Narraticong

Hope and Change? I HOPE he doesn't get elected because all I'll have left is pocket CHANGE!

Thanks for all the great tips guys! Sounds pretty much like a week at Summer Camp. We just got back from that Sunday, so our laundry is freshly done! Camp chair is a great idea. I'll be sure to pack one. My almost 12 year old son is having a great Scout summer. His first week of Troop Summer Camp (two requirements shy of 1st Class and earned 4 Merit Badges), and now a trip to PTC a week later. I'm hopeful he will be a walking Ambassador for Scouting. Yesterday he told his old Scout Camp Staffer Dad that he wants to be on a Camp Staff some day. That made my day! Is there some opportunity for patch trading at PTC? I was going to encourage him to bring some Detroit Area Council CSP's and some of his other traders along if there is. Does anyone trade anymore? I'm looking forward to the NLAS conference and learning how we can use Scouting as a tool in the church. And how to encourage my Scouts to better live up to the 12th point of the Law.

John-in-KC- See you at PTC for the NLAS Conference! My first time at Philmont, so I can't wait to get there. Besides a red Jac-shirt, any advice on what to bring for the conference? Ken

Some of you guys really seem to like to bicker. More than some of my 12 year old Scouts. As I tell them, it's mean spirited, not helpful, boring, and not representative of what it means to be a Scout. Perhaps you can just share email adresses and keep your comments between yourselves?

I can guarantee the sash will change color any day now. My son earned his first four Merit Badges at camp last week and was eager to have them on a sash. I bought one yesterday...

Just back from the first week of Summer Camp for our new troop! I'm glad that's where I spent the week! As SM, I was very proud of our boys. Wednesday evening was family night and in addtition to our 12 Scouts and 3 leaders, we had 33 family members visiting for dinner. Of course, that would be the one night of bad weather. Severe thunderstorms rolling through camp, one after another. Flash flood warnings. Camp staff had a well thought out process and evacuated Scouts from tent sites to cabins. I found each boy and family and told each Scout (with his family in the background listening) exactly what the plan was. Each boy knew directions to the cabin and was told to make sure his family got there. Two families managed to get lost on the way to the cabin. Why? Because the parents chose to go a way different from what their Scout told them. Once all were safely settled in the cabin, we finally managed to get the worried parents on thei way home. Lightning then struck the transformer outside the cabin and we lost electricity. Scared boys? Not a one. We hung glo-sticks and the boys were prepared with flashlights. What really touched me was that in the middle of this frightening situation, three first year campers got out their Scout Handbooks and planned what Merit Badges they would take for the next three summers! When I saw that, this first year Scoutmaster knew we surely had some great Scouts! Next day we returned to our site and found all tents standing. A couple had been flooded out by the torrential waters. I guess that could not have been helped. But we dried out and were right back in tents that night. Last week, 12 boys took a big step toward becoming men. I felt privileged to be a part of it and would not have been anywhere else!

Although I now live in the Detroit area, I grew up less than a mile from BSA Headquarters, which was actually in North Brunswick, NJ. It was pretty cool as a kid to be able to ride my bike over there and go through the Johnston Museum whenever I wanted and see BSA history. I had a neighbor in the Art Department and whenever they needed a Cub Den for a Scouting Magazine article, we would be the "models". As a Scout, I was in many Merit Badge pamphlets and also in the Fieldbook. For a while, Green Bar Bill was a neighbor of one of my fellow patrol members. At that age we knew he was somebody important to Scouts, but we had no idea that cool old guy was one of the greats of BSA! It was a sad day for this Scout when BSA picked up and moved to Texas. But I am thankful for the many wonderful experiences I had growing up near Headquarters.

If you "avoid anything from the New Testament", you are denying Jesus. I recently participated in a Scout's Own which used that very concept. It made me rather uncomfortable. In another forum we recently beat this subject to a pulp. The bottom line is that anytime you mention religious concepts of any flavor in a group setting you will likely risk upsetting someone's beliefs. Perhaps better to leave worship entirely to the individual. If we believe in the 12th Point of the Law, we might instead leave a time for each and all to worship on their own, in their own way.

I'm comfortable with gravity. When my overly large body fins itself off the ground, it ALWAYS finds its way back down. Sometimes with an abrupt and brusing halt. Evolution? I struggle to understand how life came from inert matter. Where did all that matter come from? How does evolution support "In the Beginning..."? Evolution as a theory states that the universe is constantly changing and will someday come to an end. If we believe there will someday be an end, there must have been a beginning. That is where I agree with the Theory of Evolution. The beginning is found in Genesis and the end is found in Revelation. It wraps things up pretty tightly. You see, Evolutionists choose to believe in something they can not see: in a Bajillion to one chance of inert matter becoming life. And that single cell life then becoming Man. What are the odds of that happening? I choose to believe in a God I also can't see. The difference is that he came to walk with us as a man whose miracles many did see and record. I like those odds of that a lot better! I told you not to open that can... "Is it over? Not until we say it's over!!! Was it over when the Germans bombed Pearl Harbor?..."

I was reading a topic that dealt with the Guide yesterday. It seems the Bold sections are actually National rules to be followed. Non-bold sections are "good practices" and may be local rules depending on your own council. By the way, it's my understanding that Laser Tag is no longer specifically disallowed. It is left up to your own (or Council) discretion. Look at the current Guide online. Has anyone else looked at "The Dangerous Book for Boys"? It could have been taken from some of the old Handbooks! Perhaps our boys would look sweet in pink neckerchiefs? Of course we should probably come up with breakaway neckerchief slides. The slides would not be able to be depictions of totem poles or Native Americans (politically incorrect). And they could not be carved from wood (a double whammy...kids with knives, oh my...wood slides means deforestation, clearcutting, global warming). Oh no where's Al Gore when you need him?

Thank you Trevorum for picking that nit...splinters and planks. Perhaps rather than suggest Scouts bring a religious text, I should have suggested they come prepared to worship in whatever way they find suitable. If worship requires jumping up and down, or dancing, or singing, so be it. Sylvar seems to understand my position. I am all for learning about other religions and their practices. That is what respect and tolerance are about. But it also means there is a reciprocal need for you to understand that I can not worship with those of differing beliefs without being grossly untrue to my own faith. It's similar to my middle school age children needing to learn the Theory of Evolution in school. They learn it, study it, and take tests on it. Do they believe it? Not on your life. And it pleases me that my 13 year old daughter has the strength of Faith to successfully challenge her science teacher on the subject. I hope I don't open another whole can of worms...

Did you ever notice that on the NESA website there is no means to contact the organization via email? Other than providing scholarships for worthy Eagles, I often wonder what value NESA is to Scouts. Recently I participated in a survey concerning an Eagle Scout directory being published. After a handful of post cards and phone messages I finally responded and answered their questions. I guess it would be nice to know where some fellow Eagles are today. But the kicker was that they wanted over $80.00 for a copy of the directory! When I said that was too rich for me, they offered a soft cover version for a mere $40.00. Just another attempt to part me from my hard earned dollars. I resent that. Next to my church, Boy Scouts gets the largest share of my charitable contributions. More and more I feel our organization is being run by professionals who have never promised to live by the Oath and Law. It's sad...

Sylvar- My response to your question would be the the same as John, only not as well stated as his. Maybe it's a "Lutheran thing"? Do I think we should have no "service" at all? I think if that means an interfaith service where gods other than the one I worship are acknowledged as equals, I would just as soon not participate. As I stated previously, I believe that time is better spent in quiet personal worship. I would encourage other Scouts to do the same. If the entire group is of a similar background, group worship is certainly called for and encouraged. Our responsibility is to encourage our Scouts to worship in the manner dictated by their own individual faith. Group worship in a manner which runs contrary to what many faiths proscribe serves only to potentially water down the faith of the Scout. For that reason, in a multi-faith unit I would encourage each Scout and Scouter to bring whatever he needs to worship in his own personal manner. Just as we make time for dinner, skills and games, we should then make time for personal worship. And encourage each boy to participate in his own manner.

Are we trying to raise our boys to be self-sufficient men or are we intent on protecting them from any and every potential source of harm in the world. Teaching Cubs to use a pocketknife safely was always fun. The boys loved it and learned to use tools as they are intended. Teaching Scouts to use an axe does the same. Both scare the bejeebers out of parents who are afraid they child will either lose all ten fingers or come home an axe-murderer. Perhaps we should petition our legislators to pass a law requiring all marshmallows to be non-flammable?

Although I am a long time member of NESA (Eagle in 1976), I really have not seen what good the organization does other than ask for money! I have tried to get a local NESA group going for years now. My thought was that it might be a great way to recruit Eagles as volunteers. In particualr I'm thinking of those guys who are out in the workforce, with no boys in Scouts. It might be a great way to get those guys back involved in Scouting! What better resource could we have. For some reason, our local council professionals did not see this as important. After enough of my being a pain, I was elated to find out they were going to get a group going. As it turns out the professionals saw it as a means to ask for more money! Eagle Scouts are often successful and earn a healthy income. What a great target. For some reason, that project never left the runway. I do support our council financially and I do wear a James E. West knot as a means to encourage others to do the same. But my Eagle knot is a whole other story. It says a Scout has reached the top as a boy. A special one because of how much money I donated to NESA? That will never happen.

The Scouts Own is clearly a worship service, meant to take the place of a usual weekend worship service conducted by many denominations. If Duty to God means anything at all, it means worshipping your God as your religion professes. By participating in a worship service which mentions "Gods" that are not the triune God of the New Testament, I am not living up to my Christian beliefs. As Americans we are obligated to respect the rights of others to worship (or not) in whatever way they choose. The right to religious freedom is self-evident. However, we are not in any way obligated to accept other religions as being valid. Like it or not, my God tells me that all other gods are false and that I must not accept them. As far as I am concerned, "case closed". This is not religious intolerance. In a bit of tongue in cheek, it might best be summed up as "I firmly support and respect your right to be wrong". Perhaps rather than a Scout's Own, it might make sense for us as Scouters to encourage the boys to make packing their religious text as important as raingear. Designate a quiet time in camp when each Scout will worship quietly in his own manner. Since the Scout Law requires belief in a supreme being, there should be no problem for each Scout to do so. As leaders, if we see a boy who does not seem to participate, it might be a great opportunity for a Scoutmasters Conference. I think that by encouraging each boy to carry his religious text and to actually spend time with it, we might be better serving the intent of the Twelfth Point.

Two weekends ago I attended Outdoor Leadership Training for Scoutmasters. Overall, it was a well run session. But I was troubled by our "Scout's Own" segment. The trainers had put together an actual Scout's Own service complete with a printed program. The focus was strongly on the Scout Law, using Biblical references to illustraste. It became obvious that the author of the service had been doing his best not to offend anyone. The Detroit area has a very diverse Christian, Jewish, and Muslim population. By using only Old Testament references, some would suggest that all three major religions would be comfortable. As a Lutheran Christian (like John-in-KC), I might be offended by a total lack of the Gospel in the Service. By using no New Testament references, the service totally ignores my Savior. It would seem that perhaps the Scout's Own looks good on the surface. But when one really digs deep into what is required of one who wishes to truly worship his God (whether the God of Jews, Muslims, or Christians- they are not the same!), any type of interfaith worship might be uncomfortable at best. I don't claim to have an answer to how Scouts should encorage the Twelfth Point without weakening it for any individual. But like John, I will be attending the Lutheran Conference at Philmont this summer and I look forward to searching (and praying) for answers!

BSA Headquarters was actually in North Brunswick, NJ. It's a suburb of New Brunswick, NJ. I grew up a few blocks from Headquarters during the 60's and 70's. My Aunt was secretary to one of the execs and one of my neighbors worked in the art department. My neighbor used my Cub Scout den as models for Scouting Magazine and many various BSA publications. As a Boy Scout I was in several merit badge books and the Fieldbook. Couldn't tell today that I was once a model! Several of my friends were used as calendar models by Rockwell and then later by Csatari. It's kind of cool to point out those people to my Scouts today. Greatest experience I had (didn't realize it at the time) was meeting Green Bar Bill. I knew he wrote for Boy's Life and that he was a cool old guy. But as a young Second Class Scout, I didn't realize just who he was and what he had done for Scouting.

I earned the World Conservation Award way back when in its earliest days. My old dark green Leadership Corps shirt still has the patch sewn on above the pocket where the World Crest goes today. I can't say where we got the idea to put it there. I just know its been there since about 1975 or 1976. That was a long time ago. I can't believe how much that old shirt shrunk just sitting in a closet!

So our special needs Scout showed up for the training last night, so we avoided our biggest potential problem. Thank goodness for that. From here, we practice hard on the skills the boys learned. Hopefully he will at least be able to participate on a level that he will not get singled out. Thanks for the advice!

One of our patrols has a young man who is challenged. He does not learn skills at the same rate, has no attention span, really does not pay attention. I know he gets special assistance at school. At the district First Aid competition several of the jusdges noticed he was not really particpating and made him answer the questions. He was totally unable and the patrol went from doing well to terrible. Needless to say, the rest of the boys were disappointed. This years First Aid event is in two weeks. We have a very intensive training session tonight with local EMT's. All of our boys are either Tenderfoot or Scout rank. The Mom of the boy in question informed me he may not be able to come to the training. The boys in his patrol are now concerned the same thing will happen this year and their own hard work will go unrewarded. Their question is whether they can tell this "special needs" boy that he can not participate in the event if he does not come to the training. I am torn on the issue because this boy needs Scouts more than any other boy. But the other boys also need to see the results of their hrd work. Any ideas?

Camp Sakawawin / Kittatinny Mountain Scout Reservation in New Jersey from 1969 through 1979. Included one year as CIT and two years on Staff. Last six years I have camped with Cubs and OA at D Bar A Scout Reservation in Metamora, Michigan. We will be taking our first year Boy Scout Troop there for a week this summer. Those of us in the Detroit Area Council have been truly blessed with such a great camp! I'm not sure who is more excited about going to summer camp...me or the boys! Camp was always the highlight of my summer. This summer I will be attending the Lutheran Conference at Philmont Training Center. My first trip to Philmont. My first year Scout son will also be going along. My hope is to whet his appetite for a future Trek trip!

Hey John-in-KC! I sent my money last week for the same session. I never got to go to Philmont as a boy and thought this would be a great opportunity. My 11 year old son, Drew, is going along with me. With 9 months of Boy Scouting under his belt, he is starting to really get into it. By the time we get to Philmont in August, he will be one week done from his first Scout summer camp experience. Our brand new troop is chartered to our Lutheran church. There are a lot of Lutheran churches around, many with schools, but few support Scouting units. I'm hopeful we'll learn some tips on spreading Scouting through Lutheran churches in the Detroit area.

Nine months into our "once a Webelos den" new Boy Scout troop, everything seems to be going well. With a core of six boys, we will be adding seven more at crossover next week. With the exception of two boys going to troops with their older brothers, all boys crossing over from our old pack are coming to us. But we worked hard to make that happen. We started acting like a patrol before our boys crossed over, getting prepared for Boy Scouts. We made good impressions on younger boys and their parents. As Webelos, our boys did service projects, they hosted Pack campfires. In other words, they showed they had the right stuff. Younger boys wanted to be like them, and their parents agreed! When we became a troop, we attended District events. The boys don't have all the skills yet, but they manage to do OK. Me make big news of their achievements. While the boys were still working on Tenderfoot, two of them became Den Chiefs for our old pack. Perfect? No. But they were the first ones the Pack had in years. And they keep the relationship tight. Once again, the Cubs look up to them. We have invited Webelos dens from other Packs to our functions. We did dot get any of them to cross over to our Troop this year, but we will keep forging those relationships. Our goal is to grow by a patrol and replace any dropouts for the next five years. Growing the new troop is all about building relationships!

Funny response, but does not help the poster. Perhaps someone else dropped the ball (young Arrowmen have been known to do that). Be Prepared is a motto to live by. But so are Trustworthy, Loyal, HELPFUL... I hope the banquet was a success!