OldGreyEagle

oh you scamp, trying to cause problems? I wanted to see what the response would be. A few months back the flag was on the wrong side of the speaker during Roundtable, I was uncomfortable looking at the flag on the wrong side and got up and moved it. My thought was not to disturb the meeting, but just to move it. I can tell you that when I went to sit back down, it was with few applause and I was told it bothered others and they saluted the courage I showed to make it right. I figure we as Boy Scouts with Citizenship as one of our three Aims should know and practice the correct way of displaying the flag. I would not want to be in a room with a mal-positioned flag and have someone walk in and have them point out that the flag was wrong and how come this bunch of Boy Scouts didnt know how to display the flag. I guess I would place having a mal positioned flag as the same as if we were watching porno in our uniforms. I dont think it is something Boy Scouts should do and if I emarrassed someone, perhaps now they will learn and follow the Flag code, its not that hard

C'mon now, every scout should know his scat...

A few years back or so I was traveling for business in Tennessee and came upon the University of the South in Sewanee, Tn. I stopped to read the road side sign telling about the school and on the historical marker, state supported I guess ,it made reference to the damage done to the school during the War of Northern Agression. I had never seen that phrase used in anything official before. Later that evening when asked if I wanted my iced tea regular or yankee, I took mine sweet, diabetes be damned, I had enough on my plate with my Chicago accent going on

Wasn't explaining the program one of the responsibilities of the Parent Co-ordinator?

Like OMG, wearing your pants so low you see the boxers is like so 90's man, (like gag me with a spoon (like thats so 80s, y'know))

WOW, so many diferrent concepts in one thread, and all related at that! I think Woodbadge developed into its present form out of necessity. Not only do Scoutmasters and assistant Scoutmasters need advanced training, so do Cubmasters, Den Leaders, District Advancement Committe members and Chairs and District Chairs and the rest also need training. As I understand things, the Woodbadge curriculum was changed to be administrative in tone to address the issues scout leaders from the den leader to the Council Commissioner might face. Now, we can argue whether or not thats a good idea, but thats what we have. An administrative oriented program. When I took 21rst Century Woodbadge, it was a rehash of a lot of stuff I had seen and heard in Grad school and leadership seminars, but not all scouters have been to grad school or attended Leadership Seminars, Woodbadge seeks to give everyone the same vocabulary, which is why NYLT models Woodbadge, or is it Woodbadge that models NYLT? Anyway, they use the same terminology which is great. And all graduates have the same background What apparently is missing is what is known as scoutcraft, woodcraft, outdoorsmanship, those kind of skills that are not second nature to an adult anymore. How to swing and ax, how much wood equals a cord, how to start a fire etc. So, how about a division of sorts? The BSA keeps the Woodbadge for the 21rst Century curriculum and renames it the Ernest Thompson Seton award, maybe its a knot or a maybe something else, its open. Then it takes the term and symbol of Woodbadge, the axe and log and the beads and turns it into an all out woods skill class. 5 ways to start a fire without a match, cooking a meal from stuff found in the wild, and the local 7-11 doest count as wild no matter how late at night you shop there. We keep the Administrative course, but name it after the first Boy Scout Administrator (I hope I am correct with that) and Have Woodbadge be about scoutcraft skills. And the passion in training the first levels of scouting with that of Woodbadge is a very good idea(This message has been edited by oldgreyeagle)

I am a little put out by something and I want some reactions: I am always late for the District Committee meetings. The meetings begin on a night I have a standing company conference call and cannot beg off from the call. The call starts at 7PM and the District Meeting starts at 7:30PM. I come to meeting as soon as the call is over but am usually 45-60 minutes late. Last time I walk into the room where the meeting is being held and the tables are in a square shape, as I sit down I notice the American flag is to the left of the Committee Chair, the person running the meeting. I tried to ignore that the flag was in the wrong position but it bothered me to the point that I got up and changed it and sat back down. Nothing was said at the time, although I did get some smiles and nods of what I took as approval when I sat down. I didnt say anything, I just moved the flag to where it should have been. I just got an Email from the Committee chair who thinks it was inappropriate that I moved the flag in the manner I did and has asked me not to do so in the future. I am aghast. It seems not embarrasing the person who placed the flag incorrectly is more important that flag protocol. Had I placed the flag inncorrectly, I would have been humiliated if it was wrong, but I would not be anngry at the person who corrected it, but at myself for doing wrong in the first place. I am rather unsettled at the moment, what do you guys think? What do you think? (This message has been edited by oldgreyeagle)

Whoa there again Big Fella, lets review what I said first I posted "I will observe LNT as far as fires and cooking and the reast goes, but clothing and equipment? I want to be seen " And that was met with some degree with derision then I posted "If I am in a public campsite and there are people around other than the troop, we will adhere to lights out and all the quiet rules they have, if we are alone, we will scream as loud as possible." then "I will walk on prepared surface first, cook on a stove, only build fires in established fire circles. I will pack in and pack out whatver is required. I will leave my campsite better than when I found it, or at least as pristine as I found it" And I am singled out as the rule breaker? I should have some witty report here, but words fail me, if my thoughts on LNT make me part of the reason naturalists detest boy scouts, I guess that's their problem(This message has been edited by oldgreyeagle)

every now and then on Ebay they have in the scouting section a swastika emblazoned boy scout medal, ring, token, whatever from the pre-Hitler days. It seems the swastika has been around humans for some 3,000 years. Usually mening good luck or fortune. But in modern times, the swastika has a much differnt meaning than it has for 2,900 years or so. If video of the troop makes it to Youtube, how many viewing it will have the erudition required to distinguish between the Stars and Bars meaning of the Civil War and how its used today?(This message has been edited by oldgreyeagle)

Minor Hijack Quick, somebody remind me how Girl Scouts are so much more inclusive than the BSA Hijack off

Get some solid Carbon Dioxide (Dry Ice), place the ice cream container packed with the Dry Ice in an Air Tight (preference would be a CO2 tight container, but I don't know the realitive size of the carbon dioxide molecule)Cooler and don't have anyone open it until the contents are needed. And oh yeah, test this before the event, it should, emphasis on the "should" work

GWD, from the pictures off the Troop's website I thought it was because of the ingenue-esque quality that you bring to the outdoors

I as well am of the 7Am crowd, for awhile thought that 7am was pretty standard. To those who get up at 6 or even dawn, I guess I would point to the Outdoor Code and ask if they would be considerate and not make noise so as to disturb their neighbors. Now, if you are alone, clang away,

Between the Oversleeper Thread and the Adults who don't get to Sleep, I have to ask, when do the troops typically get up? At unit Camp outs, and then at District/Council campouts?

I am not so sure we should be telling adults when they should sleep as much as we want adults who are courteous, and modeling the scout Law (I saw that already and wanted to reiterate. I dont care if you want to talk til dawn, just don't keep me up with your noise and I will promise to be 300 feet from your campfire. I think we can all agree to that

It may be that the slogan was not devised to be popular with the youth, but with the mothers...

it is similar to Sports managers/Coaches. Some Coaches are sucessful because they know how to get the best out of each player, they coax the ones who need coaxing, cajole the one who need cajoling, kick in the butt the ones who need a good butt kicking. All the time measuring what each personality needs with what movivates them the best. The problem is, there are only a handful of these guys in the Country and the best ones have jobs, as NFL, MLB, or NBA coaches and managers. Experience is good, knowing your youth, knowing the family, all of these things are good, but "getting to" each kid may be a goal beyond everyone's reach, we do what we can and always try to improve

A few years back, my son and I did some backpacking around Yellowstone and the Grand Tetons. They make you watch a video before picking up your Back Country permit, mostly the video talks about how to keep from attracting bears. One of the ponts was to make noise to "scare" bears or at the very least alert them to your approach. I guess we need to tell the National Park Service that they aren't LNT enough, we would rather have hikers move with stealth through the woods and stumble upon bears than make noise and allow them time to take off. Whats wrong with being quiet in the woods? Nothing, neither is not being quiet in the woods and I will not spend the entire hiking with the sign up to remind the youth to keep quiet

Hold on here, in a recent thread there was a call to bring back campfires, and no, not necessarily bon fires one can see from the Space Station, but Sing Along, Skits littered and song heavy Campfires and now, we are going to say that to much noise in the back country is bad? If I am in a public campsite and there are people around other than the troop, we will adhere to lights out and all the quiet rules they have, if we are alone, we will scream as loud as possible. Its really surprising how LNT, a principle more in step with the thinking of Left Wing Tree Hugging Environmetal Whackos is so readily accepted into an organization that seems to lean quite conservtive and almost reactionary. People are going to tell me what color to wear? What color my equipment has to be? Whats nex, I have to wear only approved colors and speak using approved words? I will walk on prepared surface first, cook on a stove, only build fires in established fire circles. I will pack in and pack out whatver is required. I will leave my campsite better than when I found it, or at least as pristine as I found it. But, I guess the noise thing and the color scheme is where I draw the line.

The troop I serve foes year round, now, in the summer when youth will be on a staggered schedule with family vacations and other camps, we do meetings on the first and third Thursday rather than every Thursday but we still run events, except fr July, thats summer camp month

And here I thought it was "Perception is Reality", I think the Red beret is cool ergo it is, for me For you the red beret ranks 11 on a 10 point Dorkometer What a country

The question is Ed, once the footbaths are installed, may only Muslims use them? If you and I are comming back from Philmont and are in that airport on a layover and wish to cool our aching feet in a foot bath, are we prohibited from using the foot bath because we are both Christians? If the answer is yes, then there is an issue. But, if anyone can use the footbath, then its not an issue. Well, one could question why a footbath was installed when there are other places to spend public money, but look at the sport edifices built in Pa with public money

"I am a victim of the beret!" So, I take it you are a glass half empty kind of guy, you could just as well state "I am immortalized because of the beret" and have the same story Life depends so much on which knothole we choose to view

never quite understood the desire to go tramplig through the woods in camo, unless turkey hunting or bow deer hunting, but for just hiking? Why do I want to blend ala Cousin Vinnie? When I joined the troop I joined, there was another father who joined about the same time. He always wore brilliant, fluoerescent jakets, shells and sweatshirts. I asked him where he got his colorful wardrobe from and he said he was a member of a Search and Rescue Squad and one of the first rules in Search and Rescue is not to get lost yourself. If I ever have to go out and look for a "confused" scout, I want him to see me and I want to be seen by all who are looking for the first person. If I trip or go down for any reason, I dont want to blend into the forest. My tents are bright, again, so a confused scout might spor them form a greater distance than if they blended in with the environment. I will observe LNT as far as fires and cooking and the reast goes, but clothing and equipment? I want to be seen

Bulldog, thats not the point. if there was a Atheist youth organization and it was renting a building in Philly for a dollar a year, would you have a problem with it when the going rent for such space is $200,000 a year? Its not the BSA's position on Atheists that rile Merlyn, its the BSA saying they are a private organization and then acting as if they are a public accomodation and expect preferential treatment from the government when we know we have rules that can't be bent, Well, maybe BSA's membership do rile Merlyn, but he has repeatedly said we can have our private membership, private organization rules all we want, just don't expect use of public facilities at a discount no one else can get. Anyway, I think I have it down, I am sure if wrong, Merlyn will correct me