Scoutingus

Well ITS ME ... With NO DUE RESPECT you are the kind of person I would never want ANY of my Cubs or Scouts to grow up to be like ... RUDE. If you cannot converse in a constructive manner as the others here have I suggest you LEAVE SCOUTING and NOT pass on the mannerisms displayed by your disrespectful and negative tone. No one here is "Stirring up trouble". I merely posed a sincere and WELL MANNERED observation and the feedback I have gotten has been VERY CONSTRUCTIVE and even a learning experience for me. To call someone Names, and suggest something that is absurd (Stirring up trouble?) is not in the scouting spirit nor is it conducive to the scouting way of communicating with a fellow bretheren. SHAME ON YOU and I hope you don't talk or behave this way in front of our young people. I find you a disgrace to ALL that scouting stands for. To the OTHERS I have taken much of your thoughts into consideration and THANK YOU ALL for your DECENT and KIND responses. Thank God I live in America where freedom of speech is allowed, although SOME PEOPLE still have not learned that opinions can be expressed without the necessity of RUDENESS or ignorance.

Dear Blade, I am sorry that you think that "knot" recognitions are a joke. As a Vietnam veteran I take pride in the "rows" of ribbons that I have earned in support of our country. I am sure many soldiers with 7 rows of distinction appreciate the "HONOR" of wearing and having EARNED them. As for the "knots" specifically, they represent the same dedication and willing to achieve a higher standard as do any Police, Military or other "Badges of Honor" recipients. I personally am in awe of those with 3 rows of "knots" as many of them have to be earned over several YEARS of commitment to our youth and Scouting. If you look at what many of the knots represent they DO IN FACT have a legitimate merit, show self sacrifice, and true decication to the Scouting oath of doing their best ... AND THEN SOME. I am again sorry that you feel knots or recognition is a joke. You yourself have admiited to having 5 and I can only reiterate was was written before. If you think they are a joke WHY WEAR THEM? If as an individual you APPRECIATE the accolades and pride of achievement above and beyond the call of duty ... I say WEAR THEM PROUDLY as do our soldiers, police and other public sevants. God Bless Our troops ... Scoutingus

I am a registered Merit Badge Counselor in the Balboa Oaks district specializing in Rifle and Shotgun training. As a counselor I am sure that many other counselors have committed themselves to countless hours of training and educating of scouts to earn their merit badges. I find it a shame that their is NO RECOGNITION ie: patch or "knot" to recognize those dedicated people who have served the scouting organization as counselors giving up many a weekend and night time to help educate and train scouts in their respective advancement. I suggest that a MERIT BADGE COUNSELOR PATCH or KNOT be integrated into the recognition program to recognize the valued efforts of these individuals without whom thier would be no way for a scout to earn their merit badges. Some form of recognition is due to the counselor. I myself conduct 16 hour classroom courses and personally pay for the scouts to learn and earn their Rifle or shotgun merit badges and have given countless courses traveling several miles to a qualified range. In addition many of us have paid for expensive and time consuming training trough private organitations to become more efficient and qualified in our preffered catagory of training. Shouldnt the BSA recognize our efforts with a counselor Patch or Knot? Kindly Lester Salay NRA/BSA certified Instructor

I am a registered Merit Badge Counselor in the Balboa Oaks district specializing in Rifle and Shotgun training. As a counselor I am sure that many other counselors have committed themselves to countless hours of training and educating of scouts to earn their merit badges. I find it a shame that their is NO RECOGNITION ie: patch or "knot" to recognize those dedicated people who have served the scouting organization as counselors giving up many a weekend and night time to help educate and train scouts in their respective advancement. I suggest that a MERIT BADGE COUNSELOR PATCH or KNOT be integrated into the recognition program to recognize the valued efforts of these individuals without whom thier would be no way for a scout to earn their merit badges. Some form of recognition is due to the counselor. I myself conduct 16 hour classroom courses and personally pay for the scouts to learn and earn their Rifle or shotgun merit badges and have given countless courses traveling several miles to a qualified range. In addition many of us have paid for expensive and time consuming training through private organitations to become more efficient and qualified in our preffered catagory of training. Shouldnt the BSA recognize our efforts with a counselor Patch or Knot? Kindly Lester Salay NRA/BSA certified Instructor scoutingus@aol.com

I am a registered Merit Badge Counselor in the Balboa Oaks district specializing in Rifle and Shotgun training. As a counselor I am sure that many other counselors have committed themselves to countless hours of training and educating of scouts to earn their merit badges. I find it a shame that their is NO RECOGNITION ie: patch or "knot" to recognize those dedicated people who have served the scouting organization as counselors giving up many a weekend and night time to help educate and train scouts in their respective advancement. I suggest that a MERIT BADGE COUNSELOR PATCH or KNOT be integrated into the recognition program to recognize the valued efforts of these individuals without whom thier would be no way for a scout to earn their merit badges. Some form of recognition is due to the counselor. I myself conduct 16 hour classroom courses and personally pay for the scouts to learn and earn their Rifle or shotgun merit badges and have given countless courses traveling several miles to a qualified range. In addition many of us have paid for expensive and time consuming training through private organitations to become more efficient and qualified in our preffered catagory of training. Shouldnt the BSA recognize our efforts with a counselor Patch or Knot? Kindly Lester Salay NRA/BSA certified Instructor scoutingus@aol.com