Trevorum

btw, any word on the Hunting MB that is currently being tested up in Wisconsin or Michigan or one of those cold places?

"If you take the smokers out of Scouting the ranks would [be] pretty slim." (emphasis removed) Not sure this is true at all. Of the 30+ registered adults in our unit, I don't think there is a single smoker. Maybe some do in private, but I've never witnessed this on any campout or at any meeting. These days, I think smokers are 1) much more aware and considerate of others, and 2) just aren't as common as they used to be. just my observations ...

OK, OK. Mea culpa. No rule against camo, just a guideline.

Hello radmom and wlcome to the forums! Patch vests are not official uniform elements and so are subject to lots of creativity. Red is traditional for cubs, but I see no reason why the must be red. That said, I would discourage camoflage because military and quasi-military garb is not acceptable in BSA (we're not quasi-military and try to avoid the appearance).

Oooh, look there at the left - there's an ad for a camo-wearing Klingon lawyer holding a paintball gun!

Fuzzy, Now there's a terrific idea! An Internet Scouting seminar at PTC! I would dearly love to shake your hand in person, and those of my many other buddies here on scouter.com. I think we should even invite Rooster and BW !

Ed, all threads wander from topic to topic - don't worry! In case it is not clear from my post above, please let me clarify. There are currently TWO religious awards programs for Unitarian Universalist (UU) youth. The first (Religion in Life) is sponsored by the UUA but is no longer authorized for uniform wear by the BSA. Because the spat between personalities at the UUA and those in the BSA could not be resolved, an independant group of Scouters formed the UUSO with the express intent of bridging the gap. In 2005, the program developed by the UUSO was accepted by the BSA Religious Relationships subcommittee and the new Living Your Religion (LYR) award was authorized for uniform wear. Since the programs debut at the 2005 Jamboree, UU Scouts nationwide have completed this program and have been awarded the new medal. It is important to understand that not all BSA youth religious awards programs are offered directly from a church body. Some are, but others are offered through independant organizations, like the UUSO. Because the UUA aleady has a youth award program, they see no need to recognize the UUSO award (which is perfectly understandable - especially considering the entrenched positions of the UUA vs. the BSA). Also, not all official BSA publications, including webpages, are updated. This is unfortunate. Nonetheless, the UUSO LYR award is in fact recognized by BSA. As I said, the two programs are nearly identical. We encourage UU youth to learn about their faith through either program. Typically, non-BSA youth will choose the older RIL program; BSA youth have an option and are increasingly choosing the newer LYR program because they can honestly wear the medal/knot on their uniform. I hope this helps! We now return this thread to it's regularly scheduled programming...

Ed, You are incorrect. In the spring of 2005, the BSA Religious Relationships subcommittee approved the Unitarian Universalist (UU) "Living Your Religion" award for uniform wear. see http://www.uuscouters.org/ There is another UU award, "Religion in Life" which is no longer authorized by BSA for uniform wear. You are probably thinking of that. The two programs are 99% identical.

For some unfathomable reason, I am reminded of "Jumbo", the 200 ton, 25 foot long steel container with walls 14 inches thick that was intended to contain the first atomic bomb, should it be a dud and not go critical. They didn't use it at Trinity though, so later the Army put eight 500 lb bombs inside (!!!) and exploded them. What a boom that must have been.

Agree with FScouter. Recognizing the service and sacrifice of those serving in the military is honorable. However, a BSA troop flag is not the appropriate venue.

This kind situation is probably becoming more and more common as the mood in our country becomes increasingly fearful. Remember the scout who was suspended from school because he had some nails in his pocket leftover from a troop service project? Calico and FScouter are right on. The fellow should have his BoR with no prejudice going in. If the board decides to reconvene after some period of time to be sure of the fellow's Scout Spirit, that's OK. I remember, as a kid one time, opening up a bunch of firecrackers and collecting the gunpowder. I had some notion of packing the gunpowder into a bigger tube and making a bigger firecracker. Very cool, huh? Of course, today, we'd call that a pipe bomb. Luckily, my dad happened to come into the garage. He calmly asked what I was doing. He then told me how dangerous it was and told me the story of a fellow he knew as a kid who lost a couple of fingers from fire crackers. No one charged me with a felony cause I was just a stupid kid. Many years later, I told this story to my own sons to make sure they wouldn't blow off their fingers. Or worse.

Estee, Welcome to the forums! I'm not sure of your point - I don't think there ever was a Communist Pioneer youth movement in America. But (to borrow a page from Kudu's playbook) anyone can start a football league in America and create their own rules. Not so with Scouting. BSA has a monopoly on the program and has the only rulebook and decides which rules will be changed and when. Moreover, if you start a Scouting program based on BP's model, and call it Scouting, you will be sued for infringement.

This thread is spun from another which was prematurely closed by a moderator. I have recieved several PMs from members asking me where I got the BSA membership numbers I quoted in that thread. Those numbers came from official BSA annual reports from 1991-2003 inclusive. I also found a BSA history with total year end membership numbers from 1911-1993. The data are not sourced, but appear to come from some official BSA publication(s) no longer available. Unlike our resident professional sleuth, David Scott (Miki101), I am not a historian; I can not vouch for the veracity of either data set. Moreover, there is some discrepancy between the two data sets for the few years they overlap which I can not explain. Nonetheless, I would be happy to share the data with anyone who is interested. Send me a PM with your email address and I will reply off-forum with the raw data in an excel file. -Trevorum

A interesting article. I also followed the link to Arthur Rose Eldred (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Arthur_Rose_Eldred) who was the first Eagle Scout in 1912. Eldred was the first to earn 21 merit badges, at a time when only 141 merit badges had been awarded nationwide! (He had 15% of all MBs in the entire country!). On his Eagle Board of Review sat James E. West, Ernest Thompson Seton, and Daniel Carter Beard. Wow! Eldred's son was an eagle (1944), his grandson is an eagle, and he has three great-grandsons who are working towards Eagle.

That is obstruction, Barry. In my opinion, it's absolutely unconscionable. Our Government spends billions of dollars - literally - on researching new and more efficient ways to kill people (yes, some people say, "National Defense") and at the same time refuses to assist medical research that will ultimately save and prolong the lives of millions of Americans. It is crazy. Absolutely insane.

Would that we all were as iron-sure as Abraham. I, for one, am not willing to sacrifice my own son for someone else's notion of a moral absolute.

Brent, I hope you have a wonderfully successful lemonade stand! I have a 15 year old Life Scout at home and it's a delicate balancing act to encourage, but not push, him to finish up those last remaining Eagle MBs.

emb021 says the Eagle project appeared in the 60s. Does anyone have more history on the evolution of the Eagle project? When I earned my Eagle in 1968, I remember the project being not nearly as complex a requirement as it is now. As I recall, the project was more purely a service project and less of a leadership project.

Gern, I tell my own son that by the time he has a family of his own, I'm sure there will be a cure for his diabetes. Secretly I think, only if we can get the right wing politicians to stop obstructing stem cell research.

ahh.. Not having seen the commercial, I'll defer to you. Your description does sound like he was trying to capitalize on BSA good will. It's a fine line I suppose. Glad I'm not a politician.

Hey, us poor people resent being called "massive". Oh, wait, that's "masses". Nevermind...

OK ... Time for a lesson in international patries... What the heck is a "crumpet"??? I have never known this. My imagination conjures little crinkled up trumpet shaped things. Either that or a cranky strumpet ...

1999 1998 had 2,171,987 cubs, 1,023,442 scouts and 188,075 Venturers for a total of 3,383,504 in traditional units. 1999 had 2,181,013 cubs, 1,028,353 scouts and 202,486 venturers for a total of 3,411,852 in traditional units, for an increase of 28,348 youth.

John, I don't see anything wrong with that. It doesn't sound gratuitous. IMO, he was not implying endorsement, he was just stating his qualifications. I think being an Eagle Scout is an important part of anyone's resume, politician or not.

Welcome Sean! (I think we'll probably all just call you scarey) and welcome back into scouting! You're gonna have a GREAT time!