acco40

But wasn't the reference to "the people" supporting Saddam Hussein? Being at war with Iran for over eight years probably did not edure him tothe Iranian people. Looking at the text of the speech, you are correct, he may have meant Iranian (Iran aggressively pursues these weapons and exports terror, while an unelected few repress the Iranian people's hope for freedom.) But my recollection, however fuzzy, thought he made a reference to "Iranian" more than once althought it only shows up once in the released text. Overall, I thought the speech/address went well. I just wish the child

Does he have a funny walk, small mustache and wear a derby? That's chaplain, not chaplin and ditto to Bob White. Chaplain => adult, Chaplain's Aide => youth

Am I the only one who noticed in the State of the Union speech last night that several times Bush made reference to the IRANIAN people when he meant to say Iraqi?

Ed, Thanks for keeping us posted. Mr. Lahoff is still in my thoughts. It is nice to know that he is in good spirits. He sounds like a wonderful person (like so many Scouters are).

Getting of topic again ... Ah, yes the 60s! Den Mothers galore and do you know why the Cubmasters were always men? Because the BSA did not allow female Cubmasters until the early 70s! (1972?) So much for the "if you don't like the rules, go start another program" crowd. The reason we had den mothers were because den meetings were after school at one of the boys houses and dad was at work and mom was at home. Only Pack meetings were held after the sacred dinner hour (ALWAYS 5:30 PM at my house). That is why a snack was often served at den meetings. Now with den meetings right a

Some just don't "get it." "And it has been long standing troop policy that BoR's are done only in full uniform as defined and required by the troop." I sincerely hope the poster did not mean that the troop defines what the full uniform is. That definition has already been made.

I am in violent agreement with a few of the posters. I've have two sons and a daughter. The oldest boy started Scouts as a Wolf (second grade) and the second boy as a Tiger, i.e. first grader. (could not wait two years to join his brother in scouting). My daughter, joined Girl Scouts in Kindergarten. She (and I believe most girls at this age) was better at sitting still and doing things than the boys in the same age group. I have my suspicions that the BSA has lowered the program one year in an attempt to remedy the big drop-off in enrollment that occurs between Cub Scouts and Boy S

With the risk of going way off topic (BSA is dying?) ... Some of the best music that I enjoy was made by drug addled, misogynistic, egotists. But I did enjoy the music! Now, there is a difficult or fine line between enjoying something someone produces (i.e. Pablo Picasso was not what I would hold out to my sons as a role model but he was a great artist) and supporting or endorsing them. In the Detroit area, the Arianna Huffington The Detroit Project TV ads have generated a lot of controversy. Does buying gas guzzling SUVs support terrorism? Some will not listen to Richard Wagne

Eagledad, as one of my favorite announcers would say, Whoa Nelly! "You're saying titles have nothing to do with role modeling." Uh, where did I say that? I am concerned with actions (behavoir), not titles. "If you are willing to be forced ..." Isn't this a contradiction in terms? How can one be willing AND forced? I don't understand this. I just don't think being a homosexual alone, in and of itself, should be grounds for non-participation in Scouting. Love (in the emotional sense, not physical sense alone) for a fellow human being is a "scout like" behavior in my book. As

Ditto the golden dog. The address: www.troop5bsa.cjb.net/ worked fine for me too.

Not to beat a dead horse (no reference to the Bob White dying nag analogy) but if membership is to be used as a barometer, the real statistic to be used for BSA is the percentage of boys eligible for the program. If the population of baby boom children is decreasing (the baby boomers are graying rapidly), one would expect BSA membership to decline too. If the male age group is increasing, membership should increase too. I agree with Bob White that the BSA should not stick its finger to the wind to decide policy as so many current politicians do today. However, I do no view homosexua

Thanks Rooster and NJ. I'm aware of the Webelos and AOL requirements. Here in Michigan, a student does not need to turn the "proper age" until Dec. 1st (i.e. can be four years old to start kindergarten as long as they turn 5 by 12/1). The particular boy in question did remain active this summer (crossover camping trip in June, den meeting in July, Webelos residence camp (5D/4N) in August, weekly meetings again in Sept) and so met the "active" requirement in December. I'm not that concerned with the possibility of delaying Tenderfoot or 2nd class for a few months but it was my impressio

Don't cut off your nose to spite your face. I feel that you can effect change easier from within than from without. That said, I bet your decision was made after much contemplation. When corresponding with your council, please keep the tone civil because I feel it will make a better impact. My main saving grace is that the boys don't really give a hoot about this controversy and rightly so. It should really not be a concern of theirs.

Recently, I went to my local BSA Council office to inquire about registration issues (Webelos to Boy Scouts & Units with different recharter dates). The lady that handled registration also handles overseeing the Eagle applications. She told me that boys can't earn any rank advancement in Boy Scouts until they are 10.5 years of age. Does anyone know if this is correct and if so where I may find this requirement? She is currently scanning applications for Eagle and says she comes across the "problem" of boys earning Tenderfoot before 10.5 years of age. This is new to me. I have

The new requirements book is out I believe.

You may want to look into the Lone Scout program. Usually it is set up for geographically isolated families; one who do not live close to any established troops. However, if you find no troop that you are comfortable with in your area ... Personally, I would not go that route. I would join the best fitting troop I could in the area, become involved, and make changes from within.(This message has been edited by acco40)

A troop should provide some type of worship opportunity on ANY activity of 24 hours or more. We regularly get requests from parents that "Johnny has to leave early for a basketball game" or whatever. News flash everyone - It should not be the SMs call. Let the PLC decide if the boy should be able to leave early. They are the ones who will be picking up the slack. The adults should not be burdened with anymore tasks. The boys should be breaking down camp, not the adults. P.S. The subject should have been titled "Johnny Go-EARLY.(This message has been edited by acco40)

What is perfectly clear is that the BSA does not want any monetary or political backlash from accepting homosexuals into their organization. Therefore, homosexuals can join but if it becomes an issue (i.e. the individual is now "avowed") out he/she goes. However, the BSA frames the issue in one of morality and character.

Check out the latest Scouting brochure (forgot the actual name) mail order catalog. It had a special on equipment from last years Jamboree (shorts for $12 for example). If you look hard, you can save.

Check out the following: www.hse.gov.uk/research/otopdf/2001/oto01074.pdf From the above: When concrete is exposed to fire, the build-up of internal water pressure under steep temperature gardients generates high local stresses, which may cause spalling, potentially explosively."

RobK, My point exactly. The Scout Oath and Law are not self defining. Also, the BSA professes to be non-denominational. So what constitutes "morally straight?" In my beliefs, being homosexual alone is not immoral. (I prefer to define morality by actions, not thought). Being brought up in America, I also have this nasty belief that the burden of proof is on the prosecution side, not the defense. Did Jimmy Carter, a former SM, violate the "morally straight" tenet by "lusting in his heart.?" Ah, what great things to ponder.

News reporting has gone by the wayside. It has been taken over by both liberal and conservative (note the absence of the term right-wing) "talking heads." It used to be that the news was something the networks and local stations put up with and used to add "respectability" to themselves. Now, they are simply vehicles for entertainment like any other show. Worse, now the news (on your side) media are making themselves part of the news (investigative reporting on "nudity on the golf course" which just so happens around the May sweeps period) and other such nonsense.

From your previous post (which I did not see when typing mine) I see we were on the same "brain wave." Scary.

For those that believe that homosexual conduct is inconsistent with the tradtional values espoused in the Scout Oath and Law, please enlighten me why you feel this way. Please don't use biblical quotes or references, those are not in the Scout Oath or Law. Please don't quote the term "morally straight", the term straight is not in reference to heterosexual conduct. Morals are subjective and have to have a reference. For example, many Muslims (who are allowed to join the Boy Scouts of America) do not believe in lending or borrowing money. It is against thier religious beliefs,

TJ, Scout on. It sounds to me that your "lifestyle" is Scouting. For those that profess the "start your own organization" approach, see: ------------------------------ Irving, Texas-The National Executive Board of the Boy Scouts of America has reaffirmed its traditional leadership standards, as recommended by its appropriate committees. The board received three resolutions suggesting changes in leadership standards in order to permit avowed homosexuals to serve as Boy Scout leaders. The board referred the resolutions to the appropriate committee, which formed a diverse