skeptic

I say ......... Merry Christmas by Joseph S. Bonsall I wrote this little poem three years ago as part of a failed song writing attempt. We put up a little manger, in the middle of our town. We put a baby Jesus on some straw and laid him gently on the ground. There were Joseph and Mary, shepherds and kings and beautiful angels all around. Then, the powers that be said; “ No?†They made us take the whole thing down! (JSB) OK, there are better poems, however, the point is that since I wrote this little rhyme things have become even more out of hand. And I must admit, I really find it amazing. In fact, I am astounded! Not just offended; astounded! Today I was interviewed by a news reporter who was covering our approaching Christmas show in her town and the dialogue between us was amazing. This so politically correct woman would NOT say the word Christmas under any circumstance at all. As for me, I wouldn’t quit saying it. â€ÂSo how many holiday songs will you be singing?†â€ÂOur Christmas set runs about ninety minutes,†I answered. â€ÂIs this your first holiday tour?†â€ÂWe have been doing a Christmas tour for fifteen years.†â€ÂWhat is your message for the Holiday Season?†â€ÂUmmmmmmm?? HOW ABOUT MERRY CHRISTMAS!!!! ? ?†On and on it went. I believe this woman believed that if she uttered the word Christmas she just might evaporate and pass on into some Hilary Clinton-esque plane of existence wherein all people are what? Black? Hispanic? Muslim? Homosexual? Oprah? Tim Robbins? Al Gore? Al Franken? Whatever! The cable news channels keep reporting that Americans are holiday shopping and buying holiday gifts. The talking heads are all talking about online holiday e-sales? This should be a great holiday season! This has been your holiday report; ... have a good one! HAPPY HOLIDAYS! ? Sheeeshhh! I want to gag! At least the constant Happy Holidays greeting is far better than that age-old Merry Xmas thing. We had that goofy saying way before the PC Police. It made Christ look like an algebra equation. Look, I have no bones to pick over how anyone lives their life, or celebrates a season, but what I do not understand is why these liberal types keep trying to tear down our own precious traditions, while at the same time urging others to wear their heritage on their sleeves and tee shirts. Are you gay? Well, be proud! You go, guy! Stand up and march and get married! Are you a hyphenated American? Then be proud of your heritage. Don’t forget where you came from. Speak your native language. Observe your native customs. But, what about my customs? I grew up as a white male who was taught that God should be an important part of my life and that I should love my country. I was taught that things are black and white; right or wrong; up or down. Not all gray and blurry! I was told that if I worked hard, sacrificed, treated people right, honored GOD, and always told the truth that I would succeed. I was taught to honor our flag and our soldiers. I was raised up loving CHRISTMAS!!! THAT is part of MY tradition. I sing Christmas songs, put up a Christmas tree, and give Christmas presents paid for by my Christmas bonus! I believe that Santa Claus comes on Christmas morning, and I read The Christmas Story from my BIBLE on Christmas Eve!! Somehow, that makes me the bad guy to a liberal; very dangerous man to be avoided at all costs; I might even own a gun. Well... I do! I have a newsflash for the loud mouths in this nation who would change every bit of my upbringing to fit into their agenda! Most Americans feel the way I do about it. Every night on stage when I mention Christmas, people cheer! When The Oak Ridge Boys sing about our flag and our soldiers, people stand up and cheer! OK; I’ll admit that our little singing group does not draw a huge part of the Black or Islamic populous; however, I still raise a valid point. In a few more years, if Barbara Streisand and Sean Penn get their way the blue part of the political map may overwhelm the red; but not yet, Bucko! I am happy to report that I also did an interview recently with a Jewish woman who loved the Oaks and comes to our Christmas show every year. Christmas is not really her holiday, however, she still enjoyed the music. And I don’t believe she finds anything that we do the least bit offensive. She even uttered the secret word, CHRISTMAS! I also respect her beliefs. She seemed to be a very happy woman. There we were chatting away and talking about common ground. Wow, what a concept. You know, this IS America and everyone has the right to his or her own way of doing things; from the way they worship to the way they do anything else that is within the limits of the law. At its very core, that is what FREEDOM is all about! But, I’ll tell you, I just can’t figure out why some people get so doggone up in arms over Christmas being, well ... Christmas! How did all of this come to pass? For that matter, why do so many folks make such an issue out of separation of Church and State, which is NOT, by the way, written anywhere into our constitution. What are they afraid of? The Ten Commandments? The Nativity Scene? God? If a person is really an atheist, then God is not a factor in their life or beliefs anyway. So why should it matter to them? I am not a Hindu but millions of people in this world believe they might die and someday come back as a cow. Fine with me. I don’t fear Hindus. If they had a holiday and I had a Hindu buddy, I would happily buy him a Happy Hindu gift and wish him a very Happy Hindu! The same with Ramadan and Kwanza (a tradition which dates all the back to around 1966!). Many people today are so concerned that someone will be offended by something we say or do. It’s as if people of other origins are constantly ready to be offended. Are they? Are they really? If the answer is no; then WHO IS MAKING UP THESE RULES? Who is really self-centered enough to become a card carrying member of the PC police? If they are people in power, and many are, they pass their silly rules on to everyone who is associated with them. That is very unsettling! OK! Send this memo out today. No one is allowed to say CHRISTMAS on the air or in print or around the office. And always remember to use your hyphens. Now go on to work! Enjoy a HAPPY Holidays! Grrrrrrrrrrrrrrr!! WOW! Comedian and commentator Dennis Miller once said, “America is the great melting pot ... so MELT already!†I concur with Dennis; lighten up! I grew up in Philadelphia, PA. I was a child of the fifties, and I came of age in the sixties during a time of impending war and assassination. The very air was supercharged, and Civil Rights was a very volatile and important issue that caused a lot of violence and mayhem, in my own neighborhood and beyond. When the race riots hit downtown I was playing baseball with my friends, Shawn and Harvey, who were black. On that same field were Harry and Paul who were Jewish, as well as Freddie and Jimmy who were Italian, and Johnny who was Irish, and Eric who was German. Larry was Greek, I think. But, hey, we were buddies. I may have been the only Protestant among them. My Jewish buds wore little black hats, worshipped in a synagogue on Saturday; and my Catholic friends took catechism and went to mass and confession. I actually thought my religion was much easier. I just went to church and said my prayers. However, we were a team. We were FRIENDS! We talked to each other and consoled each other and learned from each other. Despite all of the outside forces that would try to tear us apart, in our hearts, we were all just Philly boys. A small army, who unloaded on each other, loved each other, and would stand up and fight for each other. We fought, we forgave, we laughed, and we cried: TOGETHER, as ONE! We melted! We were just kids and maybe that is where the answer lies. Somewhere along the way we grow up and lose sight of the magic of childhood. Author Stephen King once said “you could see it in the eyes.†People lose that ‘flicker’, that ‘spark’ of childhood. The child inside has died! Everything has become way too serious. We are adults 100% of the time, and that is very sad. You know, I believe the little baby was born in that manger, and I believe that the angels sang. My faith tells me that He also grew up to say, “Except that we become as little children we can NOT see the kingdom of God.†So there you go. That must be the answer: a child-like faith. Maybe we need a little more of that. We may not see an angel, or witness a miracle, or hear HIS voice (although we might). I know one thing. We could learn to become much more tolerant of one another. Then, perhaps, we would not see God as such a threat to our political well-being. We would learn there is more to life than that. Like a sunset or a fresh snow or a tulip or a bluebird; or even Santa Claus. Maybe we all need to sit down again and watch Miracle On 34th Street and It’s A Wonderful Life again and try to remember what it was that made us fill up with emotion when we saw that cane in the house by the fireplace, or when Zuzu’s pedals fell out of George Bailey’s pocket. Admit it, it got you once! Yes, the world is a crazy and dangerous place so why make it any worse? Wake up that little boy or girl who is lying dormant. Give God a chance in your life no matter how you visualize him. Climb a tree! Ride your bike! Holler at the moon! Believe in magic. Expect a miracle! “Yes, Virginia ... there is a Santa Claus.†And remember, the birth of Jesus Christ is the real reason we celebrate CHRISTMAS! That is all part of my tradition! That is why I say ......... Merry Christmas! Joseph S. Bonsall December 1, 2003

While it is definitely an improvement, including possibly strengthening the outdoor elements by actual trail/camping meals, I would like to see a bit more about proper cleanup in the process. I guess it is covered in the first part with discussion, but it is not very specific, or at least I do not see it. Good move though.

Thre wise young men. [ATTACH=CONFIG]n401144[/ATTACH]

Actually Stosh, Salvation Army is under attach too because of their group's religious standards, even though there is little or no indication that their basic beliefs determine their response to the needy. It seems to hardly matter to some how much good a group does if they have beliefs in which someone does not believe or support. Selfishness and egocentrism is continuing to cause much harm to simple kindness and selflessness.

[h=1]Quality of an Eagle Scout[/h] August 1, 2012 by Clarke Green · inShare One of the more common emails I receive concerns the frustrations of Scoutmaster’s who are faced with a boy they just don’t consider has done enough, cares enough or is good enough to become an Eagle Scout. They want to know what to do. There’s a big difference between my idealized Eagle Scout and what’s required to earn the rank. I realized this after twenty or thirty of my Scouts earned Eagle and none of them perfectly matched my expectations. The next twenty or thirty haven’t either. So it goes. In the end my expectations (and yours too) are unimportant – when a Scout meets the requirements he is an Eagle Scout. Each does it in their own way, on their own terms. Some are terrifically frustrating and nonchalant about the way their selfishness affects other people but they somehow complete the requirements anyway. Scouters argue constantly over what constitutes an Eagle Scout, how we want them to act and what qualities we expect of them. Thankfully the official literature is realtively silent on these things, and for a good reason – each one is an individual and is evaluated on his own merits according to his abilities and interests – not against those of every other Eagle Scout nor anyone’s idealized concept of what they ought to be. Of course we want representatives of this honored fraternity to be of unimpeachable character, tremendous resourcefulness and exemplary citizenship. We cannot see into their hearts and minds, we can’t compare their will and courage against others; each has their own individual challenges to overcome. Old men get cranky and stodgy – we live with our own failures every day and it’s infuriating to see others repeat them. We forget how we were when we were young, how little we knew, how selfish we were. Even if we possess this knowledge of ourselves we still want a young man a third or half our age and experience to be better than we were – that’s a frustrating way to be. Most Scouts who have achieved Eagle in my tenure have gone on to be good solid citizens; college professors, lawyers, wonderful fathers and husbands, doctors, military officers and other similarly respectable achievements. A few have had trouble with the law, dropped out of school and are generally troublesome to their families and society as a whole. What they all have in common was they were given an opportunity to make something of themselves in a way that a relatively few boys will experience. They have many years ahead of them. many lessons to learn and much work to do – their stories are still being written. You and I have little control over who they will become – we can only present them with an opportunity to make good. What they do with this opportunity is up to them. There’s one set of requirements and, while you can take what some consider short cuts and half measures to fulfill them, the important thing is that they get there. They have the rest of their lives to consider how they did it; what they are proud of and what they they could have done better. What they need, what we all need, is at least one person who can believe in them, who is unfailingly encouraging and supportive: hopefully we can be that person.

Boy's Life has had some great Christmas covers. There are two covers; one does not appear without a click for some reason. [ATTACH=CONFIG]n401083[/ATTACH] [ATTACH=CONFIG]n401087[/ATTACH]

[ATTACH=CONFIG]n401014[/ATTACH] One from B.P. in 1932

[ATTACH=CONFIG]n400966[/ATTACH] An image from a council newletter.

Here is one from the 30's and Poland. Maybe someone can translate for us? [ATTACH=CONFIG]n400950[/ATTACH]

How about the older boy program? [ATTACH=CONFIG]n400930[/ATTACH]

One for the cubbing side. [ATTACH=CONFIG]n400905[/ATTACH]

Other than he will be cremated, not yet. I would think we will likely have a memorial of some sort. Swabby attended a number of NOAC's, so he may have been met by a few out there. He was a fixture at our annual trade-o-ree. Will update when I know.

I just received the word this morning of the loss of a great friend and fellow scouter, Swabby Simmons in Ventura County Council. Swabby had over 60 years of service to scouting, having served in almost every area of the district, and his unit, as well as O.A. where he was a long time Vigil. He began his scouting briefly as a cub scout, then came back in the old explorer program, attending Philmont in 1952. He served in the Navy and Air Force at different periods in the 50's and spent almost 40 years as an orderly in Ventura County Hospital in Ventura, from where he was retired. He was Scoutmaster of troop 508 in Ojai for 46 years, while wearing many other hats, including RT staff, RT commissioner, district camping, OA , and most recently, beside RT, chairing Matilija District's Eagle boards for the past few years. He recently passed the 300th Eagle board for his tenure, something he was very proud of. Scouting WAS Swabby's life, as he never had children of his own. He was extremely proud of his having had over 20 Eagle Scouts in his troop, and knew where each one was, and what they were doing. He was a gruff, sometimes scary looking individual that literally gave his life to Scouting, and he will be sorely missed by our district and council. Rest in Peace friend. Enjoy meeting some of the other giants of Scouting; you certainly were one here.

Over the years I have accumulated a number of various seasonal graphics related to scouting, mostly U.S., but a few from other areas. Though I might post a few here, maybe one or two a day, just to share. Enjoy.

OA is the BSA honor society; at one time it was the BSA honor "camping" society. Its primary purpose was to recognize those scouts and scouters that were the best examples of scout spirit and camping in their units, or sometimes in district or council positions. It was usually focused on local camp development and support, but the unit was, and still is, supposed to be first; that is, it was never intended to take these strong troop members out of the unit leadership. In my opinion, the loss of focus in many lodges today started with that simple name change and its redirection in "how you became a member", the election system. Before, it had limited membership with very specific rules in how many could be elected in any particular year. You very seldom saw scouts younger than 14 elected due to the tighter procedures. I did not become an Ordeal member until I was 15 and a Life Scout in 1959; our troop could only elect one or two people that year. It "was not a given you would complete the Ordeal"; there were Ordeal rules that actually were adhered to, and if you broke them you were sent home. Of course, that too became on occasion an issue that partly led to today's weaker groups. The ceremonial parts were kept much more guarded, sometimes too much so, which led to much of the changes in play today when there were problems that should not have happened if the ones involved had lived the Oath and Law, which is still part of the Order. Like most subsidiary programs within BSA, the OA has a prime or ideal goal and relationship to the program. And like many others, it depends considerably on the local council and district leadership within the lodge whether it is succeeding. So there are strong lodges with long term perpetuated traditions that no one would ask your question of. There are lodges, like ours, that most understand their main purpose, but that have a washboard journey from year to year as to how well they show themselves as living up to the purpose. Sadly, there are quite a few lodges that are pretty much paper lodges that do almost nothing but make patches and have elections. The original lodges, those that were in existence from 1915 at Treasure Island until it became an official part of BSA in the 40's were built on local camp honor groups that eventually became lodges in the 40's. For example, in our council we had a group called the Tribe of Matilija that was an honor group at our local camps, first Camp Grey and then 3-Falls after we lost Grey to the highway 33 construction near Ojai. They have a fairly consistent record in good camp support from the earliest days, though there have been stretches since I have been here the past 35+ years that they were not overly successful; we are moving in that direction right now I am afraid. We have gone through some periods of "flap madness" and too much inbred political, or favoritism; but overall our lodge here has been pretty good I feel. Certainly right now it needs a lot of redirection to get back to the level it was a decade or so ago, IMO. So, hopefully this long answer will help you a bit. There technically has never been absolute secrecy in the Order, but in the earlier days, the traditions and ceremonies were restricted much more and seemed to have more effect when seen by those outside the group, such as at "tap outs" in camp or at COR's. The PC police and "nobody should fail or be embarrassed" proponents have hurt it; of course it has hurt the overall BSA program even more I fear. Yet it is still an honor. If your are lucky, you will be exposed to the best of the tradition and not a weak, tepid paper program.

The idea often proffered here that the early forms of scouting are the only true outdoor and scouting models is nonsense. In the earliest days they used what was available, including new ideas and equipment. Most camping was done with carts, wagons, or beasts of burden; they did not carry stuff like we do today for the most part, though a few did on occasion. They took trains often if they could "hop" them if scouts in the city; they sometimes reconnoitered the surrounding areas for food sources or barns in which to sleep; while they might have used flint and steel or bows, matches were the norm and the fire requirement was 2 matches, not other fire modes; many only had pieces of uniforms, usually starting with the neckerchief and hat. Much of what is done today would be found to be absolutely amazing by them and they likely would want to participate in the modern program available for high adventure. Scouting is an ever changing model that adjusts if it can and more often than not finds the best way for its particular group. Some would embarrass the old time scouts, and some would look like the have become, the "parlor scouts" of the early days. "The more things change, the more they remain the same." Scouting USA is NOT Baden Powell's program completely, nor that of other founders and important contributors; it is a collage of them all, some better than others. Do your best; simple as that. Have fun along side your scouts; just do not forget why adults are there.

You know Basement, while you may have had a bad experience and have a reason to be annoyed, but it is NOT BS just because someone broke the rules. We do have some scout shops that have poor staff and not trained well; but overall, that is not the case. If your council store has this happen regularly, then someone needs to step in and fix the issue. With the amount of negative comments that come from you regarding things there, National really maybe should be doing some investigating as to why, as it does not seem to be that common in other areas.

Again, the statement may not be accurate. Certainly in our store, you cannot buy badges without either an actual rank or card (not blue card) or an advancement report, unless you can prove it some other way. Of course, we always have the parents that think they can just do that, but in most councils, I suspect it is fairly well controlled, just not infallible.

While I know you can have more than one type of unit with one sponsor, would they allow more than one specific type of unit, such as a pack or troop, with the same sponsor, but different numbers and leadership? Just wonder, as I have never actually seen it. Our troop was a break out from another in 1921; and researching the history, they apparently met for over 6 months as a separate group, but without an actual sponsor. Caused a bit of confusion in regard to the council history, as the council chartered while the break off was sort of in limbo, and our unit was listed as a charter unit initially, until the original charter application was found that showed otherwise. Good luck with the efforts here.

From a response on FB Volunteer Training Committee when asked about training at PTC: Wes - what happens at PTC are conferences not courses. In most cases the content of a conference with a similar title changes year to year - and week to week - based on the needs and experience of the participants. There is a "generic" PTC conference attendee code that Scouters may enter into a record to show they have been there, but since the content is inconsistent having attended a particular conference is not comparable to another having attended a conference with the same title. As for the Summit, there will be training there someday, but at this time the plans are that it will not be the same format as PTC - with the possible exception of NAYLE. For the most part PTC is a family-centric learning facility. The leadership of the Summit does not want it to be a competitor to PTC.

Found a FB site for the National Training Team, and they responded to my query. Said they have yet to deal with older training dates from courses with outdated codes; but supposedly local people can fix it by putting in approximate dates if the actual dates are not known. Of course, I have submitted lists of all training dates for most of my unit at least three or four times. Oh well; supposedly they will deal with this soon. Wait and see.

Reviewing the Scouting Tools under MyScouting I find that I have two training reports. One shows me fully trained, including four entries with apparently grandfathered dates (1911) which relate to Scouter and Scoutmaster basic training and outdoor. But on the troop leadership I am shown as not trained, even though I have been for decades. Any idea who to contact to clarify and correct. A couple of my long time assistants have similar issues. Probably not that important, but is just annoying.

Back in Kahuna. I visited a long while back and he was part of a prominent display. So they have the material; just a matter of putting it out there.

Do not forget that most male professional dancers are superb athletes. It is not an occupation that lacks in need for strength and coordination. Have read of pro football and basketball players that actually took some basic lessons in order to better their moves on the court. Of course, I personally would not look good in one of those outfits, even when I was young.

They have just gotten a new director at the museum. Will look forward to perhaps seeing some changes toward wider recognition of certain people and maybe some new directions for displaying.