perdidochas

DS, As some others have said, run, not walk, away. Forging a doctor's signature is illegal, not just unethical. IMHO, the rest of the issues are minor in comparison. As others have said, the Scout account is not the Scout's funds, it is the troop's in the name of the Scout. Find another troop. Ask your district for a list of other local troops.

As Eagle92 said, it depends on the size of your council.

I think the bit you did about the lost book does go a little far. Now, I will admit, I would be involved in getting a book re-signed, but that's because I'm the Advancement chair, and I would print out the records for him from Troopmaster (as I would do for any other scout). Then he would have to get with the SM or an ASM to sign them, and if it wasn't in Troopmaster, he would have to negotiate with them to reconstruct or redo. The rest is just what any scout parent should do, and that may make me a helicopter as well.

Eng61, My experience was like yours. Despite being a semi-rural area, pocketknives were never legally allowed when I was in school, and possession of one would result in a suspension from school. That said, most boys carried pocketknives, and as long as you didn't get in a fight or in trouble or brandish it, it wasn't a big deal. There were no metal detectors/random searches.

My wife is an assistant Principal. The knife/boy scout issue does come up. Basically, our local district's policy is that if the scout owns up to it, as soon as he realizes he has it, he isn't in trouble. The knife gets taken away until a parent can pick it up. If the scout is found out by another student, then it isn't considered innocent. A few years ago in a local courthouse, I had to go get my homestead exemption. I had a knife clipped to my pocket (3 1/2 inch lockblade). The security guard asked me for it, and said he'd let me have it back on my way out. We did just that, and everything was fine. I wish more people would be that way.

Tahawk, Only liquid and gaseous (at room temperature) fuels are considered chemical fuels. Solid (at room temperature) fuels are not considered chemical fuels. From G2SS http://www.scouting.org/scoutsource/HealthandSafety/GSS/gss06.aspx Be aware that chemical fuels and equipment create very different hazards than traditional wood, charcoal, and other solid fuels; this policy defines how to address those hazards. Chemical fuelsLiquid, gaseous, or gelled fuels.

Stats seem to show that 13 yr old eagles aren't nearly as common as they were even in the 1940s.

Pint, Nothing would happen if openly gay international scouts came here on a trip or a jamboree. It's not BSA's business.

I can easily see how the BSA could adapt to allowing homosexuals as leaders, if they allowed it to be up to the CO, just like they do women in leadership. That said, I don't see how we can get around the Scout Oath in terms of allowing atheists as leaders.

Are you sure that is what you want to do in this economy? I would try the lawncare business in the summer, and have a backup plan of going back to the classroom in the fall if it doesn't work out. Lawncare is seasonal, and has a lot of competition.

Statistics show that the Eagles we are getting are actually older. Current average age of scout earning Eagle - 17.6 years Average age of scout earning Eagle 1940' s - 14.9 years

Beavah, While we haven't sent the boys in to get replacements (good idea, though), our troop has a supply of rank badges (from pre-AR requirement). We just keep it stocked by replenishing with each advancement report. We do immediate recognition on rank badges, when possible. It is kind of irritating that BS shop policy is counter to the idea of instant recognition.

Lack of reading carefully on my part. It does say secure.

It's not all or nothing. There are separate places to sign off for each in the Handbook. Also, it does not require the boy to secure the provisions. Here is the exact text: 4b.Using the menu planned in requirement 4a, make a list showing the cost and food amounts needed to feed three or more boys and secure the ingredients.

Interesting, but the average age of Eagle is not lower than it was before, in fact, the average age for getting Eagle in 2010 was 17. http://www.scouting.org/About/FactSheets/EagleScouts.aspx

When I was WDL, I instituted giving the boys arrow heads on leather cord necklaces. The intent was for them to use the arrowhead for their arrow of light. None did, but they liked the arrowhead.

Committee and SM need to get on the same page.

A troop that only camps once or twice a year is one to avoid. You're not going to change them. I'd find another troop.

Meritbadge.net is not an official BSA site.

Stay away from the spiral handbooks. They are great for Cub Scout leader use, but other than that, they aren't nearly rugged enough. I made the mistake with my youngest of buying the spiral rather than the regular. The regular bound is fragile, but the spiral makes the regular seem rugged. I also concur with the cover. It is helpful for two reasons: 1) easy to customize with Scout name in big letters (which makes it easier to figure out who's book is who's and 2) durability.

For a family of 4 a 10x10 tent is small. I see no problems with mansion tents. If the cubs help their folks out setting up mansions, setting up scout tents will be a piece of cake. I agree 110% about the fly and the pole configurations. I would just recommend that the family get a tent. If they are inexperienced, it might be best if they bought a cheap tent to figure out what they really need.

Obviously the people who propose that have never taught a 7th period class. I do agree that we should probably go to a longer school year. If I were king of the U.S., I would reduce the length of the school day, increase the length of the school year. I would fund after school programs, to give kids a chance to do school work and have some fun (after all with a reduced school day, we would need more for the kids to do besides school). The European countries that are ahead of us academically do just that. They have a longer school year, and a shorter school day. Most German equivalents to high school let their students out at what we would consider to be a late lunch (1-ish).

Eagle92, The new microfiber shirts have that buttonhole that you have put on your shirts.

Kudu, The microfiber version of the uniform (latest that I know of) has vents. My oldest son enjoys his. It's much cooler than the last one.

Besides the patches (unit number, etc.) and the reversal of color scheme, there is no significant difference between the Canadian Scouts and ours. The British scouts just had shirts, nothing scoutlike. I think ours is just fine. I think our pants are actually less traditional than either of the international groups.