Col. Flagg

Why should we always ask our CURRENT members to turn the other cheek and look elsewhere for something that they are ALREADY involved in? Why can't the non-members who already have options use those options available to them? To paraphrase Captain Picard, "I will not sacrifice Boy Scouting. We've made too many compromises already, too many retreats. They invade our space, and we fall back. They assimilate entire genders, and we fall back. Not again! The line must be drawn here! This far, no further!"

It is not just about coed Scouting. That's a straw man. For people opposed to what BSA is doing, the real issue is about allowing BSA to maintain Boy Scouts as a single sex program instead of dismantling the program on the alter of social justice. It's not about guys not wanting to integrate with girls, it's about having a place where guys can elect to be part of a single-sex program. Girls already have the choice, they can join GSUSA or Venturing. Guys won't have that choice if BSA opens Boy Scouts to girls. Many people who are opposed to girls in Boy Scouting *do* support girls in Scouting, just not in Boy Scouts. Open Venturing to 11-21 year olds, fine. Boy Scouts is a VERY different program from Venturing. Give the boys the choice if they want Venturing or Boy Scouting. Why should girls get an option but boys don't?

Never heard of German chicken salad. German potato salad (with vinegar, not mayo) I've heard of. What made the chicken salad German?

@@Stosh, according to what game wardens are reporting, the boys where here and hit the power lines. If you look north of the causeway you will see a small peninsula on the east side of the lake. The power lines cross there. It seems to me that the planning did not take in to account the lake level and dangers in the area (the power lines). The lake was 1ft over full pool. For Texas that can be a big deal. We only have one natural lake in the state, so lake level is a big thing boaters check before heading out. submerged trees, oil/electrical/telephones lines, other sunken objects, bridges, etc., are all issues.

I'm not holding my breath @@Stosh. My district split several years ago. Great district. Lots of volunteers but still went often with many open positions. Someone came up with the idea to split the district. There was a survey and 90% of folks were against it because if we can't fully staff one large district, how can we staff two smaller districts? They split anyway...and have spent the last five years reeling from the impact and continue to struggle wildly in staffing both districts. Go figure.

It must be. In our area you would have to be a Scout or registered person. You couldn't just go as a sibling or child of a Scouter. They would never allow that. I am pretty sure all of our camps have rules around only having registered members in camp. All adults need face-to-face YPT and it is not offered all that often.

Good question. High altitude pulmonary edema (HAPE) and high altitude cerebral edema HACE are treatable but you have to know the warning signs, be able to differentiate between these and dehydration and be able to evac someone to a lower altitude (around 8,000ft or less). Most WRFA courses go over this, but few actually go over hands-on scenarios on how to respond. We have a local troop that runs a WRFA course and they have 1-2 scenarios you have to go through. Our troop trains on how to respond to these situations prior to sending any crew on high adventure. I won't go in to how to prevent these here, but having well-trained Scouts and adults is key. Second would be knowing how to spot the warning signs and implementing the action plan fast. Lastly, taking time to adjust to altitude -- especially if you are a "Flatlander" like me -- is key. If you have at risk people in your crew, carrying oxygen can really be a life saver.

Actually, the approach I outlined allows time for everyone to reflect on what happened, what will be done to correct this situation and how we will measure improvement. Rather than just sitting down and discussing what happened, this approach links his actions to something he knows (Oath/Law), requires him to take accountability for his actions and puts him in charge of owning the solution by actively demonstrating a (measurable) way to show he's learned his lesson. There are also consequences (missed future events) if he does not demonstrate he's learned his lesson and changed. This ticks all the boxes and gives us an audit trail for how we addressed things and allows the Scout to own the outcome. If he does, he wins. If he doesn't, then he knows he will repeat this process until a) he does or b) decides to quit because Scouting is not something he wants to do. Either way he owns the outcome.

Totally surprised a camp allowed that.

Very sad. Underscores the need to get as many Scouts and adults trained in WRFA on any trek you take.

Smoke...as in smoked pork butt (not what you think) put in brine for 24 hours, rubbed with kosher salt, smoked paprika and herbs de Provence, smoked until internal temp is 150F, wrap in tin foil and then finished in Dutch oven until internal temp is 200F. Let rest 30 mins in tin foil. Then get two forks and pull apart. Serve with beans and slaw. Grab a chair, some sweet tea and watch this sunset...

My council *was* silent on this until last Friday. Some folks got an email with links, others didn't. Some were Key 3, some were parents, some were current members, some were registered last year but did not re-charter. There were 30+ questions to the survey I had. Many were quite detailed and discussed both coed options and single sex unit options in Cubs Scouts, Boy Scouts and OA. The so-called "location option" was not discussed or highlighted. Regarding RT, we too have RT this week and there is zero discussion on this issue. Someone brought it up on the online message board we have and they were told, rather poignantly, not to discuss this issue "in the open". Well, you can imagine how THAT went over, so loads more people wanted to know why a) we can't discuss the topic, and b) why they didn't get a survey that clearly went out to some members and not others. This type of clandestine bull-pucky just feeds the fire around BSA trying to orchestrate an outcome. No announcement. No planning. No debate. No openness. This smacks of a back room deal. I completed my survey and was VERY vocal about my feelings. If that means that BSA black lists me or otherwise, I really don't care. They've lost all credibility with me and many in my area at this point.

Yes. Yes I do think ANY organization that is perceived as being a bastion of white, "privileged", religious people is INDEED a target of progressives. The facts of how these organizations, media and Democratic party has acted over the last eight years is proof of this. A better question is where have you been the last eight years to think that this ISN'T an issue?

Repeat the Scout Oath and Law. Discuss which parts he violated. Ask what he's going to do to OBVIOUSLY show that he's learned his lesson. Pick three ways he can demonstrate better behavior overall and to those he impacted. Track his progress and meet at the end of the month to discuss.

For me this statement is partially correct. Maybe I read it wrong but it sounded like you were advocating no role of the SM in this processes. In fact the SM handbook calls out specific roles of the SM during leadership development and leadership evaluation. The TC has no say in the running of the troop. That's the SM's job. The TC hires and fires the SM, but the SM is the chief operating officer and is responsible for working with the boys. The TC manages the administrative and financial functions. The SM is the advisor to the PLC, SPL and PLs. Scouting is not like Lord of the Flies, where the boys reign without input. The SM is like a firearms instructor. He ensures safety, teaches technique but in the end allows the shooter to aim, fire and adjust. The SM gives advice and they try again.

Didn't someone else on the forum lose a Scout last year? I just remember a crazy avatar pic, cannot recall the name.

Agree. Watching one of our autistic Scouts make Eagle after seven active years is Scouting was hands down my most rewarding. Time spent with my son is up there. Cannot think of an adult-based moment that sticks out.

I've been to international events and bases, as well as domestic ones. Yes, every now and again you will get some teen aged boy acting inappropriately to a girl. I have seen this at Seabase, national Jamboree, world Jamboree, Kandersteg or council camp. I do hold the Scouts and their adult leaders responsible for ensuring that ZERO harassment/bullying happens.

I agree @@Stosh. What my unit has done is to announce each month who the top campers and service hour workers were. They are posted on the troop bulletin board and everyone can see each month who has what. Before elections, each candidate steps forward and their camping nights and service hours for the two year cycle, plus total camping and service hours, plus years of service are announced. That way the voters can see who the good campers and service provider are, not guess. This approach really turned the elections on their head. Popular guys with low camping or service were not getting elected. Quiet, less popular kids with MEGA camping and service were getting elected in landslide votes. THAT'S how to beat the current OA system. I agree, the criteria should be more strict and subject to a quantitative evaluation.

In my troop Eagles had to 1) stay active, 2) hold a leadership role (with measurable objectives), and 3) pass an SMC and BOR for the palm. We may be unusual but that's how we handled it. Guys did earn them.

Exact same issue three years ago with us. Kid was a straight A student, highly organized, NYLT, etc., etc. As SPL he was a nightmare. No follow up. No leadership. No communication. No organization. Converted oxygen to carbon dioxide. He was counselled by the SM during the first two months how to change his execution and management. Gave given a road map to get back on track. Short of doing his job for him he was given all the tools and counsel. Each time he said he knew what to do. Crickets. When is term was done he left the troop he was so embarrassed by his lack of performance. We tried to talk to him and let him know leaving is the easy way out; facing his challenges is the character development. His parents let him wimp out and he left. To this day the Scouts that were under him have created a set of checks and balances to make sure that never happens again. At least THEY learned from his mistakes.

I trot out the yellow necker every once in a while. The patches are in a special case along with my 1960 jambo memorabilia. The unit leaders bring out some of their stuff for the guys to see during open house or COHs.

But wouldn't the challenges of college really make a BSA-style program impossible? There seems to be so much emphasis on rank, leadership and participation; three things that take time away from the rigors of college. Wouldn't college kids just want that sort of sign up, train me and let me have fun style adventure (e.g., Outward Bound)? I see many campuses in my area offering just that: Pre-packaged trips where you get some training (e.g., kayaking), and then you are off with your friends. Venturing is about as close as BSA comes to that type of program, if at all. I do agree that college kids would likely love some type of adventure-based, lower effort/high impact program.

Trained once and done, huh? Not how I remember the role of the Crew Advisor.

Some of this comes from home. Parents tend to manage their kids in the areas of MBs and rank advancement. "Fill out an MB sheet and you're done with the MB, right?" asks a mother. Tell her no, and she will wonder why since the "work" was done. One wonders if she tracks their child's homework with the same veracity. Parents have become box checkers. Is it any wonder that their kids are as well? And then an SM tries to correct this in the Scouting program and meets resistance; the SM eventually gives up because the task and cacophony of screaming parents and harassing emails becomes too great. The cycle continues and you get mediocrity in Scouting.