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Col. Flagg

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Everything posted by Col. Flagg

  1. According to the Denver Area Council it is calendar year.
  2. I feel for you on this issue. If his friends are losing interest that's a big thing. We had a similar situation a few years back. Twice actually. One group crossed over, entered Trail to FC and things were fine. As that first year went on some of the guys just weren't as interested as they were when they crossed over. To be honest, most were weak Scouts, not interested in outdoors stuff to begin with. Several were really in to the outdoors but their friends' attitude had a big impact on them. Despite a great TFC program, most of the guys dropped within 24 months. To be fair sports and school w
  3. ROFL. Ok. Then why not serve the other half of the nation for a while? Just for the sake of equity.
  4. Again I will ask, what did BSA gain from making this change? They've lost a great deal, but what did they gain? By changing their policy they most certainly took a stand. They made a change. They could have just kept the status quo. Once has to ask why didn't they?
  5. From Aids to Scoutmastership with emphasis on the last part added... The term “Scouting†has come to mean a system of training in citizenship, through games, for boys or girls. The girls are the important people, because when the mothers of the nation are good citizens and women of character, they will see to it that their sons are not deficient in these points. As things are, the training is needed for both sexes, and is imparted through the Boy Scouts and Girl Guides (Girl Scouts) Movements. The principles are the same for both. It is only in the details that they vary.
  6. I wonder if the liberals will "move on" with the repeal of Obamacare, the end of sanctuary cities and other such issues they hold dear.
  7. Sorry, but what? Argumentative? Not based in reality? When has a for profit company EVER prospered by pandering to the minority and going against their core membership base? BSA took a stand on gay Scouts. The membership and financial drop increased. BSA took a stand on gay adults. The membership and financial drop increased. BSA took a stand on transgender girls. Just wait for the 2017 membership and finance numbers. So I ask you, what good -- other than to appease those like you who think this was the "right thing" and those who were demonizing the BSA for the old policy --
  8. Sorry, but get WHAT over with? No one -- other than the one side -- was putting a gun to their (BSA) head and shaming them to make a decision. The BSA had case law on their side and could have simply said, "We are a private organization and under the law we can make our own rules. Don't like it, go elsewhere." Membership would not have accelerated it's decrease. Money would not have dried up. Fred's point, as I understood it, was that BSA made these membership changes so they could "get on" with their mission. That's a load of hooey. They could have done the same thing by simply telling th
  9. Just wait until those marginalized by the focus on "Scout Sunday" all these years rally for a change that is more inclusive, so that those who are not Christian don't have to be continually reminded of the historical Christian dominance that has been so prevalent in Scouting. Scout Sunday may be another thing that gets more and more marginalized. Why not? Other tenants of Scouting have already gone extinct.
  10. Only a matter of time before BSA removes the term "master" due to the historically injurious connotations.
  11. Fred, BSA could have been focusing on their mission WITHOUT making the changes to membership too. But they succumbed to pressure from one side who demonized them and they thought it would stop. It didn't. BSA might have also thought that making these changes would stem the membership loss, the CO loss, and the financial loss. It didn't. If it is such a non-issue, why couldn't BSA simply ignore it? They had the Supreme Court on their side. They had case law on their side. Please don't fool yourself that BSA made this decision to position themselves to continue their mission. They c
  12. I totally agree. Adults must help foster the program for the older boys, and galvanize them around designing, developing and executing such a program. I had wanted to make that clear in my original post. Sorry if I didn't. I replied to your plight in the other thread you created. I think the very least you can do is sit down with the SM and discuss what you see. Often, if they have been in the role a while, they won't see what you do or may dismiss it altogether. Take keeping Scouts together in patrols. The best advice I ever got was "never break up friends UNLESS they are a detriment
  13. Sounds like it is time to remind the SM and the other meddling adults that: Keeping friends together in patrols, even at the cost of disrupting what some to be the natural order of the troop, is beneficial to the unit, patrol and the boys in questions. See Scouting Magazine. Scouts run things. Ask the Scouts what camps they want to go to. If they are not sure remind them and then let them pick. Meetings should be fun...for everyone. If an adult is speaking, leading or explaining, chances are there is a Scout who *could be* doing it instead. Train them, trust them, let them lead applies to t
  14. We are celebrating an anniversary this year too. I have seen a few cool things. Troop 1 from Sacramento did a very well done historical review video. This took a lot of time you can tell, but what a great thing to have done. In looking around the Internet I have seen units do awards dinners, celebratory camp outs, extravagant COHs, pot lucks and other such events. Our PLC has decided on a BBQ competition where the former parents and Scouters have booths and smoke up some stuff for the attendees to try. We have some of our guys searching Scouting Magazine, Boys Life and other places onl
  15. I am going to disagree slightly with a few previous posts. While I agree that the unit has to develop a program to keep the older boys interested, exactly WHO should do that in a group we call BOY SCOUTS? The adults? No! It's the BOYS!!! So YES, if these kids leave after Eagle-at-15 and don't do their part to 1) develop a program worthwhile for a 15+ Scout, 2) don't exhibit enough leadership to help design, develop and run such an older Scout program, and 3) don't stick around long enough to fine-tune said program, then THEY ARE TO BLAME. Oh, and Venturing? Who does ALL the plannin
  16. In the short-term this has already happened with the loss of membership, COs and corporate donations. Each year BSA has made a policy change they have experienced a decline in membership. Wasn't the average membership loss around 3% per year for a while, then jumped to 6% in 2013 after that membership change? There's certainly been no increase as other have pointed out. In looking around on my own I can find no statistics that show the membership or donations increasing. Only time will tell what the long-term impact is on the organization, both membership-wise and financially, but it does
  17. For my money, it is because there should be a sense of stewardship with these younger Scouts that get Eagle. It's like someone who uses all the iPad battery and never recharges it. Then you come along and expect it to work and *poof* you are screwed. In my experience when young Scouts make Eagle (say, before 16) and leave, they really have not learned or demonstrated a great deal. I won't use the term "Paper Eagle", but they are not deep-skilled or strong leaders for the most part. Again, from my experience. Now, compare those guys to the kids who stay in the program and give back to t
  18. I had a Scout who had Hispanic ancestry (grand parent) so he ticked that box on a college application. The college inquired about his ancestry because his name did not sound "Hispanic". After four weeks of questions, calls and emails, they rejected his application based on his "mis-representation" of his race. Ironically enough, he was about as multicultural as you can get...and it was a liberal CA university. Thankfully, he got a free ride to an in-state school. He's better off. But it illustrates how one-way the street really is.
  19. But Fred, it is the current day politics that is damaging what makes Boy Scouts special. It was a place for boys to be boys in addition to all the other stuff you mention that makes the program great. Guys cannot go anywhere these days without being reminded of their "male privilege" or "[insert color here] privilege or their "toxic masculinity". By taking this step -- which was a clear surrender to the liberal progressive ideology -- BSA has taken away one of the last places a guy can go to be a guy. If boys wanted coed they'd go to Venturing. They want the old BSA program because it
  20. When one reads the press release, it does not appear anywhere that I can tell that units have to take the girl. It merely says that "we will accept and register youth in the Cub and Boy Scout programs based on the gender identity indicated on the application. Our organization’s local councils will help find units that can provide for the best interest of the child." Of course, you are right. If Troop 000 denies the girl membership then the parents will release the lawyers and the CO and the unit leaders will get sued. I wonder how long it is until someone can identify as another rac
  21. We always advise Webelos looking for troops to ask questions regarding how many older Scouts (15+) does the troop have? How many Scouts stick around after making Eagle versus leaving or "Eagling Out"? This will tell you which troops are just Eagle Factories (churn out Eagles by the dozens) and which troops actually have a strong, long-term program the boys can rely on from 11-18.
  22. It appears this is already happening. Would it surprise anyone what her father does for a living? Guesses? Wait for it....he's an attorney!! I joined Venturing because I was looking forward to working with my coed unit. It was different from 12+ years as a Boy Scout leader. Maybe I should just wait until BSA drops the next big change (girls -- real girls, that is) are able to join Boy Scouts. Odd how the privilege checkers don't check their own privilege at how they keep attacking any group they feel is the oppressor. Who polices them?
  23. I heard about this change after our meeting last night. I chatted with two long-time Scouters who told me they were "done" with Scouting. They agree that people need to be treated equally, but that crow-barring open boy-only programs when there are coed alternatives only further erodes the program. After talking to several folks this morning I find that several other Scouters outside my unit are also ending their relationship with Scouting. Boy Scouts cannot be "asexual" by the mere name. It's Boy Scouts! Not Asexual Scouts. Not I Used To Be A Girl And Am Now A Boy Scouts. Ex
  24. I have been to the National Scout Museum a great deal. I have many friends that live in Circle Ten Council and have heard a great deal about the museum's issues from them too. From what I understand, the museum traditionally had around 20-22,000 visitors per year in just about every location. When it first moved to Dallas it was heavily used by local units. They would offer lock-ins, MB classes, Activity Badge workshops and other such things. There's a pretty good Scout shop there too. One, very overlooked item is the Norman Rockwell collection. It is almost like going to an art museum the
  25. I am new too. I just found out about this site. Am a volunteer parent in a troop and about to be a volunteer parent in a new crew forming. Excited to see what others have to say about scout stuff.
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