yaworski

I do have an "official" BSA hat (not as nicely made as the ones from 50 years ago) that I got on clearance at the Scout Shop. The brim had curled in storage so they marked it down, way down.

However, I would like a second one for "beat around" wear to replace my dying expedition hat. The new expedition hats are different and I don't care for them. I'll check the surplus stores, that never occurred to me before. Of course, I don't spend as much time in surplus stores now as I did when I was in college.

I never bought an "official" hat band. I've made four in different colours out of para cord and one out of a braided leather belt. Total expense for all five hat bands, lesss than $10.

You're absolutely right. Calling homosexuals "gay" is "calling them names." They are "homosexuals" and should only be called that. To call them "gay" implies that heterosexual people are unhappy.

As for the rules of the board about names, that really has nothing do with whether you're willing to stand behind what you've said. Is your "Hebrew name" the name that folks in your neighborhood call you?

"This is not that there is something to hide but we are not fortunate enough to have an unique name."

Huh? Sorry, I don't buy it. You hide your identity so that if you express unpopular ideas in your home area, no one will know who you are. Pretty simple. It was otherwise, you'd be "Jim Smith of Frostbite Falls" and not "red feather."

"I dont see black helicoptors but I do see Internet pervs."

You shouldn't call them "pervs," they are misguided souls who don't understand the social dynamic. I'm really shocked that you'd use such a denigrating term.

Where'd you find a campaign hat for $20? I think that the BSA catalog price is $85.

Alas, Bob White proves that a book spouting Scouter is not always brave enough to stand behind his words. Sad, truly sad. I hope that your brothers, the cops, are braver than you are.

"Let's see a full name and full information in your member profile, such as your district, council, and scout duties"

Touche. Mark Yaworski (www.yaworski.com), NCAC, Senaca, I have no duties except questioning authority.

However, I am known throughout internet communities by my last name. Not hiding behind a handle so no one will know that I don't like poofs in Scouting or that I do like poofs in Scouting or whatever I think that may or may not be PC. There aren't many Yaworskis in this country and only one owns yaworski.com

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"There is a difference between 'boys will be boys" and "boys will be insufferable beasts.' "

SagerScout, if that is your real name, I have one question for you. How much experience do you have at being boy?

"I wanted to keep my opinions separate from my real-life Scouting activities."

So what you are telling me is that you have no courage in your convictions. You want your real opinions to be unattributable to you so no one knows what you really think. Sound like you embody the principle of "a Scout is Brave."

TwoCubDad,

I don't know if we'd have gotten the week of detention, probably just the phone call home which was worse.

Back in junior high, a friend and I were sent to the principal's office for cutting up in class. We were still laughing over what we had done which infuriated the principal. He started yelling at me, "I know your father and I'm going to call him about this." Well, I knew that he didn't know my father but he did golf occasionally with my uncle. Thirty years after the fact, I still wonder if my cousin, who was in my grade, went home that day to be clobbered because the principal had called about him misbehaving.

Anyway, look at the range of reactions evoked by this incident. Some want the police called and child abuse charges filed. Others say, "boys will be boys" which, to my mind is the reality of the situation. Boys are boys and they do stupid things which require some explanation.

As Scouters, we cannot punish the boy for his actions or can we. Could we say, "you now get to clean the latrine for the entire week?" or "you have to sleep in a tree tonight." Maybe I missed something in training but I don't think that we're allowed to punish boys.

Okay, let's report it to the Council Exec who is then compelled, under our zany system of laws, to report it to the authorities. Those folks see monsters under every bed and love to blow things out of proportion.

What happens now that the authorities are called. Well, at the very least, the kid winds up in "counseling" which can bankrupt his family. He might even wind up with criminal charges filed which will bankrupt his family and then he'll still need the "counseling."

Now the media gets ahold the thing. Names will be withheld because the boys are minors but the CO's name will be published, as will the SMs, and all the ASMs that were there.

"Boy Scout Sexually Molests Another Scout at Camp"

"Despite the BSA prohibition on gay members, one Scout made advances toward another at summer camp. When he was refuffed, the Scout sexually assaulted his victim and began to hump him."

"Troop 333 of Frostbite Falls, MN is sponsored by the Prince of Peace Lutheran Church. Scoutmaster Bob Smith, an engineer with Frostbite Electronics, cannot be reached for comment but is reported to have initially said, "Boys will be boys."

Who wants to get involved in that morass? I don't.

Hey Joisey,

In his ramblings, Bob White took exception to my use of an acronym which is used to describe the attractiveness of women. He is offended by the word represented by the letter "F" in that acronym which is the same word the is represented by the "F" in SNAFU and FUBAR. No matter, what the context, that word is considered offensive but the acronyms are considered acceptable.

Perhaps, you and others would have been less offended if I had said, "There are few women at scout functions with whom I would like to engage in reproductive activities."

Nah, that's probably still offensive to you but I bet that few, if any, would be offended if a woman said, "the hiking instructor was broad of shoulder, narrow of hip. A regular stud muffin. Yum."

Classic double standard.

BTW, I'm wondering why you don't use your real name. Are you embarassed by it?

that Bob White, et al find it offensive that I don't consider most women Scouters to be "chicks" or otherwise sexually attractive to me. One would think that the touchy-feely generation would have applauded my enlightened attitude toward women.

Perhaps I should have proclaimed that I found the the hottest babes at Scouter training events and recommended that young men become Scouters to get dates.

Oh, the mixed messages that you guys send.

"Ah, the blue cub cap with the gold piping.

My pals in Den 1 thought they looked goofy in 1973"

How the times change. In 1968, my pals in Den 1 wore ours with great pride. I'm glad that I missed the adjustable cap era.

Sorry Bob, the sports analogy doesn't work. An umpire or referee's job isn't to enforce the rules, it is to ensure that both teams have an equal opportunity to win under the rules.

I umpired baseball for 20 years before I took this year off because my knees are killing me. If I enforced the rules as they are written, I'd bring the game to a standstill. I could call a balk or illegal pitch on nearly every pitch from the windup position but I don't. No one does. Why? It does no one any favors and stops the game.

In basketball, if you called every carry the game would be all whistles so you only call them when the player gains an advantage. Why? Because the game would not be improved by whistling a carry in the backcourt with all five defenders 60 feet away in the front court. Likewise, you don't call 3 seconds on a player who is in the key for 3.5 seconds but is now moving out.

Likewise, the game of Scouting is not improved by worrying about rules that have nothing to do with the playing of the game. So what if Cub Scout don't wear the same neckerchief? Does it impact their learning how to use hand tools? Does it impact a boy's character development if he wears a pair of OD trousers from Old Navy instead of a pair of "official" Scout trousers.

Mike,

I think that Einstein was declared unteachable as well. :-)

There have been boys that I've known who were declared ADD that went a bit beyond normal. Possibly a good whack in the backside may have helped them.

One was our former Cubmaster's son. He spent most of the knot tying class trying to garotte other boys and it wasn't pretend. While selling popcorn at a supermarket, he'd bend over with his butt to the departing customers and make fart sounds.

Now before anyone says, "Hey Yaworski, farting is just boys being boys." If he'd been farting at the other cubs that would have been another thing.

However, most are just normal kids who are bored.

Poor OGE, upset by my descriptive language. Folks like you are why some describe the position of a pocket as "left chest" instead of "left breast." Breast might offend the OGEs of the world.

If cojones offends you, please don't testify in court because that would probably offend you as well.

I may well ask, "What issue?" A bunch of whiners who cry because someone makes humping motions at another? I'm surprised that the descriptive term "humping" didn't offend you.

NJCubDude, the truth is the truth no matter what form it takes.

While I don't disagree that the state had a right to fire him, I don't agree that he was out of line.

He was willing to take a stand and suffer the consequences. The history of the early Christian church is filled with people who were willing to take a stand. Too few people are really willing to put their jobs on the line today.

Perhaps things would have turned out differntly if he had gone through channels. Perhaps the state would have rejected the idea of putting the flag on the uniform. However, now the matter has been brought out into the public forum and may well be discussed on the floor of the state house instead of by bureaucrats who would spend months debating whether the flag should be displayed.

The Declaration of Independence offended many people as did the New Testament.

Again, if the truth offends you, the problem lies with you.

"It has always seemed to me that it is better for a person to attend an educational experience (whether it be called training, school, orientation, continuing ed, or whatever) reluctantly, with a negative attitude, etc. than not to attend at all."

That may be true but that isn't the center of the discussion. My question was, "What motivated him to go in the first place?" He may be learning but he should not be lauded if he went under duress.

Dan, the school kept saying "We can't prescribe for you." but the implication was clear. We only tried the drugs for a couple weeks and then dropped them. It was worth the experiment but not for a long term. However, the implication was clear that they weren't willing to work with him unless we medicated him.

Bob, you're saying things that aren't found in a BSA publication. Wow!

If you find my language vulgar and offensive, you should never read Shakespeare , the Old Testament, or Vonnegut. If you find acronyms offensive, I hope that you never get into a SNAFU where everthing is FUBAR and the only thing to do is cry out, "BOHICA!". I trust that you never say, "Oh heck", or "Oh darn" or worse, "Gosh darn it all!"

I trust that you never take your wife to any movie that is not rated G. Should we assume that you only watch the Disney Channel on TV.

Lastly, you, of all people, should know that there's never any need to apologize for the truth.(This message has been edited by yaworski)

"So Yaworski, what you are saying is that BobWhite is a liberal? "

Ah, the Bob White disease of reading into what I've said.

"Standing next to someone and humping them is sexual assault in most states."

Didn't think so so I checked with a friend who is a lieutenant on our county's 1,000 person (almost said 1,000 man) police force. Here's his answer to my question, "Would this be sexual assault?"

NO.

It does not sound to me like any criminal conduct took place. 4th degree sex assault involves the unwanted touching of the private parts

'of the victim'. Any higher degree involves a lot more.

It could wildly be construed as a second degree assault, the unwanted touching of any part. That would be such a stretch as to be rediculous given

the circumstances.

I live in Montgomery County, Maryland which probably runs a close second to LA for whining liberalism.

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I guess that I gotta face it, the world is being run by the children of hippies.

All of you expect everyone to be nothing but goodness and light. Don't fight, don't fight back, never be angry, don't play rough. But you folks are the same ones who are afraid to go out at night, expect the police to protect you and are willing to send our young men to die in silly places like Somalia and Bosnia.