Beavah

Yah, GKlose, that sort of stuff is goin' on everywhere, eh? I know school districts that have given up on honor rolls and Valedictorians and other awards and just eliminated them. They don't want to deal with it any more, and they want to use da money and time they spend fightin' on other things. B

You cannot legislate laws forcing people to follow your religious beliefs. Of course yeh can. We do all the time. Thou shalt not kill -> felony laws against murder Thou shalt not commit adultery -> differential treatment of adulterers in divorce cases Thou shalt not steal -> felony and misdemeanor laws against theft Thou shalt not bear false witness against thy neighbor -> laws against perjury and makin' false statements to authorities Remember to keep holy the sabbath -> blue laws against da trade in alcohol on a Sunday You are your brother's keeper -> mandatory reporting laws on and on, eh? The right to life does not depend, and must not be declared to be contingent, on the pleasure of anyone else, not even a parent or a sovereign. Besides, there's a scientific answer to da question as well, eh? An unborn child is completely human and completely alive. Don't confuse arbitrary legal definitions of a person's life with actual scientific ones, or you'll be countin' black folks as 3/5ths of a person. As for da rest, I think it's preposterous to believe that because a mother is stressed at the moment that no one will ever love the child for the rest of his or her life, from birth to adulthood. That's just not rational. All it means is that perhaps, in his or her early life, the child may have challenges. How many wonderful adults do each of us know who had challenges in their early life? I know dozens. One of Mrs. Beavah's best friends; dad died of cancer, mom died in childbirth, she was the "unwanted" addition to da family of a cousin. She's a marvelous person now with a loving husband, kids, and da first grandchild on the way. Usually, when people go on about the "unwanted", they're imaginin' in their mind poor people of a different class and race, eh? Spayed and neutered are terms that should never be used with respect to humans, in my opinion. There was a time in this country when we did pass laws to sterilize Americans who we felt were unworthy to reproduce, by reason of race or intelligence. It was a sad time in our history which should not be extolled. Yep, there is an argument to be made for charity with respect to health care, and an argument to be made for family planning. Neither argument, though, has any bearing on da separate issue of abortion. SeattlePioneer has a point, eh? If da Hutus set about executing a million "unwanted" Tutsi babies, liberals would be callin' for armed intervention and war crimes tribunals. It is a poverty to decide that a child must die so that you may live as you wish. Beavah

Good heavens, moosetracker, this went off in da oddest direction. But welcome back! Yep, yeh aren't likely to see a whole lot of ethical consistency in either political party, eh? I find it sort of amusin' and quaint that yeh are trying. I reckon, though, that we all have to look in da mirror a bit when we apply that standard. I couldn't really follow all that about spaying and neutering humans like dogs and warehousing unwanted children and all the rest, but I confess I found it appalling. Read AZMike's rebuttal carefully and thoughtfully. Just because yeh have an itch to scratch all the time about your husband's religion doesn't mean that they can't be right about a thing or two. We'll leave off that transubstantiation stuff, but their teachin' about natural law has been cogent and consistent, even if yeh happen to disagree with their high-handed pomp . Yep, no question in my mind that a fetus is human life. I've long felt that da proper and easiest societal thing to do is to define the start of life the same way we define the end of life in da law - by heartbeat or brain activity. Once the little fellah has a heartbeat, he is protected by da law until it stops. I think that's a standard that da vast majority of the country can agree on from a legal perspective. It would end many, perhaps most, abortions; certainly all of da heinous late-term stuff. Beyond that, for those of us who believe that life deserves a chance from even earlier, it is a matter of persuasion and conversion, eh? A good Christian cannot expect da State to do the work of changin' the heart of a sinner, that's our job. To give witness; to offer care and compassion; to connect the troubled with loving support. Let the state protect the kids with a heartbeat from those who would profit by their death, that's its role. Let the rest of us work to support da troubled in their time of stress and confusion to make good choices. Beavah

He responded with something along the lines of "congratulations, you've just learned your first lesson -- you've learned that the Scouting program is whatever any individual volunteer wants it to be, and you'll soon learn that you have no control over that." Yah, that's da way of things, eh? Basementdweller, I reckon I might have said somethin'. Just depends on whether yeh think there's a chance that a seed would grow in that soil or not. Maybe invited him to come on a campout with another strong troop, so that he could see what First Class "looks like" in a boy. Da problem in a lot of cases is that adults have a hard time goin' from paperwork to program vision. Like most of us, they have to see and feel things to get the hang of it, not just read. B

Yah, fred8033, these debates have been goin' on for as long as parent-driven advancement have been goin' on. It's a societal phenomenon, eh? There are kids suing school districts all over da place over the criteria for Valedictorian or athletic eligibility or pick-your-recognition-for-their-darling. Attemptin' to lawyer a kid into a recognition (or out of a failure) has become part of modern American culture. There's no social sanction against it anymore. Until that culture changes, these discussions are goin' to go on in da BSA, and da BSA materials are goin' to waffle between standards and "everyone deserves an award" dependin' on who is on da committee each year. The pressure, though, will always be in da direction of grade inflation / everyone deserves an award because that's the easiest road, eh? It takes da least effort, it causes da least conflict, it consumes da least amount of staff time and resources. It also achieves the least in da lives of our kids, but that's somethin' that only folks with real backbone and commitment to the lads manage to remember. It often is not somethin' folks just workin' in da office consider. Havin' high expectations for kids doesn't "burn" any of 'em, eh? That's a fiction that gets perpetuated to try to justify this silliness. Getting or not getting Valedictorian doesn't make or burn a kid. What makes or burns a kid is whether or not they were pushed to learn and achieve durin' their time in da program. Yeh can be Valedictorian or Eagle and have been completely short-changed by inept adults who felt yeh would cry and pout if yeh didn't get "your" award, and yeh can have just missed Valedictorian or Eagle and be an outstanding young man who will go on to do great things and remember your time in the program with affection because your effort was genuine and it really meant something. I'm sorry yeh are part of da modern American culture of entitlement for kids. It wasn't always like this. I fear for da future of our nation when parsin' words matters more than showin' up and workin' hard. But in our younger years we were taught that commitment meant commitment, so I'm afraid you'll just have to put up with some of us old fogeys for a few more years. Beavah

Ah, but we teach Citizenship in da BSA, eh? When da Constitution says "The Congress shall have the power to enforce this article by appropriate legislation" that does not mean that da legislation on specifics can contradict the constitution, eh? Any more than the a side-box in a program guidebook can contradict the Rules and Regulations. But just in case someone like you is out there mis-readin' the things, there is additional text that the BSA actually publishes: Education is the chief function of the Scouting movement and it shall be the basis of the advancement program. A fundamental principle of advancement shall be that the boy's progress is a natural outcome of his activities in his unit. In Boy Scouting, recognition is gained through leadership in the troop, attending and participating in its activities, living the ideals of scouting, and proficiency in activities related to outdoor life, useful skills, and career exploration. - Rules and Regulations of the BSA And for a final word, if yeh happen to feel there is a conflict anywhere in da BSA materials, explicit instruction is given for how to resolve the conflict: All advancement procedures shall be administered under conditions that harmonize with the Aims and Purposes of the Boy Scouts of America - Rules and Regulations So we are required to read and interpret all BSA advancement guidance in ways that teach character and citizenship. That is exactly what GKlose and cbowe are doin', eh? And they are exactly correct in doin' so. Again, even congress fails sometimes at writin' laws which are constitutional. Da BSA ain't congress. It's just a small office in Texas that publishes youth program materials. If yeh are really expecting 'em to always be more consistent than da Code of Federal Regulations then yeh are always goin' to be disappointed. Yeh don't lawyer kids' program materials. Yeh read 'em and play with 'em and try to make 'em work. But yep, I'll keep defendin' the BSA program when folks do nonsensical stuff like trying to lawyer da stuff in the worst way. I happen to believe in Scoutin', and I've seen how well it can work for kids, and I've seen where it can fail. What you're describin' epitomizes one of da ways it can fail. Beavah

Only doublin' da unit fee is not so bad as the 50% increase on the individual fees a couple years ago. It's not a bad deal for insurance coverage. I think AHG is a few hundred dollars for the unit fee, and around $20 for da per person fee, so we're cheap by comparison. Not sure how GSUSA compares. B

An active youth member is one who, with the approval of a parent or guardian if necessary, becomes a member of a unit; obligates himself or herself to attend the meetings regularly; fulfills a member's obligation to the unit; subscribes to the Scout Oath or the code of his or her respective program; and participates in an appropriate program based on a member's age, as promulgated from time to time by the Boy Scouts of America - Rules & Regulations of the BSA "I agree to comply with the Charter and Bylaws, and the Rules and Regulations of the Boy Scouts of America" - BSA Adult Leader Application -------- BE ACTIVE IN YOUR TROOP AND PATROL: To Gain Full Advantage of all that Scouting has to offer, you need to be present when things are happening. Take part in meetings, in planning activities, and in the fun of adventures. If you're there, you can do your part to make your patrol and troop a success. - The Boy Scout Handbook 2000 (in force in 2009), chapter on the requirements for Star, Life, and Eagle Rank -------- Not so clear cut after all, eh fred8033? Providin' the above for yeh, GKlose, in case yeh want to include it in your bit to the DAC. Then we have da actual text yeh refer to, which was only in one printing of ACP&P which came out after the lad had earned Life, not before. That was in a side box, not in the main text, and as we all know was roundly criticized at the time and repudiated by the next release of the document as the GTA. It actually said 3. Engaged by his unit leadership on a regular basis (informed of unit activities through Scoutmaster conference or personal contact, etc.) Since the lad was almost wholly absent, he was not engaged by his unit leadership on a regular basis per that definition, and therefore not active. No SM conference. No regular personal contact. So even if we play da game of straining at gnats in the wording, we have to ignore da Rules & Regulations, ignore the instructions the lad was given by the Boy Scout Handbook specifically with respect to the Star, Life, and Eagle "Active" requirement, and misinterpret da ACP&P language which was promptly rescinded by the BSA anyways. I'm with qwazse, eh? If this is da sort of thing many folks are actually dealin' with, it's time to treat da SM's call like da sports referee's call, and simply not allow any appeals on Star, Life, or Eagle the way we eliminated appeals on T-2-1. Scouting is meant to be a game, not a courtroom. Beavah (This message has been edited by Beavah)

Never to use terms such as "tarnishing the reputation of Eagles" or any other better-than-thou term. Yah, "better than thou"? Sorta like this sentence? I'm not sure what's wrong with da phrase. Boys pursue Eagle Scout in part because the Eagle Scout award has a reputation. They are told that colleges, employers and others will treat them differently because Eagle Scout has a reputation. They and their families invest time, money, and effort in pursuin' the award because of that perceived reputation. So yah, sure, anything with a reputation or public perception can be tarnished when one or many don't live up to da reputation. How do we improve the other Methods of Scouting? How do we make the program better catch the "Minimialist" Eagle Scouts. How can we convince them in a way that is fun to do more? Attend more trips, lead more? Encouraging them to give more to their communities and troops? The lads do what they are rewarded for, eh? Rewarded with patches, sure, but mostly rewarded in terms of the time, attention, and acceptance of others. If yeh feel for some reason that BSA advancement isn't workin' for yeh, then I'd say fix how yeh are thinking about advancement and ignore fred8033 or bnelon44. They represent to my mind a relatively odd viewpoint that's not in keepin' with what da Scouting program has been for 100 years. But the alternative is to just de-emphasize advancement and use other forms of recognition from da other methods. Recognize boys attention from adults, attention from peers, outdoor opportunities "Yep, Joe, yeh got your patch. Hey, Bill, that was an awesome job that you did putting together last weekend's patrol outing! Yeh totally rocked! Da SPL, ASPL, and a couple of of the senior guys are goin' out for ice cream after the CoH and wanted you to come along to talk about movin' up in leadership." "Yep, Joe, here's your patch. Hey, Bill, that was really great effort on Climbing MB. I know a few guys from the Venture Patrol are going to the Climbing Gym this weekend, and based on how you really worked to master all of da skills of the badge we think you're ready to join them." "Hi Joe, congrats on your patch. Hey, Bill, I really trust your Orienteering skills, so you get to lead the hike today on your own. No adults coming along. We trust you. We'll see you at the final trailhead." Now, it works better if receiving the patch matches a genuine increase in recognition and skill, eh? That's the point of Step 4 in da Advancement Method: A Boy is Recognized. That means more than getting a piece of cloth. It means genuinely being recognized by your peers and adult leaders for the knowledge, skills, abilities, and character you possess. If yeh get a patch but don't really merit da recognition, I think you're doin' advancement wrong. The patch by itself doesn't mean a thing. It's da "reputation" of the patch as meaning that yeh merit real recognition which is what counts. But even if yeh make the mistake of allowin' your badges not to have a meaningful reputation, yeh can still make scouting work through real recognition with the other methods. Beavah (This message has been edited by Beavah)

"Lunch Means Lunch - the Menu Isn't Important" Subtitle: "It's an Application, Not a 50-page Proposal" "It's the Scouts Project - Not Yours" Subtitle: "If you want a Bench and it's not in the Project Plan, YOU Build the Bench" Yah, I've had a few of those too, CalicoPenn! Yeh should start another thread. B

Yah, bnelon44, what did that have to do with da question? Sentinel947, I always tell troops that ask me a question like that that they should have a clear image in their mind of what they want to achieve with a lad not just at Eagle, but at each of the ranks. What's a Life Scout look like? What's a First Class Scout look like? A lad gets to Eagle in steps, eh? Not all at once. I reckon the fight is usually won or lost in the boy's first four years. If T-2-1 were a spoon-fed "gimme", then da troop probably lost at that point. Yeh get there by usin' all the methods. Advancement, to give him a real hurdle to work toward developin' skills and changing behaviors. Adult Association to provide coaching, Youth Leadership to provide example and challenge and an ethic of service, Outdoors because we learn da most when confronting new things when da consequences aren't insulated by civilization, Values because sayin' the words and thinkin' about what yeh stand for counts, Uniform because it's a way of showin' what yeh stand for and who yeh stand with. And so on. I reckon da easiest test for Eagle, though, is similar to the one Eagledad proposed, eh? The lad should be someone who is recognized by his troop community and the broader community as a young adult of whom they are justifiably proud. If the adults like the fellow but his peers and younger boys in the troop do not (because he's been cold/bullying/absent, etc.), then that's not an Eagle. If his football coach loves him but half of da ASMs say "Who?", that's not an Eagle. Basementdweller's thoughts in da other thread I thought were good as well, eh? If he's the sort of person for whom everyone who has worked with him would say "I would hire him right now over other candidates". A fellow who claimed to be active and responsible by only showin' up once in three years I would not hire even if there were no other candidates! That's not an Eagle. Beavah

All three can produce good troop programs and good results. Nope, we disagree on this point as well, fred8033. As well as on whether you actually speak for the BSA. I'm a fellow who understands contracts and deals with contracts and such. I don't believe for a minute that contracts teach character and values, especially not in an adversarial system. When we're talkin' about young people, I believe a notion of needin' to "put everything in writing" or "make them sign a contract" is at best poor practice. At worst, it's completely coercive and bankrupt. It reflects adults who in some ways probably aren't well suited to bein' the primary leader/mentor for young people, because I think young people need leaders and mentors who are willin' to stand on principle without hiding behind weasel words. So no, as much as I truly support and trust all da fine men and women who volunteer with kids in da BSA, contracting is a poor practice and viewin' Advancement as a contractual agreement is poor use of da method. Just like bein' completely adult-run with token youth PORs is poor use of da Youth Leadership method. That doesn't mean that the troop can't still be a fine troop and that the kids can't learn because the troop may well be using the other 7 methods to counteract their poor use of da one. That happens a lot. Good Adult Relationships can overcome poor advancement practice, eh? So while the troop may still be a great troop, I believe that da approach yeh advocate for advancement does not ever produce good troop programs and results. The means do not justify the end, nor does the end justify the means. Both means and end must be examples of character and values. Beavah (This message has been edited by Beavah)

I'm glad the unit leaders are willing to congratulate the scout if he earns it. I hope they are willing to offer him an apology too. The simple fact is the troop should not have asked him to enter into this "agreement" earlier into the year. LOL! Yah, hmmmm.... drat. I just spilled coffee all over my lap. Now the lad is owed an apology for expecting that he come to more than one event in da three years since he earned Life if he wants to be active? You're too funny. They probably should have told him at that point that he was not a member and was not bein' renewed on the charter. Yah, yah, but I'll admit that you're entirely right, fred8033. Da far easier and fairer thing to do for everybody would have been to just shout "Yea! You're breathing! Here's your Eagle Award for College, now let's have a party!!" It would have taken less time and caused less distraction for da adults so that they could do a better job for the lads who actually want to be there. Tyin' up adult time and troop resources just isn't fair to them or the other kids. Besides, who cares if in a few years the lad fails out of college for not actually goin' to class or loses his job for not actually comin' to work? It wasn't our responsibility to teach him habits of the heart like - things like yeh have to actually earn awards, degrees, and pay. Yeh came on da 5th, so yeh deserve the whole month's pay, right? When yeh weren't there, yeh always had a good excuse and some other worthy thing to do! Scoutin' is the adult world brought down to boy size, so that lads can learn and practice how to be men. Beavah (This message has been edited by Beavah)

Yah, I'm a fan of education like Eagle732. I think if we do our job teachin' the lads how and when to have a fire, and how to travel and camp so as not to make a mess, then the need for land managers to impose restrictions goes down a great deal. That's da goal of the LNT program as close as I can tell. Unfortunately, LNT isn't gettin' out there to the general public, and even gets a fair bit of resistance within da BSA. So increasingly we're seein' land managers move toward restrictions as the only alternative. 4,000 years ago there were maybe a few hundred thousand humans in North America. Now there are tens of millions that visit our much smaller reserves of parks and wilderness lands. If yeh only have a few neighbors quite a ways away yeh don't mind if they take dumps here and there. Try it around an apartment in complex in the city, and suddenly yeh have a need for education and restriction! I confess I share SeattlePioneer's frustration with da restrictions, and have been a scofflaw occasionally when on my own (but not with kids), albeit a well-practiced LNT scofflaw. I've occasionally gone through da process of gettin' a rules waiver from the local managers when with kids, but that takes a lot of developin' of relationships and such, and sadly the general reputation of da BSA in terms of LNT works against us. At the same time, I've been to areas where thousands of square yards have become blackened, denuded wastelands because of over-camping and too much fire-building. Some of those were once beautiful areas that I remember fondly from my youth. So I'm also sympathetic to da challenge the land-managers face. I'd still like to see us solve it with education, eh? With self-policing and citizenship. But I do grudgingly support da restrictions when they're necessary. Beavah

Yah, da answer to the question is who cares? How many angels can dance on da strained definition of a pin? Yeh do what yeh need to do to help this boy and the other boys who are watching learn an appropriate lesson about responsibility and commitment. B

Being Active: how to get credit without actually showing up. Scout Spirit: choosing a definition that doesn't mean anything, but saying it with a convincing voice. Appearance Matters: how to look good for adults while having fun stuffing first year scouts into the latrine. Recommendation Letters: they're not required, but list mom and dad for all four categories. Find the Weak Link: how to identify adults who will sign off no matter what. Chapter Bonus - forging signatures of scouters who have moved out of town or passed away. The Easiest Path: identifying the requirement in "choose one of the following" which is WAY easier than all the others (there's always one). The Easiest Path 2: helping adults "interpret" the requirements to your advantage. The fine art of "don't add to the requirement". The Dance of the Blue Cards: Tips and techniques for getting 8 merit badges at a 3-hour event The Art of Plagiarism: Copying projects, paperwork, and reports while pretending to know what you're doing. Leadership Projects & Mentors : How to suck up and get the adults to do the whole thing. Special Section: 15 hour flag retirements - the project no one questions because it's "patriotic" and yeh get to count chilling with your friends around da fire. Your BsOR : Stock BS answers to the stock adult questions and other techniques. Advanced Technique Section Jumping Ship: How to troop-hop your advancement by adding requirements to your resume and capitalizing on benefit-of-the-doubt. Claiming Disability: an advanced technique for getting around any physical challenge that would actually require practice or exercise. Repentance Never Fails: how you can rob the local pharmacy of narcotics at gunpoint and still get Eagle by just pretending to be sorry. The Guide to Advancement: your tool for getting away with anything by parsing words. Never Fear, NATIONAL is Here!: when you have some real hard-case of an adult who actually believes swimming, you know, means swimming, don't fret. You'll win on appeal because it's the adult's fault he didn't actually explain that swimming meant swimming in triplicate and the native tongue of your great-grandfather. And, for a limited time and a small up-charge we have the special pamphlet: Need a college resume enhancer? What to bring and what to say so that you can join a troop and get Eagle in less than a month, having never been a Boy Scout in your life! (This message has been edited by Beavah)

Nor do we give lads awards that they haven't earned. A Life Scout who never shows up is not a failure of da leaders. We might wish that the leaders had succeeded in our mission of teachin' character to the lad earlier on, or had somehow gotten inside the lad's head to say or do exactly the right thing so as to turn him around. But just because a leader doesn't succeed with every boy does not mean that the leader is a failure. Otherwise I reckon we're all failures for every lad who doesn't make it all the way to Eagle. Beavah

Yah, hmmm.... Didn't this thing just come out? Are we on da G2SS revision-every-three-months cycle now? Seriously, stability is a good thing. I doubt that the thing has even made it out to most corners yet, eh? Perhaps folks should let things settle a bit. Beavah

He's from Hawaii by way of Indonesia, raised by people who didn't think much of the American way of life. Yah, hmmmm... Kahuna, I'm not sure where yeh get this stuff, eh? The man was raised in Hawaii by his maternal grandparents. The man who raised him was a World War II veteran. Da fact that you or anybody could declare that a World War II veteran of da U.S. Army "didn't think much of the American way of life" illustrates to me just how far modern conservatives have gone off da rails. The man was a volunteer for da wartime defense of this great nation! I'm not sure how a fellow who put his life on the line can be accused of not thinkin' much of the American way of life. That's what I don't get about this stuff, eh? There's all of this odd energy and lack of honesty or honor or somethin'. I can't figure out why. President Obama spent more time in da private sector than either Dwight Eisenhower or Richard Nixon, and more time than Paul Ryan or John McConnell. But I'm not sure we really want to say that a fellow who has been a soldier or a policeman or a firefighter or a county prosecutor or whatnot isn't qualified for public office because they never worked in da private sector. Lemonade stand or otherwise. Obama had the most control of Congress a president has had in a good long while for his first two years and durin' that time he cut taxes dramatically. As a result, right now federal revenues are at the lowest point as a percentage of GDP than they've been since da aftermath of the war his grandpa served in. Yep, I've read the entire ACA law, which is why I can say that it's quite a mess. Of course it contains tax provisions. That's a conservative notion, eh? People should pay for services, unlike when President Bush instituted da Medicare prescription drug benefit plan by puttin' it all on a credit card. Yeh don't get health care for free. For a traditional conservative, that's a fair step better than da current system where yeh get welfare medical care for free at the ER at three times da cost to everyone else. So I still don't get it. I reckon scoutingagain must be right, eh? Folks just don't know what conservative means anymore. Or I don't. Beavah (This message has been edited by Beavah)

Yah, hmmmm.... Well, GKlose, that set of troop expectations seems pretty doggone clear, and yeh seem to have followed it to the letter. To my mind, your position should be supported at the district, council, and national level accordin' to the current guidance. Now, let me just say that what yeh describe is almost always the way this stuff plays when a troop is tryin' to "up" its expectations, eh? For the lads and the families who perhaps chose the troop because it was an Eagle Mill, and who certainly spent their formative years in boy scouting in a troop that was an Eagle Mill, it can be hard to readjust when they run into a tightening of da process. This causes a lot of ill will when a district does it by denying Eagle (essentially tellin' the SM that his program stinks). And, as you're experiencing, it can cause some grief with the older lads when it happens in-troop. Honestly, the same thing happens when a troop does other sorts of things, like tryin' to rein in a bullying culture among da older boys. Those lads grew up in a troop where bullyin' was the norm and was how yeh gained status, and now you're changin' da rules on 'em. Doesn't mean that yeh shouldn't change da troop culture, just means that you're bound to get resistance. I always tell folks that in such cases yeh almost always need to leave one body on the floor (metaphorically speakin'). Yeh have to pull the trigger on one boy to convince all the others that yeh mean what yeh say, and that things are goin' to be different. Because they never have been before, right? Folks always would talk about how bullying was bad or Eagles were great, but it was never really true, eh? Beavah

Yah, I agree completely with eisely's history. Da Grand Old Party of Lincoln was generally on the forefront of northern religious opposition to slavery and lack of equality, while the Democrats were generally da party of plantation farmers. That continued, until the 1960s. I remember that party. I was proud of it, eh? Nowadays I confess I don't recognize that same spirit in the GOP, and I confess a bit of consternation that my Grand Old Party has become da happy home for some of da folks packsaddle and trailwalker talk about. I agree with folks that "racism" has been used too frequently by da likes of Democrats like Jesse Jackson who are really a sort of extortionists. At the same time, folks tend to become associated with da company they keep, and da modern Republican Party hasn't necessarily been keepin' the best company. Yah, sure, a few folks get incensed about any sort of policy issue, I get that. But they're pretty few. Da policy items in this election that are actually at issue don't seem to me to be that big, eh? You've got a moderate Republican who passed Romneycare and was pro-abortion, pro-gay-marriage in Massachusetts vs. a moderate Democrat who ... hhhmmmm... is the same. Da actual changes in the direction of national policy aren't goin' to be that large, unless one or da other gets us into a shootin' war with Iran. So why all the hullaballoo? Why all the energy? It's hard not to look at da apocalyptic language on da Republican side and not at least wonder what part of it has a racial component. Then again, folks got pretty much in a tizzy over Hillary too, so maybe it's just da sort of folks they are. Or maybe it's da way the intelligent media have all left da field to an absurd caricature of da 4th Estate, so we're fed nuthin' but nutters from both sides every day because nutters sell. On a side note, has anybody seen da calculator for Paul Ryan time? Yeh can enter your actual race time and get da adjusted Paul Ryan time. http://www.paulryantimecalculator.com Boy, do I look like a better athlete, eh! Beavah

We talking about Obama the president here or somebody else? President Obama. Yah, yah, I know da neocon/tea party folks want to portray him as some Archduke of Socialism, but that's honestly not how the man has governed as close as I can tell. Obamacare is about as liberal as he's gone, and that plan was put together by the conservative Heritage Foundation 18 years ago, eh? It adheres to sound conservative (but not libertarian) principles like folks should pay their own way, and engage in a private market for health care. Da implementation was a frightful mess of legislation, but then that's Congress. Why use 100 pages when yeh can use 2000? He hasn't cut defense spending, he's increased it. He hasn't closed Gitmo, in fact he's expanded da realm of executive privilege and detention. He hasn't been soft on terror. He surged in Afghanistan to positive effect and has not shirked from engaging in a very aggressive (and largely successful) undeclared drone war against da semi-autonomous areas of Pakistan. He led a successful coalition to topple Quadaffi, who I reckon most of us had wished Reagan had been successful at landing a bomb on after Lockerbie. He hasn't raised taxes, he's cut them significantly. He's expanded gun rights, not curtailed them, opening up carry laws in the national parks and earning an "F" from anti-gun groups like da Brady Center. He's greatly expanded domestic and offshore oil drilling (drill, baby! drill!). About da only issue he's been liberal on is abortion and contraception, and for da former he hasn't really done anything of substance, he just hasn't paid lip-service to restrictions. Aside from our Catholic friends, I'm not sure that opposition to contraception for adults is really that strong a conservative issue. So I really am curious about this, eh? Why do folks believe the man is such an extreme lefty? I still can't help but think that it's just because of who he is (black, northern, urban, Harvard-educated, whatever)? All this is not to say I'm a supporter, eh? I think there are real questions of competence, and I disagree with many of his positions. I just don't get da notion that his positions are very extreme, and I'm always a bit skeptical of emotional arguments. Beavah (This message has been edited by Beavah)

Yah, GKlose, what is your attendance policy, just out of curiosity? Da current procedure is different than it used to be, eh? Used to be an appeal was handled separate from (and before) an EBOR. Now the procedure is that da district EBOR is sort of the first "appeal." So the procedure goes like this: 1) DAC/CAC decide whether the request for an EBOR under disputed circumstances is "frivolous". This case sort of strikes me as being on the edge. I'd consider a request just because yeh don't want to go on two outings over the next 4 months in order to meet some artificial schedule of your own pretty frivolous (in that it's not da sort of thing yeh should waste other people's time over). But if it's not frivolous, then... 2) The EBOR is held at da district, and the SM's and committee's lack of approval are taken into account as part of the EBOR. Written statements or telephone interview summaries must be obtained from the scoutmaster, knowledgeable committee members, and others familiar with the case. The board proceeds like regular EBOR except that there's more careful focus on da issues in question. If they unanimously decide he gets the rank, then he does. If not, then the lad may appeal to the council, and after council, to National. B

Yah, what qwazse and Eagledad said, eh? Those lads who are "almost ready"? Have your older lads train their replacements. Have 'em make a plan for the youngsters to shadow for da first part of this year and then gradually shift responsibility on to them until they take JASM roles. They need to make themselves a plan for this, because it's soooo easy to just keep doin' stuff yourself when you're a senior youth leader. Challenge 'em to map things toward a gradual progression toward bein' "hands off" by next March or so. Plan a TLT event with 'em every month or 3 weeks or so, where they have to be ready to do stuff and then afterward the older fellows hang with 'em and chat about da stuff they've learned or done in scouts or do somethin' together as "troop leaders." They'll think da older lads are SOOOO cool, and the example that gets set of how to treat and inspire younger guys will rub off in da best way. Welcome to da fun of da scouter side of the world, YoungASM. Stick around and share da campfire and other questions! Beavah (This message has been edited by Beavah)

Yah, packsaddle, that's a good one, eh! I had forgotten about Type 4 in da Beavah taxonomy of transfers. Lads that have been out a while and then get sucked back in because of friends or a change of circumstances. Not to "finish Eagle" but because somethin' about scoutin' was still in their blood that they couldn't shake. Sometimes this happens because da sports scene has changed, they realize they don't care as much about Varsity soccer as they used to, etc. They tend to be a safe bet. Yeh don't get da parental pressure, yeh aren't likely to see behavioral problem high schoolers say "I want to be a Boy Scout", and scoutin' at that age they aren't usually doin' for da wrong reasons. Plus like the divorce case, you're not da rebound relationship, eh? They've had some time to process things. Not a guaranteed fit, of course, but a pretty good bet. I know lots of units that considered lads like this some of their best. Beavah