Fat Old Guy

"Fat Old Guy has brought out how some folks don't like the role play. . . " I didn't mean that the participants were complaining. The powers-that-be don't like the system. One complaint that I heard from a member of the Council Training Staff was that my district's way of doing things infringed on Wood Badge territory. The fact that the course graduated enthusiastic leaders seems to be irrelevant.

" We had a good troop, but I have a great patrol. The 6 of us hit it off right away and had a blast." When I went to Scoutmaster School we operated as a troop with patrols. The patrols met weekly and we got to know each other well. Not too long ago, I saw one of my old patrol members across a parking lot so I gave our patrol yell, he turned and returned the call. Oddly, the training team has come under fire to discontinue following this model of training.

"Define 'We' ?" Last time that I checked it is a first person plural pronoun indicating speaker and at least one other person.

"You'd think one of them would post that every once in awhile" You might but I wouldn't because they don't come here. "The argument is about what the membership standards should be" The membership standards should be whatever the organization says that they should be.

By admitting that he's a homosexual, he's admitting that he does the things that we find unacceptable.

"It seems to me that I saw somewhere that Iowa had the highest literacy rate among the states in the union." That wouldn't surprise me. I spent a few years out in that part of the world and it struck me that education was very important. They didn't seem to fuss too much with bells and whistles but put emphasis on the basics. I hope that things haven't changed too much.

"That means that a heterosexual who is constantly bragging openly about multiple sexual conquests or adulterous relationships may very will find that his application is rejected because he is not a good role model for the values of Scouting." I wouldn't want a leader in my troop who was fooling around with the secretary or shacking up with his honey. Call me old fashioned but that's the way that I am. I'd also have grave misgivings about a 40 year old adult who was jumping from bed to bed, doesn't show much judgement. Heck, nowadays it isn't too smart for a 20 year old.

"I also have to comment on the statement that the BSA "is a private organization with its own membership standards." You and other people seem to like to say that a lot. I don't know why you all keep repeating" We keep repeating it because there are many people out there that think that all youth related organizations have to accept all comers. We keep repeating it because people keep wanting to argue about membership standards. We keep repeating it because we can.

" From my own days in the Boy Scouts as a scout, I remembered the patrol organization and the boy leadership seemed to work pretty good." I wasn't a Boy Scout but I recall a youth in which if we didn't take steps to make many things happen, they didn't happen. After Little League was over, we made up our own teams and ran our own baseball leage. We did the same with touch football. Things may not have been perfect but no parents were involved. I know that my experience isn't unique. If I wanted to get someplace after school, I hoofed it or took the bus. The other day we were discussing rechartering and the Scouts that hadn't paid yet. The adults started breaking up the list to make phone calls but I suggested calling the PLs and having them call their Scouts. Boy! Was I shot down. "That's too much for a kid to do. You can't expect a Scout to remember to ask his parents for a check." (This message has been edited by Fat Old Guy)

I couldn't tell that about the loops from that photo but I'll defer to your wisdom and experience (as out of character that may be). I do know a Scouter who has mannequin of a Scout in his family room, the dummy is wearing a 1920's vintage uniform. I will agree that Jackson is a sick puppy. It may show my age but I remember when Jacko looked like a human being.

I looked at the magazine today at the supermarket and I couldn't see anything unusual about the shoulder loops. I found his mug shot to be interesting. 5'11" and only 120 lbs. Now that's skinny.

"If a scout does their job, and works hard and does everything they can, then why not give them the chance to advance. But if something comes up and they is suspect or accused or being bisexual or homosexual they can no longer advance and is revoaked from the BSA." I don't believe that a Scout or Venturer would have his/her membership revoked, only a Scouter. A role model is someone who is held up as an example, in effect saying, "try to be like this person." Michael Jordan is a great role model for youth in that he worked hard, went to school, worked harder, got married, and leads a respectable life. Dennis Rodman isn't. Some role models may be good role models for business or sports or academics but Scouters are supposed to be role models, not just for acadmemics or sports but for an entire existence. How can you hold up someone who leads a lifestyle that is fraught with self-destruction as a role model?

" It's a shame that even in a place where character and integrity is a common theme, there is much struggle from selfish desires." When the powers-that-be focus so much on membership and money, what else can you expect. You can make quality unit without gaining membership but at every turn we hear that we need more units, more scouts, more money.

Bob White, you really need help. You are fixated on a fantasy of your own creation. Please seek help before you hurt a Scout.

Boy KS, you must be really old if you remember Skeezix. :-o BTW, Beetle Bailey might make a good Scoutmaster, he wouldn't be inclined to be sticking his nose everywhere to make sure that things get done right.

"Homosexuality was put on this earth by God" So? God also put volcanos, earthquakes, and chocolate on this earth. Since God created pedaphiles, embezzlers and rapists does that make it okay. Predestination makes no sense. Why play the game if you know how the cards are going to fall? In a previous life, I used to hang with a bunch of artists (of all sexual varieties) and for most, if not all, much of the joy of creation was to see how close their work could come to their vision. If they knew what they'd create before they started, most would have given up art. If God was a Craftsman, he'd be creating identical universes, just as a cabinetmaker churns out identical cabinets. God isn't a craftsman, he's an artist, he wants to see how things turn out.

" As our former Scoutmaster (4 years) he never could grasp (or employ) the boy-led troop. We have three ASMs who are wood badge trained and there was a fourth who quit in a huff. Two of the three only give lip service to "boy led" as did the one who quit. The other has been in Scouting since before I was born and is "Mr. Boy-led." What's the significance? I'm not sure there is one. Two of the three "bad ones" went through MS Wood Badge 2001, the one who quit went through Wood Badge in the 90's and the really old guy went through Wood Badge . . . in the late 60s or early 70s. Maybe the difference is that too many of today's parents are much less willing to watch their kids try and fail because they don't grasp the simple idea that if you try and fail, you learn something but if someone else does it for you, you don't learn a thing.

I want to know who is paying the registration fee? The school, student or council. As for choices, the DE has many choices. When it comes to ethical prfessional behavior saying, "I wuz told to do it" never flies.

"letter of introduction to the Costa Rican Scouting Organization." Gotta have that letter to wear your uniform. Why is that?

" My son is deaf from birth & is very much ASL. My daughter is deaf from birth & she is very much Signed English." What's the difference between ASL and "Signed English"? If there is a difference, why don't your kids use the same language?

Good question. I just looked at the uniform inspection sheet and it specified the visored cap or the campaign hat. Maybe you could ask your PLC to pass a policy that adults may wear the expedition hat. For what its worth, I see many expedition hats at roundtables but very few campaign hats. As for saluting, you salute if you are in uniform, covered or uncovered. Uniform means field uniform, activity uniform, camp uniform, or service dress grungies. As for not wearing the hat, your guy is an idiot. If you're bareheaded in the sun and someone offers you a lace bonnet, you take it.

As I said before, BSA didn't have the sharpest pencil when they went to the table. IBM made the same mistake with Microsoft and MS-DOS because they thought that there wasn't any money in software.

"Copy write fees are necessary" CopyRIGHT.

" Bisexuality is not homosexuality." homosexual (home-sksh-el, -mo-) adjective Of, relating to, or having a sexual orientation to persons of the same sex. heterosexual (hte-ro-sksh-el) adjective 1. Sexually oriented to persons of the opposite sex. bisexual (b-sksh-el) adjective 3. Of, relating to, or having a sexual orientation to persons of either sex. Your comment is splitting hairs. Practicing bisexuals engage in homosexual acts. Bisexuals are attracted to people of the same sex which is the definition of homosexuality.

Sounds like BSA didn't have the sharpest pencils when negotiating this deal.