vol_scouter

FScouter, From Wikipedia (not always the best source but a convenient one), DoD ~20%, SS~21%, Medicare ~21%, other mandatory ~11%. Defense is a constitutional DUTY of the government so that spending is a requirement for the government. Showing my age, I remember in the 60's when the evening news reported that for the first time the defense department was less than 50% of the total budget. The government spends money on education even though that is an area left to the states. I am a lover and supporter of the arts but I am not sure how much that the federal government should spend

Obviously, the ACLU will not be representing Gonzo1 because he his cause does not further their agenda. As a private organization, the ACLU can have any agenda that it wishes but it does not represent everyone's rights (i. Second amendment rights is a glaring example). Merlyn is not telling the entire truth on the ACLU's sources of funds however. As he said, the ACLU can sue and collect if it wins just as any law firm. However, because of a law designed to make sure that the poor can sue the government, they will be paid irregardless of winning or losing if they represent the 'right' peopl

Merlyn, First, Beevah made the correct argument that in order to understand much art and culture in the world, you must understand the religious traditions - many different religious traditions not just Christian. To not do so is to provide an inadequate education. Thus, learning about religious traditions are requisite for a sound education. Second, as I said, you are not able to show harm from a school sponsoring a scout unit. You can make up lame excuses but there is no harm. I couldn't play certain school sports because I was not physically competitive. So the 3% athe

Merlyn, So you want all religious references out of the public arena? In 2005 there was a Wisconsin case in which a group of inmates were wanting to have an atheists meeting. Apparently, this was set aside as a time for religious meetings. In the subsequent court proceedings, a Federal judge ruled that atheism is a religion. So if the schools ban all other religious activities, they are tacitly endorsing a religion - that of no belief in God. This country is founded upon the idea of majority rule with minorities being protected from discrimination by the rule of law. Tha

The Eagle Scout award is awarded by National and it can and has been revoked. I do not have a reference at my fingertips and do not trust my memory as to why it has happened but I know that it has.

It is interesting to examine the reason for the religion clause in the first amendment. The several of the original 13 colonies had state supported religions. The religion clause in the first amendment was to insure that the federal government would not prevent the first 13 states from continuing to have state supported religion. The 14th amendment essentially federalized many state laws which removed the ability of states to have state sponsored religion (though that was not the purpose of the amendment. Thus, the founding fathers initially allowed state sponsored religion. Though th

No, Merlyn, it doesn't make it 'legal' in the BSA. Beavah is clearly saying that most (but unfortunately not all) scout leaders exercise thought and some wisdom in dealing with our youth. The program works well for most. No program works well for all.

Just as a clarification. Pedophiles have sexual relationships with prepubescent children. The relationships are typically heterosexual though not always. If the child has developed secondary sex characteristics (i.e. started in puberty), then sexual relationships are not those of a pedophile. If the relationship is of the same sex, then it is homosexual when done for sexual gratification. The relationship may be same sex and not be homosexual in nature if the reason is dominance (as is seen in prisons). Once again, if the child is going through puberty or post-pubertal, same sex gratific

Ed, I never said that the poster was turned down rather that it affected the interest rate on the loan. If you wish to defend this, give a good reason why the BSA should not be truthful on the check to begin with and provide a good reason why a consumer check should be done. A consumer check does not list what someone has bought, just how quickly the bills are paid and how much is owed.

Ed, There would have been 2 checks in a short period of time - her lending institution's check and the BSA. With the dishonesty in the check that the BSA requests and apparently performs along with the BSA takeover of the BSA, I tend to trust the poster. Gold Winger, You might be right that it is cheaper but it does not make sense that you can get a criminal background check and a consumer check for less than the criminal background check alone. Do you have knowledge that this is the case? I still have not heard a single good reason why the BSA should be allow

Acid Test: I was going to reluctantly sign-up online. I received a letter directing my to a website with a password and username. The first screen was an agreement to allow the check. The agreement says that the BSA only wishes a criminal background check but the agreement specifically requires that you agree to a consumer check. To everyone questioning the poster who said that her credit was damaged by the BSA check, the poster indicated that she applied for the consumer check (disguised as a background check only) during the process of a home loan. As you know, checks on yo

Just to remind everybody once again - you are forced to agree to a CONSUMER check even though the BSA says that it is a criminal background check. Persons on a different list server claims that their credit was damaged while they were applying for a loan. The BSA is not being Trustworthy! Also, most pedophiles and homosexuals preying upon underage children usually do not have a record.

Everyone keeps talking about the BSA asking for a Criminal Background Check - that is NOT what you agree to on the online site!! You agree to a CONSUMER check. What does that have to do with finding criminals??? The website says that the check is a CBC only but they make a point of you agreeing to a CONSUMER check. A poster on another list had their credit checked during the process of obtaining a loan which increased toe interest rate that they had to pay! So there is an issue of being Trustworthy. Can anyone supply a cogent reason why the BSA needs a consumer check rather than a CBC?

I my view there are 2 reasons to refuse to agree to the BSA consumer check. The online site makes you agree to a consumer check though they 'say' that the criminal background check (CBC) is all that they are collecting. If all they wanted was a CBC, they would only make you agree to a CBC. So why does the BSA want a consumer check? Second, the check is an invasion of privacy that does not work. Earlier in this thread someone talked about the BTK killer who was a scouter. Prior to his daughter turning him in to the police, he had no record! This is a typical finding. Only parent

I believe that Trevorum has the most important point. LFL was a way for the BSA to appease the left by having a program that had essentially no membership requirements other than being a youth or adult leader. In many councils, LFL is using funds raised for traditional scouting thus weakening those programs. LFL has never become the entirely separate entity as promised. I believe that if LFL is rejected in California, it will be eventually elsewhere. So it is time to at least separate the two programs or perhaps scuttle LFL as it does not seem to be appeasing the left.

I agree with everyone else. It is not appropriate to ask who the youth would/will vote for in the fall. It is OK to ask who are the candidates, what are some of their platforms (have to allow a lot of latitude because it is not clear at this time by listening to the news), how will you decide on who to vote for, and what do you think are the most important issues. Those questions allow a BoR member to assess if the youth is thinking of people and issues that relate to citizenship in the nation. I would hope that an older youth at an Eagle BoR would tell you in a firm voice "It is none of y

I tend to agree. As a society we seem to wish there to be no risk in any activity. This attitude takes freedoms away and can decrease our enjoyment of life. Life, Liberty, and the Pursuit of Happiness can only be accomplished by allowing as much freedom as possible to each individual. All the rules that we impose on another in the name of safety can destroy those freedoms. I am not against all rules/laws but we should not issue new restrictions based on low incidence events. A child recently slipped to her death at the Grand Canyon - should we build a fence (maybe with the razor wire to

First, always try to get as much emergency training as possible. WFR training can help in many non-wilderness situations whereas basic first aid can leave you without some necessary skills. Second, as to the comment about a lack of "Good Samaritan" coverage may about a recent case filled in California. I found the BSA inout on the case at www.BSALegal.org: "Boy Scouts of America submitted a friend of the court brief to the California Supreme Court in a case about the interpretation of that states Good Samaritan statute. Van Horn v. Watson, No. S152360. The Good Samaritan statute, Cal.

So to summarize for MacyM from what most are saying (if not too presumptuous): "What do you think of a Eagle board of review that dares to ask the scout if he believes in a god? No but a question about how the scout has upheld the 12th point of the Scout Law is acceptable. Isn't that a violation of separation of church and state? No because the state is not a participant in scouting - it is a private organization and can ask any question that it wishes (or ban the asking of any question for that matter). Are they allowed to ask such questions? They are encouraged not to

I believe that many of us have had a similar experience. Our brains, if we allow them, perform continual pattern recognition analysis. Whenever the pattern is changed, it comes to our conscience. I think that we should at least respect if not heed those intuitions. It has developed to prevent us from being eaten by the big cats, etc. I would imagine that the mountain lion was nearby else why did the woods become quiet (often happens with a large predator) and that was part of your pattern recognition (it involves all of our senses if we allow it).

That is funny!

Thanks for the post TAHAWK! Maybe I should have been a little more precise. Assume a boy is insistent that he has no belief in a 'higher power' and despite efforts to get him to say that nature is remarkable or whatever to allow the boy to be passed on his EBoR. He should not pass at that point. However, a boy who is obviously not able to pass another point in the Oath is always passed without a second thought. I think that it is better to be more consistent. If we do not go fishing for drug use or other issues, then we shouldn't be fishing for lack of belief in a higher power. A

As others have noted, many states allow NP's and PA's to perform history and physical examinations. For activities requiring a Class III Medical form, I would recommend a physician (MD or DO) to do the H&P if the participant has any significant health problems. I have worked 2 years at the healthlodge and for those patients with significant health problems it is desirable to have the form completed by a physician familiar with the patient and who understands the rigors to be undertaken.

In a previous thread on asking about Reverence for the Eagle BoR there was a comment that a boy declared that he was an atheist. He was 14 and the poster noted that he needed time to sort things out which makes sense. I was going to post that if a boy is at his Eagle BoR and makes an issue out of being an atheist that he doesn't fulfill the requirements which is an issue. As I thought further about that I realized that a young man who is a weakling or obese is not 'physically strong' - does he get failed? What about a boy known to smoke marijuana or use other drugs including alcohol,

On Beavah's points about being overly safety minded - I agree. I put the 10 mile distance in so that if a storm is brewing the hikers should be more aware of the surroundings and avoid obvious dangerous areas such as the top of a steep ridge or crossing out areas as quickly as possible. One should crouch when there is electricity in the air - your hair starts to 'stand-up' which implies that a lightning strike might be imminent. Once again, "Widerness Medicine has a rather long chapter devoted to lightning strikes, myths, injuries, and treatment. I recommend that at least one leader have a