SSScout

Yeah, Put their camp in "F" and their activities in "A" and "B"

I haven't heard of a CSDC being outright canceled, but I do know of a "inspection " team closing down the archery range on the day due to an uncertified Range person and poor, unsafe design. Did not re-open for two days, until someone drafted another certified RSO and re-arranged the range (home, home on the).

Rick-in-CA: Amen, brother. How are we to example mature, adult behavior, if not to help a Scout ? If an item is misplaced how do you think the Scout already feels? Do we add to that? Or do we quietly hand the boy his pocketknife and say "hey Tommy, is this yours? Be more careful, eh?" And when he says "thank you , Mr. SSScout." we say "START SINGING BOY!!!" No, we don't , we say "that's okay, I lost my knife once, too, but found it under my sleeping bag when I packed up. Yours was on the trail by the fire circle." Walk a mile in his moccasins.....

DuctTape: Thank you for the reference, I had not seen it. I threw this "essay question" into the mix to stir up some of the sediments (?sentiments?) about how we see faith. One person's idea of a "supreme" source is not necessarily the idea of another. The use of scripture or gospel, whether Bible or Q'ran, or Bagdivad Gita to support a faith's definition of itself will always depend on the speakers' personal history and cultural background. Thus the Al Queda , and the Crusades of history. The folks that collected and declared the King James Bible would have a hard time accepting the debate going on in some circles about the Jesus Seminar and the Dead Sea Scrolls and the DaVinci Code, but the folks involved in them see no problem. The KJB has, in some respects, certainly led to the consideration of other stuff. Creationist? Evolutionist? Diametrically opposed ideas? Maybe, maybe the same elephant viewed from different directions (see Rudyard Kipling). I can easily look at a house and see the bits and pieces that were brought together (by what means?) to create the shelter. So many odd , unsimilar, seemingly random things (glass? Iron nails? pine boards? Concrete?) brought together for a single purpose. Maybe the freedom to think is an evolutionarily valuable trait that was inevitably inevitable , from a desire to let a free thinking creation go ahead and create.

Essay question (50 points) "The human eye, it's support tissue and bilateral vision developed as a result of natural selection and Darwinian evolution." Discuss.

I like a bright colored raincoat in the dark drab weather. Helps folks see you in the weather. Brightens the day. Bright colored tent? Helps one find the campsite thru the woods. I slways pick out the bright color if I can in buying coats/ponchos. The black, Goth look is not for me..... Once while driving my bus on a wintry day (it had dropped 12" of snow the day before) , a passenger boarded wearing all white. Boots, coat, chaps, hood, all white. White bag, white covered camera and tripod. He was on his way to photo in the nearby park. That is one way to dress with a purpose. If our purpose is to NOT dress like the military, then we need to stand out, not blend in. When I am asked about the military bent of Scouting, I like to hold out my hands and say "do I look like an officer?" I would still like to do that.

I pass the Cooking Merit Badge every week. I cook dindin for my family at least two or three times a week. For a Scout to even THINK he should not "do" the cooking requirements in FC or in CMB or in the Camping MB whenever it is available to him is indicative of another problem entirely. In a Troop that has a robust camping and hiking program, the opportunities to cook (and clean up?) and such should be almost automatic for the boy. He should be able to at least HELP with meal planning and execution multiple times a year. In the old(er) times, the Cooking MB also allowed the preparation of a meal for the family or elsewhere also. Is this not still possible? Why would a boy complain about the need to learn and demonstrate a skill that will benefit him thruout his life? For a PL to sign off on a T-2-F requirement, he definitely needs to witness and testify to that skill (would you eat his meal?) For the Cooking Merit Badge (the certification of a more expert skill) , the skill and knowledge needs to be that much better, IMHO, and therefore needs to be especially demonstrated. I know a First Aid MBCounselor that is very thorough and makes his charges go thru many demos of the skills and knowledge . At the end of his course, yes, I will allow those boys can easily pass the T-2-F first aid requirements. But they will do them separately, for their SM or PL. I tell Scouts whenever it is appropriate that if they master any of three skills, they will never fail to put food on their table and a roof over their head: The first is CLEANING. There is always someone who will pay you to do their cleaning. My daughter and her husband make a very reasonable living cleaning restaurants and kitchens. The second is COOKING. Whether in a fancy gourmet restaurant or fastfood greasy spoon, somebody will pay you to cook tastily and healthily. . The third is DRIVING. As a safe, skillful, responsible driver, you can always find a taxi or bus or truck to drive for a paycheck. Sic sempre Scouts!

"The work is done by whoever shows up". SP: You are right in wondering if CSDC might be canceled, if a "trained", "experienced", "willing" Scouter can't be found. Same with CSDC. If the Council folks think the people available can do the job, the "waiver" will appear (see above about the unfortunate death of the incoming CSDCD) . If the nascent CSDCD is available for the training, the funds for the training will be found. If the folks that WANT the camp to go get together, the camp will find a way to go. We Quakers say that "way opens" as things that should happen, do happen. Have faith. But keep on talking and asking (and offering?) Good Scouting to you!

So are the (scouts) learning to push buttons to get results or are they learning why the buttons get the results? When I subtaught science, talking to the regular teachers, that is where the kids fall down. The old time science teachers were about getting the (old time) kids to experiment, and see the results. The new kids have very little patience for WAITING for results. They EXPECT the results first. We have google, but somebody , somewhere, created and collected all that information and invention. Here is where Scoutson considers himself ahead of the game. He is/was the only one in his auto-mechanics class that knew why an engine must be timed, either by computer or distributor, because his old man taught him to try changing the timing on the old man's pick-up and see what happens.

And we are on the 11th page of this topic (we are still on this topic, yes?) What it boils down to is the ScoutLeader, if he/she is doing his Duty as he/she sees fit, should ask the Scout "how do you 'do your duty to God?' " and stand back. If he/she insists on trying to get the Scout to say "his" right answer, then , yeah, we got trouble. If he/she nods and says " umm-mmm", then I see no problem.. Again, the ScoutLeader CANNOT judge the Scouts answer in any way. There is no right or wrong answer. It is not a "skills test". It CAN be educational in both directions, if, again there is no judgement, right/wrong. Only enlightenment.

I still find the light text on a light background in a light colored venue to be too light. I really find, as I think about it, I preferred the darker, brighter, more "definite" format of the last version of our discussion set-up. Am I alone in this perception?

Well, I just posted the above entry, tried to add something, and I get the message "you do not have permission for this action". Here goes.... I wanted to note that the religious awards are from the faith, not the BSA.

More than once, in my role as a Chaplain, or Commisher, or Trainer, I have had to disbuse a willing Scouter of the idea that the BSA is a quote Christian organization unquote. That is where this new "requirement" will get into trouble, with the implication that the SM , in his Conference, needs to "pass" the Scout in his Faith. As I wrote waaay earlier, this requirement ONLY can be to LISTEN to the Scout explain how he does or doesn't do it (Duty to God). Like the previous writer espoused, we only need to worry if the BSA inquisition shows up. And , yes, the BSA does have a list of "recognized" faiths. Not "official" religions. These are the ones that have a religious award the Scout may earn.

The implication here is that the CC wants to "be in charge". What does the SM think about this? What does the COR think about this? Maybe the CC could be encouraged to found his own Troop (as SM?) at another CO? Perhaps the CC does not see himself as others see him, and that is why he needs to be reminded about what he learned in his Training. Oh, what? Training? What training? Perhaps the http://meritbadge.org/wiki/index.php/Troop_Committee_Chair might help . It points to the Offishul BSA website, but is more to the point.... " Keep your stick on the ice. We're all in this together. I'm pullin' for ya."

How can we forward this thread to the Scout folks meeting in Atlanta? I like just about everything I have read here. Our concerns seem to be about "listening" without judging. Give the Scout a query (Stosh?) and sit back. Ask him to describe how he lives his faith (Ducttape?) . Work such things into your SMMinute (a lost art for many), let the Scout talk about such things on the hike, around the campfire (Hedgehog?), or reminding them about the promise and law they mouth before or after the meeting. Do those words MEAN anything? Can our words count? "" It is a sad Reflection, that many Men hardly have any Religion at all; and most Men have none of their own: For that which is the Religion of their Education, and not of their Judgment, is the Religion of Another, and not Theirs."" = William Penn, The Fruits of Solitude =

Very nice. I will pass it on.

Don't change Councils or Districts. Change the way you run your Unit. By "run", I mean the "program" your boys do. If you set a great example, the rest of the D or C will notice, believe me. Need more challenge in camporees or Klondikes? Attend a different District's! Need more opportunity in summer camp? Look on the Internet! Any Scout can attend any BSA certified Camp! THANK YOU Mr. Cerf and Mr. Kahn! Scoutson met a truckdriver in his work, fellow was a Scouter in a neighboring Council, lived in PA. They got to talking, next thing I know, Scoutson and I are staffing an archery range in a Camporee maybe 90 miles from home! It was great! Met some great Scouts and Scouters. Learned how "they " do it. Had a free (!) campout, and got to tell the same old campfire jokes to folks that had never heard them! Really! So I say, the Council is a geographical construct. Your town ain't gonna move to another state, Your Troop isn't gonna move to another Council, but YOU can travel and experience the wonders of other Scout people's efforts. See the example, bring it home and let the rest of your Scout world benefit thereby.

Welcome, indeed , Teddy. We learn from each other and give to our Scouts, eh? I must disagree alittle with Stosh. If you ask any fifty posters here, you will probably read fifty two opinions....And, yes, it doesn't bother any of us.

The requirement is ""to have the Scout describe how he has done his duty to God. (The new requirements will be released at the National Annual Meeting in May.)"" There is and CANNOT BE any requirement as to WHAT that duty must be. For the Scout to describe his "Duty to God" MUST be sufficient. If the SM even attempts to judge that, either good or bad, sufficient or no, it will be an unwarranted intrusion and an undesirable attempt at religious instruction. Unless that SM is indeed the Scout's religious leader (Rabbi, Pastor, Priest, etc. ), there CANNOT be any other requirement than to listen respectfully to the Scout's honest (we hope) description and discussion of his faith. This is not the demonstration of a skill (tying a bowline) or the accomplishment of a task (hike 3 miles) or the gaining of experience (plan and accomplish a service project). It is (should be?) the opportunity for the Scout to explain where he is , in his faith, without judgement or the assignment of guilt or shame. Such hearing will definitely be educational on both parties, and not destructive to either , or to the BSA. I hope.

Pull up a virtual log and join the virtual cracker barrel for some virtual discussions, metaphorically speaking! And remember, it's only an hour per week, per Scout, per idea, per position, per .....

Don't worry about a requirement, take'm hiking anyway!

Oriental Trading sells cheap/good compass for less than 50cents. DO NOT get the black and white ones, they are painted on things. Get the plastic, multi color ones on a caribiner. They actually point north and can be used to Navigate! Practice pacing (so many steps for 100 feet) and send them on a compass scavenger hunt. Even Tigers with a parent can do it, especially if they are in a fairly open field area. Four 90degree turns, they should be back to start! That sort of thing. Dens draw a map of the campsite. Pace off the distances, do it at lunch break. Scout Scavenger hunt is good, record the "sign" they see on the "landmark", like an orienteering course, but simpler, smaller.

Perhaps Freethought could ask for a recruiting session and if they are rejected, sue for discrimination? What are their membership requirements? Agreement with their lack of belief? Could William Penn and is "free thinking" join?

I just noticed:::: There is a time notification under my nom de scout. And... It is actually 10:46pm where I are.

“The thirteenth point of the Scout Law is… A Scout is Hungry. He is grateful for the efforts of others in feeding him. He is eager to learn how to successfully feed others. He cleans as he cooks. There is no dish so mediocre that it cannot be improved with ketchup.†= From an old IOLS handout =