BDPT00

local1400, The particular prayer you refer to is familiar to me as a common Catholic grace. Pardon my boldness (must be a Luther thing), but "Bless us for these gifts" makes no sense at all. It should be "Bless us AND these gifts." Think about it. Look it up if you need to. Then teach your fellows. Thanks, BDPT00

If the stick is for purely practical use (and why not), I've made some that are exactly 5 feet long (for measuring purposes, as in the First Class requirements). Then, from the bottom (which is very discrete), woodburn short lines one inch apart from just the one foot mark to the two foot mark. That gives you handy and accurate way to measure 1,2,3,4, and 5 feet, plus carry a one foot ruler. BDPT00

Let the Catholics have their own service. Not a bad idea, especially it they think that the service offered by the district doesn't "count." That is certainly not the intention of the district anyway. They should realize though, that if what they're offering is not a mass, it also doesn't "count." To be a mass, they would need a priest who is authorized by the local diocese to conduct services in that area.

John and Ken: He is risen. Alleluia! To those who'd would prefer a watered-down-whatever (one size fits all), and refuse to see their point: Have a nice day. BDPT00

Snooping in the Guide, I can't find reference to the Girl Scout Gold Award. What page is that on? BDPT00

Narraticong said: "I'm also on board with the concept of Scouts making up the BOR for T-2-1. Train them, give them the tools, then give them the responsibility." Does this mean that you would prefer this, or that you do it? If you're doing it, it's against advancement guidelines. Boards of review are to be conducted by the committee. If you're turning in advancement paperwork to the council, who is signing it? BDPT00

Beavah made an assumption ... these guys are all buddies. If they are, or if they've all been together forever, and if they all want to do it this way, then do it. BUT ... it's your son's (your family's) Eagle. If you want to do it on your own, then go ahead. If the troop is doing this just because it's convenient, then I don't think that says anything about it being special to anyone. On the other hand, doing 7 separate Eagle ceremonies so close together will get old real fast. This is a personal decision. Find out what he wants. When is this supposed to be? Who's planning it? BDPT00

I'm happy to see this subject coming up again. I wonder how other councils are embracing this 3 and 4 bead thing. The comment regarding recognition of youth is a good one. Just for the sake of argument, why would we not award our youth staff members some beads? If so, how many? I'm in agreement with those who say that Wood Badge beads should remain a Wood Badge recognition. It's a long-standing tradition, and a good one. NYLT could certainly come up with something else more appropriate (even a square knot perhaps). Does an NYLT staffer deserve as much recognition as a WB staffer? Sure does! It's a lot more work than Wood Badge. Should it be Wood Badge beads? If I had a vote, it would be no. I don't think this was thought out very carefully, or by the right people. BDPT00

Insignia Guide. Doesn't matter.

Let's just call it following the Insignia Guide, or not. BDPT00

"My evidence that all have sinned is Biblical." Not quite. All except Mary of course. That's a new one on me. Care to share a verse from scripture stating such? BDPT00

I don't mind the general concept of modifying some other writing to fit an Eagle ceremony, except that this puts down non-Eagles, and it's very poorly written. I find it arrogant at best. BDPT00

The simple answer is no. If you care enough about uniforming to ask, then you should care enough to not wear it. BDPT00

I hope to never be present if/where/when such words are uttered in public. I'd find it totally embarrasing. BDPT00

My Scouts don't wear hats indoors ... for anything ... ever. Why should they? The notion of "local custom" doesn't hold much water. A kid "can" wear a hat backwards indoors when he's eating at Burger King, and he can also use foul language. That's probably the way the local boys do things. Should that be the way our Scouts do things? We should be willing to set a higher standard. I'll share one of my biggest pet peeves. I've seen far too often, Scouts leading a flag ceremony in a church, and they say, "Please remove all non-Scouting hats." Why in the world would someone be wearing a hat in a church? Why aren't we instead just teaching our Scouts (and our adults) to remove their hats when they enter a building? BDPT00

I don't think we're doing anyone any favors by suggesting that Scouts should wear hats indoors. If they happen to be part of a color guard or flag detail, they could wear it (but certainly wouldn't have to). I think our Scouts should be taught that a gentleman removes his hat when he enters a building. I try hard to teach my Scouts to be gentlemen, and there are no hats worn indoors for any reason. The headgear regulation speaks about those specific Scouts participating in those specific duties. To me, that means the color guard; not the rest of the troop. BDPT00

Lisabob answers many questions and differing positions, and is right. It's not as simple as it may appear. However, if this young man is indeed an athiest, then he doesn't belong in Scouts. I see too often that people try to come up with speculative justifications for this. If the boy were Lutheran, we wouldn't be trying to figure out whether he really is, or if he just doesn't know better, or whatever. We'd accept it as fact, true or not. Personally, I think I'd handle this the same way. Yes, the parents need to be consulted. If they're athiests, then they signed their son up in the wrong organization, and they need to understand that we take an Oath pledging to do our duty to God. If they can't tolerate our Oath, then they should leave. BDPT00

Well ... kids will be wearing belts for the rest of their lives, and most pants don't come with them built-in. May as well just get used to it. BDPT00

This is a wonderful opportunity to teach your Scouts just how damaging the internet can be. Employers, teachers, pastors, colleges, etc... can all view what they're saying. Facebook can be a great tool, but one needs to be careful. They need to be confronted about this. I've removed several Scouts and Scouters from my Facebook, because I don't want my other Scout and Scouter friends to see what they've written in poor taste (at least not with my name or "Face"as a link). BDPT00

Simple ... one belt will solve the problem for all five switchbacks. BDPT00

There are a few things that always catch my eye: Silver Antelope, Buffalo, and 4 beads. The two patches, however, that always make me look twice, and draw my respect are Scoutmaster and Chaplain. BDPT00

The 70-year old Scouter who wears his Eagle badge is not incorrect, contrary to popular opinion. ** I'd love to see that one in writing. In fact, Ben Love proudly wore HIS Eagle Scout patch when he was Chief Scout Executive in the 1980s - check out his photos. ** I haven't seen such a picture, but is that meant to prove something? Unlike Star, Life, etc., Eagle Scout is not merely a "youth rank" discarded at age 18: it is a lifetime award, ** Another thing that would be interesting to see in writing. BDPT00

"It seems that Xtreme has identified the only person in a Troop that is not eligible for OA membership. Any boy has the opportunity to join after meeting the requirements, any male adult (18 and older) has the opportunity, any female 21 and older has the opportunity, but a female (18-20) who is a legitimate Adult Volunteer of a Troop is excluded. Any more comments on this for Xtreme? Any more clarification?" Yes.... any adult male (18 and older) who has attained the rank of First Class has the opportunity. You should rephrase that to be: Any ASM, between the ages of 18 and 21, who has attained First Class is eligible (assuming the requirements for camping and Scoutmaster's approval have been met). BDPT00

Yes, Venturers can be Arrowmen. However, one cannot be selected for the OA as a member of a crew. The two entities are unrelated. BDPT00

Women in the OA must be 21 and over. They would be selected as adults. Youth membeship requirements include achieving First Class, and neither males nor females who have not done so cannot be selected as youth. Aside from the rank, yes, unit adults fulfill the same requirements for eligibility. BDPT00