bluegoose

Fred Phelps is something else. That being said, he's pretty easy to deal with. I think that ignoring him would be the simplist solution, but for various reasons I don't think that's entirely possible. Having been one of Fred's counter-protesters, I can say that he loses steam rather quickly. He doesn't have much groud to stand on, and not many supporters either. You don't need to have a shouting match(I think it's only adding fuel to the fire), only a handful of people opposing him peacefully. If it's in a high visibility area people will quickly join in and Fred's group will eventually leave when they gain no support. I'd like to be there, but can't for various reasons. I hope others will be able to, though. Peace, always. Edit: http://newshound.de.siu.edu/voices05/stories/storyReader82 http://www.southernillinoisan.com/articles/2005/10/20/top/10000599.txt(This message has been edited by bluegoose)

Flavor Flav. And you can't forget his viking horns.

My experience with the engineering service has been limited, but what I know I will share. The engineering service creates plans for many structures (buildings, shelters, climbing towers, etc) present at scout camps. I'm not sure if the plans are any good or if they create plans for anything else, but your council serivce center would probably know.

I apologize, the standard I posted was for council-run family camps. The 2005 standard for Cub and Boy Scout Resident Camps is M-6. Standard M-6: "Written plans for handling major emergencies are reviewed and practiced with camp staff. These plans are kept on file in the camp and council offices, are shared weekly with leaders in camp, and include specific safety measures applicable to the camp location. Plans include safety measure for: Lost or missing persons Limitation on physical activity in high temperatures and high humidity Limitation on physical activity during smog alerts Limitation of aquatics and other activites as indicated by the threat of lightning, small-craft warnings, or high water Written plans dealing with general health and safety concerns and specified measures to reduce or prevent accidents are kept on file in the camp and council offices. Topics to be addressed include: Natural hazards specific to the site (floods, severe storms, earthquakes, fires, swift water, sinkholes, off-limit areas, wildlife) Man-made hazards specific to the site (hazardous chemical spills, construction areas, highway crossings) Safe operation of facilities and/or equipment Environmental compliance: see M-18"(This message has been edited by bluegoose)

I got out my Camp School binder to check on this. According to the 2005 standards, a written emergency plan is required of all council-organized camps. Standard M7: Written plans for handling emergencies such as floods, storms, tornadoes, fires, accidents, intrusion of unauthorized personnel, lost children, security, sickness and fatality are on hand and have been shared with adult participants. An "as built" drawing or drawings are availible showing all electric, gas, water and sewer systems and lines, with locations of shut-off swithces or valves should service need to be interrupted. While I am not familiar with the 2002 standards, I do believe that the same standard was in place. As to the content or competency of the camp's emergency plan, I'll leave that up to the court.

I'm guessing that the few wooded acres in the middle of campus might be causing the problem. Also, the library is under construction so foot traffic is being directed away from one side of the building to the other side which touches the woods. As a student of that university I didn't know that there was a problem with deer attacking people, even though there were seven attacks last year. So much for the education, especially from an institute of higher learning... http://ksdk.com/news/news_article.aspx?storyid=97452 http://www.suntimes.com/output/news/deer24.html

I learned to deliver babies at National Camping School...

There is a national procedure for this, which I became familiar with a few years ago (a scout died at the camp I was working at) and again Camp School and my time as health officer. I'm not sure if this only applies to distric/council/national events or to troop events as well. IThe procedure and paperwork is found in the 'pink folder,' formally known as a Report of Serious Injury or Fatality (or something like that). This is used for anyone who requires a hospital stay greater than 12 hours or the death of a Scout or Leader. The procedure is to notify the Scout Executive immediately after seeking medical care. It is his or her job to inform the family (in person). From there, a report has to be filled out, and the insurance company notified. These things will probably be done by the District/Council Executive, but the leaders present will probably be interviewed and possibly asked to write his or her own description of the incident. In short, all that the leaders need to do is find medical care and notify the council. If it were my troop, I would recommend that one of leaders who knows the parents well notify them, if the hospital hasn't done this already. It would probably be best to coordinate this with the physician and/or council rep/camp director (if at a council event). If the parents are going to the hospital, I would wait until they arrived and then tell them. I would also recommend that each leader write down his or her

Having worked at the camp waterfront for a few too many years, I saw a few speedos. They were usually worn by adult leader, but occasionally a scout would wear one. Those scouts tended to be competitive swimmers who were used to them, but some weren't (as a former competitive swimmer, I would occasionally wear one, so it's hard for me to criticize them for it). To be honest, we had more of a problem with boys wearing baggy suits that would fall off. In fact the last time I perused a swimming merit badge pamphlet, all the diagrams featured boys wearing speedos. Although my camp does not have a rule on female or male swimsuits (and I don't want to make one) I'd rather it require speedos for several reasons: 1. Less drag, which would probably help a few scouts complete their swim test or 150 yard swim (swimming mb) or 400 yard swim (lifesaving mb/bsa lifeguard). 2. Swimsuits wouldn't fall off, creating a much more immodest situation. 3. Most scouts would remove their swimsuit once they finish swimming, preventing the all too common rash I saw as health officer. 4. Form-fitting (tight, constrictive, revealing, bunchy, other appropriate adjective) trunks do exist, and are more prevalent at my camp than speedos are. Just a few thoughts from the wilds of Wisconsin. (This message has been edited by bluegoose)

In my time as health officer at summer camp, I ran across my share of diabetics. In addition to the things already said, make sure that his diabetes is noted on his health form, along with any medications he might be taking. If his insulin needs to be kept cold, let the health officer know. He or she will probably have a refrigerator to store pharmaceuticals, and in some states (e.g. Wisconsin) law dictates that medications must be stored in the health office. I'd advise calling the camp to find out what the menu is, since adjustments may be needed. It;s been said before, but I can't stress enough how important it is to get him a medic-alert bracelet or necklace. I'd recommend against a wallet card, since most camp medics won't be looking there, especially if it's in a backpack. Feel free to contact me about this or other camp health issues. peace always

Having been a camp health officer, this was something that I have a bit of experience in. First and foremost, talk to the your son's physician about the problem and possible treatments (drug-based and non). In addition to using absorbent pads/diapers, one thing our camp physician recommend was to have those boys drink some soup a while before bed, as the salt content usually decreases urination. Likewise, try to have him avoid fluids, especially caffiene and other direutics before bed. Just a note of caution, make sure the fluid restriction does not cause dehydration (a worse problem). Feel free to contact me more about this and/or other camp health related isssues. Best wishes and peace always.

Maybe it's just because I'm an English major and am taught to read into things and analyze them, that I think that the declaration of war is something of a satirical nature. From the way I understand it, he believes that many "conservative Christian pundits" believe that there is a war on Christmas. My guess is that this "war" is the way that some people want to have exclusive references to Christmas removed from public spaces. So why would he want to declare war on Christmas? One possibility is that he is one of the aforementioned pundits, and would like to prevent humilitiation of his fellows, by them being proved wrong (about the reality of a "war on Christmas.") Considering his new movie, I seem to think that this is not his motivation. Also, it would seem illogical to take a position of opposition to your fellows just to save [their] face. Rather, I believe that Mr. Flemming declared war on Christmas so that when the conservatives mention this "war" it directly relates to something trivial that most people will not take seriously (his declaration of war.) This thought brings up the question of why he would go through all this effort. My best guess is that he's trying to make the point that 'there is no "war on Christmas" and all people are trying to do by removing exclusive references to Christmas is create a free society.' What about the Boy Scout background? I can think of a few possibile reasons for why he is using it. Maybe he's trying to say that the BSA has declared war on Christmas. I don't think this is case, but it is possible. Another possibility is that he's trying to make people think that the BSA is a conservative Christian group and needs to become more diverse. I'm not sure how putting our symbols on his declaration accomplishes that though. Another thought that came to mind works directly with the 'there is no war' idea. Maybe Brian Flemming used to be a scout and through Scouting he came into contact with those from other religions and believes that Scouting fosters religious diversity and tolerance. Or maybe he has just observed this as an outsider. If this were the case, I would be led to the conclusion that the Scouting movement is part of the 'war' by promoting diversity and tolerance, which would explain why our symbols are used in his declaration. Just some food for thought. Any other ideas? Not being a Christian, it is rare that I quote Christmas poetry, but I think Henry Wadsworth Longfellow said it best: "...With peace on earth, good-will to men." Be safe, and may peace be with you always...

Methinks they did include the aforementioned "unless you're a total moron..." clause, worded as "A well regulated militia, being necessary to the security of a free state..." Last time I checked, all the folks who want to carry guns for personal protection/security did not constitute a "well regulated militia." But if you do feel that it is your civic duty to be part of this militia to defend your state and country, the National Guard is recruiting. And while I've never experinced this firsthand, my impression is that you'd be able to use fully automatic AR-15's, and M16/M4's without even having to upwards of $5000. From what my friend (Eagle scout and member of the Illinois National Guard) has said, they will even pay you to use those weapons, and provide extensive training to prevent accidents from occuring. As for the nomination of Mr. Alito, I support it. As much as I am in favor of diversity, I felt that Mrs. Miers was not qualified to sit on the supreme court, due to her lack in judicial experience. And Mr. Allen, I've saved more lives without a gun than Ted Kennedy has taken with a car. Constitutional text taken from the Legal Information Institue of Cornell University's School of Law. http://www.law.cornell.edu/constitution/constitution.billofrights.html#amendmentii

Camp Health Officer.

Being the current president of crew 477 (one of the two original crews in the corps) I know all of the original members and many of the people that created the idea. Our crew has since drifted away from using the Corps, but I would be happy to give you contact info for those people if you'd like. peace always...

In my lodge there are some people that believe that a dirty sash is one that shows that the wearer has done a significant amount of work. I can understand this, and as a firefighter we have a few customs similar to this. It's a long held superstition that cleaning one's helmet (except to apply stickers) will bring bad luck. It is also thought that the amount of dirt and grime that has accumulated on one's gear signifies how many fires he or she has been in. And while I do take part in these traditions, I also understand that some of them are not entirely truthful (as is the way with many traditions.) For this reason I understand why some people feel that cleaning a sash is not the proper thing to do. The other side of it is that some people believe that service is not about "...what you have done in the past, but what you are expected to do in the future." That service is not about wearing the sash, but rather about serving others when no one expects you to. So my thoughts on cleaning a sash is that it up the person wearing it, which may be influenced by local custom. But I do not think any less of an arrowman with a clean sash or a dirty one, or without on for that matter, for I believe that premise of the OA is cheerfully serving without being asked or recognized.

There is a section of NCS for camp health officers, as I enrolled in it today. As for what is covered, policies and procedures of the camp health office, medical training, and general scouting philosophy is planned. Right now I do not know what medical training will be given but my guess would be a first responder course, although it would be possible (albeit difficult) to conduct and EMT-B course. I can let you know more when I recieve more information from the region.

Funny, I seem to pick up (pun intended) a lot more girls in my firefighter's uniform...

A man walks into a bar with a giraffe. They both get pissed. The giraffe falls over. The man goes to leave and the bartender says, "Oi. You can't leave that lyin' there." And the man says, "No. It's not a lion. It's a giraffe."

I have a friend who did a similar project for his Eagle, and the cast was both scouts and non-scouts. Good luck!

I realize that saying this may cause many to not take my thoughts seriously, but I think all of you arguing about homosexuals in Scouting should watch the South Park episode "Cripple Fight." Once you get past the show's abundant use of profanity and political incorrectness, there are some very satirical thoughts about the issue. While you're at it, I'd also recommend watching "Something Wall-Mart This Way Comes." In case anyone was wondering, I'd much rather have homosexual leaders than untrained ones. So what's this I heard about a pertinent question...? peace always(This message has been edited by bluegoose)

Ms. Stevens, I visited your site and a few questions were raised in my mind. If he (Mr. Grey) has done nothing illegal, what will writing our senators and congressmen do? You also mentioned that you signed up for a number of christian forums to warn people, but all they did was criticize you for driving them to his site. Is this one of those christian forums? "What's stopping one of our children from ordering one of his t-shirts and wearing it to school?" I would certainly hope that you (the parents) are the ones stopping your children from wearing things that are offensive to you. So once "filth like this" is "admonished and trampeled from our god-fearing earth" will it still be around for the non christians (since obviously anyone who isn't christian doesn't believe in [the correct] god) to view? And one more thing, please, do not pray for me and that I may come to accept your beliefs. Having behind the support of those who believe in diversity and freedom, we answer your call for censorship and bigotry by saying: You shall not press down upon the brow of outsiders this crown of thorns, you shall not crucify mankind on a cross of intolerance!

Proud Eagle- Your answer is human nature. We cannot (or will not) just let it die because once something has been said, people have the desire to make their personal thoughts known. There have been other discussions that I think would be better if they were gone, but that is not the way of things. I am reminded of a person that I know who, when a bucket of wax caught on fire, he tossed water on it. His intent was to put the fire out, but as I'm sure many of you can guess, he only added fuel to it. For those of you who aren't aware, I am a very symbolic person, and many of my thoughts have a deeper meaning to them. I personally agree with Danmorelock, and feel that this piece of art (remember, the artist had artistic influence) can by of a symbolic and possible satirical meaning. Or it could be meant to be taken at face value. Or maybe both. I think the best way to find the answer would be to ask the creator. I welcome any thoughts that all of you might have. Remember, the price of freedom is that we carry not a shield, but only a sword. May peace be with you always...

may peace be with you all...

Being a staffer at Napowan(camp for another council in the Chicago area,) it is sad to see any camp closed. As was said by a camp staffer and good friend of mine "I've come to realize that Napowan (insert any name) really isn't a camp, it's a spirit, a minor tribute to all good things that can be looked back upon and relished...Napowan merely insists that you never forget its spirit, and what it did to you, how it molded you, how it connected you with both your own immortal soul, and the like-souls of the others there." Just a late night thought...(This message has been edited by bluegoose)