Trevorum

Howdy back atcha, Diogenes! I love west Texas! Are you in Concho Valley or out further west in Buffalo Trails Council?

Make sure the size of the cot matches the size of your tent! Many of the fellows in our troop use the short-leg (ca. 12" above the floor), tubular aluminum-frame cots. These simply fold in half and, while not as compact as the military style mentioned by Ohio, are more affordable and are perfectly serviceable for 1-2 weeks of summer camp.

As I said, you go be fashionable (I'm quite sure you're fabulously dashing).

Ya know OGE, you're right! I had completely forgotten about that scene where Indy dresses up in an outlandish costume!

Mebbe. But Indy NEVER, EVER wore a beret.

You go ahead and look sharp and iconic. I'd rather keep the sun out of my eyes and the rain off my neck.

I could never figure out the POINT of wearing a beret. It doesn't keep the sun out of your eyes nor off your neck on a sunny day and it only protects the very top of your head on a wet day. Not good field gear. I think that the red beret was the ill-advised "cherry on the top" of the French-designed parlor-uniform from which we're now finally moving away.

Scouts stopped wearing berets because they were fruity looking.

This decision would be up to the individual MB counselor and so would not be subject to any "troop rule". However, as GW so rightly observes, an OA ordeal rarely (if ever?) involves creating any kind of shelter, as is required by the MB. If I was the Wilderness Survival MB counselor, I'd say that the Scout has not yet completed the requirements. But not because of a "rule against double dipping", which I see as plainly silly. If the point of such a rule is to discourage cheating, then the rule is almost certainly too broad of a brush. It actually can cause a Scout to violate his oath to be Thrifty. For example, if Billy's school class visits Municipal Court, why should he not be able to use the rare opportunty towards Citizenship/Community #3 AND towards Law #6? Making him return downtown and sit through another session to avoid some poorly concieved (but catchily-titled) rule makes no sense to me.

I'd avoid used school busses like the plague (actually, that's curable these days). I've talked to several leaders at Philmont who had troop busses in the parking lot and response was terrifically mixed. Most said that maintenance and repair costs can be prohibitive, and now with the escalating cost of fuel, forget it! I like GaHillBilly's idea. Those Suburbans are tough, much more affordable, more maneuverable, more insurable, and can often be repaired by an experienced dad in the troop. The CO would clearly hold title to any such big ticket asset, so make sure you work closely with them from the start. They may love the idea or they may deep-six it.

April, If you are absolutely sure that 100% of the families are Judeo-Christian, then some selections of readings from the Old Testament might be appropriate, as these would held in common reverence by all; but, avoid anything from the NT. On the other hand, if there is any chance that any of the families are not Judeo-Christian (and, you can't tell just by looking!) then it would be best to avoid theological content, and, as BobWhite suggests, stick to elements of Reverence that everyone can agree on. Those are pretty basic. Have a fun camput!

RuPaul, RonPaul, I always get those two confused.

Fred, you are correct, of course. Nothing in print requires anyone (youth or adult) to participate in any specific religious observance. However, it has been my experience that is is often not possible to gracefully opt out of an organized "interfaith service". The organizers of the service naturally expect everyone to participate and rarely, if ever, give anyone the opportunity to excuse themselves from the group in order to pray/meditate in private. And, doing so can easily be misunderstood by others. Moreover, it can be extremely difficult for a youth to draw attention to themself by opting out of such a group activity, especially if they fear their Scoutmaster may disapprove.

"... if I knew of someone who is a member (youth or adult) and happens to be gay or an atheist, I would make sure their membership is revoked." //shudder// I'm sure glad you're not in our unit. Or district. Or council.

Thanks for sharing, Semper!

tahawk, Merlyn is correct: BSA official have stated repeatedly that theism *IS* a requirement for membership. Except, of course, for Buddhists, whom BSA evidently doesn't think are really atheists. Maybe BSA thinks there are "good" atheists and "bad" atheists?

Nonetheless, Lisabob's right. Cheating is always wrong.

That's noodly, Gern.

I agree with pizzaerick. Observing the rites and rituals of another culture or faith can be terrifically instructive, self-reflective, and even enjoyable. Being forced to participates in those rites can be uncomfortable, irritating, and even (as John has pointed out) wrong. I'm sure that the motives behind the interfaith services in Scouting are admirable. However, in most cases they just don't work very well - and for a surprisingly wide variety of reasons.

It would be interesting to read some of their literature. From what I can tell, I'd consider Spiral Scouts to be under the Baden Powell umbrella of Greater Scouting.

Ah. That would explain a lot.

Narraticong, absolutely. And I do value the right of you and your family to believe or not in the Theories of Evolution, Gravity, and all the rest of the stuff they teach in public schools.

BSA National constantly recieves suggestions and ideas from volunteers and youth. Some of the ideas are wacky and some of them are very good. The wacky ones are politely filtered out. The good ones get reviewed, discussed, debated, and remanded to subcommittee. Eventually, the very, very good ones become part of the Program. Good luck!

John, me too. I could never figure out all the jokes about it being the center of the porn industry. That must have been Canoga Park or Winnetka.

"Religious tolerance is not religious indifference. It is valuing the right of another person to hold beliefs that you know to be wrong."