BrotherhoodWWW

The Scout, why is it boastful to have and wear an OA position patch and yet not so for any other position patch. I can think of plenty of reasons why a youth might want an OA position patch. With your line of reasoning why have three distinct sashes? Heck lets abolish rank badges too for that matter. Lodge officers spend plenty of time serving their fellow arrowmen and fellow scouts as well as in some cases their communities. When they are acting in thier official capacity as a Lodge officer why not let them show their position. Not only that but new arrowmen might actually be able to find the

Here is my take on this. When i was a youthful member I was once a chapter cheif and once a lodge Dance Team Cheif. While I was Dance Team Cheif IIRC I was also my Troop''s SPL so that is the position patch I wore; although I don''t think one was even available for Dance Team Cheif. Even if there was I''m doubtful that I would have worn one. However while I was Chapter Cheif I turned 18. I actually changed my registration to a new business explorer post. I also helped with a Troop as an ASM. I attended many events in which my primary purpose was to represent the Chapter and Lodge and a CC posi

IMHO if one adult is there then there should be two, although if there are at least two scouts present then there should not be any one on one contact. If it a Troop outing where the troop is planning and arranging the transportaion then a trip permit may be required depending on local custom. FWIW I think hikes for hiking merit badge should be scout only hikes and if the scouts needing the credit are not old enough they should find an older scout to accompany them, or put aside this merit badge until they are older. There are plenty other mertit badges to choose from. Granted that there

I think the Bob White list is a good one and most of the time Troops with those attributes will be sucessful on paper and perhaps even have high advancement numbers. That said there are plenty of other benchmarks one could use to guage success as others have posted. IMHO success should be defined so that boys grow into men of high morals and good leadership skills. Success also means older boys stay in the program or an offshoot, aka Venturing, but enough older boys stay involved to lead and teach the younger scouts how to not only be proficient in scoutcraft skills but also learn to be leader

I'm not going myself but am planning on promoting it plenty with the youth membership in my chapter. Seems like a great opportunity for high adventure for Arrowmen.

"....the lowest 2%..." Seems to me a rather arrogant statement. I have a mid level management job in a blue collar industry and the aforementioned language is normal everyday speech for a significant segment of our population. It is courteous to consider others feelings and sensitivites to certian words in our language but IMNSHO it is absurb to change just because a minority may be offended. This is not to say that we should intentionally offend others but those offended might want to consider for a moment that no offense was intended. Their being offended is mostly a matter of their overreac

My take is different on this. A woodworker of modest skill and only a few tools could build a track that would be fine. Materials choice is where you can design in unifomity. Although rather expensive my fist choice for the track would be MDO plywood, which has a smooth paper face that takes paint nicely. Number the sections so they go together in the same order every time and use flat head machine screws and wing nuts to join each section. My former pack has a track built by a former Cubmaster. It has three lanes, but in use we only ever used two of them. Each car was ran at least twice switc

I'm glad Scoutnut quoted the actual National policy about this as I have learned something new. From last year's expierence with my son's former Pack our 2nd year Webelos Den did not attend the fall Camporee but almost the entire first year Webelos Den did. They were guests of my current Troop! The Troop only would have had one patrol without these added boys but their numbers increased them to two Patrols. Funny thing is they earned all of the top awards at this camporee. Perhaps National should revise their policy. Our Council does not do a Webelos-Ree, rather thay did a fall District cub-o-

Gunny, IMHO the OA is the single best program element of Boy Scouting. For youth members that may otherwise move on to other things (cars, girls, & sports) it gives them an opportunity and purpose to stay involved in Boy Scouts. An arrowman's first responsibility is service to his unit and unit membership is required for membership in the Lodge. The OA gives as others have said plenty of opportunities for leadership past the troop level. Other than leadership it also offers older Scouts opportunities for High Adventure, more camping in addition to their troops, and plenty of chances to ser

Scoutnut's point about Youth protection is a great one that I think many that have had the YP training miss. The rule is no one-on-one contact. Two deep leadership applies to outings, meetings, and events. Our Troop has in the past and is now doing a merit badge as a Troop. As CC I do not really like this gameplan and am activily trying to change it and the culture that has allowed it to happen.

I can respect others views on this subject but I do not agree that thereshould be any requirement. What works for one unit may or may not work for others. In my current unit I am quite happy serving as committee chair and I fill in as needed on select outings as requested. We have SM and ASM's that are far more physically fit than myself which is as it should be. If things were different and qualified adult leaders were simply not available I would have no problem being a SM even though my fitness level is not what it should be. Something that I am currently working on along with my Scout. It

The topic this is spun from has me thinking. Are we asking the wrong question here? Our local councils get our support as long as we partake in popcorn sales and/ or any other council wide fundraising efforts regardless of the fact if we attend their camps. I believe that the councils are there to support the units not the other way around. Attending an Out of Council summer camp or high adventure program seems like a reasonable choice to be made by each unit. My current unit chooses an OCC each year and has since it was started. I do hope to change this practice or at the very least offer to

This is something that I often have mixed feelings about. The OA wants well practiced ceremony teams and yet makes the point in many places that an arrowmans first responsibility is to his troop. Without the OA many units might lose the interest of older Scouts. If the OA motivates these same Scouts to still be active in the unit even half time and very active in the OA at the Chapter, Lodge, Section, Region, or National Level have we not had a net gain. Perhaps if Ordeal members are doing their duty to their units by promoting camping and living according to the Scout Oath and Law in their da

As a Fleet Manager by profession and a former driver I can attest to the facts of the matter. Coke and Pepsi syrup are classified hazmat. Flamables and corrosives. The same hazmat endorsement is needed for any hazard class. There are differences in the amount and types of training required to haul certain classes and special record keeping for some hazmat. The background check costs driver's in my area $100 and takes up to 6 weeks for which the do not get any more pay per load. For driver's that also have similiar background checks done i.e. concealed weapons permits, reserve law enforcememnt,

Wow! What a whopper of a friendly conversation we have going on here! First things first I'll answer the OP's question. If a Scout asked me what I knew or thought about GW I'd say that yes it could be happening. Some folks think that the western industrialized profit driven world have caused it but it is purely speculation as to the true cause and we likely, well at least myself, will probabaly never live long enough to find out if it is true. The anti-capitalists of the world are having a real problem convincing anyone that we are really running out of oil so the arguement must shift to it's

Why not quote exactly? Good question that I can not answer. How often is anyone quoted vebatim? I'll wager not very often. I have been mis-qoted in the past by a local newspaper reporter. He asked why I and my family were at a support the troops rally to which I replied because I had family in the service and that my father had been in the service during Vietnam, although not overseas. This went to ".... because his father served in Vietnam." My FiL which also happens to be a big part of the support our troops movement in our small town has been mis quoted on numerous occasions. If you want a

Beavah wrote: "...snip..Can yeh even name a single adult in the program who wasn't a scout as a youth? Hard to generate new ideas with that mix, eh? No point blamin' outsiders, almost all of it is our own marketing and organizational choices. Yeh make a good point, though, Pack378. Youth numbers ultimately depends on the number of quality adults givin' their time... willing to put on that uniform. I don't know of any council anywhere that has a bunch of excess enthusiastic adults around lookin' to start new units...." Actually I can name several Adults in our unit that are not fo

packsaddle wrote: "OK, enough is enough. Everyone who wishes to rewrite history is free to do so. But regarding the whole internet thing, I wish they'd rewrite it after they read: http://www.snopes.com/quotes/internet.asp The alleged claim by Gore that he invented the internet was, in fact, a statement that was made in Bush campaign commercials, not by Gore. Oh well. If you have evidence to the contrary, Snopes is eager to see it." As is most often the case Snopes has a slant as does the any other media outlet. Snopes' asertion that Gore meant something other than "invent" is meek

I voted for him twice and even though it could not happen without modification to the Constitution I would again without hesitation or reservation! The things he has done that have not been reported in the main stream press are awe inspiring. I listened to or watched each and every post 911 address he gave before invading Iraq and I have to wonder did anyone else. My recollection is that he did not make the claims that the press and others have stated and his reasons were much broader than WMD and the attempt on his father's life. There were real human right's issues. Sadam was a threat to our

Interesting questions Usetobeafox! Methinks you were looking for a short answer and that you did not get one. I've sometimes seen answers to questions here. I've also seen as with any forum plenty of thoughtless answers like yeah what he said etc. Other answers that really have nothing to do with the OP's question. I've also seen plenty of thought provoking OP's which do not seem to generate thoughtful answers. Perhaps this is just the way forums are as I've seen the same things elsewhere. I think lots of folks just want to know more of the story or have a sincere interest in the unsaid i

When I first thought about paying my dues in the Lodge I am currently a member in I contacted one of my previous lodges, actually the Council Service Center of the new Council where I was a youth. They referred me to a person whom was said to have the records. I never followed through with my research and found I did not need any more than the year(s) of my ordeal and brotherhood plus the training I went through. I've since found all the dates that I needed written down of all places inside my first OA handbook. My current Lodge took my word for what I said to be true. Good thing because

I agree that the clay targets is not the issue here. It may or may not matter depending on the camp's set-up and rules, but that is a seperate issue IMO. The facts as presented are a problem and should be addressed. The testimony that S held a knife to another's throat is a very serious matter and removal from scouting would be the very least I think should be done, depending on witnesses. In the adult world that is assualt. Charges in a juvenile court would not be too severe in this case. The throwing of a knife is almost as serious. requiring parental supervision for every Scouting event for

I stand corrected on how many names each Scout can place on the ballot that he turns in. The advice to contact your local Lodge will get you the corrcet answers to all your questions.

For an election your local Lodge must be contacted. Since you seem to already know the requirements I'll not repeat them here. Adults are selected by nomination to the Lodge but not in the same way that youth. Adults must meet the same camping requirements within the past 2 years in order to qualify. The number that can be elected in a given year is harder to explain. If you have 10 elegible Scouts each youth member present can cast a ballot with as many as 5 names. It is possible that everyone qualified gets elected and it is also possible that no one will be elected. Each elegible Scout

"The great thing about the OA is that there are no secrets." Crew21_Adv wrote int the thread that this topic was spun from. Perhaps I am in the minority in my way of thinking but I believe in secrets. I have been trained in Youth Protection annually since returning to Scouting as an adult leader. I think it is possible to have secrets and still have all the necessary protections for the youth involved. I think over the years the OA experience has been cheapened by overbearing well intentioned adults. Tapping can and has been done in such a way in the past that was not hazing or hurtful. E