MrBob

Is there another FUNCTIONAL Pack in your area?

This immediately jumped out at me: Is the Cubmaster's spouse providing you and the rest of the Committee with an accurate monthly accounting of all the funds in the Pack's bank account and of all expenses paid? Have you seen the bank statements? Color me paranoid, but... I'm a unit Treasurer myself.

You can teach Scouts in your Troop, or any troop, or even non-Scouts, just about anything you'd care to. Good on you for offering! Obviously, the registered Merit Badge Counselor would have to sign off as each Scouts completes each requirement, but there's no rule saying the MBC is the sole deliver-er of knowledge. You'd just be the "guest instructor".

Merit badge counselors can't alter the requirements of the merit badge itself, but they most certainly CAN decline to work with anyone, for any reason. Unless he has all the T/2/1 cooking requirements already done - and if he's barely a Scout, I doubt it - that should be his primary focus, IMO. Your son needs to make his own opportunities. There's 145 merit badges to choose from. Pick one. This isn't cub scouts - things aren't going to be handed to him because he's cute and he showed up to a meeting. So what if he is? Its his prerogative as the counselor. BSA "

Paperclip-worshipers are heretics. Pastafarianism is where its at. R'amen

Cannons and Large-Bore Artillery Units are not authorized, under any circumstances, to use a cannon or any other large-bore artillery device. That tears it... I QUIT!!!

Pretty much agree with the Stoshster on this one... the only time I have more than just the "Unit Copy" piece of a blue card is after Summer Camp, and that's only because they tend to get wadded up in backpacks along with dirty socks, and then windup going through the wash. If a Scout come up to me during a troop meeting and says, "Mr. Bob, I'm done with my Hiking merit badge - here's my blue card", I pop the perforation and hand back his copy immediately.

Time to move this over to I&P it seems...

If you want to know how a "disputed circumstances EBOR" is going to work out in the end, you need to talk to your District Executive or our council's Scout Executive. Nobody here is going to be able to answer that, because nobody here is under your Council's reporting structure or knows the people involved. At the end of the day, Zuzy, you need to fish or cut bait. Either your son goes the "disputed circumstances" route and then goes to a new troop, or he goes to a new troop and finishes up his Eagle there. Pick one, and let us know how it turns out.

reductio ad absurdum

I think leaders (adult and youth) should actively and positively encourage Scouts to participate in all aspects of the program.

There's no set term length or set election cycle for "Speaker (Leader) of the House (Patrol)".

But... if I smile, you'd think I'm joking, right?

Oh, don't go quoting BSA publications here... that'll just fuel the discussion of how "yeah, but my system is better than that" and "those rules don't apply to us".

That's as sad an indictment against the current National program as I've ever seen.

On the topic of "ambush questions"... if your district/council has a tendency to behave like this (on occasion) and you're aware of the types of "gotcha" questions they ask, why not take advantage of that and slip a few of those situations into the Scouts Life and Star BORs ? I'm not suggesting that you intentionally ambush your younger scouts... rather, introduce the concept by asking them how they'd respond to, or feel about, a line of questioning that impunes their knowledge, experience, or capability, and then discuss how to deal with it calmly without having an emotional meltdown.

"legality" matters naught to the Court of the Aggrieved Social Justice Warrior.

It depends! Is it a charter bus, or a school bus, or a 15-person van?

As important to our future as strong education is Mathematics and Engineering is, I don't believe I have ever met a youth (or a parent) who joined Scouting for its STEM presence, or for the sedentary pencil-twiddling that is the first four requirements of just about every merit badge now.

Much like the Grinch's heart, my ignore list grew three sizes this day.

BSA Guide to Advancement 4.2.1.2 The Scout Is Tested The unit leader authorizes those who may test and pass the Scout on rank requirements. They might include his patrol leader, senior patrol leader, an assistant unit leader, another Scout, or the unit leader himself. "Unit leader" means Scoutmaster, in the context of Boy Scout advancement.

I think the defendant has made it abundantly clear that he counsels the youth in his charge to give "complete" answers to questions, rather than simple "yessah" or "nosah" mumblings, to reduce the number of follow-up inquiries such that the review process can move along expeditiously.

What happened to the flood of corporate donations BSA was supposed to receive after loosening its moral stance?

Oy vey...

Where did you get the impression that the UC (dad) contacted anyone?