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@walk in the woods, of course you would have the same options as today. But in addition, You would have a service obligated to deliver to every station in America. There would be more stations. (Instead of P/O closures, they would be openings.) The penalties for hacking and mail fraud would be severe. There would be more ways to secure electronic absentee ballots, and the accuracy and speed of counting them would be greater. Simply put, what current ISPs do not do (secure digital comms from every household to every household), the USPS would do. The downside: because you would be buying stamps for digital communication, or renting the means to download from (or direct line to) your PO box, you might have to choose between Netflix or DPlus to make the budget work. There is also a downside in terms of development, of course. The USPS would probably deliver in a fast-enough fashion. Enough to get bills payed and send advertisements. But not enough to get up-to-the-minute stock quotes. Having paid "enough" for the basic, albeit ubiquitous, service, the public (users or sponsors) might have less incentive to purchase broadband. As a result, those kinds of things might not develop as quickly.

In other words, your instructor was inauthentic.

My SM was a Journeyman Lineman, and that sense of rigor certainly trickled down. There was no scenario where adults would cook for boys (that included pancake fundraisers), no scenario where we would “camp” in a cabin, no scenario where an adult would issue gear, no scenario where anyone besides boy (once trained) would be putting up drywall in their own scout house.

Was anyone impolite, were people trucking along and you felt that you weren’t into it, or were you pulled out of your comfort zone? I don’t know the new material, so an example might enlighten us. obviously, if typing here just brings back bad memories, take a pass. You’re not the first person I’ve met for whom the course rubbed the wrong way.

You might be too far inland to appreciate this, but ... Before the pandemic thwarted a visit to India, I wanted to check out mangrove restoration in Mumbai. The plants are essential to shoring up coast line and providing brackish lagoon habitats. I’ve seen similar projects on waterways in FL. (Some were Eagle projects.)

I’ve done KW and Bahamas sailing. KW: relatively inexpensive drive from Miami. Nice bunks on the base. Chance to meet scouts and scouters from elsewhere. The snorkeling in the marine sanctuary is the best in the U.S. The Atlantic can be choppy ... ergo sea sickness. Lots of famous landmarks. The sculpture garden in KW is inspiring ... especially the bust recognizing the person who brought scouting to the keys. But, there are also plenty of tourist traps. (And, discipline issues can arise ... depends on your adults.) Bahamas: the flight from, say, Lauderdale to Marsh Harbor is expensive. International travel requires more paperwork. You won’t arrive at a base so much as a resort with a boat slip. You’ll cross paths with a few scouts, but most captains get under way right quick. The Sea of Abaco is less choppy, but tides might dictate when and where your boat can visit a particular island. I was very impressed with the snorkeling. But, you spend a good bit of time visiting little islands ... many of which are rebuilding after Dorian ravaged them. I do hope Vernon is sill making pies on Elbow Cay ... it’s well worth the walk along the island to pick one up! I have never visited St. Tomas, but a friend relocated there and loved it. Not sure how the Seabase program there operates.

I WANT A SIX WHEELED WAGON!

The junk email would have to be worth the sending. Imagine that for each spam sent to every American account, 3 million dollars went to the post office. But that’s just the tip of iceberg. Electronic stamps could be the thrill of philatelists worldwide. But like @Eagle94-A1 said, existing telecom giants benefit greatly from the liberty to not be as ubiquitous as the post office.

It’s a pity the postal service couldn’t charge a penny per email. Internet would have been everywhere

If date of BoR means anything, I say step aside, Sydney. Hail to Pitt: https://www.pittwire.pitt.edu/news/pitt-sophomore-makes-eagle-scout-history

A long-lived unit will cycle through classes of scouts who are inauthentic. They won't realize it's happening until someone calls them on it. When we merged with a younger troop, the SM at the time had faced this and as a result repealed all youth sign-off. I made it clear that I was going to help him roll that back gradually. It just wasn't our older scouts' culture and if they were going to stick with the troop, we needed to honor what authority they had and get the lead scouts in the younger troop up to speed. I'll cherish the look in the SPLs eyes when he gave me the book of a scout he had just tested and asked me to sign, and I said, "No." I explained further, "I didn't see the scout do that. If I signed it would be dishonest. If you saw him master it than you are obliged to certify it. Your signature on that line in this scout's book is more precious than mine." Now that scout bled authenticity from the day I met him a few months earlier, so I was comfortable doing that. Other scouts need to be trained to only put their signature to what they actually observed. (The authentic definition of "scout": verb, observe and report.) So, sure, you can find youth knee-deep in inauthentic culture. Arguing the Guide to Advancement -- even earlier versions that emphasize mastery -- is not going to help you out of it. The SM just has to hit some "reset" button, then inculcate an authentic vision that is in stark contrast to that of earning the next piece of bling. (E.g., share the vision of the pinnacle scouting experience of hiking and camping independently with one's mates then show how skill master can achieve it.) It's a steep climb, but worth it.

More propositions: The authentic patrol roams the land, observes, and reports. The authentic patrol leader qualifies to take his/her friends hiking and camping. The authentic first class scout can be trusted to safely hike and camp with a half dozen friends. An inauthentic patrol is an administrative unit of a troop. An inauthentic patrol leader checks all the boxes. An inauthentic first class scout achieves skill demonstration with no concern for mastery.

If we wanted to put a date on corporate inauthenticity, we could go back to the 60s when National imposed the ageist policy of an artificial deadline on rank advancement. It’s as good a boundary as any between 5 decades of growth and 5 decades of decline.

I'm certain that our litigious society has forced BSA into a position of pervading events and activities even obliquely related to the unit. It has most certainly cost them membership. Why? Because taking "scout" from its source (in military espionage) and authentically applying it to youth we get a vision of the pinnacle scouting experience of hiking and camping independently with your mates. In other words, one finds himself to be an authentic boy scout (girls, no exception) when one calls on a half-dozen friends, makes a sound plan, communicates it to a thoughtful and caring adult - who admiringly approves, and executes it. Observing and, subsequently reporting.

I’m not sure about the stats. I don’t think there’s limit on the number of scouts who can earn the award. But it involves a substantial amount of paperwork. So, you have a diligent adult leader to thank for doing that. National Courts of Honor are hosted by council and each council does it differently.

I routinely pray for those in authority ... so they don’t get much extra on this account. ... unless the Almighty does some kind of triple word score with prayers for those with disease and affliction. I do hope their symptoms continue to be mild - and that everyone else attending the last debate continues to test negative. On the other hand, there is something to be said for getting it over with and not having to worry about this particular virus for at least a little while.

Those limits are quite narrow and often self-selecting. For example, a church that welcomes atheists to participate in its programs might be less likely to agree to a BSA charter by virtue of its Declaration of Religious Principle. A troop whose CO demands scouts contribute monetarily to the CO would likely find a different CO. Whereas what the CO must use scouting for is quite broad: One should expect specific challenges if the CO is using scouting primarily for faith-based youth ministry. One should expect different challenges if the CO is using scouting primarily for patriotism and military and veteran recognition.

A quick read of the history of the Papacy indicates that you couldn’t stoop that low! But yes, I have grievances regarding my CO‘s governance ... they border on stark theological differences. Yet, I comport myself as their representative when I’m in uniform. The boys know nothing about my issues I have. Because in spite of its flaws, this CO has put heart and soul into our troop and crew when others who might suit my world view have given scouting lip-service. They never asked me to sign a document. But I would in a heartbeat. (Actions trump words, etc ...)

I agree that scout-run and HA are orthogonal. A canned HA wont necessarily erode a scout-run ethos. It could cut the other way. For example, a crew may fall in with a Seabase captain or a Philmont ranger who firmly gets adults to stand down and who puts the scouts at the helm. That in turn can open the eyes of adult leaders for the first time. Folks come home more willing to let youth take the lead in decision making. Those leaders can back the youth to a skeptical committee because they've seen it in action and they want to see it again. The canned vs. planned adventure decision can come from adult- or youth- run crews. Sometimes youth can easily put in a few more hours at work (or make themselves worth that much doing a few more chores at home) and their earnings offset the cost savings of planned adventure. Or they know they can mobilize adults for a fundraiser better than they can mobilize them to re-vamp the unit program toward planning the next big-ticket event. They can't find the synergy between a planned adventure and their weekly program ... so, they opt for canned. It's not so much ignorance as it is impatience.

Boys Life has its own archive. Not sure if it's indexed in any way that would help navigate to GBB's columns more quickly. I loved those columns too.

I disagree. Troops hesitate to plan their own big-ticket activities because it is a time-consuming distraction from the troop's other activities. It is far easier to beef up a fundraiser to cover costs of staff who tailor trips for novice scouts (novice to the adventure, and often novice to being scout-run for a week straight.) than it is to build the level of scouts' personal responsibility for every aspect of the trip. It's awesome if you can get your unit's parents to buy-in to building a troops' activities around shaping up for the next scout-researched-scout-designed-super-activity. Doing so really inspires younger scouts. Badges start being earned around what's needed to prepare for the trip. Advancement is no longer an end in itself. (My first-years are learning to "throw" a clove hitch over a post. One of them is inspired to become a sea scout.) But, it requires connecting a lot of dots -- building a vision -- that many troops are not prepared to do. That's the case for my troop at the moment. This batch of older scouts has been sheltered from doing the heavy lifting of trip preparation. They know it because I tell them so when there's an event that interests them and I put it on them to line up transportation, schedules, and campsite location. And it's going to take a few more of my "special offerings" of events where they miss deadlines and, consequently, opportunities because "Mr. Q. is good for nothing and best used that way." But, once they realize that I'm with them anywhere and up for anything if they make the phone calls and line up the plans, we are gonna have a lot of fun (and eat quite well) on some lean budgets. I'm sure most of my parents would rather throw money at the problem -- and if they'd pay my way and do the phone calls I'd almost take them up on it. But, it turns out that boys who are in a habit of the 'rents buying canned adventure are boys who haven't built a habit of uniting on a particular adventure in a particular year ... nor are they prepared with their backpack at the end of their bed ready to grab-and-go when someone has a last-minute opening in their crew. If a scouter has a dozen scouts with BSA Seabase on the brain, he/she should build up the cash to make it happen. Along the way, they'll pick up tips and tricks for home-growing the next big-ticket activity. Their program will sync with their next adventure, and even the scouts who aren't on the trip will have buy-in on account of the skills they pick up in the preparation.

I've done Key West Sailing adventure with three crews (on the same week) and Bahamas Sailing Adventure with two crews. They are both very rewarding. Especially the snorkeling in the Bahamas. I'd go back to the Bahamas with my family in a heartbeat. Oh wait, I did! Yes, you can get private outfitters for each, but self-provisioning is a day out of your schedule. And the captains who sign up to host scouts are a unique breed.

@MattR, It sounds like your son's dog is my dog's evil twin. (Someone's chocolate took a shining to someone's golden.) Yes, he needs to get out. He'll hike till he drops. Those poor hips aren't doing mine any favors. And @heres_a_llama, being in GS/USA as long as you were, you understand the risks. People have not changed. @SemperParatus may have an axe to grind. But, his concern is valid. At the end of the day, people trust us adult leaders beyond the organization's ability to assure our integrity. Learning our Youth Protection Training is the best asset you and your son will have. If any of that unnerves you, post your concerns, we creepy strangers on the internet might be able to walk you through it.

@heres_a_llama, don’t let the curmudgeons get on your nerves. Yes some of us are dealing with national issues and cultural shifts, and that can be discouraging. BSA isn’t some up-front investment of thousands. Were it to fold next year, hopefully you’ll have got out what you put in this year. Positive attitudes year by year ... that’s what shapes the worlds largest youth movement.

PL’s cannot sign-off requirements in scoutbook. It is a read-only book to them. Patrol Method is optimized when the only signatures in a scout’s book are from his/her PL. That includes the SM conference. At PLC, the SM reports on which scouts he conferenced, and PLs note that in the respective scouts’ books. Really, the only things that adults are obliged to record are boards of review and advancement for each rank. Boys having to stop by the advancement chair or SM to have their books updated for every little requirement is an artifact of recent decades.