Trevorum

Wow. That is an amazing pattern of thinking. And I thought James Watt was scary ... Remind me not to ask you watch my dogs or horses when I go on vacation.

Acco raises an interesting and very real dichotomy in his points #1 and #4: adult leaders and scouts often have opposing goals for summer camp. Adults want an easy structure for MBs and advancement while boys want to get away from home and have outdoors FUN! (if they earn some MBs along the way, that's OK). There is a balance between the two (and it's different for each troop), but I would rather err on the side of what the boys want. How many of us actually poll the scouts after camp? Are THEY happy?

Animals do have rights, if you think about it. If they are in human custody, they have the right to be fed and cared for adequately. This is codified not in the Bill of Rights (not all rights are spelled out there by the way) but in numerous state and local laws. If you violate these rights, you can be charged with the crime of animal cruelty and, if found guilty, fined and sent to prison. (Of course, humans being mammalian supremicists, we only really care about furry animals ...)

If God didn't want us to eat fish, he wouldn't have made them so tasty...

In another thread on how Webelos choose troops, Dan asks: "Are older scouts involved in the meeting or have they been out of the meeting the entire night working on Venture Patrol things, this should be a warning, that they are not keeping the older scouts involved." Good question! How DO you keep the older guys (14+) both interested and integrated? We're facing this issue in our troop and would appreciate hearing what works!

... and we can't forget Dr. Seuss, George Orwell, George Sand, Lewis Carroll, James Tiptree, Jr., Harry Turtledove, and Ellery Queen, not to mention Voltaire!

memorable experience for the boys.

From what I've observed, the overall quality of the summer camp experience that the scouts take away with them is mostly a function of two factors: (1) camp staff, and (2) camp food, with staff being much more important than food. This is not to say that program, infrastructure, and amenities are not important. However, the program is implemented by the staff and an enthusiastic, well trained staff that knows they are there to serve the scouts is THE key ingredient in making summer camp a fun and me

Agree that school IDs should be accessible to most scouts. I asked because several years ago our troop created our own laminated photo IDs when we were arranging access to a secure military installation. These worked just fine.

Does the photo ID have to be "official" or issued by a government agency?

You're a fine fellow, NJCubScouter, and so I'll excuse your lapse in judgement regarding career choices...

Hold on there, ItsMe - I may be cheap, but you can't get away with accusing me of being a lawyer! I'm with Shakespeare on this one!

From this can I logically deduce that only 2 of 3 criteria would make a philosophy a religion? No, all three key elements are present in religion. However, different faiths offer different mixes of the three. Some emphasize ritual more than others; some emphasize theology over moral code or ritual; others emphasize morality over theology and ritual. Any system which does not have all three is not classified as a religion. Of course, you may have a different perspective on the subject.

eisely - Great story! Thank you for sharing! My SM minutes this month have been about giving and this was the perfect cap for the week before Christmas. I used it last night and it was much appreciated. Thanks again!

ItsTrailDay, Your question is a set-up in that "God" and "moral code" are not equivalent and may not be substituted for each other in BSA policy statements. It's true that the two concepts are closely related. They are two of the three key elements of religion, the third being a system of ritualized behaviors which serve to bind theology to the moral code and vice-versa. "God" is one element in theology - most religions posit a god(s) in the Judeo/Christian/Islamic sense but not all; Buddhism and Taoism are prime examples. For this reason (I surmise), the policy-wonks in Irving

... family. (I apologize for the truncated posts. It's my computer, not me!)

... requirement for a Scout to observe a duty to God, and the Scout Law requires a Scout to be reverent. Again, interpretation is the responsibility of the Scout, his parents and religious leaders." (Questions and Answers, Duty to God, 6/7/91) This would indicate that BSA does not require a belief in the Judeo/Christian/Islamic God, or even a personified deity, leaving the definition of "God" up to the Scout and his

ItsTrailDay, An excellent question. This is the official BSA position: "... the BSA does not define or interpret God." (BSA Position Statement, 6/6/91) Also, see the following: Q. Some people maintain that God is a tree, a rock or a stream. Would a person believing such be eligible to be a member of Scouting? A. The BSA does not seek to interpret God or religion. The Scout Oath states a requiremen

Which reminds me of the time my UCLA alumni card was mistaken for a ACLU membership card. I just wanted to purchase some BBQ, but the dyslexic fellow was certain I was a "pinko lawyer"...

In the same way that our military defends us from foreign threats, I've always seen the ACLU as defending our rights from internal threats. I thank them for being vigilant.

... whirled peas

When people ask me how I got started in my career (which appears quite glamorous to those who don't actually know any better), I sometimes tell them I stood in the wrong line my first week in college ... Seriously, If I could do it over I would like to be able to contribute to 21st century genetic research. I think we are on the cusp of a revolution that will prove to be more profound than the invention of the printing press or the discovery of electricity.

I'd be less concerned about the whistle (it has it's uses - mostly for outdoor games) and the laser tag (has been debated ad naseum in this and other forums) than I would be for the disrespect shown to the flag. THAT has got to stop. Our sons will learn respect - or not - for the symbols of our country from us and long before they cross over into Scouts. The flag should be in a stand (or hung on a wall) and displayed priminently. Flag stands don't have to be fancy or expensive and can be easily and quickly made from scraps of lumber and PVC or plywood. Please volunteer to make one for t

Almost like a holier-than-thou attitude that says "I'm so holy I don't need no silly patch to prove it". Patches? Patches? We don't need no stinkin' patches!

I guess this is at the discretion of the BoR Chairperson.