the mad rush to Eagle before 2014

[chrisking0997]

hello all, long time lurker. Just wanted to post this to hear other scouter's thoughts on the subject. We have a few scouts and families who will be leaving the troop on Dec 31 due to the membership policy change. Some of them are extremely close to earning Eagle, and have been plowing down merit badges and eagle projects in a rush to get their eagle before then. Do any of you have members of your troop doing this, and what are your thoughts on it?

 

Personally, I understand taking a stand and sticking with it (even if I dont agree with it). But what kinda sticks in my craw is that if its so important to take a stand against "what boy scouts has become", then why is it so darned important to get eagle? My feeling is that if they really had a problem with scouting, they would have left immediately and to heck with the rank. Why should it still be important? I know, I know....so their kids can pad their resume. Just seems so hypocritical. I dont know, maybe its just me. Thoughts?

[scoutergipper]

People are very interesting creatures. There was a grandfather in our area who recently pulled his two grandsons out of a local Pack BEFORE the recent membership policy changes because he wanted the policies to be changed and go even farther than what was ultimately done. He was an Eagle Scout. As I noted at the time, he had no problem using Boy Scouting and his Eagle Award for his own benefit over the years, even while membership policies with which he disagreed were in place, but he now wants to deny those same benefits to his own grandsons, despite the fact that they are too young to have any thoughts or feelings about these issues and don't even know anyone (or at least realize they know anyone) who would have been impacted by the previous membership standards or the current ones. Hard to respect someone like that.

[King Ding Dong]

And I thought the rush was so they didn't have to do the Cooking MB.

[Eagledad]

They invested a lot of time and energy reaching the bar of Eagle, they just want to finish the journey.

[qwazse]

And I thought the rush was so they didn't have to do the Cooking MB.

It's like I have an evil twin (who types faster than me)!

[qwazse]

None in our troop are doing this. Either in protest of policy or fee changes, or to skate by without having to earn cooking.

 

But, we've made it clear that our SM's have never kicked a gay kid to the curb and would never do so. Period. Cut his pay if it bothers you. I've also pointed out that most Christian youth groups I know (and any that I associate with) do not as policy prohibit LGBT youth. So, I don't know where they think they are leaving to.

 

We're a small troop, so if a few boys hustled up and earned it by the end of the year, that would be fine by me. I would suggest that they turn in their uniform to someone else who will wear it with pride, and ask if we really have to order them the patches for a CoH that they will not want any existing members (by virtue of their complicity) to participate in.

[Bando]

And I thought the rush was so they didn't have to do the Cooking MB.

Exactly my thought, too.

[Twocubdad]

We're gaining Scouts coming in from units which are folding, but non of that. (Yeah, my first thought was "Cooking is that big a deal") If we did I'd probably find my Scoutmaster conference schedule fill through the end of the year.

[Basementdweller]

That is the funniest thing I have read this week so far..

 

 

So an organization who you are quitting because you have a moral objection to it's membership policy. Your going to pause long enough to receive it's highest rank. WOW

 

I wonder if they morally object to the point that it doesn't end up on the lads college or job resume. I doubt it......Typical selfish US citizens, Not gonna call them Americans cause that would lump them in with the Canadians and Mexicans which are fine folks.

 

 

[T2Eagle]

We're gaining Scouts coming in from units which are folding, but non of that. (Yeah, my first thought was "Cooking is that big a deal") If we did I'd probably find my Scoutmaster conference schedule fill through the end of the year.

I'm curious, the units that are folding, are their COs closing the unit? If so who are they? Are the adults just deciding to bail? I have not heard of any units around here closing, and there are some that are chartered by some very conservative churches.

[King Ding Dong]

We're gaining Scouts coming in from units which are folding, but non of that. (Yeah, my first thought was "Cooking is that big a deal") If we did I'd probably find my Scoutmaster conference schedule fill through the end of the year.

There are allegedly 6 COs in my district that are refusing to recharter, that is out of 170, so not many statistically. 2 are Presbyterian not sure about the others. They claim they are going with Trailer Life USA.

[King Ding Dong]

That is the funniest thing I have read this week so far..

 

 

So an organization who you are quitting because you have a moral objection to it's membership policy. Your going to pause long enough to receive it's highest rank. WOW

 

I wonder if they morally object to the point that it doesn't end up on the lads college or job resume. I doubt it......Typical selfish US citizens, Not gonna call them Americans cause that would lump them in with the Canadians and Mexicans which are fine folks.

 

Their resume will read "Pre January 1, 2014 Eagle Scout". They will proud of their higher tier Eagle.

 

After Ted Cruz I'm not so sure about those Canadians anymore.

[Baseballfan]

And I thought the rush was so they didn't have to do the Cooking MB.

haha I also thought that was what the thread would be about!

[IM_Kathy]

We haven't had any issues with the either the policy change or the cooking merit badge.

 

The 2 boys that are getting finished up are right at 18 (my son passed his board last night and just turned 18 and he actually did earn cooking MB the other scout turns 18 in November)

 

We have 1 scout finishing up by May as he will be traveling overseas with his family after that and he almost has cooking MB done he turns 18 this coming summer. I have one other scout who has completed cooking MB already and the rest of our scouts have started the merit badge because they know the requirements now and aren't sure what all the changes are going to be. It will take a while to get them all to finish it up as that's a bunch to get through and lots of different camp cooking needed so some times we may have to give favor to an older scout who needs to get it done over a younger scout that has longer to get that cooking done.

[Brewmeister]

That is the funniest thing I have read this week so far..

 

 

So an organization who you are quitting because you have a moral objection to it's membership policy. Your going to pause long enough to receive it's highest rank. WOW

 

I wonder if they morally object to the point that it doesn't end up on the lads college or job resume. I doubt it......Typical selfish US citizens, Not gonna call them Americans cause that would lump them in with the Canadians and Mexicans which are fine folks.

 

Totally agree. Well, "funniest" isn't the word I would use, but yeah, definitely.