TAHAWK

Sure. So long as what we are talking about is the extent to which we allow the boys to "do" Boy Scouting as defined - or at least arguably defined - by the B.S.A. We had a troop whose boys decided to wear only Army surplus camo duds and "patrol" around the camporee site at night, cutting tent ropes, setting trip-ropes on the trails to the toilets, and jumping out tpo BUGGA !!! isolated Scouts. Now it was true that the inspiration for "Montgomery's Raiders" came from SM Montgomery, but equally no Scout decided the SPL is not the leader of the troop for troop-level stuff without inspiration. They are expressly told what the SPL's role is in the Handbook and the PL Handbook. There are limits. There are rules. If you elect to ignore those limits and rules, you are running your own program.

Sentinel947 is describing what I have both seen from afar and experienced. The SM is a "wall" that is very hard to get over to institute change. Is the Troop Committee trained? Do the New parents get Introduction to New Boy Scout Parents training? http://www.scouting.org/Training/Adult/Supplemental/OrientationforNewBoyScoutParents.aspx

Several companies advertise that their embroidered patches are "made in U.S.A." and seem to have manufacturing facilities in the U.S..

"Assistant Patrol Leader The assistant patrol leader takes charge of the patrol whenever the patrol leader is not available. The duties of the assistant patrol leader include: • Assist the patrol leader in planning and chairing patrol meetings. • Lend a hand in leading patrol activities and building patrol spirit. • Help the patrol prepare for troop activities. • Assist the scribe in keeping current the advancement records of patrol members. • Monitor the advancement progress of patrol members. • Represent the patrol at patrol leaders’ council meetings when the patrol leader cannot attend. • Set a good example. • Wear the uniform correctly. • Live by the Scout Oath and Law. • Show Scout spirit. In addition, the assistant patrol leader may be given special assignments such as working on a patrol service project or assisting certain patrol members with their advancement." Boy Scouts of America, http://www.bsahandbook.org/PDFs/patrol.pdf[incorrect capitalization as in the original] The SPL in the Petrol Method is elected by all the Scouts in the patrols, leads troop-level activities, chairs the PLC, and has one vote in the PLC deliberations, and represents the troop to the Troop Committee and staffs of camps and events. In the Dale Olsen method, the SPL, line a PL, does what SM Dale tells him to do ("Line the boys up.") And we have learned about the Stosh method. Everyone is entitled to his or her opinion. It's what we do that counts.

I asked first. (HInt: skip Chase.) A debit card is not a credit card. No (more) cheating.

APL may be worthy of being a POR. That;s not the issue. It's not a POR. Only B.S.A. can change that fact. Is there guidance for Corporate about what constitutes a "Scoutmaster-approved leadership project to help the troop" ? If BSA is vague, it invites loopholyness. And will someone explain why only a project that benefits the troop counts. It's as if the troop was the fundamental unit of Scouting, whereas BSA says expressly that the patrol is the fundamental unit of Scouting. A troop, says the new Handbook, is a collection of patrols, not a collection of Scouts, so the troop is as good as its patrols. With strong patrols, The SPL's job as leader of troop-level activities is easy. With weak patrols, a young Vilhelm Jensen.would have a hard time leading the troop.

If you mean a card for the minor, as opposed to putting the minor on his parents' card, find us a company that will issue a credit card to a minor - without an adult cosigner. Report back. Oh, and consider 02/22/2010

As a Scot, I admire anyone who attempts to defend the indefensible. And I can imagine a situation where following a rule is the worse outcome. This is not such a situation. The "new" requirements are inapplicable to Scouts who already met the former requirements and, on the fact presented, has absolutely qualified for Eagle. Otherwise, what do we do with the SM who requires Life Saving MB for Eagle? After all, many fine - and wholly irrelevant - points can be made about how "good" it is for the candidate to pass Life Saving. The is nothing to argue. The SM and CC are dead-bang wrong. This is a matter of integrity, and the integrity in question is that of the SM and the CC. who are defying the clear rules they are honor-bound to follow. This is a worse outcome. The better outcome is addition by subtraction - of the two adults who just will not get it.

"So if the Patrol is the basic operating structure of scouting, why is the Assistant Patrol Leader not a position of responsibility? As for that, why aren't any patrol leadership positions other that Patrol Leader positions of rsponsibility?" "APLs are like vice presidents...you never know they are there until you look on a roster." Same explanation, some folks have misplaced the Patrol Method. Or, putting it another way, "Probably because most people have no idea what an APL is supposed to do." The APL is assistant leader of the basic unit of Scouting - far more important to real Scouting than most official PORs, which make sense in the Troop Method world.

Never say never.

Lets the old fogies do their old boy stuff, while the younger Scouts do their thing. Scouting is supposed to be primarily experienced in the patrol context. The patrol, not the troop, is the basic unit of Scouting program. One of the adults who accompany the Scouts on a patrol campout or hike needs to be Youth Protection trained. As that is a requirement for all the Assistant Scoutmasters, any one of them (or any adult who has complete Youth Protection Training) will do plus a willing parent, as mentioned. The adults are present as transportation and for safety reasons. The Patrol leader leads the outing with the help of his Assistant patrol Leader..

I have no doubt that many minors are capable of entering into contracts, Scouts or not.. They are, however, legally incompetent to do so in all fifty states when last I checked. Are there ways to get around the rules? Sure. Scofflaws often succeed in getting around rules.. Making a reservation is ministerial - no judgement required. There are more important responsibilities than making a reservation that we should be giving to Scouts (such as playing according to the rules) But the adult troop method prevails - rationalized by the position that all the BSA rules are optional.

Au contraire, The JTE crew operates largely as if no one else exists. Hence, electronic games = camping. So no JTE points for STEM as such. Notre bulle sur tout.

Stosh, on 03 May 2016 - 10:59 AM, said: Because Invine is too far from Irving for them to see it. (Says the guy who consistently spells because as "becuase.") "Personally, I think Unauthorized Activities should be decided only by vote at the BSA Annual Meeting. It's the general membership that should define the limits of the BSA Scoutin' program, not executives or obscure and un-elected committees. Beavah" Absolutely !! All the decisions being made in a single-issue "bubble" are suspect. "When all you have is a hammer, everything looks like a nail." When your sole remit is "safety," the list of the "unsafe" is limitless. Another example of the phenomenon is the Journey to Excellence crew defining a movie-watching "lock-in" as a "weekend campout."

Reservation Deposit: ALL units will be required to deposit (as a new check) of $100.00 with this application. This fee is part of your total 2017 bill, and not an additional fee. This fee does not roll and must be accompanied by a check. ___________________________________________________ Signed by Unit Leader Date

"you deserve more, and they should pay for it."

But are you growing old and feeble? If so, that alone will get you bad points from some.

While I sympathize, is judging a program that involves millions by the conduct of 2-3 people a lesson you want to teach your son?

With or without hiking poles? For me, the poles have the greatest impact braking on downhill portions - lessens loads on my ancient knees.

Because they pay far more, places are reserved for out-of-state students. For some reason unknown to me, a disproportionate number of students taking the history survey courses I taught were from New Jersey. "The oldest English-language use of the proverb has been found in Anne Isabella Thackeray Ritchie's (1837–1919) novel, Mrs. Dymond (1885), in a slightly different form: 'I don't suppose even Caron could tell you the difference between material and spiritual,' said Max, shrugging his shoulders. 'He certainly doesn't practise his precepts, but I suppose the Patron meant that if you give a man a fish he is hungry again in an hour. If you teach him to catch a fish you do him a good turn. But these very elementary principles are apt to clash with the leisure of the cultivated classes. Will Mr. Bagginal now produce his ticket—the result of favour and the unjust sub-division of spiritual environments?" said Du Parc, with a smile.' " "Give a man a fish and you feed him for a day; teach a man to fish and you feed him for a lifetime." Maimonides (A different rabbi) "Lastly, the eighth and the most meritorious of all, is to anticipate charity by preventing poverty, namely, to assist the reduced brother, either by a considerable gift or loan of money, or by teaching him a trade, or by putting him in the way of business, so that he may earn an honest livelihood and not be forced to the dreadful alternative of holding up his hand for charity. " Maimonides

"Twinkie the Kid is the mascot for Twinkies, Hostess's golden, cream-filled snack cakes.[1] He is a registered trademark of Hostess Brands. He made his debut in 1971.[2] He has appeared on product packaging, in commercials, and as collectible related merchandise except for a brief period between 1988 and 1990."

Fantastic view from Maryland Heights.

"The ends justify the means" is a slippery slope.

"Don't plan to use the shelters in the summer as they can get really crowded and in some places you should set up camp in designated areas. In some areas you can go off trail and camp most anywhere in national forest. Other places there's no camping, no campfires. Do your homework before you leave for the trail." This! We failed to research the prices in Harper's Ferry, and the PLC's plan to "eat out" as a break from our own cooking was a flop. Prices were too high for the budget. (Still, we were able to buy some bacon (bit of a side hike) to enliven the rations.)

The problem with "free" is that "free" stimulates demand - the "free" bowl of candy" effect. There ought to be a way to deal with that problem other than than total denial or effective total denial. However, the "free medical care" societies do not seem to have found it beyond the state deciding what medical care you "need."