GernBlansten

Oh dear, I used the google. Seems there is a troop 666, and it has a dark history. http://theawarenesscenter.org/schwartz_jerrold.html

There is a Troop 1 in Denver. Supposably the first troop established west of the mississippi. There is also a Troop 69 in Boulder. Not that there's anything wrong with that! I think an Firefighter Explorer Post 911 would be appropriate. Or a Venture crew 411 who's charter is just looking for information.

We have a new batch of crossovers at our meetings now. I've noticed lots of these Heelys. I think I'll have a talk to the SPL to have a similar discussion that you had with the boys. OH WAIT!!!The SPL is one of our biggest violators!

Ever been a unit number 666?

Careful Ed, one man's cult is another man's deeply held religious beliefs. Buddhism is a dharmic, non-theistic religion. Although not technically atheistic (there is no God), it is non-theistic meaning God is not worshiped as part of the religion. In that light, I can see how one Buddhist could be an atheist, while another be an agnostic, deist, Christian, Jew, Muslim, Pagan, or Wiccan. Does BSA discriminate between theistic Buddhists and atheistic Buddhists?

Curious Hunt, what's the difference between a Buddhist and an athiest? Not all athiests are buddhists, but all buddhists are athiests, correct?

Banning things/people/activities seems to stem from wanting/needing others to bend to your ideals, exercised by those in power on those without. Some of these bans are for the safety of the whole, others are to eliminate threats to the organization, some are just cowardly rules to eliminate direct confrontation with the violators. But in every case, bans whittle away at our liberties and diminish our freedom and expectations of personal responsibility.

That being said - Cub Scout Leaders vs Boy Scout Leaders are like Chocolate vs Vanilla ice cream - one isn't better than the other, they are just different. Not everybody is cut out to be a Cub Scout Leader, just like not everybody is cut out to be a Boy Scout Leader. No truer comment yet in this thread. Me personally, I could never work with cub scouts as a leader. It just ain't in my genes. God bless those that can. Even our young boy scouts I have trouble connecting with, but when I work with 13+yr olds, there's a connection. Perhaps I'm just a young teenager at heart. The older boys seem to like and respect me and its mutual. The best leaders are the ones who can shift gears between all these ages. A few, proud crew.

We lost a family from our unit last year due to this scenario. Father was a previous CM and just couldn't understand why we gave the scouts so much latitude at meetings. He finally just had enough and left in a huff. Old timers in our unit mentioned that they have seen this before and that DLs and CMs had the hardest time getting used to a boy led unit. Our committee huddled and recognized we didn't do enough to set expectations for newly crossed over parents, especially those involved in leading cubs. This year, we are making an effort to pull those parents aside and explain our program (we think its the BSA one) vs. the ideal cub program. We have some great new parents who were instrumental in their cub programs. I hope they too can make the transition.

Like riding harleys without a brain bucket or sky diving or skiing faster than 10 MPH, solo hiking also holds its allure even though it is not the wisest thing to do. But we deviate. Local1400, your advise is wise. Be prepared, follow the guidelines. If lost, stay put. If hurt, send your buddy for help. But in either of those situations, SAR will be dispatched. The PLB will allow them to locate you much quicker with fewer personnel. You actually reduce the burden on them. Now if its your intention to skip common sense and use the PLB as the "easy" button, then I agree, don't venture out. But if used as a tool in a worst case scenario, just like carrying a space blanket or whistle, if you have the resources, why not? We had a debate at our committee meeting regarding scouts and cell phones. Our SM, a purist, wanted to ban them from campouts. Although I agree with his intent, a cell phone is a very powerful tool for a lost/injured scout. Several years ago, before my time in the troop and before cell phones were synonymous with teenagers, our unit lost a scout on a campout. He didn't follow the buddy system, he didn't stay put. SAR was called out, the news trucks showed up, helicopters hovered, dogs barked, the scout leadership didn't sleep, the scout was found safe by the next morning. Had he had a cell phone or (PLB), the situation would have been much different. We decided in committee that we would not ban the cell phone, but require the scout leave it off if he brings it. Now, if that situation had been today, and we had a troop policy that banned cell phones on campouts, what angle do you think the media would gravitate? Can you imagine explaining to the bubble headed news blonde that you force your charges to not use technology available to them? In today's world, "Be Prepared" means having your cell phone.

Don't know. But the Druids I interact with could never get organized enough to compile the requirements. You can't prove a negative. So the athiest award would be unachievable.

I like the idea, but it doesn't cover all permutations. We don't want to exclude the Buddhists, Wiccans, Pagans and Hindis. How about Duty to My God(s)(dess)(desses)

In my twenties, I would never have considered such a device. If I couldn't self rescue, I was determined to become a permanent addition to the wild. It was part of the adventure. Now as I get older, grayer and have the responsibility of other people's children, my attitude changed. I would never use a PLB for a sprained ankle or headache, but I would if hopelessly lost or injured to the point requiring evacuation. I can see abuse of them. Crying wolf syndrome. I already have a GPS, was an early adopter. I don't take it on hikes anymore. I've found it useless. I don't take cell phones on hikes. I find them useless too, at least in the wilderness. But PLBs are like avalance peeps. If you need one, it just might save your life. But I'm not advocating PLBs for every scout or unit. Just curious if others are considering them. On a side note, how would you respond to a parent who insisted his scout carry one on your next campout?

Ok, everyone has heard the story from MT Hood. People and dog get in trouble. The dog had a PLB. The dog saved the day. I've done some research and found REI has these for $450. http://www.rei.com/category/40002203.htm Basically, if activated it sends a signal to the international SAR sats and search and rescue is notified, they hone in on your signal. Sailors have been using the same system called EPIRB for years. I've stated previously on this forum that I like to take solo hikes. I like to climb mountains. I like to take scouts into the wilderness. And my son is a type 1 diabetic and we are heading to Philmont this summer. $450 seems like a bargain considering the risks we take. Anyone else considering getting one of these? BTW, cell phones don't work where we play. SAT phones are really expensive but another practical solution.

I'm giving up fear for Lent. We'll see how it goes. It could stick.

Yup, no merit badges either that deal with religion. No obvious reference to religion in rank advancement either. Just follow the scout oath and law. For an organization that is perceived to be religion centric, they sure don't make their members prove it. If BSA didn't restrict the membership of atheists/agnostics, religion would be just another facet of the program if the unit wished to emphasize it. The ACLU wouldn't have a dog in the fight. Some units emphasize the uniform, some advancement, some leadership, some adventure, some religion. Some a mixture of all of the above. In my unit religion is just not our focus. Adventure, leadership, advancement, friendship is. We have a couple of evangelical adults who like to close meetings with prayers. That's fine with us. They keep it simple and quick. Duty to God comes up in BORs. Perhaps its just my upbringing as a mid-western rural Lutheran. Religion and politics were just not spoken beyond your immediate family.

Packsaddle brings up a great point. Who benefits from denying athiests membership? Just think if we denied membership to obese scouts and scouters. Using the same oath that is used to deny athiests, one could exclude the obese On my honor,. . . . To keep myself physically strong, . . . Take care of your body so that it will serve you well for an entire lifetime. That means eating nutritious foods, getting enough sleep, and exercising regularly to build strength and endurance. it also means avoiding harmful drugs, alcohol, tobacco, and anything else that can harm your health. Now would that be right? I don't think so. I think scouting offers boys a program to achieve physical fitness and develop lifelong healthy habits. Scouting also offers a program to help boys achieve spiritual fitness. Too bad we don't allow athiests boys the same opportunities we do obese ones.

There's no need for to dedicate a month to appreciate these volunteers. They do it because they love it and we love them for it.

Would you allow scouts to skateboard indoors during a meeting? how about inline skates? These are skates. Its a safety issue for everyone. Solution: The wheels pop out. If you have an infraction, simply ask for the wheels. Return them after the event. My son's middle school confiscates the wheels for good.

However, the Religious Policy of the Association prohibits Membership to anyone who denies the spiritual side of human beings or the existence of a spiritual power greater than any human being. That is elegant. It also doesn't require subservience to the higher being, something the BSA does.

An honest person answering "yes" would be honest. An honest person answering "no" would be dishonest. A dishonest person answering "yes" would be dishonest. A dishonest person answering "no" would be honest. Rather useless question. Honest.

For a scout to receive his Eagle he has to have a letter of reference from his religious leader. Not true. Our council allows a parent to substitute the letter of reference with their own. Many religious beliefs have no leadership to write such a letter. Also, it's been discussed here that the letters of reference are indeed not required at all, but requested.

What are the costs of these hangers? Do they pay their dues? Do they take any resources from the unit? There is no deception here. Leave them on your roster.

In my youth, I joined a troop that my neighbor was the SM. Really great guy. American Indian heritage and artist. Very spiritual. Scouting was special. At the end of my first year in scouting, he died of a heart attack. Another adult took the SM spot. Active military guy. Even my dad, a Korean War vet, thought he was too strict. I dropped out within 3 months of him taking over. I returned to scouting 20 years later as my son crossed over, still with the bad taste in my mouth from that SM. Luckily, we found a troop that was fun and adults were laid back. If not, I'm sure my son would have followed his dad's instincts.

After about 10 min of getting screamed on, another father comes up behind me and asks this man "obviously we need help figuring all of this stuff out, you seem to think we don't have control. We could really use your help to get back on track". Been there, done that. None more effective method to defuse a conflict. Enlist the complainer to solve the problem. Often it just shuts them up. Otherwise it transfers the resolution from you to them. Exactly what they don't want or expect. Pretty effective with middle managers of large corporations too!