LongHaul

Please don't misunderstand my concern. I donot corelate pedophilia with homosexuality in any sense, I merely referenced pedophilia because it is a group which if united could in "x" years demand acceptence just as gays have. I don't advocate a return to the fifties, I don't remember hiding under my desk during Air Raid drills with any kind of pleasent nostalgia. I only mean to say that in my scouting lifetime homosexuality has gone from being a crime, again only in some places, to being a civil right. To me this is a significant change in attitude. Did you have the same thoughts about homosexuality in the 50's that you hold today? You say you remember the fifties so I ask would you have advocated the same approach to a gay leader in Scouting then as you do now?

Looking through some old posts, I'm new to the forum,I came across something that stopped me cold. POSTED FRIDAY FEB 08, 2002 BY YARROW UNDER RE: PALMS YARROW WROTE: "My question stems from my boy's interest in badges. He is 12 and so not really ready for an Eagle any time soon, but by the time he gets there he will have a great deal of badges. He has earned all but 2 Eagle required badges ( they must be done within the troop by policy) and many more within the troop,....." No one jumped on this? Isn't it National policy that earning Eagle required badges within the troop is NOT encouraged? Isn't the concept to get the boy to approach people not currently known to him (Registered Merit Badge Counselors of course) to seek information and counsel? What would the Scoutmaster do if the boy asked for a merit badge blue card to work on the badge in question with some counselor outside the troop? Refuse to issue the card? Some things I've seen in the posts indicat that many subscribers are hot on the "you can't change the requirement" topic. How did you miss this jem?

Check the "Insignia Guide" current 2002-2004 edition page 5 heading "Two Badges with the same meaning" You will find that with the Eagle rank patch and the Meadal its an either or but not both. Page 22 under Eagle Palm you will find the palms are worn on either the medal ribbion or the Eagle square knot. Not in the book but experience tells me the palms are worn on the Medal , centered. As with tenure pins, only the device which represents your current level should be worn. That is to say when you earn 5 additional badges you would wear the bronze palm, earn ten and you wear only the gold palm not both together.

Our troop has a practice which has the boy purchase the current merit badge pamphlet and when he earns the badge the troop will purchase the book, if usable, from the boy at the full price. This alows us to update our library slowly. With the new revision blitz this will mean our library will be "out of date" most often but the revisions most times do not preclude using an old copy for most imformation. A new "requirements book" should be obtained by the Sm and the Advancment Chair each year.

I thought the issue before the Supreme Court was whether or not the BSA had the RIGHT to exclude gays. Should BSA have the RIGHT to exclude gays? If you answer no, think about this. When I joined Cub Scouts, in the 1950's, homosexuality was a crime in some places, a sickness in most and a civil right nowhere. What do we do in "X" years when the pedophiles unite and have a political voice?