Col. Flagg

This was an issue at first UNTIL we came up with this idea. Yes, I know, it is not strictly Scout-like...but we figured if the Scout Shop was not allowing units to execute what is written in the GTA (immediate recognition) then we'd find a work around. For about two months we had moms and dads of Scouts of various ranks to and get "extra" rank patches for their kids' uniforms. They'd bring the shirt in to prove they needed it. We built up a stack of about 8-10 for each rank up to Life. We did this years ago so now we have about 15-20 Scout, 15-18 TF, and so on. Note: We found a sympathetic shop manager who is willing to sell us ranks (not Eagle) whenever we need them now.

I'd love to have the option for my kids to go to the school they want, but we have to live in the reality that is. They can only to the school that will accept them despite the fact both have straight A's and scored over 1300 on their SATs and over 30 on their ACTs. They just have the wrong color skin or are the wrong religion or come from the wrong state and cannot get in. Rather than complaining they find the school that allows them in and wants them.

All modern Presidents had speech writers. The last White House even had a social media team. POTUS is usually allowed sections in the script where they can go off script for personal observations. He's not the best speaker, but he doesn't hold back either. That's refreshing after over 25+ years of hot air coming and other excrement coming from Washington.

This is how we've done it for years. COH is nothing but rank cards, mother pins and handshakes. The patch was given the night they passed the BOR. While I am not big on immediate gratification, this has helped retention big time!

You'd have to know a bit about 1) the Army, 2) the Secret Service and 3) running advance operations to know why this was an issue. I don't have time to explain, and several things I am not allowed to talk about, so you'll have to take the word from someone who was not only there, but was involved in the planning (and the resolution) of this event.

Really? Really?? I swear. Your post makes the comparison between Reagan and Obama pretty darn easy. Reagan was shot in March 1981. He was recovering most of that spring. The Secret Service was concerned over security arrangements for Jambo. Also, his doctor didn't think it was a good idea since he was still recovering from his surgery. Pretty sure Obama didn't have anything like that to recover from. Reagan was recovering from Cancer surgery in 1985, sent Nancy. Was Obama recovering from anything other than too much golfing or appearing on The View? Did he send his wife to put that personal stamp on it? No. Please. If you are going to be snarky at least make some basis for the snark. Comparing Reagan's "diss" of Jamboree to Obama's is apples and oranges. Reagan had legitimate health and security reasons. Obama had NOTHING! You normally have some decent thoughts to your posts. This one was, well, not. Regarding the Bush visit in 1989: I worked on the advance team from 1988 through 1990. I can tell you with 100% accuracy, the cluster that was that visit was ENTIRELY the fault of the BSA. NOTHING we submitted that was approved by the Secret Service was in place when the advance team arrived. The Service wouldn't let follow the intended route and plan until all areas were secured. So let's not imply that the visit was the fault of the administration. I was on the ground three weeks prior to the visit, several days before the visit and DURING the visit. That mess was on BSA. Period.

On the other side of the issue, I am already fielding emails from parents saying that if Boy Scouts goes coed, they are leaving the troop. I am getting no interest from girls for the troop. I am getting interest in Venturing. The girls there simply don't want the baggage Boy Scouts comes with.

Well, ALL leaders will need to take something similar to the Venturing coed YPT. Since the BSA tracking system won't know which units are coed, single sex or otherwise, national will need to find some way to track that so that they know who is trained for their position. That would require an update to the system and likely some changes to the back end registration system to record "unit type" regarding coed status. You are over simplifying this issue. BSA will either need to make coed YPT mandatory OR they will have to find a way to track the permutations of YPT they currently have. Oh, and the current Venturing YPT is focused on 14-20 year olds. I suspect there are additional issues dealing with younger girls they will want to integrate in to the new coed training. Oh, and then they have to re-brand the current coed training so that it is not just Venturing based. Oh, and now rather than just having two "adults" around you have to have at least one trained male and one trained female adult around. So now you need to recruit these folks to cover your program. This is much, much more than slapping a label on the current YPT and popping it up on their website.

Well that says it all. Why tell the membership. Just drop it on us like a ton of bricks. Don't develop the training, uniforms or anything else in advance. Just make an announcement and hope everyone is prepared for the onslaught. That sound you hear is BSA dying.

You dad wore them along with the garters. I have the pics to prove it!!

Everything has gotten more time-consuming. I think we have addressed this issue before: Nearly all sports are year around now. Nearly all sports have an "indoor" season. School activities that were optional in the past have become more numerous and mandatory. Many schools have become more competitive. Not because it is hard to get in to college than it was 30 years ago, but because of the same pressure kids get in sports: BE THE BEST!!! Even other activities like church groups, youth groups, etc., are taking a "mandatory" approach to participation. The number one issue though in my mind (okay, #1 and #2) are parents' unwillingness to limit the activities their kids are in, and parents' unwillingness to sacrifice THEIR interests for those of their kids.

Milk steamer for frothing. Cinnamon sprinkles. Someone to carry my gear. In all seriousness, I use the Philmont list and then go ultra light from there. Depends on distance really. The one thing I won't skimp on is clean socks.

Been to 16 different camps. All mills to some degree or another. It is a function of staffing the camps and having proper procedures in place to make sure they implement the 4 methods of advancement and use EDGE. If all camps did that I am sure troops would have fewer complaints regarding "mills". Most recently: Scout earned Cooking at camp. Cooked one meal. Many Scouts earned Geology. Spent the whole week talking about Minecraft. Scout earned Personal Mgmt...in one week. Asked the MBC how, he said he "compressed" the class. Group of Scouts earned First Aid...being taught via PowerPoint slides...no hands on. A group earned Astronomy at camp. Problem? I was cloudy EVERY night. Cit in the Nation was given without confirming pre-reqs were done.

@@The Latin Scot, I know you (part) Scottish guys go in for skirts and high socks , but we are talking the late 1970s here. I am pretty certain that elastic was prevalent in garments back then, if the jock straps they required us to wear in PE are any indication.

Webelos will be renamed because it will likely be considered cultural appropriation by someone (see this ridiculousness as an example). As soon as it is more widely understood what the "webe" in webelos stands for.

@@KenD500, Oh, I think the membership will change. I think you will see the same thing we've seen since 2013. Those who long for what the program was will leave. Those expected to come in will NOT join at the levels BSA expects, leaving a net exodus of 6-8% or more. That's been the recent historical pattern. I'd actually be gobsmacked if that wasn't the case.

I'll take that bet. We can meet in Nova Scotia but you bring the beer. As I read the charter org agreement we must adhere to (along with the CO), the statement below is what I believe requires Boy Scouts units to be run like troops, and Venturing to be run like crews...and not mix their programs: Naturally, the like in the quote does not work...

I will take 45 different BSA hats as "uniform" apparel ANY DAY over wearing that dumb beret!!!! The only thing it was good for was a ready-made capture the flag marker or a frisbee when bored. Talk about girl repellent!!!! Between that and the garters (who thought of that?!?!?!) I felt like Marlene Detreich getting ready for Scout meetings every Monday!

Yes, the rule(s) being violated are they are not operating the program under which they are chartered. Spin it the other way. You have a troop that dissolves patrols and forms a "crew" structure. SPL is now President, ASPLs are VPs. They get rid of the patrol method, etc, etc, etc. They are chartered as a troop but they are essentially operating as a crew. They are not delivering the program for which they were chartered. Now, who is going to stop them? LOL, I honestly don't know. I imagine if it was obvious enough that eventually council or even national would get involved. But the would very clearly be in violation of the policies outlined for the execution of the program for which they are chartered.

Even us "city dwellers" have that issue (of not having enough volunteers). My old district got too big in the eyes of council, despite not ever having enough volunteers to staffing all the committees and programs in the district. Their solution? Split the district in two. Now instead barely having enough people to staff one district, we were woefully shy of staff to even cover MINIMAL support for two districts!!! That was several years ago and it has been a joke ever since; hence, why many units just do their own thing and stay away from district/council.

Sorry to interrupt, but since BSA "owns" Boy Scouts and Venturing, the barriers to this happening would be BSA. They can do anything they want. Boys in crews can work towards Eagle if, I believe, they are registered with a troop as well as a crew. Girls in crews cannot work on Eagle, only Venturing awards. There's nothing in the Venturing rules that would allow girls to work on any Boy Scout-only awards. National would not allow it. Eagle has more paperwork and harder to get than a Green Card, so there's no way a girl would get it unless a whole group of people broke the rules and lied about her gender....or a transgender girl, er, boy made Eagle.

I think this is very important: Take care of your troop, not other troops. Early in my Scoutmastership we were at a popular camp for the summer back east. During dinner one night (where full Class A including MB sash was allowed and an OA event was to follow dinner) several of my guys were wearing their OA sash with their MB sash tucked in to their belt. I know, I know...but I was a new SM and that look had become "tradition" within the troop. Anyway, one well-meaning SM -- rather than address the issue with me -- decided to take it upon himself to be the BSA Uniform Police and dress down my guys, in public, in the middle of the dinning hall. Unlike his approach, I invited him outside to chat and politely gave him a suggestion that, despite him being well-meaning, demeaning 15 year olds in public is not consistent with the Scout Law. He went away in a huff. Some never learn.

That's why we go to CO, NM or NC for summer camp. We've had a similar conversation in the past with folks. The worst reply I received was: "We live in Texas! How is a kid who misses summer camp supposed to get their Camping MB for Eagle!!!??" (The intent of the question was that 1000 ft and snow are hard to come by in Texas. My replay was: "Do two of the other allowed sub-requirements such as a) take a bike trip of 15 miles or at least 4 hours, b) take a canoe trip for four hours or 5 miles, c) rappel down a route of 30 ft or more." They finally understood.

I think you missed the link in this post that quoted the policy and gave you document. I took out the middle man (the blog).

Also typical of national: They on-board a new demographic in to the program right as the program is 3/4 of the way done with the Scouting year!!! Well done BSA!!!