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Issues & Politics

In answer to many requests, we established a separate forum for these topics. Those not interested can skip this forum instead of spending time reading unwanted messages to identify content.

2956 topics in this forum

  1. Anonymous donates (with strings) $2.9mil thru BSA National Foundation to Austin, TX school district

    By RememberSchiff,
    • 8 replies
    • 1.5k views

  2. Well, Rick Perry has made the news again. Ain't politics fun? 1 2 3 4

    By skeptic,
    • 48 replies
    • 6.2k views

  3. Where do you draw the line? 1 2 3

    By AZMike,
    • 32 replies
    • 4.9k views

  4. Do think Boy Scouts of America Would Survive without Congressional Charter 1 2

    By jpstodwftexas,
    • 27 replies
    • 3.1k views

  5. Boy Scouts march in Utah Gay Pride Parade 1 2 3 4 9

    By AZMike,
    • 133 replies
    • 15.7k views

  6. Local strategies to gain fundraiser approval from Town Council/City Hall

    By RememberSchiff,
    • 11 replies
    • 1.3k views

  7. Vermont Scouts denied July 4th vendor permit and withdraw 1 2 3 4 8

    By RememberSchiff,
    • 110 replies
    • 12.3k views

  8. How Could I Have Missed It?

    By skeptic,
    • 3 replies
    • 1k views

  9. Perhaps an opening Citizenship MB discussion question 1 2

    By RememberSchiff,
    • 19 replies
    • 1.9k views

  10. Trail Life reports increased membership 1 2 3 4 6

    By AZMike,
    • 87 replies
    • 11.1k views

  11. Review of BSA files leads to arrest of former scout leader and his boyfriend in Phoenix 1 2 3 4

    By AZMike,
    • 50 replies
    • 6.6k views

  12. Just for fun; "Ten Commandments of Logic". All of us might refer to this at times, me included.

    By skeptic,
    • 2 replies
    • 1.1k views

  13. National Park Service To Explore an LGBT Theme 1 2

    By LeCastor,
    • 24 replies
    • 2.8k views

  14. Eric Holder attacks BSA policy before LGBT pressure group 1 2 3 4

    By AZMike,
    • 49 replies
    • 5.4k views

  15. What changes would you make if you were Robert Gates, the new BSA president 1 2 3 4 6

    By fred johnson,
    • 89 replies
    • 9.6k views

  • LATEST POSTS

    • Tron
      End of 2024 membership numbers

      By Tron · Posted

      The argument around this sort of thing is odd. The standard is the standard. 21 MB, so many camping nights, pass the swim test, etc ... right? This is sort of a like the old school adage that A's may pay, but C's get degrees. For the scout that goes above and beyond, fantastic, but it does not redefine the standard. The kid that does just the standard is just as much an eagle scout as any other eagle scout. 
    • BetterWithCheddar
      End of 2024 membership numbers

      By BetterWithCheddar · Posted

      I had a pretty traditional Scouting experience that culminated in earning the Eagle Scout award after I had a lot of fun and finally got around to the paperwork. One of my best my friends could be described as a "Paper Eagle." He made it through the program with very little camping and had everything wrapped up by high school so he could focus more on academics. Today, he's a professor at a prestigious university and travels the world to present his research. He is absolutely someone we'd want to represent the program. Scouting just means different things to different people and we all have to be OK with that for the BSA to survive.
    • Prime00
      Boy in trouble

      By Prime00 · Posted

      So what happened with this? He straighten up?  
    • ramanous
      End of 2024 membership numbers

      By ramanous · Posted

      council: your troop has paying members, well "nothing to see here"
    • InquisitiveScouter
      End of 2024 membership numbers

      By InquisitiveScouter · Posted

      Agreed. I think BSA was hoist by its own petard on this one.  The focus of Summer Camp is, generally, the merit badge program.  This is a mistake, because it turned the focus to Advancement. And then, to do it on the cheap, camps hire 15 & 16 year olds to teach MBs, when this inherently violates the "spirit" of what the MB program is about.  (This is where you can go down the rabbit hole of the responsibilities of unit leaders and "actual" merit badge counselors as well...) Summer Camp is a "pay your fee, get your degree." operation. On the whole, we have a huge integrity problem when it comes to Summer Camps and the Merit Badge program.  Parents, Scouts staffs, unit leaders, paid professionals, National... all complicit.  This is one of our biggest "dirty little secrets." I used to work with Scouts after camp to go through their MBs and ask them how they completed the requirements.  Many, many times, I got the answer "Oh, we didn't do that one." or "My counselor said we didn't have to do that." or some such response.  After working with Scouts to correct, I filed quite a few of these: https://filestore.scouting.org/filestore/pdf/512-800_WB.pdf Know what became of them?  Nothing... ignored  
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