GernBlansten

Brent, you must have some extra words in your pocket, because you keep putting them in my mouth. I didn't write, "cure in two years" I said it will take at least two MORE years. If it takes 20 years to get the cure, it will take 22 because of Bush. That is of course if the nation corrects course and elects a more reasonable president. Will a cure happen? I don't know, I hope it does. Not pursuing it is irresponsible. Standing in its way is reprehensible. And I don't hate Bush. I'm disappointed in him. I think we could have done better. But hate? No. Is criticizing the policies of our elected government hate? I'll leave hate to the professional judgmental religious fundamentalists. They seem very good at it. One question for you Brent, are you ok with the current practices of in-vitro fertilization? Specifically, the treatment of the unused embryos. Follow up question, if not, what do you propose we do?

Missle defense, the Apollo moon landings, the atomic bomb, the war on terror all entailed federal expeditures on an unknown outcome. Missle defense has never delivered what it promised. The war on terror looks like it will never be won. Iraq may not stabilize for 20 years. If stem cell research takes 5 years or 50 years, isn't it worth investigating? I have no doubt that other nations will develop and refine stem cell treatments. The US is being left behind and won't reap the finacial rewards from such treatment. Bush obstructed our efforts for religious reasons and flawed logic. If our next president continues with such an attitude, our hope will have to come from overseas. If the next president reverses direction, we have to only wait two additional years for the cure. Brent, you will never convince me that the president did the right thing vetoing the funding. Most Americans agree with me. I believe that this issue played a large part in some the 2006 elections. But I will be reminded in what you said, "Bush was for stem cell research before he was against it".

The problem with leaving a note when I'm on my solo walkabouts, is I don't know where I will end up. My wife knows I'm out, because I've taken the dogs. But the path I take is determined not before hand, but at the instant I reach the crossroads. Take my walkabout today for example. I started on a favorite path for a few miles. Then I decided to explore a drainage that I've never been down. Fall has taken all the leaves off the scrub oak and made the bushwhacking easier. Pretty interesting. Came across the scattered remains of a large deer, taken by a mountain lion a few weeks ago, best I could determine. Couldn't find the skull or antlers though. Too bad, I'm just a few antlers short of a full chandelier. So how would I word my note? Honey, I'm going on my daily hike, I don't know when I will return, I don't know where I'll end up. If not back by dinner, marry someone better than me. Heck, I could just laminate one and leave it on the counter every day. Solo hiking is like riding a motorcycle, skydiving or hunting with the vice president. You are exposing yourself to risk and stress that you could easily avoid. For some, the rewards are great. For others, it just isn't worth it. I only recommend it to those who understand the risks and accept the responsibility. Never for youths. I've thought lots about that dude who hacked off his own arm. I've hiked in the Canyonlands where he did it. That area is so vast and so undeveloped, there is doubt that a note would have changed his situation. He gambled and lost. Or perhaps he won.

Gonzo: If this is in fact the case, all of you / us should contact in writing, by phone and fax our congressman and both senators and encourage them to write and present legislation accordingly. We did so Nov 8th.

AnEagle, I must confess that I have a bit of a secret that will drive some of those on this board nuts. Don't tell our SPL ;-) I often hike alone, with nothing but my two dogs and a water bottle. Ok, I do wear clothes. I've been an avid hiker for the better part of 35 years. I live on the edge of the national forest and have a trail that leads right from my door into the wilds. That's why I bought the place 17 years ago. When I venture alone, I don't take a cell phone, gps or even leave a note. Its part of the adventure. Me against the wild, or better, in communion with the wild. If I break a leg or get lost, its just me and the dogs. I'll figure it out, or die doing something I love. Have bad things happened? Sure. I slid down the side of mountain bouncing off trees and rocks. Beat me up pretty good. Took me much longer to get home that day. One of my favorite trips. Some would call it irresponsible, I would agree. I wouldn't have it any other way. I also wouldn't recommend it to anyone else. Its a personal choice. Now, when I hike with other peoples children, things change. I carry a first aid kit, cell, food, extra water, map and compass, leave a note. Can't be too careful. Always be prepared. I make the kids follow the buddy system.

Gonzo, You are in favor of the US spending (federal) in excess of $300 billion (and much more to come) on saving American lives by attacking Iraq. Yet you reject spending any federal money on promising research that will possibly save trillions in health care costs and millions of American lives? And about medical ethics, shouldn't the conservative stance be to allow the medical professionals define and police their own ethics, not the government?

Here's a test to see how you view whether frozen embryos are human beings. You are walking down the street and see an In vitro Fertilization Clinic on fire. You rush through the door. In one room is a freezer labeled with 20,000 embryos. In the other room is a crying baby in a crib. You have only seconds and can only save either the freezer or the baby. Which one do you choose? Your case for torture is flawed, it doesn't hold water (no pun intended), it won't save lives. Information gained from torture is unreliable. Put yourself in the position of the one being tortured, would you say anything the torturer wanted to hear to stop the treatment? Of course you would. Torture is not used to gain information, it is used to punish.

As you may have sensed, the current administrations stance on Stem Cell Research funding is a raw nerve with me. Gonzo, Barry and Brent: Please tell me why you draw the line at using embryos for research, but do nothing to stop the destruction of thousands of unused embryos that happen every single day? Why did Bush bring babies, adopted from in vitro fertilization clinics, onto the stage when he vetoed the legislation? Why didn't he immediately propose the elimination of in vitro fertilization clinics who don't place every single embryo they produce? Do you see the disconnect? Trev said it best. Its OK, in fact great, to spend billions of FEDERAL dollars to devise and execute new ways to kill people, but it is immoral to spend it on saving the lives of Americans, including my son. Go figure.

Depends, but there are some universal ideas to follow. #1, follow Leave No Trace (www.lnt.org), lots of good practices to preserve the environment for your next hike. #2, If traveling with youth, G2SS has some good practices you must follow to be in compliance with BSA. #3, don't rely on technology. Its nice to have, but cell phones rarely work in the woods around my area. Bring a map and compass, stay on well defined established trails until you are comfortable reading them. #4, until you are confident with your conditioning and skills, keep your hikes to popular areas. Remote, isolated areas are great, but don't expect to get help if you get in trouble. #5, Tell someone (who is not going with you) where you are going and when you are expected back. Leave a note on your dashboard your itiniary. Set a time when they should start a rescue if you don't return. #6, the best safety device you can take is a whistle. Everyone should have one.

To watch our president turn his back on his own people while spending billions monthly on another nation in the name of social conservatism is the primary reason I think he has lost his moral compass. Perhaps the new congress will help him find his way.

Thanks Brent. I'll take solace in that arguement whilst watching the effects of diabetes destroy my son.

I'm a climber from back during the Carter administration. We used a figure 8 device for belaying and rappelling exclusively. Very simple, fast enough to take slack. Could stop an elephant with little more than two fingers and a thumb. No mechanical parts to fail. Any device that has moving parts seems to me to be asking for problems. Of course we also turned away from those fancy spring loaded cams for protection too (Friends came out in the early 80s). Guess I'm just old school. Perhaps I need to step into the 21st Century!

You forgot killing federal stem cell research funding. That was a big win for social conservatives! Unfortunately, it also alienated the majority of Americans. They also promoted but didn't fund the Faith Based Initiatives.

Denver Area Council requires temps to dip below zero overnight for the PolarBear. I've heard Texas requires it below freezing. (One of our ASMs was a scout in Texas and the rule was the scoutmaster put his coffee cup out with water in it overnight, if there was ice, you got your Polarbear.) For us Colorado campers, keeping our water from freezing is just part of camping. Earned mine last winter at our Klondoree. 8 below zero but some read 11 below. Three years ago, our Klondoree got down to 22 below.

Why does it matter? Do you feel you need to specialize your prayers to serve each scout/religion? Do you feel you need to proselytize to non-Christians? Do you feel that your scout troop needs be sectarian? How does your CO feel about it? Our CO is a Methodist Church, only 1 of our scouts belongs to that church. If your CO was an LDS Church, however, I expect them to wish you to promote the LDS faith. Different approachs to scouting. Seems you are walking a fine line that doesn't need to be walked. Keep your prayers non-sectarian, fulfill your role with an open mind and heart.

Sanders is a socialist. No kidding. That's his own declaration. Assured he will vote with the dems and will caucus with them. He did so as a congressman. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bernie_Sanders "He is one of very few self-described democratic socialists elected to federal office in the United States in recent times; he is also the first socialist to serve in the U.S. Senate." Lieberman already said he will caucus with the dems. In fact, I expect him to be brought back into the party and his seniority honored with a nice committee position. They will kiss and make up. Remember, it wasn't the DNC that rejected him, it was his constituents in the primary. The party had no choice but to run Lamont. Had Lamont not been self financed, he wouldn't have won the primary. Dems have the majority in the Senate and will control all committees and rules. Payback can be a !#$!#@

Brent, ZERO incumbent democrats (liberal and moderate) lost their seat. All dem gains were from ousting an incumbent republican or an open seat (there were four open seats due to republican corruption). All republican wins were either by incumbents or open seats. That says more than anything. This election was a rejection of republican rule, values and ethics by the American voters. Even Rush Limbaugh has turned his shoulder on the party. BTW, I'm not a liberal but a paleo(Goldwater)conservative who is grateful that the republicans got a message that they no longer represent me. I hope they do something about it.

BadenP, Its not the water, its the koolaid.

Looks like GHWB is finally able to give some advice to his son. I'm glad he's taking it. Too bad it took 6 years and an election to make it happen.

Gonzo, if that's all we are doing to them, why make it illegal for them to talk about it after we do it?

Ed, I couldn't disagree with you more. Ok maybe I could ;-). You must vote party, especially in congress. Majority party sets the agenda. Majority party decides what legislation moves ahead, and what dies in committee. Your individual congressman must follow party or get sidelined with little power. So voting for the best candidate is not effective. Your candidate might claim to be a crusader, but in reality, party will override. You must decide which party represents your values and hold your nose and vote for that person. Unfortunately, the two major parties have morphed into something that no longer represents what they advertise. So in my mind, the best strategy to get the parties to return to their pronounced values is to punish it by removing it from power. When it returns to what it advertises, then just maybe, give it another chance. One clear thing is single party rule on the three branches of government isn't necessarily a good thing. Balance of power seems more and more what the framers of the nation had in mind.

My son did his ordeal when he was 12. I'm not sure he appreciated the significance of it. But I'm not sure the 15 year olds who did it with him does either. Of all the Arrowmen in our troop, only one is active in the lodge. Our SM is the lodge advisor, but can't seem to get the boys interested, even my son. I'm hoping as my son turns 14, he will get more active in OA, but it is his choice. We are going to Philmont next summer with the OA contigent.

Yeah, that's the tricky part of torture. If the subject survives, he may not be willing to let bygones be bygones. Perhaps they should remove their tongues, after they extract their information of course.

Do you think they are worried about liability? When we were CPR certififed last spring, AED training was part of it. I can't see how liability would be an issue since they are pretty much fool proof. Considering CPR success rate is in the low single digits and AED is much, much higher, doesn't make much sense not to have one.

As a libertarian, I am usually offended by anything like the ADA. How dare the government tell me what I need to do with my business to make it "accessible" by the general public. That attitude softened when I had to start pushing my dad around in his wheelchair. Its amazing how many barriers exist and how simple changes make a big difference. But some take it too far like most things and those examples are used to paint the entire program as disfunctional. Much like the BSA.