chanoneescouter

As of today, there are only 3 suppliers of official uniforms left in the U.S., and BSA will not go overseas to purchase uniforms - another instance of unions pricing their goods out of range and themselves out of jobs.

Maybe I'm wearing something different, but since when is the current uniform "not suited to outdoor use?" Other than the expense, what exactly is wrong with the uniform? I and my sons wear it proudly, minus the "camo", which in my humble opinion has NO PLACE at all being mixed with the official uniform. What's next, replacing summer camp t-shirts with "Airborne, Death From Above" shirts??

eisley - our local Scoutmaster and I had them printed up a few years ago. If you are interested in one, send an email with your name and address to

chanoneescouter@yahoo.com

and I will mail one out to you.

There is no need for any adult leader to "cower away" from an issue, but there most certainly are certain issues that are, and always have been, the responsibility of the parent. I would NEVER presume to have the right nor the responsibility to discuss sex with a boy other than my own. How can I presume to know what the wishes of the Scout's parents are in this issue?

We can blame television, lawyers, videogames, Nixon, Clinton, or Dubya (sorry, can't bring myself to use "Predident" and "Bush" together - that's an oxymoron!), but the fact is, the blame falls squarely on my PARENTAL shoulders. Take a good look at daytime TV - a popular topic lately is "Teens in Trouble"...what is 99% of the time the common factor in the lives of troubled kids? The lack of a two parent family, and the failure to instill values. Don't get me wrong - there are plenty of single-parent families out there doing absolutely fine, but when there are problems, it's because Daddy decided to bail out on his responsibilities.

I have never thought of myself as a "replacement" parent for any of the Scouts I have worked with, only someone who is there to listen and counsel.

I have a bumper sticker that I happen to really believe in -

"America is returning to the Values Scouting never left".

Having just purchased a pair of the "new" adult uniform pants, I feel that the designer of the pants should be taken out behind the woodshed and taught a good lesson. With that said, let me play the Devil's advocate for a moment...I agree that uniforms are VERY expensive, but stop and think about how long you have owned your current BSA issue uniforms, and their current condition. If they are anything like mine, my shirt is 6 years old and still looks good! I would still be wearing my old uniform pants if it weren't for the 23 pounds I packed on when I quit smoking. Anyway, the point here is that while I agree with purchasing shorts and long pants at Walmart or K-Mart, the fact is they do not last anywhere near as long as BSA issued clothing. The biggest argument against purchasing official pants / shorts has always been "the boy's outgrow them so fast!", and I agree with that statement. This reinforces the absolute necessity of each and every District starting a uniform exchange program. I am sure that a volunteer could be found in each and every District nationwide to coordinate a program to recycle and reuse outgrown uniforms.