Tampa Turtle

Read "A Confederacy of Dunces" first. Very funny book--won a Pulitzer as well.

I think the majority of the vote was against but the electoral college passed it, or something like that.

Take the streetcar to the zoo; the old one through the garden district.

My son really wants to see the WW@ museum there; I hear it is 1st class!

We have always been blessed with a large professional-acting committee gives us Scouters the freedom to concentrate on the boys.

WOW he was a real righteous mensch.

I'd be flattered. I hope I am wrong; just how I feel today. Ask me again in 5 or 10 years--God willing!

My son#1 mocks me when the most I may say around him is "comely lass" when he asks if I think some classmate of his is "smokin hot". I knew some of those girls when they were in diapers! -- not going there. The less said the better. I learned my lesson many years ago...Mrs Turtle is a jealous and vengeful God. I walk carefully when she asks me to describe some fair Scouterette I have been working with. I suppose if I ever have to work with a mixed gender group of Scouts I will have to fall back on what I did with Graduate Students years ago "I see no gender only Comrades!"

To some degree very true. I was very in-experienced when I started but was extremely fortunate to have much more experienced adult Scouters who would take newbies like myself under their wing and basically train them until they could get up to speed. Lord knows I wanted to help and had enthusiasm but now I see it was good they held me back so I did unleash any more cub-scout driven havoc then I did. We eventually had a semi-formal system...when you had a couple years experience in the Troop you had a newbie parent leader assigned to you to guide. That worked up until the point we ran out of enough experienced adult leaders...

I come to the (obvious) realization that National neither sought nor values the opinions of the Scouts and Scouters on a lot of issues. They see us as customers to be placated, sold to, and replaced when we leave. Not partners to engage in meaningful discussion about policies that affect them. When a decision, even a right decision, is arrived at a bit deceptively it is hard to believe what they say afterwards even if it is the truth. It is the lack of a real dialogue that bothers me the most; it is in 'Covey-speak' a huge withdrawal of trust in my opinion. I took the survey, I attended my Council meeting and I know what I speak. It was a sell job for a pre-arrived at decision. Maybe I am just a naive dinosaur and believe that the Scout Law should extend not just from me to my scouts but upwards from me to National. I used to believe that Boy Scouts was some how different than other organizations--they sure get a lot of mileage out of nostalgia--but they seem, in my eyes, no different than other laudable organizations like the American Red Cross or United Way that became such a valued icon they lost their way.

I would hope so; their problem is too much demand and they (wisely) cap the size of the units. I think some Troops I have seen have too many leaders and not enough scouts = trouble.

4) CUBS - Family Packs

What the heck is (8) a 'Family Troop'?

We have our dutch oven riddled flag, now a bit dirty with festooned with several decades of camp awards etc. Boys like to bring in more than the US Flag. When they do flag ceremony inside they frequently do the whole red beret, white gloves, and red cord deal just because THEY like to look snappy....so it is OK with me. Coincidentally we were just at a special Veterans Day concert combining two high school bands, multi-media, and a 103 veteran of WWII and somehow when 500 odd people rose to give the pledge they couldn't find a US Flag! Needed some Boy Scouts,,,give them 5 minutes they would have found one!

KISS principles apply here. Some boys will be extremely challenged planning the most ordinary duty and therefore this is a very worthwhile experience. When our Troop was large our ASPL monitored the progress and coordinated support so the SPL concentrated on the Patrol Leaders and Troop morale...

I think what some adults REALLY want is "Boy Managed"; we tell them what we want and how we want it, all spiffy and expertly carried out like some kind of prep squad junior grade military unit and have them just do it.

TAHAWK, that was golden. I have seen that happen over and over. Adults mucking up the boys natural desire for self assembly and determination by 'improving' the program and then wondering why the scouts are not more engaged.

'bungled' is past tense; 'bungling' is more accurate.

but....but....but Hawkwin told me that there would be no co-ed and we were cynical crabby-cakes!

I am amazed if some of you have a school district paying for ANYTHING!

We had a SM that had a 4 page POR contract with sign-offs, metrics, etc. We were tasked with going over the contract with each boy at the start of their term...their eyes would just glaze over after the first 15 seconds. I think it rarely works but adults have to put up with these things in the working world so why not spread the horror earlier? I have on occasion helped coach a few confounded POR's at the SPL's request (Historian, Librarian, OA Rep, Chaplin Aide). I would go over the BSA duties (for some like OA Rep it is pretty hard) and stress they need to DO something, what do they intend to do, do they need any help from the PLC (or me), etc. I can see a little counseling when they get 'stuck' but I see it as more of a Brownshirt than a Committee job.

While I think the benefits of boy-only vs mixed gender scouts is a debatable discussion i worth having; however, I think there are two "straw men" arguments against that kinda muddy the water: (1) The "Girls 1st Period" argument. I think we will survive. Within the 1st year of being an ASM I already had to deal with 1 case of a serial bed-wetter, 1 case of a boy peeing a gallon all over his shorts when attempting to use a cat hole and 2 cases of boys soiling themselves out expectantly on a long hike. Mortifying yes, but all managed. (2) The "Girls are weak" argument. Have you SEEN the amazons they are breeding these days? We are not training Marine infantry...just scouts who can do the occasional back packing, swimming, and fitness. I have seen enough enough teeny tiny boys struggle with backpacks waist straps below their hips and chubby scouts with the silhouettes of eggs to know we can work around any reasonable limitations.

"before they jumped in with both feet (with or without goggles)"...I liked that one....

Our PLC (has always) met for 60-90 minutes the same night as the meeting immediately after a campout (we do not meet the following meeting day after a campout). It is a good time to review the throrns and roses from the last event. In addition the PLC may meet once or twice after summer camp and before school starts to plan out the year. Lately there has been an effort to do a 'mid course' correction meeting if needed around the holiday lull. Since we have access to our church that night 'PLC night' has kind of morphed into a sort of utility night at times for those who needed an additional BOR, one on one MB sessions, and catching up on book keeping for some of the committee members.

While it could be a legitimate suggestion at my Troop if the Committee started 'reviewing' POR's than that is symptom that other things are not working as they should be.