packsaddle

Some other moderator please send this to the proper forum if you think this is out of place. I have a commemorative cup that I'd like to give to a new owner. It's in great condition, unbroken, not chipped, very clean. I ask the recipient to defray shipping expense, USPS Priority. Contact me with a PM if interested.

First I would like to thank RememberSchif for continuing to moderate these forums. I've been in 'hibernation' for quite a while and the notice I received caused me to emerge for a moment. While I have a deep and very personal sympathy for the feelings that are expressed by PaleRider, for me that arises from a source other than Scouting. At least for me, Scouting was like an oasis in a society that otherwise contained terrible things which I was not able to completely avoid, it turned out. I was deeply saddened when I first learned, years ago, about the terrible things that happened to boys at the hands of scouters. But contrary to those crimes, what I sought and found, so long ago as a boy in Scouting, was a haven where I could find some peace and a place in this world. It will always be a positive part of my life, what's left of it, just it always was since that time. I hope and I suspect that overall there have been more experiences like mine and while there is no way to excuse the crimes that were committed, I think most of Scouting was good for the boys. Scouting may not have a future like it used to be. But I think it can still have a future, especially with the changes I saw regarding inclusiveness. In the future Scouting may not be exactly like it was. That might not be a bad thing.

To my fellow moderators, I have returned briefly to deliver some sad news. Please place this notification wherever you think it fits best. To all in the Forums and especially any 'old-timers' who are still keeping in touch, I am deeply saddened, in tears in fact, to notify you that one of our good friends, gwd-scouter , with whom I shared many good times in both Scouting and other times, who some of you may remember was a champion of social justice both in and outside of Scouting, whose passion for the outdoors, Scouting, and family was immense, came to life's end this morning at 0213. I was just notified of this by her husband with whom I also shared many good memories and her son with whom I interacted as while a member of the faculty at his school. Both of us eventually 'aged out' of Scouting as our families grew up and we 'passed our batons' to new leaders. She was about to enjoy retirement when her family was struck by SARS-cov-2 and all of them contracted COVID-19. While her husband and son recovered after their illness, she also seemed to be in recovery and even a few days ago communicated to me and other friends about her optimism after some serious concerns seemed to have passed. But evidently her optimism was short-lived and the relief I had felt initially with her optimistic outlook was just shattered this morning with the news of her death. I will refrain from commenting on my views of issues surrounding COVID-19 at this sad time. I merely wanted to let anyone who cares to know about her. As I am certain there are plenty of other Scouting families who have suffered similar losses, I offer my deepest sympathy to them as well and best wishes to all of you. Packsaddle

In case anyone is interested, Tillerson's words employed the title of a book by Steven Pinker (2011) entitled, "The Better Angels of Our Nature". The book describes the historical decline of violence and possible reasons for this. Here is a testimonial from Bill Gates: “If I could give each of you a graduation present, it would be this—the most inspiring book I've ever read."—Bill Gates (May, 2017) In case anyone is interested. It's a thoughtful book. Pinker has some other titles that are worth considering as well.

And they've been really good years too. I can tell.

So....Barry, how many years ago has it been now....?

LOL, agreed, I can sure attest to some heated 'discussions' of just what that right way is, among unit leaders at cracker barrel. To me, respect is something felt in each of our hearts and minds and unlikely to be imposed from outside sources if we don't already feel that respect. Anyway, I admit that I hesitated to post that short video. Reading the discussion about how to retire the flag in a respectful manner just brought the image of that video back in my memory. It was, to me, more disrespectful than dumping the flag into a latrine. But that guy was not alone. There were at least two others in the same community with exactly the same display. And no one, NO ONE, in the community objected or really even made a comment that I know of. So I took the risk of making this thread controversial, but mostly wanted to give the discussion of the 'proper way to retire the flag' a little perspective about what is respect....or not. Edit: I just dumped the video in the spirit of avoiding controversy.

LOL, I've had this happen in college classes. Students are amazingly 'entitled', some of them. So what I've done is stop the lecture, announce to the offending persons that they should stop being rude to the rest of the class and to me. That usually results in a resentful acknowledgement. But a couple of times they ignored me. So I announced to the entire class a 'pop quiz' on the subject of today's lecture. Enough points to make a difference on the final course grade. Surprisingly, I have never had to repeat this tactic to the same class...perhaps they CAN be taught.

TFrancis, I tend to agree regarding some kind of innate difference. As for what we call them, it's a label. I refer them however they ask me to (within reason, 'Your Highness" is off the table).

Welcome to the forums. And welcome to Cub Scouting.

LOL, that's much better. Might want to extend that rest to stay safe.....just sayin'

If you're advocating this for most of scout leadership, I see coronaries in the future.

I am saddened to report that, as I scan my memories, it was in the forums on Scouter.com that I first learned about so-called, 'tea bagging'. And following up on that thought, this is in the category of things that, sadly no matter how hard we try, cannot be 'unlearned'.

We had a SM who was obese. On land, he was not destined to win races and he eventually would huff and puff up hills. But in the water he was master of the universe, full of grace and power. He had complete mastery of that environment and while he still probably wouldn't have won many races in the water, his weight didn't seem to be a handicap. Thinking about some of the responses here, as I approach the beginning of an eighth decade, I can attest to the fact that age, while it seems to impart some negative things, is nevertheless inevitable not to mention that the alternative is worse. I offer this encouragement: Those who are past age 55 (which seems to have been the age when I began to appreciate the 'true' effects of gravity) can take heart. With our decades of experience, as we lose our physical edge, we can instead employ guile and perhaps an accumulated psychological edge. After all, it's all we've got left, lol.

Interesting question and I don't know the answer. But I can soothe you a bit by informing you that this is far from the worst problems that a DE can present. OK, I know that rule but we often did things like this and the DE signed off on it. Council too.