TAHAWK

So he clearly did not meet the requirements. He was not trustworthy, kind [to the Scout he was trying to lead astray], obedient [to camp rules, federal law, and apparently state law], or clean. As we hope for foregiveness, he should be given a chance, time permitting, to show that he appreciates that he violated the Scout Law and Oath - and criminal law, and mends his ways. If time does not permit, he has a life lesson. A joke, yes?

Given Seton, Indian themes were preordained. The possibility of offending some is not a new issue. Almost fifty years ago, the Lakota asked Lodge 298 to stop using the Ghost Dance in its programs. The Lodge complied with the request. The feeling, generally, was that we should not do something to offend the tribe whose culture formed the theme of the Lodge. The Lakota thanked the Lodge for its sensitivity to their religious beliefs. Today, I found this from the Chairman of the OA (dated 2013): [emphasis added] http://www.oa-bsa.org/pages/content/ask-the-chairman-ceremonies

I wonder what this means (from the linked article):

Here's a start: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Asociaci%C3%B3n_de_Scouts_de_Cuba

And what is your prospective? Twenty years? Thirty years? Forty Years? More? Less? At least in the three councils where I Scout, no unit is required to buy uniforms, badges, etc, or to use council camp grounds - not even pressured. Encouraged? Sure. B.S.A. specifically orders that a unifform is not a requirement for boards of review, including for Eagle.

When I was fourteen and I noted to Ken Takahashi that he did not seem to be joining in the prayer that ended our "non-denominational service," I drew the reply, "No one to pray to." His reply was consistent with what I have found on the subject, from books and people, over the generations. [quiote]In Buddhist literature, the belief in a creator god (issara-nimmana-vada) is frequently mentioned and rejected, along with other causes wrongly adduced to explain the origin of the world; as, for instance, world-soul, time, nature, etc. God-belief, however, is placed in the same category as those morally destructive wrong views which deny the kammic results of action, assume a fortuitous origin of man and nature, or teach absolute determinism. These views are said to be altogether pernicious, having definite bad results due to their effect on ethical conduct. The Vision of the Dhamma. Kandy, Buddhist Publication Society.(1994) If Jains believe in devine beings, they expressly do not believe in a creator deity, to your point about different ways of looking at things. Are the Jains' devinities recognizable to the corporation's spokespersons as "God"? But we are prohibited by the corporation from asking a candidate at a board of review if he believes in God. Not simple. But that should be OK.

I beg your pardon?

We had two Jains attend our just-completed NYLT course, Then there are the Buddhists. Both religions have BSA-recognized religious awards. Neither religion believes in a god. Wikkans, on the other hand, do believe in gods, but they are not allowed to form troops. Really clear - not. So basically, BSA requires a "belief in God" but allows a definition of "God" that excludes a deity.

It has never been clear what "Duty to God" or "Reverent" mean. Boards of Review are specifically instructed not to ask if a candidate believes in "God." There are B.S.A. "religious" awards for Scouts who do not believe in a god. A spokesman for the corporation mentioned trees in one statement. We do the best we can even as others do less.

One hopes he is not teaching the very dangerous behaviors that he modeled on his "reality" show on Discover. Tag: bizarre behavior

As I have related, the presence of adults in my actual experience in Troop 43 had minimal impact on the patrol. Adults drove us to where we would hike or camp. They did their own thing, physically separated. We did ours. On Sunday afternoon, one of them would wander over and ask when we would be ready to drive home. We had been warned not to allow them to interfere. They had been warned not to interfere. Any adult defaulters were eliminated. I cannot say that there was no effect. I am sure some Scouts were constantly aware that Dad was within scream. When I became a Scouter in that troop, I got "The Speeech" about keeping my mitts off the Scouts "Unless they are going to march off a cliff." I literally watched meals go up in flames. Watched. As had others in my personal experience. That most ignore Boy Scouting in favor of that other thing does not make adults inevitably impossibly intrusive - given the right measures to impose, to use a word, discipline on the adults. B.S.A. has not been advocating or supporting such discipline. And two-deep is not going away. So I focus on doing the best I can in the situation I have. The alternative is not helpful, IMO. The search for the perfect ought not to defeat acheving the good.

B.S.A. has a problem with internal contradictions in their publshed statements. Until recently, for example, the YPT training AV said that all "discipline" was to be handled by adults. The people in the YPT bubble were thinking of punishment when they used "discipline." The folks who described how the PL is in change and keeps the patrol in order and on task were thinking of "discipline" in the broader sense sense - habitual beneficial behavior ("A disciplined hitter") - the same sense that the safety people mean "discipline" in the safety "Sandwich" of "discipline" and "supervision." I am told that Bill used to read everything and was the self-appointed "Consistency Warden." Someone needs to be performing that function now. Inconsistent messages are confusing, at best.

I don't imgine that there is a standardized procedure everyone follows. The point is merely that district events are not run independently by one or several units. That does not make unit events less. It just makes them unit events whatever they are called. If, as noted above, the distruict structure is morbund, the vacuum often gets filled by the willing. Still not district events without district (or council) sanction. They can be called "Distirct" - or "Pickle." And it won't matter - until it does. Some bureaucrat comes along and makes trouble, or there is a legal problem and you are left swinging in the breeze. When I wanted to do an Advancced Outdoor Skills course, I went to the Council Training Committee and got the volunteers at that meeting to put it on the official Council calendar. Voila! And no; we did not do an officlal budget. But it was sanctioned by Council. When we signed up for camp facilities, we benefited from free publicity and from the policy that council and district training events get free use of camp facilities. The camp staff cooperated 100%. I did a Google search on activity or program or event district and got 1000's of hits, https://www.google.com/search?q=Work+with+your+District+Executive+to+develop+the+event+budget&rlz=1C1GGGE___US527US527&oq=Work+with+your+District+Executive+to+develop+the+event+budget&aqs=chrome..69i57.27323j0j9&sourceid=chrome&es_sm=122&ie=UTF-8 http://www.grandcanyonbsa.org/volunteers/district-committee-resources/council-district-event-budget-policies/48747 http://rh.nsbsa.org/Portals/30/RH%20Activity-Planning-Manual-.pdf

The issue was a grandfather - someone we are told is a grandfather.. I can ask about a second husband. Yes? No?. I think we are stuck with relying on what we are told unless is it patently false, but Is a step-parent a "parent" for purposes of the policy?

I can find no written quidelines on what makes a post one by CNY Scouter. (^___^) Maybe we could start here:

Great ! Thank you.

You are describing a Troop Operation Workshop - a weekend of fun, training, and planning for the coming year. Try Googlefu. The T.O.W. was only partially replaced by the one-day (or less) Annual Program-Planning Meeting. Ol' farts are using TOW yet. Try to find them locally - or, second best, on line for advice and proven aqctivities Scribe. The Scribe needs to have his job explained ("Talk in 1948-speak), and demonstrated ("demonstrate" in 1948-speak), hopefully by the functioning previous scribe . He can then take notes of the planning sessions as he is "coached" (1948-speak) by the previous Scribe if possible. The ultimate goal is to have him train his successor ("train" in 1948 speak.). (Yes, it's [GASP!] EDGE, which has been around in substance at least since the original B.S.A. Wood Badge developed by Bill and friends. I guess EDGE is sexier than TDCT in the same way that STOP sounds better than the more accurate SOTP.) Same pattern can be used for other warrent officers. Alternate work sessions with group-forming play. Idea: http://www.boyscouttrail.com/content...edown-1706.asp Idea: "The Friendly Quartermaster" who guides, influences, and coaches the patrol QM's in their patrol duties and interacts with them when they draw gear and supplies from troop stores. Ideally, one of those patrol QM's will become the troop QM. To the extent that part of what you want to accomplish is under the rubric of "leadership," situations where the Scouts lead would be good. Oh, and by the way, the T.O.W. is to be planned by the PLC with you as a resource and guide. With the right questions, you should be able to get the leaders (Scouts) to come conclusions about the schedule that are within the range of the functional. The SPL leads the TOW ; AOK?

There should be Advancement Reports filed with council that document previous rank advancement. Council and troop should have copies. Also, there should be Board of Review records for rank advancement.

Again, I want to share the good news that a new Scoutmaster and Assistant Scoutmaster Training syllabus is about to be issued with a section actually discussing, in so many words, what constitutes the Patrol Method. It will not satisfy all here, given the position of some that each adult is his or her own arbiter of what is proper Scouting, but the gentleman in charge seems to be an advocate for youth leadership and Scouting in patrols (Eagle son of Eagle Scoutmaster; Scoutmaster; father of three Eagles).

If you know where you are going, there probably are alternative ways to get there. If not . . . . I believe Bill's vision of the patrol as the school for citizenship and life is superior even to BP's, but I regularly encounter adults in Scouting who do not have a clue as to what a patrol is supposed to be doing and achieving, much less any useful way to get there. These are the adults who, contrary to Bill's vision and BSA's theoretical policy, cannot seem to trust boys to exercise any responsibility, especially when the adult is just positive that he -- or she -- would do such a superior job of exercising that responsibilty. As my Scoutmaster used to say of such folks, "They won't even let them warm a can of soup." They tell you that boys can't be trusted to "do it right" as if "doing it right" was the ultimate goal that rules out letting the boys even try. With amazing frequency, they are also the "leaders" who do little or nothing to help the boys be more capable, starting with denying them experience. __________________________________________________ __________________________________________________ _________ The patrol is the team. The troop is the league. How are your teams doing?

By golly, you are right. I was thinking of this defintions from the authoritative dictionary of English: "A person who looks after and is legally responsible for someone who is unable to manage their own affairs, especially an incompetent or disabled person or a child whose parents have died." New Oxford Dictionary of the English Language. I need to remember how flexible (i.e. imprecise) English is. And you are clearly incorrect. To get to this "interpretation, you have to replace "just not" with "and" or "or." Even in English, that will not fly.

So of all these suggestions, which of these changes does Gates have the authority to change on his own - as that was the question?

Or, to continue with the theme of beating up on follow members: What is it with all the legalistic efforts to weasel around requirements? Teaching the Scouts to ignore the rules and get by on the bare minimum - or less than that? You're probably the kind that counts an electronic game lockin weekend as a "weekend campout." (No. Actually, that gem is from whoever did the Q & A for Journey to "Excellence." Honest. Who could make that up?) Darn those rules 'cause I don't like them. (Lots of that going around.) Have them spend the nights in a tent or under the stars. There is some Camping skill invoved in either and none involved in staying in a building someone else put up for you. As always, YMMV

One problem being that for every Scoutmaster who cuts free from BSA policy and ends up with youth-run patrols and troops, more Scoutmasters seem to end up with totally adult-run troops and no real patrols at all. After all, it's all "optional." We have a Scoutmaster in our district who sees it all as optional. His troop went twelve years with no PLC meetings and no patrols - just one big bunch with him as a leader. 50% turnover a year. A Scout came back from NYLT and made some changes as SPL, but the Scoutmaster wore him down, supported as he was by a Committee that agrees with him that "Scouting is all about advancement." Oh, and he doesn't like to camp, so . . . .

All I can find so far: