RememberSchiff

Googling, I found the Trading Post at the William Hillcourt Scout Museum sells a patch. Have not been there myself. http://www.orgsites.com/ny/greenbarbill/

Yes around Dec 25, 1941 by FDR. Pearl Harbor had been attacked weeks before; the west coast was preparing for a second wave. Our nation at war, a dark and fearful time, and yet our Commander-in-Chief took time to recognize and thank the Boy Scouts for their valued service to the Nation.

“Once again I send sincerest Christmas greetings to the Boy Scouts of America; bespeaking also the appreciation of the nation for the contribution which Scouts and scouting make to our national strength and morale by helping to keep alive the manly virtues of truthfulness, loyalty, courage and helpfulness. Now, as always, the nation needs to keep themselves physically fit, mentally alert and morally straight.†When? Whom?

Here is the opposite. The BSA officially will not, yet "Not one of the kids said, 'You don’t belong here,’†Maldonado (Joe's Mom) said of the Scouts in the pack." IMO, never turn away a kid who wants to be scout and NEVER prevent a unit from welcoming that kid. My $0.02

Patrol Method is also about teamwork - working together more can be learned, accomplished, and enjoyed. IMO the "working together", i.e. 80-100% attendance in patrol activities , is a metric for JTE. Using the National Honor Patrol Award as a start, say 2 patrol meetings a month with 100% attendance is Silver. Maybe Bronze would be 2 patrol meetings a month with at least 3 scouts. Ditto with other patrol activities. http://www.scouting.org/filestore/boyscouts/pdf/512-021_WB.pdf Just $0.01 as there was something in my eggnog.

Good points. I would clarify that the term "independent" means patrol-planned. This would solve program planning for older scouts/Venture patrols as they would already be doing it themselves. Hmmm, what if, annual patrol planning took root? Troop planning would focus on membership, fundraising, summer camp, adult leader training,.. Agree with qwazse regarding Bronze-Gold-Silver order. Another $0.02

We have not used to JTE for years. Of it's faults, IMO the most glaring was the SPL signature is not required as scouts are out of the loop. No doubt TAHAWK could do this, but to his point, a group of SPL's from scout-run troops should draft the replacement metrics. My $0.02

They sort of work like Scout Bucks, you accumulate them here but you can't spend them outside of this forum.

Meanwhile scoutingmagazine.org reports the renewal the National Park Service/BSA agreement. http://blog.scoutingmagazine.org/2016/12/21/bsa-renews-alliance-national-park-service/ To summarize, same old same old - the NPS will continue to do with the BSA what it does with everyone else and the BSA will advertise the agreement. That said, IMO a deeper examination of the resources and needs of both the NPS and BSA should be done. - The NPS "Scout Ranger Resource Stewardship" is geared towards grade school youth; they need not be scouts. And that seems fine for that age group. Here the BSA should approach NPS, "we have this Hornaday Award and this merit badge and... that might be just the thing to incorporate with your NPS Youth Conservation Corps for teens. https://www.nps.gov/subjects/youthprograms/ycc.htm - Why not allow NPS Rangers to sign-off on related environmental/citizenship merit badges? They have had federal background checks. Save them from the becoming a MBC song and dance. The BSA should do this with other professions - medical, teachers, Fire/EMT, police that have the knowledge and existing background checks in place. KISS and get the community more involved in Scouting. - Entrance fees. Scouts working with NPS, should get the Educational Fee Waiver instead of the Non-Commercial Group Fee. - Realize NPS internships are mostly for undergrad and grad students. Hopefully the incoming Secretary of Interior, an Eagle Scout, will help step up the NPS/BSA relationship. Another $0.02,

TripAdvisor ranks the National Scout Museum #2 of 31 things to do in Irving https://www.tripadvisor.com/Attraction_Review-g56032-d264982-Reviews-National_Scouting_Museum-Irving_Texas.html

One cannot rate his own posts,hence no up/down arrows appear as you view your own post.

I dunno, I am not sure there is enough room for half of the IT consultants.

I can appreciate there are greater concerns than this topic. I had similar concerns about Nixon in '72.

As OP, my intent was not to find faults of our Presidents, but to discuss our relationship possibilities (Spock again?) with the incoming Trump Administration. With the number of Eagle Scouts in his potential Cabinet, I am hopeful for positive change.

The method of invitation may need some reconsideration. Consider Setting the Record Straight Presidential Visits to the BSA National Jamboree "Of the 18 National Jamborees that have occurred (not counting the cancelled 1935 National Jamboree and combining both 1973 locations into one event), a sitting President of the United States of America has only attended 7 times. That’s only about 39% of the time." Interesting information in that link. - The first National Jamboree was to occur in 1935 but was canceled due to a polio outbreak. FDR attended the rescheduled first National Jamboree in 1937. - Before elected President, General Eisenhower attended the 1950 Jamboree as a speaker. He only attended one while President. - Nixon attended two Jamborees as VP but none as President. - The most/least Jamborees occurring during a Presidency: Eisenhower (3), Kennedy and Ford (0) - Longest consecutive streak of unattended Jamborees by a sitting President: 5 (1969-1985) - While serving as President, Obama, Carter, and Reagan never attended a Jamboree. The only sitting Cabinet member to attend, that I found, was Secretary of Defense Robert Gates.

Does the BSA intend to sell the Irving museum property or covert it to more office space. perhaps an IT center?

Does National wait until the National Annual meeting in May to name a new Honorary President? IMO during Scout Week in February with abundant social media attention, National should dispatch select groups of scouts with invitations to Jambo, etc. Whoever we want - the President, Cabinet members, famous Eagles, etc. invite them during Scout Week. We might even get a Scout display in the Trump Tower lobby. Another $0.02,

The times we live in. I was impressed with FBI Director James Comey politeness and professionalism during heated hearings and interviews - his "Boy Scout image*" as some media called it. Maybe that should be a new public role for Scouting - help restore civility in the US. IMO much harder than other scouting roles: helping Smokey, disaster relief, physical fitness, STEM, even leadership. I agree we need to get scouting back in schools. *To my knowledge, James Comey was not a scout.

Back on topic. My predictions/hopes: - There will be more in-person appearances at scout fundraisers and events to our benefit. Some may argue that it will be political self-serving by the new administration, but IMO it would be an improvement over past administrations ignoring scouting due to perceived political correctness. - We could use a better working service relationship with the US Park Service maybe centered on a modified Hornaday Award. Work for free access? My $0.02,

Good catch.

So change It is the policy of the Boy Scouts of America that the use of alcoholic beverages and controlled substances is not permitted at encampments or activities on property owned and/or operated by the Boy Scouts of America, or at any activity involving participation of youth members. to It is the policy of the Boy Scouts of America that the use of alcoholic beverages and controlled substances is not permitted at any activity involving participation of youth members. The BSA should follow its own policy.

Yes Boy's Life counts. I appreciate the courteous camera angle. Gumbymaster, you win a rubber chicken dinner.

Vice President-elect Mike Pence spoke at the 21st annual Governor's Luncheon for Scouting to say farewell as Indiana Governor. He said he had been a Cub Scout but that Scouting impacted him much more as a father. "To see the confidence in my son Michael grew as he wore that uniform when he went out and went out with his troop. And I saw his character grow. It was a very important part of his life and I'm proud to say he wears a different uniform today as a second lieutenant in the United States Marine Corps and the values he learned in scouting are the same values he lives out today." This fundraiser event raises more than a million dollars each year for Scouting. http://www.wave3.com/story/34034329/vice-president-elect-mike-pence-speaks-at-boy-scouts-fundraiser

As part of Good Turn for America, there was this 2008 "legal" agreement between the BSA and National Park Service. I cannot recall that it had any program impact in my council. As I recall the problem with the Resource Stewardship Scout Ranger program was park admission/membership. It was just less hassle and cheaper to camp at a state park or scout camp. Maybe Secretary of Interior Ryan Zinke could revisit. http://www.scouting.org/filestore/membership/pdf/MOUNPSSigned.pdf https://www.nps.gov/tapr/learn/kidsyouth/upload/Resource-Stewardship-Scout-Ranger-Brochure.pdf

I had an art teacher who told me "Bad art needs explanation, good art does not." It is very hard to explain this bad art. IMO, NJCubScouter did it best - creepy. Regarding the nudity and its inappropriateness in a scouting statue, can you find any official scouting literature or website which pictures this Boy Scout Commemorative Tribute Memorial? Maybe the Scout Handbook? Sculpture MB? Art MB? Citizenship in Nation MB? Guide to Safe Scouting? Scouts paid for this and gave it to US government so the government could sell it as surplus junk. https://www.nps.gov/whho/learn/historyculture/boy-scout-memorial.htm Bad art aside, I am more interested in thoughts about how the Trump Administration will interact with Scouting.