CalicoPenn

I'm not sure there can be just one ultimate question. The question would be different depending on the audience (the person being asked the question). For instance, to a youth member, the question might be "Why are you a Scout". For an adult unit level leader, I might ask "How are you making a difference in the lives of your Scouts". For an adult District or Council level leader, I might ask "What satisfaction do you get from volunteering at the District (Council) level". For community members at large, I might ask "What do you know about the Boy Scouts of America" Fo

The Eagle Courts of Honor that have stuck in my memory have been outdoor COH's. The usual scripted ceremonies can be adapted to the outdoors in many ways. Instead of lighting candles, light torches. Is your son active (and I mean attends chapter meetings, help with ceremonies and elections active) in the Order of the Arrow? One young man I know arranged to have some friends from his chapter ceremonies team wear the typical guide outfits for our area (shirt, breechclout, leggings, roach, mocassins and minimal face paint, and carrying lit torches) and act as escorts for the speakers, parents

7 leaders couldn't handle 19 members (assuming 2 of the 9 leaders were dealing with 1 injured member). I can envision a few different reasons why your group couldn't gain and keep control. The first is that there is no one "supreme" adult leader that the other adult leaders defer to in times of crisis, either that, or s/he was dealing with the injured member rather than delegating that task to someone else and taking charge of the main body of the group. In time of crisis, there should be one person who is in overall charge and everyone else defers to that person - or in the case of Sco

BSA advancement policy is clear - Parents, if they are a registered merit badge counselor, are allowed to counsel their own children in the merit badges they are registered counselors for. BSA policy is also clear that Councils and Units can not add to, subtract from, or change any National BSA advancement policy (or any other National BSA policy for that matter). National Policies are not optional. A Council or Unit doesn't get to decide that the National G2SS policy on firearms isn't realistic so it can be tweaked. The same is true in this situation. The procedure for earning a

This comes right from the horses mouth (so to speak) - National's own website: Be a boy who is 11 years old, OR one who has completed the fifth grade OR earned the Arrow of Light Award and is at least 10 years old, but is not yet 18 years old. (emphasis on the Or's are mine). In your situation, the key OR is "earned the Arrow of Light Award AND is at least 10 years old" Note that it says "at least 10 years old". Not 10 1/2, not 10 and 4 months, not 10 and 2/3. It says clearly "10 years old". So, if at any time you have a 10 year old that has earned the Arrow of Light, he

In this day and age, a stranger shouldn't be calling a former Scout, or his parents, to ask questions of/about the Scout. It might be nice to think that it couldn't do any harm, but in an era where parenting by helicoptering is common, its just not worth the risk of having an irate parent call the police. If, while going through the recharter process, the unit can fill out the "lost boy" report with information they may already know, then perhaps we can remember that a Scout is Courteous and we fill that out. If we can't fill it out completely, then perhaps we should remember that

The answer to the question of whether a service project counts if it benefits the BSA at SC, Star and Life is in the requirement. The requirement simply says that one must "take part in service projects totaling at least (1 or 6 depending on rank) hours of work. These projects must be approved by your Scoutmaster." Note that the requirement does not use the word Community nor does it include any restrictions as to whom can benefit as the Eagle project requirement does (which specifically states School, Church or Community). The answer then is Yes - a service project done at a B

Ah yes, the month of November in Maine, where fall color season made the miraculous leap from Trees to Man, and Blaze Orange was the predominant color in school, work, city, town, village, field and woods. My dog had her own orange vest, which she wore everywhere in November, even if it was just in the yard. I swear I saw maples weeping with jealousy at the amazing transformation of cows and horses from browns and white to orange, then back again in December. Memories......sigh. Calico

People will sell anything because people will buy anything with the right marketing spin. Why, just recently, someone bought a corn flake in the shape of Illinois (or so it was claimed) for $1,300! I must have eaten 100's of corn flakes in the shape of Illinois in my lifetime. Now I'm off to search through my box of Cheerios. If someone can get $1,300 for a corn flake in the shape of Illinois, imagine what someone might pay for a Cheerio in the shape of a Donut! Calico

The Spanish Inquisition if done by the Church of England: "Piece of Cake or Death" "Cake, Please" "Very well - give him a piece of cake" "Piece of Cake or Death" "Cake, Please" "Very well - give him cake" "Piece of Cake or Death" "Death, Please" "Ah Hah! You chose Death!" "Wait - I meant Cake" "But you said Death" "But I really meant Cake" "Oh, okay - give him some cake" Calico

For me it's the Trained patch under their badge of office. Calico

Pre-emptive apologies to SSScout. As I re-read my post, I realized that the first paragraph came out a bit snarkier than I intended. Mea Culpa. My point in that was that I'm not sure what enforcement mechanism would be to ensure compliance, and I'm afraid the only things that would ensure compliance are rather punitive, and would be a big turn-off for parents, leaders, and sponsors alike. Calico

And if a unit doesn't reach it's goal, then what? Send them to bed without desert? Not allow them to participate in any of the council's reindeer games? Oh, I know - don't recharter the unit at rechartering time - that'll show those units that failed to reach their goals. While the idea may sound good on paper, in practice, I think it would be a very big mistake for the BSA to become a "pay to play" organization. Think membership numbers are too low now? Wait until a policy like this is implemented. May as well just raise dues to whatever the apportioned amount per boy and adult lea

I saw one of these set up at the local REI store (I'm fortunate to live in an area with a couple of them around). Its got a rather odd pole arrangement - only one pole runs from corner to corner - the other corner to corner pole has been reconfigured to be 2 half poles (or slightly more than half poles). Instead of both ends terminating at a grommet in the ground, the "half" poles terminate at one end in a grommet over the door (as the 1/4 dome has a door on both sides, there are thus 2 "half" poles). It sure does increase head/ceiling room in the center of the tent. The wonders to ten

Wild, You may still be pretty new to the exploration of the outdoors, but I'd take you on a trip with me anytime. You seem to have a natural affinity for the outdoors and an attunement with your surroundings that most Boy Scouts and Scouters take a long time to get - if they ever do. Sounds to me like your senses were working just right, and your actions were perfect. Given your tale, I would concur that there was something in the woods that day, and that you were being "stalked" or followed. That a big cat was found in those woods two days later gives credence to the thought that

If I'm not mistaken, you are a college student. I'd check with the college to see if it is offering any first aid courses. Some colleges offer the Standard First Aid/CPR course with the WFA certs at the same time - if that's available to you, then that's what I would do. If not, you'll have to start with the Standard First Aid/CPR course first as its a prerequisite for Wilderness First Aid courses. I'm always a little wary when I hear that it's "State Law" that requires people not do give any care. That seems to be pretty unlikely. What is more likely is that it is the policy of

If I'm not mistaken, the knot for the Arrow of Light is not a restricted badge, meaning you should be able to buy as many as you want without having to tell the Scout Shop folks who is getting them. Just go ahead and purchase the knots (if the Scout Shop folks are being Nosy Neddies, tell them its for multiple uniforms) and give them to the folks who earned the Webelos Award from 1941 to 1967 (which is the equivalent of the Arrow of Light). Calico

I've posited this before, I suspect that the Cradle of Liberty Council is really just giving token opposition to this whole issue. They are stuck in a "in perpetuity" Lease that they can't break without incurring major expenses to break - and now have an opportunity to get out of what has become an albatross hanging around its neck without incurring any costs, and with artful manipulation of the conservative right wing, a means to raise a few bucks in the process. From what we know from CoL posters in the forum, most of the operations of the Council are being performed out of a modern buildi

Only one thing could be more endearing - hijacking a mea culpa thread to try to get the process to repeat itself as a way of saying "We understand, and Don't Sweat It". Sooooo with that in mind... Five-hundred Twenty-five Thousand Six Hundred Minutes Five-hundred Twenty-five Thousand Moments So Dear Five-hundred Twenty-five Thousand Six Hundred Minutes How Do You Measure A Year In Daylights, In Sunsets In Midnights, In Cups of Coffee In Inches, In Miles In Laughter, In Strife Five-hundred Twenty-five Thousand Six Hundred Minutes How Do You Measure A Year In The L

I agree with Trevorum and Packsaddle - it should really be a question about Reverence, and about Duty to God. OTOH - it depends, OGE, by what you mean by God. If the question about God is about a specific "God", then the answer is an unqualified absolutely not. If the question about God is about the BSA defined meaning of "God", which is all inclusive to mean any God, or some higher power (even if that higher power is, as has been suggested by a BSA Spokeperson as a possibilty, a rock), and it doesn't result in a negative impact on the lad, then I would say its a fair question to as

When you're a Jet You're a Jet all the way From your first cigarette to your last dying... Ummm, never mind - wrong musical Calico

The Appalachian Trail in Georgia is approximately 80 miles long, following a ridge of the Appalachians through the Chattahoochee National Forest. Most of the trail is at about 3,000 feet but can vary between 2,500 feet and 4,500 feet - with steep climbs and descents. To hike the AT through Georgia in 3 days means hiking a minimum of 27 miles per day - not as easy as it may sound on paper when factoring in all the climbs and descents along the ridge. The AT starts in Georgia on Springer Mountain. There is very limited auto access to Springer Mountain, so, before you even start the trail

"Honestly, have you ever known a man to intentionally buy uncomfortable shoes because they look good? I haven't." Then you never go to country/western bars in big cities up north where men show up wearing cowboy boots bought because they look really good and leave limping at the end of the night because the boots are just plain uncomfortable. I hiked the AT through Maine and New Hampshire, considered some of the roughest country of the AT by many, for 3 weeks one summer between the end of my summer job and the beginning of school wearing 6 month old Hi Tec Sierra Lites purchased for

I'm not Ed, but I feel like adding my two cents. I agree with Trevorum. Scouting, in its G2SS, specifically states that all aspects of the Scouting program are open to observation by parents and leaders. Committee meetings are part of the Scouting program (it's a real stretch to argue that Boy Scout Troop Committee Meetings, which are only necessary because the BSA granted a charter for the BSA program to a chartering organization, isn't part of the Scouting program), and therefore are an aspect of the Scouting Program that is open to observation. As the G2SS states, there are no secre

Welcome to the forum!! To start, you've already answered one question in your search for a sleeping bag. You chose a Mountain Hardwear Lamina because its the one your son was comfortable in and happy with after trying many out - that's 9/10ths of the decision right there. Mountain Hardwear products are very good. And the bag you're choosing isn't cheap. I'd suggest that you take into account your son's current age and expected growth over the next few years - in other words, though the short bag may fit him best now, you'll want to think about what might fit him best about 4 years dow