Twocubdad

Not too far from you coordinates are a couple of large memorablia dealers. If you want someone to eyeball the books and tell you what they think, you may try some of these: Hammerstone Scout Museum, Lillington NC, 901-814-2955 The Carolina Trader, Monroe NC, 704-282-1339 Streamwood, Easley SC 864-859-2915 If you do a search, you can probably find them on line.

I'd love to hear a report on that meeting. I'm district roundup chairman. We're trying to work on some "outside the box" ideas for Tiger recruitment -- possibly changing the focus to late spring instead of fall. I'd like to hear what's new from national.

A very interesting and enlightening thread (some of the chest beating aside ). This started about the time I joined the board and I must have missed it the first time around. I like to think that at some point, BSA recognizes that situations will arise in which common sense and good judgement may trump the rules -- even bold-type policy. If you are ever really faced with one of these far-fetched scenarios, all that can be asked of a leader is to give due consideration to the rules and then apply common sense and good judgement. I hope no one will fault you for that. I only trust that t

I think that's great. During my days in Scouts, completing the appropriate Red Cross first aid or lifesaving cours was de facto completion of the related merit badges. I don't know if that was actual policy or just the convention of the local MB counselors. I don't know if that's where they are headed with this agreement, but wouldn't be a bad idea. Red Cross courses and training is, generally, very well done. Not only did I take the RC courses as a Scout, but I eventually became a RC swimming and lifesaving instructor and a CPR instructor-trainer.

I have a 3-inch buck knife I carry. I like it because of it's quality will hold an edge and that it's a little bigger than a pocket knife. I detest fussy little knives that require a pair of pliers to open. I carry it in a belt holder, which I much prefer to having stuff in my pockets. I also carry a brand-X leatherman on my belt. (Yes, with the leatherman, knife, camp cup and sometimes cell phone, I look like Batman.) I've found that I don't need a leatherman with a ton of gadgets, but that I prefer the longer ones to the shorter version. The longer ones can double as hot pot tongs.

At our camp, out of 480 acres, is a 20x20-foot area behind the dining hall, next to the dumpster. Subtle, eh?

The last time our council's site was updated Bill Gates was still carrying his own golf clubs. I'm not optimistic.

As your son is still a Webelos, perhaps you should keep looking for a troop that shares your outlook.

My sons are actually have better pants for outdoors that I do. A lot of their school pants these days are the techy-looking convertable pants with all the zippers, loops and cargo pockets. They actually make pretty good outdoor gear. Many of them have cotton liners, so watch that. A decent pair of acrylic fleece sweats or long-johns underneath and they are good to go. My best trick for staying warm and comfortable at night is to change in to tomorrow's dry socks and underwear at bedtime. Nothing worse than sleeping in damp, clammy clothes. I also sleep with a tent flap open unless i

That's an unfortunate situation and is a good example why unit commissioners should be unaffilliated with the units they serve. The UC should be the disinterested party to whom you can take such problems. You didn't really say what their objection is, but there is a lot of backup in the Cub Scout Leaders' Handbook that boys should advance at their own pace and that they should receive their award at the next pack meeting. Our pack encourages boys to earn their rank badges in the Feb - March time frame, before spring sports and activities kick in. In some cases, it's just a ma

At the time the case was decided, I remember seeing a photo of Dale, in uniform, in Time magazine. (I found the article on Time.com, but not the photo.) I recall that the photo was taken outside the courthouse for one of the hearings, although not necessarily outside the Supreme Court. It seems to me he was surrounded by protesters, but my impression was they were there in support of the lawsuit. I think if it were a "smoking gun" photo of him at the original Rutgers rally, that would have been noted in the caption and I would have probably remembered.

It is permissible to have a combined Wolf/Bear den. That's not uncommon for a new, small pack. You can also combine Webelos I and IIs in he same den. Tigers must be in a separate den and you cannot mix Wolf/Bears with Webelos. But back to Glenn's problem, it sounds to me like it's time to call the district commissioner or executive. The problem here is the Webelos leader, and it's not the troop's responsibility to deal with this guy. To be honest, if all his Webelos are as screwed up as he is, you may not want them. (Just kidding, well sort of kidding, no actually I'm really mean it.

Let us suppose that everything you have said is largely true. Let us also suppose that the US case against Iraq is also largely true. Here's how the geopolitical game works. I've got a $200 billion investment in Iraq, then I need to solve the problem. Germany, France, Russian and China need to be out front disarming Iraq and finding Sadam a nice little retirement villa on the Crimean. If these countries have invested a combined $1 trillion in the sole hands of Sadam Hussein, then they are idiots and deserve to have their infrastructure blasted into rubble. You cannot tell me

Okay everybody, breathe, two, three, four..... For the record, I was the one who said our pack flag has a lot of relatively fragile banners and is "permanently" attached to the pole. True, nothing is really permanent, but in this case it is screwed onto a nice wooden pole with a Cub emblem on top. Screwing and unscrewing the flag from the pole repeatedly will eventually strip the holes, which is why we don't fool with it. Plus, the whole rig is matched with an American flag and therefore we leave it indoors for formal occasions. If our priority was to take the flag camping with us

While it's rare for a child to be allowed to skip a grade anymore, rarer still is a child who skips based on purely academic criteria. Although it was more common when we were kids, I can't imagine a small, immature kid being allowed to skip grades based solely on classroom performance. Almost by definition, a boy who has skipped a grade likely has the social skills and maturity that goes with it. As district Roundup chairman, I bet I had a hundred parents ask me about their seven-year-old kindergartener joining Tigers. While it is ultimatly the parents' decision, I always tried to ste

The only way the younger brother could have legally earned his AOL is if he has skipped ahead in school. You are right, Cub requirements are age or grade, just like Boy Scouts. The requirements for AOL incudes being active (in BSA parlance, "registered")as a Webelos for six months since completing the fourth or since turning 10 years old. Unless the kid has skipped a grade or two, I don't see how he makes it, and as Sctmom says, that's not very common now days. On the other hand, if the Webelos leader is saying the boy has "earned" his AOL by having attended and participated in all the

That's how my hat fits. Because they sit flat on your head, if they pulled down on your head like a baseball cap, the front would be down over you eyes. There's also a bit of a break-in period. Once the band conforms to your head better, it's more comfortable.

That's true, Bob, but our pack flag includes about 75 ribbons, some of which are relatively fragile. The flag is also permanently mounted to the wooden pole and hauling the base around isn't that practical. It would be nice to have a second, smaller pack flag we could hoist on the flagpole on campouts. But I don't see spending several hundred dollars on one, though.

Make a pattern of the emblem on a photocopy machine, enlarging the image until you have it the size you want. Get a piece of the blue flag material and pin or tape the pattern to it. Then just cut the emblem out. You don't have to precisely follow every detail of the pattern. In fact, the pattern will be rough, depending on the size of the original and the number times you have to enlarge it. For the border and lettering, you can clean up the pattern by straightening out all the lines before cutting. Once you have the pattern cut out, you're best bet will be to glue it to the red bac

The Insignia Guide controls the design and use of unit flags, but doesn't say anything about an official size. Under the heading "Unit Flags" it says "for size and materials, refer to Flag Order Form No. 70-421." I'd ask the scout shop for a copy of that form and see what that says. With that said, if you want to check with a local seamstress or a shop that makes deocorative banner and have a flag made to your specifications, I don't see a problem. The flag you make won't be "official", but given the circumstances, I can't imagine anyone giving you a problem over it, especially if you

Bob I've very disappointed to learn that the BSA's top leadership could be that, well, un-American. I am fully aware that as a private organization, BSA has the right to pick and choose its members. Unlike governmental entities, they are not bound to respect the rights of others. But as a whole, I think Americans expect that the people and organizations they deal with do respect those rights -- to they will have a democratic voice in the direction of the organization and be able to speak freely and even critically of the organization policy and leadership. Even in business, a company

My mom won't let me go....

You can get bounced for "speaking out" against the BSA? Wow, our DE is going to be very lonely at district committee meetings. Of course, the meetings will be MUCH shorter...... But to the point, the problems with that and with the the don't avow/don't listen/three monkeys policy on gays is that it very quickly become governance by the whim of local officials, not by clear national policy. How do I know what is or isn't out of bounds? If a reporter sticks a mic in my face and asks me my opinion of the gay policy, can I speak my mind or do I have to spout the party line? And wha

Is this the guy on the Today show last week? Cool.

Bless you, Bob White, I'm copying your original post and handing it out at Roundtable this week. One other factor I think plays a bigger role than many may consider is the intimidation an 11-year-old feels joining a troop of much older boys. A good Troop Guide, New Scout Patrol with an ASM assigned to supervise them goes a long way, but it is also important for the rest of the troop to be mindful of the new boys. Leaders need to keep an extra eye out for boys who are having a hard time adjusting. That's a problem for one of the Troops affiliated with our Pack. I see a lot of older