packsaddle

How does fewer cub scouts translate into more boy scouts? Please explain the reasoning.(This message has been edited by packsaddle)

If you read my post carefully, you'll see that it was about ME, not anyone else. Engineer61 merely stimulated me to wonder if I've ever done something like I described. Evidently, though, it did hit close enough to home for E61 to think I was making an accusation. Now I can understand if E61 thinks it was all about him. Perhaps that's his viewpoint, perhaps it's ALL about him. But evidently he did care enough to respond, lol. And evidently it did hit a nerve. Oh well.... Moosetracker, if I made the same statement and removed the term 'public', would it be OK then? If I were to ridicule someone in private, no one else would ever hear it or know about it. Do you think this forum is not accessible to the public?(This message has been edited by packsaddle)

I'm trying to remember if I ever attempted to make a semantic point by publicly ridiculing my own son.

I'm curious, just how does fewer cub scouts translate into more boy scouts?

It's times like this that the deep, profound wisdom of Startrek is best appreciated: For your listening pleasure!

Eaglemom2b, I'm curious. What kind of tree is this invasive species? How is he planning to remove them? 'Creative' is a subjective term and changes as the eye of the beholder changes. But to my 'eye' one of the most creative ones was construction of a 'bird cam'. The boy put together a plan, designed the wireless system with internet access, sought funding by applying for a grant (and got it), and then led the construction effort. Worked great and we followed egg-laying, hatching, and fledged a generation of birds. That was years ago - today this sort of thing seems rather ordinary. Edit: Callooh! Callay!, that story is 3 years old. Any followup?(This message has been edited by packsaddle)

It's about preferential treatment, discrimination if you will, based on economic status. I get that. The spirit of Karl Marx is alive and well in this thread. Callooh! Callay! is giving us an opportunity to choose sides. Adults are always a potential problem. They might be a more visible problem if they have the 'resources' (time, money). But where a parent who doesn't have those resources might merely (and quietly) take their family out of scouting for some reason, the parent who does have the resources might complain and 'push' a point. Which is worse? Edit: OK, I admit some frustration with discussions like this. I think the deeper question is: Can persons with the resources and means to be scout leaders ('rich' if you will) be truly 'blind' to the economic status of individual boys? And if not, do we tend to discriminate in some way? And is there a fair way to compensate?(This message has been edited by packsaddle)

'Rich', 'Poor'...are such subjective, perhaps meaningless, terms. Come with me to Haiti in order to understand that there are very, very few 'poor' people in the USA. Yes, there are some truly poor people here, but most of us are 'rich' in the eyes of someone else: rich in opportunities, rich in experiences, rich in resource availability, rich in available nutrition, rich in potential support services, etc. While I see Lisa's and Basementdweller's points, most of this discussion is really BY rich people about other people who are RICHER.

Page 3...Now I remember...that was over a year ago, no wonder I forgot. Good luck on refusing to take off that belt. I've spent some time with 'Group W' before...you might want to allow some extra time for the security clearance. Best of success to you!

Wow, you're right. I'm seeing these fairly often. Even the Pope is Jewish!!!...I never suspected... http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/religion/the-pope/8369013/Pope-to-respond-to-question-of-faith-on-TV.html

"And, by the way folks, it is NOT unusual to see Jewish people in the South." I live in the South and I can't seem to pick them out of the crowds. Help me out, exactly what should I look for? I'm not good at spotting homosexuals either so it might just be me. BTW, what stimulated that comment in the first place? I actually have a note in my travel record that I had to remove my Camp Old Indian nylon web belt for the TSA back in 2006. Charlotte, NC. And every time since then. I think you just got lucky.

I know it's a fine point...but chimeras do exist. They're pretty interesting too. ...go ahead and roll your eyes... My solution to all this: go back to the days before the project was required. All this strife over that requirement is taking the fun out of it.

We took three generations of family out to the woods and hiked to a nice waterfall where I taught grandsons how to scare mom with aquatic insects and the occasional salamander. Then we found another nice stream with a running spring for the boys to play in while we set up a picnic. After that we moved to a good place to go swimming at the lake. In the evening the neighborhood had a pot luck. Bar-b-cue and lots of wonderful random things that we all brought to share. Early bed time though, after a good day.

Belt removal has been in place for several years, at least in my experience.

SeattlePioneer, can you prove to me that you are NOT evmori?

You know, that's the fourth time I've been reminded of Campion in less than a week. Is there some kind of religious inquisition celebration going on that I don't know about? All of a sudden people seem fascinated with the depraved things we do to each other because of what we think. But...I'll keep him in mind for the purpose of perspective in case I ever get my wish and am strip searched because I can't prove I'm not a space alien when they pull me over for running a stop sign. Sigh,...the stuff that dreams are made of....

Hey, what's in a name? OK, ok, 'Black Bartholomew'. Is that better now?

Dudley Demetrius...has been taken by the inquisition and is awaiting his turn. Screams of pain and torment are all around him. Body parts. Blood. Bits of skin. The smell of charred mammal flesh (kind of like hamburgers and steaks on the barbie). And then Black Bart arrives with his torture team. The questioning is rough but then Demetrius has an epiphany: "Wait, Wait!" he exclaims as the hot iron approaches his torn and broken body. "Convert? Did you just mention I could 'convert'?" he asks while spitting out bits of broken teeth. "Why didn't you say so first thing?" sputtering little droplets of blood. "Sure, of course I'll convert!" Demetrius is beginning to think clearly now about all those false ideas that were the foundation of his former deeply-held faith. They were all just sooooo wrong! Black Bart reluctantly begins to release Demetrius from the rack and pick up some of his body parts so they can be buried properly. Demetrius asks, "So....Bart, old buddy, remind me again of what it is I believe now?"(This message has been edited by packsaddle)

Basement, the answer is to take them on an actual camping trip for a week. In a wilderness. Outdoors. Backpacking would be just great but not absolutely necessary. No dining hall. No electric lights. No flush toilets. No AC. No fans. Just the woods and the land. Works for me.

AZMike and Moosetracker, I guess I read NJ's post differently. I read it as using a somewhat complicated (perhaps ridiculous) alternative to make the point that a much simpler path to a solution is simply, the local option. OTOH, I could be wrong.

Beavah, I repeat that quote because I agree with it. It's that simple. I do disagree with some ideas and I try to make that clear. If I haven't been clear enough, I apologize. I'll try to do better in the future. Eagledad, That seems about right...I think. AZMike, Employers shouldn't be paying for employee health insurance in the first place. They should pay the employees a competitive rate of pay and then the employees should buy whatever coverage they choose or need. THAT would eliminate that stupid argument about Catholic hospitals, etc. Ahem, it would also eliminate any 'control' the church would have over their employees' health coverage. I like it!

One of my fondest memories is sitting outside the shower building at the campground in Yellowstone. You could take a cold shower or you could feed a whole bunch of quarters into a machine that would time the hot water for you. It was an interesting study in human behavior: estimation, investment, and optimization...punctuated by screams when the hot water didn't last long enough. It was great fun trying to predict which skin flint was going to deliver the scream. Me, I'll stick with the cold water kind. No sweat. Did you 'get' that pun at the end? "No sweat" "Ice cold water". Get it?

Eagledad, no problem. I'll try to remember in the future. One correction: I think I have been careful NEVER to write anything that "clearly defines (my) feelings of religious principles and for those who believe in them." But I suppose that leaves you free to guess at them. Have at it. Beavah, I'm always ready to oblige. Regarding TheScout, I'll have to let him write for himself about his beliefs but the range of beliefs I've encountered within the 'Christianity' rubric has been simply amazing. I was always not very clear about TheScout's specific beliefs...I guess I doubt your clarity about it too. And I suspect that some flavors would take umbrage at being confused or combined with other flavors. At least that's what gets my wrist slapped if I express the null hypothesis that there isn't much difference between them. Remember, as TheScout wrote: (just kidding, I'll spare you this time) (This message has been edited by packsaddle)

Well....I just HAD to look it up. 'Skank', that is: http://www.urbandictionary.com/define.php?term=skank Gad! I'm one of THOSE???

Beavah, I'm with you on that 'religious war' thing. People probably just 'use' religion as a rationalization for actions they want to do and are going to do anyway. We are monkeys, after all. Also, feel free to quote from any eugenics advocates you like. No problem, I'll be glad to respond. Heck, (notice that I didn't mention that four-letter word, nor did I use the M-word) I might even agree with them - have to read the quote first to decide. As for TheScout, why do you dismiss him as having a "remarkably unnuanced and shallow understandin' of his own faith." How do you know this? What IS his faith? How is your understanding of HIS faith so superior that you can dismiss HIS understanding of it as "remarkably unnuanced and shallow"? Please favor us with a remarkably nuanced and deep explanation of your understanding of his faith as an alternative. As for that quote, I get that it causes some discomfort out there. You think Martin Luther worried about discomfort? Jeremiah? (heh, heh, just a little Biblical levity there...) But what is interesting is that over the years, there is not a single discussion to the contrary by anyone...not a single one. Interesting. It's like an embarrassing truth that no-one wants to talk about or something. Anyway, I like that quote - so you might as well just 'Be Prepared' to continue to roll your eyes and think to yourself (in your best 'valley girl' impersonation) "What-EV-er!"