Fuzzy Bear

OK, here is the edited version of the 2002 review of this subject: To the best of my knowledge scouts are permitted to use power tools except for those specifically restricted in the Guide to Safe Scouting. Even as Webelos they use woodworking power tools. OGE My Webelos use scroll saws, band saws, power sanders, brad tackers drills and drill presses working on Pinewood Derbies and Craftsman pin projects. Of course it's in an EXTREMELY controlled situation -- one-on-one instruction, close supervision (usually me or another adult who knows what they're doing with my hands holding the Scouts' hands or just inches away) and usually with the Scouts' parents helping. These are all low velocity, low power tools. You would have to totally ignore all safety rules to get hurt on one of these. I wouldn't want a Webelos-aged boy using a table saw, radial arm saw or jointer. Twocubdad You are of course expected to follow the Sweet 16 of Scouting safety as described in the GTSS. especially; qualified adult supervision, operation and safety training, first aid equipment, personal protection equipment, proper work and safety area, discipline etc. BW According to our council office, the boy whose project is being done can use a power tool (within reason) after being properly instructed in its operation. He may then instruct other boys in the use of the tool and supervise their operation of it. This probably goes to the leadership part of the project. Not all power tools are allowed of course, I was checking on the specific use of a jackhammer at a recent project and was informed (by council) that this type of equipment should only be used by those 18 and older. Jark With boys you have to be sure that they have the physical strength and weight to control any machine you may consider letting them use. Almost anybody can handle a power drill, and the potential for injury and damage are relatively slight. A rotary saw is another matter however. Eisley How does one get hurt with a jackhammer? 1. Permanent, irreversible hearing loss. 2. Raynaud's Syndrome (vibration "white finger" disease) 3. Injuries from handling high pressure air hoses 4. Foot injuries (are you going to buy everyone a pair of $100 steel-toe boots for use on the "project") 5. Eye injuries from flying debris 6. Back injuries because young scouts are not "conditioned" for heavy labor- scoutldr Insurance, BSA Youth accident insurance is very simple in coverage. A scout receives the benefits of the policy if he is injured during activities that he is participating in as a scout. There are no exceptions based on the appropriateness of the activity, that is the responsibility of the adults who are leading the activity. If the activity is not monitored and managed in accordance with the policies and procedures as published by the BSA then the adult will lose the protection of the BSA liability protection and be exposed to possible losses through civil suits leveled by the families of the injured parties or by the scouting organization. BW Someone might also want to post the Sweet Sixteen of Scouting Safety. FB

The difference between unit count and individual membership count within a unit is that real growth can only be determined by the number of overall units in a District. Few individual units will sustain growth, moreover, will continually fluctuate. Several reasons are given for this cyclical pattern of loss and gain. We continually discuss these things in this Forum, such as: leaders cycle out, training cycles, boys move up and/or out, programs cycle, money cycles, resources cycle, Commissioner Service is always poor, etc. I believe that charting past growth cycles like this is an after the fact approach that sustains and creates these patterns. I would term it a type of false science that uses the easiest answer to fix a complex problem. When dealing with people in a more controlled situation like Las Vegas, it works really well. They control as many atmospheric variables as possible to enhance a game that is already 51% in their favor, so easier answers can readily increase their take. Las Vegas is really only a desert where a fortune was and is being made from controlling the greed of others. If only Scouting were as easy, then we might all be going to Summer Camp from now on. I have shared my answers on this subject elsewhere. FB

My life is a-changing, a new person is arising. FB

Few of us live in states with a 1,000 lakes.

For several years, I taught students, ages 13-17, basic woodworking and tool use. Safety, basic First Aid and Good Shop behaviors were taught, practiced, and enforced. We had one minor accident involving a wrong behavior that caused the problem. (Accidents are caused, they never just happen.) I wouldn't give a group of Scouts five minutes of instruction and turn them loose with POWER tools, a bad idea. FB

ding

Ask-10 more McDonald's gives coupons for fries or burgers. Sonic gives coupons for free drinks. Chick-fa-la gives coupons for sandwiches. One Hotel gave coupons for one night for each staff person. One local Backpacking store gave rope, several kiinds and lengths. A Dollar Store gave balloons. A Department Store gave plastic stop-watches. Another Dollar Store gave squirt guns. A local hospital gave us clean bed sheets that we ripped up and used. Walmart gave us cups and food. (50 businesses in all) FB

I spent a few summers as Camp Staff and then as Camp Director. We worked all day and then we had meetings and jobs at night. Our Swim guys usually cleaned the pool and had a splashfest at the end of most long days. I know because I went in with them. We almost always had extra food hidden throughout the Staff area that was shared. It didnt matter what we were given, we had enough. Usually somebody felt sorry for us and brought us more or took us into town for a movie where we bought a bunch of goo. Going to sleep was a problem because of the unscheduled activities, talks, and music. As Camp Director, I snuck off for a 30 minute nap in the afternoon. I was quickly found out and put right back to work by the Wasskley Wanger. Everyone was expected to carry his share and somebody elses and then we had some fun. FB

Lisabobs learning about the NO word is not lost on about every person that has this way come before. Most of us are more of afraid of not being asked again than accepting and failing due to stealing time away from God, family or self. Saying NO means, leave me alone until I have time and then you will get quality. But some that need to fill in a blank and are not concerned with ones abilities or lifes little priorities; they will get what they asked for. I agree with baden about UCs being found like eagles soaring high alone among the mountain tops rather than buzzards huddled around the carcass. One point about sales, persistence will get a 10% return on effort given but ability will get 50%. An individual that has people skills will literally draw them in from their heights. I usually settle for ability. FB

Interestingly, our District has a similar problem. I asked the last DC to have a meeting and ask the same question of the few U.C.s we have. We had two meetings with Round-the-table Brain Storming to come up with a list of people and or organizations that could be tapped for volunteers. We came up with a list of about thirty groups that might have prospects. Then the DC quit because he was also a SM with several other Scouting hats and his daytime job changed. The DE then recruited a man with no experience but allot of drive. The new DC started the recharter process. He began calling and running to meetings and all but two units were recharted. Since we have a large geographical area and allot of units, it was a great accomplishment. He proved himself to be a hard worker. He turned next to recruiting Unit leaders from Roundtable or Camporees but without much success. (*This action is not recommended for obvious reasons.) The first DC is compared to a man in charge of a ditch digging company and several other companies but cannot dig a ditch because he has too many other things to do, so the ditch doesnt get dug. The second DC is also in charge of the same ditch company because he can dig a pretty good ditch but is not a very good people person. What he doesnt have is the ability to hire and inspire good ditch diggers to dig the ditches. So to be successful at being a DC, find someone that is a people person. If the DC is not a people person, then find two good people person types and make them your ADCs. The job is to get others to do the work not do it yourself. Scouting has work to be done so it can only be fun when you are not the only one. FB

Quality program is essential for a Pack of any size. If I could visit one Pack meeting and one Den meeting and take a couple of rolls of film with the parent's permission, of course, you would see a reflection of what I mean. We just completed our Day Camp. One young burr headed Wolf told me that he never smiled. After just a few minutes, I walked up to him and asked him what had happened to his face. I didn't get a verbal reply. FB

I agree that there are those that live together that may desire to split everything equally once they separate. Forty other states have reasoned that equality is a legal action ands that a legal union allows for those rights. That is the basis for practical law. The problem with Common Law marriage is that it lacks a higher mental competence standard. Simply acknowledging what a person is doing is not enough. A person wanting to get married needs to understand the consequences of their actions. A person of 7, 12 or 15 lacks essential life experiences to make a practical decision about marriage. Granted, legal unions do not stipulate a higher undertanding but it does have some protection for those involved. FB

It is a Board of Review not an exam. The Troop Committee needs the exam after the training, of course. As for the malice, once the Troop Committee understands their job duties, a course alteration will be in order, so I would suggest leaving that part alone. It may be evident but proving it will be difficult. FB

gwd, If you are asking if these circumstances are prevalent in this forum, the answer is yes. If you are asking if it happens on a regular basis in most districts, the answer is no. Nothing would ever get done. Something will happen and probably has in your district but it has escaped your attention. People are very good most of the time. FB

Ten ways to get people out for the District Dinner. 1. Each person must bring two others with them. (45 + 45 + 45) 2. Have a hero speak. 3. Get a real chef to cook part of the dinner, such as the dessert. 4. Invite several Scout units to stage stationary demonstrations. 5. Have the dinner outside around a campfire. 6. Have all of the SPL's plan and execute the event. 7. Invite the press. Make sure that plenty of pictures are taken. 8. Give all program Chairs for that year fancy do-dads. 9. Give Wal-mart gas credit cards with $10.00 as door prizes. 10. Get everything donated so the tickets are free. FB

Many important areas of law are governed primarily by common law. In almost all areas of the law, statutes may give only terse statements of general principle, but the fine boundaries and definitions exist only in the common law. To find out what the law is, one has to locate precedent decisions on the topic and reason from those decisions by analogy. Prior to 1545 most marriages were by Common Law but the Catholic Church decided that Church weddings were needed. By 1992, Protestant and Eastern Orthodox Churches abolished Common Law marriages. Historically, in Common Law marriage people could be married as early as 7. The age of parental consent was 12 for females and 14 for males but these marriages were easily voided even though Common Law marriages were/are legally binidng and are still acceptable under exceptional circumstances. In Colorado: The practice of Common Law marriage was based on a lack of qualified personnel to perform marriages and the lack of transportation to qualified personnel. So, couples themselves solemnized their own marriage (meaning, perform one's own marriage ceremony). The man and the woman must be legally competent (capable) and agree to a marriage relationship. The specific test for competence, as determined in Dusky vs United States, is whether the accused "has sufficient present ability to consult with his lawyer with a reasonable degree of rational understandingand whether he has a rational as well as factual understanding of the proceedings against him." The standard Colorado courts have outlined that a common law marriage which requires that the couple: 1. Cohabitate continuously or there is a consummation of the marriage. The length of time of the cohabitation is not considered. 2. Mutually agree to be married, which is the intent to freely become married 3. Openly hold themselves out to the public as married, which is a public declaration. Here is a non-exclusive list of factors Colorado divorce courts look at when determining whether a common law marriage exists: 1. Whether the couple refers to themselves as married to third parties, 2. Filing joint federal or state tax returns, registration as husband and wife on applications, leases, contract forms and hotel and motel registers. 3. Listing the other party as a spouse on insurance forms or retirement plans, 4. Joint finances, such as bank accounts, or owning property, and 5. The woman taking the man's surname. There is no official Certificate of Common Law Marriage. If the parties to a common law marriage need documentary proof, they may complete and sign, in front of a notary, an affidavit attesting to the marriage. It may be placed on file with the Office of the Clerk and Recorder, most likely in the county of residence. A Common Law marriage cannot be terminated except by court dissolution (divorce) or death. Since the basic precept for Common Law marriage no longer exists, meaning that there is no lack of qualified personnel and transportation is no longer a problem, then this issue should be a moot point but the law remains. Forty other States have dismissed Common Law marriage but Colorado continues to strive to make an outdated law work, so we should ask the obvious question; what reason(s) is/are left? Is it tradition, Case Law, or inextricable business relationships connected to that Law? Several judges are attempting to further refine the law but using what appears to be little more than 16th Century standards. They have accepted the premise that a person of 12 can understand that they are getting married so the judges must believe that that is enough. Throughout the world today 51 million women between the ages of 15-19 are married. Marriages for children, ages 10 to 14, are generally not counted because the majority of countries have laws against these unions even though they exist and the numbers are high. It is understood that sexual activity and pregnancy is the only goal of these early marriages and that the outcomes generally are a loss of economic opportunities, education, health, and friendships. In other words, young people are not mentally prepared to undertake the social, educational and business opportunities that lead to a successful life at an early age. So, it is a practical consideration to set the age of consent at age 18 today. The reasoning that the rest of the world is using by abolishing the early age standards is merely to help their economies and to help people pursue happiness in a practical way. Knowing more than a superficial knowledge about marriage is now more than ever essential for a successful marriage to work. But this still does not answer the question as to what the Colorado judges are doing. They may feel that their job is to clarify and interpret law and not to make law which is noble but to do so no matter what problems are created by their actions is shortsighted at best. But then, if there are problems, the legislature can improve the laws or people that backed the legislature can lobby for a change but that doesnt appear to be the case either. FB (This message has been edited by Fuzzy Bear)(This message has been edited by Fuzzy Bear)

I believe that Churches do many good works. I believe that Bill Gates has done more good works than many Churches. I believe that the United States Government has done more good works than Bill Gates. I believe that good works are not measured in amounts but by an individuals heart. So, one individual may do more than all of the above. The making of laws generally follow principles that people agree on. Bad laws are made without support and are easily reversed since there is little agreement. Bad laws can only be supported by the business end of a gun. But lets argue that someone made a law without support and did so simply for fun. This doesnt seem like a joke so fun must be out. Lets argue that someone made a law as a trial balloon, which might be plausible but unlikely because of the work it takes to pass a law. So, it might be argued that marriage at 12 or at most any age would be a law most Churches would uphold because Churches believe in marriage. Where else would it find support? Has someone made a law that has no support and has democracy failed us? Who else would support it? There are many in Churches today that support pro-life or reversing the Roe decision. The climate and the pieces are in place to bring it down. When, not if, the reversal happens things will revert to what had gone on before in the 50's. Women either had their children as they still do today or they aborted them not as they do today. There were many legal miscarriages with a friendly doctor or back alley abortions or they flew their daughters to Mexico to have an abortion. Many of these were good Christian people, sadly several that I knew personally. Simply put, history will repeat itself and when it does the new law will also be defeated as it was before because law must have support or it will be a hollow law. Because of this historical repetition, I fail to find any humor or practicality to any of it. What I do believe is that laws cannot make a person religious and laws cannot make a nation religious. It is the individual and the persons heart that makes a person religious and when enough individuals in a nation are religious, then that nation belongs to God. I personally am against abortion but I do not believe any law will ever help. I support people giving effective help to all Mothers and all of their children. This means every person regardless of race or religion. This means long term and not until someone passes another law. We are a rich nation. Let's put our money where our hearts are but then maybe we already have. FB

Barry, Legislating religious moralism without considering the consequences is nonsensical. Returning to failed policies without a vision is irresponsible and should be considered neither religious nor moral. FB

"If your Cub Scout Pack discovers questionable conduct on the part of someone who has applied for a leadership position, report the finding to the Scout Executive so that the individual can be prevented from becoming involved in other Scouting activities." Cub Scout Leader Book, 2005 printing, Youth Protection page 27-4 BSA Youth Protection Policies, 3rd paragraph. Youth Protection is the responsibility of each Leader, parent and Scout in the Pack. Following the Youth Protection policies help to prevent abuse and protects the leaders from false allegations. FB

Being a good citizen, having character and being fit is knowing your stuff and being able to apply it when it is needed. FB

Your experience lends credence but people are more interested in their own stories than yours, so don't put too much faith in them. Your attitude and your love of Scouting is foremost not age. Being of willing assistance and being a friend is vital. Since answers change with time, your current training will shine. FB

No matter what happened, the individual will be red flagged by National when he signs an application and a background check is completed. Once this happens, he will be banned. Some will then make up their own truth and will wonder why something wasn't done earlier by a lax CC and others will be angry because they know the truth and wonder why National/Region/Council is so harsh. It is a no win situation for everyone involved and it will not stop with just a few. Before he goes any further, he needs to clear his past record since by his own admission, he is not a threat. FB

Congratulations to a guy that made his money in ice cream, which I have yet to try. He has three sons that are Eagles and knows that kids have a difficult time of it today, which means he has insider knowledge about the problems, such as drugs. He knows the number of vocational/academic type MB's and that Scouts live in the city and outback. He is familiar with gods and rock gods. He figures that bringing in the Hispanic population would increase overall numbers, which he would like to double to 10 million. He knows the mission and believes it to be the original. He has a vision to inspire and motivate the 1.2 million volunteers. He wants Scouting to be relevant and fun for kids like it was 20 years ago, which by my estimate was in 1986 and not during the Urban debacle of the '70's. He knows that parents and not kids bring issues to court. For him, it appears the bowl is much more than half full, in spite of the 3-G's. He most likely isn't getting a multi-million deal with the billion dollar trimmings at the end. So, we now have a leader with a goal and an idea on how to get there. He has described the mountain, so lets see the climb. FB

Hunt, Once Churches get into the business of deciding policy for everyone else, then with that decision comes the inevitable responsibilities that follow, which will almost surely become "bad laws". The anti-abortion issue is complex, more demanding than just making people deliver babies. One option is for a Mother to give her baby away which was one of the four options that Mothers had prior to legal abortion. Marriage at age 12 is directly connected to those kinds of options because laws are generally sequential, reason is mostly differed. Prior to legal abortion, most Churches declined their responsibilities, thus opening the door to Alley abortions or simply fleeing to Mexico for an Especial. This return to a nightmare is just beginning. SL, Money should always come first and foremost from those who support the laws. It is only reasonable that Churches would put their money where their mouths have been for the last few years on the anti-abortion issue. I sincerely hope they have looked beyond the government doing their job for them, which is also the Republican way of doing things. Since everything is connected, it just doesn't stop with a law and if it does, then we have other problems much more contentious and difficult. FB

"I am pro-life as long as they can pay their own way." At age 12? At age 13? Most 18 year olds with high school diplomas have a difficult time paying their own way. The world is more complex and making a living cannot be done with a minimum wage entry level job, which is another term for poverty. I suggest that abortion be outlawed and when a baby is born that both sets of grandparents be held legally responsible for the health and welfare of the newborn until their own children reach age 18 and have completed post high school training, which the grandparents pay for also. In the case that the grandparents fail to pay, then any Church that is within driving distance will pay for all of the bills that the grandparents do not or cannot pay. This law is a reasonable trade-off, one that fits the crime. FB