OldGreyEagle

Facebook, MySpace, other communication programs are, well, the communication programs of the 21rst Century. Their use is as good or bad as the people using the system, gee, that could extend over to a lot of tings, couldnt it?

I find it hard to have adults deliver the promise of scouting when they don't know what the promise is. When my son was very young, he played T-ball and I was an assistant coach. All Coaches, Assistant or head, had to attend a 8 hour rules session. OK, it wasn't all rules, a lot was organizatinal stuff, protective equipment, that sort of stuff. Required every year and no one complained. The same with soccer, the league had a one day "Coaches" Clinic, you wanted to coach, you were there. Why would we entrust the best youth program the country has going with people who don't have the time to learn what the best youth program the country has is?

Actually I have been to a few Executive Board Meetings where it looed like the Gunny had just been there...

HICO, I hope you don't mind me calling you by your first name, I see you are from Colorado, it may be that skills and outdoor experience that you consider second nature does not translate to every one in the country. A few summer camps ago I was in the Troop's ax yard splitting wood because I enjoy it. In a short period of time, I had quite the audience, gallery even. All out side the ax yard of course. When I realized I was center of their interest, I asked why they were watching me. The reply? They had never seen anyone split wood before, I mean really split wood, swinging an ax and maing kindling and fire wood from tree trunks. It just doesnt happen in the suburbs, or Urbs even. I grew up swinging an ax for fire wood, many of my peers in the troop nevr touched an ax until they were adult scouters. I can see having to have the manditory training, but then I can also see being able to "competency out" (hmm, a way to get around manditory training, only in scouts)

you gotta love it, from Lil'Abner to Hamlet, I am sure Al Capp would be pleased and The Bard amused

I realize the scout was being neat, but are we talking about going underneath the shooting bench to pick up unshot shells, or going over the endline to be considered "down-range" to pick up un-shot shells?

To be fair, these are the Jamboree Qualifications taken from the BSAJamboree web site: Boy Scouts and Varsity Scouts must be at least First Class Scouts. They must have completed the sixth grade or be at least 12 years of age by July 1, 2010, but not have reached their 18th birthday by August 4, 2010 If you son will be 12 by the first of July 2010 or out of sixth grade he will be old enough to go to the Jamboree. Of course that means he will also have to earn First Class in a year, which is possible, but it does add pressure if you have money and/or effort down on a trip that you may not get back if he doesnt make the rank. The Troop I serve does not invite Webelos to fundraising events, then again we don't have many of them either.(This message has been edited by OldGreyEagle)

Saw an old favorite movie this afternoon, "Lil Abner". One of the best scenes is when Lil Abner and Marryin' Sam come back from Washington DC, they sing: Them city folks and friends Are pretty much alike Though they ain't used to living in the sticks We don't like stone or cement But we is in agreement When we get started talking politics The country's in the very best of hands The best of hands The best of hands The treasury says the national debt Is climbing to the sky And government expenditures Have never been so high It makes a fellow get a Gleam of pride when they decide To see how our economy expands The country's in the very best of hands The country's in the very best of hands The best of hands The best of hands You oughtta hear the senate When their drawing up a bill Where asses and dimwits are crowded in each codicil Such legal terminology Would give your heart a thrill There's phrases there that no one understands The country's in the very best of hands The building boom, they say Is getting bigger every day And when I asked a feller How could everybody pay He come up with an answer That made everything okay Supplies are getting greater than demands The country's in the very best of hands Don't you believe them congressmen And senators are dumb When they run into problems That is tough to overcome They just declare something They call the moritorium The upper and the lower house disbands The country's in the very best of hands Fox Motors is connected to the nominee The nominee's connected to the treasury When he ain't connected to the treasury He sits around on his thigh bone He sits around in his fancy car This big congressional parking lot Just sits around on the you know what 'Cause there they calls it their thigh bone Them bones, them bones Gonna rise again Gonna excercise a franchise again Gonna tax us up to our eyes again When he gets them off of their thigh bone The country's in the very best of hands The best of hands The best of hands The farm bill should be Eight-nine percent parrity And all their fellow recommends It should be mound at three But eighty, ninety-five percent who cares about degree It's parrity that no one understands The county's in the very best of hands Them GOP's and Democrats Each hates the other one They's always criticizing How the country should be run But neither tell the public What the others gone and done As long as no one knows Where no one stands The country's in the very best of hands They sits around and just place their assets Where folks in congress has always sat Just sits around on their excess bag Up there they calls it their thigh bone They sits around till they starts to snore Jumps up and hollers I has the floor Then sits right down where they sats before Up there they calls it their thigh bone Them bones, them bones Gonna cross again So dignified and so wise again While the budget doubles in size again When it gets them off of their thigh bone The country's in the very best of hands The best of hands The best of hands The money that they taxes us That's known as revenues They compound up collaterals Subtracts the residue Don't worry about the principal And interest it encrues They're shipping all that stuff to foreign lands The country's in the very best of hands You know, Vasudeva was right, the more things change, the more they remain the same (This message has been edited by OldGreyEagle)

Well, its on to Resolute on Thursday afternoon, Anyone else going to be there?

" (although who on the East Coast is going to travel 3 hours for training?)," For BBBBOOOYYY SCOUT TRAINING SIR! Actually on this comming Thursda April 2, 2009 I am headed to Camp Resolute for Camp Schhol. I will be driving about 5 hours to recertify as a Shooting Sports Rangemaster. I have often been critical of the BSA for offering certain types of training only at Philmont, if there was an East coast location, within 3 hours? heck within 8 hours, I would partake

SOrry if this is a hijack, but I have to point out that the BSA has not said in any way I know that Scouts are not to demonstrate or have the skills that the badges they wear indicate. If a scout does not have the skill his ranl would presume he should have, it is not the BSA's fault. The blame lies in the unit that either did not teach the skill in the first place, or taught it and then never challenged the scout to use that skill again. Lets not blame the BSA for individual failings

Catholic isn't a label, I tend to think of it more as a sobriquet

Sorry pack, I didnt know I had a fan base to consider. I read what Beavah had to say and dashed off a quick retort to his what-I-had-considered-insult to Catholics. Then I reread it and slapped my forehead and thought OH, I misunderstood what was written and went and removed my post. As a moderator I can do that and have on occassion thought better of a post and removed it. Don't worry about me abusing being a moderator, I have had PM's from forum members asking me to remove posts they made and then thought better of So I censored myself, But wait, if I censor myself, am I not depriving me of my right to free speech? So, in that vein, I need not, nay I must not curtail any expression of any emotion at all, everything I think, feel, or experience MUST be uttered/posted as to do otherwise is an affront to the expression of free thought/speech. There is no need to choice words wisely as to do so inhibits the freedom of expression. I think I may have something here

I spent some 3 years in a Roman Catholic Seminary, St Charles Borromeo in Lockport Il, its in the Diocese of Joliet. I am still a practising Roman Catholic and I have to say the Church I studied and continue to study and belong to is a might different than the one you describe, but que sera, sera

its so much easier to hate "treasonous scum" than to take the time to understand an alternative view point. It is so much easier to say, "You Liberals/Conservatives are all a bunch or morons and mental midgets" then it is to communicate with someone who has a different belief system. It does require both sides are open to discussion and the current talking points are eschewed and thoughts must be put in ones own words and not phrases or labels exhaled.

A tug of war can go both ways...

But perfect communism is the perfect government. The Early Christians, lived in such a system. They took care of each other leading other to proclaim "see how these Christians love one another". The wealthier took care of those less fortunate, the driving force for the those who took, rather than gave, was to work towards a day when they would be giving as well. Those who had wealth were the first to demonstrate Servant Leadership, they took care of each other, don't say Pure Communism doesnt work, it has worked, just not recently.

And there is the rub, you yourself said you were a "classical liberal," but by no means a "modern liberal". So a single label didnt work for you. You needed a modifier. So, while liberal, you are a classical liberal and not modern at all. How long before you feel the need to add a second adjective to your ideology? And then another Until you have a sentence? Where does a label stop and a phrase start? A sentence? BTW, I take issue with your list, Stalin was not a Communist, In Communism everybody is equal, it was not so in Stalin's regieme. Calling Stalin a Communist reflects poorly on Communists everywhere. FDR a Capitalist? Are you kidding? I beleive Socialist is a tad more correct, certainly not Capitalist. If he was a Capitalist he would not have started all those governmental work programs, he would have left the resolution of the Great depression to the private economy, instead it was WWII that ended it. So on your list of 4 people with labels, I disagree with 50% of them, perhaps with complete sentences I may agree with you, labels suck

I think I see, you want to live in a society where you get to have all the liberties you desire according to your definitions and to discuss ideas in a vocabulary you define. Good luck with the free exchange of ideas thing(This message has been edited by OldGreyEagle)

We camp Friday night, go 7 miles on Saturday and 8 on Sunday, or something like that.

I guess I am just one of those people who hates labels. I didnt realize that made me less, there was a time when not using labels was seen as a good thing. Of course its not as easy to put on a sign when you describe exactly what the position is, mono or di syllabic terms are easier to remember and shout. Communication is the victim of labels and platitudes

I did say I heard it on the radio, so no, I don't think you made it up. However, my comment stands that if a new word needs to be coined to desribe a situation, then communication is not at the heart of the people using the new term. It just becomes another epithet. Racist, Bigot, Statist, Socialist, all terms that really get communication and understanding underway, don't you think?

I think you misunderstand Rosseau. So we have a new term? We need to develop a new vocabulary? if you can't communicate your thoughts without making up new words, then either you are a poor communicator or your concept needs work

heck, if I remember Appollo 13's story line, the on-board computer had a memory of 100K. The wrist watch I wear has more than that

What the heck does "statist" mean anyway? I've hear dit recently on the radio and have no idea what they are talking about