packsaddle

Continuing with one of the points that Eamonn made, I agree that there seem to be some scouters who are absolutely obsessed with sex, any aspect of it that they don't approve of, and it mystifies me as to why they have this obsession.

AZMike, I can't speak for other campuses. But this one still has the most imaginative extremes presenting to whoever decides to attend. They are not heckled. If the students or faculty disagree with it they write rebuttals in the paper. There's too much studying to be done to waste time heckling someone who is going to be forgotten sooner if you don't. I think you're exagerrating the PC trend. As for the transgender thing, vaginoplasty has been available for more than a decade. The surgery is fairly well-known and I'm surprised that you're not aware of it. As for fantasy movies predicting the future...wow. I still enjoy going into the stacks and once in a while pulling a Popular Science magazine from the 40s or maybe earlier time..to look at the preposterous predictions we made back then. I have a very long list of profoundly wrong predictions made by smart people [for example, "the world will little note, nor long remember what we say here"...right!] and esteemed deliberative bodies, going back about 100 years now. That list is good for great laughs. The point I try to make is that there is almost no one who can predict the behavior of complex systems even as far out as just a few years. A few people may have a lucky guess once in a while but that's all it is, a guess really. I like to remind administrators of this when they try to assemble such nonsense as 5-year plans etc. As far as fear of death goes, anyone who fears death is not having much of a life in the meantime, IMHO.

I've also made sarsaparilla and vanilla cream soda. Those are good too. Edit: you might even try birch beer or one of the cherry flavors as well.

I'm not sure if I fully understand Seattle's thoughts on the environmental thing (and it's related to my profession) but I can envision that a boy might not have a backyard at all. Or even a convenient park. I can envision that a boy may only have the confines of an apartment. The one-foot hike might be inside one of the rooms. I can see that the way this particular requirement is written is biased in that it assumes a great deal and because of that, a boy might be 'left out' or he might feel left out as a result. He might ask, "What's a back yard?" "Why don't I have one?" He might think these thoughts and never express them, chosing instead to bury them with all the other doubts and hurts that are buried someplace in his young life. A bird house? Are you kidding? "What's a bird house?" "I thought they lived in that vacant warehouse across the street along with the scary people who come and go there." I think I can paritally see SP's frustration. I loved the cubs. If I had the opportunity the cubs would be my complete focus and I'd go back to them. I don't think I could ever get tired of them, ever. But I do think that I would take one piece of advice given eariler and that had to do with the comment from Hector Barbosa and apply the program with a bit of creative license (more like guidelines). When the larger organization has lost its grasp on reality, local option is not a bad alternative.

Stosh, you're the default 'best answer' for the forums. All you have to do is post. (just kidding)

If it ever happens again, the 'draft' ought to apply to all persons. And whatever conflict that causes the draft ought to be PAID FOR by the rest.

Well, I guess I need to respond although I am disappointed that I have to. I am not more qualified to make a decision for YOU Eagledad. I recognize your right to make whatever personal decision you want. I'm sorry you don't feel the same way. But I have come to a personal decision and if that doesn't meet your satisfaction, then you'll just have to live with that situation. I am willing to actually 'apply' the golden rule and it seems to work well. Other comment: 'Biologically male' is not as clear a term as you may think. It could be defined by the ability to create offspring with a female of the same species for which sexual reproduction is the only reproductive mechanism. That is probably the most common view. Physical characteristics also play a role both in the 'identity' part as well as in the physical reproductive part. And then there are genetics. Like I've hypothesized in the past: say that I've decided that my gender identity is actually that of a woman and I decide to do the whole package right down to surgery. At my age, being post-reproductive, that whole thing about creating offspring is irrelevant and the other aspects take priority. With surgery and other treatments I would qualify as 'woman' in both the physical as well as the 'mental' respect. And IF, just for example, Eagledad were to become widowed and we later tied the knot, how would BSA view that situation. Would we be a gay couple and therefore unfit as leaders? Or since the outward phenotypic appearance is conventional heterosexuality, even if we were 'avowed', would we be acceptable as leaders? OR is BSA someday going to require a karyotype as part of the membership application? Why not? ...if that is the way 'biologically male (or female)' is defined.

TwoCub, It was a pleasure meeting you and one of your sons a while back. I've always valued your thoughts in these forums and like NJ, I hope you'll remain 'present' in the future even if you do have less investment now. That detached third-person view is valuable. If not, I wish you and your sons, all of you, the best of success. And maybe I'll call you again when I'm in the area. I still have a lot of topos to find good homes.

blw2, the answer is that some of them do lurk around these forums. RichardB, in particular, has been active in discussions regarding G2SS and related topics and he must have a fairly thick skin from the comments he has gotten. Another one I remember was a guy named Dave who also played 'tag' for a while but then retreated to safer ground, lol. I have no idea if he still lurks but once I sent an email to him and he responded that he did check in once in a while. I suspect there are others but I have no direct evidence of it.

Moose, if other people will just practice the golden rule and let others be, it doesn't have to be a hard road. I work and socialize with transgenders and we all have a great time. They still are people with all the humor, talents, problems, and joys of the rest of us. There really don't have to be any barriers. They are living their own lives and ought to be allowed to make their own decisions about their own lives. I guess some of us just can't let that go unchallenged.

Yeah, I've been 'turned off' by the social climate of the 'insiders' at times as well. At the same time I know a couple of guys who look the part of 'the general' but actually have been quite humble and helpful. It's easy, when you feel the sting of exclusion or someone's arrogance to stereotype them by appearance (and it does seem those arrogant types rarely have a uniform without the 'bling'). I try to remember that until they 'tip their hand' by words or deeds, everyone must be viewed as individuals. I simply choose not to wear all that stuff 1) because it's not important to me and 2) I don't want anyone to mistake me for one of 'the generals'. I've been excluded before...and now I really don't want to join that crowd.

Tried here too and gave up. No reason to expect it to be different anywhere else.

I did. And it really did seem that in various threads in the past you have described your program as a quality program with a great bunch of scouts. I apologize if I was wrong. Regarding the new CE, If you think you or anyone else has facts regarding how the new guy is going to change things one way or the other, sorry...it's nothing but speculation.

Bad Wolf, it IS speculation to predict the outcome or effect of any new person who hasn't yet even articulated a strategy. Your unit seems to be doing great. If the national organization gains or loses a couple hundred thousand members over the next 5 years, is that really going to affect the boys in your unit? It won't make one bit of difference in this one. But that too, is speculation. back to the nap.....zzzzzzzzzzzz

Find another hill.

Just like so many other things, this is all speculation and the only way to know what the outcome will be is to live long enough to see it. Nodding off again....zzzzzzzz

Do it. It already crossed the line.

So the bait was cast and someone rose to it. Happy now? Either keep the interaction polite or expect the fickle finger of fate.

Agreed

Quite a while back someone in our unit informed me that I was qualified for a bunch of these things to which I responded, "I know that. What more is important?" So they gave me the song and dance about adult recognition...blah, blah, blah and I finally told them to save their money..that the only two knots I personally valued were the ones for the religious award I earned as a scout and the one for Eagle...that all the rest were just great if someone felt the need to 'compensate' for some personal 'shortcoming'... and that I didn't feel that need. Their reaction was mixed between shock and consternation. But I never heard another word about it.

Even in the tropics I don't wear shorts..for exactly the reasons DuctTape describes. Protection. If you want to cool off, wet them down and enjoy the evaporative cooling effect. Works on shirts too.

I wish you hadn't mentioned garters.

My daughter and I narrowly escaped one of these things once. In my rear view mirror I could see cars and trailers from a roadside sales lot being blasted across the highway behind me as if they were leaves in a fall storm. My wife heard the warnings and where it hit and knew we were there. The look of relief and tears of joy when she saw my daughter was memorable. As for me... well, there was always insurance. I never minimize this stuff.

Setting up in the mall with a PWD track is a great idea. We have a presence in parades and local fairs. I have no idea if it results in recruitment.

Depends on what the meaning of the word 'is' is. Sorry, couldn't resist.