Jeffrey H

When is it appropriate to call on your Unit Commissioner for advice rather than the District Executive? Or, when should you call on your DE rather than the UC? I often feel that the UCs in our district are under-utilized and we bother the DE too much with details that could be easily addressed by our UC.

True, you can't play football unless you've wearing the gear - It's an hazardous sport. In Scouting, you can still do scouting activities with or without the uniform pants and no one will send you home for not wearing them (unless your Troop 45). I will admit that the old olive green collarless shirts looked much better with the neckerchiefs. The old shirts were made for them and did not look good without them. I always wear the neckerchief. It's the traditional identifying mark of a scout uniform. I wish they came in bigger sizes.

At our resident camp for Cubs, uniforms are highly recommended for flag ceremonies, Scout's Own Service, and other "formal" occassions. Most of the leaders and boys are in uniform for these occassions. If they are not, it's no big deal. The rest of the time in camp we are in street clothes or pack t-shirts. Gonzo1 states: "In the days before the Oscar de la Renta uniform, there was never a problem. Our troop never had its own T-shirt, we always wore our uniform. Perhaps a return to the green shirt, green pants may be in order. They looked good and fit good too. Smaller collars, easy to war a neckerchief too." I was a Boy Scout in those "green shirt" days and what our Troop practiced regarding uniforming was the same as today. We generally did not wear uniforms to highly active acitivities because we did not want to get them dirty prior to a time when we were required to wear them (flag ceremonies, etc.). Most boys only had one uniform shirt and they had to take care of it for the duration of summer camp.

The mother (the Web 2 leader) needs to take control of this situation. She will have to be a Tiger Partner as well as the Web 2 leader. Sorry Mom, but you will have to wear 2 hats in your Pack. I would suggest that the Tiger in question sit with her mother during Pack meetings. It does not matter if he sits with the Web 2 den. What matters is that he is with his ADULT PARTNER.

In our Pack, each den charges $6.00/month for dues. Of this amount, $4 stays with the den and $2 is forwarded to the Pack fund. The Pack fund pays for awards, annual registration, and Boys Life. Advancement awards (Bobcat, Wolf, Bear, etc) are paid for by our Council. Depending on the success of our popcorn fundraiser, other costs may be covered as directed by the Pack committee. The portion the Dens keep are to take care of their den supplies, crafts, etc., and to cover the cost of new handbooks, neckerchiefs/slides when their boys crossover to a new Den.

I'm a Cub Leader but I do talk with Boy Scout Leaders often. In many cases you will find Troops with a combination of a boy-led and adult-led structure. Boy-led is the ideal model of a Boy Scout Troop with the SM and ASM's serving as advisors. Seasoned troops will have boy-led structure. Brand new troops with all new scouts will have more of an adult-led scenario because the boys are not yet ready. The goal of every Troop should be to work toward a boy-led structure to help them develop leadership skills.

The wonderful world of boys! This kid appears to have a pattern of pulling a knife and here are my suggestions: 1) His Whittlin Chip card is taken away for at least six months. He has clearly violated the whittlin chip promise. 2) Suspend him from at least 4 den meetings. If hes serious about being a good Scout, hell be back. Keep in touch with him while he is away and let him and the parents know that you care about him. 3) Reinforce the Core Values of Cub Scouting with your Den or Pack concerning the bullying. If you are not doing it already, integrate the teaching of Core Values as a part of the overall Pack and Den programs. The boys dont have to memorize them, but they should have awareness that being a Cub Scout is a little more than just wearing the uniform. 4) Reward good behavior alongside the punishment phase. Encourage him to do better and that he is capable of making better choices. If the boy is unresponsive to the above, then I would recommend his removal from the Pack and barred from all future Pack activities and outings.

Kudu, I never said Baden-Powell would water down outdoor advancement at the expense of character development. We will agree to disagree on the subject of alternative requirements for Scouts with physical diabilities. I never said that everyone is to be an Eagle Scout nor should they be. The BSA obviously makes you very upset. Have you considered starting a Baden-Powell Scout Troop? I'm sure you have. I don't see how you can stand being a part of the BSA since you have such a jaundiced and negative opinion on everything the BSA does or attempts to do. Good Day, Jeff

John, Thanks for your input and I would expect nothing but openness from any BSA council. Will these good council folks answer questions concerning the knowledge of the next degree? Im a former Arrowman and went through Ordeal as a youth in 1976. Nothing was kept secret from me and I was free to share with other non-member scouts about my memorable experience with Ordeal. I had a great experience but no secrets. Proud Eagles comments implied secrecy. I would also say that your comments implied secrecy as well That we keep it from Scouts who are not yet members is designed to appeal to their sense of the unknown.

"Alot of people are in the dark about Freemasonry." That's because it's a secret order. Non-members are supposed to be in the dark. What the public sees are the charitable works of Freemasonry. What they don't see are the ceremonies, rituals, and oaths that members are bound to keep secret from non-members. My grandfather was 32nd degree Mason and a Shriner. I don't everything, but I know enough.

Proud Eagle states: Arrowmen can only be admitted into the next level by earning the right to have revealed to them the knowledge of the next degree. This sounds like secrecy to me. Unless this knowledge of the next degree is available in a handbook that can be viewed and read by anyone, you have a secret order. In my assessment, when the BSA says there is no secret organizations, what they mean is all meetings and gatherings can be viewed publicly. That does not mean that you will necessarily receive all the information.

Here are three and not necessarily the Top 3: Council Camps - We have 4 very good camps; 3 for summer camps and 1 for short-term camps and training. Insurance and Paperwork Training - University of Scouting and Cub World. Overall, our Council does a very good job serving the units.

Oh? You have whole channels devoted to family/kids programming (Disney, ABC-Family, Nickelodean, etc), TVLand shows a lot of old shows that are good, many good non-fiction shows on channels like Animal Planet, Discovery, TLC, History, A&E, etc. Like I said, we don't have cable or satellite. We had cable in the past but we dropped it. I know about those channels and they are excellent. However, with those channels you also get inappropriate channels. We watch enough TV as it is and don't need the tempatation to watch more. Now, if we could only get those channels you mentioned and nothing else then that would be a good deal. Discoveries we made as a family: We talk to each other more when the TV is off. My wife and I talk to each other more and that's a great thing and keeps us great friends (keeps the "romance" up as well). When the TV is off, we tend to read books and read classic stories aloud to each other. My children have learned the fun of reading books and using their imagination which enchances their creativity. Yes, we have DVD's, but that has it's time and place. Finally, my volunteer work with the Scouts and Church basically keeps me away from the TV. I don't have time to watch much even if I want to.

Eamonn, I agree with you. Except for some PBS programs, TV is pretty bad and most prime time programs are not fit for family viewing. TV is a window of our culture. It's a fair indicator of our common moral standards and what we accept as entertainment. We do not have cable or satellite TV. We can afford it but we prefer not to have that temptation in our house. Broadcast TV is bad enough and we use great discretion with what we watch. --Jeff

Popcorn prices may be high, but our Pack did a tremendous sales job this year. We sold $8,000 retail of Popcorn compared to last year when we sold only $1,000. The difference we made this year was setting a realistic sales goal that can be easily achieved by every Scout. Scouting is well received in our area and people respond positively to Popcorn sales. Were done now and can move on to fun stuff. Yea!!

The BSA is what it is today because it is not exclusively an outdoor program. It is a program that teaches citizenship, community service, character development, resourcefulness, and physical fitness. Outdoor skills are the traditional methods to teach those values and its proven well for almost a century. Measuring the worth of a boy goes way beyond his ability to tie a double half-hitch or go on a 20-mile hike. I think its wonderful that the BSA offers alternative requirements for Scouts with physical disabilities (i.e., wheelchair bound) to attain the rank of Eagle. Why do they do this? Because they recognize that every boy is of extreme worth and should be recognized for his personal accomplishments. I love the outdoors, camping, hiking, and scout craft, and I want these to always be emphasized in the scouting program. However, if these were the only things that were offered, I would not be a part of it. I think Baden-Powell would agree. Ive read enough of his writings and quotes to understand that he highly valued a boys character development. If not, why in the world would he have developed the Scout Law and Oath? If BP started it all today, there would still be a great emphasis on character development.

Our CO is a Baptist church. Our COR is a active member of the church, serves on the District committee, an ASM of an area Troop, and a former Cubmaster of our Pack. Because of his duties in his Troop and our District, he usually does not attend our Pack meetings but he is in regular communication with our Cubmaster. He is active in the background but not visible to most parents and leaders.

Make it mandatory for Bear leaders on their way to Weeb leaders Assuming this were true, what happens to the Bear leader when he cant take the course? What if the Bear leader must step down after the school year and a new leader does not step in until the Fall with no preparation? I understand the spirit of your opinion, but I dont think we can make anything mandatory or set prerequisites for Bear leaders. We can highly recommend, but mandatory is unrealistic. The challenge for many Packs is to find willing volunteers who will step up and lead a Webelos Den, follow the guidance of the Webelos Handbook, and then encourage them to take NLE and position specific courses.

I just took Baloo last week in my district. It lasted about 7 hours from 9am - 4pm. I did not need to take anything with me, but check with your district. The course was excellent and much better than I was expecting. I would say it was about 1/2 indoor lecture & 1/2 outdoors with some hands-on training. The course primarily focuses on how to prepare your Pack for an overnight campout and doing it safely with BSA guidelines. Other lessons included having proper equipment, preparing meals over campfire, and having an agenda for your campout including a campfire program. There was other stuff but too long to list here. A refresher on Youth Protection guidelines was also given.

I have nothing against female leaders. The previous posts share my sentiment. However, we have a Mom who transferred her son to our Pack from another Pack. The reason? She wants her son to have positive male role models because his father died two years ago and she wants him to be exposed to male leadership. She chose our Pack because 90% of our leadership are Men including the Cubmaster and Den Leaders. His former Pack was all Women including his DL and CM. They are good leaders, but she claimed her son needed to be around men he could look up to. (Her words, not mine).

Kudu states: "For me the final straw came during the period when the BSA was neutering Wood Badge so that it was less Boy Scout specific. I attended a National version of the new "Train the Trainer" course, and at one point a gaggle of Yellow Blouses divided us into Patrol-sized groups (they were careful not to call them Patrols). They then handed out colored construction paper, school paste, and those little toy scissors with the rounded ends. I forget the point of the exercise, but I do remember feeling sick to my stomach." I have to sympathize with Kudu. I often get frustrated when training courses are irrelevant to the training we need.

"this weekend he is participating in a Council run day long Cub Scout outdoor activity which included a family overnight last nite..." The award states: "Attend Cub Scout Day Camp OR Cub Scout/Webelos Scout Resident Camp". It sounds like to me he has met the requirement, but check with your Council for their interpretation.

Emb021, Shucks, I thought I was so smart about Scouting. Thanks for the correction. Never trust what you read on the internet, especially from me. Anyway, just replace Seton with Beard on my last post because that's what I meant. --Jeff

Brianbuf, If BP started scouting, things would look different, but I believe there would still be elements to it that would be familiar to us today. There would still be a strong emphasis on citizenship and character development. There would still be a need teach skills that help our fellow man: First Aid, Survival Skills, and Emergency Prepardness. Camping skills would still be a part of the program because the outdoors is where we need to practice those skills. Besides, It's been proven that boys still love the outdoors. "Indian Lore" would not exist because we would not have the influence of Daniel Beard that started that tradition. Our honorary society would not be the OA, but would look completely different. What do you want it to look like? --Jeff

It appears that you have 2 scouts and 2 leaders who like to wear the neckerchief and enjoy the "traditional" scout look. The necker is a matter of personal preference. As a leader, I like to wear mine. It's a traditional identifying mark of a the scout uniform that appeals to me. I'm clearly in the minority but that's okay. I never receive a negative remark from other leaders or scouts about it. I'm glad you're in a unit where you are comfortable and the custom is not to wear the necker. It does seem odd that you place so much emphasis on an optional piece of the uniform.