WAKWIB

SP and Kudu: It might be time for you guys to chill. You've moved from analyzing methods to diagnosing mental states. Out-of-bounds!

I guess the question of the day would be to find a recent or soon-to-be Eagle Scout and ask them if they would like a stranger coming in and soliciting funds for Scouting at their ceremony. Our general perspective as adult Scouters seems to be, "Not only NO, but ___ NO!! I concur with that perspective. And I think, to put it mildly, that such a presentation would be less than effective. No presentation of that kind should take place without the consent of the Eagle to be honored...period. If an Eagle wants such a presentation, then I guess we have to hold our nose and put up with

Has there been any reason at all given to the Scouts or other parents for all these cancellations? A Scout Troop that is not doing overnight camping is, frankly, not much of a Scout Troop. I sure hope that for the sake of your son and the other Scouts, this situation can be turned around. Seattle Pioneer give a good outline for how to plan and prepare. The Scouts themselves do much of it. But the Scoutmaster and Troop Committee need to be making it a priority!!

We have had Webelos II scouts camp with the troop on numerous occasions at district camporees. That seems to be the best in that they are pretty busy and are getting introduced to some basic Scout skills in a concentrated setting. The ones who attended without the parent but under the "parent-approved adult" scenario have always done just fine. At the camporee, the Troop will go on Fri. night. The Webelos join us the next morning for the Saturday activities and stay just that one night.

momof2cubs An outing a month is the "gold standard" for a Scout Troop, and it is a pretty good indicator of the kind of Troop your Scout would like. Typically, Troops will hold at least one other major fundraiser over and above the popcorn sales, and some don't even do the popcorn at all because they have found something more profitable for them. Generally money an individual Scout/family earns from the major fundraisers can go into a Scout's summer camp account. Half or greater of my sons summer camp fees have always been offset by our earned portion from a fundraising program. Dependin

Awesome!! In my mind, that is one of the most important positions in Scouting.

I guess it could be said that the citizens of Egypt really know how to tea-party. What they accomplished wasn't just a silly pep-rally but a change you can believe in.

At first, I thought the subject line said, "This is not a place for Wookiees." I then expected a rather long, laborious thread on discrimination in the BSA.

jblake47: Based on your description the boys aren't necessarily "expected" to do all these things, but have volunteered. I can't judge the results, but the picture you paint sounds great. Apparently a culture has developed in the Troop where the boys have taken a lot of ownership. As an adult you can try to foster that kind of culture but in the end it is the Scouts who rise to it. In a few years you may have a group of boys that are not so motivated. I think this current situation is a good wave to ride and I hope it continues. I hope that there is not something more to the story that

Concerning trolls; there was possibly a time around 10 years ago or so that Merlyn was regarded as a troll on this forum. Now he is a somewhat esteemed and expected participant in these discussions. I wouldn't be surprised if one day he is given moderator powers.

That is an amazing turn-around, especially after staying away from camp for a couple of years. I'm glad that he found a good troop and patrol in which he can experience the great times Scout camp can offer!

Just visited jump-start. There is only one password required. That is the one right on the front page of the site, and it explains where you can find it. Every thing you need to know about your Ordeal and what you need to do for Brotherhood is available with just that one password. There are no other password protected sections at jump-start that I can find.

Blessings to all forum members and their families!!

drmbear sez I spent a lot of time studying storytelling, and it amuses me greatly when anyone actually believes Bible stories as truth. Humans are storytelling machines, and the stories in the Bible, ALL of them, come directly out of human storytelling traditions. While is may seem quite simple and logical to dismiss some elements in the Bible as mythology or storytelling, it is a mistake to categorize the entire document as such. The Old and New Testaments have been analyzed via historical criticism for quite some time. Many of the individuals, events, places described in the texts h

That song speaks to me of the fact that the boys who wrote it really, really love the whole Scouting thing and are in it for life. Stand back fellows, that group will some day be the next cast of characters on these forums in a few years!

Packsaddle asks: I ask: do you think these forums need moderators? It's a 'yes' or 'no' answer question. Then, regardless of the answer, what is your reasoning to support the answer? My answer is yes. First there is a need to safeguard the forums from malicious trolls, the posting of links to unsavory sites, and to keep things "clean." Scouts come here. It should be a safe place for them to visit. Second, we all have seen those discussions that dissolve into flame-throwing. It happens and even the best and brightest of us can fall into that. Again, my reason to rein that in is

Good grief, Scoutfish. Is your keyboard broke or something? I almost required special training just to read your post.

Our troop has a camp-out every month. In Missouri the weather is fairly unpredictable all year-round. Sudden storms in the summer. Mild one day and frigid the next during the winter. For example, yesterday it was nearly 60 degrees. Right now, as I write this, it's 16 with a wind-chill of below zero. The wind is like 30mph and we have snow coming down...well sideways actually. A kid or adult in Scouting for a couple of years around here usually learns and acquires the equipment for all-weather camping. We'll usually do tent camping in all weather. We have done some cabin camping in the

I see what the Beavah is saying. True that charisma can sell. However, in many cases in Scouting it is a slightly different scenario. Example being the Scoutmaster who is selected because nobody else is ready and willing to do the job. He may not be particularly charming or come with expert credentials. He is just there. That plays out in PL elections frequently as well, especially among the new recruits. The average 11-12 yr. old is intimidated a bit by the thought of responsibility. The election falls to the one that seems the least put-off by the idea. That does tend to change as the bo

I didn't sense so much of a "grudge" tone in your report, conscouter. More of a "what-the-heck." There was a lot of extra baggage included, but I think the bottom line is that you are dealing with a very dysfunctional unit in it's current state. Two big things. Very little program. Dodgeball is fun, but is not a Scout meeting. And the second is adults who are either under-trained or who defiantly choose to ignore the training..and the methods...and the Scout Handbook..and... I suspect the latter. I would choose the headaches of starting up a new troop and attempting to do it right, than t

Gern's got the patter down pretty good. I think he is really Sean Hannity.

Amen.

While I did say in an earlier post that I did not view a Fed. ID card as an invasion of privacy, I feel that an implanted chip might cross that line. Despite the aforementioned benefits of such a device, why give a government the sense that you are just a piece of property, a pet, a tagged animal? Existing technology enables authorities to track much of your life anyway. An implanted chip just gives others more control of your life. Folks who appreciate a "nanny-state" might like the chip. The only chips I like are the warm tortilla kind with jalapeo and cheese sauce.

In a polygamist setting, for the man involved PMS might mean Pack My Suitcase!!

A friend pointed out to me the other day that the flag on the current BSA uniform is backwards. The proper way, according to him, should be with the blue field facing forward such as you would see on the Army uniforms. I don't know if the way we wear it is a gigantic infraction of flag protocal. Even if it was, I imagine National Supply has up-teen million of those flag patches and would not be likely to change it in the near future