acco40

Laurie, Your son "survived" his first summer camp! Next year, have dad attend with son and the son can "teach" dad a few things. That should change the tune of both dad and son. Congrats.

You're not from a military family are you? Look at the Army (Colonel and Lt. Colonel), Navy, etc. Silver bars, eagles, etc. symbolize a higher rank than gold. Why? Forget about our capitalistic society for a moment and think about the Lone Ranger, knights in shining armor, myths, heraldry, etc. Silver was always held as pure, true, etc. Did the Lone Ranger shoot gold bullets? No. Gold, a rarer metal that silver, has a higher monetary value (what our society hold dear nowadays I'm afraid) but silver always has held a higher "value" in other areas than gold.(This message has been edited by acco40)(This message has been edited by acco40)

My MO is to talk to the boys (without parents). In this talk I would go over the rules & regs of G2SS and explain that if someone felt threatened, regardless of the intent, that behavior is not to be condoned. I've also found that when two physically equal boys verbally joust it usually is much more acceptable than when to physically unequal boys banter about with the same exact words. Next, I would inform the parents, without the boys present, of what I did. Forced confessions, apologys, etc. serve no purpose in my book. Self initiated confessions and apologys are worth their weight in gold. One thing I really really stay away from is telling the parents in any shape or form how to raise their sons. That would be really stepping on toes. I would explain to the parents about what behavior is considered "scout like" and what is not.(This message has been edited by acco40)

Pardon me for asking, but what part of the "Program" conflicted with your ideals? Good luck in your "retirement." I must admit that I find it vexing that you would encourage your sons to stay with a program that conflicts with your ideals.

My ticket advisor would not have let me put down "break up marriage" as one of my ticket items. I'm not sure where you are coming from Padre. While Woodbadge does try to build comraderie (patrol method) and team spirit I would not judge it as "cult like" or brain washing.

Don't forget the all to common item of years past, road apples.

Did the boys know in advance that they were going to be tapped out? My guess is yes, or why would they be wearing an OA sash? A faux pas? Yes. A grievous offense, no. At our summer camp, I a father (an ASM) buy an OA hat for his boys who had been called out the night before. He asked me if they could wear it and I danced around the question a little bit but suggested that they wear it after they complete their ordeal. After a quick explanation of "candidates" and "members" he agreed with no complaints to keep the hats in storage for awhile.

Or San Francisco.

Got to agree with packsaddle (and the Circuit Court) on this one. I noticed that in the article, no real legal reason was given by the BSA (except the old standby that it was unconstitutional). I would be very interested to know why or on what grounds the BSA feels that the ruling is unconstitutional.

Packsaddle, Cow flops = cow chips (or cow pies)? Nice post.

WHy does your post remind me of the joke (Groucho Marx?) that said, "I wouldn't want to belong to any club that would have me as a member." I may not have quoted the saying correctly but I believe I captured the meaning. I have no problem with people using "handles" for themselves when posting. However, it does encourage the nasty (IMHO) practice, all to often seen on the internet, of posting harsh, goading, and disrepectful messages that the same people would not dare to say to anyone in a face to face situation. Especially on a forum like this one, that behavior should be curtailed by all.(This message has been edited by acco40)

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Having watched Thirteen Days last night, I can't wait until BW asks FOG, "Yes or no, Mr. Secretary (Guy)? I'm prepared to wait until hell freezes over."

I was told that some councils do not use "blue cards" for MBs by my roundtable staff. Not that they don't use a generic equivalent. I don't recall seeing exactly what they use in place of the "blue cards." I gathered that the same information may have been contained but it was in a different format (and not even blue!). Sorry, I can't answer your question with any specifics.

My twelve year old son (he will be 13 in a few weeks) just came home from JLTC and taught me a new term. He kept refering to some of his JLT staff as "quasis." I asked him what that meant and he said that is the term they used (informally) for the 18-21 staff members. The boys realized that they were not "youth" like them but not quite like the "old as dirt" adults (over 21). By the way, the term was used in an endearing fashion and not in a derogatory way at all.

It looks like a "members only" site. Am I mistaken?

Yes, driving into Canada, post 9/11, with a large troop trailer filled with foodstuffs. That is what makes life interesting!

The relationship between volunteers and professionals can be a thorny issue. Many volunteers are jealous thinking that "hey, how come he gets paid to do the same stuff I do for free?" Of course, many do not realize that they DO NOT do the same stuff. Many expect "perfection" out of the professionals because after all, they are professionals while "we volunteers" are allowed to err because we are "just" volunteers. For better and for worse, look at what the professionals have do deal with. Volunteers range from highly educated to no education, highly motivated to very little motivation (or worse, the what is in it for me crowd), volunteers who do "it" for the betterment of all, to those who do it only for their own son, and on and on. Volunteers run the gamut ofthe spectrum. Similar dynamics exist for some charitable organizations. Many legit charitable organizations rely on a wide range of volunteers (who work for free) but also have a few highly paid staff members. There may be some resentment on the part of the volunteers toward the paid staff regardless of the quality of work and the contributions that the professional staff make. C'est la vie.

Mark, You are correct. It was abad choice of words on my part.

Ditto to mk9750. He is correct about age (until 18), counselor discretion (he may not accept any of the partials, that is his/her perogative) and about "screaming" etiquette. Also, not all councils use "blue cards."

How many of us do not follow the "All driving, except short trips, should be done in daylight." rule? Do scouts in Alaska not have outings in the winter months? What constitutes a "short trip?" Under 50 miles? Under 500 miles? Living in Michigan and leaving for most outings on Friday evening we practically drive in the dark from October until April. I understand the intention of the rule, driving in darkness is more hazardous than driving in daylight. However, IMO, a well rested driver with night driving experience does not jeopardize safety. Of course, my opinion is not the one that matters.

Did you see the Simpsons last night? Many references to the Beatles and Scouting! Happy birthday to Gerald R. Ford, former Eagle Scout!

OSomething about the BOR comments is troubling me. One of the purposes of a BOR is to check up on me (the SM)! Therefore, my presence at a BOR is not desired. Seriously, during a BOR the adults have a chance to talk freely with the youth about the troop and having NO "uniformed" leaders present (SM & SAs) is very important. While having the SM present may make the Scout feel at ease, it could also inhibit him from making comments about the uniformed leadership. Don't test and don't have uniformed leaders present (and preferably, not the spouses of the uniformed leaders either!).

Believe me, I am not expert at all on Hinduism or Indian culture. My caste system comment was an attempt (albeit bad attempt) at humor. It seems in all cultures, "thanking mom" is the number one priority! The universal appeal of the Scouting "movement" is the universal acceptance of the Scout Oath and Law in its many (international) variations. It is a great program. On that line, did anyone watch the Simpsons last night? Don't know if it was a repeat or not but it had many tongue in cheek references to scouting and other similar programs. One of the favorite gifts that I received from the youth was a "Scoutmaster Ned" action figure (Ned Flanders in a Scoutmaster Uniform). The youth and I shared a love of Scouting (and the Simpsons).

That's Sanskrit (not sanscript). A Hindu religious leader is sometimes referred to as a sadhu and more commonly as swami. Can members of all castes become Eagle or just Brahmins?