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clemlaw

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Everything posted by clemlaw

  1. OK, that's consistent with my theory that the core "outdoor" merit badges are still a worthwhile challenge.
  2. The thing that keeps me from worrying about it too much is the fact that most of the Eagle-required merit badges seem to be in the "difficult" category. And there's also a large group of non-required "outdoor" merit badges that, in my day, everyone earned just because they participated in the program, went to camp, and learned the skills. Those were things like cooking (which I think might have been required), canoeing, rowing, wilderness survival, etc. Not every scout earned every last one, but almost everyone earned most of them. When it came time to sign off the requirements, they w
  3. Well, yes, I'm not sure if those particular critters belonged on my "impossible" list. In fact, I think both the rabbits and the pigeons held out longer, even after the rest of the 4H/FFA merit badges were eliminated. But I'm pretty sure that the city would have said something about the hogs and cattle. Besides, my parents just weren't doting enough, and I bet they would have said no, even though they were otherwise enthusiastic supporters of Scouting.
  4. The first time I read that a Scout had earned all available merit badges, I was just blown away, because when I was a scout, this would have been an impossibility. It might have been done once or twice, but it could only have been done by a Scout with extremely doting parents who happened to be farmers. And in my experience, very few farmers are extremely doting parents. It looks like most of the "agricultural" merit badges were discontinued in 1975, so I guess that's the first date when it became realistically possible for a scout to earn all the merit badges. (I turned 18 in 1979, so
  5. Oh, yes, I understand. I just mean that they'll be old pros by the time they're Bears. Don't worry--I haven't started signing off their First Class requirements either, or got them started on their Eagle projects.
  6. That's good to know that it's part of the Bear requirements. I thumbed through the Tiger electives, and couldn't find one to squeeze it in under. So it's good to know that it will be useful for advancement. Yes, it was a one-hour class at University of Scouting. They had a rope making machine also, but we all made a piece using the "baton".
  7. I have fond memories of making rope as a Boy Scout, using a rope making machine that showed up about once a year or so. I recently went to a training and learned that the machine isn't really necessary. They taught us the method shown here: http://usscouts.org/scoutcraft/BoyScoutRopemaking.pdf I tweaked this a little bit for our Tigers and a good time was had by all. I explained to the parents that they never again have to buy from the Big Rope Companies. Here are the tweaks I made to work better with Cub Scouts: 1. I didn't want to make a bunch of what this site calls
  8. >>>>but without the physical abuse that was sometimes prevalent in the glory days.
  9. >>>>>Okay, I found it online. You'd think anything concerning firearms( simulated or otherwise) would be in the section pertaining to firearms and shooting.
  10. >>>>>The G2SS doesn't say anything about pretend anything! Common sense people!
  11. That reminds me of a question I had. I've been gone from Scouting and OA for about 30 years. From reading some posts here, I gather that these days, the results of the election are simply "announced" at the end of the election. Back in the day, the results were not announced, but the election took place a couple of hours before the tap-out ceremony, and the candidates did not know that they had been selected until they were tapped out. I've forgotten a lot about OA, but the most vivid memories I have are of those ceremonies--the ones before I was eligible, the one where I was e
  12. At the Cub Scout level, most State Parks seem to have some sort of "Junior Ranger" program, which is usually a workbook with various activities to do around the park. There is usually plenty of other free literature that they're happy to give away. They usually have some kind of museum or interpretive center, and more often than not, it's empty. In Minnesota and Wisconsin, you need a vehicle sticker to get into the park. But frankly, I can't imagine living here without having that sticker!
  13. Now I remember why I like tents better than cabins.
  14. I don't have the G2SS in front of me right now, but IIRC, the use of pretend guns is perfectly acceptable, as long as you're not pointing them at human targets. So a pretend shooting range is A-OK. Actually, I do have a correction to my prior post. A firing squad wouldn't be using pistols, so they wouldn't be pointing their fingers. Instead, they would be holding a piece of air, in the shape of a rifle. But whether it's made out of paint, laser, finger, or air, it's still a pretend gun!
  15. Yes, the G2SS says that you can't point pretend guns at human targets, and this would include things like paintball guns, lasers, etc. In this case, the pretend gun is a finger, so I guess, strictly speaking, it comes under the same category. Common sense would say that you would ignore the rule in this case. Unfortunately, some people are too spooked to use common sense.
  16. Just for the record, my Scoutmaster as a youth had, IIRC, two knots. And he was the best scoutmaster in the history of the BSA!
  17. >>>>it wouldn't seem to be a big deal to build permanent shower and toilet facilities if the utilities are in
  18. I have to admit, I've been away from scouting for quite a while, and I didn't really know what all the fuss was about. Then, I recently saw a scouter who looked generally disheveled. But he had 20+ knots, extending all the way up to his shoulder. So yes, at some point, someone should have gently taken him aside and pointed out that it looked ridiculous. From this thread, I'm guessing that perhaps someone already had, but the battle lines had already been drawn. So my advice would be to wear your first six or nine (or perhaps even 12 if you have an extra large shirt) with pri
  19. >>>>Fall Fellowship was just as if I had been gone only a few months. New faces, but same spirit.
  20. >>>>I'd tell them to turn to the page that states Badges of Rank Are For Youth Members. I'd suggest if he earned Eagle, to get the Eagle knot and wear it.
  21. >>>>Yah, so for da "you earn it, you wear it" crowd, what do yeh feel about an 18 year old ASM wearin' an Eagle rank badge
  22. Well, it's been 30 years since I've been there, and it's more than your five hour drive, but I have many fond memories of Many Point Scout Camp: http://www.manypoint.org/ I'm pretty sure they put together provisional troops. Now that I have a Tiger Cub in the family, it looks like I'm eligible to take the family to the family camp, so we'll probably be checking it out next summer.
  23. Oh, those things were always against the rules, weren't they? I bet whenever you got caught, you got a stern talking to by the Scoutmaster. And if things really got out of hand, he might even try to catch someone. By the way, I know that "hazing" is against the rules, as it should be. But I hope that doesn't mean new scouts aren't given the opportunity to meet people in other troops by going to look for a smoke sifter. I met a lot of nice people that way, including the kindly scoutmaster who gave me a cookie, asked me if this was my first campout, and told me that maybe the othe
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