RememberSchiff

When I was a scout (there he goes again), there was no instant recognition. I waited until the Court of Honor to receive my rank patch and card. There were two reasons for this. 1. Taught scouts patience, 2. The troop had no cache of rank patches, nor was Mrs SM inclined to visit Council more than once a month. She also typed the information on the rank card. Seemed reasonable. So far, it is interesting the varied opinions on what would be "Classic".

http://www.artofmanliness.com/2013/04/15/the-boy-scouts-of-america-then-and-now-a-comparison-of-the-1911-and-modern-handbooks-and-merit-badges/

From Stosh in another thread Maybe BSA ought to develop a program called "Classic Scouting" and quit with this New Scouting "stuff". Would it be a reset to 1960? 1950? 1930? Would scout advancement work be only on the next rank? Would instant recognition go away? Would adult volunteers be treated like adults? Would MB books return to black and white and the only part read would be the cover? What would "Classic Scouting" be?

According the Unit Charter Agreement the CO has to "ensure appropriate facilities for the unit for its regular meetings to facilitate the aims of the Chartered Organization AND Scouting. So it is more by mutual agreement IMO and hopefully everyone wants to do what is best for our kids.

IMO this is the legal conundrum which the local NJ BSA Council found itself in and so NJ Law Against Discrimination applied. Next, National found itself drawn in - could the membership rules vary by state? What if this family moved? And so on. Could BSA Legal have been proactive about advising the BSA to clarify the membership form further, e.g."Gender on Birth Certificate"? IMO, yes. Speaking of BSA Legal, has anyone seen their website www.bsalegal.org lately? Another $0.02

http://www.lohud.com/story/news/local/rockland/stony-point/2017/03/07/stony-point-camp-bullowa-lawsuit/98362984/ ^--more details, video, and photos STONY POINT,NY - A legal battle over who controls the purse strings of the $3.1 million endowment for Camp Bullowa has brought nearly all repairs to a standstill at the Boy Scout site. ... Ralph Heavner, who accompanied Olori inside the camp’s Dignman Cabin, said the endowment remains locked as his lawsuit against Hudson Valley Council, Boy Scouts of America continues. Heavner, a trustee for the trust fund, filed the lawsuit last year to recoup $500,000 that the Camp Bullowa endowment agreed to loan the council in 2003. The council stopped making payments on the loan in 2013. After he filed the lawsuit, Heavner said he was dismissed from his position on the Hudson Valley Council executive board. The Hudson Valley Council oversees more than 7,000 Scouts in the region, according to its website. The lawsuit was also brought by the two other Bullowa endowment trustees, Edwin Ward and Thomas Condon, as well as the Emilie M. Bullowa Memorial Endowment of Camp Bullowa. The lawsuit was filed against Howard Hellman, president of the council; David Horton, scout executive for the council; William Poole, executive vice president of the council; and the council itself. lawsuit filed in state Supreme Court in New City, the council was “facing financial failure" at the time of the loan. The loan marked the first time funds from the endowment were used for purposes other than maintenance of the camp. There remains $426,000 outstanding on the loan, according to court papers. .. Heavner described the lawsuit as a final defense for the camp. “We are not going to go down without a fight,†he said. The lawsuit over who can access the trust fund and what the money can be used for is the first time the endowment has been tested since it was created in 1949, Heavner said. The camp is maintained using approximately $140,000 a year from interest raised from the trust fund, Heavner said. Heavner said the the council has also has attempted to remove him, Ward and Condon as trustees of the endowment and appoint new trustees, which violates the trust. If the council does not repay the loan and is permitted to dip into the endowment in the future, Heavner said there would be no stopping the council from whittling down the endowment for any number of purposes unrelated to the camp and it would eventually be depleted. “You sell a few acres here, you sell a few acres there, and before you know it, it’s gone,†Heavner said. Hellman said the camp will never be sold. "Unequivocally, there is and never has been any intentions, any discussions about selling the camp," Hellman said. "That will always remain a camp. That will always remain in the ownership of the Hudson Valley Council who runs the camp." The lawsuit is seeking the Hudson Valley Council repay the $426,000 still owed on the loan, $110,000 in fees and interest, and clarity over how trustees are appointed and removed, among other things. Fight on Trustees and Scouters.

Update Feb 27,2017 Michael N. Kelsey, 38, a Dutchess County lawyer and former county legislatort, was automatically disbarred last May when he was convicted of sexual assault charges in St. Lawrence County. On Feb. 22, the state Appellate Court, second department, affirmed the disbarment and ordered that his name be removed from the state roll of attorneys. A county court jury found Kelsey guilty of sexual abuse, attempted sexual assault, forcible touching and endangering the welfare of children. He was sentenced to seven years in prison, and for the past four months he has been an inmate at Clinton Correctional Facility in Dannemora. Kelsey was admitted to practicing law in 2009. He was serving as a county legislator for the 25th district when he was arrested in 2014. http://westfaironline.com/86290/ny-state-court-upholds-disbarment-of-dutchess-county-lawyer/

Sportsmen (shooting sports) clubs around here removed their bars years ago. Bad mix.

The CO is responsible for providing a meeting place, but the unit can meet elsewhere. Meet elsewhere.

Indeed.

Okay lets stay scout-like. Regarding the "dweeb or nerd factor", and lets use those words, should the BSA also ditch - the left hand shake (The BSA adopted the necker and left handshake from the world scoutimg movement in the 1920's) - knee socks - adults wearing the uniform - badges and other insignia (Unit numbers have subdued, earthen colors, why not drop altogether) - camo ban - other? to make Scouts more "cool"?

http://www.wkow.com/story/34670481/2017/03/05/terminally-ill-boy-gets-special-chance-to-learn-how-to-ski See video in above link. Family and friends showed up to Cascade Mountain in Portage on Sunday to watch as 12-year-old scout Frank Carpino finally got his chance to ski down the mountain. "I'm just excited, really excited," said Carpino, moments before heading down. According to Carpino's family, he suffers from Desmoid Tumors, a rare intermediate type of cancer. "He has never known a time in his life when he wasn't having radiation or surgery," said Frank's mom Kathy Carpino, who says he's been suffering from the tumors since he was a baby. "I think he needs this [ski ride] at this point of his journey right now, he needed this to help him get the rest of the way." To make sure Frank can ski down the hill safely, he strapped into specially-made skis that included a seat, padding, and straps for a skier following behind him to be able to steer him in the right direction. The specially-made skis were provided by Adaptive Adventures, a group that helps those with disabilities be able to achieve what they never thought was possible, through special equipment. "What we try and do is make sure the families ski together or friends get to ski together," said Linda Tomsevics of Adaptive Adventures, who steered Frank the whole way down the hill. "All it takes is the right equipment and anybody out there can ski, it doesn't matter if they were injured or quadriplegic, anybody can ski." After Carpino arrived at the bottom of the mountain, he brought down with him, a smile on his face. "Being able to feel the wind on your face, while whole experience was fun," said Carpino, who ended up going back up the mountain again for a couple more rounds downhill. "It's even greater that everyone could ski next to me." The group of skiers included snow patrol members of Cascade Mountain, members of Carpino's Boy Scout troop along with others (16 other Boy scout troops?) across Wisconsin, and plenty of family and friends. "It was incredible, it was an amazing blessing," said Kathy Carpino, as she held back tears and thanked everyone for making the ski ride possible for her son. Well Done.

The law referenced is The New Jersey Law Against Discrimination (N.J.S.A. 10:5-12) (LAD) http://lis.njleg.state.nj.us/cgi-bin/om_isapi.dll?clientID=732536957&Depth=4&TD=WRAP&advquery=%2210%3a5-12%22&headingswithhits=on&infobase=statutes.nfo&rank=&record={3ADB}&softpage=Doc_Frame_Pg42&wordsaroundhits=2&x=24&y=12&zz= section f, subsections (1) and (2) I am not an attorney, but my read, there was a concern a LAD violation occurred because the scout was already a member of a private club (Cub Scout Pack) when denied continued membership because of gender identity. (2)Notwithstanding the definition of "a place of public accommodation" as set forth in subsection l. of section 5 of P.L.1945, c.169 (C.10:5-5), for any owner, lessee, proprietor, manager, superintendent, agent, or employee of any private club or association to directly or indirectly refuse, withhold from or deny to any individual who has been accepted as a club member and has contracted for or is otherwise entitled to full club membership any of the accommodations, advantages, facilities or privileges thereof, or to discriminate against any member in the furnishing thereof on account of the race, creed, color, national origin, ancestry, marital status, civil union status, domestic partnership status, pregnancy, sex, gender identity, or expression, affectional or sexual orientation, disability or nationality of such person. The local BSA Council apparently chose not to or could not argue that the initial membership was fraudulent and this law should not apply. Anyway that is my research and best guess.

http://www.spokesman.com/stories/2017/mar/05/veradale-boy-scout-among-the-survivalists-featured/ In “Kicking & Screaming,†10 expert survivalists, including 52 yr old Terry Fossum, are paired with pampered partners as they compete in challenges and live in a tropical jungle in Fiji. The winning team splits a $500,000 grand prize. Filmed last May, executive producer Anthony Dominici said in addition to the pairings of survivalists and divas, “Kicking†differentiates itself from CBS’s “Survivor†in tone, too. “There’s a sense of humor that’s not typical of cutthroat reality shows,†he said. That’s apparent in casting Fossum, who wore part of his Boy Scout uniform on the series. (Fossum said wearing the uniform was producers’ idea, though he was happy to oblige after clearing it with the national office of the Boy Scouts of America.) (Schiff warning note: In photo Mr. Fossum is wearing a necker. ) ... Fossum, who went on a 6,000-mile driving, boating and backpacking trip to the Arctic Circle a few years ago, prepared for “Kicking†by traveling to Guyana for about a week to learn jungle survival techniques from South American experts, swimming with piranha and picking ticks off himself. “It helped me an immense amount,†Fossum said of his prep work. What he couldn’t be prepared for, necessarily, was the person he would be paired with: Natalie Casanova, a 29-year-old, pink-haired, tattooed gamer and YouTuber. “Imagine her reaction: She’s looking at nine studly people, many young, with buff muscles, and she gets the old Boy Scout,†Fossum said, laughing. “Imagine what she’s thinking: ‘I got the old guy.’ †Now that's funny - 52 is old!

Back in the day, I recall scouts who wore BSA official uniform slides, the brass turk knot, were razzed. As a Bear, I made an ambitious first attempt at carving a kit slide - Cochise, which ended poorly. My second attempt was an arrowhead which was somewhat recognizable as such the further back the viewer stepped.

http://abcnews.go.com/US/wireStory/jersey-boy-scouts-pay-18k-transgender-boy-45883121 http://www.northjersey.com/story/news/new-jersey/2017/03/02/boy-scouts-pay-18000-apologize-9-year-old-transgender-boy-thrown-out-pack/98665342/

The uniform is also optional, so in part or whole, it does not make a scout. BTW, the Uniform Method was not a Method until the mid 80's. If your unit wears the uniform, there is a guide to wearing it correctly. Well sort of, when the necker was required some Nationalista's stated the necker is worn under the collar. My point is the necker makes one look like a scout and if it is a real necker it has many functional uses.

Same page When engaged in Scouting activities, members may wear the neckerchief with appropriate nonuniform clothing to identify them as Scouts. http://blog.scoutingmagazine.org/2015/08/21/scout-neckerchiefs-now-approved-wear-nonuniform-clothing/ "One uniform piece unites Scouts in all 223 countries with a Scouting program. It’s not the button-up uniform shirt. It’s not the purple World Crest. It’s the Scout neckerchief." I am sure some will make the argument, that if they are at a Scout activity then they must be scouts so there is no need for a uniform in part or whole to identify them as scouts.

I have wondered what percentage of scouts do not turn in their completed blue cards.

Shemaghs anyone?

Has anyone heard of more provisional weeks at HA camps? As I understand, Philmont has provisional weeks for NAYLE?, STEM , and trailwork but not treks.

EMT and WFA are different worlds, so this is an incomplete answer. EMT training is about emergency care within the Golden Hour. You might treat a patient for 20-45min. With WFA, the ER is hours away. Stabilization is up to you, immobilization of spinal injuries more critical. No collars or backboards in woods. EMT's have the gear on the unit, WFA's may have to improvise splints and patient carry in the field. Self-sticking bandages, duct tape, blood-clotting dressings are in our first aid kits. WFA teaches complete patient assessment ABCDE, my EMT CPR training was just ABC leave the rest to ER. With WFA, you re-certify in 2 years but many take advanced WFA (AWFA?) instead. WFA covers the more treatable wilderness injuries - bug bites, altitude sickness, dehydration, heat and cold injuries... I found it worthwhile, hopefully you will never need it.

CPR certification is separate from WFA. I strongly recommend SOLO WFA courses.

Perhaps this Troop Committee is still in Pack Committee mode?

All made in the USA. https://www.buckknives.com/collection/bsa/