Trevorum

A warm and hearty welcome from Texas! We're very glad you have joined us and we hope to learn about Scouting in your country. The Netherlands is very beautiful! Where in the USA will you be visiting?

rsteph, welcome to the forums! We're glad to have you join us. So... you're a patch collector huh? I'd be happy to trade with you! Send me a PM and we can work out a swap

funscout, Welcome to the forum - glad to have you join us! However, I take issue with your statement that homosexuality is a "disability". From both medical and psychological perspectives, it is simply a "condition" like having blue eyes, or having AB negative blood, or being left handed. Actually, that last is a very good analogy. Left handedness has been suppressed or moral grounds in various times and places, just as homosexuality is today. With neither condition is there any inherant disadvantage. Only when a society disapproves of one condition or the other have they been "problems to be corrected". That being said, you are correct in that some Judeo-Christians (and most Muslims) believe that homosexuality is wrong. The rest of the world doesn't necessarily agree however.

Nope, sorry. I've seen the numbers, but not recently and I don't remember where. If I recall, membership grew relentlessly through the 1960s when it peaked at about 5-6 million. The 1970s saw a precipitous drop; every year declined until the early 1980s when things leveled off and we showed modest annual gains once more into the 1990s. I'll see if I can find those numbers again. My personal take is that BSA membership is a function of two factors. It (1) reflects wide social trends in the American fabric rather than responding to single social issues, and (2) responds swiftly to BSA policy. The decline in the 1970s can be attributed most easily to #2 (the failed paradigm shift) but certainly was a function of the widespread social millieu of the late 60s and 70s (anti-uniform, anti-"establishment").

Shoot, Texas is God's country! Ever'bdy knows that!

Well, sure 'nuff. It looks like Pennsylvania is a clear second place! My records are by no means 'official'! (Only Dave Scott gets acess to those! ) My source is just the data base laboriously compiled by an insane patch collector for use by other insane patch collectors (like me).

I should have known I'd get some ursine remark from you, Semper. I can't bear it any more. But then, we're not polar opposites ...

I haven't seen Fuzzy Bear in 2 months. I hope he's OK. Anyone know what happened to him?

Here's some membership data I compiled several years ago from BSA annual reports. The formatting is lost, but you can parse the numbers Year Cubs Boy Scouts exp/ven total traditional LFL total 1991 2,145,870 988,270 367,262 3,501,402 648,257 4,149,659 1992 2,110,633 975,589 367,093 3,453,315 696,833 4,150,148 1993 2,067,279 979,192 380,903 3,427,374 737,799 4,165,173 1994 2,031,282 978,608 393,444 3,403,334 784,689 4,188,023 1995 2,063,547 989,343 407,905 3,460,795 837,407 4,298,202 1996 2,095,811 1,000,078 422,366 3,518,255 880,422 4,398,677 1997 2,152,387 1,016,383 455,268 3,624,038 949,850 4,573,888 1998 2,171,987 1,023,442 188,075 3,383,504 1,161,733 4,545,237 1999 2,181,013 1,028,353 202,486 3,411,852 1,373,615 4,785,467 2000 2,114,420 1,003,691 233,858 3,351,969 1,589,988 4,941,957 2001 2,043,478 1,005,592 276,434 3,325,504 1,697,701 5,023,205 2002 2,000,000 1,000,000 315,296 3,315,296 1,721,957 5,037,253 2003 1,914,425 997,398 288,395 3,200,218 1,555,226 4,755,444

Welcome to the forum, Dace! Pull up a log and join the (virtual) campfire. We're glad you've joined us!

Interesting question. According to wikipedia, "Since the establishment of the People's Republic of China (PRC) by the Communist Party in 1949 in mainland China, Scouting has officially been banned. There are, nevertheless, Scouting units in some international schools." Further, "... there are both American Cub Scout packs and Boy Scout troops in Beijing and Shanghai", as well as Lone Scouts I imagine these fellows are family of American diplomats, business people, etc. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Scouting_in_Mainland_China

Thanks for this insight! I am also told however that many people in rural India also revere a pantheon of local deities. Hinduism is clearly much more complex than most westerners think.

Fred, thanks for sharing the article. It appears to provide an unbiased glimpse of the organization and their ethics. I especially liked the quote, "Respect the earth. Dont trash it, because if you do, it will bite you later." How true! I wonder what happened with the BSA threat. Maybe Kudu knows? Anyway, I'm glad there is a place for people who don't feel welcomed elsewhere.

As I said above, archeologists generally agree that most legends and myths have a nugget of fact underneath layers and layers of retelling and exaggeration. This research is fascinating and it may shed light on a nugget of history that inspired a flood myth, but it does not "prove" the Noachian flood story as told in Genesis. Of course that should not stop you or anyone else from believing - that is why faith does not need proof.

Our troop just earned our 30 year bar. We have 56 registered boys and we have 89 Eagles on our roster, including several who are now in Iraq.

OK, sorry. Not the first time I've given bad advice on money matters!

I remember one backpacking trip five years ago. It had been raining steadily for 3 days and the forecast was for 3 more days of the same. We had about four or five hearty Scouts show up at the church on Friday evening, ready for a wet weekend. They voted to bag it and try again the following weekend. But I gave them a lot of credit for showing up.

Veni is 100% right. A very large part of the value of a project are the things that don't go according to plan and how the scouts responds to them.

Eric, you may be leaving us but you're clearly going places! Congratulations!!

Brent, Congratulations on earning your beads!! Now you're old and feeble with the rest of us! - a good ol' BobWhite!

Well, I suppose that technically you are correct. The donor's (say, Home Depot) materials are not benefiting the troop but the recipient of the project, in this case a church. Both are non-profits, so it really doesn't make a difference. If materials are donated to the troop, the troop then turns around and donates them to the church, along with project management and lots of labor. However, I've heard of cases in which the troop does not WANT to be the middleman and directs the scout to obtain all donations in the name of the ultimate recipient. That's somewhat more difficult for the scout to coordinate but it's certainly OK. Just make sure you understand the wishes of the troop and those of the recipient.

great thread. mom2, yes, your son could write letters (or even mailmerge if he is so inclined) to the people on your family's Chistmas card list (or "Holiday" card list. Whatever - that's another thread). Uncle Bob and Cousin Sylvia might be pleased to donate $20 each. As well as Mom's coworkers and the family friends across town. The fact that some of the money comes from relatives is perfectly OK, as long as the scout has to work a real fund-raising plan and not just ask daddy for $500. Such cash donations are tax-deductible, as long as they are made to a non-profit such as the troop. He'll have to work this out with the troop treasurer (more good experience!). If he presents the troop with ten $20 checks made payable to "BSA Troop xxx", then the troop should be willing to cut a $200 check to the Home Depot (or wherever) for the purchase of his materials.

So, we talked about this some within the troop. The putting green is still a good idea. We want to do it anyway - some of us in memory of our own parents. We'll just do it as a group of volunteer citizens instead of as Scouts and Scouters. After all, a Scout is helpful. And not just when he can get "credit" for it.

ya know, from the perspective of evolutionary biology, "society" exists to facilitate and regulate sex. That is it's sole purpose. All of our institutions, our art, our edifaces, our social glory are just byproducts from our need to have sex (and not kill each other because of it).

"Mythology" is a word applied by outsiders to the religious beliefs and heritage stories of others. Christians refer to "Norse mythology" while pagans refer to "Christian mythology". The fact that you believe in a particular story about times long past does not make it true. Historians, archeologists, and folklorists generally agree that most myths and legends have nuggets of fact. Like pearls, they grow in the telling so that after centuries of story-telling, heroes are larger than life, and events are Olympian. The story of Paris, Achilles, and Odysseus is a perfect example. Long thought to be mere fable, the siege of Troy was demonstrated by Schliemann to be historical fact, albeit considerably enhanced in the centuries before Homer recorded it. There was probably a real man Herakles whose feats of strength grew into legend, then became religious faith, and are now "mere" mythology. There may have been a real man Arthnou whose political acumen grew into the legend of King Arthur. There was certainly a real man Yshua, whose teachings grew larger than life and are now religious faith for millions. There was a real man Siddartha Gautama whose teachings grew larger than life and are now religiuous faith for millions. Whether or not these figures will also fade into mythology, as did Mithras, Zeus, Horus, is known only to the future.