CalicoPenn

I must have missed the memo on how much FedEx donates to the Boy Scouts. "Fear of recruitment is real; the fear, not the recruitment." So of course the solution is to pander to those who have that unreal fear, which reinforces their fear, instead of telling them to get over their fear and setting the example in showing them that their fear is unfounded. "I don't think gay morals are crooked; just different." I'd really love someone to explain to me just what is different between gay morals and straight morals, without someone assuming that all gays must act some certain way while ignoring that some straights act the same way. If the word "most" is used, then I'd like to see the evidence (and not some article pretending to be serious science) of that.

People still think that federal judges and supreme court justices are appointed for life, huh? People still think they aren't subject to political fluctuations? Judges and Justices are subject to impeachment - the US has impeached and removed from office federal judges in the past - and the courts can't stop them. I know the constitution says judges will continue to serve during good behavior but Congress, through its impeachment power, is the ultimate arbiter of just what "good behavior" means. We've always operated under the assumption that it means as long as the judges and justices don't commit criminal acts, they are serving under good behavior. But, there really is nothing stopping a super-majority in Congress, other than honor and integrity, from declaring that a ruling in a case that Congress disagrees with constitutes bad behaviour and impeaches and removes one or more judges/justices. Yes, the people would decry, and yes, we don't ever want to see it happen, but Congress does have that power - the courts can't interfere with impeachment proceedings. As for the electoral college - packing for where, Grad School?

Try the soft sell - no certified letters (too hard), no business letters (this isn't a business - its supposed to be a fun organization). Keep it light-hearted and try to express that the lad and his family would be missed and that there's lots of fun things coming up. You aren't sending out a collection letter, you're sending out a solicitation letter. Remember, Scouting isn't a mandatory activity, its a choice. Come at folks hard and they'll choose to stop responding. Try something like below: Dear Parent, We enjoy having (son's name here) in our Pack very much. Unfortunately, we have not yet received your son's annual dues and we need to re-charter by the end of this month! If we don't have your son's dues, we'll have to inactivate his membership in Cub Scouts and our Pack which means he won't be able to participate in all the fun! We have some great things coming up that (son's name here) will miss, like our December holiday party, Pinewood Derby, the Blue and Gold Dinner and of course all the fun learning and playing in Den meetings! Won't you please send us the dues so that (son's name here) can continue to join the fun? We do understand that there might be some reason that the dues haven't been paid yet so please don't hesitate to contact one of us. We might be able to help. We would really like (son's name here) to stay with us in Pack (XXX). Looking forward to hearing from you, and seeing (son's name here) really soon!

I read JoeBob's reply and immediately started to think of Burt Reynolds, Ned Beatty, Jon Voight and dueling banjos. Now why is that? (This message has been edited by a staff member.)

It's a dead horse to some because they don't want to be reminded that the policy is costing the BSA money and prestige. To others, its just the dissemination of further information, keeping them up to date on the latest. "$85k doesn't even pay of one secretary at irvine......" But it does keep the BSA, whether this was a grant to a local council or to national, from either having to dig into a different "bucket" in order to fund whatever part of the program this grant was funding (now the BSA has to make up the $85K elsewhere) or letting that part of the program be diminished (or disappear) because they don't have the funds to make up for the loss of the grant.

"Well, apparently 48% of people don't share the "majority" viewpoint. Thats not exactly an overwelming mandate." In 2004, the politicians and the media redefined the parameters of what constitutes a mandate. Winning with 286 electoral college votes, and just a 3.3 million popular vote difference, the Bush administration, supported by the media, declared a mandate. I think there is no reason that the Obama administration and the media couldn't make a case that Obama received a mandate. But more importantly, I question the whole idea that 48% of people don't share the majority viewpoint. I'd say that 48% don't share the some of the majorities viewpoints, at least not enough to sway theur votes. I believe that the majority of Americans share viewpoints the majority of the time - where we mostly differ is "how we get there". Start breaking down the broad picture things and Americans are in agreement on things far more than they aren't. It's what helps explains Americans being opposed to "Obamacare" but supportive of just about everything that is in "Obamacare" when asked about the separate provisions. "6. The only unions the Republicans are against in terms of law are for public worker unions, which until fairly recently in history were considered to be unnecessary, due to the high amount of benefits we give civil service workers. Other than that, they are eliminating laws which require union membership for employment, which is pro-worker. Planned Parenthood is not a business, it is a federally subsidized non-profit. The main thing the Republicans want to do is to stop subsidizing it, which is smaller government." The impression I get from Republicans is that they are opposed to ALL unions - but the politicians can have a far greater impact on public-unions than on non-public unions. And you're kidding yourelf if you think so-called "right to work" laws are pro-worker. They aren't - they're pro-business. Any law which eliminates protections from gained by collective bargaining is always going to favor the company over the worker. As for planned parenthood, it is a women's health service that provides services that the federal government happens to help fund. As such, they should be playing on the same level playing field as any other organization that provides women's health services. They should not be specifically excluded from applying for grants and funding because some folks don't like them. Before you answer that you see no problem with preventing Planned Parenhood from being eligible, let me remind folks that this is the exact same argument that is given in defense of the BSA being eligible for grants and funds - thet they should be allowed to compete on the same playing field as everyone else, regardless of policies that some folks don't like. Koolaid - your question on number 4 - the reason its intrusive is the laws that were proposed/passed specify a specific ultrasound technique called a trans-vaginal probe. We aren't talking about the ultrasound wands you see on television where they wave/rub it over a womans belly which aren't physically intrusive (they still intrude on a women's right to privacy, though). No, the probes that are required by the law have to be inserted into the woman's body - a medically unneccessary and physically intrusive procedure. That's the problem with #4.

I hate the reporting on this - it's not the states that are petitioning to secede - it's individuals within the states that are having a toddler hissy fit who are signing these petitions. I say we let these individuals secede. Dig giant trenches around their homes and fill them with razor wire to prevent them from crossing these new borders illegally.

"well per the guy interviewed in the video they can regulate some of the local stuff you are listing.. They could make you have a seprate ballot with just the President & congress election on it (don't know if then you could give out two ballots on the same day, or would have to hold you local election and votes on changes to the constitution seprately.. He says they could regulate the machines you use.. Congress can set up a non-partisan agency to administer our elections.. Sounds to me like if states don't play fair, they could have these elections really regulated." Close but not quite. States make the rules in the places, manner and time of elections for Representatives and Senator but Congress has the right to change those rules, or make their own rules. It's one of the weirdest clauses in the Constitution - its gives the states powers but lets Congress overrule the states on a whim. What's key here is that Congress can only change the rules when it comes to election of Representatives and Senator (except for the place of choosing Senators - which has essentially been eliminated by the change to direct election of Senators from the legislatures appointing them. In all other electoral matters, including, apparently, the place, time and manner of eleccting the electors to the electoral college, it is up to the states to make their own individula rules. But here's where Congresses power to make the rules for the election of their own members can affect how States run elections. Congress can pass a law that says that all states will use touch screen machines for the casting of ballots for US Senator and Representative and a state would have to comply, even if they prefer punch card balloting. Since the machines are expensive, and elections are expensive, the states would likely switch every election to the touch screen machines so they don't have to buy different equipment for different elections. A non-partisan agency to administer our elections? They would be limited to administering only elections for US Senate and House - not very efficient.

"Should there still be a place for diversity in matters of opinion? Should we not still have a place in American society for the Nelsons, Reeds(?)(AKA Stones) and Cleavers? " I'd like to point out that an assumption is being made that the Nelsons, Stones and Cleavers would be in agreement with the far right when it comes to social issues. I remember watching all these shows in re-runs whenever I was home sick from school - and while it might be argued that they were GOP leaning, it would have been the GOP of the 50's and 60's - the ones that have been turned out by the right wing revolution. My recollection of these shows, and I'll include Hazel, the Brady Bunch, and the Cosby Show as part of that wholesome family mileu, is that the parents were generally pretty forgiving and tolerant - I could just as easily see them supporting a local option as supporting a national ban. Given the characters portrayed, I'd actually be less surprised if they would have supported a local option and more surprised if they supported a ban.

"Right now thousands of small business owners (with more than 50 employees) are deciding how many full time employees are going to be reduced to part time or let go to avoid paying mandated health care or the associated fines." I hear this a lot - from pundits, and from people repeating what the pundits are saying. Know who you don't hear it a lot from? Business Owners. At least the business owners who want to keep their employees around and understand that they spent thousands of dollars to train each employee and know that providing health care coverage to their employees is a cheap way to ensure their investment. I'm sure if you dig around, you can find business owners who have more than 50 employees that don't provide a means to insure their employees - but they're going to be a very small minority. Most small business owners (the true small business owners - I agree with Beavah - over 50 and you aren't small anymore) look for deals on insurance coverage for their employees as well - again, they know the value of protecting their investment, and employees are, regardless of Brew's statement that they are just a resource, are an investment. If you were a business owner, wouldn't you want to make sure the guy you just spent hours on training how to be a mold maker doesn't jump to another mold maker who offers insurance? Wouldn't you want to make sure the gal you spent hours training on how to dispatch shipments has a way to make sure that the cold she catches is treated properly rather than letting it progress to a full on pneumonia that could keep her out for weeks?

I believe we've become a nation of shallow water waders rather than deep water divers. When we do listen to the news, we hear a 15 second item and think we understand what it means. As a result, it lets pundits get away with bloviating on things without being called on their BS. We have a coal company erxecutive laying off 120 people in Utah and 55 people in Illinois blaming the re-election of President Obama and the tougher coal plant standards in place. What he doesn't tell us is that the tougher coal plant standards apply only to new coal burning electricity burning plants, not to existing plants. What he doesn't tell us is that because of the cheaper cost of natural gas, electricity generating companies are either converting existing coal burning plants to natural gas or are building new natural gas plants. What he doesn't tell us is that, with few exceptions, no one is really wanting to build new coal-fired plants because they're concentrating on building natural gas plants - and the exceptions are in places where bringing in a natural gas line will cost even more than the cost of the added regulations to new plants. What he doesn't tell us is that generating companies are closing a lot of existing coal generating plants because they no longer make economic sense in a country where natural gas is cheaper than coal and where wind and solar power are starting to make a difference. In Chicago, Exelon closed the last 2 remaining coal-fired generating plants a couple of years ago because they just don't need the power from those plants anymore. Between more energy efficient appliances, especially commercially, and better generating capabilities at gas-fired plants, the coal-fired plants became a drain on the bottom line, rather than contributing to it. What this guy doesn't tell us, and what the media doesn't tell us, is that changes in the industry is what is driving the coal industry's retraction, not some regulations designed to make our air cleaner. That's part of the Econ 101 that Brew wants to post a primer on - it's supply and demand that's at the heart of the coal industry retraction - the demand has simply gone down. But no, it's much easier to blame the politicians, and it's much easier for us to just repeat the BS, than it is to explain what's actually happening. The media is great at fulfilling self-fulfilling prophecies. They feed us pablum, then say they feed us pablum because that's what the American people want, and it's obvious the American people want pablum, because we're watching the pablum the media is feeding us, even though the only thing the media is feeding us is pablum. The media has been claiming for 20 years now that the young folk have much shorter attention spans that people used to have which is why they need to feed us news in sound bites - and now we seem to have little patience for news that takes more than 30 seconds to report. That's our real problem - we've let the media dictate to us what is important and we've blindly accepted everything they say.

I think my leetle grey cells exploded - or hopefully they've just been sprained.

No - it's not a mandate. That implies changes in the short term. Rather, it's a wake up call - a time for the BSA to start looking at the long term and decide what they want to be 10, 20, 30 years down the road. OGE makes a good argument against the short-term mandate rightly pointing out that the popular vote was nearly evenly split. The argument for the long-term reflection is how that split looks demographically. The 50% on Obamas side is, in general, made up of the BSA's target audience - 18 to 45 years olds - the ones who have or will in the future have Scouting age kids. The 48% on Romney's side is, in general, the 45 year olds and up whose kids have aged out of Scouting. Most people's core values don't change as they age, despite the old saw about voting Dem at 20 and GOP at 50. If you were pro-life at 20, you're probably going to be pro-life at 50. I'd say this was very much a "values" election - and though the traditionalists may not like to hear it, the country's values are changing (and have been for quite some time) and that's being driven by the values of the younger generations. As an aside, I'm always curious why some folks think an openly gay Scoutmaster can't model the core values of Scouting, which I see as A Scout is Trustworthy, Loyal, Helpful, Friendly, Courteous, Kind, Obedient, Cheerful, Thrifty, Brave, Clean and Reverent.

Uniform by-laws? Nahh - just needs the PLC to decide to switch to the mighty red berets, or, in an "adult by-law centered unit" for all the Scouts to start showing up at meetings wearing the red beret.(This message has been edited by calicopenn)

Is the neighbor sure that the Scouts were canvassing for Romney or were they doing a "get out the vote" canvassing (which I believe is allowed)?

"Only 50 some reported in the entire state of Michigan over 50 years???? I wonder what % the abusers make up of the total number of volunteers that served during the same period???? I agree one is too many, but really it is probably well less than .0001 of one percent of total number of volunteers. Glass half empty or full?" I understand the sentiment being expressed, but perception is always worse than realty. We can sit here and use the "only" word all we want, but that's not going to counter the perception of a news story that lays out 50 some reports in one story. Consider this - Chicago has been in the news alot this summer for the number of murders that have taken place - 436 as of October 27. Of course, one is too many, but, with a population of 2.69 million, the murder rate is less than .01 percent (436 divided by 2.6 million = .0001 which is .01 percent). Statistically, that's insignificant - but new-wise, it's not. We can't defend ourselves with "statistically insignificant".

"It is interesting that he places responsibility of the abuse scandal only at the doorstep of Irving. When every Council was actually involved. Kinda naive." Irving (or New Brunswick for those cases prior to the move to Texas), set the tone for the Councils, just as the Vatican set the tone for the various Archdioceses. Ultimately, the responsibility for overseeing how the cases were handled rests with National (and in the case of the Catholic Church, the Vatican).

AZMike, Can you prove anything you just stated about Planned Parenthood, or are you repeating what you've heard and read from evangelical and anti-PP blogs and pundits? Have you ever asked those folks what kind of proof they have? Have you ever wondered why they told you these things or do you just accept it on blind faith?

"I wonder how they plan to deliver the popcorn?" If we were living in rational times, it would be my hope that the President would send Air Force One to pick up the lad, his parents, his den and den leaders to bring them to the White House do deliver the popcorn. But we live in a world where people complain when the President plays golf on a Sunday afternoon.

Maybe the people back in the 50's and 60's had a better education on classical symbolism so they were better prepared to understand what the symbolism of the work means, then us more modern folks. The only way this is going to get any news time is if some "concerned citizen" (aka "local nutcase without anything better to do with his/her time") makes an issue out of it, that the local politicians will react (stupidly) to because politicians are, for the most part, weasely people without the character to call a nutcase a nutcase.

Perhaps an old idea that might seem radical if you've never done it before - pre-cooking. Freeze-dried backpacking meals are pre-cooked - just add boiling water and serve - why not pre-cook at least portions of some meals? For instance, pre-cook Beef Tips in Provencal Sauce (essentially a stew that would otherwise take a couple hours of prep/cook time). At dinner, warm that up in one pot while boiling up some wide egg noodles in another pot - serve the beef tips on a bed of egg noodles - delish! In fact, any stew like meal could be wholly or partially pre-cooked and warmed up at the camp site - I love cooking up a stew when I'm in rendezvous, but not everyone can take the time to hang around camp for 3 hours preparing and cooking a good stew (which is why you might see adults at a camporee enjoying a stew at a camporee while the Scouts are slapping together tacos - pre-cooking solves it). If the lads like quiche (and really, all a quiche is is an egg pie with stuff in it - I like ham, bacons and onion in mine), you can pre-make that and warm it up in a dutch oven. Heck, a casserole can be pre-made and warmed up in a dutch oven as well. Now sure, not everything can (or should) be pre-made, but if you think about the things you might make for a neighbor or family member that's ill or has had a loss to comfort them, or things you might make for a potluck which might not get eaten right away and just needs warming up, then you should have at least some things you can do. Heck, I would even pre-cook chili because everyone knows (don't they?) that chili is better after it's rested overnight. Something else to consider is dressing up the meals they might already have. Everyone seems to do French toast with white bread. Try making it with cinnamon raisin bread instead, or with banana bread - sometimes giving old meals a new twist is enough to bring folks out of the doldrums (and causes us to slap our heads and say "Doh, why didn't I think think of that). Scrambled Eggs? Try Scrambled Omelets instead - Its essentially scrambled eggs with all the omelet goodies in it but not folded over like an omelette, and not cooked fluffy like scramble eggs. I also like the idea of challenging the lads. I love the idea of putting out 15 or so recipes for a meal and having the scouts choose one that they have to make at the next campout. There are other things you can do as well. You could have them pick from a hat a single ingredient that has to be used at every meal (it could be eggs, it could be tomatoes, it could be maple syrup, use your imagination - just give them time to plan). If you have the nerve and gumption and time, something that can be fun to do is to take everyone to a farmer's market or fruit and vegetable stand and have everyone pick one thing that they've never eaten before and turn those ingredients into lunch. Just don't buy one of everything - make sure to buy enough for everyone. Most importantly, though - make sure to have fun cooking. If you make it look like a chore, the Scouts will treat it like a chore - make it look fun and they'll always love cooking.

The way the BSA suggests using them is to grant a "license" to the bearer to use axes, knives and saws (Totin Chip) and to build and tend fires (Firem'n Chit)- a license that can be "revoked" if the Scout fails to follow the rules. You can't revoke Second Class rank once it's been awarded. I know of some Troops that require these to be earned on an annual basis - no matter what the rank - 17 year old Eagle Scout? Yeah, you have to earn it again. It's a great tool to remind Scouts (and adults) how serious the responsibilities involved are. I guess if you use it as a "one and done, get it out of the way and never bother with it again" program aid, I can see questioning its worth. But there's nothing that requires a unit to use these two parts of the program so if you feel its just a waste of time, don't do it. No need to come up with any justifications for not doing it. As for needing an incentive to earn Second Class? Hopefully your program will do that without needing additional incentives.(This message has been edited by calicopenn)

As an ASM, you don't approach them. As an ASM, you let the SM and the CC know that this is an issue and that the SPL and ASPL noticed and mentioned to parents the sleeping arrangements of this unmarried couple. As an ASM, you give the folks responsible for dealing with this (the SM and CC) the room to deal with this without complications from the sidelines. Only if they don't deal with it do you take the next step which is to let the COR know about the issue. If you are friends with the couple, then as a friend, you let them know that they should probably cool it.

I'd like to know who is sponsoring this badge. It would go a long way to telling us if the badge is going to be focused on personal sustainability or on corporate sustainability. Is it going to be about 40 pages of documentation to earn a bogus LEED certificate for an office building or is it going to be more about the sustainability of choices we make personally, such as buying food sourced (grown) locally versus buying food grown in Mexico or California (if you don't live in California).

"One of my scouts does this exact same thing....... My family's median income is $21k and they are probably not Caucasian. What are the chances or probability that they will end up on the Ellen show??? Or get all of the media attention this young man is getting........ZERO Because my families don't have the financial resources to tear up the internet or connections to blitz the media....." The sad thing is the assumption that one needs financial resources in order to do what this family has done - it's a shame because there are lots of resources out there, probably in your very city, that would be championing an impoverished gay kids cause just as loudly, if only folks took the time to look in a phone book. Most states have a gay rights organization with connections to the media, and to national gay rights organization (who have access to Ellen) but apparently it wouldn't occur to some folks to look for and use those resources. How much of that is because the adults would prefer to keep their heads in the sand and just deny what's happening? How much of that is because the adults in the family would prefer not to deal with it at all? I'll tell you what, Basement - if one of your Scouts comes out as Gay and is denied the Eagle Scout Award because of it, and his parents are supportive of the lad and angry about it, get in touch with me and I'll make sure that lads story gets to the right people to make it a national news story. Matthew Shepard's story (remember him? Beaten and left to die on a wire fence like a stray dog by two guys, one of whom was an Eagle Scout, in Wyoming?) didn't become national news because Matthew's "rich, white mom" made a stink - it became national news because some college student classmates of Matthew's made phone calls to some state and national gay rights organizations who then used their media contacts to make it national news. There is absolutely nothing to prevent someone in an impoverished area from doing the same (heck, here in Chicago, a quick call to the Sun Times or the local tv station will bring reporters running).