Wearing Out Our Welcome

[FScouter 24]

Are there really troops like this?

(From an internal NPS website)

 

Joshua Tree National Park (CA)

PVC Potato Cannons Seized from Scout Troop

 

On the morning of Saturday, October 29th, park employees received reports of a disturbance from visitors who were camping in the group campsites at Indian Cove Campground. Protection rangers responded. During the subsequent investigation, the rangers confiscated seven cannons constructed from PVC piping which were being used to shoot potatoes into the area of the campground through the use of a gas propellant. The cannons ranged in size from two to six feet in length and are defined as destructive devices under the California penal code. Other miscellaneous PVC piping, which was used for making the potato cannons, and three five-pound bags of potatoes were also confiscated. A local California Boy Scout troop occupied the site. The site permit holder was issued a violation notice for possession/use of weapons. The Scoutmaster and group leaders were given multiple verbal warnings for disorderly conduct, sanitation/refuse violations, food storage violations, and miscellaneous traffic offenses. [submitted by Judy Bartzatt, Chief Ranger]

http://data2.itc.nps.gov/morningreport/morningreportold.cfm

(November 10 edition)

 

[orennoah 11]

Makes my blood boil!!

 

If you can, it would be great for you to determine the Chartered Organization and the Council of this so-called "troop." This is definately something that should be reported, punished and prevented from every happening again.

 

These "Scouts" did far more than violate a few park rules (or even a few Calif. Penal Code provisions). They stole some my and your good name.

[evmori 11]

It is unfortunate but these things do happen! Makes ya wonder, don't it?

 

Ed Mori

Troop 1

1 Peter 4:10

[rkfrance 11]

Haven't you seen this guy before though? You know, the one that is always saying, "It's just kids having fun," or "Where's the harm?" He's the one that talks through roundtable and doesn't feel that he needs to go to training because he's "been around" and knows everything.

 

Actually, there's too much resemblance to some SM's I know.

[SemperParatus 1]

Very sad.

[John-in-KC 311]

Indeed sad.

 

In the right environment (learning something of science or marksmanship), with the right supervision (range officers, safety folks, reviewing G2SS up front), and with the right RANGE (read: Impact Area away from people), this could have been a great learning activity with lots of take aways (F=M*A, normal distribution of a population, wind deflects objects in flight)....

 

Instead, poorly supervised youth had a dumb attack.

 

I lay this one first at the feet of the PLC, then at the feet of the SM, his assistants, and the Committee.

 

... and yes, the SE needs to hear about this...(This message has been edited by John-in-KC)

[acco40 95]

The PLC and I have planned (partially planned in reality) an outing this coming October to "launch" pumpkins from a catapult. We will be doing this at our local council Scout camp. We asked the council office and they said no (too much mess). We talked personally with the camp Ranger and after explaining where at the camp we were to do this and that we would clean up afterwards he gave us the okay. Now, the noise factor is less than the potato launchers decribed above but as John-in-KC stated, one can do these type of thing the right way or the wrong way.

[Prairie_Scouter 10]

Well, I guess that this means our plans to detonate a teeny tiny nuclear device at our day camp facility are out the window (This message has been edited by Prairie_Scouter)

[John-in-KC 311]

Since one of my Skill Identifiers in military service was "Target Analyst."

 

I think you need to read this wikipedia article before you even joke about nuclear weapons:

 

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Davy_Crockett_%28nuclear_device%29

 

I am that upset.

[acco40 95]

Also, in my neck of the woods (real close to where I live) the term Radioactive Boy Scout has a real meaning. A Boy Scout had attempted to build a nuclear reactor in his mother's shed for a Boy Scout merit-badge project. Read the book. For a synopsis, check out: http://www.dangerouslaboratories.org/radscout.html(This message has been edited by acco40)

[SeattlePioneer 144]

Anyone have the designs for these PVC cannons?

 

 

 

Seattle Pioneer