NWScouter

You see this not only in schools but in the court systems. A few years back people got upset that criminals were being coddled. They took examples of terrible crimes committed by released criminals who they believed should have been in jail longer to get their legislators or by initiatives to enact laws like three strikes youre out and mandatory minimum sentencing. Both of then remove the uses of judgment from judges, to me a contradiction; judges are to use their judgment. Our jails are full up, the US is in the top three (maybe number one Im not sure) of persons incarcerated in the world. We all know the good kid poor or whatever that thrown in jail for just being in the wrong place at the wrong time.

In the 60s it was only Tenderfeet that could not earn Merit Badges. From my bookshelf I just pulled the sixth edition second printing 1960 of the Boy Scout Handbook (the edition I used as a Scout but alas not mine, where it went I do not know). It states in a footnote on page 359, where the merit badges and their groups are listed Merit badges may be earned by Second and First Class, but not by Tenderfoot Scouts. I remember my first scout camp I was so disappointed that I couldnt earn one, now I have seen first year campers earning 5 and more. Here is something I thought I remembered but was not sure. Then you entered Boy Scouts as a Tenderfoot not as a Scout, no such rank then. There was Tenderfoot tests back then, from the sixth edition: When you have passed the tests in Tenderfoot Scout teamwork, Scoutcraft, and Scout spirit before your Scoutmaster, he receives your application and registers you as a Boy Scout. You take the Scout Oath (or Promise) at a ceremony in front of your patrol and troop and are then entitled to wear the Tenderfoot badge and the official uniform of the Boy Scouts of America. I remember, in the last six month before I turned 11, I moved into a Webolos den to earn my Arrow of Light which was basically learning all the Tenderfoot stuff. Mr. Lee, the den leader, was neat he was a police detective and carried a gun. He later on became my Scoutmaster.

I mentioned in earlier post of mine I was the District Commissioner of a new district created out of parts of two longtime districts. It only lasted 2 years, got the OA chapter t-shirt commemorating their demise. We were created because national guidelines said the council needed another district because of number of units. The units in the new district in the most part where good FOS givers but most of the businesses in the district were parts of chains so we had near to zip on the community side. The part that remained in my old district was one city of 100,000 and another of 30,000. The other district remainder had 3 cities in 30,000 and one of 7,000. Our district had one city just shy of 10,000 and had a smaller part of city that was split by council lines. The city in our district was about 15 years old the shared one 100 years old. The rest of the new district was in unincorporated county. In old districts 3 cities are 100, the other 3 about 50 years old. Now Im back in my old district and it always has the highest goal for FOS in the council and most years makes it. We have the largest city in the council, it is amazing how many community donors end up being counted in board or council not district totals.

Right now we have a way that gives medical treatment to the people who cant pay for and the people who pay for it are taxpayers, people under insurance plan and those with out insurance but who can pay their hospital bills. Hospitals are required to take patients even if the can pay for their care, so what happens the costs they charged to others who have insurance or can pay go up. The ones that really get screwed is the person who pays out of his pocket, the hospitals and doctors make deals with the insurance companies to charge them less than what is charged as the standard rates or else youre not on the companies approved list. The uninsured because it cost so much does not get preventive care and then shows up when something big happens or uses the ER as his Primary Care Doc. Also medical costs are a leading cause of bankruptcy and again the rates must go up for the rest to cover the lost income. BTW you always hear of high jury awards but most of them get reduced in the appeal process. Medicare/Medicaid fraud is not the fault of the government but providers working and defrauding the government. And it is not only government plans, check how much work the insurance companies fraud departments have and the state insurance commissioners have to do to protect the public from insurance companies misconduct

Hanging food and correct food storage can be a pain to enforce. One outing to the beach at the the Olympic NP, one scout must have left some food in his pack. Everything in the pack was spread out all over, clothing, food and other gear in a classic Washington heavy mist -- rain to the rest of you. Sandpoint is raccoon heaven. Another time at summer camp a scout's high tech ($$) sleeping bag had a nice little tunnel chewed in to get at a candy wrapper. All the Scouts learned something on those outings. Even this old SM learned on 50 miler high in the Cascades. I left out a small thick skinned plastic bottle with spice mix in it next to the stove. It had a small hole chewed in it and most of the spice gone. BTW if any of the young females in your life are in the Twilight book's, Forks is inland between Sandpoint and the Olympic Mountains, they get 150+ inches of rain a year. You haven't lived as SM until you have tried stopping young scouts setting at a campfire using their flashlights as spotlights on a x rated raccoon show on snag in the underbrush.

Pop as into bubbles from the carbonated water or the pop of the cap when removed. When you look whose say pop in the map they stretch from the Pacific across to eastern New York and Pennsylvania, down to Oregon, Nebraska and West Virgina. Not the most population but the most area.

Im remembering my schooldays, were a good kid did something, it a kid being a kid. The different kid or the less popular kid for doing that got the book thrown at him. I had some friends kick off a sports time because a waitress at German Club out at a German restaurant served them beer, while a group of drunken baseball players got their car airborne running a stop sign and landed on car of one our cheerleaders hurting her badly. The ball players were suspended from the team just about the time it took them to heal from their minor injuries. Latter that spring I wrote a editorial for the school paper I was editor in chief of called A day in the Life of a _______ Athlete chronicling the rule breaking and stretching that I saw many of the stars. I can understand why schools are so strict in their enforcement of the rules, with date rape, sexual harassment, bullying and assault that has been going all well be fore my time. Not even including events such as Columbine. I also think that a police officer has a right to defend himself; he doesnt have to wait to be shot before he defends himself when someone points what looks like gun at him.

There was a sketch comedy show out here in 90s called Almost Live, loved that show, was real funny. Bill Nye the Science Gay started out on it. I was watching the show when they had a bit with a recurring character called Nature Walk with Chuck, in this sketch he had a young intern Jimmy in full BSA uniform with CSP from Chief Seattle Council packing in a keg lashed to his pack frame. I called a DE I knew in Seattle and wrote a nasty letter to the TV station. Defiantly a no-no. Couldn't find the one with keg but here are some clips: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nowZ4pkarbE http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mjog1cxTDPU http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mjog1cxTDPU(This message has been edited by nwscouter)

In 1994 my council merged with the council to the north. Our OA lodges both were up for their 50th anniversary in '95. We were able to keep our lodges going and have big anniversary celebrations and then festivities creating the new lodges. I've got the lodge flaps to prove it. (This message has been edited by nwscouter)

Being from the Pacific Northwest, soda was something your mother baked with or put in the fridge to make smell better. Then your dad put soda (club) into his whiskey. It also made great fuel for rockets. Now days it seems when ever I ask for a Coke at a restaurant the waitress says in put upon voice, We dont have Coke but Pepsi.

We never had a no pop rule, we were a backpacking troop, with pack it in, pack it out put a little damper on that. PopTarts were a good light weight, no cook breakfast and top romin in pitch can be eaten raw but not my favorite. The one pet peeve was the mother who send here son or provide the patrol with sugarless drink mixes, hot chocolate, when there backing they need the energy. Candy didnt bother me either; paper brought in was brought out. Also the sugar high excuse as in He just has had too much sugar is a cop out, it seems to give them a way to avoid taking responsibility for bad behavior. Boots in the tent banned I hope you mean on their feet, my son first campout as a scout his tent buddy made him leave them outside in downpour, I was not to pleased. Out here you might find them gone in the morning or eaten as well as wet.

The SE overstepped with demanding the money but the unit was in violation of the rules and could have had it charter pulled. The national has rules for the BSA and they or the council could pull your charter or individual memberships for violation. Now they wouldn't most likely for not filling out the application unless you keep on doing it. If you set up fireworks they might, just like if you allow someone the drink alcohol at a campout or let someone who couldn't get a adult application approved participate.

Chachkaguy, your idea is a no go. Games of chance are not allowed by the rules on the Unit Money-Earning application. Selling raffle tickets or other games of chance is a direct violation of the BSA Rules and Regulations, which forbid gambling. The product must not detract from the ideals and principles of the BSA. SMT224 You are able to ask for donations because you are offering a something that has value. We staffed a rest stop on I5, the agreement with Washington DOT was that we could not sell or ask for a donation for the coffee, cookies or bug juice but they had a slot in the counter with a sign for donations. We did well. If it's bottle water, you can get them at Costco or place like that for about 15 cents, so it should make some money and you should be able to get rid of the unsold to parents in your unit for at least cost. All commercial products must sell on their own merits, not the benefit received by the Boy Scouts. The principle of value received is critical in choosing what to sell. Eagle92, The snow 'insurance' idea would fail with the principle of value received, as also would the tent folding service renting out tents to then fold them up because in both cases there is no true value received the only reason someone purchases it is because it is going to the Boy Scouts. Even though the only reason purchases overprice products like popcorn or candy from youth groups is to support them. They at least get something of value.

There are some units that do not have Tiger Cubs. LDS do not as they use a strict age requirements. Cubs start at 8 years old on the boy's birthday. Then Boy scouts are a ii but a limited program till the are 12. Varsity at 14, and Venturing at 16 and ending at 18 plus no girls. It all has to do with different levels in their faith.

For your information the Nobel Prizes where established in the will of Alfred Nobel, the Swedish inventor of dynamite. They were first given out in 1901, at a time Norway and Sweden were in a joint kingdom. The year before my dad was born in Norway, 1905 the Norwegians broke away from Sweden and got their own King. The Swedish King was forced on them in 1814. We could learn a lot from Norway, the give a greater percentage of their GNP in foreign aid and charitable aid than we do. Their people have universal health care for around 100 years and many other benefits that we do not have.

BadenP, You can't make an assumption that because Merlyn is an atheist that he has not studied theology. He may have studied before he became an atheist, or when he was an atheist. You can't know what he has studied. I know I have read and studied many religious beliefs not my own. In fact i have written papers on them. One I wrote I wrote was on the Marburg Colloquy where Luther debate Zwingli on the nature onf the Eucharist. Now I'm a Lutheran but I have studied the theology of the Reformed faiths as I have of the Roman Catholic, Islam, Buddhist, and Mormon. Merlyn may be better informed on theology than a great numbers of Christians, as surveys have shown a great deal of ignorance by Christians of biblical and theological knowledge.

If check most biblical scholars you when find that the earliest writing in the New Testament are the epistles, Romans etc. (Pauls), Johns, Peters, James, Jude and Hebrews, the synoptic gospels (Matthew, Mark and Luke) in the late first century, Mark being the first about 70 AD. Synoptic meaning of one eye, as these three gospel have similar accounts of events. In fact almost exactly the same wording. There is a well accepted theory that there was ome source used by all called the Q document. The Gospel of John (my favorite), is thought to have been written about the turn of the first century. It in my mind deals with ideas more than the others and accounts that other do not mention. It is interesting that Matthew and Luke recount the nativity, while Mark starts with the ministry of John the Baptist when Jesus was about 30. John only mentions the nativity by saying the Word became flesh and dwelt among us and discusses the nature of Jesus and places Him through out eternity In the beginning was the Word and the Word and the Word was with God, and the Word was God the true light that enlightens everyman. In all to me a meatier gospel that takes a little more digging. In recent fiction, most notably The De Vinci Code, has brought forward lost gospels that they claim proves a vast conspiracy to suppress some truth that will shake up the world. They are not in the cannon of New Testament because of decisions laid down in the early councils that produced such catholic (note small c) and ecumenical creeds the Apostles, Nicene, and Athanasian. Those 'discovered gosples" tended to be Gnostic, or reflect other beliefs on the nature of Christ, instead of the creeds' (wholly man and wholly God) and the Trinity (true God from true God of one Being with the Father.). The Old Testament cannon generally follows the Septuagint, an Greek translation of Hebrew scriptures done about 200 BC in Alexandra by seventy Jewish scholars , hence its name and its abbreviation LXX. About 400 AD, Jerome translated the whole Bible into Latin, it became to called the Vulgate. He compare the LXX to the Hebrew text in use at the time and removed parts and the church came up with a cannon of the Old Testament. When Luther translated the Bible into German he retained all of the books in the Vulgate. It was later that Protestant groups set some books of the Old Testament as "deuterocanonical" or "apocryphal". Luther made an attempt to remove the books of Hebrews, James, Jude and Revelation from the canon (echoing the consensus of several Catholics, also labeled Christian Humanists such as Cardinal Ximenez, Cardinal Cajetan, and Erasmus and partially because they were perceived to go against certain Protestant doctrines such as sola gratia and sola fide), but this was not generally accepted among his followers. However, these books are ordered last in the German-language Luther Bible to this day. (I copied the last bit from Wikipedia)

I may be sticking my foot in mouth again but I believe a unit only has to hold a election, not elect a youth to enable the committee to put forward a adult canidate.

eghiglie, This is not a council decision; national has banned it, as the first post quoted correctly.

For a while my council created a new district and I was the District Commissioner, but was dissolved when cash got short in the council. We bordered on the south with another council. We had one unit in my district whose CO was the America Legion Post about 20 blocks south of county/district line. They meet at school that was 30 blocks north of the line and had originally been a Friends of CO but in a council drive to get rid of them had found the American Legion. When there was talk of Venture Crew forming with that CO, the DE (who had been a DE in our council) from the other council tried to get them switched (pack and troop). I got them to back off, when I pointed out to them that they had pack in a friends of charter, 200 yards in my district. The history behind that all these units were in the same School District, but when this unit in the elementary school had been formed 20+ years ago when cubs coming from a splitting of a school so, all the parents had come from the unit in the old school and were associated with the other council. The moral to this mess is that all things will pass, what is happening in your council/district will change with a new SE or DE, District chair/commissioner and will change also in where you think you would like to go.

I first have to issue an apology, I saw young women elected from units and thought they were under 21; Im not good at figuring out ages. So Im may not be correct what I thought was happening. Adult positions in Boy Scouts are open to females and if a unit wishes to have them as ASM then they can. I know when I was a scoutmaster our 18-20 year old ASMs were already OA members, but I dont think they voted in troop elections. I see in reading the rules I found on the web that they could have. BTW I believe opening up Cubs and Boy Scouts to girls would be a good thing.

In my experience in our lodge we have had units elect 18-20 year olds to the OA, primarily long time female camp staff members. The rules say that a unit committee gets to select an adult member of its unit to the OA. So our lodge has always had defined it as the units designation of adult. I will check with our Lodge Advisor just to be sure I correct.

Old magazines are fun, I know when I was young I enjoyed looking at old Boys Life, LIFE, LOOK and National Geographic.

Reread the requirement: Watch two motion pictures (with the approval and permission of your counselor and parent) that are set in some period of American history. Describe to your counselor how accurate each film is with regard to the historical events depicted and also with regard to the way the characters are portrayed. Note the mention of "period of American history" "accurate ... to the historical events" I'm sorry "Attack of the Killer Tomatoes" and "Kentucky Fried Movie" both would not in my mind lead to any meaningful discion in the spirit of the merit badge. Like my 7th grade teacher who only let me turn in a book report on one James Bond book, I would not approve them for satisfying the requirement.

It came home to a church about ten years ago. A member of the church council wanted to give a $1000 to a church scholarship fund and then have the church give his daughter a $1000 scholarship to a church related college. The kicker was that the college matched congregational scholarship up to $1000. We told him no go, he was not happy with that and soon after left the congregation. We are very careful with what goes as a contribution on a familys record. Many times check come in the offering plate and also go through the deposit. If for example you are buying a study bible or paying for your kids youth group retreat fee it is not a contribution but a gift to youth group fund or buy bible for Sunday school are.