FScouter

Ed - Maypo is good. I always liked Zoom or Dynamite with honey.

How could one possibly be a member of a BSA troop committee without being a member of BSA?

Self-Study is one of the methods of training discussed in the Leadership Committee Training Guide #34169F. There are several pages that talk about the methods and how to make them work sucessfully. To quote the book regarding self-study, "This training method is the least desirable of the three because it has more limitations. It shoud be used only when neither group training nor personal coaching are possible. Such cases are rare." The "Training Kit" (box of stuff) doesn't normally come with the Leadership Committee Training Guide. I consider it my "training bible" and would be lost without it. Well worth the $3.

Any kind of an election is preferable to the Scoutmaster appointing boys to positions.

There is a BSA pamphlet "The Council" #33071D that has a good discussion about how Councils are designed to function. It includes an org chart. Not much about the national structure though.

You could take it to a drycleaner. He has all sorts of secret methods for getting things out of clothes. Well, in the good old days of perclorethylene they could. Around here drycleaners have just about been regulated out of business.

Try lacquer thinner or methyl ethyl ketone. Test first on the shirttail. Or just leave the glue there. When sewed in place, the new patches should cover the glue spots, assuming the previous owner glued the patches in the correct locations.

Scout Executives don't write the budget. Your council program director or activities persons would be involved in preparing the part of the budget that includes COPE. A list of needs and wants is nice, but FOS only goes so far, and if your council is like most it isn't far enough. Budget the income side too. It will hard to say "NO" if you have provided a way to pay for the equipment you want.

I can think of a lot of things of more worldly importance than the manner in which duck livers are "harvested". Thank goodness that there are people in this world that will deal with this issue. It takes a load off the rest of us so we can champion other causes. I like liver. Had a plate of chicken livers once at a small mom & pop cafe outside of La Crosse, Wisconsin. Heaven. Almost worth a plane ticket back there for more. Hog liver is good too. The issue is interesting though. Is there such of demand for duck liver that we have to force feed the beast to get a swollen liver faster? Liver lovers can't wait for the damned thing to grow at the rate God intended? Why the rush?

That hooky thing that hangs off the belt is steel, plated with brass, and lacquered.

You said your council operates on a tight budget. It's not fair to ask for money if the COPE activities have not been planned and budgeted. I'd suggest working up a COPE budget with all of the expenses you need to cover. The other half of your budget is the income side. Budget for money-earning events and course fees such that the income you bring in covers the expenses you've budgeted. Now is not too early in the year to be planning for the 2005 budget.

I'd suggest that the mere presence of a Scout at the funeral shows a tremoundous amount of respect. Any sort of mark of mourning doesn't add any more respect.

Personally, I would prefer a printed manual over a CD version. Printing that stuff on my computer printer would result in a pile of loose papers printed on one side only.

I not sure God cares so much about the details of a Scouts' Own, but rather cares more that you took time out of your busy schedule to rest, reflect, and give thanks. Does anyone remember Hipshot Percussion?

I'd like to see us spend more time figuring out why people in foriegn countries hate Americans, and less time figuring out how to protect ourselves from them.

Is Canada a terrorist target? Do people in other countries hate Canadians? I wonder why not? . . .

Federal agents looking over our shoulders bothers me too. It's part of the price we pay for have terrorists targeting our country, which is the price we pay for people in other countries hating Americans, which is the price we pay for meddling in the affairs of other countries.

Didn't mean to step on Bob. Guess we're on the same "page". I'd just add that a boy prepares for his Scoutmaster conference by completing the other requirements for the rank. There's not much else that he needs to prepare for unless it would be to think about questions he may want to ask, or to suggest ways to make the troop better.

Page 11 of the Boy Scout Handbook explains to the boy what he should expect at a Scoutmaster conference. The advancment chapter in the Scoutmaster Handbook has an in-depth discussion about what should be covered during the Scoutmaster conference and how to approach it. There's a lot of good information there, and nothing at all about testing the boy again.

cliffgolden - There are lots of pictures of imperfectly uniformed Scouts in Boys Life. Maybe in the Handbook too. Ive seen uniform anomalies in the videos used in adult leader training too. So, what statement are you trying to make by pointing this out? What statement are you trying to make by telling us that a survey was done that shows nearly half of troops consider a only shirt to be the uniform? Do you cheat on your taxes because you found a bogus survey that shows nearly half of other taxpayers cheat on their taxes too? The tone of your posts, and the tone of your silly story that started this thread is that of mocking those that wear the uniform correctly, and take pride in doing so. Why do you feel a need to lash out against correct uniforming, and defend improper uniforming practices? If a fellow Scouter pointed out that your fly was open, would you take offense at that? Would you defend the practice of walking around with ones zipper down? Would you publish a survey that shows 45% of Scouts have their fly open? Would you point to a picture in the Boys Life magazine to show that youre not the only one with their zipper down? Maybe instead you could say thanks for pointing that out, and zip it up.

cliffgolden - you make a pretty convincing case for ditching the uniform. Excuse me if I continue to wear it and encourge others to wear it. The subject seems to be a hot button for you. I'd suggest you donate those several field uniforms you have in the closet to an inner city troop where they would be appreciated. "Me thinks thou doth protest too much."

The City left the Boy Scouts no choice but to sue them, said George A. Davidson, attorney at Hughes Hubbard & Reed LLP and Legal Counsel for Boy Scouts of America. The Boy Scouts cannot stand by while their constitutional rights are violated. Boy Scouts are a private voluntary organization, no different than many other nonprofits who lease property from the City on the same terms. http://www.bsalegal.org

The Scoutmaster's Key award requires 3 years tenure as a Scoutmaster. "Acting" doesn't count. The Boy Scout leader's training award requires two years tenure as a registered adult Boy Scout leader, any position or combination of Boy Scout positions.

The Insignia Guide doesn't specifically forbid a Boy Scout from wearing the Webelos badge, but I would guess that in writing the guide, BSA never thought anybody would consider wearing Cub Scout rank insignia after leaving Cub Scouts. If it is OK for a Boy Scout to wear his old Webelos badge on his uniform, it would make sense too that a Boy Scout could wear his Bobcat badge. May as well wear his arrow points too.

cliffgolden - It sure sounds like you are trying to justify NOT wearing the uniform. What is your point in referring us to a survey of 21 troops where the majority don't wear the uniform? What is the purpose of such a survey? Why would any Scouter that supposedly supports the BSA program trivialize one of the eight methods? How does the minimalist approach to uniforming support Scouting and further the program? What is your purpose with this??