skeptic

Two comments. "How could this happen again"? Because some individuals either are not able to understand the pretty clear YP rules, or chose to ignore them due to ignorance and stupidity. The perpetrator is/was a lawyer, which in itself might be a better lead. NOBODY should ignore YP rules, and certainly not just because at the time they were not legally required by the State of N.Y.; they still were by the then BSA. The reporter though also as in the past has polished this by again stretching the information to make it look even worse. As far as I know, the BSA and its various acronyms NEVER called the Ineligible Volunteer Files "Perversion Files"; only the yellow journalists and vulture lawyers did and do. The writer aoslo throws out numbers that are misleading, and the hype is in the headline because it is again Scouting America, and they continue to make it even worse withoput noting that the issues in Scouting were never at the estimated levels of abuse as in other Non Scouting groups, even noting in their own story that the level of abuse in this area was 0.16 percent per thousand. Society will NEVER stop the issue completely, and more harm has resulted for many that were forced to deal again with trama that was lessened with time and seems now to simply be a slap in the face again with the legal mess and fees going to the wrong place. Survivors are still being cheated in the original fiasco and many are now gone due to insurance pushback and the greed of a few lawyers. And this particular lawyer appears to be one of those alredy fleecing victims/survivors. If anything, this does reinforce the fact that vigilance by ALL Scouters and those connected needs to be paid, and YP IS NOT SOMETHING TO BE IGNORED, NO MATTER HOW HARD IT MAY BE TO DO WHAT IS MANDATED. It is all of our responsibities to keep eyes open and follow up as needed just to try and assure we have not missed something. Better to report it and be wrong, than to ignore it and then have another similar problem. I truly do not understand how that Council could NOT have acted in accordance with YP, as its basic structure was already in place when this discouraging event happened. At the same time, the Press needs to stop using SA, children, and tragedy as tools to make it even worse than it may already be. Way back when it was called yellow journalism, and today that is still what it is.

Not sure National gets it yet, though there are indications some do. I am not likely to live long enough, though to see broad positive movement across the spectrum. Still, at least the program is still making effort, no matter how jumbled it may be.

If my memory serves, when we did our first trek at Philmont, a fly was part of our gear, and we were specifically encouraged to put it up FIRST and put other gear beneath. It is an important piece of any site, especially in areas subject to rain or mists. In cases of drive-ins, a heavier-duty type can be useful, but packing works best with the lightweight ones. And you do not need poles if you have trees and so on, though they make it easier.

While I tend to agree that much of the bureaucracy in local councils can be reduced, certain parts that include real people with real voices are critical, especially with confusion or disappointment. We are fortunate to have a couple of office people that can carry that torch well, probably better than the few remaining actual executive types of which we have none that fit the traditional role. But every council has issues, and money seems to be at the top for most. Sadly, that affects the actual programming on council levels, but it also is forcing units to do more on their own which seems to often be better in the long run. We will never be back to the original structures of even twenty years ago, but we can continue to work on putting our best feet forward and become again recognized positively in communities. Chaallenges will continue, some totally un expected. Having people work from home with local councils can be positive, but the big barrier continues to be aging gacilities and too much "top down" interference. JMHO of course.

Google really is your friend. Here is a pretty good link on swimming with the life jacket. After reviewing it, I think perhaps this might be incorporated into the "Safe Swim defense" resources. review After

How do we interpret this for going to the beach? Guess it would help with the challenges of rip currents and tides, but actually, swimming with a vest is awkward, or at least for me. Can we find a way to fix legalese stupidity? And I still remember getting a vest caught on the edge of a canoe that went over in one of the canoe contests for leaders, and the vest kept my face in the water briefly, making me struggle to get upright. Guess I need not worry for myself, as I am no longer involved at that level. Still?

https://www.scouting.org/health-and-safety/gss/gss02/#d "Life Jacket Use: Swimming in clear water over 12 feet deep, in turbid water over 8 feet deep, or in flowing water may be allowed if all participants wear properly fitted, Coast Guard–approved life jackets and the supervisor determines that swimming with life jackets is safe under the circumstances." This was quoted in the Scout Life magazine just received last week in an article. I do not remember a life jacket rule for open water swimming as discussed here. While it certainly may be reasonable at some levels, it seems problematic to some extent, especially when swimming in large pools, or specifically designed lake or ocean areas. Thoughts?

Ventura County Council now has NO camps; the last one is in escrow. So, the units now have to find other resources, often farther away, raising the expenses to get there. We technically still have some land above our lost Camp Three Falls, but it is remote and has no upkeep of the few access roads. Still, perhaps we can find a way to use it, perhaps with water trailers and so on. Will see. Found it a bit ironic that the camp now in escrow was sold to a cemetery corporation. At least they are not going to build houses.

It should be noted that the term "earned" with the noted young person is suspect, and the Eagle even more so. Suffice it to say, the "accomplishment" is seriously tarnished by numerous facts that were overlooked for "legal" reasons. The real fact is that the entire fiasco should not have been allowed, but a "legal cloud" hung threateningly until it played out and he, and the lawyer father disappeared from the local scene. It is not a local highlight for the majority, yet he is/was not the real problem, just the instrument, so to speak.

In this "modern" society, banning phones is nearly impossible. As noted, some parents defer to the phone as part of their parenting oversight, and if the kid does not respond promptly, issues arise. Our unit took a number of years to adjust to the issue, but over time, the scouts learned when and when not to be on the phone, for the most part. Ideally, there might be a phone designed that does not have all the apps and games available, but still has the tools that are useful, such as the GPS, camara, and distance finder, fro example. A no wind issue today I fear. Meanwhile, I am at a loss how to use my phone, so the wonderful stuff seldom is utilized, and I have not found the patience to get the crash course. .

The post was for info of any interested. The Villa is a historical building and the damage is to the story of the house. Yes, the elements are not picky about when or where they roar. I was at PTC years ago during one of the storms, at lightning struck a tree in the lawn area of the Villa, where we watched the deer graze and rabbits nose. The tree exploded, literally into a pile of firewood and splinters. Making repairs as close to the original as possible is the goal, while protecting the edifice with updated options. For me, it seems important to keep the original designs and if possible the original materials, or surviving similar ones in use, while adding protections as able.

See this link for detail. https://donations.scouting.org/#/council/NCFD/appeal/8757

Until we fix the legal system in the United States, as if that is even likely, much of what made Scouting so beneficial to youth growth into citizenship and focused lives has become basically impossible. The swarms of black birds continue to circle overhead, not just over Scouting, but over anything that could lead to public outrage and legal settlements that make the lawyers rich, and incrementally destroy the positive elements of society.

We are dealing with an obderate council that refused to allow our small unit to be part of the pilot locally, but we have two girls we will register anyway, though how we have not figured out for sure. Otherwise we lose them, and they are part of the family already with committed parents. Two others are a year back. I suggested to the leaders they just move them at charter like normal and then we deal with the nonsensical "stuff". Small units like ours really need ALL the youth we can get, period.

I no longer am sure where the tale I am sharing next is located in my "stuff". Never been well organized, and I have read so much over five+ decades that it gets mixed a bit., Anyway, I recollect reading about an early Chicago unit in the teens that would gather downtown near the train station, hop on a train to the outskirts of the city, and hop off with their gear. Then they just took off down a country road looking for a spot to set up. They tried to take note of farm houses nearby for possible meal resources. While they had very basic stuff, so would not starve, and they were not remote per se, back then it was still fairly remote compared to today. Anyway, the story told of them sending the most likely young scout, usually very young and skinny, and send him to the doors of farm house asking for some food for the group. It worked well enough that they seldom really had to eat the less than tasty stuff they did have, and sometimes they even ended up invited in like part of a family. Seems to me that they did offer to do some work for the help, but often were just fed. Try that today.