GernBlansten

The judge was correct, BSA is a private organization and is not bound by ADA. Doesn't mean that BSA shouldn't provide reasonable accomodations to the disabled though. I think BSA is providing reasonable accomodations in this case. Personal case, my type 1 diabetic son was faced with a 45 minute bus ride home from school (last off the bus). Using analog insulin, the danger zone of his blood sugars was highest during that ride home. We wanted to reduce the time he would be without access to snacks. We asked the bus routing manager to reverse the route so my son would only have a 10 minute ride instead of 45 minutes. They rebuffed our request. We pulled the ADA card and the route was reversed. A reasonable accomodation in our minds. Now some of you anti-ADA types might just say we should drive our son to and from school, don't disrupt the bus routes. I guess we could also just tell wheelchair people to bring portable ramps everywhere they want to go too or get curb climbing chairs.

I was a lifeguard and water safety instructor through high school and college. I met my wife while working summers at the municipal pool. Her job was to teach adults with waterphobia, most unable to even put their face in the water. To me, it just seemed silly not being able to submerse your head. But she was good, patient and had a method. I was stuck with teaching 6 year olds. I would suggest that this scout get some private lessons with someone like my wife who will work very methodically and patiently through the phobia. Ask at the local pool. It would be the best gift you could give him. Get him away from the peer pressure and just become water safe. I just can't imagine a world where I was afraid of water. It would so control my very existance. Do everything in your power to help this scout.

Yeah Brent, Its the Canyon 32 I'm referring to. For some reason I thought it weighed about 1.5 lbs, sure seems like it. For a poly bag, its pretty light. Packs about the size of a football. I think all scouts should purchase equipment that could be used for backpacking primarily because that gear can also be used for car camping and extended camps too. You can't take car camping stuff backpacking. Teach the scouts to pack light and compact no matter the venue. If everything they need(personal gear) won't fit in a 5 gallon bucket, they are packing too much. Of course, compression sacks help compress extra clothes down to a manageable size. Keep it simple. Take for example mess kits. You can get the neat coleman nesting kit that has a bowl, plate, 2 pots, cup, fork, knife and spoon. Or you can get a plastic bowl and a spork (combo fork/spoon) and a insulated travel coffee cup. Scouts never need the full mess kit and will probably lose most of the pieces anyways. A bowl and spoon should be enough for every campout. I used a frisbee when I was scout. After dinner, a quick rinse and it was play time. Of course it can all go too far too. When racing yachts offshore, our skipper would take our crew bags and go through each item. If you didn't need it for the race, it stayed on shore. We even cut down our tooth brushes to half size and drilled holes in them to minimize every gram. Amazing how many days you can spend on a boat with everything you own in a small grocery bag.

One thing I've found is that the rating for all bags is about 20 degrees too low (if you sleep in your skivvies). A 15 degree bag is good to about 35. A 32 degree bag is good to about 52. Fleece sleeping cloths and liners bring it back to the rated temps though. Also, quality bags last literally a lifetime if cared for (a scout is thrifty). My wife inherited a couple of Gerry down bags she used as a kid, 35 years old. My son still uses one of those bags. Our CC was bragging at a campout he had the oldest bag in the troop. Pulled out an identical Gerry bag.

In the three years I've been involved in the troop (attending every committee meeting), I've seen the COR (Methodist CO) at two meetings, one to coach us on identifying homosexual kids and retraining them to rightious heterosexuality (no kidding), the other time to promote a pet project of his for the CO (fingerprinting kids in the area). Other than that, I couldn't pick him out of a police lineup.

A young Marlon Brando. And no, I don't belong to that other NAMBLA club.

Amen Scoutldr. I perceive the same thing. SPLs change, some do better than others, but unless you spoon feed them, nothing gets done. We still try to be boy led, but things only work out when you barrage them with leading questions and follow up again and again. The only scouts who advance in our units are the ones who's mothers are nagging them. I take the approach of being there if they need me, but I ain't gonna do it for them. That irritates some parents. My own son is advancing simply because his mother nags him about it. My opinion is he should advance when he wants to advance. Her opinion is he won't unless led by the nose to do it. She is right of course.

Rosa Parks, John Scopes, both of these people were instrumental in changing attitudes in society. The other interesting similarity was both were plants, chosen to defy the status quo. Rosa Parks was a civil rights worker sent to ride that particular bus. John Scopes was recruited to violate the policy of not teaching evolution in that particular school. Perhaps BSA needs to go through the same process. Identify a non-thiest leader and expel him, publically. Have him challenge the BSA by pointing out the DRP is flawed in relationship to Buddhists. If Buddhists are accepted, all non-theists should be, eh? Of course we will need a Council willing to go the distance and a unit willing to give up one of their leaders. Sometimes you got to break the rule to fix it.

Coleman makes an excellent 32 degree poly bag in their Exponent line. We paid $35 for them on sale. Weighs maybe a pound, packs real small. We used them for our Northern Tiers trip this summer. Excellent bag down to the 50s. Any colder and you will need something else, or augment it. The zippers kinda stink, but other than that, its a pretty good bag. I like down bags for backpacking (weight and pack size). I have a Big Agnes 15 degree down bag, 1.5 lbs. The bag has a pocket on the bottom that you slide the pad into so you never slide off the pad (Big Agnes makes the best inflatable pad too!). Really cool idea. With the pad and bag connected, I can roll around inside it without getting all tangled up or sleeping on the zipper. The bag always stays loft side up. I can put the entire bag/pad inside the Coleman Exponent bag to give me a cold weather system. I would rather do that than use my old -5 poly bag I've had since college. Sure its warm, but heavy, doesn't stuff small, and always too hot unless its really extreme out. The fleece liners are pretty nice and cheap. Good for augmenting a cold bag. In my parts, they aren't enough to do it on their own though. I have a couple I keep in the truck for emergencies and when a scout gets cold on a campout. Personally, I wouldn't recommend anyone getting anything thinner than a 32 degree bag. Keep in mind pack size and lean towards poly fill over down unless you are an experienced camper and know how to keep your bag dry.

Gonzo, I'm no Buddhist, but what I think I know about Buddhism, is that they do not believe in a higher, supreme being. They worship, if you call it that, the darma which is found within yourself and nowhere else. Self worship if it were. From wikipedia: Buddhism (also known as Buddha Dharma (Pali: Dhamma), "the teachings of the awakened one") is a dharmic, non-theistic religion, a way of life, a practical philosophy, and arguably a form of psychology. Note the term "non-theistic". Not theistic, but A-theistic. Or in popular terms, atheists. How does a Buddhist become the best citizen if they cannot recognize a higher being?

In my best Austin Powers: "She's a man! Baby!"

I think the uniform would be different. Not militaristic. Probably more LL Bean or Camp more styled. No epaulets. Materials would be hi-tech.

"Rodger and Me". Local kid who is distressed that GM is closing its plant in Flint, MI. Shows the dichotomy of the hardship of working-class people to the insensitivity of corporate magnets. The rabbit skinning scene may be a bit much for younger scouts though. And it was written, produced and starring an Eagle scout to boot!

I think I'll use my $.39 to buy a cup of noodles for the homeless guy who stands near the mail box in town.

I still don't understand why Buddhists are still granted membership in BSA. The DRP is pretty clear that Buddhists cannot be the best citizens. Are they the elephant in the room?

Simple solution. Switch from an ELCA church to a Missouri Synod church. I think you will find their approach to homosexuality more in line with the BSA. Same dull hymns and church services. The ELCA churches have become far more liberal than most other protestant denominations. A few years ago, at my grandfather's funeral back in rural Minnesota, I was shocked that a woman was the pastor of the church. She was in her mid 50s, never married, well you know what I mean. Nice lady. Gave the typical dry sermon and droning hymns I had known from my youth.

Color me dense, but I find no distinction between Ed's and Merlyn's definitions. What is even more unsettling, is I think Ed and Merlyn agree but don't recognize it due to their mutual feelings about each other.

I have a NorthFace VE-24 four season mountaineering tent I've had for 24 years. Used it quite a bit in the 80s, then put it away for 10 years while my raising my kids. Now my son has commandeered that tent. Still in pretty good condition and he still demands it on cold winter snow camping leaving me in my bivvy sack. BTW, that tent was always folded and rolled. Now we stuff it. dry it out, store it properly, and it will serve you well.

Great question. I've always folded and rolled. As a competitive sailor, we always folded or rolled our sails, never stuffed them, even spinnakers. Theory was rolling sails helped keep their shape. A stuffed sail never looked right until a big wind blew out all the wrinkles. Now, at Canoe Base this summer, we were told to stuff the supplied tents. Didn't seem right but we followed their directions. Later this summer, I bought a high end backpacking tent from a really cute salesperson at a respected climbing/camping shop. She said never fold and roll, always stuff. Same reason you heard. Now I'm a stuffer, at least for tents, despite no information from the manufacturer as to which way is best. Far be it from me to question the advise from an attractive sales clerk.

Merlyn is right. The boy said the A-word. The board should have immediately stopped and membership revocation started, preferably publicly, to demonstrate to the remaining membership that such blasphemy would not be tolerated. Sure it would destroy this young man (he should have thought about that before saying it), but it will preserve the institution for future generations of youth to be protected from such wrong thinkers. Yes, there would be risk that other free thinking families might see this as overreaction and leave themselves. Remember, one bad apple can spoil the entire bushel.

No doubt we have the government we deserve.

Packsaddle, I'm just not ready for a rainbow colored NASCAR! Imagine the sponsor potential though!

First, your published link has an extra period in it so it doesn't work. After I removed the period, I was presented with a very busy/noisy site. Lots of bells and whistles, my eyes glossed over trying to find info. Scrolling text might look cool, but its info value is zero and becomes quite annoying quickly. You also require registration to access the site. That will kill any informational website. Sure, some sections should be restricted, but the majority of your information is public or should be. Scout names, ranks and other information put behind the wall, everything else, leave it on the porch. You say parents, members and leaders doen't use the site. I'd say its because from my impression, the site tries to be a one stop shop for all information scouting related. Focus, focus, focus. Give them quick and easy access to the information they need. Schedules, forms and contacts. If you want to be a portal for more, link it but don't push it on the front page. Each page should focus on a single message. Including the top page. Then related links to other pages should be presented. You aren't trying to be CNN Headline news, you want to be a dictionary. Ideal unit websites should be very specific on what you do, how you do it , when you do it, and who does it. THe top page should have a picture of your unit doing something special. Swap it out every month. It should just say "Hey! Here we are!" From there, links should take anyone still interested into the depths of your unit. Your schedule, your organization, your CO, etc. Keep it simple, get the necessary info out. My humble opinion only.

Brent, then more you try to shift the discussion to blaming democrats, the more you sound like you are defending Foley and the republicans who protected him. When one finds himself in a hole, the first thing to do is quit digging.

Brent, I don't accept your "facts" as facts. In fact, the facts are not available yet. We must wait. You are parsing the headlines. The instance of the IMs during the voting, referenced a 2003 episode with a former page. Now was the page a former page in 2003 or is the page a former page now because he was an active page in 2003 but not now in 2006. To me it really doesn't matter. Foley was a predator to young male pages. This is without dispute. Parsing the details just goes to show how far the right will go to excuse this behaviour. But if it makes you happy, I will say, I don't know if the IMs sent to the recipient by a Republican congressman who happened to be co-chairman of the committee to protect children from Internet exploitation, was sent to a 16 or 18 year old subordinate. Does that make you sleep better?