acco40

To be more concise: "Pick your battles."

Not to go against the grain but ... I think the younger boys relate more to a story than a phrase or quip. A short phrase alone doesn't hold much water. The best method is to relate a quick story and then state the phrase synopsis. Of course, a long winded story is the worst of all.

As a private organization, why should a sitting President attend a Jamboree? As a private organization, why should the military support it with their resources? As a private organization, why should tax dollars support the Jamboree? The BSA can't have it both ways.

"According to Youth Protection Traing, you are supposed to report any abuse that happens in scouting to the District Executive..." No, accordingto YPT, we are supposed to report any SUSPECTED abuse. We should not concern ourselves with tryingto find out if th abuse really occurred or not. That is the job of others.

Confronted with two individuals, one a criminal, one innocent, but their individual guilt unknown ... A conservative would have them both locked up for fear of letting the criminal go free. A liberal would have them both go free for fear of incarcerating an innocent man. I believe that as a society, we should strive to meet Maslows five basic needs for all (see below). In doing so, productive citizens are generated. This can be met by the Government, charitable organizations, religious organizations, families and or many other resources. I'v got a question for all of the self proclaimed conservatives out there. How do you interpret the "A Scout is trustworthy" part of the BSA law? My guess is that you feel it only applies to you, i.e. "I should make myself trustworthy." I believe as Scouts, we should also have trust in our fellow man. No, not blindly follow (faith?) but as a basic premise, expect trustworthiness out of our fellow man. People tend to live up to their expectations. Why not set them high? Physiological Needs These are biological needs. They consist of needs for oxygen, food, water, and a relatively constant body temperature. They are the strongest needs because if a person were deprived of all needs, the physiological ones would come first in the person's search for satisfaction. Safety Needs When all physiological needs are satisfied and are no longer controlling thoughts and behaviors, the needs for security can become active. Adults have little awareness of their security needs except in times of emergency or periods of disorganization in the social structure (such as widespread rioting). Children often display the signs of insecurity and the need to be safe. Needs of Love, Affection and Belongingness When the needs for safety and for physiological well-being are satisfied, the next class of needs for love, affection and belongingness can emerge. Maslow states that people seek to overcome feelings of loneliness and alienation. This involves both giving and receiving love, affection and the sense of belonging. Needs for Esteem When the first three classes of needs are satisfied, the needs for esteem can become dominant. These involve needs for both self-esteem and for the esteem a person gets from others. Humans have a need for a stable, firmly based, high level of self-respect, and respect from others. When these needs are satisfied, the person feels self-confident and valuable as a person in the world. When these needs are frustrated, the person feels inferior, weak, helpless and worthless. Needs for Self-Actualization When all of the foregoing needs are satisfied, then and only then are the needs for self-actualization activated. Maslow describes self-actualization as a person's need to be and do that which the person was "born to do." "A musician must make music, an artist must paint, and a poet must write." These needs make themselves felt in signs of restlessness. The person feels on edge, tense, lacking something, in short, restless. If a person is hungry, unsafe, not loved or accepted, or lacking self-esteem, it is very easy to know what the person is restless about. It is not always clear what a person wants when there is a need for self-actualization. (This message has been edited by acco40)

I'm not arguing "right and wrong", I'm just trying to point out that saying liberals want to restrict behavior and conservatives do not is ridiculous. Most logical people will tell you that certain behaviors should be restricted by the Goverment. The devil is always in the details.(This message has been edited by acco40)

What other commodity do we (US citizens) purchase without any idea of the cost? When I take my children to the emergency room, when I go to the doctor, etc. I usually have no idea what the cost will be. It is very difficult to comparison shop. In the USA we tend to idolize doctors. In some other countries, i.e. Russia, this is not done. If the US is serious about driving down health care costs, outlaw insurance and socialized medicine! Make everyone an educated consumer! I'm not going to hold my breath waiting for that to happen! If we don't have socialized medicine then we should allow private citizens to purchase drugs. Why am I not free to risk my own health in the purchase of prescription drugs? Doctors do. I'm allowed to eat, drink & smoke to excess. I can partake in risky behaviors all without the government interfering. Let me self diagnose and treat myself. The problem for me is that if YOU are in bad health, it drives up MY health care costs. That is why such laws as mandatory seat belts, helmet laws, etc. seem to make sense to many. And finally, put Congress and our other elected officials on the same health care, social security and retirement benefits as the majority of other Americans. It would greatly speed up a "fix."

dsteele: "A public education for the local children is also a right of any American and is contained in the constitution." I was not aware of any "right" to an education that is implied in the US constitution. FOG: "Liberal would imply that personal freedoms are paramount but that's not what I see. Liberals are the ones who push for things like mandatory seat belt or helmet laws. Liberals seem to want government to be a parent to us and tell us what is good for us." I tend to agree the the terms liberal and conservative are blurred but don't just attack the liberals. Those that want to restrict abortion rights, homosexual marriages, drug usage, etc. are usually labelled as conservatives so the "parenting" aspect is not just on the side of liberals. That is why I tend to reject those labels and when I see people use those words pejoratively I chuckle. Give me an issue and I usually can tell you where I stand on it. However, I'm flustered in trying to label my views as liberal or conservative.

Are there hard and fast rules about convicted "anything" leaders? I thought that while highly unprobable, each leadership application was judged on its own merits and that except for age, agreeing to the Oath, etc. that no hard and fast rules existed. For example, if a 58 yr. old outstanding citizen had been convicted of a crime at 18, an automatic "no" would not be issued. While all past history should be looked at by the council, who really screens the applicant? Is it the BSA or the CO?(This message has been edited by acco40)

Let's win one for the groper!! Actually, it is nice to see an election victor who makes both Democrats and Republicans nervous. I wish him luck but don't have very high expectations.

The following was reported recently: STERLING HEIGHTS, Mich. -- A man who worked with children in Boy Scouts and several other youth groups is facing molestation charges. Investigators said the man, 39, used his kindness and gifts to prey on his young victims. He was arrested at his home on Oct. 2 after a search warrant was executed in his home with evidence supporting allegations of criminal sexual conduct, police said. "Obviously he is a sexual predator ... and a pedophile," Sterling Heights police Lt. Michael Reese said. "He's taking advantage of kids that either come from single families or parents have passed away." A 19-year-old male accuser came forward last week saying he had been repeatedly molested by the accused in 1998 when he was 15 years old. The accused is cooperating with detectives and has revealed that he has had sexual encounters with minors that have not been reported to police, according to officers. Detectives are trying to identify all of the possible victims. The accused is involved with Boy Scout Troop No. 215 out of Carleton Middle School in Sterling Heights. He also works with children in the Macomb County Big Brothers and Sisters program and with a soccer league in Clinton Township, the station reported. Neighbors -- who didn't want to be identified -- said they remember seeing Scouts at his home. The accused is expected to be arraigned in Clinton Township Wednesday on three counts of first-degree criminal sexual conduct -- which is punishable by up to life in prison -- and four counts of second-degree criminal sexual conduct, according to police. He was arraigned Friday in Sterling Heights on three counts of second-degree criminal sexual conduct, which is a 15-year felony, according to police. A preliminary examination is scheduled for Oct. 14 in Sterling Heights. He was also arraigned in Warren Tuesday on two counts of second-degree criminal sexual conduct, according to police. A preliminary examination in Warren is scheduled for Oct. 16. He is being held in the Macomb County Jail on a $300,000 bond. The above was gleaned from a report by the local TV station (WDIV-TV). It hits close to home because it is in my district (the district in which I serve).(This message has been edited by acco40)

I had the honor of having two DC help me out when I was a WDL. It is great when they work in pairs. My first suggestion is that you give the DCs responsibility for something (arrival time game, help teach a topic, etc.) and then GIVE THEM THAT RESPONSIBILITY. Don't step in to "help" them. Please don't use them only as administrative assistants and gophers. They are supposed to be learning leadership skills. Good luck!

Amen brother. I'd like to suggest a fundraiser complete with snake handlers.

FOG, "homosexual basing", please explain? Note: three out of the four major characeters are in fact heterosexual (as relayed by the media).

"North noted that even though the Boy Scouts are a non-partisan organization, it was clearly not evident by the speakers present Saturday evening." Ollie got one thing right! I think that the Council utilized an "end justifies the means" approach to the fund raiser. It did raise a lot of $$$. Don't know if I agree, however.

Boys of this age group (11 - 17) start using terms such as "homo", "pervert", "bastard", etc. quite frequently. No I do not condone the use of these terms but am not surprised by it. When I hear it used by the boys in our troop I tell them to "knock it off." These words and phrases are new (hopefully) to the boys and they are testing their limits. Most are just trying to fit in. I commend the boys for speaking up if they do not like the use of these terms. I feel it shows maturity.

Baden Powell => ex-military => initated the Scouting movement. Military ranks silver is "higher" (out ranks) gold. This tread just verify's deja vu!

(This message has been edited by acco40)

I parrot the Steel Man and Bob White about how to select leaders. However, I would grant more leeway to the leaders/volunteers who step forward and have as my guidelines one simple rule: The den leader may choose who and how many may be in his/her den. This one simple rule is all that is needed. It also helps in the recruitment of volunteers. Good luck! Too many parents don't realize that Scouting (especially for Cub Scouts) is a FAMILY experience and that by signing up their son they are not guaranteed adult to service their son(s).

cj, actually the term you used was propagation, not procreation. This reminds me of the group of engineers who all sat around discussing God. The EE stated that God must be an electrical engineer because the human nervous system was such a wonderous and complex electrical system. The ME stated that God must have been a mechanical engineer because of the complex and beautiful bones & muscle system were the perfect mechanical design. Finally, they reluctantly agreed that God must be a civil engineer because only a civil engineer woould have put a waste disposal system right in the middle of a recreational area.

"God size" page? Bob, are you in the wrong section of the forum? (wink, wink)

I am definitely no religious scholar, but from the description given by Anne in the frozen north, Gnosticism sounds a lot like entropy.

"The primary purpose of sex is for propagation." Cjmiam, are you nuts? I'm the proud father of three children and I can say that I have had sex more than three times! Why is birth control, abortion, condoms, etc. so popular? Research the life of the Spartans (of Sparta!) of ancient Greece to get a handle on a society based on homosexuality. In our present society, heterosexuality is valued much more that homosexuality and therefore, not many "choose" homosexuality. Other society's have valued homosexuality much more than our present one and the populace was much more homosexual.

Don't have my resources with me but if I recall correctly ... Yes, the neckerchief should be six inches in length in the back, no less, no more (a dollar bill is just a few millimeters longer than six inches so that rule of thumb applies too I guess). And, it should NOT be rolled. The prefered method is to fold it, not roll it (BSA preference, not mine). Can't recall where I read this but it was from an official BSA resource (insignia guide, SM handbook, Wolf/Bear/Webelos/Scout Handbook?).

The tomb used to be guarded only during the daylight hours. Also, more trivia, although unknown to this day, the WWII and Korean Conflict "unknowns" have received the Medal of Honor. The Vietnam "unknown" crypt remains empty.