acco40

dan, I know it is in the BSA "doctrine" now but WE BE LOyal Scouts really grates on me. To me it just sounds like bad English or Ebonics. I know the BSA doesn't promote it anymore, but the Wolf, Bear, Lion, Scout (WeBeLoS) mnemonic is much easier on the ears. However, you are right. I should not just complain but offer a suggestion.

I don't despise Bush by any means. Heck, I voted for him in 2000. But to say he deserves praise for shedding a tear for a fallen veteran is rather fool hardy. As per President Bush's National Guard Service, the following was recently received by the Pentagon (not from me by the way): Department of Defense The Pentagon Washington, D.C. 20301-1900 To whom it may concern: Recently, I was made aware of allegations concerning several violations of the Uniform Code of Military Justice (UCMJ) by George W. Bush during the Vietnam War. The alleged acts include being Absent W

Webelos, Webelos, Webelos (NOT Webelo!!) Sorry, that is one of my pet peeves. One thing I did in my den was let the boys come to me when they felt they were ready for a uniform inspection. I had a uniform inspection sheet but I let the other boys "grade" the Cub Scout under inspection. The graders were much harder than I would have been. Patch placement, awards, hat, scarf (okay, neckerchief), slide, belt, etc. were all reviewed. At the Cub level I let the pants (if blue) and socks slide. Letting the boys do the grading taught them, or reinforced, their knowledge of proper unifor

The "religious award" is NOT a BSA award. It is awarded by various religious denominations. Therefore, if you do not go through a particular denomination, you don't earn one. No tickee, no laundry. Adults as well can earn the award (with different requirements, most have age based requirements).

eisley, John 15:13 "Greater love has no one than this, that he lay down his life for his friends." Or as sometimes is written: Greater love hath no man, than He lay down His life for His friends. As can be seen by the capitialization, it is a remark about Jesus.

I'm with you 100% Ed. This past week, my son (12 year old Star Scout) was given an assignment to write a letter to an anonymous veteran at a VA hospital. Reading it brought tears to my eyes. He wrote it with the honesty and sincerity that only a child seems to have these days. He mentioned that he was a Boy Scout and marches in the Memorial Day parade every year. Sometimes your kids surprise you and do something to make you proud! Wishing all the veterans out there a wonderful day and my deepest thanks!

CubsRgr8, You are correct, Mr. Lambert did not follow the Religious Principle stated on the BSA application and therefore membership should be denied according to the "rules." However, just because someone doesn't like that rule does not make one a defender of Mr. Lambert. Look at part of the Scout Oath "Obedient"; look at how the BSA defines that. In a nutshell, follow the rules but if you do not like the rule, work within the system to get it changed. THAT IS SCOUT LIKE!!! Again, I'll repeat an earlier post: To keep myself physically strong

Weekender, Your comment, "If there is no God my actions don't matter." is what bothers many individuals, including me. Only a child, and a young one at that, patterns his/her behavior because of a perceived threat or reward (spanking, time-out, hell, heaven, candy, etc.). Are you lumping people with faith into that category? I do not. I will admit, like many free thinking adults, I have questioned the existance of God in my life. Did that change my behavior toward my fellow man? No, not at all. My actions matter a great deal, regardless of an existance of God or not. To say

kwc57, Generally, individuals get very defensive when they are unsure of themselves. If one is confident of their position, a question about it is usually not perceived as a threat.

Hmmm ... God does not make anyone homosexual. Does God make anyone heterosexual? If not, that pretty much says that God does not make anyone. Therefore, if God does not make anyone, maybe that "evolution thing" has a grain of truth to it. Wait, Rooster and others have told me that it doesn't. Hmmm... Now if God doesn't kill anyone in natural disasters, can I sue the insurance companies for labeling such acts as an "act of God"? Hmmm ... Now since to sin is a choice, was it made by me or by Adam and Eve. Hmmm ... The concept of "original sin", let's see, Catholics like to ba

To keep myself physically strong ... How many Scouts and Scouters have been booted out of BSA because they did not "eat nutritious foods, get enough sleep, exercise regularly, avoid harmful drugs (including alcohol & tobacco) and anything else that can harm your health." If the BSA revoked the membership of every over weight SM, every smoker, etc. membership would decrease tremendously. Am I not trustworthy because I say the Scout Oath and am guilty of not getting enough sleep on camping trips? Who determines what part of the Scout Oath the BSA wants to enforce and what par

What I really want to know is if the sheep (homosexual Rams that is) professed a belief in God?

I carry no knife except when camping and usually not on my person. I've got a selection of Trails End popcorn prize knives to choose from. By the way, in my neighborhood: Zero-Tolerance Watch "Supporters have established a fund to help pay expenses for an Eagle Scout candidate who was expelled for bringing a knife on school grounds," the Associated Press reports from Michigan. William Lomaka, a senior at Rochester High School, "denied knowing the 3 1/2-inch knife was in his Jeep Wrangler. School board members who expelled Lomaka on Oct. 7 they had no choice because state law manda

Scouting is like McDonald's or Burger King. The BSA essentially franchises scouting units to chartering organizations. As long as they follow the BSA "franchise rules" they COs are allowed to run the unit (Troop, Pack, Crew) as they see fit.(This message has been edited by acco40)

The phrase "on paper, BSA does treat women equally. However in the real world BSA does NOT." perplexes me. The BSA is really just paper. The Scouters and Scouts that are members of BSA may or may not treat women equally. As proof, the BSA has no self awareness that you are a male or female, only your fellow members do (at least most of them!). I'd like to see a thesis (not for Commissioners College, but an traditional academic thesis) on African-Americans view of the BSA. I bet we would find out some interesting things.

Living in Michigan with a close proximity to Canada has allowed me to come into contact with various adults and youth involved in Scouts Canada (NOT BSA). Scouts Canada is 100% co-ed through Beavers (5 -7) Cubs, (8-10), Scouts (11-14) and on up. They seem to be doing nicely but I would get the perspective of some of their youth and adults for your thesis. They "do it." We as Americans speculate about it. They do have difficulties finding female leadership for all of their activities (female adult leadership is required for female youth to attend). They can give you feedback on the real p

Merlyn, Your comment, "Then why do you belong to an organization that does?" (i.e. hate atheists) needs a rebuttal. The BSA, or any organization for that matter, does not have the capacity to love or hate. Only the members of that organization do. I have found that the Scouting program is a great asset to many. To me there is a slight difference between requiring a belief in God and discrimination against Jews, Blacks, etc. Being Black or Jewish (if you consider it a race) etc. is an innate quality of an individual. I believe homosexuality is another innate quality of an indiv

Bob White, I know what the SM Handbook says, and I agree with your interpretation. The SM is the one who is assumed to keep the resource - the MB counselor list. The Scout does not have this resource. Therefore, the Scout obtains the information from the SM so that he (the SCOUT) can choose his MB counselor. My resources are not with me right now, but doesn't the Committee Guide Book or other resource say that the Troop Advancement Chair keep the MB Counselor list? Therefore, shouldn't the BSA literature be updated to say "Obtain from the Scoutmaster a signed merit badge applicat

Courage? I was not aware that that was one of the twelve points of the Scout Law. Maybe he meant brave? I'll say one thing, from some of the many posts I've read on this I don't think Courteous is at the top of their list. I would tend to put Friendly near the top. A Scout is Friendly. A Scout is a friend to all. He is a brother to other Scouts. He offers his friendship to people of all races and nations, and respects them even if their beliefs and customs are different from his own. If a Scout is friendly, cheerful, kind, courteous, and helpful all come into play.

Is the gentleman a former Cub Scout or Boy Scout? That is not required but it helps. Is anyone else interested in the position? I found that a Tiger parent (or Wolf) who volunteers for Pack leadership is great because you get a few years of milage out of them! If he has an interest and is willing to get trained, go for it! Just remember, the leader of the Pack is the Committee Chair, not the Cubmaster. If either the CC or CM seem to balk at this, find other resources. Best of luck!(This message has been edited by acco40)

Bob White, Rooster, Merlyn, et. al. The crux of the Supreme Court decision concerning BSA was if it was really a private or public institution. If private, they have the legal right to make their own membership rules. If public, they fall under a different yardstick. The SC deemed the BSA a private organization. Some disputed this (for example tax payer money helps fund the National Jamboree, public institutions such as public schools sponsor/charter units, etc.). I believe Merlyn's position is that you can't have it both ways. You can't claim the BSA is a private organization and c

Ed, You will have to forgive me. I can be kind of a smart arse sometimes (as you may have noticed in some of my posts!). acco40

Rooster7, Please read my post again. I'm not trying to equate a belief in God to Jim Crow laws. What I am trying to equate, and obviously not doing a very good job of it, is that not following Duty to God should be equal to not following Duty to Country (in the eyes of BSA). {In my eyes, god is infallible, my country has many faults.} Therefore, not violating Jim Crow laws should have been equal to not violating Duty to God. If a violation of the scout oath is ones criteria, one should make a violation of one of our country's laws just as much of a no-no as a non-belief in God.

The requirement states "at least six months since completing fourth grade OR FOR AT LEAST SIX MONTHS SINCE BECOMING 10 YEARS OLD. After they have completed the first five requirements for AOL, have they talked to a SM? Have they talked to the Webelos Den leader about their interest in becoming a Boy Scout? It is recommended, not required, that the boys DO NOT complete AOL early. If the boys do not recharter, they can't earn the AOL in February, They will not be BSA members at that time.

Rooster, was it not you who had such heartburn with the "get over it" comment? The BSA does have a belief in God requirement. Will it change? Who really knows? It had a policy of no female leaders. That changed. Change is not inherently evil. Should Eagle Scouts who did not follow the Jim Crow laws from southern states in the 1930's be stripped of their Eagle rank because they violated Duty to Country?