Fat Old Guy

"A good leader will never follow. " A good leader often follows. He assigns tasks based on the strenghts of his followers and then, if needed, takes direction from that person. Kowalski, you're our best shot. I need you to get that sniper. Okay, L.T.. I'd like to take Ruggio with me as a spotter. Ruggio! You're with Kowalski. Here the Lt. gave Kowalski a task and then accepted his suggestions. Leadership and followership together. Now Ruggio goes off with Kowalski and follows his direction but in turn offers leadership by telling Kowalski what he sees and how he needs to adjust his fire. Again, leadership and followership together.

Acco, While that may make sense, it isn't the letter of the law. If it was the rule, it would really mess up Dens where the leader and assistant were married.

OGE, Patton, MacArthur, et al had to have been good followers or they wouldn't have been around for as long as they have. All you know of are Pattons exploits as a General. What was his behavior like as a 2nd Lt? Those at the top usually are give much more latitude than those at the bottom. As for Custer's uniforms, back in 19th Century, officers' uniforms were usually anything but uniform.

I'm willing to admit to at least 15 or 20 but which ones I won't say.

"there are girls in American Boy Scouting now. Get used to it!" There have been girls in BSA for nearly thirty years but none in Boy Scouting.

If it were me, I'd wear every bit of stuff that I have to show respect for the deceased. Just as Marine Honor Guards don't wear utilities for funerals, you should wear your finery. BTY, the verb is "passed."

The Jamacian Moose

" One fact we were taught was all adult offenders were juvenile offenders but not all juvenile offenders become adult offenders" Sorry, I don't buy that. I know a fellow, an Eagle Scout, who never did a thing wrong until he was 25 when he nearly went to jail for fraud.

Our Wait, I think saying "Our" is okay. Our, Troop has an Eagle Advisor and although I haven't had to deal with the fellow, it looks like his primary function is to review proposals and help the Scout polish them (you wouldn't believe the horrible writing that I see coming from these Scouts). He also acts as a sounding board for project ideas, "What do you think of this . . .?" "Nah, no leadership involved in cleaning your room."

It is apparent that Bob White's entire experience with leadership and followership comes from watching "Apocolypse Now." A leader worries about the welfare of his followers and puts their welfare before his own. A leader takes the blame for the failures of his unit and gives credit for success to his followers. A leader knows the strengths of his followers and uses them where they will best help the unit. A leader encourages his followers to succeed.

"I think the coed Venturing program is a unique oppertunity." Of course you do. In case you haven't noticed, you are a girl.

My troop The troop that I joyously serve used to pay the fee for all the adults until someone pointed out that many of the registered adults were never seen at anything. The decision was made to only pay for the SM. Personally, I find it a bit galling to have to pay anything. First they come to you and give you the big lie about 1 hour a week then you are expected to buy an overpriced uniform that fits poorly all followed by the ultimate indignity that you have to pay for the honor of doing all of this. Sure, it's only $10 a year and I do spend more than that on coffee in a week but its the principle. No, it really is.

"A man from Mars wants to know the membership of the BSA." Everyone know that the man from Mars doesn't care about BSA because He has a gun and he shoots you dead and he eats your head and then you're in the man from Mars, You go out at night, eatin' cars. You eat Cadillacs, Lincolns too, Mercurys and Subarus.

There's really only one reason to have or not have girls involved and that is because the members want it that way. I don't know why our society is so intent on thrusting women into every thing that men or boys do. Women go to court to get into men's clubs but I have yet to see a man suing to get into a women's club. Okay, the parents of a boy did sue Campfire to get him admitted but that was 30 years ago. I don't know if I would have wanted to go camping with girls when I was 14. At 18, I know that I wouldn't have wanted it: wake up in the morning with bed hair and nasty breath and then have to face a GIRL. Argh! I know of an all girl crew in my area and I never hear anyone saying, "You should have guys in your crew." They opted to not recruit guys and that's that. Looking back at my church youth group which was co-ed, it was a miniature soap opera.

Plain and simple, it is the number on the charter when you take the snapshot. That's how many dues paying members there are. Whether they are involved with Scouting doesn't really matter. Next year, they won't be on the charter. If you start fussing about are they in or are they out, you'll go insane. We had a Scout who joined, paid his money, and then announced that he was quitting because he didn't like camping, hiking, or being outside. Last month he found out that he was still a member so he showed up for a couple activities and then vanished again. Is he a member? Yes.

Yep. Just look at the mounties, their dents are in the wrong places.

"Actually, if the most important thing in a young man's life is membership in the BSA, I'd be a little worried about him!" Why? Do you worry about the youth whose most important thing is the varsity basketball team?

It's pretty easy to tell upside down from right side up. There's two "loops", one on top and on underneath. The one on top points to the wearer's right side.

"Rather than ensuring your boys have created a planned program" There will always be "down time." It is reported that even during the Battle of the Alamo, some of the younger defenders found time to get in a quick game of Donkey Kong.

" One year an Austin character came to wave and salute the boys as they marched by: wearing high heels and mini skirt. " The skirt surprises me but I thought that all Texans wore high heels.

yes. The rectangular one is only for boys who were in the old Tiger Cub program and they are quickly disappearing.

"So your scouts pitch a tent on Friday night and play games the rest of the trip? Guess we won't be joining your troop." That's good because it would be an insane commute.

"I've been thought to be to emotional, cause I cry" Heck, I cry when I read Captain America, when I watch The Sands of Iwo Jima, when I read about heroic Scouts and when I hear that another soldier died in that Hellhole called Iraq.

"I must have missed poker 101. As a Scouting activity." What's the difference between a card game with pictures of Japanese monsters on the cards and a card game with numbers on the cards?

" If you keep them busy" I didn't realize that it was my job to keep them busy. I must have missed that day of Scoutmaster School.