WasE61

I recall the Blizzard of 1978, when we were without power for 48 hours and the temp was -24 ambient, -60 wind chill. Many others were without power for 5-7 days.

No one had generators in those days, no gas, no wood stoves. Main floor of the house got down in the 40's.

Probably not going to be much in the press about this since ...

"The public is excluded from the Thursday symposium, but the organization says that will encourage candid discussion among participants."

How can the media report on what it doesn't have access to?

"Boys tend to be very risk adverse and unsure of themselves when considering something like a high adventure."

The parents that aren't buried hip-deep in Scouting are even more risk adverse.

Plus those high-cost, high-adventure trips can be budget busters.

Convincing the boys is 1/10th of the battle.

Just over $0.02 with inflation factored in.

(This message has been edited by WasE61)

I've seen a report on predictions of very large winds and wave on the lower Great Lakes.

In our school districts, if you have direct contact with any students, you have to be fingerprinted and background check through the State and FBI. The districts pay the costs.

The checks are run every year that you volunteer.

Same is true in the youth baseball league I work with...and the volunteer has to pay the costs.

No, Mike, the sexual abuse numbers (which is specifically what we are talking about) were quite clear... I'll go find them again.

"Da challenge is, as da files show, that just havin' suspicion or a credible report ain't enough for either law enforcement or children's services to act in most cases. So none of us should think for a minute that once yeh have dialed da phone, now everything will be OK. In fact, that's extremely unlikely. "

I think you'll find that in most states, that's no longer the case. Probably depends some on the locale (urban vs. rural). Authorities are extremely quick to respond here...

Also with the reporting rules being what they are now...suspicion of abuse (even without any physical proof) falls under mandatory reporting for many.

According to data from the CDC, the majority of sexual abusers are not family members.

Published that some time ago.(This message has been edited by WasE61)

Eagle92, your apology is, of course, accepted; but it wasn't necessary.

This issue is a hot button for everyone....and heat rises in most cases.

I've had a few discussions with my wife about it...they've never turned out well, so I've quit having them. She believes the problems are "somewhere else".

My son will be active again in a few weeks ... once Marching Band season is over.

Completely unbelievable.

I'm so glad we don't sell.

I'm buying into fad....based on it's implementation thus far in my industry.

Resource sustainability is an interesting concept. It probably won't work, since the resources primarily in play in the modern world are not renewable, therefore not sustainable.

Most the practice of sustainability that I've seen so far has to do with sustaining growth in sales/profits/shareholder value...lots of pretty Powerpoints at every quarterly meeting....

But hey, I'm a cynic. LOL

I realize that there are a lot of "defend BSA to the death" attitudes abounding here.

But does anyone ever thing about what we parents are asked to do?

You all have to admit that we non-participants take a tremendous leap of blind faith turning our boys over to you for days or even weeks at a time with no communication.

We don't know anything real about you. Only what you portray when you are in uniform.

We know that in an critical situation, you are our boy's only hope of survival.

We know that our boy's cannot defend themselves from you.

We know that there are pedophiles among you. We don't know who they are, or how much contact they have with our boys.

We also know that, in general, none of you will turn over (to the police) any of your brethren that might be molesting our boys. That when given the choice, you will more than like protect your organization rather than our boys. You've been doing it this way for 100 years.

I don't know what BSA will (or can) do to reverse this. As a private organization, you could have done anything you wanted.

I don't want my boy in Scouts. But it's not my decision to make.

(Ironically, I have not read a single post where anyone with the SM or ASM badge has said ... "the next time I even hear of something like this, I'm going to the Police, because that's the right thing to do, BSA protocols be damned.")

Sustainability MB? Really?

Man that has to be a really jump-up-and-down fun time.

I've been on the receiving end of that crap for years now. It's like 6-sigma and CQI ... takes a load of resources, doesn't work and kills companies.

I agree with BSA24 ... BSA knew and did nothing to protect anyone but themselves.

Oooo....we put John Perves name down on our list. So he can't diddle *our* boys anymore. Let him go be a leader in some other organization and diddle boys *there*.

It's funny how it took the media, lawyers and the Courts to take this from a hidden, "oh never mind" issue and make it a real problem. I applaud them all for changing this world...I cannot imagine why anyone would be against it.

To bad those organization purported to be the molder of leaders and morals couldn't take the helm....maybe this problem would have a 20 year head start.

A lot of idols have been dropping in the last few months.

Penn State, Lance Armstrong, BSA.

The Emperor's are wearing no clothes.

I really liked the one where the Police had a confession from an SM and chose not to prosecute...in order to protect BSA.

"This subject and Scouts were not prosecuted," the executive wrote, "to save the name of Scouting."

And the one where a boy died after drinking a bottle of wintergreen oil, just after he told a nurse that there was no point in living (after being molested).

The ends justify the means?

God I hope my boy quits.

(This message has been edited by WasE61)

A story on Yahoo has a disturbing point:

http://news.yahoo.com/blogs/lookout/boy-scout-secret-file-resurrects-past-abuse-victim-170247896.html

The abuser was interviewed and states the even AFTER he was released from prison, he would still get calls from the local BSA to volunteer for stuff. He had to tell them to stop calling....

Then... BSA national spokesman Deron Smith said the ineligible volunteer files, "aren't perfect, and they were never meant to be. They were meant to be a barrier."

No kidding?

Glad to hear you didn't elect to the go to the Woody Hayes path of motivational speaking....the boys never deserve that....is just an extracurricular.

The results will be interesting to see...I suspect you will get reluctant capitulation from some, especially those being held hostage by the "Eagle or no DL" Dads.

Some might really get back on track. The remainder...drop out?

Well...since you knew these two did not get along all the way back from cubs...you should have anticipated that problem and not put them (or allowed them to be put) in to such close proximity in leadership.

Now that they are there, each gets a crappy life lesson.

Most people, when faced with bosses they don't like or respect leave as soon as possible.

I suspect this is not an option for you son though....

"We talk about it on the Webelos camping trip, at an orientation session, just as you do."

Guess that's why I never heard any invitation...I don't camp....probably disqualifies me.... lol

"Honestly, we have somewhat created that by pushing the Scout Led concept with the new parents, which they interpret as, "they no longer need my help.""

Actually, I took it as, "we don't want your help."

A different message entirely....

"Burnout" is indicative of a lot of things ... boredom, new interests and "I want to do what I want to do".

My older son loved baseball. Could have been a college or even pro player according to some. But he wanted it to be fun, not a career...so he didn't work at it 10 hours a day. But it was not my decision to make for him. He's had a blast doing it...but now he has other interests.

Sounds like the same for your boys. They are burned out, but being pushed by parents who want the Eagle for their trophy wall.

If you go in with a heavy handed, "Bring me your "A" game or hit the road." be prepared to accept the "F-game", regardless of what their Dad's say.

I don't expect any significant change in the number of reports.

Why?

Because parents seem to have this idea that the "problems are in that group, over there", not in the group that I pick for my kid. BT had that conversation.

The primary reason being if the parent admits that there is a problem in the group that he has selected for his child, it means the he has failed as a parent, and placed their child in danger.

=====

As for the numbers, I recall the saying, "There's lies, damn lies and statistics."

Say for every 10,000 volunteers, 1% are pedophiles. Each of the 100 pedophiles molests 10 boys. Of the 1000 boys molested, 250 become pedophiles and become volunteers. The 100 pedophiles has become 350...and that's just one generation.

But hey, that's just all made up numbers....isn't it?

While not part of the Constitution, it is by far my favorite statement that exemplifies to me what this country is about...

"We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness."

-Thomas Jefferson

Maybe when we all learn what this statement means, the issue of religion, race, sexual orientation will become pointless.

Depends on who you fly, and how much of a drive you want to deal with.

The major airports in the area are Cincinnati, Columbus (OH), Charlotte, Raleigh-Durham.

Secondary airports, Charleston, Winston-Salem, Roanoke ... you've be riding turboprops to most of these.

For the E-ticket ride, I think Beckley, WV is it. I seem to recall my Mom flying through there...lots of locked brakes and engine revving to take off from there.