yaworski

I knew the programs were different but I was astounded by the fixation that GSUSA has on paperwork. Permission slips out the wazooo!. As others have said, they are different programs run by different organizations with different methods. Tell these complainers to get with the program and deal with it (that's my daughter's GS leader told me).

How to make a ghillie suit, movement without detection, range estimation, map reading. Oh! You mean a BOY Scout. . . knots, how to pack for camping, wear boots.

"Not allowing kids to take knifes to school, is much the same as not allowing young children to play with matches." However, we do allow older children to carry matches. Your example is another case of using the exception to make the rule. I went throught primary and secondary schools without ever seeing a knife incident. Never had one in college either. We don't trust "children" with knives but yet we trust them behind the wheels of cars and they frequently put those cars into trees and kill themselves. In my small town, six high school students died in month because the unskill

"I have to agree with the school, and admit to being upset at my son. " Why? Not the upset with son part but why agree with the school? The rule is flawed and stupid. The judicial system discovered that "one punishment fits all" doesn't work but yet the schools embrace it. No consideration of what happened, what caused it, etc.. Just a knee jerk reaction and suspension or expulsion depending on the school.

" Every boy I've seen just about pass out to get their Totin' Chip so they can carry one-- seems to be a rite of passage for them. Are there any other rules or restrictions beyond Totin' Chip requirements at your troop? " No special requirements. I think that it is just the culture of our area. Knives - bad, SUVs -- good.

" I still think it is pretty high priced popcorn" Not for the quality of the product. The microwave stuff is probably the best bargain. The Caramel Corn with Almonds and Pecans is head and shoulders better than anything you can get at Wal-Mart for a buck.

"The reef knot is used extensively for "reefing" sails. It's virtue lies in the fact that it can be untied very quickly. It looks like a square knot, but instead of one of the ends going through, a bight goes through (similar to the bight that goes through the loop of a slip knot). The loose end on this bight can be jerked and the knot becomes untied. Kinda hard to explain in text. " Sounds like half a bow know used for shoes (which is sometimes called a "square bow"). Knots that can be untied like this are often called "slippery."

"These kids learn and are tested in classroom settings everyday. There's no reason merit badges should be different. " If testing actually occurred, that would be one thing. My son "earned" the fishing merit badge at camp in one day. He started the class on day two but since he had already caught a handful of fish the day before, they signed him off. He didn't learn squat about fishing but he has his merit badge. I see the same thing with some of the local counselors. They say, "I'll run a group of guys through that in one day." "Run them through it"? That doesn't sound too

" It really doesn't come in handy around the house as much as it did at the factory. " I use mine all the time around the house. Opening packages, cutting string, slicing salami, etc..

The unit gets roughly 30% of the gross with 40% going to Scouting up the line. The 10% that your son mentioned might be the portion allocated to your son's scouting expenses, a Scout Account for lack of a better term.

"Bringing a knife to school in Michigan will not just get you expelled, it will get you banned from attending public school in the STATE of Michigan" That's amazing. I love this zero tolerance rules that our society has created. I'm sure that these rules have created a very safe haven inside of all schools. Back in the days when principals could flog kids and parents would flog them again we didn't have issues like kids shooting each other or knife fights in the halls. Even in the bad schools, violence rarely escalted beyond fists. Now, no one is supposed to touch anyone an

"Bringing a knife to school in Michigan will not just get you expelled, it will get you banned from attending public school in the STATE of Michigan" That's amazing. I love this zero tolerance rules that our society has created. I'm sure that these rules have created a very safe haven inside of all schools. Back in the days when principals could flog kids and parents would flog them again we didn't have issues like kids shooting each other or knife fights in the halls. Even in the bad schools, violence rarely escalted beyond fists. Now, no one is supposed to touch anyone an

I don't like the idea of MBUs. I've been to "cram" sessions for subjects like network training and the information doesn't stick. I really don't care for the cursory way that most merit badges are taught at summer camp. Alas, this is a symptom of our society's demand for advancement and benchmarks.

I do find it one of the great tragedies of our society that young people cannot carry pocket knives. A classic case of blaming the object and not the person. I went to college in Indiana and many of the farm boys there carried HUGE (at least the look HUGE to this city boy) sheath knives. They were very practical and useful.

"What I want to know is why its a bowline?" It's a line with a bow (loop) in it.

I've carried a pocket knife on a daily basis since I was a kid. I find it amazing that often on Scout outings, I have the only knife for six adults and 30 Scouts. Do you carry a knife? Do your friends think that you are odd for having one? Do your scouts carry knives?

"I have a copy of the scoutmaster handbook. It says very clearly that the SPL is elected by the boys in the troop. Did you adults not read that? Or just think it wasn't necessary? Or think it didn't apply to you since all was working well?" Out troop was run like an overgrown pack for quite a few years, even with trained leaders on hand? Why? I guess that it was easier that way. Boys would come into the troop together from Cub Scouts and stay as a patrol for years. The PL position was only a figurehead as the "Patrol Advisor" really ran the show. There was no Boys leading, no m

First, I think that the Scouts should be worrying about equipment, not the adults. We have a camping committee that has one person who worries about paperwork, reservations and the like. We have another person who worries about medical forms. Yet another person fusses with all of the transportation issues.

"We are in a Wood Badge cluster, with five other coucils and of the six we have the largest membership." What's a "Wood Badge Cluster"? Is your small council split into even smaller districts? I guess that I'm fortunate to be where I am and spoiled by being here.

If he doesn't get stopped the hard way, I doubt that he'll see much jail time at all. His doctors will proclaim that he doesn't know right from wrong, his parents will be blamed and society will take the ultimate blame because he was kicked out of college for cheating. He'll go to a mental hospital, lie to the doctors and then be out again, "cured," in a few years.

"Our council is a small council with only ten-thousand members, half of them in the Learning for life program. So we in fact only have five-thousand traditional scouts." Wowzers! I didn't think that councils that small existed. We have that many Scouts in my District (soon to become two districts). I can think of a lot of benefits that could stem from a Council that small but I can see the negatives. I wouldn't object to a Council fee, if it was small. I wouldn't want to be paying $7 to national, $30 to the troop and another $30 to the council. Actually, on second thought that do

Not to be argumentative but neither my wife nor I find it unnerving. Disturbing but not unnerving. If he shoots one person a day, you more likely to win the Lotto than get shot. Now, I'm not wearing a shirt that says, "Shoot me!" but I have been buying Lotto tickets.

"In my Troop, if we can afford it, we pay for the adults." My old pack paid the registration fee for all adults and 50% of all training costs. Imagine my surprise when I discovered that my new troop pays 0% of anything for adults.

Sctmom, I think it goes, Clowns to the left of me, jokers to the right, here am I stuck in the middle with you.

"Do you disagree that what the kids at the other ballpark was playing was not baseball? They sure didn't play the game by any set standard of rules other than what they made up. " It was 7 year old baseball according to the rules adopted by that association. MLB is bound by the OBR so they wouldn't take a soccer ball onto the field but the East Awfulgosh Baseball Association is not. You see, I don't care what the rules are when I show up to officiate a game. If a league wants to say "left handed batters get six strikes," that is fine by me. All I want is that rules are written d