FScouter

Yes, but you know what you're doing.

Ahhh... Maybe we need to make a distinction between "good Scouting" and that which we wanna do.

The rules that get in the way most are the ones we make up.

Damn animals. We set aside a perfectly good reservation for them. Why can't they stay there and leave us alone?

Training may seem useless, particularly if the training staff deletes important parts, like the recruiting role play segment.

Gee, I hope our OA callout isn't the same day.

And Memorial Day is to promote war. Well, we're good at that one.

"Belt. Olive web ... or official leather with international-style buckle or buckle of your choice, worn only if voted by the troop." - current uniform inspection sheet

Infested? That's what we get for "managing" the wolf and mountain lion.

Must be hush, hush, on the QT you know.

Oh, I get it now. We're doing a Cleese parody. Ha ha!

At the risk of starting another heated discussion, the Margaret affair has been overblown. If we were merely a Q&A forum, she'd have gotten a simple answer to her query about how to wear two badges. The answer is "NO, thank you for asking, next question please. But we're a discussion forum, and the resulting plethora of comments led to spun topics of den chief uniform accoutrements and multiple positions of responsibility. Comments are good. Any hurt feelings I think came from not understanding the discussion nature of these forums. Discussions cant get heated until each of the participating parties is hot. If ones manner of dressing doesnt rate high on ones list of important items, theres nothing to get hot about.

"... we are only ever as good as our last meeting and working toward ensuring that each and every meeting is time well spent, will make Scouts not want to miss meetings or events." That says it all. When a boy chooses to miss a meeting or skip a campout, he's thinking about how bored he was at the last meeting and last campout. That's when "other activities" begin to look better. A savvy SM won't blame the school band, little league, debate team, church group, or fumes. Rather, the excitement of the next troop activity has dropped below the excitement of band practice.

It's an interesting quote regardless of who said it. But I seriously doubt putting it in a brochure is going to entice any boy to join, particularly if he thinks there is some kind of "purpose". You may as well tell the kid we're going to improve his moral character.

"This is another National attempt to baffle the unknowing." It's a non-issue. One must wonder the purpose in starting such a topic. Surely it was not to get an answer.

"Using the uniform to raise money where National, be it via the Council or the District, does not get a direct cut has always been restricted." That's an interesting view. The uniform restrictions I've read about always relate to connecting the product, service, or activity to BSA. Whether BSA gets any money is completely irrelevant.

"I hunted through and couldn't find anything. Do you have a specific reference?" That's the point. Double-up positions is not BSA supported. They can't help much with home-brew. Observing the troop I serve over the years, rarely have I had a boy that fully and completely did the best possible job with the one position he had, thus I counsel ways to improve - not tack on another position. I have had boys want to take on another position mid-term. Invariably they found their current position not to their liking and wanted something different. Hence Fred's scenario.

The "failure" to which I was referred was that of the SM being unable inspire and guide the dual-positioned boy to adequately fulfill the expections of two jobs. (be successful?) Absolutely give the boy a chance at a position, but why is is important to give him two chances simultaneously?

The best way to avoid having the next-door neighors call the cops when you have a loud party is to invite. Next time give the guy a part in the movie.

If I was that SM I'd go back to the SM Handbook and read up on double positions so as to avoid failure next time.

Herms' post about parallels would fit in nicely with the other threads about how best to prepare Webelos to transition to Boy Scouts. Just do the Webelos program.

Expanding on ScoutNuts post, item number 6 on the back side of the money-earning event application Q&A reads in its entirety: If a commercial product is to be sold, will the fund-raising activity comply with BSA policy on wearing the uniform? The official uniform is intended to be worn primarily for use in connection with Scouting activities. However, council executive boards may approve use of the uniform for any fund-raising activity." Thus the uniform restriction relates only to product sales, unless the council has approved otherwise.

"I disagree with the policy that you can only wear uniforms when raising funds for the council and not your troop." That's not a policy. Though I could be wrong and will eat crow if someone points out the error.

The lack of a definitive "APPROVED" does not equate to definitive "NOT APPROVED". There simply is no approval, which is what I meant. BSA is silent on the issue. There is no quidance as to how to when a boy might hold two positions, or when it would be best hold only one. There is no rule or prohibition. There is no accomodation for two badges of office on the uniform. As Barry and others related, there may be some individual boys that are capable of successfully fulfilling the duties of two positions. But just because a few boys may have the capability does not mean they SHOULD. I'd like to hear from anyone how a boy holding two positions is BETTER for the boy, or BETTER for the troop, or BETTER in any way than one boy-one position. Are there so few boys in a troop that we must double up on positions? Are we best serving the boys with no position by encouraging other boys to hold two? If we are to help boys learn leadership and learn of their capabilities, how do we do that by letting one boy have two positions and another boy have none? I suspect that if there were positive reasons for multiple positions, BSA would devote some space for a discussion about it in the publications. The lack of any encourgement is not meaningless.

It never "changed" ed. The character of a matter does not change when one discovers the truth. Rather, one becomes enlighted.