CynicalScouter

Anyone doing?

There's still a not 0% chance that it does get forcibly dissolved. I still don't think it will happen, but if local councils keep playing shell games with property the odds increase.

The NRA is a 501(c)(4) (“social welfare organization”), not a (c)(3). It's official stated purpose as a 501(c)(4) under its IRS 990 filings is "Firearms safety, education, and training and advocacy on behalf of safe and responsible gun owners" That means they can spend up to 49% of their money on lobbying, advocacy and outright political support.

Yeah, hey folks the time to have played shell games with the real and tangible assets of your councils was like 2 years go. Doing it now is nothing but a giant red flag "seize our assets"

That is because many of those cases are class-action and the claimants have until a set time (BSA = November) in order to get their claims in or they lose the ability to file in the future. And the difference between civil attorney and "ambulance chaser" seems to be "I like the plaintiff" or "I dislike the defendant." FYI: the number of civil lawsuits has collapsed in the last decade. You know what the vast, vast, VAST majority of civil litigation is? Contract cases (and in particular debt collection and landlord/tenant). Not torts.

First, then you didn't look. There are literally dozens of state and federal lawsuits pending. Second, do you consider all civil attorneys "ambulance chasers"?

First, the accusation of fiscal mismanagement predate the current AG. Recall the Ollie North debacle and what happened with NRA-TV. No different that Teddy Roosevelt campaigning against trusts and then once elected proceeding to use the Sherman Antitrust Act to hit them over the head and bust them up. Second, it is not any old "private organization"; it is registered as a 501(c)(3) not for profit. It must spend its money accordingly. Third, the end result would be that all donors get their money back and the officers of the NRA who misappropriated themselves funds would be forced to disgorge. I fail to see the problem with that. Those donors want to fund some successor organization to the NRA or fund something like Gun Owners of America, they get to. Finally, the point for Scouting (remember Scouting?) is that it is going to mean adjusting several items regarding merit badges, shooting events, and other related items in the Scouting program. Not sure how that will shake out.

What people I've known for years who are NRA members, there's a general agreement LaPierre and his ilk were in fact misusing funds. The AG"s ideology does not change that. And of course there's precedent: the NY AG's office was able to force Trump to admit to misuse of charitable funds and forced that "charity" to shut down.

https://www.nytimes.com/2020/08/06/us/new-york-attorney-general-sues-nra.html In short: top NRA leaders were stealing money and/or misdirecting it from the not-for-profit hand over fist and the NY AG is going to try and get the NRA dissolved (exactly what happened with the Trump Charity). Why does this matter for scouting? I can think of easily 6 different standards or practices that are built into merit badges or safety protocols for Scouts, BSA and Venturing; there are probably others.

Where's the Cubmaster would be my first question?

So, I decided to take a look at this. We don't have National's IRS 990 forms for 2019 year; they have until May 15, but almost every group I've ever known always files for the automatic 6-month extension, so I don't think anything of it. We do have for 2018, which were filed in October 2019 (again, 6 month automatic extension). IRS Form 990 (Tax Year 2018) Part VII Compensation of Officers, Directors, Trustees, Key Employees, Highest Compensated Employees, and Independent Contractors (A) Name and Title (D) Reportable compensation from the organization (W-2/1099-MISC). (F) Estimated amount of other compensation from the organization and related organizations (D) + (F) TOP 16 EXECUTIVES TOTAL 5,766,148 3,466,893 9,233,041 Michael B Surbaugh Chief Scout Executive and President 793,824 206,878 1,000,702 Michael A Ashline Chief Financial Officer and Treasurer 445,111 141,575 586,686 P McGowan General Counsel and Secretary 394,368 118,673 513,041 John Green Group Director - Outdoor Adventures 471,671 646,612 1,118,283 Mark Logemann ACSE, National Dir Support Services 313,249 295,226 608,475 Al Lambert ACSE, Dir Outdoor Adventures 349,433 232,038 581,471 Patrick Sterrett ACSE, Nall Dir Field Service 387,012 177,445 564,457 Brad Farmer ACSE, Development 349,140 175,450 524,590 Todd McGregor Group Director - Summit 231,916 200,703 432,619 Mark Winkelman Group Director - Supply 280,342 145,828 426,170 Vijay Challa Group Director - Chief Information Officer 257,406 56,698 314,104 Ron Oats Regional Director 372,417 211,699 584,116 Frederick Wallace Regional Director 298,993 283,028 582,021 Lisa Young Group Director - Human Resources 264,054 225,244 489,298 John Mosby Regional Director 292,314 193,521 485,835 Steve Medlicott Group Director - Marketing 264,898 156,275 421,173

A follow-up to this: CVC was issued a transitional charter and given days to merge or die. Instead, they rebuilt and become the first council in recent memory (possibly ever) to come from from a Transitional Charter. COLONIAL VIRGINIA COUNCIL: RESILIENCE & PERSEVERANCE During the 2019 Boy Scouts of America National Annual Meeting in front of 3000 Volunteers and Professionals, the BSA Chief Scout Executive, Michael Surbaugh, recognized Colonial Virginia Council for its commitment to providing a great Scouting program and for being the only council to go from being on a Transitional Charter back to a Traditional Charter

1) The "experience and maturity" slam? A scout is courteous. 2) I have no problem with letting scouts run their program within their handbooks. The problem here is that you believe there was and/or is a uniform mandate or requirement in those handbooks. As I demonstrated, that is simply not true. Wasn't true in 1967 ("It is not absolutely necessary to wear a uniform to prove yourself a Scout.") Not true in today's 14th edition. Poverty is never to be a preventative to Scouting. Neither was the uniform.

1) It is not a "loophole". It has never been a "loophole" (see below). 2) The current Handbook does NOT a) have the kind of uniform mandate you think it does and b) it does not authorize shaming a scout for their poverty or demand they prove hardship. I've got the 14th edition in my hand. No where does it have the mandate you are claiming here. In particular Page 20-21 ("Your Scout Uniform") has no reference whatsoever to the kind of hard, fast, mandate you are describing. 3) Oh, right, that's because the modern scouts have "loopholes." Ok then, let's go back to the "good old days". I have a copy of the 1967 Handbook. Page 56. Scout Uniform. So, even back in the "good old days" there was never, ever a mandate in the Handbook. Does it make you a better scout to be in uniform? Yes, and the uniform remains one of the official 8 Methods of Scouting. But I will never compromise on the notion that poverty should be punished or that there is some hard, fast, uncompromising rule about uniforms in any of the Handbooks. Never was, currently isn't.

As I said, the uniform is absolutely a Method Of Scouting. But a scout should not be denied the opportunities of scouting or shamed for an inability to afford it. I have seen it happen and it is a shame that people value wearing a uniform over giving scouts with limited financial means opportunity.

Define "at the very top".

Yes, and as I said, the guidelines are a scout may NOT be penalized or denied a scouting opportunity for lack of a uniform, even for an Eagle Board of Review ("Candidates shall not be required to purchase uniforming or clothing to participate in a board of review.") The uniform is a Method of Scouting but poor families may not be punished like this. In addition, as I noted above, the Webelos have the option for tan/green or blue/blue in any event.

First, welcome. Second, a scout may never, ever, EVER be penalized, punished, or denied any scouting opportunity for lack of a uniform. EVER. Even for an Eagle Board of Review, a "Class A" is not required. What is required is if they wear it, they do so properly (no untucked shirts). Third, the tan is optional for Webelos. And I quote from the Inspection Sheet (2008) as well as the 2015 printing.

https://www.cdc.gov/mmwr/volumes/69/wr/mm6931e1.htm This will pretty much put an end to any concept of any camping this fall... -Overnight camp in Georgia June 17–20 (4H? YMCA? Scouting? Not specified) -At least 260 campers & staff infected -51% of positives 6-10yo -44% 11-17 yo -Camp required a test <12 days before arriving & attempted "pods" -Masks required for staff but NOT campers -Out of 597 campers & staff, 344 were tested and 76% of those tests were positive -26% positives report no symptoms -Bottom line

The massacre is widespread.

That's why the U.S. Constitution's prohibition on ex post facto laws prohibits making criminal what was legal at the time. The ex post facto clause, however, applies only to criminal law. Not civil.

The more claimants, the more likely it is that a) National will be forced to sell everything and be left a shell (I still do NOT believe they will be forced to liquidate and shut down, but they'll be left with effectively nothing) and b) the more likely Councils will be on the hook for hundreds of millions.

View Online Dear Scouting family, I am writing to inform you of a data security incident involving Blackbaud, one of the Boy Scouts of America’s third-party service providers, and one of the world’s largest providers of customer relationship management software. We were notified on July 16 by Blackbaud officials that their system had been the target of a ransomware attack, and we are reaching out to share the information we received. Blackbaud reported that the data security incident started on February 7, 2020 and possibly continued intermittently until May 20, 2020. The BSA was one of numerous organizations that was impacted. It is important to note that Blackbaud assured us that no encrypted data such as Social Security numbers, bank account information, and credit and debit card information was accessible. We are conducting an internal investigation to confirm this assurance. If any such data is found to have been viewable, we will notify the impacted individuals directly. According to Blackbaud, the cyber-attack was successfully stopped, and the cybercriminals were expelled from its system. However, Blackbaud informed us that the cybercriminals did remove a copy of a backup file that it stored as part of its ordinary course of operations. We believe that file may have contained limited non-financial information, such as your contact information, date of birth, limited demographic data and a history of your relationship with the BSA. Blackbaud assured us that, based on the nature of the incident, their research, and law enforcement’s investigation, the stolen data has been destroyed and there is no reason to believe any data went beyond the cybercriminals, was or will be misused, or will be disseminated or otherwise made available publicly. We do not believe there is a need for you to take any action at this time. As a best practice, we recommend that you remain vigilant and promptly report any suspicious activity or suspected identity theft to the proper authorities. We value your relationship with the BSA and the faith you put in us. Please know that we take the security of your information very seriously and share your concern about this incident. Blackbaud has already implemented changes to its security controls to better protect against a potential future attack, and we are working with Blackbaud and other resources to assess the best path forward. While the BSA was not the target of this attack, nor was it the only organization affected, we are taking time to learn from this third-party incident and to review our own security practices and system configurations to better protect your information. Thank you for your continued support of Scouting. Yours in Scouting, Vijay Challa Chief Technology Officer Copyright © 2020 Boy Scouts of America. All rights reserved. Boy Scouts of America 1325 West Walnut Hill Lane Irving, TX 75038 Update Preference | Unsubscribe | Privacy | Contact Us

Here's one of the silver linings to the ongoing horror that is the bankruptcy: transparency. Councils had to turn over their financial statements to the court in July if they wanted to keep the option to participate in any future settlement. National has to file all kinds of financial disclosure. Want to find hidden assets and improper transfers among executives? Get creditors lawyers involved. They want every single dime going to themselves or their clients.

Cub Scouts: Webelos/AOL Scouting Adventure Requirement 1a-e 1. Prepare yourself to join a troop by completing at least a-c below: Repeat from memory the Scout Oath, Scout Law, Scout motto, and Scout slogan. In your own words, explain their meanings to your den leader, parent, or guardian. Explain what Scout spirit is. Describe for your den leader, parent, or guardian some ways you have shown Scout spirit by conducting yourself according to the Scout Oath, Scout Law, Scout motto, and Scout slogan. Give the Scout sign, salute, and handshake. Explain when to use each. Describe the First Class Scout badge, and tell what each part stands for. Explain the significance of the First Class Scout badge. Repeat from memory the Pledge of Allegiance. In your own words, explain its meaning Scouts, BSA Scout Rank Requirement 1 a. Repeat from memory the Scout Oath, Scout Law, Scout motto, and Scout slogan. In your own words, explain their meaning b. Explain what Scout spirit is. Describe some ways you have shown Scout spirit by practicing the Scout Oath, Scout Law, Scout motto, and Scout slogan. c. Demonstrate the Scout sign, salute, and handshake. Explain when they should be used. d. Describe the First Class Scout badge and tell what each part stands for. Explain the significance of the First Class Scout badge. e. Repeat from memory the Outdoor Code. In your own words, explain what the Outdoor Code means to you. f. Repeat from memory the Pledge of Allegiance. In your own words, explain its meaning. The Scout Oath and/or Law are a part of every rank requirement. The Oath is mentioned 16 times between Scout and Eagle rank. The Law 19 times. There are three separate references to the U.S. flag or pledging allegiance to it. Scout Rank 1f. Repeat from memory the Pledge of Allegiance. In your own words, explain its meaning Second Class 8a. Participate in a flag ceremony for your school, religious institution, chartered organization, community, or Scouting activity. 8b. Explain what respect is due the flag of the United States. What, precisely, more do you want?