Weekender

DE, The Pants are Camo (Forest) the boonies are OD green. They were an outstanding purchase...probably the most utilitarian cover I've ever seen. We got them for $9 each through a catalog company (First Cav I think?). KS, Heat si always an issue here in the southwest but we make sure everyone drinks lots and lots and LOTS of water. That's pretty much the motto for the camps in this area. We did get some comments on the BDU pants...as always they were both good and bad. The way I see it, since the boys are not "required" by BSA policy to wear the scout pants the fact that

Just want to give a report on our S-Camp experience this year. We attended camp at Wehinahpay Mountain in southwest New Mexico. We were fairly well south of any fires. Camp was pretty good, the area is gorgeous, could have used bigger helpings at the mess hall. I liked having a church service each morning. The C.O.P.E. program and the mountain biking was great for the older boys. The first year program was seriously lacking. We pulled our boys out in favor of merit badge classes and will teach them there first year skills ourselves. The weather was very nice...we even got a little rain

As far as I am concerned, the writings of people like DedicatedDad and yaworski ultimately advance the cause of change in the policy, by making the pro-policy position look ridiculous. For every one of us who posts on this topic, there are maybe 30, 40 or more people who read the forum regularly but do not post on this subject. Our minds are not going to be changed by reading a post from the "other side," but those of the "silent majority" may be changed. Well NJ, We finally have something to agree on. I think others do read these posts and that they may be influenced by our positions a

If it were me and the committee came and asked me to step down then I would do so. Otherwise, stay till October and step down regardless of the status of the search (or lack there of) for a new SM. As far as the campout, I'm big on doing whatever you can to make it work but when it comes to safety you, as scoutmaster, have to be able to pull the plug. I think your first mistake was giving into pressure from the committee. I think I would have told them that if they wanted the campout to go then they would have to do it themselves. I bet none would have done it. I've found that some

A worthy sentiment, though as a wise man once said to me: "Perhaps, in the interests of clarity, we should amend it to: 'Do unto others as they would have you do unto them.' People do seem to miss the point sometimes." VH_50, No Offense, but I think God had it right. Love you neighbor as yourself. Do unto others as you would have them do unto you.

Our troop says a prayer to end every meeting. We say grace before every meal. And we have a Sunday Service on every campout. It is somewhat easier for us in that all of our familiies at the moment are Christians. I guess if a parent brings their child to a meeting and doesn't like the idea of prayer they just don't come back. I'm sure there are other troops in town that don't take duty to God and reverence as seriously. If a family is happier there then I wish them well.

"just treat me like you would like to be treated" Hmmmm....................... OH YEAH!!! Now I remember where I've seen that statement before.

It seems more like social engineering than socials studies. We were fed up by third grade and homeschooling by 4th. I know homeschool is not the answer for everyone but for those who are considering it...it was THE best thing we have EVER done about our childrens education.(This message has been edited by Weekender)

Never done the scoutmaster changeover. Ours has been there more than 30 years. However, we base our SPL changeover on the military's change of command ceremony. Old ASPL/SPL on one side new on the other. Separated by maybe 6 or 7 feet. Troop flag close by. SM says a few words about the outgoing boys and a few about the incoming and his expectations and makes any presentations (I make a certificate of approeciation and a letter of reference for the outgoing SPL and present them at that time). Then, old ASPL removes troop flag from holder and passes to outgoing SPL. Old SPL hands to new S

Mike, I fought a similar battle on wear of the uniform in the last year or so. That, coupled with trying to bring our activities and advancement in line with the BSA program. When It came to uniforms I had three boys who just didn't want to get with the program. Of those three, 1 left, 2 changed, and the troop is better for it. I would have liked to have kept all fo them but the one that left had problems with my style in general and was interested in play time but not in the program. Bottom line for me, we need to build a program that teaches the boys character. Some boys wil

Dan, Thanks for the info. Do you have a link to the source doc. One of our new dads designs websites for a living and has started work on ours. I would like to refer him to the policy doc. Weekender

And all God's people said...AMEN

Twin_wasp Welcome to the forum. You write, Personally, I advocate leaving it up to the sponsor and the troop committee. Today a committee can reject a volunteer because he is not of their religion. I think scouting would be better served if committees were free to accept or reject gays, with national and the council staying out of it. I am also all in favor of rules about what can and cannot be discussed with the boys. So if NAMBLA were to somehow get control of a troop committee they should be able to make the decision that having sex with all the scouts was acceptable? Yes, that's

Sctmom says, Having the legal right to do something does NOT make it the RIGHT thing to do. I have the legal right to drink myself to stupor in my home even in front of my child, but I dont believe it is the RIGHT thing to do. You're right! You also have a legal right to believe that homosexuality is not a sin and that the BSA is bigoted for choosing to protect its youth from from the influence of a sinful lifestyle...But that doesn't mean it's the right thing to do.

This isn't going to help get the badges unstuct but there is a product called stitch witchery which is very handy. It comes in a role like tape. You cut a few inches and put it between the shirt and patch. Iron with steam and let dry and it will hold fairly well. I would still recommend putting a few stiches through the patch. This stuff works great for hems and cuffs and will stand up to washing.

Agreed, The answer to your question is YES! G'Day

TJHammer, I'm confused...you say...My point is, you accuse me of picking and choosing what parts of the Bible I want to believe or ignore. In fact, I don't really believe ANY part of the Bible is infallible, I only believe in the foundational teachings of Christ. If you don't beleive in the Bible's infalibility how do you know what the "foundational teachings of Christ" are? Why would you even beleive in the existance of Christ? If the Bible has it wrong, where have you found the correct information on which you base your philosophy? Either the Bible is right or it is wrong! If it

Ed, You may have already done this but if not maybe bringing the issue up at the roundtable could help. If enough people, who are aware of the lack of any such national policy, put pressure on the council perhaps they would change their position. Weekender

Bob White, Just a point of clarification if you would. Even though the green tie is no longer sold, aren't all old official uniform items still authorized? My understanding was that once an item become part of the official uniform that item could always be worn. Thanks Weekender

OK, so Im not new to scouting but this post deals with training new folks andthis category seemed lonely. This post is going to be a little long so please bear with me and accept my apology in advance. My oldest son and I joined our current troop about 3 years ago. He was finishing 2nd year Webelos and I was wood badge trained (Eagle SR-152). The Scoutmaster had been with the troop for 30+ years. The troop consisted of mostly 12-13 year olds as they had not been actively recruiting. My son was the only new boy that year and the next new boy was my other son last year. I was assigned

I can't fault my local United Way for what they have done, though I wish they hadn't done it. Better to keep funding the BSA and retain some leverage to eventually overturn this misguided policy from within. I won't fault them either...but they are the misguided ones. Wasn't it one of the more liberal members of the forum who decried the thought of religeous organizations having too much influence on scout policy. Given the choice of who "steers us with money" I vote for the church over the UW. I'm not saying the UW is doing bad things. But if they object to the BSA uphol

On the bright side I guess this means the BSA doesn't have to hold off on their fundraising while the UW runs their's. Personally I would blitz the area about two weeks before the UW kicks off their campaign.(This message has been edited by Weekender)(This message has been edited by Weekender)

I'd be willing to bet that this subject has not been thoroughly discussed with the SM. I would suggest (since you're leaving the troop anyway) that you sit down and tactfully tell the SM that you think he may be misinterpreting the goal of the SMC. Explain what it is supposed to be and have the documentation to back it up (show him the the advancment manual). It may not do a bit of good, but it may turn him on a dime if he is a teachable SM.

It sounds like your SM is a bit new to the SM job. I know when I first started I was unsure of what was best for the troop. Have the SM and ASMs beed to leader training? If not, they need to go. As others have said, Patrol organization can take many forms and in some troops you'll find a combination of forms. All forms have pros and cons. It comes down to what works best for your troop.

I guess I am very old school. I would talk to the parents to make sure there is no medical reason for what is happening. If there is not, I would council the scout and let him know that what he did went against the principles of scouting and that it would not be tolorated. Not even once more. Our troop has in place a code of conduct that while it does not specify what is and is not allowed it does specify what actions will occur of a scout fails to conduct himself in a scout-like fashion. These actions run from a parent/scoutmaster/scout conference to permenent expolsion fromt he troop. I