The Latin Scot

That is sadly true, although I think that is a sorry excuse for allowing it. I prefer to expect better of the boys I work with. Growing up, I sometimes I felt like my brother and I were the only Scouts in our entire district who found such 'humor' both woefully distasteful and utterly unfunny. I still think so. And while I know that I can't eliminate it entirely (though I do my best) the boys under my supervision, both as a teacher and a den leader, are very much on their guard not let any of that kind of humor cross my ears. I have mastered the art of what I would describe as the "professor's

@@ShutterbugMom, I know how hard it can be to help boys come up with a Den/Patrol yell from first-hand experience! When I was a new Webelos Scout leader (never just "Webelo"; that's not a word!), I worked on getting our den a name and flag early; we became "The Merry Archers" with a cool-looking Robin Hood character on our patch, but for multiple reasons the boys could not/would not come up with a decent yell. I gave them lots of examples from old Boy's Life magazines from the 40's and 50's (back when they really knew how to use Patrol yells) and explained to them that our yell would be used t

@@mashmaster I think the guidelines you have established are perfectly fine. Any skit that has to resort to one of those items to be "funny" is in desperate need of a little more imagination. There are hundreds if not thousands of skits available online, the vast majority of which are perfectly acceptable even under your stipulations. If the boys "can't find anything," its not from the lack of material as much as from the lack of trying. Side note, I always find it amusing when people say "I never did/always did such-and-such, and I turned out okay!" I can't help but find myself asking, "b

I think the key is being judicious and having a sense of taste and propriety, which admittedly is sorely lacking nowadays. Current BSA guidelines indicate that no more than three rows, or nine knots, should be worn on the uniform. So if you have earned nine such knots, great - wear them. But once you reach such a level that you have earned 10 knots or more, this is when you need to decide which knots mean most to you, and which you want to display. This might vary according to the image you want to convey; perhaps you want people to see your heroism awards so that you can talk about how Scouti

Let's not forget however, that Bugler DOES count as a position of responsibility for both Star and Life rank. As one prepares to receive the Eagle rank, fewer positions are serviceable. But it is still an acceptable role for the ante-penultimate/penultimate ranks, so it hasn't lost as much importance as some seem to fear. :-)

I personally think it's a wonderful idea. 18-year-olds are often underestimated and looked at as "taller-teens," when in actuality an adventure like this could be loads of fun, especially since he would be interacting with a group composed of people who are likely much older than he is. He can learn from their experience, and frankly they would have a lot to learn from him. I think that if he already wants to go, he has the right attitude, and will make the most of it. Boredom is a choice, so as long as nobody lets him know that that's an option at WB, he'll never think to choose it. You have

So glad Bryan posted that article! I love getting official answers. That was me! Maybe I should change my screenname to Eagle-Eyes, lol.

I concur with Stosh, as usual. Troop 1 is the group your boy likes, and others are going there as well. Who cares what the DL tells them? You are the parent, and your opinion is worth a thousand times more than anything the DL tells these kids. If you and your son participate in making Troop 1 a success from the day your son bridges over, he will have a far better experience during the crucial first-six-months than he ever could with the other Troops that he doesn't know and can't reach as easily. This option is close by, friendly with your son, and sounds like a great group to join. Troop 1 s

Ah, @@4CouncilsScouter, thank you so much for the information! Does this mean then that each of the the awards will still exist as individual honors, but share one square knot between them, or that the awards themselves are being conglomerated into one single award with one single square knot? I am so grateful that you have some information on this; thanks again!

Well thank goodness the decision isn't in any of our hands then.

Co-ed does cut out the very heart of the program though, which is to help BOYS become better MEN. Do we have to put girls into this kind of a program?

Yeah, that would simply be ridiculous. And can you imagine the backlash from ethnicities that weren't represented by a device, or those that refused to be labelled under the device of the "wrong" ethnicity? And what would they use for the devices? Would I get a llama for helping the Scout program among my Andean paisanos? Little bagpipes for promoting Scouts to my Scottish relations in the local Scottish neighborhood? I think the BSA would be out of their minds of they attempted anything like that. I think they will just group any community efforts for any ethnic community under the one knot,

First of all, his name is Syndrome. And secondly, yes, he is exactly whom I want to be quoting, actually, because he reveals that this modern idea, that everybody should get the same thing, that "girls should be boy scouts too," that nobody should be allowed to exclude - it's fundamentally a BAD IDEA. It's the VILLAIN who wants everybody to get the same privileges whether they earn them or not, the VILLAIN who wants to level the playing field to the point that there's no point in playing, the VILLAIN who wants to ensure that nobody gets a chance to excel, because that would be "unfair" or "eli

Edit: I also noticed they misspelled the name of Whitney M. Young, Jr as 'Witney,' which I sadly copied and pasted before realizing the error. It seems they were in quite the hurry to get this thing up, lol.

Ugh, this is just getting ridiculous. Why can't the world today just let an organization made for boys BE FOR BOYS? I hope the BSA National Board ignores this "push" entirely. Just because lots of people want it doesn't make it right. Also: The NESA is by very definition THE NATIONAL EAGLE SCOUT ASSOCIATION. Why should an organization designed for Eagle Scouts have anything to do with other awards? Let them come up with their own societies. To suggest that an association of Eagle Scouts include people who ... aren't, doesn't make any sense. It's trying to be inclusive at the cost of preser

So I was browsing various merchandise on scoutstuff.org and encountered this interesting item: http://www.scoutstuff.org/knot-scouting-service-award.html So, according to the item summary, this award "Replaces the Asian American Spirit of Scouting Service Award, Vale la Pena Service Award, and the Witney M. Young, Jr. Award." Yet try as I might, I can find absolutely no mention of this "new" award anywhere on the official BSA website, nor on the websites of any affiliates, nor even on any third-party webpages that are usually all over any mention of a new knot to earn. So what gives? H

Thanks @@TAHAWK, that was one of the first places I looked, but it doesn't give any information about the wearing of older or commemorative CSP's. And to @@scoutldr's point, it is indeed the CSP for the council I am registered in, and it is in fact the only one I have been with since I was a Scout myself. So, while I was in college at the time this particular patch was issued, it was still my "home base" as it were. As such, I feel that it will not be inappropriate to wear it. Thanks to all your comments everybody!

Ha ha, wow! I am trying to wrap my mind around what a haggis burrito would be like ... not very tasty I imagine. Not tasty at all.

Great; I knew you guys would have the answers. Thank you so much! I will put the patch on tonight.

Pasta ... ? Oh, wait. I guess I must also apologize for the ambiguity of my screenname ... Latin refers to Hispanic South American, not Italian. You can have your pasta back though.

Hey everybody! I have a question about council patches. I have scoured the policies and guidelines about uniforms to no avail trying to find an answer, but I am sure somebody here will be able to supply a useful response. I recently received as a gift a council patch celebrating the BSA Centennial here in Orange County CA; for all intents and purposes, it is exactly the same as our council's current patch, only it is done with gold trim and has a special centennial emblem in the center. It's very attractive and I would like to wear it on my uniform, but as the centennial was now some years

I also apologize for utterly de-railing this thread. As you were, Scouts!

I am sorry you have interpreted things that way! But this is not a matter of control for myself. The units should be run by the boys, not adults, and I only want to empower the boys to run their own program, not be controlled by adults who want things done "their way" and not the way the BSA intends - BOY-led units. I also apologize if my hyperbole has led you to believe that I actually work with terms like 'clandestine' or 'mechanations.' If my sarcasm and play with words is too thick, then I am sorry; no such things actually take place, and I am almost surprised one could imagine they

You make it sound like it's a bad thing. It would seem however that my sarcasm and facetious comments have been misinterpreted; in the interest of making clear my intentions and methods, I should explain. I am in truth invited to committee meetings by the Committee Chair herself since I am regarded as the only individual in the congregation who has a broad grasp of BSA policies and procedures, and the Scoutmaster and I are friends. I am also very close to all the boys in the Troop, and I have a vested interest in the success of their program. So while I am indeed a 'meddler," I am in fac

@@qwazse I am two steps ahead of you. I registered a few months ago as the counselor for Scouting Heritage and seven other badges. It's given me all the leverage I need to legitimize my presence there, lol.