drmbear

Heck, my wife doesn't even get the teasing back and forth between my son and me. Guys are just different.

Heck, my wife doesn't even get the teasing back and forth between my son and me. Guys are just different.

So if we say that 99% of a pedophiles consider themselves Christians, does that mean that all Christians should be banned? Without the discrimination that BSA put in as policy, after my time as a youth, Scouting can return to dealing with what I consider the high ideals of Scouting, with local chartering organizations working together with their communities to provide a great environment for all kids to grow up in.

Beav, Actually, a UUA BOR would welcome the views of a Fundamentalist Christian lad - the whole point being that it is an individual decision whatever you believe. The whole point of UU belief is respect of what others believe, a completely Scouting perspective in a Scout being Reverent from what I learned as a Scout.

Changing this rediculous discriminating policy is the very best thing I've heard about Scouting since I've been involved again for the last five years. Ever since I was a youth in the mid '70s, I've never had a problem with the idea of "Duty to God," because there is not a single person on the planet that can tell me definitively just what "God" is. In every case it is something entirely personal, tied to a particular religion, a belief, a possibility, and there are different perspectives depending on who you ask. Looking at the Scout Oath (I'm working with AOL Webelos right now), the

The Allagash Wilderness Waterway in Maine is an incredible trip, and while it requires some upfront planning, there are outfitters that can take care of most of the logistics with canoes, drop-off and pickup arrangements. Awesome fun too.

Depending on where you are and the availability of very small amounts of branches and wood, the most useful backpacking stove I've come up with is a simple woodgas can stove made from a 1 qt paint can, a Progresso soup can, and a bamboo shoots can, from directions I found online. It is very similar to the Bush Buddy, I believe, but very cheap. In Shenandoah National Park, where I do some of my backpacking, there is plenty of down wood and dead limbs. I did a comparison on one trip comparing how long it took to bring the water to boiling for dinner for my daughter and me, and this stove took

Depending on where you are and the availability of very small amounts of branches and wood, the most useful backpacking stove I've come up with is a simple woodgas can stove made from a 1 qt paint can, a Progresso soup can, and a bamboo shoots can, from directions I found online. It is very similar to the Bush Buddy, I believe, but very cheap. In Shenandoah National Park, where I do some of my backpacking, there is plenty of down wood and dead limbs. I did a comparison on one trip comparing how long it took to bring the water to boiling for dinner for my daughter and me, and this stove took

Our new Tiger Den is about to take off on their own this evening. I have two parents that stepped up to take on the TDL role, and they've already been taking the initiative to set up fun adventures and Go-See-Its in the coming weeks and months. The other parents are involved and they are working the shared leadership concept. I am certain it wouldn't have happened like this without me stepping in and being the TDL for the last six weeks or so. These parents have become engaged in the den and engaged in the pack, even attending our Parent and Leader (PAL) meetings. This is the way it is su

>> From his religion which says that it's immoral and thus not "morally straight". It's not rocket science to answer those types of questions, acco40. My religion says nothing connecting sexual orientation and morality. In fact, my religion follow these principles: *The inherent worth and dignity of every person; *Justice, equity and compassion in human relations; *Acceptance of one another and encouragement to spiritual growth in our congregations; *A free and responsible search for truth and meaning; *The right of conscience and the use of the democratic process

My focus my first year as Cubmaster was to find a TDL early, get them trained, and have them ready by the time things kicked off in the fall. There was a huge problem with that, because I've found that spring recruiting picks up far fewer Tigers than does fall recruiting. So the numbers of Tiger parents is smaller. And even if there is interest, motivation, etc., they may not really be the very best person to be the TDL once full program starts in the fall. A new Tiger parent, clueless to the workings of the program, even if they get trained, probably just won't be ready to deal with 8

My first year as Cubmaster I believe I totally messed up how the Tiger Den got started off. Last year, the process I used worked fantastic, and I'm getting to try it out again this fall. I'm even tied in to do a University of Scouting class next February on launching a Tiger Den. My general premise is that long-term Pack success is very dependent on a strong and successful Tiger Cub Program. The Tiger Den sets the very best conditions for building Cub Scouts as a family program, by actually requiring that family members participate. When working toward Tiger den Leadership, you ha

I'd rather have a whole slew of gay, athiest volunteers than have ANY smokers or drug users!!!

The policy does not just exclude gay men, it also excludes gay women, even mothers of boys that would like to be a part of Cub Scouts. I'm afraid there is no justification in that for the possibility of there being a sexual predator. Of course, we allow there to be women leaders in Scouting, and there doesn't seem to be a problem with that. Which leads me to believe that it really is just a discriminatory policy. If the problem is sexual predators, then the ban should be on sexual predators - not be based on their sexual orientation.

I loved canoeing down the Alagash Wilderness Waterway in Maine, all the firewood you could ever want in any direction, no restriction on having campfires, and we even did all our cooking over fires. There were no stoves.

We've considered it one of the organized resident camp programs for cub scouts put on by the council, and these usually involve a parent or family coming along as well (only Webelos have the option to go to camp without parent here).

I'm on my 3rd year as Cubmaster, and I've loved it. Essentially I have had a chance to do what I did back when I was a Senior Patrol Leader as a youth, planning, engaging, performing, leading. Just as I was kinda glad when I got to move on to adulthood as an SPL, I am really looking forward to moving on to adulthood by moving on from Cub Scout leadership. There is a huge difference in Boy Scouts, since in many ways the most important thing you need to do is show up, be present, be interested. There is a time limit on being a Cub Scout leader and doing it well, being responible for every bi

On a den meeting night just before Halloween, for the last several years we've been doing a Magic & Treats night. Before that we never had a Halloween event, but I had seen somewhere in a survey of Cub Scouts that one of the favorite events during the year from the boy's perspective was the Halloween event. This is something that the Bear Den hosts, since the Bear Den has a series of magic related advancements tied to learning and performing magic tricks, etc. Any of the boys (or adults for that matter) can perform tricks, tell jokes, etc., we just let the Bears set it all up. Everyone

As an ASM and SM it doesn't seem you should be doing anything to "enforce" use of notebooks or anything else. Stay out of it and let the youth decide how they are going to do things. Set an example by doing things that work yourself, SM may consult with the SPL with suggestions, but overall you should not even be in the middle of it. I didn't even like the language of this post which indicated that the adults are directing the activities of the troop. Get out of the way - let them screw things up on their own - be entertained by the process - it's okay.

Who's handing out this "punishment"? If it is an adult, SM or ASM, then I think it has absolutely no place in Scouting. Even to have adults establishing the policy is a problem, in my opinion. Now if the Scouts thought it was a good idea and had a way of handing out the punishement, then so be it, but I kinda believe that SPL wouldn't be around very long.

And even considering that it is a rediculous thing for a Troop Committee to be establishing, no troop should be punishing a Scout if they are not able to comply. A class A uniform should meet the requirements on the Uniform Inspection Sheet, which states: "Pants/Shorts. Official pants or official uniform pants or shorts; no cuffs. (Units have no option to change.)" Why would your troop make shorts unacceptible? Even as a youth, I tended to wear the shorts just about year round. I wore my shorts to my Eagle Court of Honor. To me, that is the uniform, something to be worn in activity. And

This is easy. Put Bobby Fischer in Google, open the Wikopedia entry (which probably includes all you really need to read about a famous chess player), and toward the bottom is a list of writings and books, including a book about the 10 greatest chess players of all time. Seems like there is something useful there.

The two lesbians want their boy in Scouts so they have a significant male influence, but because of the blatant discrimination in Scouting they are not welcome to be a part of it. That is what is so screwed up - boys that need it not being able to participate because of stupid rules concerning identity rather than behavior.

I appreciate the fact that there are women that are willing to step in and pick up the slack when there is no one else to do it. As well, I think the Cub Scout program is very highly dependent on women at all levels, particularly since it is an adult lead and run program, and because the kids are at an age where connection to "mom" is still a significant factor in their lives. As the boys transition to Boy Scouts there is an entirely different dynamic. The program is lead and run by the youth. A handful of adults are all that's needed among the SM and ASM ranks to support a good size t

The problem with the BSA stand on both sexual and religious preference is that it has to do with a person's identity rather than a person's behavior. I'd much rather see a ban on smokers, drug users, pedophiles, thiefs, etc., rather than on parents and kids that can and do hold to the principles of scouting. These things are actual behaviors that are harmful to children, yet because a person can say they are a heterosexual Christian, he or she is perfectly qualified to be a Scout leader even though their BEHAVIOR can cause actual harm to children. Even "belief in God" is used as a way t