acco40

Is this more violin playing while Rome is burning? This is really stupid. A Cub Scout is a follower. A Boy Scout is learning independence. They should have different Laws and Oaths. But heck, I still think they should have Lions and promise to be square.

Simple answer - married adults (BSA eyes) may share a tent. So, 18 yr old Scouters for the Cub Scout and Boy Scout programs may share a tent. However, 18-20 yr old married "youth" for the Venture program may not.

I don't know about you but I'm going to ask Mr. Romney how I can order a binders full of women like he received when he was governor.

When I was a Scoutmaster, I've had situations where a) the troop meeting was over and all the Scouts had gone home except for one, who was waiting for mom/dad to come get them. As I waited in the parking lot (I locked up the church), I always asked one of the other adults to stay with me (if my sons were not with me) - I didn't want to wait in a deserted parking lot with another Scout with just myself. Now, I found it strange to go to some "official" Scouting functions in banquet halls, restaurants, etc. When using the lavatory, a Scout would walk up to the urinal next to me. Not an i

It is not the Scouts who irritate this Scoutmaster, it is the parents.

Mr. Boyce, not sure of your thoughts but the article is an outright falsehood. Regardless how one feels on the issue of the BSA's stance on homosexuality, the BSA policy has nothing to do with the safety of the scouts. It has to do with the fact that the BSA views that homosexuals do not provide a desirable role model for Scouts and thus are not an appropriate role model of the Scout Oath and Law. Now, you may not know this but most males have a much larger amount of testosterone coursing through their veins than most females. This makes males, homosexual and heterosexual, more frequen

Basementdweller - use the experience as a "teachable moment" for the boys. For example, my family moved to St. Louis in 1968 and the day after we moved into our house some "nice" neighbors came by with some welcoming food and stated they were so happy to have us move in to the neighborhood because a black family was looking at the house too. Well, my parents said thank you but later talked to us (my older brother and I who were 13 and 12 about the situation.

I thought I'd point out a few errors. Weird how the Den Chiefs used to run the Dens in the 50's and 60's and the Den Mom and Den Dad supported them. I believe there was requirement that the Cubmaster needed to be male and I think there were only Den Mothers during this time frame. Dens met after school and of course dad was at work and mom stayed at home. I need other parents to stay just for the 2 deep leadership requirement. There is no two deep leadership requirement for den meetings. Two deep adult leadership is only needed for outings. (This message has been ed

France set to ban words 'mother' and 'father' on official documents under plans to legalize gay marriage This from a country whose language applies gender to each and every noun in existence!

My friend at work has a large Rmoney bumper sticker in his cubicle. Yes, he is an Obama supporter.

Cub Scouting is a family affair. Boy Scouts is more about the boy. For a den meeting or a troop meeting the non-scouter adults responsibility is to provide transportation, support the adult leadership as requested and for Cub Scouts, work with their son outside of den and pack meetings. So, for the actual den meeting - no need to attend unless specifically requested by the den leader.

Why do the vast majority of popular female (and male for that matter) have above average looks? Does that make them sing better? Why do the vast majority of movie actors have above average looks? Does that make them act better? Why do advertisements use above average looking models and actors? The reason is simple - it sells more music, movie tickets and improves sales. We don't bemoan George Clooney or Julia Roberts their lucrative movie deals and call it immoral for cashing in on their looks. So why do we look down on strippers? Do I want my daughter to aspire to t

Stop the presses! I agree with SeattlePioneer. While any "manadatory" rule is bound to be erroneous under certain circumstances "drink when you become thirsty" may be drinking too late in many cases.

After they've been beaten over the head with in middle school by PSAs, DARE, etc. I ask potential 2nd Class candidates if drugs are bad and the universal answer I get is "yes." I then ask if they or their parents or siblings have ever been given drugs by a doctor, nurse or their own parents. Usually the answer is yes and I ask them if that is bad. "No", is the answer I get. I'm not trying to down play the dangers of drug abuse but I want them to begin to start thinking about their responses not just parrot back what they've been taught. ,i>Participate in a school, community, or tro

Everybody drink up kind of reminds me of mandatory sentences for criminals. The rare, but sometimes wrong response to behavior.

The Lions open up against the Rams this year. I didn't see Christians on their schedule this year. Top athletes are becoming bigger and stronger every year. Football had a history during the turn of the century when President Theodore Roosevelt, a former college football player threatened to ban the sport. Back then the equipment was very crude - little padding and a leather helmet. Punching and slugging opposing players was common. In 1905 alone, 18 were killed and 159 were severely injured and there was about one-fifth the number of collegiate players as there is today. Now, e

For youth that are gay and for an organization that professes to be a teacher of ethical values, I suggest the BSA state that their policy is membership/dollars based if that is the case. My guess is it is due to the LFL vs. Scouting program dichotomy.

But Barry, that is not the public reasoning that the BSA is giving for their policy. It is not money, it is not members. Their reasoning is the "role model" issue (morals to some).(This message has been edited by acco40)

Webelos II program? This must be a new level. I've have no knowledge of it. Also, the Cubmaster has authority on all badges awarded in the pack? Again, this is a new one on me. When a boy has done the requirements for an activity badge, the Webelos den leader or activity badge counselor, rather than a parent, approves most of the activity badges. It takes three activity badges, including Fitness and Citizen, to earn the Webelos badge. Form 34403 (Advancement Report for Pack, Troop, Crew or Ship) requires a "leader" name - Packs have many leaders. In the pack my boys were m

I don't agree with the policy but I understand it. By withholding membership, the BSA is not condoning such behavior. Again, their issue (publicly) is that it is a role model issue - not safety, not membership, etc.

Then Barry, why doesn't the BSA follow the Scout Law and Oath and state the reason we have this policy is because we don't want to risk a membership decline? Yeah, that doesn't sound very good. How about - the reason we have this policy is because the vast majority of our charter organization members believe this.

So, FrankScout, suppose you are a gay Scout leader who loves Scouting and has been a member in the BSA since the late 70s (before their was a known "gay policy). You don't agree with the current policy on the issue. What is one to do? Grin an bear it? Quietly resign? Send a letter to national? What would you do in that situation?

I think it boils down to when one sees a person who needs help do you think of yourself first or the other person?

Check out the Camping& High Adventure/Backpacking and Sharing the load thread. When we went backpacking with no clean water source in New Mexico, this is what we did. We had three adults and six youth. We carried two steripens and three water filters (micron pumps). Earlier dry run trips we used a miox water purification and different types of filters as well as tablets. As adults, we took the lead wrt water purification methods because we were aware of our water source in New Mexico - stagnant pools in open galvanized tubs, often with lots of algae and a few dead carcasses floating i

Cellarliver - exactly what point did I miss? Yes he forced the hand of the BSA by self reporting he did not meet membership criteria. So, I don't think he was surprised by the BSA's action. One may argue the wisdom of his decision just like some may question my decision to continue to belong to an organization that continues to set membership policies that I feel are not in the best interest of our youth.