RememberSchiff

Secretary of Interior Ryan Zinke - Eagle Scout. In his book, American Commander he credits Scouting for developing his leadership skills and environmental awareness.

Pending confirmations aside, I cannot recall any past administrations whose members had such strong connections to Scouting. Trump may have the most Eagle Scouts in his Cabinet of any President. How ironic is that? Secretary of State Rex Tillerson - Eagle Scout, National President of BSA 2010-2012 Attorney General Jeff Sessions - Eagle Scout and earned the Distinguished Eagle Scout Award. Secretary of Energy Rick Perry - Eagle Scout and earned the Distinguished Eagle Scout Award. US Ambassador to UN Nikki Haley - Chair for the 2006 Friends of Scouting Leadership Division campaign. Now that is hard-core! Small Business Administrator Linda McMahon - Girl Scout Please correct or add any I missed.

Good thoughts. IMO, relocating the National Scouting Museum at Philmont effectively hides it from the general public. Sure they may get a larger attendance from a captive audience at Philmont, but is that what Scouting and the Nation needs? It would be like relocating the Smithsonian National Air and Space Museum to the Air Force Academy. Sounds like a good match but is it the best venue to tell your story to the American public? IMO, create rotating exhibits from the collection, say a fine art exhibit (Rockwell, Csatari, Segler) and an artifact/history exhibit. Many museums like rotating exhibits to improve their attendance. First stop for artifact/history exhibit maybe Summit for Jambo! For art, maybe the Chicago Art Institute, worked for Ferris Bueller. oh yeah! Were the attendance numbers at the Irving location that bad? Parking? High costs? Did McDonald's make the BSA an offer for that location? My $0.02

The group said Monday that it will move its National Scouting Museum, (from Irving) which opened in 2002, to the Philmont Scout Ranchnear the town of Cimarron in northern New Mexico. Philmont has served as an adventure destination for Scouts for decades. An expansion of the Philmont Museum and Seton Memorial Library is expected to begin next year to make room for the Boy Scouts' collection, which contains more than 600,000 items — including the nation's largest collection of Norman Rockwell paintings, the first Eagle medal and nearly every uniform in Scouting history. http://www.dallasnews.com/news/irving/2016/12/05/boy-scouts-plan-move-national-museum-irving-new-mexico Perhaps Green Bar = Bill will finally receive recognition in the new museum.

EBOR's here, questions about uniform are rare. Back in the day, the question would be meaningless as scouts wore their uniform to school. Questions about reverence or continuing in scouting (giving back) worry our scouts. YMMV.

Update: Aug 26-27 at Summit. Event information and registration at link below: https://www.spartan.com/en/race/detail/2589/overview?clickid=wP30Y6X6l0WMTGmWvLxvgyIXUkkT84wJTUEVz40&c3nid=159021&c3ch=Affiliate-IR Sierra Nevada brewery is a sponsor. If alcohol is served at Summit during Spartan, IMO the current GSS would need to be amended first. 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.

On the descent, the troop was split by ability into smaller hiking groups. His 16 year old son was leading another group that started the descent earlier. https://www.bostonglobe.com/metro/2016/11/14/scout-leads-his-dying-father-would-have-wanted/JNrcBwayIkyaqqzOKynf0N/story.html

Scoutmaster James Norton, 59, of Acton,MA Troop 1 died on Sunday while descending the 19 Mile Brook Trail in Bean’s Purchase, according to the New Hampshire Fish and Game Department. His troop had hiked up to the Appalachian Mountain Club’s Carter Notch Hut on Saturday afternoon, spent the night at the hut and was returning down the trail when Jim collapsed. New Hampshire Fish and Game officials said members of the hiking group immediately started CPR and called 911. A National Guard helicopter was called in but could not land, a winch extraction was required. Despite the efforts of the hiking group and first responders, he did not survive. Troop 1 annually hosts the popular Isaac Davis 7 mile historic hike from Acton to Concord on Patriot's Day. Jim will be sorely missed by Scouting and Acton. https://www.bostonglobe.com/metro/2016/11/14/man-dies-while-boy-scout-hiking-trip-new-hampshire/FF46wCgbSZ8Tn4TSr3ybqJ/story.html Scout salute and farewell

Did scheduling on Halloween weekend reduce headcount say due to Halloween parties?

Yes, but who makes the call of what treatment? Remember, do no harm.

Hmmm, IMO if a non-uniformed responder states they are a doctor, nurse, EMT, policeman, fireman, some relevant professional they should have some and be flashing supporting ID. Related questions, do good samaritan laws protect professional helping outside of their job? Duty to rescue? My state, there is none for average citiziens, but I believe if one does you cannot abandon the victim (running for help is not abandonment). There is a duty to report certain crimes. Another $0.02

That is odd about the medical profession. I carry my drivers license and all my other current licenses with me. Wasn't there a Far Side Cartoon joke about "Is there a doctor in the house?" and an ichthyologist answered the call? I can see a medical and maybe a legal need to document all who came in contact with the accident victim.

Two (presumably) uniformed scouts were returning home from a troop meeting when they witnessed a pedestrian being hit by a car. They immediately responded to help the victim. Another adult also stopped to help, stating that he was an EMT. According to this article, the scouts asked the non-uniformed EMT to produce an ID! Coincidentally, one of the scouts had completed a first-aid training session earlier at that troop meeting and said his instincts took over. "I just wanted to help her as much as I could until more help arrived," the 12-year-old said. "Our first-aid instructor was really good and taught us not to overthink things and just take care of it." http://www.sentinelandenterprise.com/news/ci_30524625/these-fitchburg-scouts-knew-their-motto-be-prepared Learned something new here. My unit teaches our scouts to make sure the scene is safe before assessing patients but it did not include asking to see ID's from other responders. When someone states they are (whatever) ask to see ID was not part of our first aid training. Well it will be now. What ID's (credentials) should scouts carry to show at an accident scene if they are challenged?

Update: Oct 21, 2016: (Michael) Kelsey, a former Dutchess County legislator convicted of sexual abuse in a case involving two Boy Scouts, was sentenced to seven years in prison and 10 years post-release supervision Friday. ... The 38-year-old former assistant scoutmaster was found guilty in May of first-degree sexual abuse and first-degree attempted sexual abuse, both felonies, along with forcible touching and two counts of endangering the welfare of a child, all misdemeanors. Kelsey’s victims were two 15-year-old boys in 2014. During the trial, the young men testified Kelsey touched one of them and attempted to touch the other while they were sleeping during a Boy Scout camping trip at the Cranberry Lake State Campground in August 2014. Both teens spoke up in St. Lawrence County Court on Friday before Judge Felix Catena, who presided over Kelsey’s trial. The teens asked the judge to sentence Kelsey to the maximum punishment — 11 years in prison. ... Kelsey is classified as a sex offender and will have to register accordingly, Catena said. A risk assessment will be conducted prior to Kelsey’s release from prison to determine how long he will have to be registered as a sex offender. link with more info. http://www.poughkeepsiejournal.com/story/news/2016/10/21/kelsey-sentenced-7-years-boy-scout-sex-abuse-case/92516600/ I found no mention of Hudson Valley Council being present at sentencing or having any comment.

Hurray, congratulations! I like the addition of "learning" stations and also like tiered (by skill) competition as is done with an orienteering event. I have proposed a camporee competition scored as followed, but the majority wanted MB's and a Webelos program. All patrols visit all stations. Yellow patrols are scored only at T-SC skilled and game stations Orange patrols are scored only at T-SC-FC skilled and game stations Green patrols are scored at ALL stations and are also timed. Award top Yellow, Orange, Green patrols. Overall winner has highest average of scored stations. My $0.02,

Anyone know of any 12-15 passenger van rental discounts for scout units?

(Charleston’s Yeager Airport spokesman Mike) "Plante announced that the nationally televised Spartan Race National Championship will be held at the Bechtel Summit Scouting Reserve near Mount Hope next August, bringing hundreds of obstacle-overcoming endurance runners and their families to the area, many of them via Yeager Airport. Yeager staffers will be working with the New River Gorge Boy Scouts complex to provide ground transportation from the airport to the competition site." http://www.wvgazettemail.com/news-business/20161026/study-says-yeager-pumping-175-million-into-regional-economy Could be exciting PR and revenue for BSA and Bechtel Summit. Spartan races are obstacle/endurance races for individuals or teams. "Commit to Fit" is their slogan.Obstacle racing seems to be a growing business, besides Spartan Race there is Tough Mudder, Warrior Dash,...I wonder if any Scout teams will enter. https://www.spartan.com/en Leave no trace. I hope the Spartans remember to remove their barb wire after race.

Has anyone seen documentation of BSA year-round (not seasonal) employment numbers over the past 50 years?

If a scout leader believes a crime has been committed on a scout activity/property, he/she must first report to SE. - Myth. Wherever crime committed, call police immediately. SE can request a copy of police report.

The convenience of bringing all that the troop has often compromises teaching scouts to plan and bring only what they need. "Well we can't forget anything if we bring everything we got" ... Rarely have that luxury in the real world. To use a trailer for an outing: - start with an empty, inspected trailer. - have scouts (patrols) create an equipment list, food list, WATER - have scouts (or Quartermaster) inspect equipment - have scouts load trailer from list. Learning to load a trailer is a disappearing skill - check trailer lights - SPL asks QM if trailer ready to go - SM asks SPL if troop ready to go. My $0.02,

I think they chilled. Last I heard National's lawyers were looking into Boy Scout Cookie marijuana but that was months ago. http://findmarijuanastrains.com/boy-scout-cookies/

To get scout camping credit it has to be a scout activity - scout troop campout, scout summer camp. No doubt uniform or not, they are scouts. Do I agree with this restriction? No, but given that, it seems inconsistent to me for scouts not to identify themselves and then seek scout service hours credit especially on that Good Turn website. If scouts, uniformed or not,. want to serve and not seek credit, all the better. Hi-Yo Silver. Scouting is mostly invisible in our communities. Remember when scouts could be seen in uniform walking to and from scout meetings?

A scout cannot get credit for camping unless it is a scout camping activity but he can get scout community service credit whether he identifies himself visually or verbally as a scout. Maybe scouts trained in emergency services (Red Cross, FEMA CERT?) earn a special full size square BSA necker when responding. Red necker with white cross? Helping others is more important than uniform but if scouts want to log these hours I think they should wear at least a necker. My $0.02,

"Class sizes range from 8 scouts up to 50 per session." 8 scouts is larger than any MB class that I have held.

The overwhelming dominance of one scouting method, Advancement, in the scouting program is what is bad. The resulting focus on Eagle instead of leadership and character development is wrong. This is not just one or two events. Camporees have merit badges as their themes (I have seen weekend camporees offer 5 safety MBs!). Summer camp is all about MB count. Jamborees? Even the Klondike Derby which was the ultimate yearly patrol competition has been mucked - "Let's add Wilderness Survival MB to the weekend." My $0.02 P.S. Ask a scout which is more fun, school or scouting. If he doesn't immediately and energetically say Scouting, our bad.