TAHAWK

Baden-Powell, I mostly agree with everything you posted; however it is not a justifiable critique of post-1970 Scouting that we see here. It is a charge that Scouting in the U.S. never got it right on the most fundamental concepts of Scouting - the outdoor program, the Patrol method, advancement, adult association, "Scout Spirit" -- the entire purpose of the movement. And that attack is mostly made on the basis of citations of supposed authority. You do not want questioning of the citations of supposed authority? It is only the other-ethnic javelin team that always elects to "recei

Eagledad, our QM has the keys to the shed in which the propane and liquid fuel is stored - sort of his Key Of Office (as the QM patch once showed a key and wheel of the trek cart.) (That's about as far as the key supply goes in our setup.) Interesting to see how different troops handle the position.

"I am confused. What is the QM feeling left out about? The QM is a member of a patrol and particiaptes like any other troop member. Periodically he inventories the gear and requests a work day through the PLC for help in repair or organizing the gear/shed. He is the pivotal point at the beginning and ending of every campout. He is included in more activities than any other scout with the exception of the PL and SPL. " "The QM"? It is not necessarily so. No BSA policy requires it, or prohibits it. Our SM is firmly of the opinion that the QM is a warrant officer appointed by the SPL

Not concerned with legalisms as much as quality of experience and problem of feeling isolated.

We have a Scout "in charge." Quality of performance has varied from great to abysmal. Same SA has been the QM adviser for years. A big problem has been that our QM rooms have been out of sight and sound from the rest of the Troop. The QM can easily feel left out. We include him as a non-voting member of the PLC as he has information to give and get. I was thinking we needed a contest where each patrol had to have certain "stuff" to play. The patrol QMs, warned in advance of the general concept, would need to be familiar with where everything is situated because they don't know e

Tell us more about the "Equipment and Supply puzzle...." I'm puzzled. ^___^

Oh! Great site !!!!

Rick, I posted (among many other things): "If you have a version of Scouting for Boys written by Baden Powell, as opposed to the fantasy "World Brotherhood Edition" written by Hillcourt, in which there is a material difference, please let us know. You replied: "There, that kind of attitude is precisely why there are no "Scout Spirit" requirements, Scoutmaster Conferences, or Boards of Review in Baden-Powell's Scouting. Advancement in his program is based on the mastery of hands-on physical skills, not forced "values-based" word game contests with adults." Rick, I know you are clea

If all the other Scouts are in official uniform, how DOES the white turkey feel in the barnyard of all brown turkeys? Might not be real cool for the kid. Our troop has a very active "uniform exchange" that just happens to buy new uniforms as needed.

You asserted that BP provided strictly objective standards for advancing. My point was that BP provided, at the onset, for subjective, values-based standards for Proficiency Badges (best effort) and subjective, values-based standards for even BEING a scout. How those values-based, subjective standards were administered is a different issue. But as it happens, the "Scout Law" section of Scouting for Boys says nothing about advanced warning. It does not say, for example, "and is warned that he may lose his "life" if he fails to obey." "If a scout were to break his honor by te

There are hundreds of great pioneering projects, often limited only by how much rope you have available. A satisfactory trebuchet (often, incorrectly, "catapult" [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Catapult ]) can be lashed together with fairly light spars, using a bucket of rocks (or Scouts pulling on a rope) at the short end for energy. We had one throwing water balloons almost 150 feet into a swimming pool full of other Scouts. When doing our own summer camp in a camp with a stream dividing the ground, a bridge was often selected as a worthwhile project. We have done swings, and

STEP 2 "Kudu": Clearly Baden-Powell based what we call "advancement" solely on the mastery of objective Scoutcraft and Public Service skills. That means no "values" tests: No Boards of Review, No Scoutmaster Conferences, No wildcard Scout Spirit requirements. First, BP expressly provided in Scouting for Boys that a Scout who did not follow Scouting's values -- who "breaks his word of honor, or otherwise disgraces himself" -- should be removed from Scouting. That would be the enforcement of values. One cannot "advance" if one has been expelled. Conformity to values was a given.

"There is no method for first aid, no simple pithy little acronym yeh can tell people that will allow them to be successful treating any group of patients that come along." "PPPPP" ? ^___^

Rick, you say "Baden-Powell's 100 yard guideline is really the Troop Method: Just a simulation of the Patrol System within the safety of an adult-supervised Troop Campout." So even BP got "traditional Scouting" wrong? I recall that BP started out wanting Patrol Leaders appointed by the Scoutmaster. Even Homer nods. 0____0 As for Scouting for Boys, patrols, and 300 feet: "It is not intended that boy scouts should necessarily form a new corps separate from all others, but the boys who belong to any existing organization, such as schools, football clubs, Bots' or Church Lads

I do not take it that "Explain" precludes any method that transmits the information one hopes will be learned. I do not understand "Demonstrate" to always be separate from, or distinct from, "Explain." As with FSNP, things are not that simple. Scouting in more recent years has reverted to its habit from the earliest days to oversimplify. ("All groups go through these stages.") I recall that leadership training on teaching included in the last seven decades the notion that application should follow instruction and that the goal was some level of proficiency. Years ago, ther

Would one of you who has knowledge of the BSA rule regulating Patrol Emblems by size and numbers of colors please give me a citation to the rule? I have to do a session on "Uniforming" at a training course. It does not seem to be in the current Insiognia Guide page on "Patrol Emblems" (p. 19). A search of "patrol emblems" using the pathetic "search" feature at Scouts.org produced many hits about religious emblems, but nothing about patrol emblems. I found regulations covering "designs incorporating Boy Scouts of America trademark words, phrases, symbols or mottoes." But I have not se

Never encountered, "We'll tell you what you need to know" from paid staff. I did have them complain that I was not keeping them informed of what my district was doing. Things were going extremely well then. Didn't really need paid staff to do jobs volunteers were supposed to do -- and were doing. I have encountered, on occasion, the attitude that volunteers are unreliable children, but I always suspected this came from training (James West legacy) and could be eliminated in due time. Also, those paid staff tended not to be around long. (Not in every case. Have a real jerk in middle mgt

Agree 100% except about the "secret" part. Some take public pleasure in reducing freedom.

Last K-Mart "Grease Pot" I looked at was stainless steel. SS does not distribute heat as well as aluminum and is heavier, like for like.. YMWNV.

If a fileting knife is "large," and the exception in the G2SS knife policy implies that it is, "large" relates solely to blade length, which is not completely rational. Moreover, fileting knives are notably neither "awkward" nor hard to carry. Since its inception, Boy Scouting has relied heavily on an outdoor program to achieve its objectives. This program meets more of the purposes of Scouting than any other single feature. Knives are a primary outdoor tool, and we believe we have a duty to instill in our members, youth and adult, the knowledge of how to use, handle, and store legall

Beav, yes, after 42 years I know who MBC's are, and their range of competency and eccentricities. I suppose some of us are "silly," at least on occasion. In fact, I hope so. I was focused on candidates in my area who face drastically different requirements. As usual you make a good point. This is a national program. So the requirement should add "in your area." And it should not read, as USSSP and one poster here has suggested, "Show that you know first aid for and how to prevent injuries or illnesses from hypothermia, heat reactions, frostbite, dehydration, blisters, ins

No regulation of the B.S.A. requires wearing the Uniform for any occasion whatsoever. The instructions for Eagle Boards of Review specifically state that wearing the Uniform is not a requirement for being reviewed for the rank of Eagle Scout. "Scout Spirit" does not include wearing the Uniform. It consists solely of following the Oath and Law, Motto and Slogan in your daily life. BSHB at p. 30 (and in many previous BSHB's) Speaking of the Scout Law: If the Troop has a tradition of Scouts appearing for Boards of Review in complete uniform, would it be courteous to do so?

The MB pamphlet discusses the examples listed in the requirement, although it's treatment of Anaphylactic Shock is pretty poor as it is treatment most appropriate for a non-wilderness setting. The pamphlet also discusses sunburn, cuts, and abrasions. It omits ankle sprains and the "runs," both common wilderness problems. The pamphlet's substantive material on first aid and illnesses does not trump the requirement, but requirement is unclear and the substantive material goes beyond the examples in the requirement. (Much of the substantive material on other subjects is inaccu

You seem to have grasped the issue. I think it is an issue, especially for National Counsel, when we have requirements for Merit Badges that are so ambiguous that different candidates face materially different requirements for the same badge depending on whether their counselor reads the requirement or not. Further, I think it is an issue for National Counsel when their list of examples omits most of the most common injuries or illnesses encountered in the "backcountry." The medicos at Philmont told me sunburn, blisters, sprained ankles, and "the runs" were the most common problems

As many know, several "outdoor" Merit Badges have a similar requirement: "Show that you know first aid for and how to prevent injuries or illnesses that could occur in the backcountry, INCLUDING hypothermia, heat reactions, frostbite, dehydration, blisters, insect stings, tick bites, and snakebites." [emphasis added]** A Scoutmaster asked how I could require a Wilderness Survival MB candidate to show knowledge of how to treat burns (including sunburn), splinters, sprained ankle, and cuts -- all very common outdoor activity injuries. After reviewing the USSSP sites, and talking t