TAHAWK

I have attended or inspected about twenty council camps since 1983. As a rule, they allow group testing of MB candidates to meet the requirements where the candidate is to individually show he has acquired specified knowledge. That is, a question is asked to all the candidates. One Scout answers correctly. The others nod their heads, and all get credit for passing. This is contrary to BSA policy but is a well known practice. Another, less common but not unusual practice is to simply hand out the MB whether or not the candidate has passed all of the requirements by any method of passi

Rick, we need to do this in stages I think. STEP 1: Does anyone but Rick feel Scouting is not value-based? ****************************************************************************** Eamon, you say, "I was deeply saddened when I read that Patrols are no longer allowed to camp as Patrols without any adult supervision." I presume you refer to G2SS, but having two (or more) adults "required" or "present" does not mean that they have to be involved in leading. To me, until I hear more, it does not mean they have to be in sight or within shouting distance. Alarm bells and the hat

Hey, Alabama. One section of the card at least says it is to be kept by the Counselor. Mine are in alpha order by name of Scout. Would you require redo rather than check with Counselor?

Forty Scouts sitting around a "counselor" for fifty minutes for five days getting "passed" as a group on requirements is a fraud, not to mention contrary to the national policy of individual qualification noted above. Everyone knows it goes on at most, if not all, BSA summer camps. So what does that tell us? W.Va. four years ago. twelve-year-old Scout runs into camp on Friday with Pioneering Blue Card all signed off. PL comes over and says said Scout can't tie a single knot needed for Pioneering. Turns out it's true. Pioneering Stakes? "What are those?" Project? "What proj

More banners in action. Cleveland Codified Ordinances: "(a) No person shall knowingly carry, have in his possession or ready at hand any . . . knife having a blade two and one-half inches in length or longer [e.g. a normal Swiss Army Knife]. . . while at or about a public place. (b) As used in this section, "public place" means any place to which the general public has access and a right to resort for business, entertainment or other lawful purpose, but does not necessarily mean a place devoted solely to the uses of the public. It also includes the front or immediate area of any st

"I use a 4inch sheath knife for hunting, sounds you guys are using swords." You TERRIBLE PERSON! ^___^ Which guys? The authors of the Official BSA wilderness survival books? Them, heck yes. BIG blades! 12" blades and more. Can't be "sheath" anything because they come in scabbards. (No mention in G2SS about swords, spears, halberds, or maces.) All my favorite Scouting fixed-blades have blades of 4" or less. Don't need a chopper because I have a folding saw. 4" is just . . . handy. I think BSA issued one 5" fixed-blade by Union Cutlery (later Ka-Bar Cutlery) and several 4"

If the "Blue Card" is required, you would think the official training material for MBC's would say so. But I guess lots of BSA literature is poorly done. Because both councils I have Scouted in used them, I believed they were SOP. Training material: http://www.scouting.org/training/adult/supplemental/meritbadgecounselorinstructorsguide.aspx I know the two district MB registrars I work with are both having a tough time with the impact of required YPT.

So regulations are making Scouting less fum for adults? Yet we still go to Canada, which adds a whole added layer of regs. -- especially thanks to the current U.S. government. We have a Committee member who has most of this on word-processing (like all the driver info) and works near the Service Center. That makes it much less burdensome for the commissioned Scouters.

Scouting has traditionally been values-based, as two of the primary goals of Scouting have always been producing good people and good citizens. As you know, Rick, the values of Scouting, particularly the Oath, Law, Motto, and Slogan, were formulated by adults, such as BP. I guess that makes Scouting's values the "result" of Scouts associating with adults. Scouting's traditional attention to values does not diminish the importance of the outdoor program. One ought not blame Scouting's traditional values for the poor choices made by the corporation, especially in the early 1970's. Conce

"The francisca (or francesca) is a throwing axe used as a weapon during the Early Middle Ages by the Franks, among whom it was a characteristic national weapon at the time of the Merovingians from about 500 to 750 AD and is known to have been used during the reign of Charlemagne (768 - 814).[1] Although generally associated with the Franks, it was also used by other Germanic peoples of the period including the Anglo-Saxons, and several examples have been found in England."

"'Raining all day. Grass on hill very slippery. So .................................... ^___^ ' That's pretty close to sledding. I trust everyone wore helmets." G@SS: "The use of helmets is required for the following activities: downhill skiing, snowboarding and operating snowmobiles (requires full face helmets)." July No snow No skies No snowboards No machinery (just kids) Helmets not required for sledding Conclusion: sliding on wet grass OK sans helmets. Happy Day!!! (NO eating worms unless very hungry.)

Spreading mulch for church /CO. Found many worms. WORM RACES!!! FUN!!!!! (Worms not canned.) (Misting keeps your "steeds" in good shape to race.) Raining all day. Grass on hill very slippery. So .................................... ^___^(This message has been edited by TAHAWK)

Even on a forum like this, with folks who know a great deal about Scouting, it remains hard to get an accurate statement of BSA policy on knives. "A sharp pocketknife with a can opener on it is an invaluable backcountry tool. Keep it clean, sharp, and handy. Avoid large sheath knives. They are heavy and awkward to carry, and unnecessary for most camp chores except for cleaning fish. 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. We believe we have a dut

They have pretty good fun building long but low bridges over the inlet where we used to do the towers. (Rangers think its a blast and gather material for us. (Wonderful guys and gals and very supportive.) We also build a carousel pretty regularly. Trebuchet throws water balloons wonderfully well at man-pshaped targets (Scouts and Scouters). I think that's OK. We go to Canada every other year to Dorchester Camporee, and they can USE a monster rope bridge. However, per a memo from organizers, starting 2012 only certified professionals can operate the zip lines at Scouts Can

No I do not, if you mean fun for Scouts. The only rule change in the last twenty years that our Scouts noticed were the restrictions on pioneering structures. They really liked 20' towers, and no one ever fell. But time passes and those who miss those towers today are all adults. Will a Scout have less character, citizenship, or physical and mental fitness because we don't build those towers? I think not. In the meanwhile, the refusal of a majority of adults in Scouting to allow the youth leadership has been there generation after generation. THAT counts. (Scoutmaster explainin

Scouts have been injured playing on grass. Scouts have been injured playing in snow. Scouts have died playing in water. Scouts have been injured using knives, axes, ropes, and cooking pots. Scouts have been injured climbing trees. Scouts have been killed and seriously injured - many times - riding in cars. Scouts have been injured using fires. Grass, snow, water, knives, axes, ropes, cooking pots, trees, cars, and fires have not been prohibited by BSA. Instead, we have, more or less, reasonable rules about how such things fit Scouting. Liquid alcohol is far less dangerous t

IIRC there were 37,000 Google hits.

Thank you. Very interesting and extremely ignorant. Liquid alcohol is discouraged while the much more dangerous naphtha is AOK. I could see a weak argument against alcohol on the grounds that the flames are invisible, but jelled alcohol is AOK. Fortunately, my alcohol stoves are all manufactured by companies, including the pop can stove. Really excellent for heating food, although not my choice for cooking pasta. Typical no thought rule. Notice we teach consensus to solve conflicts in opinion, but the actual behavior is very directive and top down. "Do as I say .

Will someone please provide me a link to the rule outlawing "home-made" stoves? Thank you. (I will try to find it in the meanwhile. Always interested in zero-thought rules.)

"Has anyone ever found a source for a rain cover for the official campaign hat?" Check law enforcement suppliers. Many law enforcement officers wear hats shaped like the campaign hat and wear rain covers on those hats. Here is just one result from Googling rain cover hat: http://www.paradestore.com/detail.aspx?ID=102

Misc. ramblings. BSA policy on sex and religion are certainly interesting subjects for discussion. As to religion, I learned this many years ago when my tent-mate explained why he, a Buddhist, didn't join in prayers: "No one to pray to." Yet we have had Buddhist troops since the 1920's and there is a BSA-recognized religious award for Buddhist Scouts - who recognize no creator deity. Is there an implicit belief that the European view is superior to the African and Middle Eastern view, as well as the BSA view? Of course there is. Silly question. BSA is not the largest Scout

The first aid requirement for Wilderness Survival (and many other MB's) is fairly strange. Read it carefully. It unambiguously requires the candidate to "show" first aid for(and how to prevent) injuries or illnesses "that could occur in backcountry settings." Examples follow, but examples do not limit the generality of the requirement. Passing that requirement should only take 100's of hours. Let's see, how to prevent and give first aid for Bubonic Plague? (Which occurs in the backcountry of the U.S.) Hantavirus? (ditto) Gun shot? (ditto) Now tell me each candidate passes the same requ

The troop in which I was a Scout and, eventually Scoutmaster, did its own Summer Camp every other year. Same for the troop where I was an SA for 24 years. You need a solid adult for food. It can be a big plus instead of a problem. The Scouts can plan the menu with good counsel. Iron Chef? What MB's to offer? For which MB's do you have the best teachers? No need to have hour-long sessions like "regular" SC. Whatever fits. You may be able to rent a Scout camp. That solves a good many physical problems, like poles for pioneering, refrigerators, picnic shelters, etc. In

I emailed to the museum and simply asked if any current display material related to Bill. I did not identify this forum or refer to the comments of the docent reported above. This is the reply I received within twenty-four hours: "As to your question regarding Bill Hillcourt; currently there are no exhibits featuring Mr. Hillcourt, but in 2009 we had a display of Hillcourt memorabilia which was on exhibit for the entire year. I am attaching some photos. As to the issues discussed on that forum, I do not know which docent they spoke to, but those comments should not be held as represe

Bill, of course, retired in August, 1965. Having worked for decades and retired after winning the fight to establish the patrol method in an outdoor-oriented program, Bill must have been shocked by the "Improved" program rolled out in 1972. (West was famously suspicious of boy leadership. He wrote of the dangers it presented - in his mind. As for patrols, West suggested that Scouts to be distributed between counselors at summer camp, rather than camping in patrols or troops. Very YMCA. West even suggested that Scoutmasters be employees of B.S.A. It was all about control.)