RememberSchiff

"..where all that money will come from, maybe the next Jambo will be even more expensive? So far, I think donations have totaled 100 million. In answer to my question - BONDS. "The Boy Scouts of America (BSA) Friday made their first move toward securing a $200 million tax-exempt bond to further fund construction of the Summit Bechtel Reserve. If all goes as planned, the Fayette County Commission will issue the bond in the coming months, generating funds from the purchase of those bonds by financial institutions and, perhaps, individuals. Last year, the commission issued a $100 million bond for similar use by the BSA. The Boy Scouts have almost spent the entire $100 million borrowed last year and they are moving dirt as fast and as rapidly as possible, says John Stump of the law firm Steptoe and Johnson, which represented the BSA at the county commission meeting Friday. They are in a position now to borrow up to an additional $200 million. Though the BSA has significant pledges from donors for the Summit project, those funds generally arent paid up front, creating a need for construction monies. Stump says the BSA wants to be ready to ramp up construction when the weather breaks in March, to further prepare for the approaching 2013 National Jamboree. ..." http://www.register-herald.com/todaysfrontpage/x594868673/Scouts-take-step-toward-tax-exempt-Summit-bond

This one is for OGE and shortridge as they likely know this scenario has happened before. "Oh the Troop Committee, they'll gum everything up." https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ffml4yY-QXA&feature=related

Hmmm "Scout Stuff" has a 5 star rating on amazon.com Books ... that might change if the informed found it to be a less than fair and scholarly effort. My $0.02 P.S. (from amazon About the Author) "Robert Birkby is the author of the Boy Scouts Handbook, the Boy Scouts Fieldbook, the Scoutmaster Handbook, and many other Boy Scouts of America publications. An Eagle Scout and outdoor educator, he also served as Director of Conservation at Philmont Scout Ranch in the mountains of northern New Mexico. He lives in Seattle, Washington."(This message has been edited by RememberSchiff)

Change date from when bugs are worst to when they are not around or their natural enemies are present. Mid March, early April before bugs and mud season. Mid June on, depending on rain, things tend to get better. Change location (habitat) to an area less buggy, maybe sea coast (breezy, good venue to tell WBers to go fly a kite ) Pray for wind. As mentioned, fans work too. When Mel Gibson was filming Man Without A Face in Maine, his film crew setup large fans to blow away the black flies and mosquitoes during filming. My $0.02.

Supposedly, each Council maintains records of scouts who earned Eagle in that council and the earlier councils that may have merged into that council. As I recall, the record fields: Scout name Troop number Troop town Scoutmaster Council name where earned date earned Eagle number Hope this is still true and helps.(This message has been edited by RememberSchiff)

KPMG, an outside business consulting and auditing company, has started reviewing Scouts Canada records of suspected or alleged sex abuse, totalling about 350 cases since the 1940s. A public report is expected in early 2012. Steve Kent, the youth organization's chief commissioner, "said that the organization is willing to lift controversial confidentiality clauses contained in some of its out-of-court settlements with child sex-abuse victims. Scouts Canada has been criticized for including conditions that barred victims from revealing the existence of settlements in many cases but went as far as to forbid any mention of the abuse. Some victims felt muzzled and confused by the agreements. However, Kent noted that factors such as the privacy of third parties may affect decisions about whether to fully lift confidentiality clause conditions. He encouraged victims to contact Scouts Canada to discuss their agreements. "We don't want to prevent any of those people from telling their stories, if that's helpful in their healing, if they believe that that can help others then we want to do what we can to enable that," said Kent." http://www.cbc.ca/m/touch/news/story/2011/12/09/scouts-.html

Steve Kent, chairman of the governing board of Scouts Canada, has apologized to victims of sexual abuse in the organization and announced an independent review of confidential files . Scouts Canada CEO Janet Yale denied that confidential records were kept. She resigned abruptly in November after the CBC published proof of their existence. So far, the BSA has not allowed an independent review of their perversion files. http://articles.latimes.com/2011/dec/08/local/la-me-1209-scouts-20111209(This message has been edited by RememberSchiff)

Nope, for our unit it not part of the program - no Christmas or Winter Holiday party, no Secret Santa or Swap. We take a break usually around second week of Dec to second week of Jan. Family time.

Bad scouting: - Excluding scouts from troop activities because (pick any fixed black and white reason except safety, e.g. not doing THIS service project, not having 90% attendance, not attending a MANDATORY outing). My experience, this is an adult-rooted problem and those excluded quickly find the door marked "Exit". - Rewarding scouts for just doing what we expect, living the Scout Oath and Law. We do good turns because it is right and scout. Good scouting: - Flexible, allow scouts to earn their way in a variety of ways. Can't do THE fundraiser, allow alternate possibilities. Scouting should teach scouts to balance their life and responsibilities not bully them into a scouting-only corner. We want scouts who are great sons and brothers, citizens, scholars, athletes, musicians, artists, workers, outdoorsmen,... - Recognize scouts (Good Job!) who live the Scout Oath and Law in front of whole troop . I like this approach where the Marines landed at a troop meeting and thanked those particular scouts. Very cool. http://www.usa-patriotism.com/articles/hp/marines_boyscouts01.htm Why not have the a Christmas party for whole troop and have Salvation Army or Marine drop in and recognize particular scouts? Your SM gets a lump of coal this Christmas, a tradition for those who are bad. My $0.02

"...the BSA signed a memorandum of understanding that cements a partnership aimed at improving the Scouting experience for boys and girls with print disabilities. Bookshares cool online library (bookshare.org) allows Scouts in your pack, troop, team, or crew to listen to books, see words and hear them read as they are highlighted on a screen, read in Braille, and much more. The best part? Its free for U.S. students with a qualified print disability (visual impairment, a physical disability, or a learning or reading disability)..." more info http://www.scouting.org/filestore/pdf/bks-scout.pdf http://blog.bookshare.org/2011/12/02/boy-scout-manuals-on-bookshare/

Outstanding oratory. Now there's an Eagle Scout. My $0.02

BSA is buying another 2700 acres "...to create a contiguous path for scouts to trek from the BSAs property to the New River Gorge National River.. the BSA will land bank it for the time being, but that it will likely be incorporated into their trekking program to provide multi-night hiking opportunities from The Summit to the New River Gorge beginning in 2014...working with the National Park Service and the BSA to create a string of pearls to make sure scouts can get from one site to another." http://www.register-herald.com/todaysfrontpage/x229374631/Boy-Scouts-ready-to-purchase-more-land No word on purchase price. The previous owner Twelve and Six West Virginia Partners LLC (a Texas company?) will keep mineral rights to property while BSA will be obligated to treat the land as if it were Park Service property (???). Another $0.02,

It can be tedious to find and some reporting differences exist. I found this excellent link from asm 411 http://www.scouter.com/forums/viewThread.asp?threadID=220141 1985: 27,173 membership: 1,000,000+ http://usscouts.org/usscouts/eagle/numbers.asp OR scouting.org 1991 - 28,016 membership: 988,270 1992 - 31,791 1993 - 32,534 1994 - 37,512 1995 - 30,240 1996 - 35.039 OR 37,711 1997 - 37,880 OR 40,296 1998 - 38,987 OR 41,167 from scouting.org (search year in review) 2000: 40,029 membership: 1,003,691 2001: 43,665 2002: 49,328 2003: 49,151 2004: 50,377 2005: 49,895 2006: 51,728 2007: 51,742 membership: 913,588 2008: 2009: membership: 898,556 http://www.scouting.org/About/FactSheets/EagleScouts.aspx 2010: 56,176 doubled output of 20 years ago! My $0.02(This message has been edited by RememberSchiff)

from Natale Davis, Miss Minnesota "I was invited to participate in a training video for Boy Scout troop leaders working with scouts with Autism Spectrum Disorder and other "neurobiological diagnoses." Filming happened today (11/26/2011?)! It's amazing how serendipitous life can be! Right before I won Miss Minnesota, I met a woman named Mary Wangerin who happens to be a St. Olaf alumnus. Her son George is my brother's age, has Asperger's Syndrome, and is an Eagle Scout. Because of this chance meeting, my mom, brother, and I had the wonderful opportunity to participate in this training video, which will hopefully one day be distributed nationally to educate troop leaders about Boy Scouts with special needs. It was so special to hear Trevor's perspective on his Boy Scout experience. When asked what advice he would give to kids with Asperger's Syndrome who wanted to become Eagle Scouts like him, he said they should keep trying and never give up, just like the Little Engine that Could: "I think I can! I think I can!." Well said, Trev! A huge thank you to Mary for including my family and me in this advocacy project! I can't wait to see the finished product!" Me too. I encourage other Miss America contestants to do training videos for the BSA. My $0.02, link: http://nataliedavis.weebly.com/1/post/2011/11/asd-advocacy-governor-dayton-autism-society-fraser-and-boy-scouts-of-americaoh-yeah-and-miss-america-preparation-and-my-st-olaf-senior-recital.html

Scouts Canada CEO Janet Yale leaves organization http://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/story/2011/11/21/scouts-canada-janet-yale.html(This message has been edited by RememberSchiff)

It appears from the Moot site that individual registrations are not accepted - you have to be a part of a contingent - so councils will have a lot of power in that regard. Why? We're talking about 18-25 yr old adults, why not treat them as such. They are old enough to vote, work, sign contracts, go off to college, drink beer, buy firearms, marry, enlist, fight, ... The BSA is too 13yr-old centric, no make that 10yr-old centric. Cut the umbilical. Sigh ... my generation's MOOT was called Woodstock. My $0.01

"I fear we will eventually be sued out of existence." If our incompetence (real and perceived) does not drop membership sufficiently to cause our demise first. My $0.02(This message has been edited by RememberSchiff)

Boy Scout troop leader catches fire at flag-retirement ceremony http://www.nbc-2.com/story/16012088/boy-scout-troop-leader Watch the interview. I like how Mr.Birch handled his unfortunate accident. Imagine being prepared and knowing what to do when something goes wrong - old school scouting. No excuse-making or hiding, he came forward bandaged, honest, cheerful, and good humored about the accident afterwards. Scout salute and get well card to Mr. Tom Birch. My $0.02,

Mitchell Paige (Pejic) - USMC, awarded Medal of Honor for actions at Battle of Guadalcanal, Eagle Scout.

http://www.wildlife.state.nh.us/Newsroom/News_2011/news_2011_Q4/sr_Gilmanton_scouts_110711.html "New Hampshire Fish and Game reminds hikers to be prepared with appropriate gear, including warm clothing and lights, as the days shorten and the nights grow colder. It is also important for hikers to stay together when venturing out as part of a group." Yep, be prepared. My 0.02

For me, the point of the thread was what can be done now to bring past BSA child abusers to justice. Personally I feel the BSA will use the same stonewall, Cover Your Assets approach as the Catholic Church with the same (or worse) negative consequences. There may be a way to atone and turn this around.* As to 70's abuse awareness...Neighborhood Watch started after the Kitty Genovese murder in mid 60's. That was another tragic case of people failing to respond to another being victimized. In 1974, the federal Child Abuse and Treatment Act (CAPTA) was enacted which funded many state protection program. At this time, most states started mandatory child abuse reporting laws. "Mandatory" in that there was a list of people required to report child abuse or neglect - school personnel, medical professionals, police, child care providers,... report as in drop a dime and call the police or Child Protective Services, not write a memo in a notebook and put on a shelf. And I think the crime dog McGruff came along in late 70's to take a bite out of crime. *Note: Since the Father Porter case twenty years ago and all the Catholic Church missteps since, I and other scouters have been unable to start any unit at our town Catholic Church. The parents, all Catholics (current, lapsed, former), will NOT support it. Form a unit anywhere else. End of discussion. Period. Another 0.01,(This message has been edited by RememberSchiff)

Thanks Engineer61. That site you provided referenced the Reform the Statute of Limitations on Child Sexual Abuse website http://www.sol-reform.com which had a 50 state civil and criminal charts listing statute of limitations for child sexual abuse crimes. http://www.sol-reform.com/images/sol_civil.pdf http://www.sol-reform.com/images/sol_criminal.pdf Quite of mixture from no statute of limitations to a little as 4 years for a criminal complaint. Another $0.02

Instead of using the less than cooperative Catholic Church response, what if the BSA 1. Asked for a federal prosecutor and handed over the "perversion files". Since the 2006 Adam Walsh Child Protection and Safety Act, crimes against children have no statute of limitation. A federal offense against a minor can be prosecuted at any time, even after decades have passed. The following federal criminal charges have no statute of limitation: * 18 USC 2241. Aggravated sexual abuse. Engaging in a sex act with a child who is younger than 12 years old is punishable by a minimum sentence of 30 years to life in prison. The same penalty applies to sexual conduct with a child who is between 12 and 16 years old if the defendant is at least 4 years older. See subsection ©. * 18 USC 2242. Sexual abuse. Engaging in a sex act with any person by force or threat of force, or where the other person cannot legally consent, is punishable by life in prison. * 18 USC 2243. Sexual abuse of a minor or ward. * 18 USC 2244. Abusive sexual contact. * 18 USC 2245. Any sexual abuse that results in death. * 18 USC 2250. Failure to register as a sex offender. The penalty is not more than 10 years prison under subsection (a). * 18 USC 2251. Sexual exploitation of children. The sentence is mandatory prison of 15 to 30 years. See subsection (e). from /www.federalcriminallawyer.us 2. lobbied to remove the statue or limitations for child abuse and sex crimes at the state level. Some states have, e.g., Florida did last year in spite of the Catholic Church. Other states, e.g., Oregon, Washington,...have not. Anyone have a list of states that have removed the statute of limitations? My $0.02

http://www.latimes.com/news/local/la-me-scouts-molest-story,0,3130016.htmlstory This is about Rick Turley, scout leader and pervert in both the BSA and Canadian Scouting and the BSA failure to act other than just documenting in their "perversion files". Just terrible, this predator could have been stopped...report any suspected criminal act at any scout activity directly to the police. My $0.02

Our differing and often emotional opinions on non-scout topics tend to pull us apart and spillover into scout sub-forums which I do read. Maybe it's just me, but I can't say that I have heard anyone talk about politics, religion, sex, ... at troop meetings, roundtable, or any scouting activity. Maybe scouting is where we go to get away from that stuff. Some fish, some golf, some scout. Seems there are plenty of other internet locations to rant about that non-scout stuff. But that my 2 cents, don't like hearing my opinion you can always squelch me