evmori

Atta Boy Bubba Bear! Sounds like we need a list of companies thta pulled their funding from the BSA because of the gay thing. I would be willing to add the list to my Troop site if everyone would post or send me the names & addresses of the companies who pulled their funding. Sending letters & e-mails to these companies to encourage them to re-fund Scouting wouldn't hurt either! Ed Mori Scoutmaster Troop 1

No aversion to whta is in the manuals. But, if we blindly follow the manuals, then we serve no purpose. Scouts can read. You are correct in stating that nowhere in the program are we instructed to tell a boy what merit badge he should or should not be interested in. But nowhere in the manual does it say we can't. I said this before & I will say it again, we must use common sense in Scouting. Reading all the manuals is great but if you apply them blindly, then you are doing the Scouts AND the program a large disservice. Ed Mori Scoutmaster Troop 1

dan, Sorry it took so long to get back to you. I missed your question! On weekend camping trips & Camporees we use the #14 dutch ovens. These are much bigger than thte #12's. A patrol can cook a complete dinner (not including dessert) in one. At summer camp, 90% of the cooking is done on camp stoves with cook kits. Ed Mori Scoutmaster Troop 1

LauraT7, I used Front Page to build our Troop site. It is much more flexible than Word and just as easy to use. You don't need to know HTML. Check out our Troop site at http://www.bsa.net/pa/t1 Ed Mori Scoutmaster Troop 1

Ditto to Bob. I had a similar situation when my son't Webelos den was ready to move up to Boy Scouts. I talked with my DE & he hooked him up with a different Troop. Ed Mori Scoutmaster Troop 1

slontwovy, Excellent point. Many times a youth will spout off about something in an organization he/she is involved in and they are being nothing more than a mouthpiece for mom and/or dad. Ed Mori Scoutmaster Troop 1

Morality can't be relative and change with the times. If that were the case, then morality would have no purpose. Morality changing with the times in nothing more than political correctness which IMHO is a bunch of whoey! PC does not belong in Scouting. We as adult leaders in this organization have a responsibility to the Scouts to be good examples of adults. If we choose the relative morality method then all the Scouts learn is "If it feels good & no one gets hurt, do it". If this happens, then we as adult leaders in this organization have failed at our jobs. Ed Mori Scoutmaster Troop 1

Bob, I'm not trying to create hurdles. The point I have been trying is our job as adult leaders in the organization is to teach and guide. We are to teach the Scouts from our knowledge and guide them along the path to Eagle. We teach the leaders how to lead and guide them over the rough spots. Common sense MUST come into play. If we blindly do what the manuals tell us then we serve no purpose and the Scouts learn nothing. Ed Mori Scoutmaster Troop 1

Bob, Considering you have been espousing nowhere in any BSA manual does it say the Scoutmaster doesn't approve merit nadges before a Scout starts to work on them, how do you explain page 123 of the Scoutmaster Handbook that says: "Scouts may work on any merit badge at any time, assuming thay have the approval of their Scoutmaster." Approval - not ensuring the prerequisites are met - Approval. Looks like my not quit just turned into yes you are correct. Ed Mori Scoutmaster Troop 1

Is there something wrong with not being culturally driven? I don't think so. The BSA is sticking to the principles it was founded on. There is nothing wrong with that. Ed Mori Scoutmaster Troop 1

tj, You want to see evidence that homosexuality is immoral. Where is the evidence that says it IS moral? Ed Mori Scoutmaster Troop 1

Bob, Any results yet? Ed Mori Scoutmaster Troop 1

I don't think there was a breakdown the the YPP. I think it was just ignored. It is also possible that this SM never told any of the parents the YPP existed! Remember, that section can be removed from the Scout Handbook! And if this person is a preditor, then I wouldn't doubt it was removed. Ed Mori Scoutmaster Troop 1

pack330, I feel for your council. IMHO, a council should stick up for what is morally right! A Scout is clean! Morally straight. Giving into pressure such as this only weakens the program! What's next - allow girls, athiests, criminals! Ed Mori Scoutmaster Troop 1

Untucked shirt! Shoot 'em. End of problem! My big pet peeve is hands in the pockets during ceremonies! Drives me nuts! Ed Mori Scoutmaster Troop 1

In my Troop, each patrol has a QM who is reaponsible for the patrol gear as well as the food for camping trips. He doesn't always buy the food but can assign the tsk to another scout(s) in the patrol. He determines the cost by the menu, usually $10 to $15 per trip. Ed Mori Scoutmaster Troop 1

Cooking. Hiking is now an "or" required merit badge. Learning how to cook is important. In my Troop on camping trips, we require the patrols to cook. We attend a patrol cooking summer camp so this is reinforced the entire year. Ed Mori Scoutmaster Troop 1

Rooster7, Excellent post! Praise the Lord! sctmom, You stated you disagree with the BSA policy on homosexuals. Interesting. Would you let your son go camoing with a homosexual Scoutmaster? What if your son came home after a couple camping trips with a homosexual Scoutmaster & told you he thinks he is gay? How would you handle that? I for one applaud the BSA in their stance against homosexuals. In no way are they discriminating. The BSA is just exercising it's right of freedom of association allowed by the Constitution. I feel if homosexuals were allowed to be members of the BSA, the whole organization would crumble. People who support the BSA allowing homosexuals are quick to mention the BSA is not changing with the times. Well, there are times change is good and there are times change is bad. Staying the course on the high moral road is the way the BSA decided to go. And I for one am thankful. Ed Mori Scoutmaster Troop 1

OGE, Nice site! Looks like a nice summer camp, too. Too bad there isn't more patrol cooking. Ed Mori Scoutmaster Troop 1

A homosexual is a terrible role model. They go against everything Scouting stands for. The title of this thread is quite accurate - Gay lifestyle. That's all it is a lifestyle. An immoral & very depraived lifestyle, but still a lifestyle. Ed Mori Scoutmaster Troop 1

Rectangle. I need lots of room for my feet. Ed Mori Scoutmaster Troop 1

packsaddle, I have run into confrontational Scoutmasters like the one you described. I would have gone to the camp director & explained the situation and asked him to deal with it since it happened at his camp. sctmom, I feel everyone deserves a second chance. If a Scout in my Troop has an illegal substance, then he will be sent home ASAP. He will also be suspended from the Troop for 30 days. (this also applies to Scouts who steal). Before the Scout can come back to the Troop, he and his parents will be required to meet with me and the other adult leaders at camp to discuss what happened and obtain the assurance this will not happen again. The Scout will also be required to apologize at for his behavior. Also, the Scout and his parents will be told if this or a similar offense (theft, alcohol, etc.) occurs again, the Scouts membership will be revoked. If this is done satisfactorly, then and only then, the Scout will be allowed to return to the Troop. Ed Mori Scoutmaster Troop 1

What drhannon said. When I was a Cubmaster I would stand there with signs up for as long as it took. One time one of the "talking" parents asked why the Pack meetings lasted so long. I calmly explained that when signs go up the mouth goes shut & there were people who didn't think it applied to them since they weren't Cubs. I finished with "It applies to everyone in the room." This parent was never a problem again & in fact was one of the ones who would help quiet down the others! Ed Mori Scoutmaster Troop 1

In my Troop, we encourage the parents NOT to call camp unless it is an emergency. We also discourage the Scouts from calling home unless it is an emergency. We always have a contact person at home and if a Scout forgets something or needs something, I or another adult leader calls the contact person who will call the Scout's home. There is no way I know of to prevent homesickness. It will happen with alot of kids & sometimes is not easy to deal with. I won't send a kid home because he is homesick. I will call the parents before parents night (Wednesday) and explain their son is homesick & encourage them not to let them go home early. Ed Mori Scoutmaster Troop 1

I agree with most of what OGE posted. I do think the professional Scouters are concerned with the numbers. After all, that is part of their job. At the unit level, we should be concerned with delivering a quality program regardless of the numbers. Ed Mori Scoutmaster Troop 1