fred8033

From my past readings, buying outright is not usually done for non-profits. Assets often outweigh income making a purchase impossible. Rather, a court could transfer assets that are core to a beneficial public good to another similar non-profit. Piece parts or everything could be liquefied to create cash to pay debt / damages. Outright "buys" won't happen. The land and intellectual property of BSA is too valuable for someone to outright buy as a single purchase and the income is too small. Perhaps another non-profit could toss in enough cash to absorb BSA and have the cash used for the lawsuit damages. But it's not really a "buy".

Sounds like time for drastic change or to be pulled into another council that has a functional structure.

I own seven versions, but I've only actively used four versions. I prefer the 11th edition, but then again it might be the case of liking the version when scouting was fresh to me. I don't necessarily see the 12th, 13th and 14th versions as improvements ... but the look shiny.

Are registrars paid by national or council? I thought they were like scout shop staff.

A few random tidbits ... ... I've always said that scouting is good for all youth (used to say boys), but not all youth are good for scouting. I'm not sure if you are in that situation. ... OR do you just need to re-think expectations. Do you really need the youth to show up with book and uniform ? That's the ideal, but you can still have a big positive impact. How about just making sure there's a fire pit, marshmallows, a Frisbee, a football and some good fellowship. Maybe each night you could share a really meaningful SM story with them. ... It's not your job to go down with the ship. It's not your job to fight the good fight to make the troop work. It's not a reflection on you if the scout reach troop doesn't work. ... It IS okay to pick and choose where you invest your time. It is okay to walk away. It is okay to acknowledge that this is not a good match at the current time. .... We have a local SM who I think of as a sort of hero. He's got a unique and challenging troop. Each troop meeting includes a meal as it's probably the only good meal those kids get that day. Parents have as many issues (or more) as the kids. Issue after issue. BUT, he's having a big impact. ... Several miles away is another SM who has a troop where each scout irons their neckerchief. It's a spit and polish troop out of a Normal Rockwell painting. I am impressed with both scoutmasters and I like them both as people too. Now, I'm not sure which troop I'd want my son in, but I definitely know who I'd want as my son's scoutmaster. ... It is also okay to spend a few years away from scouting to find who you are and develop skills outside scouting. When you return to the fold, you will be all the more valuable and enjoy the program even more.

Scouting will continue as long as youth grow from working together in new and challenging situations.

I fully agree. People don't realize how far society has changed in the last 20 years and how different since 1970. Mandatory reporting laws were very minimal until very recently. Everyone hesitated to raise accusations against respected leaders. 1980s was still the era of stranger danger. The nature of abuse was not understood. ... No part of society was setup to handle it. ... Heck, it was 2006/2007 that a local music school realized it was a good idea to put glass windows in music instruction rooms. It took multiple incidents of abuse to drive change.

Some of the best camp outs our troop had were focused around one core activity for the day. The rest of the day was meals and free time.

I'd argue the same can be said of doctors, police, school principals, teachers, coaches, protestant pastors, etc.

We'll have to disagree. No one is defending the indefensible. This is about being realistic and comparing to other similar organizations at the same time. If BSA is to be hit so hard, then perhaps the better answer is to tax every home owner $10,000 and create a fund to payback for all the past occurrences through schools, police, sports, etc and handle this all at once. This was not a single organization. This was a societal issue.

This article explains why I am not as upset with BSA as others. The above cases are from 2019 !!!!!! Two decades after SCHOOL mandatory reporting laws. At least a decade after the nationwide law suits started. Happening with professionals who's job is to teach our kids. One school district had 450 reported in one year. Only 130 of the 450 had completed investigations. 36 resulting in end of employment. 300+ not investigated yet and 100 not substantiated. Imagine looking at those 400 cases 50 years later after most people are gone ... the organization would be liable for damages on something you can't defend and using laws and liability that was not on the books yet. ... but I suspect we can't find paperwork / documentation to trigger the lawsuits as a tracking path was not kept from years ago. BSA was far from perfect ... as were ALL organizations ... but it had a reporting process ... and tried to track people ... and people were often notified that the person should not be re-registered. I'm further betting that many of these cases were not perused by law enforcement at the time. I'm also betting many parents and involved people choose not to pursue. If BSA can't be held up as trying to do it's best ... who can ? If BSA is going to be destroyed by the past being judged by today's standards, all organizations, cities and government groups should be forced into bankruptcy.

I agree in that I think the use of Indian lore teaches our scouts many things in many directions. It also raises awareness of the native american cultures. ... BUT ... when it's used as a weapon against us, it's time to ditch it. We will have lost something special, but we lose far more in perception and membership if we keep it.

Sadly, this is less about right or wrong. It's about avoiding bad marketing and focusing on the value of the program. The reason to keep is more tradition. BSA can do fine with a different style of ceremony and leave the Indian lore behind. For me ... I'm German and Catholic. I get offended by the Packers cultural appropriation of cheese and beer.

Are X people allowed to imitate Y people? Yes, but you need to pick your battles, time and place. Protesters have chosen to make BSA's practices a public issue. IMHO, this is not a battle we want.

There are several local troops that do very meaningful ceremonies. Lights are dimmed. Candles are lit. Words of reflection are spoken. IMHO, that's exactly what an OA ceremony should be. Sadly, the rest is out of place in today's society.

This issue will not go away. Though I don't see the harm and I could easily counter-argue from many directions, it's non-productive. Society has changed. Kids don't watch cowboy and Indian movies anymore. Whole generations are losing connections to our past. ... The key problem is protesters will always be using BSA to prove their point at BSA's expense. .... IMHO ... We can come up with our own ceremonies that are just meaningful without using Indian lore. ... Sadly, our scouts will lose out by being less aware of our countries Indian past, but so be it.

Agreed. I was referring to inside the unit. Inside the unit, the COR should be almost invisible. Almost invisible to the scout. Maybe, the COR takes a seat the at the unit committee meetings, maybe. Outside the unit, yes. The COR "should" be actively representing the unit to the sponsoring or and the council.

That's what I was thinking. If money is recovered, it would go back to the non-profit (or an equivalent non-profit). In a way, it could financially help the NRA. ... Unless this is all a publicity stunt. ... I just can't see the NRA dissolved. This appears like the AG is more concerned about damaging the image than applying law.

I'm not a NRA fan, but the charges seem reasonable, ... BUT ... Dissolving the non-profit (aka NRA)? If the top officers of a non-profit are effectively embezzling funds for their own purpose, then it's right to prosecute. BUT, the original non-profit has been around for almost 148 years. The intention of donors / members is well understood. So, the result of successful prosecution should be the returning of the funds to the non-profit for their original non-profit purpose. Even the idea of returning money? Much of the money has been legitimately spent or won't be recoverable. Every member gets $10 back of their original $45 membership fee? I seem to remember that the intention of the donor (aka member) is to be honored when it's difficult to resolve such complexities. So, if NRA can't be fixed, another 2nd amendment defending non-profit should be funded as honoring the donor intentions. Or, simply replace the top NRA leadership and keep the long-standing non-profit running.

Know that ... You have a right to ask what the concerns are. You have a right to tell the EBOR (district and council) there are certain adults you do not want sitting on your son's EBOR. I have seen a few occasions when adults target specific scouts. In those cases, we have let the district / council advancement chair know there is history and the scout deserves a clean EBOR opportunity. Note that after the council certifies a scout to have an EBOR, it's hard for the EBOR to say no to the scout.

IF AS WRITTEN ... that's justification minimum to never have that adult sit on another EBOR. It's justification from district to either say that EBOR is null and void or to take other action. IMHO, as soon as a volunteer utters those words, they should be removed from the EBOR. Period.

We can disagree. Most CORs won't do anything. The CC and SM should. But parents absolutely have the right to stand up for their kids when their kids are wronged.

Adults often volunteer for positions to get one-up on someone else. It's sad and it's 100% wrong. Unit commissioners have no place injecting themselves into the workings of the troop they are mentoring. I would submit a complaint directly to the council leadership. ... IF IT IS AS YOU REPRESENT ... he should be removed as a commissioner. I'd argue he has the wrong attitude and he went after a scout. It's an indicator he should not be a registered scouter ... but that's up to the council. Send a direct, specific, concise statement (incident and history) and send it to the the council scout executive, director of advancement and the council commissioner.

Beautiful pictures. How were the bugs?

BSA is a great organization. I'm very sad to hear this.