Fat Old Guy

Gotta learn to read better. I missed the PAID part. My old pack always had paid entertainment at the B&G. A magician. A science guy. A juggler. Never thought much about it. However, I don't think that I'd be too happy to see professional at a camporee.

We've started doing campfires with skits again. The adults thought that it was lame but the Scouts love it. Oddly, one of the biggest grousers about singing and skits went to the last year of the old style Scoutmaster School and came back with a passion for songs and skits. Nothing wrong with shows either. Just a campfire without the fire. The important thing is that people are getting up and performing.

"Of course, I'll contact my council to get the OK before raising any money, but what a great cause this would be." They'll tell you that you'd be better off raising money for the Council and letting other people support Iraqi Scouting.

For a moment, I had thought about watching the video but decided that I didn't need another reason to have nightmares.

I've seen them on the back of the nifty red wool jackets. If you have a soft briefcase, you could put it on that.

The organization in question is the National Rifle Association.

I'd also like to say something about the term "outsiders" as used in Fat Old Guy's post. I find that term to be unAmerican and xenophobic. America isn't supposed to be about "insiders" and "outsiders" Too bad, that's life. I live in a fairly small town. You don't live here. You don't contribute to the community. You don't pay taxes here. So you should have no say in what our town flag looks like. You should have no say in what we name our town parks. You should have no say in what we name our streets. Move here and you're more than welcome to express your opinion. Now, go away. You bother me.

"Thier purpose is to make sure that civil liberty laws are follwed to the letter. There are always going to be people in the majority who like things the way they are and don't want the minority to get the same guaranteed rights they have." What I don't get is why the ACLU goes to towns where no local has complained and makes a fuss. No taxpayer involved is offended. No cititizen of the community cares. However, ACLU comes in and files suit on behalf of people that live 2,000 miles away.

That's your opinion and you're entitled to it. I will refrain from expressing my opinion of you.

We are hated for the same reason that the rich are often hated by the poor. The rich have a lot and give some of it to the poor but they remain rich and the poor remain poor. We have an incomprehensible lifestyle to most of the world. Right now the biggest worry is about a shortage of outrageously expensive houses. Food? We have it. Medical care? We have it, even the poor get better medical care than people in some countries. To make matters worse, we export our entertainment around the world. So people in other lands get to see incredibly wealthy (to them) Americans blowing each other up for drug money. I don't think that we'll be loved as a country. Ever.

The fellow that got this program running is an interesting type of fellow. Retired SEAL, former CIA station chief, speaks four languages, and is a council level Scouter. Not only all that but he seems to be an editorial cartoonist as well, unless there is another former SEAL named Chip Beck.

Hmmmm . . . the good old Scout Law. I get the idea that if the Demon Dogs M.C. broke into his house, Deloe would welcome them, offer them coffe and change the sheets before they raped his wife and daughters. I suppose that describing Hitler as evil might be discourteous as well but that's what he was. The ACLU is mean spirited and Grinch like. They invade towns and launch suits where no one is complaining except outsiders like themselves. Which is more important: trustworthy, courteous or clean?

NeilLup, I have my "Guide to Being a Guy" right here and in chapter 6, "Bodily Functions," it states that belching and farting should be avoided in business situations or if women are present. It goes on that the most appropriate times and places for unrestrained belching and farting while watching any sporting event on TV except for figure skating or while sitting around a campfire unless wives, mothers or girlfriends (anyone's wife, mother or girlfriend) are present at either type of event.

"I have coached Soccer teams and have to admit that when my team went on the field the aim was to win. No ifs Andi's or but's that team went on the field to score more goals then the other team." That's usually the reason to play any game. I play to win but I never let winning or losing interfere with my enjoyment of the game. I enjoy winning and I love doing my victory dance but if I lose no one will die, I won't lose my house, and my children won't be sold into bondage so there is no reason for depression.

"Why cannot the Boy Scouts of America understand that Reveille is the beginning of the official duty day," As I commented elsewhere, maybe the Scouts are following a naval tradition and not a military tradition. On a ship, reveille is the call to wake up.

Now we need to ask if the US Government can actually support an Iraqi Scout movement because I'm sure that Scouts Iraq doesn't accept atheists or homosexuals. (Running for cover)

" I have seen older Scouts hang back and not join in because they never mastered these skills. That is such a shame." It seems to me that they have no desire to master the skills. As part of the ongoing inter-patrol competition we have a knot tying relay. The week before the actual event, we did a practice event but before the practice event, knot gurus went around and worked with any Scout who fessed up that he didn't know a particular knot. Then the practice relay took place. The older Scouts had not asked for help but just stood there and whined that they only knot that they knew was the square knot. They had a week to practice and review their knots but they didn't even do any frantic practicing before the troop meeting started. At the relay, they just stood there and whined that the only knot that they knew was the square knot. Then they whined about coming in last, the unfair competition (the younger Scouts knew their knots so it was unfair), and the silliness of knot tying in general.

"Rules are to be followed even if they seem stupid or outdated." What about all those old state laws that restricted sexual positions?

"Rules are to be followed even if they seem stupid or outdated." What about all those old state laws that restricted sexual positions?

"I dont care what the BSA says about First Aid, I want to know what is going to work best." Very commendable. However, as Bob White has said on numerous ocassions, Scouters have a responsibility to deliver the program as laid out by BSA. Other information may be presented as the need arises but when dealing with material for advancement, we should stick with the program.

"If the material in the Handbook is outdated, I would think that when the next edition comes out it will be updated." One problem is that the information in question was in the LAST handbook but removed from the current edition.

"There is a theory (and at this point that is all it is) that it was done as part of psychological warfare." What purpose would it serve to have the soldiers in the pictures.

I've known sailors to do incredibly stupid things, dangerous things and even illegal things. Amazingly, they do it all without direction from above. What makes me think that these acts were unsanctioned someone up the chain of command is that they were stupid enough to take pictures with themselves in the shots. I can't see Maj. Grimwold of Military Intelligence saying, "Take pictures of the naked men and to make it more interesting, put you and your buddies in the picture."

Gee, Bob White is always holding up the First Aid section as an example of how the current handbooks is soooo much better than the older ones. Interestingly, the last edition of the handbook refers to using a constriction to slow flow of the venom. Interesting, no? Perhaps, BSA decided that Boy Scouts would apply the constriction too tightly and cause greater harm. In any case, if you are teaching BSA first aid, you need to cover BSA's material. If you do decide to add to the material, you need to make it clear that you, as a professional, are teaching an advanced method and that it isn't in the handbook and they aren't responsible to know it for advancement. I'll go along with Stapler Guy and agree that interrupting and correcting an adult or even a youth instructor does no one any favors. The students will see the instructor in a diminished capacity which will be detrimental to his ability to teach in the future. If he's really going off base, you might want to call him aside and tell him where he's going astray. Otherwise, wait until he's done and say, "Mr. Brown, I have something to add, if you don't mind . . ."

When ever I post anything, I get a message that tells me that the server closed the connection. The message posts but the message is aggravating. When I tried to change my email address, I got the same error when I tried to go to "Preferences" or "Profile." Also, if I try to go directly to www.scouter.com/forums, I get an HTTP error. No problems if I go to forums from the main page.