Scouter99

thanks for the link the advancement guide. this is also in the guide concerning cub scouts.

 

~~4.1.0.4 “Do Your Bestâ€Â

Cub Scoutsâ€â€even those of the same ageâ€â€may have very different developmental timetables. For this reason, advancement performance in Cub Scouting is centered on its motto: “Do Your Best.†When a boy has done thisâ€â€his very bestâ€â€then regardless of the requirements for any rank or award, it is enough; accomplishment is noted. This is why den leaders, assistants, and parents or guardians are involved in approvals. Generally they know if effort put forth is really the Cub Scout’s best.

 

As far as B&G being used to award all ranks their patches, I completely agree they should be separate. However, this is how our pack has always done it and I'm not likely to change that tradition quickly.

Irrelevant. The Tigers haven't failed to meet the requirement due to "developmental" differences, they simply haven't done it yet.

Good advice from the others. Rather than shutting the Tigers out of the B&G program because they haven't finished yet, use the time to have them do a skit or talk about things tehy've done this year so they still feel part of it.

Nope.

I can't either, though I'd disagree that it's a redeeming factor.

You can make your own out of some type of light material. Depending on the size of your pot' date=' you can try throw away micro wave bowls; just punch holes for the steam and it would work. You can also make sized to fit screen of some kind and simply put a few rocks in the bottom of the pot and drop the screen on top. I am sure there are other ways to achieve the same result. [/quote']

 

You're not getting it. It's not a screen, it's a grid. The steam is not cooking the food, the heat is transferred to the grid in a physical phenomenon called a heat pipe (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Heat_pipe), the grid in turn transfers the heat to the food and cooks it.

In your "alternatives" a screen or bowl are just keeping the food out of the water or off the bottom of the pan--that's not the function of the bakepacker grid. Those alternatives do not create a heat pipe.

 

Here's a video:

(It's from the BWCA, jblake )

Is there a pool on when the ACLU files suit to save the poor people of Maine from our rein of tyranny?

What I can't figure out is why the water? Wouldn't that make the baked goods soggy? I can see it to protect the bottom of a dry pan from warping, but a steamed cake vs. a baked cake doesn't appeal to me. At least the DO is heavy duty enough to heat dry without warping. I'd be more inclined to go with a reflector oven over the steamer idea.

 

Stosh

Per the website, it's not a steamer--the food is cooked inside a plastic bag and never meets steam or water. The aluminum grid transfers a greater amount of heat from the boiling water than the water itself can transfer. By cooking in a bag, you've turned a pot of boiling water into an oven that doesn't weigh as much as a dutch oven.

One year at resident camp there were a couple of scouts that wouldn't stay quiet even when the SPL asked me to talk to them. An hour later he stopped outside my tent with an idea. I told him your in charge and the idea works for me. He went over and informed the scouts to quiet down or at 5:00am he and their PL will be by to wake them up so they can clean the entire latrine as well as the scout shower house. The scouts yelled at the SLP and PL for about 10 minutes, telling them they couldn't do that. The SPL and PL just left and about 1/2 hour later they were quiet. I got woken up at 5:15 to the scouts from the tent outside my tent complaining about having to do latrine duty. All I said was you were warned. Never herd another peep out of the entire troop after lights out during the rest of the campout.

I liked one of the comments to the article:

 

"I don't think that being a Boy Scout had a darn thing to do with me becoming a responsible adult. Sure was fun, though."

 

I tend to agree with that.

When using axes, you have the safe work area and the ax yard. The safe work area is analogous to the blood circle, but bigger: 10 feet at least. The ax yard is a stationary area set up for long-term use. A safe work area is not necessarily an ax yard, but an ax yard is a safe work area.

This information begins on page 406 of the Scout Handbook, which most scouters have never read.

In limbing trees that have fallen all over the place, what you need is to observe a safe work area. That means that the area around the boy within the ax's length should be clear of obstructions, and no person should be within 10 feet of him. It does not mean moving a rope around all day, which is the antithesis of what an ax yard is (stationary, long-term)

--------------

We had a similar debate over hack saws: What do you need for pioneering projects? Poles. How do you get them? Hack saws. B-b-b-but saws can't be used outside the ax yard. OK, then you move the rope every 5 minutes, or gnaw the poles with your teeth. Suddenly the made-up rule isn't so important or official anymore.

And I just saw these:

 

• Water guns and rubber band guns must only be used to shoot at targets, and eye protection must be worn.

• Marshmallow shooters that use a straw or similar device placed in the mouth are not approved.

 

Really???

I've got a dad/ASM who's been apologizing for his son's absence at literally everything for 2 years with "sorry, he has homework." Right. And so do the other 40 boys who all managed to get here.

So did the boy go and have his project rejected because the District people thought he didn't have enough time and then give up? Did he give up before meeting with the District people, but meet with them anyway?

If he wanted to do it and "gave up" because suddenly everyone told him no, that's a shame.

In the abstract, it is still not a district's business/problem as to the time left to finish the project, only to approve or decline the project based on whether or not it fulfills the requirements.

There are two words you need to know for these situations: "Show me." If he can't point to it in the most current policy books (Guide to Safe Scouting, G. to Advancement, G. to Uniforms and Insignia, etc.) he can go fly a kite.

You will almost always have a core group that is truly interested in being outdoors. Have a well-skilled ASM invite them by invitation only (because he feels like it) on some outings that won't cost them much but are truly woodcraft. Hopefully, they will have such a great time that word will spread and a growing number will put away their computers and pick up their hike staves.

In teaching knots, you also have to teach the useful applications. What's this knot good for? Why this knot and not that one? If I want to bundle these poles together what knot works best and prove it. Many will be interested in learning the Cliff Jacobson's Trucker's Knot because it sounds so macho.

Lastly, stop providing subscriptions to Boy's Life. Get them all Backpacker Magazine instead

I can never sleep, anyway, and I learn a lot more about them from the whispered conversations, so as long as their volume isn't keeping other people up, big whoop.

I did listen to some yarns from a man who'd been SM for close to 40 years; one he told was one night the troop was just wild (pranks, yelling, whole nine yards) so he rousted them back out of their tents, and announced they were going for a hike, 5 miles up the mountain and back. They filed back into camp about 6:30 AM just in time for breakfast (summer camp). That was in the 1950s, the legend was good enough to hold the troop til he retired in the late 80s.

Probably be arrested for that now, but you could try it.

I've never seen my troop naturally sing around the campfire (or anywhere) in 20 years. We sometimes sing Scout Vespers as we put out the fire. Sometimes a scout shows up with a guitar and knowledge amounting to 3 chords, and that doesn't get too far.

No skits, either.

I think it's a casualty of the culture wars. Singing boy scouts are super gay.

I don't like the saying boy-led. The program is adult-led boy-run. As an adult leaders we have the right to veto or change plans based on weather or the needs of the troop. My scouts decided they wanted a camping trip at a cabin. One of the scouts was working on wilderness survival. Friday at departure, as the SM, I told the scouts "why don't you all work on tarp skills and camp survival style to help out xx". Groaning ensued. Friday night (10pm) when we hit the dirt road to the cabin the cars stopped. The scouts were kicked out of the cars with their packs. I put my pack on, handed the SPL a photocopied aerial map with a north arrow and an x marking the cabin, and then waited for them to start off towards the cabin. We hiked for 2.5 hours in pitch blackness. Only myself and two other scouts had working flashlights. Sunday morning they were shocked to learn that the cars would be waiting for them at the hwy. So their easy cabin weekend turned into a backpacking/survival weekend.

You just have to put your head down and prepare yourself for the long game--it takes at least 5 years to change a troop culture. You're not going to get the 15+ crowd interested in basic scout skills because they're already free and clear, so you just have to start with the newest scouts and inculcate (there's a vocab word from the original aims & methods you won't find anymore, too slow-sounding) the culture you want in them while you wait for the older scouts to get out of your way.

As for refusing to learn the stuff, if the carrot doesn't work use the stick. I don't know how your troop does sign-offs, but whether you allow older scouts, only ASMs, or only yourself to sign off, don't sign it off til they know it. Sit down with whoever signs things off, and make it crystal clear that pen isn't to touch paper until the boy can do it. When boys don't know a skill they ought to, get their book and see who it is that's undermining your program and tell that numbskull he's not allowed to sign things off anymore until he gets with the program (and when he gets all puffy about his being volunteer by golly tell him his time is worthless to you if he's fouling things up). Advancement is a method, not an aim (or a right, for that matter) and when boys are advanced without actual skills, they're robbed.

Yeah, I'm real popular with the SMs and ASMs who mass sign off for a round lashing around two poles for a useful camp gadget (then deride a real scout's real gadget as "another useless camp gadget haw haw haw") or sign off all three ranks' cooking requirements for boiling some Ramen once, plant IDs based on photos of mom's flower bed.

Maybe you don't have quite the same level of issue, but you see where I'm going: Your PLs who can't teach because they don't know got that way somehow, and they're not going to give up the gimme culture because you ask nice.

So, work the youngest boys. When they outperform, heap praise on them and some of the older boys will get motivated and get on board, and most you'll just have to wait for them to go.

Whatever plans you set forth, you have to spend the time to present your changes and your reasons to the ASMs and parents and youth leadership, and the one's that don't like it can hit up BeAScout.org.

Inspiring? Sorry, not really.

SM Bob,

 

Were you a Scout as a youth? I ask because if you were not, then some of the things us old fogeys complain about may not make sense.

 

YOU ARE 110% CORRECT IN THAT SUMMER CAMP SHOULD BE FUN! (caps and bold not only show emphasis, but shouting at you in agreement in a very positive manner, still a Cub leader )

 

The problem that some of us old fogey's are seeing is that more and more camps appear to be focusing solely on merit badges, and not enough on the fun. They have classes running all the time, and do not have as much in the way of campwide, nighttime programs, except Opening and Closing Campfires. They are offering "paperpushing" MBs at night. Some camps no longer offer free shooting, free archery, free boating, etc.

 

I remember in my youth MBs only being offered in the day light hours, with the exception of Astronomy. Sure a MB may be doing something one night, i.e. wilderness survival camp out, CPR training, etc, But for the most part you had campwide games and activities at nite. I remember playing staff Manhunt with staff members having watermelon bounties on their heads. I remember the OA Powwows that had the Indian Lore MB participants involved with them as well I remember the intertroop competitions that occurred. And I also remember the "Staff Night Off" where each troop came up with their own program. I remember the campsite campfire. I remember the rootbeer float cracker barrells ( and stopping the Canadians from shaking up all the rootbeer when they were with us one year).In looking at the schedule for the camp my son is going to this summer, there are no non-MB activities listed at nite. I do hope that is an oversight and they are developing them as they get their staff together.

 

In the afternoons, There were 2 hours on the schedule for free swimming, boating and shooting. That allowed folks who already had the MBs, were interested in the MBs, or just wanted to have fun in those areas, a chance to do so. It also gave an opportunity for those who needed practice in those skills a chance to do so. According to t eh schedule I got for my son's summer camp, there is only 1 hour of free swim, boating isn't listed so I will assume that's open too, but no free time for shooting sports.

 

Again from what I am reading, hearing from Scouts who got to camp now, as well as camp staff, the emphasis is on MBs. Little to no real programming at nite. I am told that the reason for this change is due to parents' expectations. But they don't realize camp is suppose to be FUN!

 

And the emphasis on earning MBs is even coming from SMs now. I remember both my SPL and SM advised me to take First Aid and Swimming MB, or instructional swim since I didn't pass the swim test, take 2 other MB, 3 if I wanted to push myself, and then have fun with free swim, boating, and shooting sports areas. Most of use would come back with 4 MBs, 5 if we pushed ourselves. But I've listened to a SM complain that a scout didn't take MBs during all 7 or 8 class periods. I've heard a SM complain that a scout decided to skip a MB he" signed up" for (OK the SM told him in no uncertain terms he would be taking this MB and the Scout wasn't interested) in order to take the Kayaking BSA class he really wanted to do ( SM was ticked because he "should have been working on a MB when he was goofing off.")

 

So yes, some of us old fogeys are concerned about the changes in summer camp programming and emphasis.

 

Now to my disclaimer. When I first got a hold of the Summer camp leader's packet, good to have friends on the camping committee and give you a copy of it before it is published , I went into typical Cub Leader mode and going way overboard. Thankfully I stopped myself, looked at only those thing classes I am interested in, BSA Lifeguard, and the new water safety certs BSA created when they watered down BSA lifeguard.

 

I then passed along the MB list for my son to look at and decide what to take with this caveat; "You will NOT take any paperpushing MBs at camp. You are to have fun and try things you want to do." Son then said he understood, then proceeded to ask if he could take Shotgun Shooting MB. With both pride in that he understood the real purpose of summer camp, and regret because of the answer I had to give him, "No, son, I think you need to focus on Rifle Shooting MB first, focusing on and perfecting the basic skills first before you work on Shot Gun MB."

Nice that a moral exemplar like the Disney Corp., which covers up cruelty to animals in its films (http://www.breitbart.com/Big-Hollywood/2013/11/25/regulators-Hollywood-covers-up-plague-of-animal-babuse) and hires known, convicted child molesters to direct its films (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Victor_Salva) feels entitled to preach to those of us in fly-over country about morality.

I don't think it's any of their business how much time he has to do the project. If he thinks he can get it done, it's their job to approve it (or not) based on the merit of the project.

Do they think a week is enough time to come up with a smaller/shorter project, but not to finish the one he's planned? Don't be silly.

If he can't finish it in a week, that's his problem, but it's not a reason to deny him the chance.

Start the appeals process tomorrow at 9:15 AM.

I read somewhere that the original BSA campaign hats from the 20s and 30s were made from crushable felt (much like the current "Indiana Jones" hat). I have also been told this is false. Does anyone know the answer to this?

I assure you I am no imposter. Thanks for your concern. I have missed this place. What's shakin BD ? Have you learned to laugh yet ? As I said in the other post, have had a series of health issues the past few months and have had to focus my energy and time on other areas. Getting old sucks. I have poked in now and then just couldn't get sucked in to posting. Not much has changed in my scouting career. Still with same sucky troop. CC and SM leaving shortly so maybe things will improve. They were stepping down anyway, but get really hurt when I criticize how the troop is run. They don't "have the time to make it boy run" My very experienced COR is going to take a bit more active role in guiding the troop. He is starting see how the poor program is going to kill it. The new SPL has shown no leadership and the troop would squarely land in the adult led field, still do nothing PORs. The pack is starting to show its stress cracks again. The CC's son is dropping out so we need to find a new one. The Webelos II folded this past year and I am discovering the Webelos 1 den has not been meeting regularly outside of PWD and Pack meetings. Of course nobody has returned my calls or emails. The couple of parents I have talked to say the same thing "been busy with sports".

IMHO, more BSA and less Walmart.

 

http://www.cbsnews.com/news/how-mike...d-for-walmart/

Oh, right, the article that embodies all that is wonderful about political journalism with this line "Rowe didn't immediately return a request for comment." . . . because the reporter never requested a comment from Rowe.

In the interest of fairness, Mike Rowe's response from his Facebook page (https://www.facebook.com/TheRealMikeRowe) on Feb 24:

I’m back. Three days of press, five hours of sleep, four bottles of wine, a speech, a job offer, 5,000 form letters, and a couple of good-natured death threats. All because of a commercial that I narrated about American manufacturing paid for by Walmart. Press tours are fun!

 

Oscar Wilde said, “the only thing worse than people talking about you is people not talking about you.†I don’t know that I agree with Oscar, but one thing's for sure - there’s no such thing as “free press.†I just googled myself and the results are too rich to ignore. Let's start with this journalistic masterpiece from Matt Hardigree. http://jalopnik.com/ford-drops-shill-for-the-oppressors-mike-rowe-from-truc-1526805143

 

“Shill for the Oppressors!†Is that not fantastic? I should make new business cards. I’m sure Matt’s a swell guy, but unfortunately, he’s so eager to report on a story that doesn’t exist he’s resorted to a career in fiction. Matt believes that my recent work with Walmart drove The Ford Motor Company to fire me after seven years of service. He sees some sort of conspiracy at work in a recent Ad Age article, where according to him, every one played just “a little too nice.â€Â

 

Sorry Matt - here are the facts. Ford didn’t “drop†me. We had serious discussions about another extension but decided not to proceed for reasons completely benign. We parted amicably long before the Walmart ad came along. A simple phone call to Ford would have confirmed that. Or, you could have done some really deep digging and called me. People do it all the time, especially when they’re interested in getting the facts.

 

Bottom line - We “played nice†in Ad Age because the people involved are all, well...nice. I’m just at a point in my career where I want to associate myself with messages that speak directly to the issues that are important to me. That’s why the Walmart ad was so appealing. A $250 billion investment in US manufacturing is worth talking about, and very much in keeping with the goals of my own foundation. If any other “Oppressors†are looking to make a similar investment in America, drop me a line. I’m happy to “shill†for any company that gets this country back to work.

 

Also in Matt’s piece, was a link to this little gem.

 

http://www.cbsnews.com/news/how-mike...d-for-walmart/

 

This piece comes from CBS News. Check out the photo. It’s a rare image of me in a suit and tie, and conveys all the sincerity of an ambitious vacuum cleaner salesman at the annual Hoover convention. Nice. Below the photo, the writer - Aimee Picchi - attributes the following question to me. “Who gives a crap about your feelings toward Walmart?†Unfortunately, Aimee leaves out the most important part, which for the record was this: “For that matter, who gives a crap about MY feelings? Isn’t the business of making things in America an initiative we can all get behind?â€Â

 

Along with that omission, and the clever use of words like “hawk,†“tout,†and “spokesman,†the reader is left to believe that I’ve been empowered to speak on Walmart’s behalf in some sort of official capacity. In fact, I have not. I’m doing this because I want to encourage other companies to make similar investments in American manufacturing. That’s it.

 

Of course, I’m not the only one with an agenda, and Aimee knows it. Ori Korin is a spokesperson for “Jobs with Justice,†and she’s trying very hard to persuade people that Walmart is treating its workers unfairly. Aimee quotes Ori as being disappointed with my decision to work with “a company as notorious as Walmart.†Ori also believes I was “too quick to dismiss†the workers she represents.

 

Of course, I was already well-aware of Ori’s disappointment with me. To date, Jobs with Justice has carpet-bombed my office with 5,048 form letters, imploring me to sit down with “real Walmart employees†and listen to stories about how unfairly they have been treated. Naturally, Aimee points this out to her readers, and even provides a helpful link to the Jobs with Justice Letter Writing Campaign, so that other objective citizens might continue to overwhelm my modest staff with additional expressions of carbon-copied concern. (Thanks Aimee!)

 

My response to all this? According to Aimee -

 

“Rowe didn’t immediately return a request for comment.â€Â

 

Well Aimee, please allow me to address your request with all due speed. My office has no record of a call from you or anyone at CBS. I've checked three times. Nothing. Of course, if you sent an email to my Foundation, it may very well be buried in the mountain of form letters currently straining the resources of mikeroweWORKS. Which brings me to Ori Korin, and Jobs for Justice. In the spirit of their chosen method of communication, I’ll respond directly and openly.

 

--------

 

Dear Ori:

 

You’ll be pleased to know that my office has received your letter, and 5,048 others just like it. While I’m sympathetic to your objectives and sensitive to the needs of your members, I must say that your tactics have had the same effect as a flood of telemarketing calls during my dinner, or a bag of dog crap set ablaze on my front porch. Now, instead of overseeing scholarship applications and other Foundation matters, my already beleaguered staff must sift through a sea of robo-letters in search of legitimate correspondence from hard-hitting investigative journalists like Matt & Aimee.

 

It’s a little ironic, don’t you think? On the one hand, Jobs with Justice is concerned that everyday people are being overwhelmed by heavy workloads. But you don’t think twice about flooding an unsuspecting non-profit foundation with an endless stream of form letters. Anyway, my answer to you is the same as it was after I got your first letter a week ago. You guys are in a labor dispute, and my foundation doesn’t take sides between employers and employees. Another 5,000 form letters won’t change my position on that - though it just might inspire the nice woman who oversees my Foundation to throw herself out the window. (Her name is Mary, by the way, and her demise is now on you.)

 

Let me really spell this out though, so there’s no confusion at all. I care about the people you represent. That’s precisely why I set up a foundation and some scholarship funds. I’m trying to encourage hardworking people who are unhappy in their jobs to make a meaningful change in their life. A lasting change. And I believe this change is most likely to occur when people are willing to learn a skill that’s in demand. Happily, worthwhile opportunities are everywhere. Our country has a massive skills gap, and the chance to retool and retrain has never been better.

 

We’re not enemies, Ori. We’re just fighting different battles. You’re trying to wring out a modest increase for people who feel unappreciated by their employer and unhappy in their work. I’m trying to get those same people excited about possibilities and opportunities that go beyond their current positions. Frankly - and I say this with all due respect - I don’t believe that your strategy is in the long-term interest of your members, or for that matter, anyone who wants to improve their lives in a meaningful way.

 

Think about it, Ori. Many of the workers you represent have jobs that could very well become obsolete in just a few years. Automation, technology, automatic checkouts...the writing is on the wall. But the skilled trades are different. Welders, auto technicians, carpenters, masons, construction workers, healthcare...these opportunities are real, and the rewards go far beyond the minimum wage - whatever that might turn out to be. Walmart may have cornered the market on retail jobs, but the world's a lot bigger than Walmart.

 

Anyway, I want to help. Please forward your members this link. http://profoundlydisconnected.com/the-mikeroweworks-foundation-scholarship-opportunities/

 

Surely, if you’ve got time to send five thousand identical letters to the same email address, you’ve got time to pass this on to your members. But do me a favor - just send it once. People hate form letters.

 

------

 

Finally, I found a piece that literally drips with sanity and common sense. http://ivn.us/2014/02/20/defense-mik...opt-beta-v-1-0

 

This comes from a guy named Shawn Griffiths over at The Independent Voter Network, and I appreciate every single sentence. My own bias aside, Shawn’s analysis is completely correct, and if I were King of the World, this would be required reading for any journalist that wanted to discuss recent events. If you’ve come this far, please give it a look.

 

Carry On,

Mike Rowe

 

PS If you’re late to the party or just a glutton for detail, my office has set up a press page with some photos and links to some of the recent appearances. http://profoundlydisconnected.com/about-mike/press/

And some of his logic on why he agreed to do voiceover work for WalMart, from Feb 12:

Clean-up In Aisle Four!

 

This whole Walmart thing. Wow. Just...wow.

If you’re just tuning in, here’s a brief timeline.

 

- Last week, I did the voiceover for a commercial that announced Walmart’s commitment to purchase 250 billion dollars of American made goods and put them onto their shelves.

 

- This Saturday, the commercial ran during The Olympics, and people started talking. Some of the talk wasn’t very pretty.

 

- Sunday evening, I opened a bottle of Whistle Pig, and responded to a few of my detractors. I attempted to clarify a few things. By midnight, the Whistle Pig was badly depleted and I was very sleepy. So I hit “post,†and went to bed.

 

- Several hours later, I woke up to use the bathroom. (Sad, that I had to. Glad, that I woke up first.) On the way back to bed, I saw that my laptop was still open. I glanced at this page, and saw that over a million people had read your questions and my answers. Holy Crap.

 

The next morning, I awakened to the kind of chaos that simply wasn’t possible before social media. No less than a dozen requests from various news outlets asking me to appear as soon as possible. Urgent messages to return calls from people I didn’t know. Angry messages from certain acquaintances. Lots of encouragement from unexpected sources.

 

I was tied up all day, and unable to respond to the media requests. But the press waits for no one. Articles about our little Q&A began to pop up everywhere. There was this.

http://www.thenewamerican.com/economy/commentary/item/17606-mike-rowe-touches-the-third-rail-of-retailing-walmart

 

And this. http://www.babble.com/entertainment/mike-rowe-and-walmart/

 

And this. http://www.theblaze.com/stories/2014/02/10/who-gives-a-crap-about-your-feelings-towards-walmart-mike-rowes-fiery-2648-word-response-to-his-recent-haters/#

 

CNN even did a story about me...without me. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=acuZQuVM7Z0

 

That brings us to the present. 4,000 comments and counting. I’ve read them all. Thanks. And since you’re still reading, allow me to free-associate a bit further. Because if the press is still interested in this topic next week, I’ll fly to NY and make the rounds. Consider this a rehearsal of my talking points. As always, your suggestions are welcomed.

 

- I’m not a spokesman for Walmart. I narrated a very specific commercial because I’m a fan of what Walmart is trying to accomplish with this particular initiative. In the interest of full disclosure though, I really do shop there. In fact, for nearly ten years, Walmart was my first stop whenever Dirty Jobs came to town. (I typically don’t pack a bag, so Walmart was the best place for affordable clothing that would most likely be badly abused and left in behind in a smelly bathtub with a note of apology and $20 for the maid.)

 

- The mikeroweWORKS Foundation is in the business of partnering with any company that want’s to see American manufacturing revitalized. If Walmart asks me to do more commercials like this, I will. Likewise Ford. Or Chevy. Or Lowe’s. Or Home Depot. Or George Soros. Or The Koch Brothers. Or The Sultan of Brunei. I really don’t really about where the investment is coming from, as long as it’s getting the US back to the business of making things. Because there is simply nothing more important to the future of the country.

 

- It’s a hell of a thing when someone you really don’t like suddenly does something that you actually agree with. At base, I think that’s what’s happening here. A lot of people who have fallen in love with hating Walmart are now wrestling with what the shrinks call “cognitive dissonance.†Regarding a 250 billion dollar investment in American manufacturing, the choices are simple - a) continue to condemn them for whatever you like to condemn them for, b) offer support and encouragement, or, c) shoot the messenger.

 

- This whole dust-up is a small but instructive example of what’s happening in our country today. Those who dislike the President struggle to give him credit when he does something they personally agree with. And those who support him, hesitate to oppose him when they personally disagree. So it goes with Walmart. Watch the guy on CNN (Marc Lamont) in the above link. He simply can’t address the importance of revitalizing our manufacturing base without reframing the whole conversation into a polemic against the thing he's been trained to despise. It’s simply too hard for him to say, “Good for Walmart. I hope they succeed in this endeavor. Period.†While he gives me “the benefit of the doubt,†he still believes I’m fundamentally “wrong†for supporting their initiative. Why? Because Marc doesn’t see workers and employers as two sides of the same coin. He sees sees them as enemies.

 

- People are asking how the “champion of the working man,†(their words, not mine,) can support a big company like Walmart? This goes straight to the heart of the problem. Because it’s a question designed to insight a fight. We’ve become adept at putting people into boxes and assigning labels that reduce individuals to a single dimension. Thus, Democrats must behave like Democrats. Republicans like Republicans. It's expected. If you wander too far afield, you’re labelled a “sell-out.†A “Rino." A “Scab.†And so forth. Consequently, if the “champion of the working man†fails to burst into a chorus of “Look For the Union Label,†the country is suddenly confused. They shouldn’t be. Because the truth is, I’m a big fan of the American Worker. I’m just a bigger fan of America.

 

- Today, our expectations inform the narrative, and the narrative confirms the stereotype. That’s gotta stop, because the world’s a hell of a lot more complicated than a sound bite from a sycophant with an axe to grind, or a question from a host who’s looking for a fight. Remember, people will usually find what they look for. On Dirty Jobs, it’s easy for a union member to see a program that celebrates skilled labor and hard work. But it was just as easy for a business owner to see a tribute to risk and entrepreneurship. In truth, Dirty Jobs was an equal measure of both. Unfortunately, such complexity is far too nuanced for the debate we’ve been trained to expect.

 

- Am I a “sell-out?†You’d better believe it. That’s the whole point. Every time I buy something or eat something that's made or grown elsewhere, I’m rewarding behavior I’d prefer to discourage. But - like millions of other Americans - what can I do? This is the cost of the global economy. We brought it on ourselves by voting with our dollars. We narrowed our options, and now the choices are very, very skinny. But again, when big companies start reversing the trend by investing in American suppliers, we have a choice. We can congratulate them. Or we can crucify them. Personally, I'm going to support the behavior I want to encourage.

 

etc, etc.

More later -

Mike

Separate. Watch a camp site: a large amount of the hovering, activity, etc is around the cooking. If the adults are eating with the scouts, there's no space for them to lead themselves.