OldGreyEagle

If you aren't on MYSPACE.COM, you are so way behind

I am not sure how something universally known as the "Theory of Evolution" could be taught as fact, but then I havent been everywhere so I guess it could happen

I am not so sure I would hold up the 700 Club as the spokesman for contemporary Christian thought any more than I would hold up the thoughts of all scouters are represented on this forum or that either Nancy Pelosi OR George W Bush speaks for all Americans

"You see, ya can't please everyone, so ya got to please yourself" Ricky Nelson I think the Beaver has it right

I wouldnt let the turkeys of the world get you down, whether in reality or in the Cyber world. You can try to explain you didnt see anything wrong with saying it was a holiday party because you thought a few jewish people could be comming. In the end, it doesnt matter because if one wants to be offedned then one will. You shopped, cooked and poured your heart and soul into this. Enjoy it and let the turkeys squawk BTW, you could always invite the offended dad to host next years Christmas party and have him do it the way he wants, I wonder what his response will be?

Actually not everyone can wear a red beret with the panache and self confidence one needs to pull it off. those who can't wear one, shouldnt and leave wearing them to those of us with the requisite sense of style

Well, I will try this again. Actually, I don't know when the "i" in Christmas became a "short" i as in pig instead of the long i sound in Christ. But the word Christmas is a contraction of the phrase Christ Mass. To wish someone a Merry Christ Mass, was to wish them to be happy and enjoy the Mass on December 25th, the day we celebrate Jesus's birth. There is another puzzlement, Christmas is not the most important holiday in the Christian calender, I can think of another holiday much more important and perhaps another at least as important and as far as I can tell, no one has attacked those holidays.

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I would have Boys Life announce a contest to have its readers design a new boy scout uniform. Give it 4-6 months. Then, have an advisory board glean it down to 5-7 choices which would have "samples" made and then photographs of the "finalist uniforms" being worn by real scouts in real situations would run in Boys Life, with either a toll free number to call or an email address to respond to or something like that and have the boys vote for their favorite (it is a boy run organization right? ) The winner, and designer are presented in a couple of months and we have a new uniform, chosen by the youth. Now, a few Caveats, whatever the uniform, there will be objections to it, there will always be claims that aany of the other designs would have been better so controversey will still be present, there will be people who will say, I didnt vote for it, so its not my uniform and elect not to wear it, or do a version of it, then again, thats just my opinion, I could be wrong

Well, since the college football season is almost over and ESPN has on collge basketball (I could ask where is the attraction to that) I am watching ESPN2's coverage of the Bassmasters. How does fishing figure in? Creatures die, children are encouraged to participate, is this the same as hunting?

how about a what if? Man is a part of the world, man is not made but born just as all mamals, perhaps the "natural" order of things is to have man become the primary predator. Perhaps in time man will lose his status as the prime predator, what do we know about what is natural when we live in nature?

the desire to hunt or not to hunt is a viseral deep rooted emotion I find akin as to why some one would love the World Series Champion White Sox and others the crummy loser cubs.

"Reasons dont really matter. Scoutmaster is a volunteer" Didnt know being a volunteer meant you could be a total jerk and still not have to be responsible for your actions

My father was raised on a farm in rural depression Maine. Many times if the game wasnt shot, there was no meat, and not just that night. The smoker and salter was used until there was enough meat for spring and summer as well. What? Eat the livestock? Cant do that boy, where do you think the money for those shoes you are so fond of wearing comes from? Anyway, the time I spent hunting with my father are some of the most precious I have of my childhood. When he was hunting, he was a different person, he wasnt just "dad'anymore, he was a living game finder, totally alert and aware of his surroundings. He could see things at 100 yards I never could. He would talk about hunts of his childhood, taking a canoe along the Kennebec north of The Forks and packing down 2-3 deer, nice sized yearlings you know, dont want them big bucks, too tough, them yearlings you can cut their loins with a fork. Rabbit hunts accomplished by kicking them out of their brush piles and chasing them down. Yes, I said chasing them down. When there is 12 inches or more of fresh powder and you have snowshoes and can run over the top on the snow, while the rabbit sinks down and has to leap out of the snow, he tires easily. I am not sure I beleive that, but it does sound like it may work with deep enough snow and we are talking Maine. Anyway, I loved hearing the stories Stories told around a campfire or the cook stove, out away from the phone which might call him to work at anytime, out away from my sister and younger brother, out where my dad was mine. Yeah, hunting attracts me. In some communities hunting is seen as an adult right of passage a tradition handed down from generation to generation. I may have a Rockwellian view of hunting, but when I hunt I join my father, and the boy who was my father and the generations past. As far as how the deer take it I leave to Miss Mona Lisa Vito's captivating description(This message has been edited by OldGreyEagle)

I have often heard the phrase "deliver the promise" or "delivering the promise" used by scouters, I would ask those who balk at training, "How can you deliver a promise if you don't know what the promise it?"

I am wondering how having boy scouts in a Boy Scout Troop being in a Venture Patrol (part of a boy scout troop)would have any bearing on the Venturing Crew numbers of a District or Council, but that may be besides the point. On topic, I join the chorus of scouters chagrined at the situation. It is indeed unfortunate this has occured. Its not standard practice, but sometimes the only power people feel they have is the ordering about of scouts, and they do so with relish. While a scoutmaster may remove a scout from a positon of responsibility, it is the last resort after having numerous counseling sessions, goal setting meetings and roses and thorns sessions.

As a camp school trained shooting sports director, I know of no restrictions on boy scouts other than they have to shoot .22 rifles and shotguns, have 1:1 instructors on the shotguns and cant shoot pistols. Venturing Crews may shoot pistols and any caliper gun that is safe for the range used. Having said that, I can see how an adult could be a little leery about having a 90lb 12 year old shoot a 12 gauge. Common sense (that all to rare commodity) should be used here. A scout could use a 16, 20 or .410 and not end up on his backside)

Brother GWD has it right. With NRA or like level instructor, Boy Scouts may shoot shotguns or .22 rifles. With shotgun, it should be noted that BSA requires a one to one student/instructor ratio

"The relevance of learning outdoors skills is on par with learning Latin? Jeesh!" Maybe you are funnin' me, I don't know but I will try again. The outdoor method is the framework in which the program takes place. Its not necessarily the skills that are taught, but the goals that are acoomplished that builds the skills needed for adult life. For example, in the Council I serve there is a model rail road Venturing Crew. They use the model rail road framework to deliver their program The advisor was telling me about the satisfaction he gets in seeing a new member who is scared to turn the setuo on grow in confidence as he helps assemble a display, learns how to wire, program, build, plan and design a new set up. Kids who couldnt barely plug into a 120 outlet learn to do "magical" things. Are these life skills? Maybe not, but they are sucessful experiences that build a foundation for confidence in later years. "Bobby Knight uses basketball." I thought he used fear and intimidation to obtain winnig scores Well, first of all I didnt say, nor did I imply Bobby Knight used the same methods or I agreed with them .

To teach young people to make ethical choices over their lifetime by instilling in them the values of the scout oath and law? Scouting uses the outdoor method as a framework for its program. Knute Rockne used and JoePa (Joe Paterno for you non-Pa's) uses football as their framework to acheive virtually the same end. Bobby Knight uses basketball, John Wooden used basketball to teach life skills to atheletes. They all talk about teaching values, lessons and confidence. In the end, the result is supposed to be the same, mature adults who have values and skills to apply in modern life. Why do schools teach latin, its tough to hold a conversation in it. Why earn a liberal arts degree in an increasing technical society, is it the knowledge that is the key or the skills aquired to handle the information that is the benefit?

How about if: Whenevre you camp, a patrol is assigned to construct a flag pole, to do this they will need to lash two poles together and use taut line hitches to secure the guide line to support the pole. Here you have lashing, a clove hitch, and a taut line hitch. Then there is the handy camp gadget that must be done for rank advancement. Why not a troop tradition of having a "towel stand" in front of every tent and hanging from it a sign designating who is in the tent. Having a contest on which patrol can take scrapes of rope and make the longest rope would use the sheet bend. Modern equipment has taken away the "normal" uses of knots. At the 2001 Jamboree we found ourselves in a flood plain. We had to jam all our wall tents in 1/3 of the normal space. The scouts said they couldnt keep the tents up as ropes were too long. After I taught them the sheep shank, they were fine. I guess you lose it if you dont use it but then its up to us to help them find situations to use it. And yes, this thread isnt all on knots. First Aid is another not always used skill, but still quite handy when you need it. Then again, its really tough to teach leadership if you dont have a context in which to teach the leadership

I think we should define what is meant by a tweak, is requring a boy to earn the pioneering merit badge to make Eagle in your troop a tweak? it does require advanced scoutcraft skills. Is having the troop elect the SPL and then also elect the ASPL a tweak? Is requiring a scout to do knots at a BOR or scoutmaster conference a tweak? One man's tweak may be viewed by another as total desertion of the program, just what is meant by tweak?

How can you have a patrol leader who is not solid in scoutcraft skills? Are these skills not reinforced by doing and teaching them? If you have scouts who are weak in scoutcraft skills, address your program. I think the scoutcraft skills are a given.

Tough spot and welcome. I also come from a large troop, about 70 scouts. We have plenty of ADD and ADHD scouts as well. For summer camp, the pediatrician Committee chair has two full size foot lockers, one for her stuff, the other for the prescriptions. Then we have our three "walker boys" Three scouts who duw to various ailments need either a walker or arm crutches to move around. One of them was elected as SPL a few years back and is just a few merit badges short of Eagle. To include your scout you could have him lead a game of steal the bacon having him shout out the numbers or make up large flash cards with the numbers on the and he randomly pulls them out of a box. Or, depending on his sense of balance, you have him stand in the middle of the room he has a rope and starts spinning it in a circle, the troop is arranged around him and must jump over the rope. All he has to do is spin, and when he feels something hit the rope he stops and the person(s) touched by the rope are out. SOmetimes we tie a pillow in the end of the rope to help it spin. You might also challenge the scouts to come up with a game that includes the scout, they could surprise you with the results

Ed, I can accept your feeling that its not worth the effort as long as you can accept the excuse its not worth the effort yourself. (This message has been edited by OldGreyEagle)