Trevorum

Welcome, all new members! This forum is a great place to ask questions. All of us here LOVE Scouting!

FScouter, Do you mean to imply that the BSA 'field uniform' is not to be worn in the field? Or that the 'activity uniform' is not to be worn while being active? Why should we not wear the uniform while camping? That is where 80% of the program is delivered!

Brent, It's amusing that you see the BSA as conservative. I don't see it that way at all. I believe BSA is more mainstream than either wing wants to admit. Sure, there are some high profile issues in which BSA takes a stance that is aligned with the political right (these include bias against gays and atheists), but there are also key components of BSA's philosphy which are much more aligned with the political left. These include respect for the environment and conservation, and treading lightly on our earth (LNT). The right typically doesn't have too much respect for those values. I do suspect that, while the country as a whole is split 50-50, BSA adults are probably about 60-40. I attribute a lot of this 'lean to the right' as being self-selected by BSA. That is, by fiat, BSA actively excludes a whole bunch of people on the left who can be described as free-thinkers. I think that's too bad. Those potential Scouts and Scouters could contribute significantly to our movement. As a side note, it is interesting is that originally (back in the days of Seton, et al), BSA was seen as a radical social movement, far on the political left. It has only been recently, as the political right has attempted to co-opt patriotism, that BSA has been percieved to be conservative.

I think that politicians from both ends of the spectrum will seek to have themselves labeled as "moderates" in order to capture the great middle ground. That political strategy does not detract from their fundemental philosophies. Regardless, I did not couch my statement in terms of national politics. There are more dimensions to being liberal or conservative than national elections (although those certainly get the highest profile coverage). And so, I fully stand by my statement, that I am glad to be known as a person who is "free from bigotry", "generous", "open to new ideas", and "broad-minded". To my way of thinking, those are good things. And fully compatible with all aspects of the Scout Law and Scout Oath.

Brent. You're wrong. I, and most other liberals, take great pride in being liberal and being called a liberal. It is only to conservatives that the word has taken on a perjorative meaning. From Dictionary.com: liberal ( P ) Pronunciation Key (lbr-l, lbrl) adj. 1. a. Not limited to or by established, traditional, orthodox, or authoritarian attitudes, views, or dogmas; free from bigotry. b. Favoring proposals for reform, open to new ideas for progress, and tolerant of the ideas and behavior of others; broad-minded. c. Of, relating to, or characteristic of liberalism. d. Liberal Of, designating, or characteristic of a political party founded on or associated with principles of social and political liberalism, especially in Great Britain, Canada, and the United States. 2. a. Tending to give freely; generous: a liberal benefactor. b. Generous in amount; ample: a liberal serving of potatoes. Personally, I'm glad to be know as one who is "free from bigotry", "generous", "open to new ideas", and "broad-minded".

OGE, we all know yer jes' funnin' us ... But there is some merit in the idea (excuse the pun). Venture units already choose their own uniform. This concept COULD be extended to troops. Under this approach, troops could choose their own outdoor clothing - nylon zip-off pants, whatever - as long as the entire unit had the same ("uniform") gear. This would be a true field uniform and would be purely functional, not all badged up. For INDOOR activities and ceremonies, members would wear the sash with all the patches and badges. True, for camporees and jamborees, each unit - while internally 'uniform' - would appear different from other units. Sort of like sports teams in different gear, but you know they are all players. I think this fits nicely with the franchise model of unit ownership. Most importantly, the aims and ideals would not be changed at all. Only the 'uniforming method' would be (dare I say?) tweaked. Of course this idea would never fly because the Uniform Police would have nothing to do and the patch collecting lobby would have nothing to trade.

We should ask Kudu. If we're lucky, he'll get to design the new uniform!

Here in Texas, I don't think I've ever seen a long-sleeve uniform shirt! I'm not even sure they sell them in the scout shop. We are thrifty. When the weather is a mite cool, we wear a long sleeve layer under the shirt; when the weather is more agressive, we wear an outerlayer.

Plus, OUR uniforms have cool patches.

Rooster (always a good source of material) said, "What we need is some meat and potatoes ideas to counteract future attempts to inflict harm upon our country." Well, I agree with him (at least on this limited point!). That's why I support the idea of a national identity card. There is some amazing technology available and some pretty interesting ideas on how to implement it in order to maximize security and minimize invasion of privacy. While no system will ever be fool-proof (even the CIA and FBI, with all their rigorous background checks, have their moles), a sufficiently robust and standardized personal ID system is desperately needed. Getting a system up and running would be painful, but the ultimate security rewards would be worth it. IMHO, of course. However, I doubt that any politician, left or right, would have the courage to sponsor such a proposal. The issue is almost as lethal a "third rail", as is social security reform.

Lynda, I fully agree with your point that the troop should be run by the scouts themselves. BUT, patcjohn said, "...our Troop had instituted a policy ...", not "the adults decided". Maybe the scouts voted the policy themselves. For example, our troop voted to have four ASPLs. We, the adults, think this is a fine idea for a troop of our size, but we didn't tell them how many ASPLs they need.

Bob White recently said, "By the way, a new uniform is expected to be released for the 100th Anniversary." Wow! Did I miss the memo?? I'd like to ask Bob about this, but I think he is still on furlough. Does anyone else have any information about his statement? (I almost called it a rumour, but Bob seems to have good sources)

Our troop and crew are excited about our upcoming Philmont trek next summer. We have scheduled some shakedowns and are starting to review equipment choices. Some of the fellows are planning to upgrade their backpacks and the discussion of internal vs. external frames, and internal capacity, has been quite animated. What do you folks recommend, and why?

I'll add Stephen F. Austin. If it wasn't for his colony in 1821, Texas might still be part of Coahuila, Mexico!

There is a tremendous pressure on kids to fit into some recognizable sub-group. Everyone needs to belong. A kid will start to emulate in dress and speech those peers who accept him. These sub-groups then become self-defining. I ask my sons about some new kid, "So who's Mike?", and they will answer, "Oh, he's a 'kicker'", or "He's a 'prep'", or "He's a 'goth'". As if that tells me everything I need to know about Mike. Two years ago, one of my sons became acquainted with a girl who dressed very 'goth'. She wore long black clothes, pasty white make-up, black fingernails, and had blue hair. She looked creepy to me. I was immediately suspicious of her character and the possible bad effect she could have on my son. I intensely questioned him why he would want to 'hang out' with a person whom I saw as a 'loser'. He told me she was really a nice person inside and had started dressing that way after her mom had died. In fact I had met her before, but didn't recognize her. Today, she has recovered from her emotional turmoil and her goth period is past. She dresses in colors once more and her hair is blonde again. Thinking about this, I am chagrinned at my own intolerance. I was quick to judge a person by how they looked on the outside. My own son gave me a lesson in tolerance, just as father did. I'm proud of both of them.

Oh. Well, that's why I asked! Thanks! So they would have to be be SAs then.

We have a couple of fellows in our troop who will be turning 18 soon. They're not in the V Crew, and I don't think they are interested in that. However, I'd like to offer them a position as adult leaders in our troop. My question is, is there any reason why these fellows could not serve as MCs rather than SAs? They would be able to sit on BoRs and all the rest, in addition to participating as an adult on camping activities?

{GASP!} ... clutching at chest ... THUNK.

My mistake - One should never put politicians in the same sentence with soldiers! Some of my heroes have been military, starting with my father (Semper Fi!). However, the military and politics are easy picks for a top ten list of most influential. As SA suggests, my intent was just to look a bit more deeply for those who have influenced our country. On my list I think I'd have Thomas Edison, Robert Goddard, and Rachel Carson

AARRRGH!

I'd like to see a list of the most influential people, excluding politicians and soldiers.

Greeneagle, Re-reading your post, your last question is, "Should I just shut-up ...? My answer to that is: Never! Never stop questioning whether an activity or event is safe or appropriate. It is our job to ask.

Is it safe? If there is a range set up as kenk suggests, and the activity has adult supervision, then yes, it is safe. Is it smart? Yes! Tomahawk throwing is big fun for boys. Fun stuff doesn't have to be functional or a useful skill. If done in a safe way, it can be a great, showy activity to highlight the fun of Scouting to potental recruits!

lala, welcome to the forum. There are lots of opinions about the nominee, but regardless of one's personal views, don't you think it is a mite discourteous to refer to her as a "chick"?

We're having a Webelos Invitational campout in December and have been discussing some of these same questions. First, ScoutNut is correct - Webelos should tent with their parent, not with other youth. We plan on setting up a designated tenting area for all the Webelos and their parents, just like they were a patrol. However, they may mess (eat) with the patrols. Once we know how many guests will be attending, we plan on having our patrols supply food for X more people and rotating the Webelos between patrols for each meal. That way, each Webelos will have the experience of eating and K.P. with four different patrols. The parents will mess with the adult leaders for all meals. By the end of the campout, we hope to have each Webelos help cook at least one meal and know how to clean up using the 3-basin method.