OldGreyEagle

Use a 16" softball

The troop I serve had a scout on staff for a summer a few years back. He earned about 20 merit badges amoung which were lifesaving, canoeing, environmental science, reptile study, mammal study and a whole bunch more. He found the counselors, asked about requirements and worked on the badges during his scant free time, but 8 weeks later he had more than a few. The following Fall Court of honor was considered his "day" he was going up so often to get a badge they asked him just to stay up in the front to save time. His Eagle court was pretty well attended as well

If a scouter is to follow the scout law, and the first tenet of that scout law is to be trustworthy, and the BSA then has a policy that prohibits a parent from being a meritbadge counselor, it would be saying ok we know you parents can't be trusted. If the parent cant counsel their son, why should a scoutmaster be allowed to be in the same troop as their son. After all, we know scoutmaster's s decisions effect scout's advancement, so parents shouldnt be scoutmasters, then a Committee Chair probably shouldnt have a son in the Troop, or any committee member as well. Heck, I dont think any scout should know any adult involved in the troop, after all, adults arent to be trusted. OK OK OK. maybe I went over the top, but perhaps hyerbole is a useful device at times, A scout and scouter is trustworthy

I always like to stop at the Bass Pro Shop just north of the DFW Airport entrance, then of course you drive the length of the grounds to the car rental return near the south entrance, I liked it better when they had two places to return cars

Perhaps I will be thinking I should have stood in bed, but before we go down the road of By-Laws, no By-laws, can we define what a By-law is and its use. I think we have a confusion of the term By-Law and we dont need to argue semantics with all the other things we argue about (Note, that was not an anti-semantical remark, if you wish to, ok, but I rather you wouldnt)

In the troop I serve, Eagle Courts of Honor are generally held on sunday afternoons in the church. Thats by tradition (no, its not a by-law). We have had Eagle courts in the home churches of the boys on different days, but the Troop has the philosophy has been its the Boys day and he gets to plan and hold it any place he wishes. No one has ever asked to do it at a meeting, its a special day, it deseves a special circumstance

See, since there is no BSA rule against having parents be a counselor, and the Scoutmaster CANT make that rule, my suggestion would be to strike that by-law as its against BSA regs. I have an idea we can get rid of most if not all your by-laws, run another one by us.

The way I see it, it would only have been a problem if he asked for "more" In the Troop I serve the first agenda point of Committee meetings is the SPL item. If need be, and only if need be, the SPL presents topics and then then the items he presents over, he leaves. That way there is no out of placeness (sp?) and he doesnt hear things he shouldnt. BTW, hacimsaalk12 if you ever attend another meeting, remember, they work for you.

We have discussed the spiral scouts here before, at least its one group we dont have to tell, "if you dont like the BSA, start your own organization..."

taking? heck, I am presenting!

Ed, I have to tell you I was outright flabbergasted, flummoxed and totally confused when you said the methods were not required. I couldnt beleive you didnt think that they were the cornerstones of the Boy Scout program, that they arent required. Maybe I should have rephrased the quesiton to what do you think is required in the Boy Scout program? I want to understand what you are saying, PM me if you wish

As I know there are female Philmont Rangers, cant you request a female ranger for your trek who would double as the adult female, (if she is over 21 of course) in other words call Philmont!

I double posted, but what the heck, if you dont use the methods, what do you do?(This message has been edited by OldGreyEagle)

Fuzzy, I think I understand what you are saying, then again maybe not. I cant tell you how surprised I was when I read Ed's comment on the uniform line that the methods werent required and now again in this thread that the methods arent required. I dont know how to do boy scouting without the methods, if saying that makes me fodder for the funniest dad in America, then sign me up.

I am not sure about the statistics, so in a remarkable display of restraint I wont make them up. But I want the reader to consider how many sports there are on a club level, and I include little league baseball in there, then out of that group, how many get to play varsity level in High School and then how many get to play at Varsity level in college, let alone get a scholraship for it and then how many actually get to play at a major league level. Whether NFL, NBA, MLB, I would even include NFL Europe and the Continental League. At age thirty, forty, fifty, what are these guys doing, talking about how they reeled off 6 touchdowns or went 4 for 5 at the plate in their 19th birthday? But at 55 you can be hiking Philmont, paddling the Northern Tier, snorkeling the Keys and have had a thousand other adventures all because of a love of scouting instilled as a youth and most importantly givng back to a program thay gives us, the participnats so much

As far as I can tell, the ACLU has never decided a case in court. Thats the job of the judge. The ACLU doesnt "change" things, its the court decision, as rendered by the judge of that case that changes things. At times some will say that the judge only made that decision because the ACLU brought suit, which is to me like saying we all knew it was wrong, but as long as no one said anything, we were fine with it.

Ok, Ed doesn't seem to think the Methods of Scouting are required, who agrees or disagrees or Ed, do I have your stance wrong?

"If you build it they will come" which also makes the the reverse also true, if you don't build it well (as in have a program the boys want) then they wont come. District and Council events supplment the unit program, they are not the unit program

As I have often said, I think we are all Bozo's on this bus

If a married couple only couns as one person, which sex is the one person? You mean a husband and wife can't take the venture crew out on an oevrnight(co-ed) because they are only one person? And if the husband and wife team are joined by a male adult. Does that make the wedded pair female? and if joined by a female adult, the pair spontaneously changes to male? Is the marital status of the adult leaders addressed in any BSA publication?

"But what is truth? Is truth unchanging law? We both have truths-are mine the same as yours?" Pilate to Jesus Jesus Christ Superstar

As a survivor of the Sub Camp 3 flooing diaster, I think it was just "rain" that kept Bush away, I think it was more like a tropical monsoon!

As a church going catholic and attendee of St Charles Borromeo Seminary in Lockport Illinois 1967-1970 I am well aware of the nature and history of the catholic church. The comment made, rivals to me, the following: Why don't the Greek Orthodox get with the times and use the "real" calender, the rest of the christian world does. Why do some of the Jewish faith still follow the Kosher laws, they have to be out of date. Why cant the LDS chuch find a role for women in its Church, isnt it time I find them all equally offensive

"How interesting would a forum on "Issues and Politics" be if you could only enter if you agreed with everyone. What would a typical thread be then? "Topic: Scouting is Good". Followed by 4 pages of "I agree"? "" Well actually if BobWhite posted Scouting is Good, I know one poster who would try his darnest to disagree and say he loves scouts as well!

I may have to expnad my concept of a BSA Accedited Troop to include Accedited Districts, then of course would it would follow Districts and then, Dang, what a cycle! What ever happened to just following the rules of the group you joined ?