moosetracker

Wow!! your on such personal terms as to receive personal letters from the POTUS !!?? Wow.. I am impressed, especially as you don't seem to be on such friendly terms with him. (Note the sarcasm.)

Well, they are coming up with a whole new list on their wish list for the "debt ceiling".. The personhood bill was discussed.. Won't be surprised if it comes up attached to something before the end of the month..

Don't forget Fehler this isn't even funding the government for a full year, but only something for a 6 weeks extension, so Congress can sit down an negotiate on the real budget.. Something the Senate passed in May and has asked for 18 times for a meeting on.. Republican house refused to negoitate in those 6 month so that they could get this show down.. So if Dems cave to such extreme demands to a 6 week extension, you have got not only the Debt limit but the real funding bill.. Nope let republicans tank in the polls for both independents and moderate Republicans.. Kill the support (and donations) they have received from Wall street who are already turning their backs on them.. It is just a question of how much they will set the economic recovery back and get the anger of the whole country and then if they start threatening the debt ceiling the whole world, before they come to their senses..

You lost your arguement with "60-vote filibuster".. If 51 members of the Senate were for it.. It's perfectly a legal manover to me to find a way around an forced 60 vote tactic.

Twocub in this the Republicans are a minority of a minority.. The house is only 1 of 3 branches of government, so republicans are a minority in the branches of government they control. Also the Majority of the house are willing to vote for the clean CR but are being prevented from doing so, making it a minority of the house who is has taken the house hostage and is not allowing them to vote sensibly. As for this being a non-issue think again. Fiscal Republican tightwads will be complaining about the 300 million per day it is costing the government to be shut down, and arguing it must be paid back.. I say take it out of Republican backed pet projects.. This many people not receiving pay checks will also hurt the economic growth.. So even if Republicans do not have a heart to care about people like Pappadaddy, and what you are doing to him personally.. It will hurt you in your wallet, the only thing you do care about. It will also hurt you in the 2014 Elections.. Something I do find as the only benefit from this.

Makes them somewhat safe to be vocal about their opposition to the hostage taking, but I do believe there is truth in that the house Republicans are falling apart, and that if the clean bill was put on the house floor it would be approved.. I am not so sure of the rumor that they have already reached the hastert rule in the fact over half the Republicans would approve the clean CR if it was put on the floor, but I think it might be close to that.. I'm more charitable, I prefer the right wing nuts just go to the padded cells they so richly deserve. OK maybe their ring leader Ted Cruz can go to Gitmo.. Otherwise they may be anarchists but I seriously question if what they do is with a sane mind.. Some of the other things they say seems to be making a case for that defense anyway. I definitely agree that so far the Democrats have played it right to not negotiate.. It is easy to see the sense in it when this is happening over a 6 week extension bill to fund the government to give them time to negotiate the true 1 year budget, which could of happened over the past 6 months if the Republicans hadn't refused to go to conference in all that time.. I also don't want a precedence for the minority to rule government by hostage taking.. But the Debt ceiling fight would have far worse consciences for the whole government.. I wouldn't mind some negotiation to stay out of that, as long as it is done after making sure the Republicans are squeezed so far into the corner and that the whole country (accept for the bright red distracts they came from, I swear it has to be in the water they drink) see them for the idiots that they are.. Once they are rung out for all they're worth, a little bit of Democrats rushing in to save the country would not hurt the Democratic image.. Sort of like the hero letting the villain come close to drowning, but at the last minute the hero doesn't let the villain die, but plucks him out of the water and then hauls him off to jail, his plans to rule the world totally foiled and his life totally in ruins. "Where's the 30B going to come from?" Gee now you sound like a Republican I don't know, since we are just giving it to the Republicans to save face have it come out of one of their pet causes.. Maybe oil subsidies.. Of course that wouldn't keep it all within the health industry and self sufficient..

Depends.. If the troop is active in hiking, canoeing, camping etc.. and the boy enjoys these things, he may not be able to participate in all of scouting, he can't do the advancement stuff.. But it is like sitting at Home saying your part of a football team.. It's more like just showing up for the games but missing parts of the warmup and exercise sessions.

Hope things work out for you Papadaddy.. You hear things that make you hope a quick settlement is close at hand, then you hear stuff that say no one is ready to give in.. Either republicans have to give it up with nothing.. Or the Democrats need to throw them a small bone so they can save face. The most promise I saw was this one video that was with two Republicans ready to refund government and back down.. So, they are not the ones in the lead.. But they were asked if they would deal on the funding of the Government AND not pulling this again on the Deficit if the Democrats offered them a trade in the Medical Device tax (from what I read there is already some agreement on that change).. Those two wanted a way out.. They were just looking for some bone thrown so they could save face (or perhaps it was more that the more radical elements of their party could save face.) and get out of the whole mess.. Again, don't know if it would not out the 30-40 house reps & Ted Cruise that are the only ones calling the shots.. And it meant the Dems had to take pity and throw the bone.. Dems I know wouldn't do it just for a 6 week fund the government.. But they might if they could also disarm the threat of Reps trying to take the Deficit fight as a new hostage.. That might be large enough to let them deal something.. But who knows.. It sounded like a great idea, but none of the people talking was a lead person who could start the wheel rolling. All I can say is really, really stupid.. Never should of happened, and I hope for you and lots of others in your position, this is short lived.

Again, those rules allow you to ADVANCE.. The only rules for youth that I know of that say you can not join at all is the (soon to be defunct) outwardly gay, and the atheists rules (adults have more like not having any serious convictions and not being an undocumented immigrant).. There is no time limit that you MUST make the rank of Scout by blah.. blah.. month of joining or you are kicked out.. So I don't see the "FOLLOW THE RULES OR NOT JOIN".. I think that is rather harsh and brittle and unwelcoming myself.. I know plenty of kids who do not join to advance in rank.. NJCubScouter - although I agree it is up to the parents.. Because it sounds more like they will be kicked out of their religion for not following the religions rules, rather then need to go to confession and say a few hal Mary's or just not follow them because they don't believe that part of their religion.. I think I would feel better that they break those rules knowingly rather then in ignorance. So would want to learn what I can and sit down to figure out where there are problems and what we as BSA can do to work around the issues, and what they would either need to accept in the inability to rank advance or what rules in their religion they feel comfortable breaking or questionably finagling to get any rank advancement. I would feel very guilty if I knew they could be ex-communicated for what they were doing, said nothing.. Then had them crying on my doorstep when they got ex-communicated.

"Okay how would you explain how little Johnny Jahova Doesn't have to salute the Flag and say the Pledge, He never attends Court of Honors, He Doesn't attend any Events and Above all does not Have to say the Oath and Law because It is against his Religion but he is a Scout. Would you kick out the Other Scouts who did the same thing who were Not JW who followed his examples" You answered it yourself.. "Because it is against his religious views".. A scout is respectful of everyone's religious views.. If others stop doing things to follow his example, they would need to have similar religious views. It will be interesting if he could ever advance in rank.. I tend to doubt it.. But, there is nothing preventing him from joining and being a member and partaking in what he can do..

Sorry that you have a troop or pack who have members that never communicate with each other, so you don't know who is married, who is dating, who is engaged to be married, who is getting a divorce.. If the scout someone brings every week is their son, or is an uncle that is very into scouting while the child's parents are not or whatever.. Usually those type of things I find out usually with the very first discussion, or as I see them week to week, and their life changes.. I can see one quiet family group keeping to themselves and be surprised in finding that what you assumed over the past year they were enrolled wasn't quite correct.. But, I would see that as an oddity and not the norm..

Perhaps if the scout is joining for the activities and camaraderie he is not interested in rank advancement at all.. In which case, doesn't matter if he got scout rank or any of the other ranks.. He can still be a member.

I would have no problem giving my email address out to anyone. I already get spam but my hotmail filter gets rid of most of it before I even see it. Also, email addresses listed on a Scout website could easily be disguised to avoid spammers as in bobwhite at yahoo dot com. Also, I am aware that there is not a requirement for boys to be able to recite verbatim his merit badge material a year or anytime after receiving the merit badge. I only mentioned it because I believe that many boys cannot tell much of anything about what they quickly crammed into their brain just a few weeks or months later after his merit badge class. I think it is up to the boy and his parents to make sure he LEARNS the material and does not temporarily memorize it. I guess I am suggesting that boys self police themselves on this. The last thing you want is a surgeon operating on your brain who temporarily memorized his med school curriculum, amen? You want him to know it well enough to teach it. Many merit badges worn by these boys are worthless to the boy. When an Eagle Scout cannot even tell my son how to tie a rope around a tripod group of sticks for the simple camp gadget, something is really wrong. It basically is how you look at what a meritbadge is all about.. The purpose is not for the scout to really learn the meritbadge, as he is expected to with scoutcraft.. You hope some of the parts of a meritbadge that go hand-in-hand with the scoutcraft or when the MB is totally about scoutcraft like First aid or Camping will improve or enhance that knowledge.. Otherwise the purpose of the meritbadge is simply to introduce the scout to different subject matters, if the meritbadge awakes a new found interest, then the scout on his own will continue down the road.. The requirements shouldn't be skimped on because the scout does not get the full introduction on the subject matter.. But, they shouldn't be added to because it is only an introduction to the subject matter.

I said this: "Besides, females sleep elsewhere in seperate campsites/areas" Um....what is the difference? It's seperate. A campsite can be on the other site of a trail or 15 feet away. And that's how you split hairs.... I used 15 ft because Hueymungus did.. But perhaps 300ft may be safer.. After all our cooties are known to jump quite a distance.

I said this: "Besides, females sleep elsewhere in seperate campsites/areas" Um....what is the difference? It's seperate. A campsite can be on the other site of a trail or 15 feet away. And that's how you split hairs.... It is not a rule anywhere that females need to sleep elsewhere in separate campsites/areas, because Webloes camping is for BOYS.. And mom DOES NOT have to sleep in a separate tent from her son if she is the legal guardian.. But, if sleeping separate from other leaders, or sleeping separate because not a legal guardian she could pitch a tent inches away from any boy or male leaders.. Or be sandwiched between two tents where men reside in each one.. Doesn't matter.. You don't have to send them 15 feet away, or to a different campsite or anything else.. Thems not the rules.. That's what you got wrong.. Perhaps though your co has rules to that effect, and you thought it was a BSA rule.. (I think some religion has that rule.. I remember something a year or two back where someone on this forum stated their religion required that it not only be with campsites but if they were sleeping in hotels women needed to be in different hotels or something really strange.. Like separate floor wasn't far enough away..)

Some of that you may want to explain to the scout in order for them to decide if they want to accept you for their MBC or not. I have may scouts who come to me to finish up partials they got from camp.. Our camp does not short change and hands out partials. It is your perogative if you will not accept work from a partial.. It is their perogitive to find an MBC who will.

They don't mind being contacted by scouts, they don't want their info on the internet to be pulled by those outside of scouting.. I know we had a state trooper in our troop who was assigned to the motorcycle gangs in the state.. He didn't want his contact info on a website. Also as ScoutNut stated, people fear the fact there are people out there trolling and fishing for your contact info to either send junk mail or for other purposes.. I think though the main reason the Advancement group didn't want the info out there was so that parents couldn't organize and plan out their sons merit badge schedule, or usurp the troops routine on how to the scoutmaster, advancement person and scout come to an agreement on the right MBC for the scout.. Some MBC's the SM does not want working with any of their scouts, so why allow the scout the ability to pick from a list of all MBC's to have the SM tell him that he can't work with the MBC he picked, had already called, and had set something up with the MBC.. Now, you are asking the scout to recall the MBC and cancel..

Don't be condescending.. Of course you don't require all parents to produce their papers as proof.. You take a group that looks and acts as a family unit as just that.. But, if you KNOW they are not married due to them just talking to you in normal conversation, and you know that many in your unit know the situation.. Or if you assume they are married, then are informed by others in your unit they are not.. You act accordingly.

Each council / District does merit badge councilor processing differently.. Some will put it on a web site.. Our district tried it, and had all those on the advancement committee up in arms.. Due to the fact some people do not want their name & contact info on the internet, but also because sometimes it is a parent not a scout that is looking up the MBC and making the phone call.. They like the list in the hands of someone in the troop, and the troop to come up with a good system of how to control assigning MBC's to scouts.. So your son can as the Scoutmaster about what your troops process is. It is best for him not to do all his MB's at summer camp and meritbadge work days.. Those will be the ones he will need to learn how to contact the MBC himself and organize a workable schedule for both them (and probably you as you will need to drive him to it) or find another scout buddy with a parent who will drive.. Other then that, although the Summer camp seems to have been way to lenient. You sound like you might be thinking to strictly on the meritbadge process.. The MBC should follow the MB requirements exactly not adding or removing from them.. It is not a requirement for them to KNOW something so well that they remember it for over a year.. If the requirement is to do an experiment, once done it's done.. If the scout can not recreate the experiment the next day, then he can't.. He doesn't need to redo the experiment over & over until it is committed to memory. never to be forgotten ever again..

Swastika was a symbol stolen by the Nazi and until then was a symbol for good things like life, sun, power, strength, and good luck. It's obvious that on this medal it was used for good luck.

I would take it to my DE.. His bonus depends on getting boys into scouting, so he shouldn't be the crusty old badger wanting to give the kid the boot.. But, he may need to ask someone more experienced.. But he/she is a little bit better then just asking the kindly lady secretary who answers the phones. Still I think NJCubScouter is correct.. After all we have no one here how "KNOWS" what the right answer is, every answer was a best guess.. So seems our answers were no better then him asking other in his troop, or his wife or next door neighbor. When I looked it up I saw something that they could be kicked out of their church for saying the Pledge.. Given that, I would definitely not want to handle it incorrectly and be responsible for the family being excommunicated..

Wow.. Lot's of advice on "Why I would break the rules.." All sound and reasonable, and if your group is basically all liberal thinking just fine and dandy.. I understand also where you are coming from with the changing times, and you not wanting to seem like some old fuddy-duddy.. But the OP stated that people in his group have come to him with concerns.. It's fine to ask you CO their preference, but basically your CO can add more rules to the BSA rules, but can't decide to not follow BSA rules.. So, this is like the homosexual your group makes a scout leader.. It is fine, until someone who is not OK with the situation turns you with a complaint about it to council.. Before you do it, you should be sure everyone in the group is in agreement, and there is no one "voicing concerns".. Also could become an unwanted slippery slope when you say fine to this unmarried couple for the reason that they kind of seem married by all living together anyway.. Then a year later have a father who is going through a mid-life crisis and changing sex-partners on a weekly basis wanting to bring their girlfriend of the week along with him.. Do what you want, follow the rules, don't follow the rules.. But, make sure you think things through when you decide not to follow the rules.

I'm not that much of a rule stickler.. If married I would not require a proof that the step parent has a legal guardian.. But if not married, they adulls would be in seprate tents, if different sexes (probably if unmarried homosexuals too.), even if both guardians.. Scout would have to choose where to sleep.

Females can sleep in the same area as males.. Hueymungus is wrong on that, perhaps it's a policy of his pack/troop.. If you had only a mother as a legal guardian she is fine sleeping with her child, IN THE SAME AREA as the rest of the Webelos.. But.. unmarried couples can not sleep in the same tent during any scouting event, period.. And - only legal guardians can sleep with a youth, period.. So you have two issues that would get you in trouble.. I know these are BSA rules, but I could not tell you were the rule is in writing. This is the closest I came.. http://www.scouting.org/scoutsource/...GSS/gss01.aspx go down to the section titled "Leadership Requirements for Trips and Outings" look at # 8... Also look at # 11.. #8 ,, Male and female leaders must have separate sleeping facilities. Married couples may share the same quarters if appropriate facilities are available. #11,,When staying in tents, no youth will stay in the tent of an adult other than his or her parent or guardian. I have never heard the G2SS stating "parent or guardian MUST sleep in the tent with the scout.. just the one in #11.. So there is no problem with 2 or 3 scouts sleeping in one tent, but then unless they are all brothers, NO parents can sleep in the same tent, because although they are guardian to one of the boys, they are not guardian to all of the boys.. But even if the scout was in another tent with other scouts.. Still boyfriend/girlfriend could not tent together.. Yes it says leaders.. But even if neither are registered scouters, any adult on the campout is an adult leader.. This rule apply to anyone on the campout.. So father/son in one tent and girlfriend in a seprate tent.. Or scout in with other youth, but father/girlfriend still in individual tents themselves.. updated this, because I forgot to mention that if someone other then a parent/guardian comes on the trip to be a scouts adult representation.. That is fine, but they would not be able to sleep in the same tent.. So if an uncle came camping in place of the parents, he maybe is the temporary guardian for the weekend, but he is not legally the permanent guardian, so they tent separately. But the women can be in the same campsite, seriously their cooties will wash off. Thems the rules...

I guess some people have stated frustration with them packing up Saturday night. This does seem small minded.. With most of our District camporees nothing happens on Sunday anyway.. Eat breakfast, pack up your gear and leave. All the activities fall on Saturday (except a recent one that had the activities in the dark, so events started at 9 or 10pm and the event didn't end until about 2am on Sunday morning.) As for people bemoaning LDS not finding ways to socialize outside of their own group.. It might not be the right way to say "Hey we want the pleasure of your company".. But, sometimes after people ask and ask and try to accommodate to make the LDS community feel welcomed, they themselves feel LDS is being the one who is snubbing them, and it just starts turns into complaining about the whole thing. I myself tried to run IOLS trainings that did not run over Sunday in order to accommodate the LDS people.. But, after advertising and promoting and personally calling a representative of each LDS group to let them know about the trainings that were LDS friendly, then having a total of 0 LDS people show up for it, while the other participant number also was small due to it taking two separate weekends instead of one.. It was scrubbed, and we don't do it anymore. This year our summer camp added the IOLS training to their summer camp program for adult training.. Hopefully they can get that training there. I wasn't hinting that they be banned from future campouts or anything.. Just curious how unbendable this rule was, and if totally unbendable then what did you do.. I just know that the best laid plans in camping rarely turn out and no matter how hard you try to plan to have daylight to set camp, it seems 9 out of 10 times to not work out.. Maybe other units don't have the religious rulings around not setting up in the dark, but they try not to anyway simply because doing so is a royal PITA..