gwd-scouter

So what exactly does real America mean to you? Where is it? What parts of America are not pro-America? Knowing full well where this may lead - in what parts of the Country live the non-hard-working, unpatriotic Americans?

Oh, and let's not forget the protection of dogs in South Carolina: Any person who: (b) is present at any structure, facility, or location with knowledge that fighting or baiting of any animal is taking place or is about to take place there is guilty of a misdemeanor and upon conviction for a first offense must be punished by a fine of five hundred dollars or imprisonment for six months, or both, and for a second offense by a fine of one thousand dollars or imprisonment for one year, or both. Any person convicted of a third or subsequent offense is guilty of a felony and must be punished by a fine of five thousand dollars or imprisonment for five years, or both. compare that to: CHAPTER 25. CRIMINAL DOMESTIC VIOLENCE ARTICLE 1. GENERAL PROVISIONS (B) Except as otherwise provided in this section, a person who violates subsection (A) is guilty of the misdemeanor of criminal domestic violence and, upon conviction, must be fined not less than one thousand dollars nor more than two thousand five hundred dollars or imprisoned not more than thirty days. The court may suspend the imposition or execution of all or part of the fine conditioned upon the offender completing, to the satisfaction of the court, and in accordance with the provisions of Section 16-25-20(I), a program designed to treat batterers. Rather sad I think.

"We believe that the best of America is in these small towns that we get to visit, and in these wonderful little pockets of what I call the real America, being here with all of you hard working very patriotic, um, very, um, pro-America areas of this great nation." She, of course, explained what she meant.

A very clear and reasoned answer to supporting Obama by Colin Powell. It must have been a difficult decision for him to make. It is quite refreshing to hear someone endorse a candidate by articulating so clearly his/her reasons and without having to resort to nasty disparaging comments about the other candidate. Yes, Powell mentioned a few things he didn't like about McCain, especially his recent campaign's methods, but his reasons were thoughtful. I wonder though if his endorsement will make any difference. I do have what is probably a stupid question. Just what exactly does truth to power mean?

Careful ScoutMom, your partisanship is showing. :-)

Hello David. Welcome to the forum, from a fellow S. Carolinian.

Our District Camporees have seen dwindling numbers. In the fall it always conflicts with scouts playing sports and especially with marching band competitions. In the spring for the past couple of years our camporee date was not set until after many Troops had already set their annual calendar. Most could alter their plans. Our Troop has a very limited number of adults and few available weekends per month. We are not very flexible when having to change dates with only a few weeks notice. Because of that, we've missed the past two years' spring camporees. I'm not sure how many Troops are in our District, but we just had our fall camporee that was also open to the Cub Scout Packs to come out on Saturday and spend the night. Only six Troops attended and as far as I could tell only two Packs (mostly Webelos. although several younger Cubs came out for the day to enjoy the activities available for them). In all, only about 150 boys and adults. Rather sad showing. I like the Camporees and I think the boys enjoy those that are patrol/troop competition based like the one we just had. But, I can honestly say I wouldn't miss them if they were gone. Our guys plan a wonderful year full of outings and we really don't need the camporees. Maybe if we knocked it back to just one a year. If other folks out there are running Troops that rely on district camporees in order to get their Scouts to camp, that is a troubling thing indeed.

Hey Pack, I think we live down the street from the same guy. Sadly, racism still exists. It will likely always exists at some level. Many people are afraid of the what they don't know or something different. Witness the attempts to paint Obama as different, therefore dangerous. People can also allow one bad experience or something they hear on the news paint their view overall. I'm not too concerned about the guy when interviewed who said outright that he could not vote for a black man. That's at least honest and opens the door for discussion. I'm more concerned about the folks that say in public they are voting for Obama, but when in the privacy of the voting booth, will not.

Beavah, you make a good point. We were there a few years ago. Our Troop had never had annual planning meetings. Adults ran the show and pretty much did the same thing year after year. We had our first planning weekend and our guys were rather stuck on ideas. I gave them a start by saying they should write down every idea the boys come up with, no matter how ridiculous it may be. Nothing is off the table at the start. Sure, I overheard "let's go to Hawaii" and things like that. After all the ideas, some crazy, some not, were on the list, I gave them the G2SS, the balance in our Troop bank account, reminded them how much they raised in fundraisers the previous year, and said "OK, now pick 12." That year we along with the more traditional ideas for campouts, the boys added a couple of backpacking trips (something else this Troop had rarely done in the past), a day at an amusement park, bowling nights, movie marathon lock-in, and some service project ideas. They presented the list to me and were quite amazed that I agreed to the amusement park and movie lock-in. I guess they figured I would see those activities as not being related to Scouting so I would say no. They have learned the mantra - if we plan it, we can do it. These days, they come up with some great stuff for outings and meetings without any help from me at all. I guess I didn't do a good job in explanation, but my previous post to Buffalo Skipper was meant to emphasize the adults getting out of the way of the boys. Sure, he may have to get them started by giving them a few ideas, but I have found the more I stay out of the mix, the more our boys let their creative juices flow. Edit to add: Buffalo Skipper, the G2SS is actually an excellent resource for ideas. Let the boys read it. They will find out about approved activities they may not have thought of. When our guys read it for the first time, that's when they came up with snow skiing and cave exploration. Two activities that are now part of our annual program.(This message has been edited by gwd-scouter)

Third and final debate. I liked it. Much more informative than the first two and the VP debate. Seems the poll gaps are closing, too. Wonder if that is a result of the debate? Eighteen days to go.

Our District used to have Cuboree every Fall. Now our Council holds Cub/Parent weekends at our Council camp so the individual District Cuborees are no more. But, back in the day, our OA Chapter was a huge part of the Cuboree. The OA members ran the activities and cooked the pancake breakfast for all on Sunday morning. When I was a Cubmaster, our Pack had an end of year Pack campout. OA guys helped with that too. I'm betting your OA Chapter would love to have an opportunity to provide cheerful service to your Cubs.

I think I have to disagree with boys today not being creative. The guys in our Troop have become very creative once we, the adults, got out of their way. An example: Last May we went on our annual back to basics campout. We invite a Webelos Den to come with us and it gives our guys a chance to work on their basic skills while working with the Webelos. There is always a good amount of down time and the guys have come up with some amazing and creative games. One in particular was what they called the shipwreck game. They took all the ropes we had and around a grouping of trees built an elaborate web. They used plenty of required knots and lashings in the process. Then, everyone on board the web as one boy unties a knot. The ropes drop to the ground one by one and when a guy loses his support or balance and any part of him touches the ground, he's out. Last man on the ropes wins. That game brought our guys together along with the Webelos better than anything I could have imagined. Another cool result of the game. A couple of our older guys on our last campout decided to make their own hammocks and slept in them. Well, only for the first night. They found out what they created weren't very comfortable. As far as an outing for just your PLC? Training does not have to be like work. Our Troop level training is loaded with team building games. Annual planning weekend in our Troop includes everyone because we are a small Troop, but I think most Troops do it with only the PLC. If they are having trouble getting started with ideas, give them several and let them choose. Pizza and game night lock-in. Very fun for the boys. Our local COPE course is no longer available, but I know of one Troop that used that every year as part of their planning weekend. One result of having a special PLC-only activity could be that your other Scouts will see being a member will have special benefits. They may envy those guys having that unique activity and want to step up and be a leader in your Troop.

I saw a report on CNN last night about Obama advertising in video games. A car racing game with a billboard on the highway and a basketball game with a banner along the court. New and innovative way to reach people I think. So he is buying 30 minutes of air time. So what? He has the money. Why should the republicans get upset about it. McCain could (and probably should) do the same thing if he wanted (and had the dollars to do it). Obama is not messing with the national past time. The game will go on, only will start 20 minutes later than scheduled. In any case, Obama didn't make that change - the network did.

I? A Scouting Myth? Perhaps. You know, one of those freakish female SMs we hear so much about. Thanks, OGE, for the early morning chuckle.

And the Scouting Myths continue...

I already posted my reasons for supporting Obama. I'll chime in again now to post another reason. Senator Obama has received much criticism about his youth, inexperience, and that he's not ready to lead. During this financial fiasco we have going on, his steadiness, calm demeanor, and ability to come up with ideas to help shows me that he is ready to lead. "We need a steady hand at the tiller during this crisis." I agree. For me, that steady hand belongs to Obama.

Hey Pack. I still owe you that BBQ lunch. Don't forget, let me know when you are back to check on those invasive critters in Lake Greenwood.

Another take on a Scoutmaster's son. Last year we held our Troop elections. My son, along with four other guys ran for SPL. My son and another Scout were the oldest at 14 1/2 and the other three were barely 13. My son had been a CIT at summer camp, attended NYLT, Life Scout, never missed a meeting or outing (yep, the consequence of being the SM's son), held PORs of Den Chief and Troop Guide. The others? None of the above. Seemed like a no brainer for the guys to vote, right? Wrong. The boys voted for the biggest clown in our troop. A fellow that was skilled at getting out of work. Rather sporadic on attendance. But he sure was popular. His friend, another guy running for the job, is a good Scout. Rough around the edges, but he knows his Scout skills. So what happens after the election? My son is disappointed. Newly elected SPL is surprised. His friend is angry. What was worse, his mother was really angry and took it out on me. Yelled at me about how it wasn't fair, etc. etc. So here I was, the Scoutmaster, whose son just lost the election and I had to listen to the mother of another scout that lost rant and rave about how it wasn't fair. Could I remind her that MY son was more qualified than any of the scouts running and he lost too? Could I display my Mom side and sympathize with her about the unfairness of it? Nope, just had to help calm her down, explain this was part of the boy-led troop and sometimes it's messy. As others have said, it isn't easy being the SM's son. But, it also isn't easy being the son's SM.

"I have to agree with GoldWingers statement about having conversations with liberals." And, "Liberals really do not welcome open and free exchange of ideas." I could say the same thing about conversations I've "tried" to have with conservatives. It is usually difficult to have a meaningful, reasoned, respectful conversation with someone with whom you disagree. You may think they are a raving lunatic. Chances are they are thinking the same thing about you. "Ever watch a talk show with a liberal and a conservative? The conservative will (9 out of ten times) sit quietly while the liberal makes his point but when he starts to speak, 9 out of ten times, the liberal keeps butting in. The whole time the moderater sits and smiles." Guess you don't watch Hannity much, do you? Perhaps he is the one in ten.

I find it interesting that folks are crying media sexism when referring to attacks on Palin, but those same folks never said a word when the sexism was aimed at Clinton. Senator Clinton, in my view, suffered much harsher attacks during the primaries - and, now this is important I think - for a MUCH LONGER period of time. Obama not being properly vetted? Oh come on now. Maybe the folks saying that the Ayers connection hasn't been brought into the light are watching the wrong news programs. Maybe they aren't reading the right magazines and newspapers. I dare say that anyone interested in finding out anything about a candidate has a multitude of resources. If the mainstream media aren't digging up enough dirt on your opposition, go to any of the right- or left-leaning cable news shows. The Internet is a lively news and opinion rich environment to support your views. I would have much more sympathy for those folks that keep saying the media are giving Obama a pass and Ms. Palin is being attacked if the McCain campaign would allow Governor Palin to actually be held up to the same kind of scrutiny that Obama, Clinton, and all the other candidates were for the last two years. Let Palin do more media interviews - and not with McCain sitting by her side. That particular interview came across as big daddy having to protect his little girl.

Our District camporee is this weekend. Because of health reasons I don't spend the nights anymore, but I hang out during the day. Friday night our guys set up and talked about the Webelos coming Saturday morning. They decided that a couple of our older guys would hang around the campsite during the day's competitions to help greet the Webelos and parents and help them set up their tents, etc. Other guys would go on to represent our Troop in the competitions. What a marvelous day it was yesterday. It rained Friday night and was cold and windy Saturday morning and some of the Webelos did not come. But in the end we hosted 12 Scouts and their leaders/parents. A couple of the Webelos were working on their outdoorsman pin and wanted to help with the cooking and clean up for dinner. And so they did. They all loved the Dorito casserole our guys planned for dinner. The adults were treated to one of our favorites - sausage and rice with onions, peppers, rice, broccoli and corn. A marvelous one pot meal. Our Scouts helped the Webelos practice their skits for the campfire. I had to leave before the campfire but the plan was for our OA Chapter to run it. Older son is the advisor and younger son is very active, also on the Council dance team. They and other OA members were going to dress in pageant regalia. Three would canoe across the lake, younger son in the middle holding a torch used to light the campfire. Then they would do a short dance pageant followed by skits. I hope it went well. I can only imagine that those Webelos visiting us would think it very cool that one of our Scouts was the "Indian" that lit the fire. The parents were very impressed with the conduct of our Boy Scouts - how they did things on their own. The most frequent question we were asked was along the lines of how in the world we got our guys to learn to do everything for themselves. They were especially impressed with the dinner the boys prepared and the clean up process after. Oh yes, a marvelous weekend and a fantastic demonstration of Boy Scouting to our prospective new Scouts and families. I'll be heading back out there shortly this morning to have breakfast and attend Sunday service and awards. We may not win any of the competition awards, but I couldn't be more proud of our Scouts.

Our District's fall camporee is this weekend. Because of health issues, I can't stay over night, but I spent the day with them yesterday and plan to head out in a bit today for breakfast, Sunday service and awards. One of the competitions yesterday was canoe races. Each patrol had to select two Scouts to do the race. I wandered over to watch a few of the races - our guys had already finished and moved on to another station. An older Scout from another Troop came up to me and said "I really like the boys in your Troop." He went on to explain that in these types of competitions when the whole patrol does not compete, the patrol usually picks the biggest and strongest, most experienced, etc. In our patrol's case, the boys played rock, paper, scissors to determine who the two would be to compete. The result was two of the smallest boys in our Troop - one of whom just joined and has autism. He told me they probably got the slowest time, but the boys on the bank were cheering on the two in the canoe. He said he wished the guy running the competition could give extra points for spirit. I am so proud of our guys.

And who is to say God isn't speaking to a Democrat? I can't for the life of me even imagine a partisan God. In any case, if God does deign to get involved in our personal day to day lives, it seems to me He has many more important things to consider than trying to sway a person's vote.

I agree with Stosh. The Scout approached you about being a Den Chief, that shows interest. He completed the online training. That shows initiative. He agreed to take the Den Chief training course before beginning the position. What more could you ask? I wish all of our Scouts were so driven to serve the Cubs. I wouldn't recommend him as a Den Chief for a Webelos Den, but see nothing wrong with him helping out the Tiger Den and learning from the experience - even if in an unofficial Den Chief capacity. I bet those little guys would love to have a real Boy Scout help them play a game or work on a craft project, etc. Wouldn't it be marvelous if he followed that Den as their Den Chief all the way through to crossover to Boy Scouts? My older son (now almost 22) was a Den Chief for one Webelos Den for two years and then another for a year. He says it was the best POR he had. In fact, he holds his Den Chief Service Award in higher regard than his Eagle. His reasoning for this? He sees earning Eagle as mostly and individual pursuit - Den Chief required service to others. It is a special moment for him when he hears that one of his former Cubs has earned his Eagle and he is always invited to their Court of Honor. In fact, he was delighted to serve on the Eagle BOR of several of his former Cubs.

Hello Hal, and welcome to the forum. I grew up in the DC area (Potomac Maryland). I remember hearing about Goshen Scout Camp from my brothers. I was a Girl Scout and envied (well, hated really) my brothers for all the cool things they got to do in Boy Scouts. Remember, that one hour a week is one hour...per Scout!