evmori

Looks like we will have to agree to disagree! Asking direct questions is not rude or nosy or coercive. We don't need to make everything soft & fuzzy because in the real world it isn't. We are not asking the Scout what party affiliation he would chose. That's asking about his politics. We can vote for whomever we chose in the general election regardless of our party affiliation! Asking a Scout who he would vote for is asking him who he thinks should be elected. And the conversation should continue bu asking the Scout to explain why. Nothing out of line. Yes Scouting is about citizenship. The right to vote is part of our citizenship we as Americans are entrusted with and not enough of use exercise this right. Ed Mori 1 Peter 4:10

Not even close Trev! In my job, my politics has nothing to do with my job. Bad example! Why do people have a problem with this? I have sat on a lot of EBOR's RangerT & this question along with a lot of other direct questions were asked and I have yet to see a Scout or parent be offended. So who are you going to vote for? Ed Mori 1 Peter 4:10

Well, RangerT, you might feel I am way off base. I don't. Asking a Scout who is up for the highest award the BSA has for a youth member a direct question should be expected. We are to help prepare boys to make moral & ethical decisions. Glossing over tough topics doesn't do that. And asking anyone "Who would you vote for?" invades nothing. Ed Mori 1 Peter 4:10

Ahh! The favorite color ruse! Think citizenship Gern! From Citizenship in the Nation (emphasis mine) 7. Name the three branches of our federal government and explain to your counselor their functions. Explain how citizens are involved in each branch. For each branch of government, explain the importance of the system of checks and balances. Voting is one of the most important ways we are involved. Whether it is voting for people running for office or referendums on ballots, it is our right as Americans to be involved in this! BTW,, my favorite color is Kelly green! Ed Mori 1 Peter 4:10

An Eagle project might not be a unit project, but it is a BSA project. And being a BSA project makes it perfectly OK for a Scout to wear his BSA uniform when participating or leading an Eagle project. Just because the project is to be done for an organization other than the BSA does not mean it isn't a BSA project. Ed Mori 1 Peter 4:10

I thought you would have been listening to "As the Deer" LOL!

Why ask, Gern? Why not? It seems we are too worried about invading someones private space! Yeah who you are going to vote for is a personal matter. So if your religious beliefs. So are many other things. Just because these are personal, does that mean they are off limits? I don't think so. If the Scout answers "it has no bearing......." to the who question, he's gonna probably answer the same way to the other renditions of the question. And if I was sitting on his EBOR, I would request the Scout to "Please tell the members of this board why you feel this way". The question "Who would you vote for?" is not rude or invasive or coercive. Ed Mori 1 Peter 4:10

Ed, If in your annual performance review, your boss asked you who you were going to vote for, would that be appropriate? Would it be rude or coercive? Gern, Who I vote for has nothing to do with my job. And my annual review is not in anyway shape or form similar to an EBOR. Again, poor analogy. And if I was asked, my answer would be "The candidate who I feel is the best one for the job." The question at an EBOR "Who would you vote for in the upcoming election?" is directly related to citizenship. Are we afraid to ask direct questions at an EBOR? And if so, why? Ed Mori 1 Peter 4:10

Ditto to what John posted.

If you want to know how the candidate stands o a political issue then why not just ask them what they think is an important issue to consider when choosing who to vote for? You can easily find out what he feels about issues without requiring him to reveal who he intends to vote for in a secret ballot. Since the Scout isn't 18 yet, he can't vote so he won't be casting his secret ballot therefore not revealing anything secret. Would you condone a group of older scouts calling a younger scout into a roome and asking to know who he intends to vote for in a troop election? Would anyone? No. Then again, that is totally different and a poor analogy. The question is rude and coercive. Rude? How? Coercive? How? Ed Mori 1 Peter 4:10

Then ask "HOW" he will choose his candidate not "Who" he will vote for. That will still give you the information you need without violating his privacy. Either way is not violating anything and to think so is absurd! The original poster was right to feel uncomfortable by the question when it was asked at a board of review. It has no more place there than it would at a job interview. An EBOR isn't a job interview! Sure that type of question would be out of line on a job interview, but this isn't a job interview! The comparison is not valid. Ed Mori 1 Peter 4:10

Let's see. This is an Eagle Service Project. This is part of the path to earning the highest award the Boy Scouts of America bestows on a youth member. Would a Girl Scout be completing (not participating in) and Eagle project? No. Would a member of the 4H club? No. How about an Indian Guide? Nah! Could it be possible that only a member of the Boy Scouts of America would be completing an Eagle project? Why yes! Ed Mori 1 Peter 4:10

Actually, I think a scolding by the scout to the asking adult about the sanctity of the secret ballot and how it relates to the integrity of the election process would be appropriate. LOL!

Why are we afraid to ask a direct question like "Who would you vote for if you were eligible to vote?" What that man told you, T78Scoutmaster, was out of line but there is nothing wrong with asking a direct question! And yep asking who someone would vote for is directly related to Scouting - citizenship. Ed Mori 1 Peter 4:10

I guess those utility players who play a multitude of positions are not that important. And just because every play has a position doesn't make them a leader. Sports analogies are great in sports but not really relevant to Scouting.

Consider this. How about asking questions that are directly related to the relements of scouting. Always thought citizenship was part of Scouting. We have some merit badges dealing with that subject, don't we? Who a person chooses to vote for is a private matter and unrelated to scouting. Sure it's a private matter. But it is related to Scouting. Citizenship. Doing ones duty to his country is an element of scouting, and asking the scout about how he sees himself doing that as an adult is an open ended question that allows the scout a chance to give a more thoughtful answer that will give you more insight into his character. And asking a Scout why he will be voting for a particular individual would be an example of such an open-ended question. When adults act inappropriately with scouts, whether in actions or questions, I would hope more skilled adult leaders would step in and perform their responsibility to protect the scout. Redirect or remove the adult with the inappropriate behavior. The time to stop the inapproriate behavior is at the moment it happens. The time to counsel or correct the offender is privately, away from the Scouts. What was inappropriate? Of course the BEST thing to do is to do a better job of selecting and training your unit leaders so that this issue does not arise. I would agree selecting & having trained unit leaders very important. So, who ya gonna vote for Bob? Ed Mori 1 Peter 4:10

If a Scout wants to wear his uniform during an Eagle Service Project he can. There is nothing stopping OR requiring him to do so.

It's a non-issue. One must wonder the purpose in starting such a topic. Surely it was not to get an answer. That was a useful answer! Thanks so much for the contribution!

I have sat or quite a few EBOR's & don't feel this question is out of line. After all, the Scout being discussed in this thread is almost 18 & the question is very in line.

I think we need to define what is an inappropriate question. Asking a Scout the question in question isn't inappropriate in my opinion.

One time when I was watching CNN, they were talking about rebels in a South American country (can't remember which one) and there was video accompanying it. In the video was a rebel firing his automatic weapon into the sky wearing a Boy Scout Shirt with my council strip on it! Wonder they ever got that guy!

And someone who is not a member of the BSA who can buy a shirt will know this how, GW?

True we are not there to walk the Scouts through the requirements. We are there to help these boys to make ethical & moral decisions. We are there to give them guidance when needed. We are there to ensure they have met the requirements for rank. And if I remember correctly, a member of these forums once stated that all the Scout had to do was meet the letter of the requirements. So for this specific requirement, all the Scout would have to do was show improvement! That could be doing one more, doing it faster, doing it with less effort, doing it with better form. Oh yeah, the Scout was to have practiced these for 30 days but there is nothing that states this must be verified. Ed Mori 1 Peter 4:10

So the Scout practices & does his one pull up faster. That's improvement. 10a.Record your best in the following tests: Push-ups, Pull-ups, Sit-ups, Standing long jump, 1/4-mile walk/run. Record them again 30 days later. 10b.Show improvement in the activities listed in requirement 10a after practicing for 30 days. Anyone see anything in the requirement that states we are to verify the Scout practiced? The Scout is to show improvement. Ed Mori 1 Peter 4:10

We ain't violatin' some copyright law by mentioning the Bill of Rights, are we packsaddle?