiner, remember the Cub Scout Mantra ! KiSMiF, KiSMiF.... keep it simple, make it fun! See you on the trail!

I once heard a stand-up comedian claim that he was multi - lingual. That he could have a meaningful conversation with anyone in the world, so long as they were less than 6 months old......

No real knowledge of this, only opinion, but it certainly seems that ol' Rudyard is being/ has been retired. Perhaps "The Jungle Book" is thought to be no longer "relevant" to modern Cubs. No mention of the origin of the Cub critters.... Wolf, Bear, Lion... Sher Kahn is the villain, so don't mention HIM to the nascent Tiger Cub. When was the last time your Cub Leader was referred to as AKEELA? Don't have that mention in the Scout Promise , only in the now obsolete Cub Promise. We are only offered ETHAN as a peer Cub... led by example? We have, I feel, lost something in the translation. Perhaps the repudiation of Kipling's literary examples was decided by the realization that ultimately he was not the type of person BSA finally wanted to espouse. Regardless of Kipling's reputation as a chauvinistic , racist , colonialist, (read his poem "The White Man's Burden " ) the Jungle Book and the Just So stories are classics of English literature and evoke imaginative adventure that every child can relate to. I hope today's parent still reads their children to sleep. I still remember "How the Elephant Got His Trunk."

I know that by the time I was 7 or 8 years old, I knew my address and if I had to, could ask a taxi cab driver to take me home. Dad told me to ALWAYS just follow New Hampshire Avenue, from ANYwhere to Norwood Rd. My mom and I had walked the length of it in both directions so I knew where my house was. Cooking? I knew how to use the can opener. Knots? My dad had lost his left arm in a construction accident before he met my mom. He was a one armed Journey Man carpenter (thereby couldn't earn his Master's paper) and taught me how to tie my shoes one handed before I learned two handed (!) Mapreading? Compass? Surveying Merit Badge. Dad's friend gave me a job as a "Rod Holder " when I was , I think, 12. Darn socks? When I started wearing 100% wool socks as an adult, I learned it was easy to repair those expensive socks rather than toss'em to the rag bin.

I still say Irving was somehow misguided when they created the "pilot" program for Kindergarteners. I agree that the progression (even some Cubs have said as much to me) has no logic. Don't forget, "WEBELOS" originally was a contraction of W(olf), BE(ar), L(ion), S(couts), the original rank progression. "We (will) Be Loyal Scouts" made some sense then. The Lion rank became the Webelos 1, and Webelos 2 was meant to be the Arrow of Light year, transitioning into REAL Scouts. "Well, we've got this historic rank name, let's use it for something". Lion 5 year olds. Bobcat probably is a remnant of the Daniel Boone or Woodcraft Indians. You think we have a hodge bodge of ranks? Try understanding the Brit system. Beavers, Cubs, Scouts, Rovers, Core badges, activity badges, Interest badges, five different Scout Promises, You out there, Cambridge?

Ditto the previous posts, ssgjbroyles. Was she a "uniform" person? If so, the posthumous award might be appropriate. Otherwise I like the idea of naming a Scout award for her memory or the PWD track/event. Maybe creating an ongoing scholarship in her name for Woodbadge?

David CO: ""“If you prick us, do we not bleed? if you tickle us, do we not laugh? if you poison us, do we not die? and if you wrong us, shall we not revenge?". - (Merchant of Venice, Act III, scene I).â€""

Museum moved from a College in Kentucky to Irving because... not enough visitors. Museum moving from Irving to Philmont because.... not enough visitors. Irving: Close to the Headquarters. Any street traffic? Any tourist cooperation with local visitor bureaus? Public transportation? Publicity? Newseum in downtown DC had to up their PR to make a go of it. Every time I stop at the Visitor Center on the Interstae, there is a rack of cards/brochures for every little museum/attraction within 200 miles. I wonder how much ScoutMuseum did about that. Our local Town Museum is almost out of the "celebrate history" business and now is in the "Artist/craftsman show, Wine Bar/Brewery tasting, Wedding reception/party" business. They even took out one whole gallery of displays to make room for a "Sculpture" garden. Philmont: Almost guaranteed audience., But hey, this is a specialized museum. Not everyone wants to see Scout memorabilia. Philmont just about guarantees no one NOT Scouty will ever go see it. It was suggested it be moved to The Summit (!!). Talk about inaccessibility.... Maybe the next move is the HQ to Philmont.....

Gentle Scouters: I found this on the wall of the Counseling Office in a school I subbed at, and did some research to find the source (no one in the office knew. It was just a poster). This is credited to = Amy Maddox, age 16, Franklin Community High School, Bargerville IN = It seems she was 16 about 15 years ago . “Underneath, We’re All the Same†“He prayed -- It wasn’t my religion. He ate -- It wasn’t what I ate. He spoke -- It wasn’t my language. He dressed -- It wasn’t what I wore. He took my hand -- It wasn’t the color of mine. But when he laughed -- it was how I laughed, And when he cried -- it was how I cried.â€

Wonderboy: Welcome to the virtual crackerbarrel... If you ask any ten Scouters their opinion here, you are sure to get eleven good ideas. Always remember the Cub Leader Mantra: KISMIF< KISMIF< KISMIF ... Keep it simple, make it fun!

If you want your "Adult" members ( how are they registered? Committee members? ASMs? Patrol Dads? ) You can make sure: ** they attend IOLS in your District (by design, it is supposed to lead the attender thru the Tenderfoot , Second Class, First Class requirements) (Totn' Chip too). ** Look up in your Council Training section. Take the ones there (Wilderness First Aid? Climbing Wall, if you have one? Dare I say,,,, Wood Badge?) ** If they truly want to help Scouting, URGE them to become active in the District activities. Too many Dads on the Troop campout? District could always use some more Commissioners . My Wood Badge folks told me "Commissioners can do anything" (!!) Plan Camporees, help with OA, plan Merit Badge stuff. Present at the Round Table ("oh, we never go to that, it never is interesting or applies to my needs") Help fix that.... ** Service for your CO? Adults can "provide the role model" for that. My dad took me to ALL his Lions Club activities. Of course, I didn't have Minecraft back then.... ** Help plan MORE "High Adventure " stuff for the Troop. The Scouts need that support (delivery of supplies on the AT, meet and pick up the Canoe Expedition, who has the cousin who owns the Horse Stable? Who knows the manager at the airport? ) An Adult Patrol may seem like a god idea, perhaps , but it should not be an excuse to NOT help the Scouts do Scout things.

""The Work Is Done By Whoever Shows Up."" If your Troop establishes guidelines and hold to them fairly, so be it. Teaches responsibility, discipline, etc. My home Troop holds BoR when requested, "if possible", whenever the Scout(s) ask for it. ComChair or his designee heads, available Scout parents (anyone is considered a "committee member" if they attend) sit in. It tends to be educational for any parent who "dares" to be available during a Troop meeting.... We are not bashful in asking.

I like BSAGCMOM. I wish all GSUSA units had that much faith and dedication. My intro to girl scouts was when my daughter came home from her first GS meeting and said she did not want to join , they were too crafty and artsy and fashiony. When this old Eagle Scout offered to help , they said no thank you. My second time was when son became a Cub Scout and I became a Cub Scout leader. Our Pack decided to have a recruiting event, rented the school gym, and then thought, hey, why not invite the GS to join us? Brownies are Scouts, too.... So I looked up the local GS leader (she happened to be the PTA president) and asked. Her answer was , no "We already have enough Girl Scouts and don't want any more". They don't want any more???? And here we BSA folks are bemoaning the paucity of Boy Scouts and the inherent decline of civilization. Such is the difference in philosophies.

Can we agree that the pummeling of this non-breathing equine is finito ?

Go to Jack London. Read thru "To Build A Fire" and "Call of the WiId" It is called "Klondike" for a reason. * Crossing the ice filled rushing river == *Measure a distance without actually crossing it. **Throw a rope (25 feet) accurately to a target. *** Lash together a "raft" with a given amount of poles/sticks and rope. Timed? Pull it across the "river" on an overhead rope/pulley without getting "wet". Forget the old "Sled" races. At each event, they collect a gold colored rock. (spray paint'em before the event.ake a lot.) * Do the snowshoe race thing: Multiple Scouts on two 2x4s, held up with rope handles. Rewards for even completing the course without falling off much less winning it. ** Crossing the ice filled river on the rocks/board bridges. (cinderblocks and 2x10's of various lengths). Patriotic? Get a regular 4x6 American flag and find a LARGE (car dealer?) flag. I have one that is 12 X 25. Patrol chooses one of them. Patrol Leader speaks for Patrol. Challenge:: Fold it up correctly, by Patrol, IN SILENCE. 10 points for the small one, 20 points for the large one, your choice to try. Points off(1) for SPEAKING (1) if it touches the ground (1) if any red shows when they say "DONE" (5) if not a "Right" triangle (Isosceles doesn't count) Time limit: 5 minutes. Over time & not done? no points.

Once I was asked to serve as the Scoutmaster for the Troop at summer camp, as the "official" SM would not be "in country" that month. I have been ASM for many years, and do "other" Scouty stuff (Commisher, IOLS, etc. ). My "two deep" person would become the Scoutmaster some years later. The SPL for the summer would become SPL for the Troop that fall. I had twelve Scouts of various experience. In our pre- trip meetings, I made it clear I expected uniformed Scouts , at least for flag recovery and dinner. When we arrived and set up camp, we were "informal". I called my SPL over and asked he assemble the Troop in Patrols (two) in uniform for dinner. He arrived with a full mini desert camo BDU (his father is ex Marine). Asked him where was his uniform? He said he thought this was better. I said are you in the Marines now, or are you in Scouts? Turned out he had NOT brought ANY Scout uniform at all. We had to go to the Canteen and assemble a "sort of" scout uniform for him. He was a good SPL during his term, very active in Leading, but he was abashed at my insistence that he dress the part while he was in Scouting. I think his dad spoke to him after camp , too.