TAHAWK

We had a Scout bring pot to Summer Camp and offer it to a couple of other Scouts. When they both reported it to the SM, the wrong-doer's Mom was told to come get him and bring him back in the Fall clean or not at all. It was reported to the CC when we got back. A little checking around confirmed this was not his first use of pot. There had been "problems" at school.

Hey, Beav. I am not aware of our carpet bombing any city since WWII. Dresden was nothing to be proud about, but have you some recent incident in mind?

So Uncle Joe was our "friend" so long as we were shipping him Studebaker trucks? OBL was always our enemy. His words and his behavior tell us so. And, alas, we didn't give OBL a trial! How ever will we know he was actually guilty? Oh, that's right. He bragged about repeatedly leading mass murder - of 1000's US citizens of all religions and other 1000's of Muslims -- just because it suited his "holy war." (Notice how readily they plant bombs in public places and deliberately splatter kid parts - infant parts -- all over the area?) Its a rough neighborhood, folks, and we

I've mentioned this before. The first Wilderness Survival Merit Badge pamphlet was written by Larry Dean Olsen, an instructor of wilderness survival ay BYU. At the time he was Da' Man. Now it's the Mystery Committee, no Table of contents and no real bibliography. And he was a Scouter, by the way. While coverage in 60-70 pp can't be exhaustive, it ought to be correct as far as it goes.

Beard, Daniel, Shelters, Shacks, and Shanties http://www.manybooks.net/titles/beardd2825528255-8.html

Ven, Wilderness Survival does have some hands-on stuff - the fires and shelter/stay in shelter stuff. The PSK requirement (if they would just correctly explain what a SPK is) could lead into actually using the parts - but no such requirement. Not enough hands-on. Pictures? The Wilderness Survival PBP is full of pictures of improperly-dressed Scouts (in the style of pp. 10-11 of the BSHB). The picture that accompanies the (incorrect) instructions on use of natural flint and steel in the MBP is a picture of a ferrocerium rod and scraper (AKA "Hot Spark"), a totally different tool

As Da Beav knows, the requirements are the requirements. As a MBC you are on your honor to add nothing to and subtract nothing from the requirements. If they are indefinite, you do the best you can. The rest of the MBP is supposed to be educational to help the candidate meet the requirements. The quality is uneven, including uneven (and contradictory) within the same MBP. You are not bound to accept the educational material as accurate, which is fortunate on the occasions when the MBP is dead wrong. Some MBP's have bibliographies of additional materials, some of which are act

bnelon44 "Patrols are part of a troop. The troop has adult leaders, but their job is to give guidance and advice to the Boy Scouts. The Scouts run their own program." "[Patrol Leader, [w]hen you see that a patrol member is overstepping the boundaries of the code of conduct spelled out in the Scout Oath and Law, it is your responsibility to step aside with that Scout and discuss with him why his behavior is not acceptable." "Discipline issues" in the commonly accepted meaning of those words, issues include issues of staying in order, keeping order, and insuring compliance with pr

BP, I think you will find it was not a whim of the public that led to the effort to urbanize Scouting. It was "experts" who never actually polled the "sales force" or the "customers." Edsel. New Coke.

benlon44, BSA is VERY careful to point out that it "owns" the brand and makes the rules. I am not a representative of BSA in a legal OR practical sense. IF you believe that a PL cannot, under current policy, assign KP as punishment, I believe you have a very unique perspective, and I use "unique" deliberately and in its literal meaning., not in any sarcastic sense. Shortidge, I think the DK books are questionable even though, on the whole, they are vastly superior to the MBP on the subject. However, if one takes into account the current, wretched Wilderness Survival Merit Badge

Oh, female Scouters are very much in evidence as participants and staff at Wood Badge here. But the vast majority of the female participants are in Cub program. Did have one SA and one Venturing Adviser in 2010. (No course this year.)

Very reflective posts. As someone who had to tell kids three times that they could not have a troop due to lack of adults to sign the paperwork, I welcomed female Scouters. In theory, it double the poor of potential Scouters. But, years later, few troops here have female Scoutmasters - under 5%, and few female Scouters are visible at district and council outdoor events. So we did not get the doubling of Scouters that we needed - and still need. Mega-trends. Bowling leagues - down Garden clubs - down Fraternal organizations - down

bnelon44, I think you will note that I did not, in simple fact, say that BSA advised khukuris at Summer camp. As you know, contrary to BSA's acknowledgement of educational responsibility to teach safe use of all legally possessed knives (2011 G2SS "Knives"), many Councils purport to totally ban any fixed-blade knife at Summer Camp. The survival books I mentioned are The Complete Wilderness Training Manual, 2d. ed. rev. (DK Publishing, 2007) and "The Survival Handbook," DK Publishers, 2009. Both are trade paperbacks and bear the Symbol and name of the BSA on the cover. They are for

I didn't do this right the first time. Sorry. "The Patrol Leaders' Council As a patrol leader, you are a member of the patrol leaders' council, and you serve as the voice of your patrol members. You should present the ideas and concerns of your patrol and in turn share the decisions of the patrol leaders' council with your patrol members. The patrol leaders' council is made up of the senior patrol leader, who presides over the meetings; the assistant senior patrol leader, all patrol leaders, and the troop guide. The patrol leaders' council plans the yearly troop program at the

Noting inconsistencies and wishing to understand the actual BSA position is not "fighting" anything. It's trying to understand and/or to point out questionable situations. Want an example? Here is one discussed here before. Scout literature such as the SMHB and PLHB say the PL's responsibilities include things that almost anyone (Never say "all.") would agree is part-and-parcel of a dictionary definition of "discipline." Current Youth Protection Training expressly says all -- all -- discipline is to be handled by adults. (I asked about this conflict at Council in April. T

I was also advised to gift the participants. Noting that participants now spend long hours on fiberglass chairs and picnic tables, I found $1.59 closed-cell foam seat cushions at our local clearance store. They were appreciated. Other particpants noted and brought their own for WE II. I have also been exposed in various workplaces to customs of gift-giving. They were prevented from becoming containers of Lumbricus terrestris by dollar limits.

I recall "Goodby to the English measurement system." Most people alive today were not alive when the absolute triumph of the Metric System was announced.

I am not bothered by the inconsistencies in superseded literature in the slightest. It is interesting that some of the "newer" ideas ("Never do for the Scout what he can do for himself.") were present far earlier than generally acknowledged and that the pattern of inconsistent statements by BSA continues continues. The last is troublesome to the extent that we are to follow the "official" line.

Large, bureaucratic organizations routinely make mistakes about what their "customers" want. >The legendary "Improved Scouting Program" and, more recently, all the uniform changes. >Toyota's new, larger (12" longer), heavier, lower-mileage 2006 RAV-4 just in time for the first round of $3.99 gasoline. >Ford's Edsel >"New Coke" >Add your own The bigger the organization, the harder it apparently becomes to stay in touch with reality. A certain arrogance sets in. The organization develops a direct pipeline to God, so no input from "the field" is required or desi

I apologize to my betters if these observations are self-evident. It sometimes seems to me that Scout literature is like the Bible: language can be found that differs on many points. Therefore, it can be cited on more than one side of a position about "authentic" Scouting. So the first Scout Master's Handbook (1913) describes boys as little beasts, warns against giving them too much power, and looks on pure boy-democracy with great alarm. However, in a BSA behavior that persists to this day, the 1913 SMHB was written by a committee. In fact, it is a collection of separate articl

As suggested, the problem is often the "listed" business. I found out that my official record says I took basic training in 1910, took all Commissioner's training, and was the District Chairman of another district - for many years. Except for the 1910 part (Just kidding!), that is all incorrect. The official record also omits everything between 1910 and 1998 and most of the stuff after 1998. Not truly impressive in an organization that is now making a great business about requiring training. I am moving to a new unit closer to my home and in another council. I have

The Patrol Leaders' Council As a patrol leader, you are a member of the patrol leaders' council, and you serve as the voice of your patrol members. You should present the ideas and concerns of your patrol and in turn share the decisions of the patrol leaders' council with your patrol members. The patrol leaders' council is made up of the senior patrol leader, who presides over the meetings; the assistant senior patrol leader, all patrol leaders, and the troop guide. The patrol leaders' council plans the yearly troop program at the annual troop program planning conference. It then mee

Respectfully, not every disagreement is "bickering." Also, reaching a consensus, even where appropriate, requires "give" on all sides. There are at least as many assumptions as facts supporting judgments being made here.

BP, Thanks for the good wishes. I guess it is true that "American scouting never got it totally right from the beginning." No one ever gets it "totally right." BP saw PL's as Squad Leaders appointed by, and under the orders of "officers" and West put us in high-collar military suits. Bill wrote that one ought not drink water on hikes. (As "no water when exercising" was the theory of "trained" "professional" athletic coaches when I was was playing HS football years later, I can hardly be hard on Bill for that.) BP was a product of his age, and so thought the British "race" super

So the COR appoints the Committee and the CC. If the CC has a veto on all Committee actions, don't you have a one-person Committee when it comes to decisions? (Animal Farm: "some are more equal than others.") In a point that Blanchard made but revised 21st Century WB "lost in translation," authoritarian leadership does not work well in volunteer organizations because people can "vote with their feet." Then you have a one-person Committee to do the work of the Committee. Hello! Hello! Anyone else here? In southern California and similar climates, nylon tents will not last