rpushies

Hi Eric, Apology accepted! Actually I went and took a look at a number of your other posts once I calmed down a little. I realized that I probably took your post in a manner that you did not intend. You appear to be much too good a Scouter to make such a comment with any malice intended. I don't apologize for my response, although it was probably a little over the top. Let me explain a few things. As a boy, Scouting was my sanctuary. When I was involved in Scouting, I was not abused, I was not told to go wait on the front porch with my packed suitcase for the people from the orphanage to come pick me up, I was not made to kneel on uncooked rice in the corner because of my bad behavior and I was not physically in fear for my life. Now this is pretty powerful stuff for a little kid to deal with. When I went to a Scout meeting in my uniform I automatically had a group of friends, I had adults that helped me, the adults always kept me safe and I had fun! Fun was pretty important stuff for me. If we moved to a new town there was always a new group of friends waiting for me at the troop meeting and a new group of adults to keep me safe. Scouting was a powerful influence on me. So, when it appears that one of my fellow Scouters is making fun of children being abused, welll I go a little nuts. We, Scouters protect children! There is no joy for a child that has been abused. It does not go away, ever! You just do the best you can day by day. Yours Truly in Scouting, Rick Pushies

RE: MandatoryTraining again Posted: Friday, 9/16/2005: 8:16:53 PM quality -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- "I have 9 YPT cards, one for every year of JLT training I've done and all except one have all the corners, after all they are like the totin' chip card- right?" and then this post RE: MandatoryTraining again Posted: Friday, 9/16/2005: 8:34:36 PM quality -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- "Exactly STL, you are allowed to abuse up to 3 scouts before you have to go through training again" Then I wrote, "As a victim of child abuse, the post: "Exactly STL, you are allowed to abuse up to 3 scouts before you have to go through training again" and the previous posts about having corners taken off are VERY OFFENSIVE! HOW DARE YOU MAKE A JOKE ABOUT CHILD ABUSE! You should be ashamed for making such insensitive comments. CHILD ABUSE IS NOT FUNNY!" "Take a chill pill dude" nldscout, do you relly mean that? Am I to sit back and whatch people make fun of abusing children and remain silent? Yours Truly in Scouting, Rick Pushies

How in the world did we get to the point that Scouters are making jokes about child abuse? Do these people not understand the pain and suffering a child must endure for the rest of their life because of that abuse? Someone please explain to me how a Scouter can go through Youth Protection Training and then make such inconsiderate and insensitive comments! Comments made on a public forum devoted to Scotuing. Making fun of child abuse is just down right sick! I am shamed for having even read the comments! Yours Truly in Scouting, Rick Pushies

As a victim of child abuse, the post: "Exactly STL, you are allowed to abuse up to 3 scouts before you have to go through training again" and the previous posts about having corners taken off are VERY OFFENSIVE! HOW DARE YOU MAKE A JOKE ABOUT CHILD ABUSE! You should be ashamed for making such insensitive comments. CHILD ABUSE IS NOT FUNNY! Yours Truly in Scouting, Rick Pushies

Hi Island Boy, Macs! I want mine back! Went to the dark side (windows) a number of years ago due to work pressures. Longing for my Mac to be back! Might be able to help with the web site thing. I was our council webmaster for many years. Contact me off group and give me some additional info. rpushies@yaoo.com Yours Truly in Scouting, Rick Pushies 805-925-9144

Hi Sue, Congratulations on your new position as Scoutmaster. I envy you! Being a Scoutmaster is probably the best job in the whole wide world! Well, that's the way I remember things. All the trials and tribulations seem to fade away over time. My last service at Scoutmaster ended in '91. Since then my Scouting involvement has been through training, district committee and troop committee. But, if my body would let me, a Scoutmaster I would be. In a heart beat! Keep your focus on doing your best. Train your Scouts to run their troop. Demonstrate, explain, guide and empower your youth leaders. Help them see the possibilities in life, the joy of a job well done, and most of all help them experience the adventure of Scouting. Your Scouts, parents and other nay-Sayers will either support you or not. I'm betting that a lot more will be supportive as you show your commitment to a vision of success. Have some fun! Fun has gotten me through a lot of rough times, give it a try. If you get to a point that you can't see a possibility of fun. Send me an email, I'll share some ideas and possibilities. To illustrate my point, think of a bald man having a topographical map drawn on his head to show Scouts how to get to the top of full dome! Pictures are available, but imagination is better. Yours Truly in Scouting, Rick Pushies

"This" - may be more dementia than Imagineering, but it has been fun for many a Scout! (and me) An explanation of "This" has never been attempted in writing before. So be patient. I like to whittle, been doin it since I was a kid and have the scars to prove it. I'm not necessarily very good, I just like whittlin'. So, while attending a district camporee with my son's troop (I was a committee member and had no responsibilities for the weekend.) I sat in the shade whittlin'. Now don't get excited that I was doing anything grand, because I was just whittlin' a tongue depressor. That's right a tongue depressor. I was a drug rep at the time and had hundreds of them in my car trunk left over from a drug promotion. (They were cherry flavored too! Exciting!) As I sat there in my solitude letting my imagination run through the possibilities of what I could whittle out of that tongue depressor, along came Richie. Richie was a gregarious Scout that was always wanting to know, to talk, tell a joke, well just be engaged socially. I like Richie and he wanted to know what I was carving? Since I really had no idea of what I was whittlin', after repeated queries, I just told him I was whittlin' "This" (Whittlin is not carving, carving takes talent, whittlin' takes a sharp knife and time to whittle. Whittlin' can often lead to carving I'm told.) He responded, "What is that?" "No it is not that, it is "This", was my reply. So a perversion of the "Who is on first?" comedy routine of Abbot and Costello was off and running! Richie caught on the humor right away and we bantered back and forth for a while on"This". I finally offered Richie some "This" making material (a tongue depressor) and challenged him to make a better "This" than my "This." It sounds easy, but it is actually more difficult than most would expect. Soon virtually every boy in the troop was wanting some of my "This" making material. The afternoon turned into a spontaneous "This"-whittlin'-fest! (Only one band-aid used for the whole afternoon too!) All of a sudden there was a lot of interest in how to make a knife blade sharp! Scout's wanting to know how to sharpen their knife! Who would have thought a stupid tongue depressor would do that. The whole episode still cracks me up when I think about "This". I still hold the title of the world's greatest make of "This" !! Richie, well he is married now and off on his own. Last time we talked he brought up the topic of "This", interesting. "This" was probably more serendipity than Imagineering, but it captured our Scout's imagination like "This" probably never has before. Through "This" I have gotten more Scouts (and a few adults) interested in and actually doing whittlin'/wood carving than I ever would have without "This". "This" making material is cheap (check your local craft store- you want tongue depressors, not popsicle sticks), your can fit a dozen easily into a pocket, two dimensions is easier to carve that three, and "This" is just down right fun! Go ahead, give "This"a try! "This" is all I have to say about "This"! Yours Truly in Scouting, Rick Pushies

Hi Captain, Welcome to the virtual campfire! Looks like your are getting a fair amount of response on your request. Training the committee seems to be a common denominator in many of the responses. I will focus my response on that challenge. When the current Troop Committee Challenge came out I was the Committee Chair for my son's troop. I was also the district training chair. Our troop scheduled two campouts a year that were designed to include the whole family. So, I scheduled the Troop Committee Challenge to be given on one of these camp outs. Now these are not high adventure backpacking trips but the do hold a certain amount of adventure. This particular campout we went to Monterey, California and camped at one of the county parks. On Saturday while the Scouts and other family members were off sight seeing, bike riding and kayaking, the committee went through the Troop Committee Challenge training. In addition to the 13 of the 14 registered committee members that attended, 4 other parents that had no involvement in troop leadership and 2 assistant Scoutmaster's attended. I was very pleased with the attendance and participation. It was one of the best family campouts the troop every held. All night long and all thru Sunday morning the training kept popping into our discussions. It really helped all the adults (uniformed and committee) get to know the committee responsibilities and each other much better. Both of the couples that attended the training, that previously had no leadership responsibilities, became involved in the troop committee! Food for thought. The training can be easily done by one or two trainers. An invitation that includes feeding the trainers might just do the job to get them to attend your campout training event! Yours Truly in Scouting, Rick Pushies

Contact me off group rpushies@yahoo.com I have a number of graphic files that might help. Yours Truly in Scouting, Rick

Yes, I have. Yours Truly in Scouting, Rick

"If you keep doing what you have always done, then you will always get what you always had." No, No, No, it goes like this: If you always think what you've always thought, You will always do what you've always done. If you always do what you've always done, You will always get what you've always got. If you always get what you've always got, You will always think what you've always thought. Unknown I think "unknown" was using the quote for a very long time before any of us showed up on the scene. But I like it. It is one of my favorite quotes. Thank you "Unknown" wherever you are! So send your usage fees for the quotation to "Unknown."

Katydid, Don't give up! Get your Chartered Organization Representative (COR) and your Unit Commissioner (UC) involved in this one right away. If you don't know who your UC is contact your district commissioner. Your council office should be able to help in making contact. You questioned, "Don't we also have the right to fire the Scoutmaster and interview the next one better." The committee chairperson and the chartered organization must both approve unit leaders. A common rule of thumb in many organizations is that if you have the authority to give someone a job, you also have the authority to remove them. But, the real power in the unit is with your chartered organization. As legal owners of your unit they are very important in your ability to work through any issues with the new Scoutmaster. You don't want this to become a contest of wills between yourself and him. Join forces with the chartered organization, they will be your most powerful ally. Your wrote, "Is it not our right to make sure the boys in the troop are happy?" Happy is nice, safe is a must! If there is a safety issue that is an immediate committee concern. Keep a written record of all the events and facts that you have concerns about. Documentation by you and others is a prudent thing to do. A written record also helps people to focus on the facts and reduces the reliance on emotion. What is the status of training for the Scoutmaster, yourself and your committee? If training has not been attended, make it happen as soon as possible. Yours Truly in Scouting, Rick Pushies

Would having a family member that is a conservative Demorcrat do? (I've heard some exist!) Or will the requirement only be satisfied with a Republican?

A Citizenship and Leadership Program of the Freedoms Foundation and the Boy Scouts of America February 16-19, 2006 Freedoms Foundation at Valley Forge http://www.scouting.org/relationships/04-601/index.html This was just posted on the national web site today, it looks really interesting. The requirement to have earned Eagle Scout, Silver Award or Quartermaster Award to qualify is pretty nice. You reach the top and you get a chance to attend this program, interesting. Does anyone have any additional information on this new program? Grades 10, 11 or 12 are eligible. What about the Venturing member who is now in college at age 19? Yours Truly in Scouting, Rick

1027, I was going to try and sound real smart and give you all kinds of factual information to answer your question, then came the response from the Fuzzy Bear. Now I forgot what it was that I thought was so important. Oh yes, the chartered organization owns the unit (your checking account, equipment, flags, trailer, etc. pretty important stuff) along with a number of other things like providing a meeting place and approving all your leaders. The Unit Commissioner has a number of functions and when they are done well the UC can be thought of as Scouting's Ambassador or friend to the unit. Then there is reality. I expect a number of other posts will fill in the blanks on anything I missed. Yours Truly in Scouting, Rick

Eagle76, Have you been able to find the reference in the troop parent handbook? Is this in fact a policy that the troop has adopted? I am not aware of any BSA policy that explicitly prohibits a Scout from sleeping alone in a tent. That being said, my question is why? Why would a Scout want or need to sleep in a tent by himself? The correct answer to your question I think will be based on the why. I would rather see 3 in one tent than a tent with a solo Scout. As EagleInKY points out, it sounds like sleeping with a buddy would be a better solution. Yours Truly in Scouting, Rick Pushies

FYI - the 2006 phimont schedule has been posted at: http://www.scouting.org/philmont/ptc/courses/courses.cgi?by=cat Yours Truly in Scouting, Rick Pushies

Candy neclaces, mallow cups and wax lips! Yea baby! Penny candy and 2 cent bottle deposits. Here's one that many will not get. The guys from Michigan probably will. Which way did he go, which way did he go? He went for Faygo! Rock N' Rye is still great,when we can find it.

I have a bottle of Bosco! Really, I do. My wife found it on the internet and bought me a bottle. And don't forget, N E S T L E S, Nestles makes the very best . . . chocolate! Rick

Well I hope you get someone who meets your expectations. I'm sure he will be surprised how well you meet his.

Oh, I'm sorry. I missed the stuff on style. Which is normal for me, I actually like the style of my Scout uniform. Campaign hats are just way too cool to describe! So some say I just have no style.

Welcome bnnykllr, Cub Scouts are just too much fun! I hope you enjoy the group and I look forward to reading your input. I was webmaster for my council for over 5 years. Let me know if you have questions about your unit web site. (Don't tell anyone, but I have a huge collection of Scouting clipart, shhhhhhh.) Yours Truly in Scouting, Rick Pushies

Bubble gum, good old fashioned, full of sugar bubble gum. That's the ticket, Bazooka. Little comic inside and lots of bubbles to keep you occupied. I bet we can find some hot air to fill the bubbles. Beats herding earthworms. Besides night crawlers give me the willies!

Well, what patrol are you in? Remember, Eagles rule! Rick

The National Scout Museum used to sell (It is not listed there now.) a documentary, "Scouts, Rise of the Scouting Movement" on VHS. It is awesome! In addition to all the historic information there are video clips from old, old (silent movie old) movie trailer type video shots. My Scouts used to laugh a lot when I would show the video on troop planning outings. I think many of film clips were shot in England. There are even interviews with the men who went on the first campout with Baden-Powell on Brownsea Island. These are precious because at the time they were interviewed these men were very senior citizens. One man tells the story about making biscuits "Scouting style" in his coat when they camped on the beach. He talks about mixing the dough on the back of his coat and how the sand fleas kept jumping into the dough. He did not know what to do so he kept on mixing the fleas into the dough. He then goes on to say that all the boys in his patrol seemed to like the biscuits, but he didn't eat any. The tape also has film of Lord Baden-Powell reciting the Scout Oath at the first world jamboree, "On my honor (your honor mind you!) . . ." There is a lot a Scouting tradition in the video. Too bad it appears to no longer be available. There is also a Disney cartoon with Donald Duck and his nephews titled, "Good Scouts" out there on VHS somewhere. If anyone finds the either video available, please let us (me) know. Yours Truly in Scouting, Rick Pushies