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DS, It sounds like you would tell your 15 year old self, "There will be some rough spots, but you have a wonderful and full life ahead of you. Be sure to enjoy it." I think I might have the same conversation with a 15 year old version of myself. Except, I would tell him to never get locked into an AT&T cell phone contract that seems like it will last for the rest of all natural life. And to start flossing regularly as soon as possible.

... of the fictional/ media variety. In the Issues and Politics section, there was a debate on the portrayal of scouts in movies. The discussion then turned to the opening of Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade with Indy as a scout (riding horses and jumping from trains while evading the bad guys). So what are the other great representations or references of scouts in movies, books, television, etc? Hendley (the Scrounger) from The Great Escape was a boy scout. James Kirk apparently wasn't a Boy Scout. The vice president in "Dave" is referenced as "the Boy Scout" Are the

I love Indiana Jones! Great movie! But back to the original topic, I think the image stems from conceptions of Cub Scouts. The two groups are solidly linked in the minds of most boys and adults. But they shouldn't be. As we all know, Cub Scouts and Boy Scouts are two very different groups that have two very different programs (mostly based on age differences). Many Cub Scouts either don't join Boy Scouts or drop out because of the image. What's the image of Cub Scouts? After school, a group of boys goes to someone's mom's house and they wear their uniforms and make arts and crafts.

DSteele, You said, "If someone were to stand up and say (in any way that drew attention to themselves) "I like sex with my own gender and the opposite gender!" They would receive a letter informing them that membership in the BSA is a priviledge and not a right and the letter would then outline the appeals process." I don't mean to get in a semantics battle over the wording you used, but I am actually curious about something. Does a person need to be sexually active with members of the same sex for them to be removed from BSA? What if a person is attracted to their same sex, admit

Well, the holiday season is back again. I was wondering if your troops have any special traditions they do during this time of year. What do you do to make December special? My troop delivers canned food to families every year at this time. We use to have troop day outings as well (swimming pool, movie, basketball). For some reason, there's always something different about this time of the year in scouting. What do you do?

What's also interesting is that scouting is considered "geeky" primarily in middle school. Many boys join Cubs in elementary school (and later drop out), but it's not geeky then. Once you hit high school, most consider it geeky for the early years until they start working on their college resumes. "Gee, I have nothing for leadership, community service, or honors." "Well, I was a Patrol Leader, Senior Patrol Leader, summer camp staffer, etc. I also have over 500 hours of community service. And I have one of the greatest honors that a young man can achieve." I remember that by ju

From personal experience: never be bashful! The best publicity is on a person-to-person basis. In our current situation, it is not unlikely that you'll meet someone who openly criticizes scouting. That is the time to tell them the truth. Be tactful and courteous, but let them know all the great things about scouting. I was in group where a project was being made that required knots. I proudly announced, "It's ok, I'm an Eagle Scout!" and kneeled down and tied two-half hitches. Three more Eagles materialized out of the group and we all started tying knots. The non-Eagles were all asto

If anyone's interested... There's a Native American basketball team (actually from a reservation I believe) that call themselves "The Fighting Whites" or something of the sort. I personally think it's hilarious. I think their logo is something that looks like the Monopoly Man. I wish I remembered the details more.

Here's some clarification on the Stanford Band. In 1991 during a game against Notre Dame, the Drum Major (aka conductor) dressed like a nun and conducted the band with a cross. Then there was the game where the half time show featured jokes about the Irish potato famine. The mascot was the Stanford Indian, but pressures from groups made them get rid of that and they became the Stanford Cardinal (I wonder if they had any ironic intent when they basically went from being the Stanford Indians to the Stanford Reds). The band needed a real mascot so they tried to find one tha

I believe Hunt brought up an interesting point that was overlooked. What is the actual issue? Is it that this boy has gotten someone pregnant or that he was having premarital sex? As Hunt said, the pregnancy is a consequence of a poor decision. But how many other boys are also making that same decision without the consequence? As a hypothetical (that has actually happened to me, and probably some others), what if you walk up on a group of boys who are talking. They don't notice your pressence. You hear one of the boys talking (or bragging) about his sexual exploits. Should he

I have some quick side-questions from parts of the discussion that interested me. "If a troop is all of one faith, (and the event is approved by parents, and church) the BSA has no rules or guidelines against it." If there's one person who either isn't the same religion or doesn't feel comfortable with whatever religious event is being sponsored by the troop, does that veto the activity? Or is this person just given the choice not to participate? "How is a parent, who realizes that a higher percentage of scouts than non-scouts attend college, be misusing the program?" T

Eamonn, Excellent post. However, I can think of a few guys in my troop who would actually jump up if you yelled "Charge!" But your point is well taken. I really like the term you used. Instead of "follower" (which in my opinion, can be seen as a passive job), you said "active participant." I also like the naming game for jobs you started. I would like to say that Troop Guide and Instructor are two of the most properly named functions in the troop.

You got me Proud Eagle. I sat here thinking up adjectives and then mentally crossing them off. "Gee, that kind of fits with this point. That one is covered by the oath." Talk about having your bases covered. I would like to add "A Scout is Moral." I know it's repetitive especially with "morally straight" but some things are good to repeat. A scout should establish their own moral code, evaluate that moral code, and then live by it. I wanted to say, "A scout is (insert adjective for "integrity")" but my brain froze.

OGE, You mention some great names in that post. They were definitely some extraordinary and great people. However, are they necessarily good leaders just because they are good at what they do? I apologize that my knowledge of some of those people is very vague so I can't address your post more thoroughly. But let's start with The American Caesar. My favorite old soldier who would never die, General MacArthur. He was a great general and a brilliant man. And he was a great leader in rebuilding Japan and during WWII, but he followed orders during both. Korea was a different MacArth

Bob, I believe we have a misunderstanding. I'm saying that the word "followers" can have a "negative connotation" in our society. I'm not saying it is negative. I'm not saying that others think following is negative. I'm saying that it's unfortunate that when you say "follower" it can sometimes be seen as a negative trait. As for agreement, why on the first page of this thread there are three posters who say that the term "follower" can have negative connotations. "I think "follower" has a negative connotation. "Our modern society has exhaulted the word "leader" while apply

I think the conflict in this thread is from two different interpretations of the original quote (and the confusion on whether the "original" quote comes from this thread or another thread). Some are arguing for and against the quote, "Before a person can become a leader, they must be a follower." Some are using the quote, "Being able to follow is a necessary part of leadership." Does this distinction make sense? Are my observations correct? Then the argument is becoming circular because two different things are being argued. It's like the gay topic (and NO! I'm not trying t

Bob, you wrote: ""Everyone seems to agree that the term "follower" has a negative connotation." I really didn't want to get back into this topic, but this is the kind of misleading stuff that drives me nuts. Show us any evidence as to the validity of that statement. I find few if any posters in this thread who have even hinted that "follower" is negative. So where do you come up with everyone? My own stand has been that it is neither positive or negative as a term, just that it is unrelated to whether or not a boy can be taught how to lead. Bob White" I was hopi

Whew! I never expected that I would have to explain my intent when starting this topic. But things have started to get a little tense around here. There's no denying that this topic came from another thread. I mentioned that in the initial post. When someone stated the "leaders need to be followers" quote, Bob White asked what that quote means. At the time I thought it was an honest question. Since then I've decided the question was purely for argumentative reasons or rhetorical reasons at best. Anyway, I sent Bob a private message explaining my take on the quote. We had a brief con

2 Part Plan for a Successful Troop Part 1: Fun outings and plenty of them. This is great advice and has already been discussed here. Part 2: Even with the focus on the outings, do not forget the importance of the troop meetings. The meetings should not be boring or useless. They should be fun and great preparation for the amazing outings you will have. The boys should want to come to the meetings each week. Remember, a team can't play well unless it practices. I'm going to briefly slip in Bob White mode and recommend that you read through the scout handbook and SPL handbook to g

A topic was started in another thread that really interested me, but didn't get much discussion. Personally, I find the leadership of scouting to be one of the greatest merits in the program. It is one of my main interests. Some people love the quote, "Good leaders must first be good followers" (or some variation of the quote). What does this quote mean to you? Do you agree with it? How does it apply to scouting?

Great post, DS. Awareness is one of the keys to working with kids. There are plenty of boys with other disorders (diabetes, ADD, Essential Tremor, etc) and as leaders we need to be aware of what these disorders are. However, what we do with this knowledge often depends on our own judgment. I'm sure (sorry to speak for you DS) that Dave did not want to be babied or pitied as a child. He truly is an amazing person just like the thousands of boys with other disorders. My applause to them all.

Does anyone have any information about the new JLTC? When are they going to distribute the curriculum? What changes are there?

DSteele, Thanks for bringing this topic back around. A debate about the use of black powder in scouting may be a good topic, but let's remember that a scout has died. As you said, one death is one too many. For all interested, this is from the Cascade Pacific Website: "The Chris Kroker Memorial Fund has been established at US Bank, contributions may be submitted at any branch. Cards and letters may be submitted to the council office (2145 SW Naito Pkwy., Portland, OR 97201) and will be delivered to the family. "

Please check equipment and have a safe summer. This poor family. _________________________________________________________ Cannon explosion kills teenage boy at Boy Scout camp 08/06/03 PATRICK O'NEILL A 16-year-old Aumsville boy died Tuesday of head injuries he received when a ceremonial cannon exploded at a Boy Scout camp on Friday. Christopher Kroker was injured when a muzzle-loading cannon blew apart after a flag ceremony at Camp Meriwether near Tillamook on the Oregon Coast. He died at Legacy Emanuel Hospital & Health Center at 2:45 p.m. Boy

I was having trouble finding good sites and as soon as I posted the question, I found my answers. If anyone else is curious, http://www.bsacamps.org/lnt.html is a great site for No Trace Camping. Of course if anyone else has some tips or great resources, I would still love to know. Thanks.