Trevorum

I agree with Semper. It's an embarrassment, but let him serve as SPL. My question would be, why did he think he had satisfied all requirements? To be fair, we had a similar case where the fellow served for 6 months as an APL, thinking this was a valid PoR for Star. I discovered his mistake in his SM conference. The poor fellow had to reset his advancement clock by 6 months, but I feel it was an important lesson in 'reading the fine print'! He's now Life and working on his last MB.

I don't like this approach at all. While Semper is correct in that it is a function of the troop committee, around here I would expect that a lot of families would vote with their feet and find another troop. Or just drop scouting altogether. Setting personal goals for a fundraiser is one thing. Setting quotas is another.

Our Venture Patrol made these last night. I have no idea where they got the idea, but after reading this thread over the weekend imagine my surprise when I walked outside last night to see their program and they were making these dandy little soda can stoves! They had a blast making them, too. Anarchist, thanks for the info on their functioning. To be safe, I think I'll still take my Pocket Rocket on our bacpacker next month!

I'm disappointed each time I learn of a fellow who has quit the troop. Sometimes, I get a call or email thanking me and the troop but usually it's just me asking a PL why we haven't seen Billy around lately and being informed that Billy has dropped. Sigh. We followup with a call to these fellows. We also let them know that we'll keep them on the roster until next recharter in case they change their mind or if their school load lightens up (it sometimes happens). We've just gotten our recharter packet from council and in reviewing the roster, I've realized that of the half-dozen scouts who have dropped over the past 12 months, only one had a parent who was registered. Next year, we're going to put a priority on registering the parents of all new incoming scouts and getting them involved with the program.

LOL! I've never seen these spoofs on a sash all together before. They are sold individually by Streamwood (http://www.streamwood.net/) for $1.75 each. They can make fun gag awards (finger carving MB!) as long as everyone knows they are not real!

Hottik, Welcome to the forum! And thanks for asking this question on behalf of ALL the scouts in your unit! As the previous fellows have noted, this is a clear case - no wiggle room. There are TWO problems here which need to be FIXED. Both the SM and the advancements person need to get together and resolve this situation. The FIRST problem is the lack of immediate recognition, as has been noted. A scout should never have to wait 2-3 months to be recognized for his achierement. If this means weekly (or bi-weekly) trips to the scout shop to turn in advancement reports and get the badges, well then someone in the unit needs to assume this responsibility. The SECOND problem, related to the first, is the erroneous setting of the "clock" for the next rank advancement at the CoH instead of the BoR. As has been noted, the clock for the next rank starts as soon as the scout passes his BoR, not several months later at the next CoH. This practice is wrong, not BSA policy, and is unfair to the scouts. If I was a new ASM in this unit, I would first ask the SM why it is done this way. If he says," because it's always been done that way", or "I'm not sure - ask the advancements chair", or some other non-answer, I would print out the appropriate sections from the Handbook and Manual (as noted by FScouter) and bring this up at the next committee meeting. I'd be prepared (!) for considerable resistance, because I'll bet (along with Frankj) that it just isn't convenient for someone. Someone needs to be willing to make the trips to the Scout shop... Good luck with this situation!

Hopefully, all eagles are presented with an adult eagle knot at their ECoH. That way it's ready to go on their uniform as soon as they turn 18, replacing the badge of rank

Elsewhere I have mentioned the Inclusive Scouting emblem. It is not an official BSA award but is issued by the New England Coalition for Inclusive Scouting. I wear it on my right pocket, where so-called "optional patches" may be worn (camporees, etc.), although others wear it above the pocket. Yes it is controversial and I have recieved disapproving looks and comments from some Scouters. Others have inquired about it and now several Scouters in our unit wear it on their uniform. I do not wear it primarily as a protest, but as a signal to the scouts in my unit that I strongly believe that all boys, no matter what, should have the opportunity to participate in our great movement. I am acutely aware that depression-related suicide is a leading cause of death among teen age boys and I want the fellows in my unit to know that I will accept them as Scouts, no matter what.

We celebrate Festivus as the one day of the year when double-dipping is allowed. Also, the 3-second rule is not in effect.

welcome to the forums, kingpin! I think your best bet will probably be a local mom-and-pop trophy shop. They might be able to do it while you wait and won't charge you any S&H, which would probably double the cost for a one-off order. Even better, ask someone in your unit. Chances are, the troop (or district) has a preexisting relationship with a local business and you might get a better deal.

Fred, Why, it's the same political statement I make when I salute the flag or say the Pledge of alliegance, of course! My point was that a "political statement" is not necessarily a protest of some sort. By solemnly burning a tattered old flag, scouts are expressing their national pride and alliegance. Of course, the larger point is that if this type of political speech by Boy Scouts is protected under the 1st Ammendment, so is the other side of the coin, as distasteful as that may be.

Pack, I wear the Inclusive Scouting knot, but on my optional patch pocket and not with my Eagle knot. Several other Scouters in my unit wear it above the pocket.

ScoutNut, Thank you for teaching me that the hand-over-heart is considered a "civilian salute". I did not know that! Wikipedia has a good article (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Salute#Civilian_Salutes) discussing various salutes. Of considerable interest to me was learning of the "Bellamy Salute", which was the official civilian salute in the United States until 1942. Based on the ancient Roman salute, it was replaced in the United States with our current hand-over-heart because of similarity to the Nazi salute.

Interesting, that very subject came up this last weekend in camp ... So what do you call those yummy little nuts with two halves? puh-CONS or PE-cans?

Yes, you can certainly make custom custom troop T-shirts, hats, neckerchiefs, sweatshirts, windbreakers, cargo shorts, boxers, tents, water bottles, pocket knives, anything you want! The hat and neckerchief may be designated as elements of your unit's field ('class A') uniform, and the T- shirts may be designated as part of the activity ('class B') uniform.

I used to be a BOB WHITE and a Good 'ol Bob Wgite too... And now I'm finished Bob Whiting... I don't I don't know what to do... I'm growing old and feable and I can Bob White no more... So I am going to work my ticket if I can... Back to Gilwell.. Happy Land.. I'm going to work my ticket if I can...

Since I won't be around later this evening or tomorrow, I'd like to take this opportunity to wish everyone a thoughtful and healing Yom Kippur. For those who would like to know more about this holiday, please see http://www.jewfaq.org/holiday4.htm

Welissit, welcome to the campfire! Pull up a log and pour a cup of coffee. We look forward to your contributions!

In any event, I regret that the first question of my post (which did not say "in protest") seems to have occluded the entire point of the post.

I've burned many American flags. Each time, it has been a political statement. Each time, I've been in full Scout uniform. Each time, I've stood at attention and saluted. Some call it retirement; I call it a political statement.

Do you let your Scouts burn the American flag? Of course you do. Do you let children of non-citizens join your unit? Of course you do. Do you allow your Scouts to speak languages other than English on campouts and other troop activities? Of course you do. Do you allow your Scouts to choose which winter religious holiday to celebrate and how to greet others in a holiday mood? Of course you do. Do you believe that Scouts have the right to worship any god they choose, even if it's not the same one you worship? Of course you do. Do you allow your Scouts to hold and express personal opinions about the competance of the President which differ from yours? Of course you do. Do you believe that Scouts and their families have the right to criticize national policies and institutions without being deported for disloyalty? Of course you do. Do you believe that American citizens have the right to petition the government for a redress of grievances by bring suit in the courts? Of course you do. So what's the problem? It turns out that we all agree on what it means to be American!

"...we can no longer say Merry Christmas". Who made that rule? Where I live, people say 'Merry Christmas' with no problem at all. Other people say, 'Happy Holidays'. Others say, 'Joyous Yule'. We seem to get along fine. Heck, I'm too weary from camping with the troop all weekend to reply to all the rest of the drivel. Maybe someone else will. Maybe, as CAScouter suggested, such non-Scouting political diatribes can be posted to non-Scouting forums in the future.

ditto on the importance of acclimating. 48 hours at elevation before you hit the trail will make the trek a lot more enjoyable

Scandals aside, BOTH you gentlemen are correct. ScoutNut is correct in that all religious awards are awarded by respective religious organizations, not by PRAY itself which serves as as facilitator organization. JohnKC is correct in that PRAY is a member of the National Religious Relationships subcommittee and that the Hazelwoods are good folks. Let me add that PRAY also facilitates non-Christian religious awards.

And, IMHO, it's a darn shame that BSA has painted itself into an corner by alienating traditional ouside funding, most notably the United Way.