TheScout

The futility of your argument is marked by the fact that you must engage in a linguistical arguement. What did the court do when it struck down the lease between the city and the BSA? It effectivly banned the BSA from using the agreement they made with the city. If it was not for the judge the BSA would have been able to continue to use the facilities as they had for many years. He stopped them. It is a shame that judges can do this and subvert the will of the council and the mayor who were elected to fulfill the will of the people.

http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?file=/news/archive/2004/04/14/state1432EDT0094.DTL An excerpt from the article says A federal judge who ruled last year that a lease allowing the Boy Scouts to use city-owned park land is unconstitutional has also found another Scouts' lease for an aquatics center to be illegal. Just one example of a court being used to attack the Boy Scouts. There are many other incidents of municipalities scaling back support due to the threat of lawsuits. And I still can't think of any laws the BSA has violated

jkhny, you say "the BSA wants to be 'private' and not comply with US law . . .BSA screams when the dreaded ACLU sues to have BSA comply with the law like everyone else" I would like to know what law the BSA is violating. Last time I checked the "freedom of assembly" guarentee in the First Amendment as well as the penumbra of privacy throughout the Bill of Rights establishes the right of any people to associate in people with whoever they wish. If he is talking about the BSA using public property, military bases, parks, etc. he is also sadly mistaken. The BSA has the right like

I stand corrected, I have #33009A.

There must be a mistake in the Scoutmaster Handbook. Page 3 says: "Adult Leader Qualifications These are the minimum requirments for becoming a Scoutmaster or an assistant Scoutmaster -Be at least 21 years of age, etc"

I have heard many different things about this question. My Scoutmasters Handbook said that a person must be 21 to be an Assistant Scoutmaster, but I have heard other people say it is not true. It would be interesting to know.

Maybe we are being a little harsch on the BSA, it is the agent that has brought scouting to American boys for decades. No organization is perfect, but in my opinion the BSA is one of the finest organizations in America. Just my thoughts.

One does not have to be an instructor or any POR to teach. All scouts who have knowledge should be encouraged to teach/share it on a regular basis. In our troop Instructors just do it on a more formal level. They are assigned by the SPL, Troop Guide, or PL to teach a specific skill to a certain group of scouts when the need arises.

I like the idea of putting Troops and Packs on the same charter if they both have the same CO. It just seems natural to me. Both could use the same neckerchief. It is important for Troops and Packs to work more closely together to get scouts to make a more natural transition from the Troop to the Pack. Even if units are not linked on the same charter it must they must be encouraged to cooperate more. I also like the idea of ending the First Class/First year. I see too many scouts being rushed to First Class without knowing what they should know in my opinion. It should be made more of

I do not have an insignia guide an I have a question. I have two knots to sew on. Eagle Scout, and Arrow of Light. I was wondering if there was a prescribed order that they are supposed to be placed on like ribbons in the military. Thanks.

If your son is applying to go to West Point or has been selected to go to West Point he should take every bit of advice and criticim the military folks can offer and should be appreciative for it. It is a very demanding school and every perspective cadet can use all the experience, training, and help they can get. Just my thoughts.

In our troop Eagle Scouts are also used in the same way as other ranks. If he desires an elected position and if the troop/patrol think he is the best canidate for the job he gets elected. If the SPL or a PL would like him to serve in an appointed position, they ask him. If he is old enough and the Scoutmaster thinks he is qualified he could be asked to serve as a Junior Assistant Scoutmaster. Eagle Scouts are not entitled to a position because of their rank. In many occasions they can serve just as well without a specific title.

I'm sure you son's merit badge counselor can answer any of his questions that pertain to the merit badge including its requirements.

If your scout was part of a new scout patrol he should have talked to the Troop Guide of that patrol. If he was part of a regular patrol, he should have talked to the Patrol Leader, not just the Assistant Patrol Leader. Either of these two figures would probably be happy to know one of their scouts did not get food and try to make ammends. Any good leader cares about the welfare of his scouts. Finally if he couldn't get help from his patrol, he should have talked to the SPL himself. Since the SPL was cooking he probably was not aware of the situation because he was not told. I c

It would be ok for a scout to talk to his SPL but there are probably better options since the SPL presumably has many other things to do. In a new scout patrol, the scout could still ask his patrol leader who could put him in touch with the Troop Guide assigned to that NSP or he could just his Troop Guide first to help him. That is how the patrol system works.

The easiest and best way for a scout to find out what to pack is to ask his Patrol Leader.

We leave it to the scouts who need the requirements signed off to take the initiative. It is their responsibility to ask somebody to sign off a requirment they think they have completed or ask someone to teach them a skill. This teaches them personal responsibility. None of our older scouts or leaders would ever turn down a scout who requests help on advancements. Lastly we encourage the older scouts to do the majority of the signing off. This gives them great leadership and teaching experience and helps them remaster the skills they are teaching.

Agreed Tortdog. There is no reason why unmarried boys and girls need to be going on overnighters together. The BSA has existed for 95 years as boy only and should remain that way. The thing that the American public admires about the BSA is the commitment to the same values over time. Something that very few other segments of American society can claim. I question your contention that "total youth available" is going down. The American population continues to rise rapidly and the youth population does as well. Lastly, the fact that FOS contributions down is a tough argument. The BSA

Ask them, dont ask us. Let them decide what they want to do and plan it too!

First problem is fixed very easily. Make the scouts stay with their buddies! That is the whole point of the buddy system. Get the youth leadership to make it work.

It is certainly not hard to be work at summer camp while working on Eagle. Unless you really need those 6-8 weeks to do your project or something forget the Eagle for the summer and go have fun. Camp staff is a blast.

I have a similar question. I earned a Silver Palm and currently have it displayed on my medal. I also got a staff job at summer camp this year where I would like to wear the palm on my knot. So I was wondering if anyone knew if it was possible to get a duplicate of a Silver Palm. Thanks

Thanks

In my Council, a scout does just that, provide a "list of names". The Troop Advancement Committee then uses that list and sends a letter to each of the people named for a letter of recomendaton. These are then sent back to the Advancement Committee who forwards them to the BOR. The scout does not have to provide letters, and he does not see what others wrote about him so they can be perfectly honest.

Two questions, First is for Skipper1701 or for anyone else who can answer. I was wondering from what source did you get the clarification that a scout who earned Atomic Energy cannot earn Nuclear Science. I am responsible for teaching it this summer and would like to see it for myself. Second, how does it work if a scout has a partial for Atomic Energy. Can he finish that merit badge, or do I credit him for the requirments of Nuclear Science that remained the same that he finished. Thanks for the help!