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Callooh! Callay!1428010939

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Everything posted by Callooh! Callay!1428010939

  1. Please - surely anyone can see that the SP post above does NOT make the the claim that seeking modern health care is a "white" thing. That SP post articulates that claim in ironic fashion in order to illustrate its absurdity and the general absurdity of anyone claiming that their race or lineage gives them special authority over how others adopt or adapt cultural practices.
  2. "justify the use Native American customs and images by the BSA?" "Justify" it to whom? At a Renaissance Festival, must we justify our use of Renaissance European customs and symbols? Must those of non-European descent seek the approval of people of European descent? Or do we assume people are adults... and just go ahead and have fun with our Renaissance Festival... with no worries over whether or not some crackpot infantile European racist is going to complain that we're treading in his exclusive cultural territory or that we're not showing proper respect to European traditions?
  3. Uniform? Full is good. You prefer shirt only? OK. I don't object. But jeans? Please. Jeans are for kids - but not my kids, of course. Jeans are usually cotton. Seriously? Cotton? In this climate? And it doesn't matter what climate you are in... the question still stands as a rebuke to cotton. Cotton is for Q-tips and sheets - mediocre sheets anyway. Jeans. Humbug. If the uniform pants serve any good purpose it's to prevent people from being seen in jeans.
  4. ***Spoiler Alert - solution is in this post The contestants' answers were more fun than the solution - the judges will have a hard time deciding which answer was best. But here's the boring solution, listing the campsites and the details on the SM of the Troop in each site, listed in North to South order: In campsite Osprey, Troop 324's SM drinks orange juice, adds requirements to MBs and rank, and sleeps in a Big Agnes backpacking tent. In Campsite Sea Lion, Troop 118's SM drinks YooHoo, stifles boy leadership, and sleeps in an old canvas wall tent. In Campsite Grizzl
  5. Reading the OP from which this is spun and the subsequent explana-complications, I couldn't figure how that post worked as a math or logic puzzle ... "multiple scoutmasters hypothetically did something hypothetically hypothetical at hypothetical times, which one should have take a left turn at Albuquerque?" So I gave up trying to decipher it.... Quitter. Then I read Beavah's translation and answer in that thread and that clarified matters well, assuming the OP was an ethics question rather a math or logic puzzle. That assumption is probably correct. But... for anyone else who was dis
  6. Adult vs. Scout? Generally, no... not a good idea. Adult and Scout teams vs each other? Again, generally no... not a good idea. Adult sized scouts vs. child sized scouts... same. I think SP's comments above are good sense in this matter. Adult vs. Adult? OK, if that helps keep you happy with your participation in scouting... but let's keep in gentlemanly and not let it upstage the centrality of events for Boy Scouts.
  7. Before you confront him, watch this: And recall Sgt Hulka's advice to "Psycho" in the movie "Stripes:" "Lighten up, Francis." Anyway, he's probably concerned that the uniform pants make his butt look fat. Let him be. Scout to you: "I don't like the pants, and anyway Mr. USMC doesn't wear them either." You to scout: "Boy leadership. Lead. And consider thanking Mr. USMC for all he does for this troop... you don't even need to mention that you forgive the fact that he isn't perfect." In Cub Scouts, the Pack was "shirts only." The leader specifically asked me ju
  8. "the English only crowd?" "those that feel so strongly about English being the only relevant language?" Were they here? No matter. An open forum welcomes straw men; they could be instructive. "I'm not sure what all the fuss is about." The fuss is about some folks' worries over cultural and linguistic trends in this country; they worry when they see WB in Spanish and fail to take into account that it's a foreign outreach event and not Genesis, Chapter 11. If we are enlightened enough to appreciate foreign cultures, we can appreciate the culture of our countrymen and we can
  9. And correlating this information with several other recent threads, the conspiracy theorist realizes... "Ah-hah! Now we're onto their little game... Uniforms from China... soon to be worn by gay atheist soccer coaches who did Wood Badge in Spanish and don't like camping (but are campy in their Chinese uniforms)."
  10. A search finds a number of threads on the parent MBC issue. This one contains what may be the best response... the CalicoPenn post earlier in this thread is sound judgment stated with eloquent brevity. Having a parent MBC can be good time and resource management. A scout is thrifty - with gas, time, money, energy. He does not always organize a big logistical song and dance to accomplish something he can accomplish more economically. But most of the posts in this and other threads that raise the issue are against parental MBCing. Then again, folks are down on plenty of other v
  11. "If you are in a dark alley, would you rather encounter an Eagle Scout who speaks Spanish, or a thug who speaks only English? Es preparado!" "Es preparado?" Hmmm... maybe "estar" works better then "ser" here... I think they say "siempre listo" anyway. But, if we go with "est preparado," we should ask this about the hypothetical Scout in that scenario: Est preparado para ser un ciudadano de qu pas? (is prepared to be a citizen of what country?) Because in the USA, "Be Prepared" ought to include being prepared to do it in English. If a Scout or Scouter is a US citizen and does no
  12. We must respect the other fellow's religion, but only in the sense and to the extent that we respect his theory that his wife is beautiful and his children smart. -- H L Mencken
  13. Regarding "worthy role models for boy scout-aged youth:" Most Republican voters aren't looking to government and officeholders as national daddy and mommy figures on whom they should rely. Ceteris paribus, they'd probably prefer the good role model. But that's not what they're voting for. They'll raise their own children, thank you. They don't need the Republican candidate to be a role model for them. They do need him to be effective at defeating Obama and pushing back the tide of collectivism. Whoever these "values voters" are, they aren't going to find a viable candidate who sh
  14. Vivendi: Yes, quite a leap, beyond the leaps of the African antelope that sprung to Seattle Pioneer's mind. Not a leap any scouters we know would consciously make. But on missions to drain swamps, alligator distractions are common. It's good to occasionally remind that methods are not ends. And to lampoon helicopter scouter tendencies when they emerge. Seattle Pioneer: One guesses the antelope sprang 300 feet. "There are different varieties of Scouting out there. People are entitled to pick the program that appeals to them." That suits fine. Basic standards? Yes. Homogeneity?
  15. When Helicopter Scouters denigrate "Eagle Mills" MBUs, paper Eagles, and Summer Camp MB classes, we understand they have a valid point.. Standards matter and MBs and ranks should signify something. But sometimes Helicopter Scouters sound so zealous in this area that it seems as if they think the primary purpose of Scouting is to protect the sanctity of the badges and ranks, most of all, the all important Eagle... "By God, it ain't right for these miscreants to sully the badge I earned by letting some scout earn it with less effort than I make MY Scouts put into it or than I put into
  16. It's heartening to read comments from Scouters who agree, even if for different reasons, that Scouts and Scouters should de-emphasize or drop many "playing Indian" activities and traditions. "Play Indian" at all, and you'll offend someone regardless of what pains you take not to. The eager to be offended will go far out of their way to experience the exquisite frisson of victimhood or preening self righteous indignation on behalf of supposed victims. So don't stop "playing Indian" because it offends. Stop it because it's absurd to mark high points in our lives with ritual and page
  17. The Parable of the Wrong Fish might help him understand his mistake and that an un-coerced apology might be wise. An aquarist had in his aquarium a brightly colored fish he liked very much. A Pseudocheilinus hexataeniaudocheilinus, a sixline wrasse, it was. There are over 600 species in the Labridae (wrasse) family, so it was common for aquarists to have one among their collection. But it was taboo to publicly display any species from the wrasse family. An aquarist publicly displaying one would be shunned for reasons this aquarist chalked up to silly superstition. He was having no
  18. 它的寒冷,在多米諾骨牌快樂的螃蟹蛋糕! That'd be some tattoo!
  19. Ouch. And that's without even trying to figure in externalities.
  20. No tattoos here. I don't see them as necessarily being a terrible indictment of a person, but they can be a warning sign. Not all tattoos indicate some defect in character or judgment. Most of us probably know wonderful people who are tattooed. But the trend is there nevertheless; most modern western populations in which tattooing is rampant are and have been populations among which character and judgment deficiencies are also rampant. Much tattooing is an underclass phenomenon, but today we increasingly see tattooing among folks whose education, abilities, and circumstances pla
  21. Systematic political agenda? What's wrong with being systematic about advocating for an agenda that is good, right, and beneficial? Harumphers should harumph specific systematic political agendas rather than issuing a blanket harumph in the general direction of all systematic political agendas. The United States of America was born through the efforts of systematic political agenda pushers.
  22. Kudu, You observe: "So you prefer a corporate-speak mission statement to the BSA's statute-defined mission of Scoutcraft." Prefer corporate-speak? No. But it's the language they're speaking. It's what we've got. The fed is not going to step in to enforce the statue-defined mission... nor should we wish for federal involvement in such a thing. They say the road to Hades is paved with good intentions - and the fed sees paving it as a "shovel ready" project. "Congratulations. I see Wood Badge Course Director in your future." Now that's a cutting remark - and well played.
  23. OK, the OP overstates the case where it reads "Everything thing else is honest differences of opinion......... Standards? Yes. Strict homogeneity? No thanks." Not "Everything" else is subject to honest differences of opinion or sound judgment. For example the Acco40 post above mentions uniforms. Altering the uniform or deciding not to use it sounds more like ignoring standards than it does using sound judgment within reasonable standards. A uniform is... well, uniform - right down to what insignia goes where on it. The guidelines are pretty specific and don't invite much judgment.
  24. d-rat, "oath and law really come to life in those rugged outdoor moments, moreso than during indoor events" I think that's true in some cases but not all. It depends on the events and plenty of other factors. I do agree that "Outdoor adventure is what keeps the scouts coming back for more" - it's not ALWAYS the ONLY factor but it's probably always the primary factor.
  25. I agree desertrat77, "Outdoor adventure is the BSA's time-honored winning formula." But I don't agree that "Everything else is just Powerpoint in the camp mess hall." Unless you mean by this that important things can be done even in settings as boring as "Powerpoint in the camp mess hall." Favorite scouting moments? Outdoor adventure, of course. Mine too. But my liking the favorite moments isn't relevant to the importance (or lack thereof) of moments that don't rate among my favorites. Ask any High School grad their favorite moments of high school and they won't tell you
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