Weekender

The reason our country needs to remain firmly rooted in or Christian foundation is simple. Christians are one of the very few who will tolerate other religions. Too many people think tolerance means agreement...If I agree there is nothing to tolorate. In the US you can be any religion you like because the Christians who designed our system believed you should hate the sin and love the sinner. In India, Christians are burned alive or beaten to death, in Islamic nations they are stoned and beheaded. (So are athiests by the way). Christiniaty seems to be one of the few sets of religeous believes willing to tolorate (allow others to hold their belifs even if I think they are wrong) the beliefs of others.

Oh wait a minute...I keep forgeting...we'r ethe intolorant bigots.

Wow, Y'all didn't just miss the boat on that one...you're in the wrong port. I did NOT say parents should abdicate their responsibilities related to raising their children. Just the opposite. Parents need to take that back from a corrupt and morally bankrupt school system.

The public school system was ORIGINALLY intended to reinforce values and character in children in conjunction with what they learned at home. And yes, I believe America was founded on Judeo-Christian values and so were the schools. The founding statements of universities such as Harvard and Stanford bear that out.

Scout Parent,

What irritates me about the public schools is that the government forces you to give them money and then saysIts perfectly OK to tell a child the reason he is here is because a couple piles of mud and muck got together and decided it would be nice to be a fish and a couple fish got together and decided they would rather be squirrel and so onbut dont you dare tell him that he was fearfully and wonderfully made by a God who loves him and values him and would move heaven and earth if He had to to show you His love (after all, who wants a child to think he has intrinsic value). Its perfectly OK to tell a young boy entering puberty that if he is confused he should try having sex with another boy to see if its what he wantsbut dont you dare tell him that he was designed physically, mentally, emotionally, and spiritually to be with a woman and only after becoming an adult. Its perfectly OK to tell a 13-year-old girl that having sex is fine as long as she uses a condom, but dont you dare tell her that she should abstain from sex until she is married. Its perfectly OK to tell a 15-year-girl that killing her unborn child is as valid an option as any other, but you dare tell her that she is carrying a living human being who also has value. In the public schools cheating is fine as long as you dont get caught, but if you dowell just have your mommy go in and threaten the principal until the teacher is forced to give you a passing grade anyway. No wonder the rest of the world sees us the way they do. We are teaching our kids to ignore any kind of moral compass and to do whatever feels good and not worry about the consequences. I'm not given the choice not to support this perversion but I certainly won't put my children in it.

NJ, LittleB, FirstP, et. al.,

Sorry folks, there are consequences for teaching our children that life has no value and whether you want to believe it or not that IS what they are being taught. We see the results in increased teen pregnancy, suicide, and drug and alcohol abuse. A child who reveres God, respects others, and knows they have valueThats the child our schools were first designed to producethats the young man the BSA strives forI dont understand why so many of you have a problem with that. I personally dont agree with the founding and guiding principles of the various mason organizationsso I dont join. If you, or Mr. Lambert, disagree with the founding and guiding principles of the BSA you have the same option.

My Last comment was directed to Firstpusk about his comments on the Colson article.

I didn't see anywhere in the article where Mr. Colson suggested teaching religion as science. However, since science doesn't have all the answers and because much of what (some) scientists claim has less scientific support than creation does, Mr. Colson is recommending that all theories of human origin be presented without the current bias toward evolution. After all, there is less valid evidence for evolution than there is for creation. Every time science advances or someone puts the facts of the Bible to the test we get more evidence to support the Bible's version of creation. Evolution is man's way of justifying his own irresponsible behavior. If there is no God my actions don't matter.

The bottom line, of course, is that it is more important to know where you're going than where you came from but God said HE created man. I'll take Him at His word.

Here's an article on the subject from Break Point wiht Chuck Colson

To God and My Country

The Boy Scout Oath

Darrell Lambert doesnt smoke, drink, or take drugs. And yes, hes heterosexual. Though an Eagle Scout, Lambert may no longer participate in Scouting. Its because Lambert is an atheist. And his announcement has led to another media firestorm over the legal and moral rights of the Boy Scouts.

For ten years, Lambert has been active in Scouting in Port Orchard, Washington. He recently attained Scoutings highest honor: Eagle Scout. Now a college freshman, Lambert has been active as a volunteer, helping younger kids learn how to build campfires and read a compass.

But during a recent Scout leader training session, Lambert got into an argument with another Scout over religion. Lambert announced he was an atheistand walked out.

His announcement was no small matter. The Boy Scouts is a faith-based organization. Every Scout takes a vow of reverence; every Scout pledges his duty to God. As Mark Hunter of the Chief Seattle Council put it: "Advocating a belief in a Supreme Being has been a core value of the Boy Scouts" for ninety-two years. "The twelfth point of the Scout Law is reverent, and that includes being faithful in your religious duties and respecting the beliefs of others."

Lambert says he knew all this when he joined the Scouts as a child. It was not until he studied evolution in high school in the ninth grade that Lambert concluded that God did not exist. But instead of resigning from the Scouts, Lambert says he began "mouthing" the words to the Scout oath. Sometimes he went ahead and just pledged his duty to God, knowing he was telling a lie. But, he says, it really didnt seem to matter. That alone would be grounds for dismissala point the media has ignored.

The Chief Seattle Council told Lambert he had ten days to reconsider his religious beliefs or leave Scouting.

During the ensuing media frenzy, the usual suspects began attacking the Scouts on the same tiresome grounds: intolerant bigots. But who really are the bigots here?

The Supreme Court has ruled that the Scouts is a private organization and has the right to set its own standards for membership, like any private organization. And, of course, those who disagree with the Scouts policies are free to start their own scouting groups.

The Scouts came under similar attack over its exclusion of homosexual leaders. It turned out to be absolutely right. The recent scandals in the Roman Catholic Church reveal what happens when homosexual leaders are allowed to work directly with kids: Pedophilia results. While homosexuals comprise no more than three percent of the population, a recent Family Research Council study shows that they are responsible for up to a third of sex crimes against children. Someone owes the Scouts an apology for calling them bigots because it wanted to protect kids.

But for us theres another very sobering lesson here. Lambert credits his atheism to his study of evolution in school. Clearly, kids are deeply influenced by the worldviews they absorb in the classroom. This is why, in every school, we must do everything we can to see that evolution is taught as a theorythe good parts of evolution and the parts that discredit itand that alternative theories, like intelligent design, be taught as well.

Meanwhile, lets applaud the Scout leaders for another courageous stand. It has meant abuse from the media but should earn them praise from those who believe that a Scouts oath and his duty to Godand his characterare non-negotiable.

Does anyone have, or know where I can find, the plans for a catapult that my scouts can build using cedar posts or scout staves and lashing. I need a set fo plans that have been proven. We are looking for something that could throw a water balloon if possible.

Thanks for the help

Our COR holds regularly scheduled boards (Prior to COH) plus will put one together if we have a scout who is ready for one out of the normal cycle. Since our Scoutmaster and COR are married it's fairly easy to get the information that one is needed passed to the right people.

I can't say anything about the usefulness of whistles when you are lost since I've never been lost...I was bewildered once for 3 days...but never lost

Speaking of bells

I heard of a guy who went to Colorado to go backpacking but was afraid of the possibility of running into bears. The game warden assured him that it was unlikely for him to have any trouble but said that if he ran into a brown bear he should stand as tall as he could and try to look ferocious. He said there were also a few grizzlies in the area and gave him some little bells to put on his shoes. He said the bears would hear the bells and leave the area. Well, what if a grizzly doesnt leave and I come face to face with one, the hiker asked. The warden told him just to lay down and play dead and the bear should go away. The other thing you need to know said the warden, is how to identify bear droppings. He said the brown bears droppings were medium sizedbigger than deer or coyote, but smaller than grizzly. The hiker said, but how do I identify Grizzly droppings? Oh, thats easy, said the warden, itll be a large pileand it normally has little bells in it.

Duct Tape...it so useful it's practically a food group.

By the way, Ziplocks are great for almost any meal that is "just add hot water. Make it in the bag, eat it from the bag and when it is gone...clean-up consists of turning the bag inside out and licking it clean. Great for oatmeal. I've even seen some folks tear out a corner of the bag and suck the food out. I prefer to re-use the bags. They are not so great for VERY wet foods like soup. But they do minute rice like nobodies business.

In a ziplock "Freezer" bag combine 2-3 eggs worth of powdered egg, a dash or two of powdered milk, salt and pepper, and any other spices (Onion, garlic, etc) that you like. Carry dry. When it is breakfast time add the appropriate amount of water to re-constitute. Then, measure out enough water for one or two cups of hot chocolate. Bring water to boil and set bag with eggs in the water (don't let the water get into the eggs. Boil until the eggs are the consistancy you like. (a little tabasco or luisianna hotsauce is a great condiment). Use the boiled water for a cup or two of hot cocoa and you have a great trailworthy meal.

Right now we have 15 boys. SPL, ASPL, JASM, and 2-6 scout patrols. We are recruiting hard to bring our numbers up. We'd like to be around 28-30 in the next two years. I'm figuring if we have the best program in town we'll hard pressed to accept everyone who wants to be there.

We use a 6 month rotation for two reasons. 1) it gives more scouts a chance to lead. 2) a 1 year rotation would mean ASPL is a two year committment which seems a bit much for a 15 year old.

In cubs all the money went to the pack. Our boy Scout troop divides the money. We figure it costs $100 a boy per year to be in scouts. The boys pay about $45 per in dues so the first $50 of popcorn money goes to the troop to pay for the rest of the program. The next $50 goes to the scout. After that all monies earned are split 50/50 troop and scout.

As much as it distresses me to think the US flag would be unwelcomed on a state uniform, I have to side with the state on this one. The state has a right to set uniform standards for prison guards. I think this guard should have made the suggestion that the state change their policy and make the US flag part of the uniform. He should not have unilaterally opted to disobey the policy...That is not character.

Thanks Bob,

It's sometimes diffcult to align ideas with policies so it is useful to have that additional insight. The big plus for this in our case is that the boys thought it was a good idea as soon as they heard about it. We just had the election last Monday. Now we have to make sure we follow through on the training.

We are about to try something new in our troop that we were exposed to at summer camp last year.

One of the troops at camp explained how their SPL was "elected". Each six months a scout is elected to the ASPL position. He spends 6 months learning from the current SPL and attends a JLT (whether he has recently or not). At the end of the 6 months the current SPL steps down, the ASPL becomes the new SPL, and the troop elects the next ASPL for the next 6 month period.

Can anyone tell me if they have tried this and if so, did you have any trouble with it.

We've had a couple District execs that truly wanted to provide a good program but they were eventually beaten into submission by the council. The ones with integrety end up leaving.

Our boys wear a maroon Beret when in our dress uniform and we use booney caps for camping.

I agree with KS. If I decide to bring an item (Appropriate or otherwise) camping then I am responsible for its care. This really comes down to a matter of planning...If the damage were intentional that would be different. I think the parents who made the wrong decision about bringing a wagon shoudl cover the cost of repair/replacement

I've used the esbit and like it. Be careful of any old style fuel tabs. I used some old army ones once and the fumes gave me a massive headache...they were probably toxic. The new tabs are supposed to be fine.

Another army design was a fuel tab stove in the shape of the bottom of a canteen cup. You pour water in the canteen cup, set it down into the stove, slide in a fuel tab and light it and voila, hot water. Haven't seen one in several years though.

Rooster,

You and I agree on most everything that comes up on this forum. And I have found nothing in this string where we differ. You opened a door on a topic that I'm not sure you would agree with me but who knows...I'm adressing this to everyone but you were the one that brought up married couples.

As far as husbands and wives are concerned, in our troop, if both attend a campout they tent together. We have NEVER had a problem with inappropriate behavior and I would be quick to speak to parents if I thought they were out of bounds with the example they were setting. I do believe however, that there is a natural order of life that includes marraige between a man and a woman and that the more the boys see examples of strong loving marital relationships the better.

This last year we got our first significant crop of new boys in a couple years. Unfortunately we were a bit under prepared for home-sickness. One thought I wanted to share in case you have the same potential in your troop is this.

Have the parents of the potential home-sickness sufferers write 5-8 letters...one for each day you are going to be gone and give them to one of the adults going to camp. Have the letters given to the boy during daily mail call. I don't recommend having them mail the letters because they could get lost or be late.

I'm sure many of you already thought of this but it never hurts to share when inspriation hits. Or was it the Hail?(This message has been edited by Weekender)

Sounds like his problem lies with being a homosexual pedophile rather than a married Mormon. We just need to be clear on what actions we want to exclude.