Basementdweller

Selfish Parents That is a matter of fact. Have a gentleman I work with who complains that he hasn't had a decent vacation since his kids were born. I was thinking to myself that I had the best vacations since my children have been born. It is easy to sit at a baseball game and yell. It is harder to talk about honesty, trust, religion, and character.

Lets face it.......People do not like to camp as much as they used too. That is what we sell in scouting to deliver the rest of the program. Beyond that we are competing for the dollars and Time. Flag football Football Travel Football Volleyball Club Volleyball Hockey Travel Hockey Soccer Travel Soccer Baseball Travel Baseball Softball Mega Churches with mega youth groups other than Baseball the rest is new since I was a boy.

Ev.... Baloo is a necessary evil. Basic intro to camping. Many type A city dwellers want to take the pack camping, which is a good thing. They lack the basic knowledge on the hows and safety. While I didn't take away any new info, many others at the course did.

Venture Patrol has got to be one of the dumbest things I have ever heard. I agree with OGE that it is just another patrol within a troop. Moose you must really enjoy typing.

Baloo is only for Cub Pack Family Camping. Nothing more. Supposedly required on the tour permit along with the Severe Weather training. You can take a webelos den camping with out it being required.

The entire BSA training program is being shaken up. I heard baloo was staying and they are combining the Webelo and boy scout Outdoor training. Seems logical to me.......Baloo is family camping and Webelos is the beginning of patrol/den camping.(This message has been edited by Basementdweller)

You are absolutely correct in that you never turn away a volunteer. Public relations person sounds like a perfect fit.

Most of the 18 year old I know should have a bit of seasoning before wood badge, if ya know what I mean. Leading to my statement unnecessary. They need to experience life a bit before the training. Just my opinion that's all. Moose's son may be the exception to the rule, I have no clue. A shame he traded peers for adult friends, but what the heck it worked for him.

I just made the comment is was unusual. I am not making accusation, blaming or pointing fingers, Relax people. How many people personally know a scouter who is less than 20 who has participated in woodbadge??? zero here I was hoping there was an interesting story behind it and indeed there was.

Just curious why an 18 year old is taking wood badge?????? Unusual and unnecessary unless he wants to make it a career.

Come on now does that mean the glass is 91% empty. I have never heard of a 91% chance of thunderstorms. I never knew they could differentiate rain prediction from a tstorm prediction Common sense of course, remember your severe weather training.

It should never be anything else.

It is gonna rain, so what?????????? Go have fun, let the boys play in the rain. Take a hike in the rain, fish in the rain, Play kick ball in the rain. Don't cancel day because of the liquid sunshine. Just keep an eye on the sky, figure your evac or severe whether plan ready. I take a weather radio just in case.

With holding money is a small way we can protest what is going on. My emails to the DE and SE have gone unanswered. I worry about vengeance against my scout when it comes time for eagle BOR. I have witnessed boys paying for their unpopular parents in scouting at that level. maybe I will just shut up till he is finished, then roll up the sleeves and have at it.

If putting on the Best affordable Program for The Troop and Packs scouts means going ROGUE so be it. But the only thing we are talking about is not participating in fund raising for a Council that is squandering the boys money and the money donated for the boys. Have you ever walked into a leaders meeting at resident camp and were asked "Well, what would you guys like to do this week?"

The discussion is whether or not we are going to participate in the FOS and popcorn sale as a Pack or not. We can fund raise easier and more profitably on our own.

It is irrelevant. you can shoot BB and archery with out going to a council event. Happens all the time in our council and district. Packs own their own bb guns. DE knows and does nothing.

Back to the original question...... There is no repercussions from what I am reading.

Battery powered fan before bed will dry it out. I do about the same thing. sheet and light blanket. Roll the fly back on the tent to allow more heat to escape.

Had the previous DE change our troop to a crew one year. He registered an entire grade at local middle school as a crew too. I am not blaming the new DE for anything. I don't believe in the council or my district's ability to manage money or provide me with any program help at all. Services they provide me, a conduit to register my boys with national. that is about it. I purchase my program books, training manuals, patchs and such from the national scout shop. The good DE's are underpaid, but I have yet to meet one. Far as my strings being pulled First hand knowledge of the terrible conditions of the camp. First hand knowledge of the poor program. First hand knowledge of the membership records being altered. First hand knowledge of the council service center. First hand knowledge of the lake being drained. on and on(This message has been edited by Basementdweller)

Gateway time out got me(This message has been edited by Basementdweller)

So what exactly are you paying for??????

Thx for all the responses. I have emailed the DE and SE asking an accounting of FOS dollars for last year. I doubt I will see anything but a guy can try. I also wonder about the honesty of what I will see. I like the Dollar donation for FOS with attached letter. I am growing very disillusioned at what I am seeing. Corruption is the only thing I can equate it too. The new scout office building just really ticks me off, leaky pools and roofs at the camps and your spending money at the architects for a ritzy new building to go to work in. Signing over rights to the camps to conservation organizations. I could go on and on about SE SUV's and camp lakes getting drained. DE vacations and Scout camps getting sold. The Program for summer resident camp is TERRIBLE both the Pack and the Troop leave council to attend camp. The DE has asked why and I have told him with out mincing words. Another question So what services do you expect from council????? Maybe my expectations are out of line I laughed at the last roundtable when they said we would have to attend a Council camp for free advancement. Please, $30 bucks worth of patches for $50 more per scout and a terrible program. Not sign my tour permit????? I will add a few bucks to the cost of the outing and get the pack and troop its own insurance. Not sign my application for fund raising????? Ok so what is the penalty. a nasty letter. Not accepting my applications???? ok The troop and Pack will no longer exist

A long story, after calling every family in the Pack talking about the Friends of Scouting, with poor results and mad families. I spent a week every night calling families for $50 bucks. I would have been better off donating it myself and taking the rest of the week off. What is the repercussions of not participating??????? We are also questioning Popcorn selling as well??????? Had an interesting discussion with the committee today and wondering about what exactly we get for our supporting Council????? Resident camp that is $50-80 more than neighboring councils and a poor program to boot. Council camps that are in horrible shape, arrogant DE's, near zero support from council office. The council is talking about building a Ritzy new service center in a very expensive and exclusive area of town.....Please, fix up the camps first and then the offices. Loss of camperships??? nope, the church will give us money if we need it. Free advancement????? please Quality program????? nope, we receive zero help their from council or district. So we are talking about not selling popcorn or participating in FOS. Your thoughts. Scouting is a business and then serve the boys second.

Scoutfish......I screw up on a regular basis, and nobody notices or says anything. We had a webelo den camp out last weekend. Rained buckets, boys were covered in ticks and chiggers, filthy muddy to the point we called the parents to bring tarps to cover their car seats. they made fire, caught fish, cleaned them, and some even ate them. Hiked 7 miles, played ghost in the grave yard. Capture the flag. We made pizza in the dutch oven, breakfast casserole. The boys made up a silly pizza dance around the camp fire and made up a song about the days adventures. They had a blast, almost to the boy didn't want to leave to go home Sunday. Made me smile. Just do the best you can and have fun.