SiouxRanger

I just have to pause and reflect over discussions of camping gear. My camping/scouting experience goes back to 1967 or so. And with 3 Eagle sons, and hundreds of campouts, as a scout, local council summer staff member, 4 years as a Philmont Ranger, and all of the campouts with my sons, less maybe 3, I own a small room in the basement FILLED with gear, some successful, some worthless, some purchased and yet unused because adding a few bucks to the order got me free shipping. And, I have been through countless discussions with other scouters, and tested, tried equipment. I own and ha

NO. WRONG. Totally wrong. Violates YPT and a parent's common sense. No one gets between me and my child. This is a "go-to-the-mat, or move on issue." In over 20 years of intense volunteering at pack, troop, district and council, never, ever heard of such a position/policy. Send a written notice/demand for intervention to the Council Exec., certified mail, return receipt requested. (And by regular mail also.) Keep copies/postal receipts for your file. Carbon copy your Institutional Head, and Chartered Organization Representative. All the parents for that matter. And car

Well, there "ought to be ample time" but in my council, the DE's contribute virtually nothing to program. Does National even have a training program for DE's focused on "program?" A "perfect mentality/world view" is fine, but it is not reality. I have chaired district level events for over 20 years. Never has a DE provided a whit of inspiration, insight, help. A total disappointment. I have come to the belief that DE's are not trained in any aspects of program whatsoever, AND, I truly wish you could direct me to the materials that do train DE's on program. Philmont has loads t

I am not sure that agreement can be presumed. I am a lawyer, 40 years in practice and our council executive, pompously affecting "CEO" is paid twice what I earn. And so, fine. BUT, the CEO manages half a dozen "professionals" who do menial tasks. (Actually, the tasks I've done as a volunteer-and much better than the "professionals.") And, if I make a legal mistake, I can lose my net worth-easily so. If the council CEO makes a mistake-frankly-who will ever know? I have no pension. Scout professionals have a superb pension. So, why does my scout CEO get paid over $300,

I KNOW that it was commonplace in my council. Presumably, you have a pension from National and your comments should be interpreted thus so. And if no BSA pension, please so state.

My recollection is that the number of non-existent scouts falsely registered in the Atlanta council exceeded the total number of scouts registered in my council. I lost all faith in National and the professional staff at that point. Why are the professional staff "commissioned?" Because they are trained, held to a higher standard, Trustworthy? And after that report on the Atlanta council, we then learned of and experienced the BSA abuse scandal and devastating bankruptcy which has shamed the organization's otherwise stellar reputation of over one hundred years, and diminished the v

The Peach Cobbler reference almost certainly has to be reference to the ancient Philmont Ranger tradition of preparing a peach cobbler for the Ranger's crew on the trail at Philmont. I did many of those. AND IF NOT such a reference, please post about it. Thanks.

As near as I can tell, “equitable muteness” means the appellate court recognizes that the trial court screwed up horribly, but that so many people believed that the trial court knew what it was doing, and relied on that belief, or even the trial court’s Judgment to proceed with enforcement of the trial court’s Judgment, that the appellate court system does not want to disappoint them at the appellate level. Which raises another issue. A trial court could issue a Judgment of doubtful legal propriety, and then authorize immediate implementation of that Judgment, “NOT pending appeal,” thus

Lord Michael Baden-Powell autographed the first book I ever bought-my Scout Handbook. And for those who doubt the importance of the "role-model" model, I was an adult when I met him (10 years ago?) and I remain impressed, motivated, and inspired to this day.

I met Lord Michael Baden-Powell some years ago at a Scouting Museum in the Midwest. I was invited to a reception for him at a museum. I expected some pompous, entitled British aristocrat fresh off a World-Class Brownsea event in England, disdaining his attendance at a museum reception in the states. (I learned he willingly accepted the invitation, coming from England to the Midwest on his way home to Australia.) I think he was 72 then. For 4 or 5 hours he greeted the reception line…with an incredible level of enthusiasm, which I have never seen exhibited anywhere b.y anyone. "Your n

A Pillar of Scouting whom I met once. Simply no equal to my knowledge in the Scouting Movement. He was the exemplary example of the "Charity of the Scouting Soul." He has no equal other than BP himself.

Sorry for being such a pest I truly want to understand current scouting events. And I have a long involvement in Scouting (over 50 years all the way to council level) and even at that, I miss the nuanced meaning of many of the acronyms commonly used on this forum. And I have t spend some minutes checking out their meaning. "Not to put too fine a point on it," but if a poster here leaves their reader to check out Google for the meaning of some acronyms-they won't bother and that reader will be lost to the conversation. It would just be so helpful to get the acronym AND the meani

JOTA/JOTI JID…Oo-ee, oo-ah-ah, ting-tang, walla-walla bing-bang. Of course there's JOTHKT. And JIADPL. JIAUMF.

Thank you my friend. I appreciate the clarification. I don't miss too much, (check out my Scouting resume) but there is so much I just do not hear about current National Scouting issues not on the radar of my Council, and a bit of help by way of explanation helps me (decide to) engage in the conversation and to follow it, AND LEARN. This Forum has incredible power. I just think that there are many "lurkers" (I do not like that term. Sounds ominous. I prefer "folks who are curious", but need written help envisioning why they should pay attention or engage in the discussion. An

I have long held the belief that folks speaking (communicating to others) bear the burden of making themselves understood. If I speak, I have to address my audience and speak in terms they understand. And if they are children, well, tone down the legalese, and if Phd's, well ramp it up. This forum is a wonder. Such a useful thing. And It should be not only a means of communication, but also a means of education. It is a useful tool to communicate amongst dedicated and vigorously involved scouters-we really care. (And without us, (volunteer led organization) what would Scouting

Unbelievable. Incredible. Had no idea such a site existed. I have some vague recollection of a bird which was named the "Tennessee or Carolina... or ??? Warbler) back in Audubon's time, the "joke" being that the bird was "collected" in the state of its name, but the bird never resided there-just migrating through.

Oh, thank you so much for this. I had no idea how many birds were migrating overhead. I've seen the warblers move through in the Spring, but no sense of the number of birds. And the hummingbirds who arrive and KNOW where the feeder was last season (me being late to put one up this season) they circle the corner of the house where the feeder was hanging in the Fall. They remember. Smart critters. And the ducks, and geese. Aways heard geese flying in the Fall at night. Just no sense of the vast numbers migrating. And an article about the number of birds dying in Chicago during the migration.

@Cburkhardtyou seem to have deep involvement in council level operations and successfully so. My involvement with my council has been at the District level, but also as a member of the Council Board, and as an attorney, I see things in much greater legal depth than most folks. I just ask who was responsible for "adequately govern and manage Scouting? And who failed in that? In my Council, volunteers are relegated to ministerial work. This an indictment of the ability and capacity of the "Professional Scouters" as you, a non-professional scouter, not trained by

It is not clear to me to which poster you are referring. But that is not my position.

Does this reference something I posted? If so, which sentence.

Yep. And then, at least the BSA has done its civil duty.

When flow chart and operational discussion gets to this level, time to find a new chartering organization. General Taylor: Woah, Dick, put the brakes on. I wanted to wait until airman left to talk with you. Dick, I'm transferring you. Sgt. Major Dickerson: Transferring me? Where to sir? General Taylor: You're going to Guam. Sgt. Major Dickerson: Guam sir? There's nothing going on in Guam. Why Guam? General Taylor: Dick, I've covered for you a lot of times cause I thought you were a little crazy. But you're not crazy, you're mean. And this is just radio. And a

And a Google search is proof of fact? Hardly.

Gee. First time I have heard that. My council has not appeared to have dropped any merit badge counselors from its rolls in centuries. Maybe 10 in 100 on the list are active. 90 out of 100 calls for assistance are met with "You are calling me for what???" Or, no replies to emails. The "password" (old TV show) is "Administrative efficiency."

Good luck to you.