USAFgunner

Pretty sure your original post was about fat people in the scouts not about atheists or gays in the scouts. Regardless, you pretty much missed the point of my reply. Sure there are people that are overweight because they have bad diets or don't exercise nearly enough but there are those that have a reason for being overweight. The only reason I brought military service into it was to build up to the reason I am overweight. In another 6-8 months I will be back in my original form but you my friend will still be a bitter, ignorant individual who feels the need to attack people because they don't align themselves with your beliefs. Maybe instead of pushing for the scouts to conform to your views you should use all of the hostility and angst you have built up to do something positive like start your own organization where you can dictate what goes on in your club. I support the scouts decision to continue denying membership to people who are openly gay. That doesn't mean that I dislike all gay and lesbian people, it means I don't share their values. The scouts is a private organization which has the right to set expectations to membership and what behaviors bar entrance into the organization. I don't know you but with the attitude you have I don't believe you are suited to be anywhere around scouts. They have counselors available that are able to help you cope with your feelings of inadequacy and anger. I wish you the best! Thanks for the vote of confidence Eagle732! I am reviewing the merit badges to become a merit badge counselor for the trapper trails counsel. I believe the scouts is one place I can really pass on the knowledge I have gained in the military and make a difference in the training these boys receive. I believe the military's core values are closely aligned to the Boy Scouts core values. I agree that the scouts isn't a paramilitary organization. I understand that not everyone aspires to be in the military and it isn't my job to push them in that direction. Many of the skills I have learned in my career are skills that boy scouts require to rank up. The one area I do feel strongly about is respect to our nations flag. I will require our troop to show proper respect to the colors according to BSA regulations.

I had to register just to answer...first of all, you quoted the bible and spoke of gluttony. Who are you to cast judgement on someone. Last I checked that was gods job. Second, I am one of those guys you are talking about and not by choice. I just medically retired from the military because the burn pits of Iraq destroyed my lungs. Two hospitalizations with pneumonia and 8 months of prednisone steroids took their toll. I went from 205 to 305 in about 6 months. I went from running my mile and a half in 10:14, maxed push-ups and sit-ups. Both at 70 a piece in one minute. Yes I got huge! I work at getting back into a shape that isnt round and so far I am back down to 255. I can still bench 415 and am running my 1.5 mile in 13 minutes now. Sit-ups are a lot harder but I still do them. Point is, judging a book by its cover is never the best policy. You would look at me the same as any other overweight dad volunteering to help out at camp. I have lost a lot of faith in the Boy Scouts after attending a camp at camp bartlett in Idaho. Kids come back from merit badge classes no better off than before they went. We had a kid trying to teach the rest of the kids how to use a compass and failed miserably. Not because he didnt grasp it but because it wasnt taught right. I had to step in and help him teach our scouts correctly. Shooting and archery...what a joke! Kids bring their targets back and no sight corrections or guidance on how to improve. I had to do that too. I came in my uniform the first day to camp because I got off work and drove up. I made it in time for flag retreat. I had some scout master tell me that I wasnt wearing a BSA approved hat and I must take my hat off and hold my hand over my heart. And this was while the flag was coming down. Didnt know talking was part of the position of attention...Seriously!? A military member would never take their hat off and put their hand over their heart. Unimpressed with the bearing and discipline these boys had when respecting this flag. None of them formed up, they moved at the position of attention and dropped salutes when their arms got tired. 35 scout troops and not one could get it right...not even a little bit. Well we will be working on properly forming up and standing at ease or at attention. So yeah I am one of those fat guys but not for long. However I stood in those shoes and I have a whole new respect for what these guys and girls go through. Maybe instead of castigating these people you could mentor them and push them along to try to present a proper boy scout image. I guarantee this future scout leader can still ruck march for miles with a 100 pound pack, land nav using a compass, grid map and pace cord without getting lost and shoot with the best of them. Maybe you would be best suited worrying about your own bubble before you step into someone elses. My take, BSA should ban ignorant people with ignorant ideas. Josh(This message has been edited by USAFgunner)