Trevorum

oooh, sorry to hear that. Some of those old patches can be downright expensive to replace. I think your only hope may be ebay. I lost my original flap from Walika lodge and was stunned to discover how much I'd have to shell out to purchase a replacement. Ain't the free market great!

That's an interesting point, Dan, and one I hadn't thought about before. I always sorta assumed than when a Hindu died, he would be reincarnated as Hindu again. But maybe not. Say, that means any of us could have been Hindu in a past life!

Yes. "Let the market decide." Absolutely! Under Local Option, the chartering organization would decide whether to exclude or accept homosexuals and/or atheists. The market would then decide which units would flourish or wither based on their degree of inclusiveness.

Bacchus, You did not address Calico's scenario but instead you changed it to suit your preconcieved notions. Calico asked what would happen if the openly gay IH appointed his Eagle Scout "life partner" in "a committed relationship" to be the COR. How in the world did you then assume that the Eagle Scout CoR would be "promiscuous"? I can only assume you believe that all gay people are ipso facto promiscuous and unworthy of being mentors.

Pack, I've never really heard a well articulated objection to that idea. In fact, the only argument I've heard is that some kind of unspecified strife might result at inter-unit events like camporees.

Egad.

No baiting at all, OGE. I really detested the berets. They are totally fruity (wait - can I say that here?) and only look good if you are Special Forces.

Like we learned as Cubs: "Do your best!"

No berets. I draw the line at berets.

Nick, As an Eagle mentor, please accept this advice in the spirit of Helpfulness. You SHOULD care. It DOES matter. Communication is the way we present ourselves to others and poor grammar, mis-pellings and careless punctuation do not leave a good impression. You are correct that these posts on an internet forum are more casual that a term paper or your resume, and we do forgive obvious typos and also those posters who clearly do not know better. You know better, however. Are we to assume that you just don't care enough about our opinions to take the time? Texting your friends is

Yes!!! Finally, getting up at O-dark-thirty on the morning to play Reveille pays off! Go buglers!

Welcome to the campfire, Doug. I'm sure you'll find a lot of good stuff here. And congratulations on becoming SM!

ahhh - diversity! For the record, feel free to pigeon-hole me with Lisa and Dan. It'll make it easier to skip any of my posts in the future, as well.

My relationship with Jesus is identical to the one I have with Alexander the Great.

I've said it before. BSA is on the wrong side of history with regards to this issue. Unless it changes, within 30 years, BSA will be viewed as quaint and out of touch by the vast majority of Americans. Unless BSA is satisfied by an ever shrinking customer base, it will be forced to change.

Kidding aside, I'm always amazed by the people who will earnestly argue that the tomato is not a fruit. Or the pumpkin.

For a while I contemplated becoming homosexual. But then I realized I had terrible fashion sense. Besides, the constant bigotry and threat of violence was a real deal-breaker. I'm very glad I decided to have O+ blood type though.

Kahuna, I was there also. But, I don't remember a thing about the Apollo landing. I guess I must have been busy doing something! And I don't remember any radios, either - I suppose our SM didn't allow them. And, I'd much rather have that dry climate than the sticky heat of Virgina! I haven't yet decided whether I will be on staff again in 2010. Are you?

Hello DM, and welcome to the forums! I am a SoCal ex-pat, and I too wondered why it took me so long to get back into Scouting!

I agree with Pack212 and others. The diversity of faiths within our troop is one reason we normally have our Chaplain and Chaplain's Aide do a troop service on campout Sunday mornings. It's not necessarily a "religious" service and certainly wouldn't meet the stringent Roman Catholic (or Muslim) requirements, but it does address the spirituality of the outdoors, in the BP sense of it. I just can't see myself expecting (or even asking) a Hindu scout to attend a Presbyterian worship, or vice versa.

In my experience, Cub Scouts absolutely LOVE to get uniformed up. They love the patches, the regalia, the hat - all of it. Then they cross over. First year Scouts bring some of that enthusiasm, but by the time the fellows are in middle school, their attitude towards uniforms has cooled. Sometimes to the point where the Scout uniform IS a disincentive to staying with the program. I think adult leadship can valiantly row against the natural tide (and there ARE some units that disprove the rule) but the overwheming majority of teen-aged American boys just don't like all the frou-frou they see

Have figs, dates, and pistacios (undyed) for snacks. And don't forget pomegranates! Many of those suburban youngsters may never have seen, much less eaten one of these delicious, yet bizarre fruits!

That sounds like fun! Cooking, huh? For some genuine (simulated) ancient Egyptian breadstuffs, try hot rock cooking. Find a nice slab of hard rock (but not limestone or other porous kind) to use as a griddle. You might be able to find something at a landscaping supply yard. Balance this on three other rocks (or bricks work well) and build a campfire underneath. Make sure there is enough good air flow underneath and enough room for you to feed the fire without removing the rock-griddle. While the rock is hearing up, prepare some bisquit dough (not pancake batter!) - prepackaged dough

Happy solstice, pack. (and fajas day)

We present merit badges at the next opportunity, typically the meeting after the scout hands his signed blue card to the SM. All rank advancements and merit badges are formally recognized at the next quarterly CoH.