acco40

He was also one hell of a Michigander who despite being born without a right hand, pitched successfully for the Wolverines, Angels, Yankees, White Sox and Brewers for over 10 years. At one time, he was the top amateur athlete in the United States (Sullivan Award winner) - the first pitcher ever.(This message has been edited by acco40)

I would not award any rank advancement to the young man based on his violating the scout law every time he took it. How is this Scout violating the Scout Law by simply stating that there was no God? Trustworthy - could be. Loyal - why not. Helpful - sure. Friendly - yes. Courteous - okay. Kind - why not. Obedient - yes. Cheerful - sure. Thrifty - yep. Brave - sure is. Clean - why not. Reverent - I'm guessing this is where the hang-up resides. Was does it mean to be reverent I ask the boys during my Scoutmaster Conference. I usually get answers like "go to church", "to pray" etc. I explain to them that in it's simplest form, to be reverent one needs to revere something. To revere is to honor, show respect or to worship. Now, one can revere God or Gods, or Nature or the girl next door. What is the context of the reverent in the Boy Scout Law? For most, it is to revere God. But is that too strict a definition? When reciting the Boy Scout Oath, we promise to do our best to do our duty to God. This implies, in my book, a belief in God. Now, I've had Scouts who did not believe in God - at least they've told me that. That should not come as a shock to anyone. What benefit does it create to exclude or remove a Scout from BSA membership for that reason alone. I understand if the Scout becomes a distraction to others but removing him? Quiz time! Can anyone recognize the source (only one) of these quotes? Where is my faith? Even deep down there is nothing but emptiness and darkness. If there be a God please forgive me. I am told God lives in me and yet the reality of darkness and coldness and emptiness is so great that nothing touches my soul. I want God with all the power of my soul and yet between us there is terrible separation. I feel just that terrible pain of loss, of God not wanting me, of God not being God, of God not really existing.

I would not want to be Muammar Muhammad al-Gaddafi right now or the new #1 al-Queda opeative.

Superpowers?

This will have a huge impact on the war on terror. I was so sorry to hear the news last night from Geraldo Rivera and many others announcing that the US has shot and killed Obama. It just gets worse and worse. www.ebaumsworld.com/video/watch/81477525/ http://dailycaller.com/2011/05/02/typo-msnbc-correspondent-accidentally-reports-on-twitter-that-obama-killed/ http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zBvNj5e3Baw(This message has been edited by acco40)

Again, someone asks a question about what is proper uniform wear, a correct response is given and the correct responder is pilloried for being a kill joy. I've see it way too many times in this forum. Should military members salute with their right hand? Yes. So are you going to crucify the guy that states the obvious and because some veterans and current service men have lost their right arms due to combat injuries? Sheesh.

Just like the CEO of a large corporation should inspire his employees, so should the President isnpire the citizens of the United States. Now, Carter got crucified because of stagflation and his talk of "sacrifice" (put on a sweater and turn down the thermostat to save resources). Reagan talked of a shining city on a hill. I'm a pragmatist and very analytical (not emotional) so a Carter type leadership was more palatable than Reagan leadership for me but the exact opposite for others. During the Clinton years, the economy was relatively fantastic. All of us are flawed and while his sexual actions didn't bother me too much, his reaction to those actions did. He was not straight forward. I would have respected a "I don't answer questions about my private affairs" response instead of his "is" or "I did not have sex with that woman English language gymnastics.

This tends to skirt the issue, but in dealing with the parents in our troop, I always refer to the OA, not as the "honor society" (which it is) but as a service organization (which it is). This way, they don't look at it as just an "award" but as a commitment.

James E. Carter tells it like it is, not as some Americans want to hear it so his comments on foreign policy in the middle east and North Korea are not welcomed by all. However, he does have credibility outside of our borders (not trying to imply he does not inside our country.) It is my understanding that no one may "invite themselves" to North Korea and visit without the approval of the USG. With the threat of war hanging over the Korean peninsula in 1994, Jimmy Carter flew to Pyongyang and reached a surprise deal with the reclusive regime to freeze its nuclear program and start talks. Seventeen years later, the former US president went back to North Korea this week but with no breakthrough, no meeting with the top leader and with Washington and Seoul cautious at best over his calls for reconciliation. At age 86, Carter maintains a frenetic pace and zeal for trying to mediate some of the world's most intractable trouble-spots. Just a few weeks earlier, Carter went to Cuba for extended talks with the island's communist leaders. Carter, who did not meet leader Kim Jong-Il but said he received a message from him, said Thursday in Seoul that the regime was ready for unconditional talks with the South. He also made a forceful appeal for aid to feed the North. Korea expert L. Gordon Flake said that North Korea appeared to put nothing new on the table for Carter, a far cry from the 1994 visit or even the former president's trip to Pyongyang last year when he freed a jailed American. "The Carter visit to me represents the diplomatic application of the economic law of diminishing returns," said Flake, executive director of the Mansfield Foundation think-tank. "There was no shift in North Korean position and no change in North Korea's rhetoric that would, if I were Washington or Seoul, give me any cause to re-evaluate where things stand," he said. Analysts said that North Korea's call for unconditional talks was not necessarily a conciliatory move, but instead part of its hopes to restart dialogue without accounting for recent tensions.North Korea in November shelled a civilian part of the South for the first time since the 1950-53 Korean War, months after Seoul blamed the North for the sinking of one of its warships that claimed 46 lives. US President Barack Obama's administration, despite favoring dialogue around the world, has pursued a policy of "strategic patience" with the North, saying that it must make amends with the South and clearly recommit to past denuclearization accords before any substantive talks. Steve Clemons, a senior fellow at the New America Foundation, welcomed the initiative by Carter, saying that North Korea can be dangerous when ignored. "America's bandwidth is at overcapacity right now with Libya, Afghanistan, Egypt, Syria and whatever else is going on, and North Korea is feeling neglected," Clemons said. "So if there are cheap and easy ways to stroke the North Korean ego and need for attention, then I'm all for it," he said. Clemons said that Carter and the fellow leaders known as The Elders -- former Finnish president Martti Ahtisaari, ex-Norwegian prime minister Gro Harlem Brundtland and former Irish president Mary Robinson -- were creating "a short-term shock absorber." But Carter, who is deeply unpopular with many US conservatives, triggered outrage in parts of Washington when he accused the United States and South Korea of a "human rights violation" for, in his view, withholding food aid from the North for political reasons. US Christian relief groups say that North Korea will run out of food within months. But Washington and Seoul want further assessments, with some officials charging that the regime may be exaggerating the needs as it prepares national celebrations next year. Bruce Klingner, a senior research fellow at the conservative Heritage Foundation, called Carter's statement on food aid "amazingly bizarre, given the lack of comment from any of his delegation on North Korea's atrocious human rights record." "If The Elders continue their high-profile involvement in North Korea and continue to serve as a mouthpiece for the regime, then it will help North Korea's charm offensive," he said. "If it's sort of a one-time involvement, then their effort will just dissipate," he said. Robert King, the US envoy for human rights in North Korea, at a forum Wednesday denied any political reason for holding off on food aid. He welcomed Carter's visit as "very useful," saying it could expose the isolated nation to outside thinking. Shaun Tandon AFP

One thing that I feel is helpful is for the Scoutmaster to share with the Scouts their expectations for the position, in writing, and have the prospective SPL candidate's parents sign a form stating that they agree to their son holding this position. Nothing worse than having an SPL get elected and then having mom or dad continually use the excuse that school activities, job, sports, etc. keep their son from meeting the Scoutmasters expectations. Get on the same page before the election.

Scout equipment is similar to housing. Public housing makes living indoors more affordable to a wider percentage of folks as it is subsidized by others. It can also get more abused (less sense of ownership). Same with Scout equipment. Troop or patrol equipment has the benefit that the proper equipment will be present and does not burden a Scout who may not have the resources to buy their own. However, privately owned equipment is less likely to be abused, less storage burden, etc. It really is up to the unit and should be influenced by their own particular circumstances. Your list looks more like a patrol box list with a few other items. I think it is an excellent start. I would recommend paper and "writing stick" and as you camp, you can add items to your wish list.

As stated by OGE, from the G2SS, Archery and Knife and Tomahawk Throwing These are approved activities for Boy Scouts andVenturers following the Sweet 16 of BSA Safety. Qualified Supervision, Physical Fitness, Buddy System, Safe Area, Equipment selection & maintenance, Personal safety equipment, safety procedures & policies, skill level, weather check, planning, communication and permits, first aid resources, applicable laws, CPR resource, disciple. For this particular event, emphasis should be placed on qualified supervision, safe area, equipment selection, safety procedures, applicable laws and discipline. Since this is a Webelos recruitment event, assume the Scouts are 5th graders and only a few months before crossing over to Boy Scouts. At our district recruitment activity we have Webelos do Boy Scout "stuff" (fire building, totin' chip, firem'n chit, etc. but not axe throwing. So, I would clear the event with district/council folks but I think permission could be granted. I would not allow non-Webelos (siblings, friends, other Cub Scouts, nor parents) to participate. The emphasis should be on the Webelos at an event like this. Now, make sure there are no human silhouette targets!

Once again, saying that people who disagree with the left 'fear' something is silly and insulting. So why are you afraid of people who meet the standards that I outlined? Is it silly and insulting saying that people who disagree with the right fear something?

Okay, maybe "afraid" is a bad choice of words on my part. If you feel it is a bad choice, what was your purpose in using it? By the way, I'm a sinister person (i.e. left handed) but don't consider myself "the left" or "the right" - just correct. Why does "the right" always talk down to the audience - yes, I know about our governmental processes. We have a judicial system that determines when laws are constitutional or not and yes, one year the law may be unconstitutional and another year constitutional (abortion). Why do so many have such a hard time grasping that there are shades of gray even in interpreting our constitution. If there wasn't, then I couldn't waste my time on the political issues section of this forum! In the city of Detroit, things are a financial mess for various reasons. The citizens have elected a school board that can't live within it's means, produces poor quality education, has seas of red ink and problems are growing. It is faced with the possibility of a takeover. The previous "Canadian" democratic governor placed an appointed emergency financial manager who had broad powers to run the DPS. The current republican "tough nerd" governor is trying to go even further with a takeover of the DPS. Did they not know how our system of government works? Poppycock! They are taking extreme measures when extreme measures are needed. So, I turn a deaf ear when I hear the locals complain about government takeovers and such. (This message has been edited by acco40)

Keep in mind that regardless of what fuel/stove combination you choose, it is difficult to bring/get the fuel to Philmont. Airlines, trains and busses do not want to transport fuel. So, make sure you can buy what you need at Philmont. My preference was the isobutane with a JetBoil.

Some variables - how many calories do you plan to burn? When we would backpack, we would usually cover around 6 - 8 miles per day if it was extended (over three days) and around 10 - 15 miles per day if it was a Friday to Sunday event. So plan for enough calories to get you through. I always have an 'on hand' supply of calories at my disposal I'm sorry to say. Another thing, my troop's style was that when backpacking, meals were planned either individually or in pairs. We'd have about one Jet Boil per pair as a minimum and carry your own food. I'd rather go slightly hungry and carry less weight. Some of my favorites things were the foil packets of tuna (I don't like any kind of cans), beef jerky, nuts, oats, dried fruit, etc. Things with high water content are heavy (fruit, bread, etc.). Packaging should be minimized. We backpacked on N. Manitou Island one year (Lake Michigan) and ran across lot's a ripe wild raspberrys and other edible things - yummy. Good food I didn't have to carry and no packaging to pack out! Water was never carried because we never went anywhere that was so dry we couldn't replenish our supply. Yes, I've had to rely on galvanized aluminum tanks for Elk in the desert that had a bloated dead rabbit, algae, etc. in the stagnant water but after went through a bandanna "pre-filter", hand pump micron filter and then blessed with a magic want (steri-pen) the water quality was much better than what comes from the tap at home.

Vol_scouter - humor me please. Who is better to determine what the best (however one defines "best") meat product is? Someone who has only tasted beef? Someone who has only tasted pork? Someone who has only tasted chicken (fowl is a meat in my book so don't bother going there)? So I ask you, why are you so afraid of a political candidate who has experienced both democracy and communism? Almost every government in the world is some flavor of socialism. Do you think a Canadian, who has actually experienced socialized medicine, may be able to shed some light on the benefits and pratfalls of how it is done in Canada? Right now, many Afghanis have had the "privilege" of experience communist rule under the Soviet Union, Sharia law under the Taliban, feudalism under Warlords and "democracy" under Karzai / US support. If one immigrated to the US and became a naturalized citizen many years later I think they would be more vastly qualified to determine the pros & cons of those governmental systems that you or I.

I've got two suggestions. Anyone who was born on American soil and have two or more generations of parents and grandparents who were all born on American soil should be disqualified from running for political office. The reason is that they take the "real" American ideals for granted. If got a novel approach, why not allow the citizenry to elect whom they feel is the best choice for office regardless of race, age, sex, etc. Isn't that the American way? This is such bull$hit. Terms like "un-American" and such have no real meaning. Is slavery the American way or un-American? Is wiping out indigenous people the American way or un-American way? Is sending troops to Afganistan to suppress muslim extremists the Soviet way? The American way? Un-American? Is opposing "Dubya" Bush policies un-American? Is opposing Obama's policies un-American? If you are unsatisfied with our current sitting president, get involved in the political process and work for change. Resorting to calling him un-American or challenging his birth is beyond what any reasonable adult should do in my eyes.

It is in my best interest that my children have a proper education. It is in my best interest that the children in my neighborhood have a proper education. It is in my best interest that the children in my state have a proper education. It is in my best interest that the children in my nation have a proper education. I have no issue with a federal DOE. I have certain issues with some of the things they do.

I agree with KC John but fall into using the term Advancement Chair myself. They really are more of an advancement coordinator or administrator. The Committee Chair heads up the committe which the advancement (whatever) is a member. The Scoutmaster is in charge of the advancement program for the troop. So, as a Scoutmaster I would like to see the advancement coordinator do the following: 1) Report to the committee on where the boys are on advancement (as an aggregate) 2) Handle advancement correspondence with the council/national 3) Help to organize COH wrt to merit badges, rank badges, etc. (i.e. get the supplies) 4) Handle BOR scheduling initiated by the boys (I don't like standing BOR schedules) 5) Chair the vast majority of BORs 6) Provide BOR feedback to me (the SM) 7) Work with me to determine best method for TroopMaster input 8) Keep current (and help me stay current) with all new rank & merit badge requirements (I rely on handbooks which can be out of date) 9) Along with myself, work with the Scouts who are organizing/planning the quarterly COHs

One thing to remember is that Cubmasters & Scoutmasters are suppose to assign den chiefs, not den leaders. I know it rarely happens that way but that is the proper path.

SR540Beaver - think about the OA requirements that you stated again. Don't just list them but think about them. One is the Scout must be first class. What are the requirements for 1st Class? One of them is to Demonstrate scout spirit by living the Scout Oath (Promise) and Scout Law in your everyday life. Now, who is in charge of the advancement of a troop? I'll give you a hint, it's not the COR, CC or Advancement Chair. So, for me as a Scoutmaster, I've already vouched for this kid's Scout Spirit by signing off on his first class rank. I put myself in a precarious position if I say the boy has enough Scout Spirit for 1st Class but not quite enough for OA! I realize that a boy may advance and then commit some grievous action and that yes, a SM may do a little "screening" if that was the case. I highly value the Scouting program but I'm not one of those who feel Eagle Scouts need to he Christ like or that OA members are further evidence that the Scout may walk on water. Both of my boys are Eagle Scouts and Brotherhood members in the OA. Have they ever violated the Scout Oath and Law? Hell yes. I'm not saying we give them a pass but that as adults, we should set high expectations and help the boys try to achieve these expectations but don't get surprised if they may stumble along the path. (This message has been edited by acco40)

I've ssen some peculiar selections in our troop as well. For those who rely on the Scoutmaster as a screening process - that's kind of passing the buck. IMO, the SM simply determines which boys are first class, have completed 15 days/nights of BSA camping in the last 2 year, and met the long term camping requirement. If a Scout is elected, completes their ordeal and becomes a member and never does another OA activity again - that's a shame but no real harm done. If a Scout is "questionable" but gets elected, completes their ordeal and becomes an active member in the OA and really shows brotherhood, cheerful service, etc. because of the experience - hoorah and claim success. It is better to let one "slip" in that to exclude on who may benefit IMO. My recommendation to SMs is to have preprinted ballots so the spelling of a Scout's name in not a hindrance (I've seen it happen).(This message has been edited by acco40)

A potential toxic situation is Mom/Dad as den leader, older son as den chief and younger son as Cub Scout. When I was a Webelos Den Leader I had a pair of Boy Scouts (1st Class, 12 yrs old) act as den chief. It worked out real well.

I thought only females of reproductive age could be birthers.