Ask Andy - Mid-October 2005
The first October
column led off with a letter from a Cub Scout parent who considered
their family’s language usage standards superior to those of Scouting
because the word “heck”—a word tantamount to swearing, they said—is used
in some songs Scouts sing:
“In my home, it’s
considered a curse word, and when my son’s Cub Pack sang a song with it
in it…I found it was in very poor judgment for the leaders to teach the
children this song…The Boy Scouts should not be letting the lowered
standards of our society corrupt the way they are leading our children.
We spoke with our Cubmaster, and she replied that our child could either
not be involved in the campfire or not attend the campout. Why should
our child miss out on the fun because he has higher standards than his
Cubmaster?”
You all had a bit
to say about this, and the next letters do a pretty good job of summing
up your points of view…
Dear Andy,
God help the
parents complained about the word “heck" in Scout songs, if they were to
ever read the Bible! My gosh! The words "damn" and "hell" are used any
number of times! They’d be shocked beyond recovery! (George Bratz, Miami
Valley Council, Dayton, OH)
Hi Andy,
With reference to
the question about the use of "heck" in songs and the like, I think the
first reaction has to be "get a life." These parents should also
disconnect from the Internet if the word "heck" is so offensive.
According to Google, there are 24,000,000 web pages with the work "heck"
showing up once or more. Geez! Putting on the “Commish hat,” I’d say
this: In everyday usage, "heck" probably doesn't mean much of anything
to anyone. Though it started as a euphemism for hell, its slang use has
come to have a life of its own and you probably should judge the word in
its contemporary contextual use. Most people would agree that a
cuss-word is one that is intended to be deliberately offensive due to
its fowl nature or meaning. When we read the word "hell" in the Bible,
we probably don’t assume that the author was cussing. When a minister
talks about hell in a sermon, the use of the word is not cussing. In
the context of these songs, there’s no intent to offer offense or to
engage in cussing. Anyone can decide to be offended, of course, even
when no offense is intended, and that’s a more serious problem than
singing a song with the word "heck" in the lyrics. (M.B.)
Dear Andy,
This has been a rare problem, but as a unit leader at many levels I could often see some folks squirming when certain words or phrases were uttered by the "innocents." Granted, it’s impossible for every parent to censor every word, song or skit at every campfire, but as a Cubmaster, Scoutmaster, Commissioner, whatever the hat, it’s certainly not my job to censor, but I do screen these songs as best I can. For the most part, you’ll find them at Philmont, hear them at National Camping School and summer camp as well. In fact, I’d also go so far as to say it’s not and never will be my position to force anyone's morality on an entire unit. I’d say that the leader who gave the boy the option to stay or avoid is best. The “concerned parent” could point out the word in a family discussion and then decide what they feel is right, while recognizing other's rights to use the word in an expressive form. Heck, there are far more serious words that I’m more concerned with than “heck.” (Phil Malone, ADC, Simon Kenton Council, OH)
Hi Andy,
I think that Pack has new song leaders… or they
can sit down and keep their opinions to themselves. (Roy Giles,
Cornhusker Council, NE) My own
consideration on this subject is that teaching one’s children that
“heck,” “golly,” “gosh,” “jeepers,” “gee-whiz,” “darn,” “dang,” “dad”
(as in dad-gum-it), and so on are tantamount to “curse words,” even when
used in non-inflammatory, non-blasphemous contexts borders on—if not an
exercise in futility—silliness. But I’m very much more concerned about
folks who are teaching their children that their values are somehow
superior to others and that the values of others are somehow inferior to
their own, instead of teaching them that values can and will be
different, person-to-person, culture-to-culture. This misguided
practice can have the unhappy result of producing children who may very
well have long-term difficulties with peer relationships and who may
well grow into adults with significant and potentially harmful societal
intransigence. I’m sure these people believe they’re teaching their
children a superior way to live, but they overlook that “live” is an
anagram for evil and “superior” is an unforgiving and murderous body of
water. As for the Cubmaster who offered the option of non-participation
in the particular event in lieu of total non-participation in the
overall Scouting program, my hat’s off to her for providing a most
sensitive and cooperative solution and avoiding throwing out the baby
with the bath-water. In the arena of
Reader Responses, I’ve received another comment about that Jamboree
“Merit Badge Cop”… Dear
Andy,
Doesn’t it state on
the merit badge counselor’s application: "As a merit badge counselor, I
agree to follow the requirements of the merit badge, making no deletions
or additions, ensuring that the advancement standards are fair and
uniform for all Scouts"? I think you’d have to consider that the Merit
Badge Cop was saying that the standards weren’t uniform and fair for all
Scouts. Or, Andy, are you going to play a word game and say that the
advancement standards are all the same? Well the simple fact of the
matter is that a Scout who was privileged to have attended the Jamboree
didn’t have the same standards as a Scout who remained home. Thus the
standards were not fair and uniform for
ALL Scouts.
Sorry…On this one I have to go with the writer and not Andy, which comes
as a surprise to me, for Andy is “Numero Uno” when it comes to
application of fair standards, repeatedly reminding us Scouters that
we’re not free to add require-ments to advancement, nor set numbers for
"active participation," nor to "fail” Scouts in Board of Review. Simply
put, Andy, we’ve all seen “merit badge mills” at Camporees, Jamborees,
Summer Camp! (Jack, Northern New Jersey Council) There's no question but that adhering to the precise language of a
requirement, whether for a rank or a merit badge, is critical—It's not
only the issue of fairness that's at stake here, but also the principle
that, whether a Scout's from Portland Maine or Portland Oregon, he has
the same knowledge and skills on that subject or requirement or rank as
every other Scout. In the case of our "Merit Badge Cop," however, he
made no mention of requirements, per se, but instead his issues had to
do with time—his position was that insufficient time was being
spent on requirements. Where he would prefer to take hours with a Scout
on a simple requirement of, say, "demonstrate proper CPR technique" (I
just made that up for the sake of this conversation, by the way), he
felt that someone who could accomplish this in a few minutes was in
violation of some unwritten rule that says we have to bore the Scout (if
not ourselves) to death! My position's never wavered: Requirements are
requirements, period. However, I equally believe that we're not in the
business of re-testing ad nauseum. Now, on to new letters…
Dear Andy,
I’m told that
there’s a national theme for the upcoming Blue & Gold Cub Scout banquet;
however, I’m unable to locate it on any website. Am I misinformed? (Tina
Kelley) The "national theme" for the Blue & Gold has been the same from the
beginning: It's a birthday party! Baden-Powell was born on
February 22, 1857. Scouting was founded on February 8, 1910. The Blue &
Gold is a celebration of both of these, and that's why it's held in
February! That's also why "Scout Week" is in February! Dear
Andy, I've "heard"
that in the Webelos II year, wearing the blue uniform is no longer an
option--The boys “must” wear the tan-and-khaki. Checking the BSA
national website, all printed references I could find, and other online
references, I can’t find any verification of this. Of course, the
speakers all swear to their veracity, but somehow they just can't seem
to remember where they heard it or read it! Similarly, it was stated at
a recent adult leader training course that hatchets (the ones with the
hammer-head on the back, as opposed to hand axes) are prohibited,
according to BSA policy. Here again, the trainer couldn’t back up the
"BSA policy" statement with anything solid. I've spent too many years in
Scouting and other large organizations to pay much heed to people who
tell me what “policy” is, but just can't seem to find a copy of it to
show me. Nevertheless, I check anyway, in case they might be right—just
for once (I'm still looking for that one time!). (Jeffrey Slater, WDL,
Shenandoah Area Council, Winchester, VA) Dontcha just love Scouting folks who have to prove how smart they are by telling
somebody else about some obscure Scouting "rule" that they just can't
seem to back up with anything? Yeah... me, too! These are often the
same folks who'll tell you that "in this Troop, the uniform is..." or other nonsense the reveals more about their
misguided little minds than how "informed" they think they are. Let's
answer both of your questions, with some real facts... Go to
https://scoutnet.scouting.org/BSASupply/webelos.aspx -- that's the BSA
Supply Division website -- and you'll find this statement: "Webelos
uniforms can be based on the Cub Scout or Boy Scout uniforms. Before
buying, check with your Cubmaster to determine which uniform to
purchase." (Yeah, like lots of people, they spelled "Webelos" wrong, and
I've corrected it, here.) For your
second question, read the GUIDE TO SAFE SCOUTING booklet, and you'll
find that although it talks about knives it's absolutely silent on the
subject of axes, saws, and other woods tools. End of story.
So, when
somebody says something about some obscure rule, there's nothing wrong
with your simply saying, "That's interesting...Please show me in writing
where it says that." If they can do that, that's a good thing and
you've learned something. But don't be holding your breath while you're
waiting!
Dear Andy,,
My understanding is
that a Charter Organization Representative (COR) may also hold other
positions in a Troop, such as advancement chair, treasurer, etc. Am I
correct in this thinking? We’re a small troop (25 Scouts) in a rural
community. (Floyd Forman, SM, Troop 13, Southern NJ Council,
Farmingdale, NJ) A member
of a unit's committee – the chair or any other member – can also be the
COR. In fact, this is often done because a member of the chartered
organization is usually involved in some way with the unit itself
(usually in a registered position) so the combination is a natural one.
But, you do want to make this a dual position on the committee side of
the equation, and not let this job fall to the Scoutmaster or an ASM –
they have enough to do!
Dear Andy,,
I’m a long-time fan
of Green Bar Bill. He used to write a column called "From the Campfire
of Green Bar Bill" that was great for boy leaders. Do you know if those
articles have ever been put into book form? (Gene Henderson, UC, Great
Trail Council, OH). As a Boy Scout, I
used to read Green Bar Bill's column in BOY'S LIFE as soon as each new
issue arrived (“Whittlin' Jim” was my other favorite)! What a great
Scouter... What a great HUMAN BEING! If you Google "William Hillcourt green bar" you'll find all sorts of wonderful entries.
Hi Andy,,
Do you know of any
great “Crossover Bridge” patterns? We have a new Pack craftsman who’s
willing to build things, and I’m interested in finding a pattern for a
small curved bridge. (Deborah Spears, Longhorn Council, Argyle, TX) I checked
with our webmaster, Mike Bowman. Here's his suggestion…
We probably don't
have a blueprint design. Instead, we have a lot of descriptive ideas
like those in:
http://usscouts.org/clipart/scoutdoc/scouts-l/cubscout/webcross.pdf.
She might want to
search our site with the terms "crossover bridge" – she’ll get about 50
links to various articles in Baloo's Bugle, ceremonies, and other
places.
To this,
I'd add that the most important elements are not necessarily the design
of the bridge but, rather, the ceremony itself and – even more important
– having ALL of your Webelos Scouts graduate into one or more Boy Scout
Troops right then and there!
Dear Andy,,
What’s the
recommended procedure for selecting a new Scoutmaster? Is this position
appointed by the COR, it elected by the unit committee and/or by the
ASMs, or a mix of all of the above? I thought I saw it in a BSA
training course that, because the Chartered Organization is responsible
for the group, this position would be an appointment by the COR. Is
this true? I’m asking because our own Troop Guidelines specify the
appointment or election of every Troop position EXCEPT Scoutmaster! In
the past, it's usually been appointment by default—the one who got
appointed was the only one who wasn't screaming No or the slowest to run
from the room when the topic was brought up! J Seriously, we hope we can find
someone qualified to do the job who also has the time and desire. Thank
you for being there…especially for this sort of thing. It's nice to
have someone to ask who knows the rules and procedures but who doesn't
know anyone in our Troop! Because the nature of this decision is
delicate, I didn't want to have to ask our Commissioner or other
District people—this can get so political. (Dayna Williams, Troop 113
Secretary) Usually, a
Scoutmaster is identified and selected (not "elected") by the Troop
Committee with the cooperation and ultimate endorsement of the Chartered
Organization. ASMs are, ideally, "Scoutmasters-in-training" and the
incumbent SM has trained them to take over when he's no longer able to
serve the Troop. Strictly speaking, yes, the Chartered Organization is
"responsible" for providing a Scoutmaster. However, from a practical
(and also "legal") perspective, it's as I first described. And here's
some good news: The BSA has actually developed a process for identifying
and recruiting key volunteers, like a Scoutmaster. Contact your District
Executive (he or she will be working out of your council's service
center) and just ask for the brochure on recruiting volunteers (you
don’t have to explain why, if you think this might get “political”).
Read it. Get any clarifications you think you need before implementing
it. Then GO DO IT. Follow the plan it describes, and don't get
"creative" and try to change it—Do it just the way it's laid out. It
WORKS—I guarantee that!
Hi Andy,
I’m a single mom of
three children and I need to know something… The Cub Scout Pack that
I’m about to enroll my son in (at the “Tiger Cub” level) has a rule that
ALL parents must attend every meeting with their son. That would mean
that my two daughters would have to go along with my son and me. At
sign-up, there were several other Cubs’ sisters there as well. The
whole idea behind why I would like him to be in Cub Scouts is to get him
away from “the girls" so he can develop friendships with boys his own
age, as there are none who live in the neighborhood where we live.
Is there any other Pack in my area where a
parent doesn’t have to attend every meeting?
Our son’s
father doesn’t live nearby (making it impossible for him to fill in),
and he was actually perturbed when I asked if he would be willing to go
on the campout with the Pack. His attitude is that if I can't
make all the activities, then our son shouldn't be in Scouts. Can you
even imagine my heartbreak for our son. I just don't know what my
options are for my little boy. I did have him in martial arts a couple
years ago, but one day happened to coincide with a day his father was to
pick him up, and he made such a fuss about the traffic that our son said
he no longer wanted to be in martial arts. I knew that was a lie, but
it was later—after talking several times—that I came to understand what
was really taking place: To “make Daddy happy,” he quit a sport he loved
and was very good at. I do have to find something for my son—and I was
hoping it could be Cub Scouts—because otherwise I do have the concern
that he’ll get his need for attention and interaction fulfilled in less
positive ways. (Caroline, Austin, TX) I've been
a single parent myself, and my heart goes out to you and your children.
Luckily for me, I had only one child to care for during my
single-parenting time. I can't even begin to imagine what you're
handling! You have my admiration for your efforts. Yes, I agree with
you that the soul of a child cares less for whether the attention needed
is positive or negative, so long as it's gotten, and you're definitely
facing a challenge. Yes, Tiger
Cubs need to attend their Den meetings with a parent—that's a key
ingredient in the program itself. Some Dens accommodate siblings by
having an "extra parent" available to more-or-less "baby-sit" them.
Have you spoken with the Den Leader (who more than likely is a Mom, just
like you!) about your dilemma? That's sure where to start! But, if this
can't resolve itself, you might want to check out other Packs in your
area by contacting the service center of your the Capitol Area Scout
Council. Call 512-926-6363 and ask for the District Executive that
serves the town you live in. Describe your situation and ask for any
suggestions. Yes, your son does deserve male peer relationships, and my
hat's off to you for reaching out on his behalf!
There is
good news, however, and it’s not that far away – A year from now at the
most, the Cub Scouting program changes from that of the Tiger Cub
program, and parents are NOT required at every meeting!
Dear Andy,
A correction… You
said, in a recent column: “Only a National Jamboree patch is permitted
above the right pocket; only an OA flap is permitted on the right pocket
flap; only a rank badge is permitted on the left pocket; nothing is
permitted on the left pocket flap; and only the world crest is permitted
above the left pocket of a Boy Scout's shirt.” Sorry, not correct. In
addition the National Jamboree patch, World and/or International
Jamborees, interpreter strips and Venture or Varsity strips are worn
above the right pocket, along with name tag. Moreover, Cub Scouts now
have a flap-shaped outdoor activity award that’s worn on the right
pocket flap. Those not wearing OA flap patches wear their name tags on
the right pocket flap. On the left pocket, in addition to a rank badge
(for youth), the Powder Horn and Kodiak medals are worn. The following
can be worn on the left pocket flap: The Emergency Preparedness Award
pin, the Sea Badge pin, and the Ranger bar. Knots, service stars, and
Venturing ribbon bars are worn above the left pocket. Now, if what was
being said was restricted to Boy Scouts, some of what is noted above
doesn't apply. But a lot does. (Michael Brown) Much
appreciated! Of course there are more options than I stated at the
time, and I'm remiss, I suppose, in not describing each and every
option. You’ll note, however, that my response to the particular
question asked was on-target, if not a more “universal” answer. For all
of the minutiae, read the INSIGNIA GUIDE, published by the BSA.
Hello Andy,
I earned my
Eagle 23 years ago, and was an Assistant Scoutmaster in
Jacksonville, FL. I’d like to get back into Scouting as a Merit
Badge Counselor. Can you tell me what Troops are in the
northwestern part of Gainesville, FL, where I live now? I downloaded
the BSA Adult Volunteer Application, but apparently I have to be
registered with a local unit. (Scott Crosby) An
Eagle Scout who'd like to get back involved in the greatest youth
movement in the world? Wow! That's FABULOUS! To be a Merit Badge
Counselor, you need to be a registered member of a local BSA council
(not a specific unit, like a Troop or anything), and you'll fill out
two applications—the one you've already found (BSA ADULT VOLUNTEER
APPLICATION) and your local council's MERIT BADGE COUNSELOR
APPLICATION (they're different from council-to-council, so don't
bother looking for a "general" one on the Net). Actually getting
started is pretty straightforward. Go to
http://www.scouting.org/ and on the right
side of the home page, in the purple block, you'll see the words,
"sign up for Scouting." Click on that, and then enter your
information. Then click "submit," and it'll take you to a brief
description of each Scouting program. At the bottom of that page,
you'll see this clickable blue-underlined text: "local council
service center." Click on that, enter your ZIP code and hit the
"Find Local Council" bar. This will take you to the name, address,
phone, and URL of the council that serves the area you live in.
First, check out their website, just to get a sense for what they're
all about. Then, call them up, tell whoever answers what town you
live in, and ask for the District Executive who serves that town.
When connected, ask the DE for the name and phone number of the
Merit Badge Dean (if they have one) or the District Advancement
Chairperson (If the DE offers to take your name and have someone
contact you, accept the offer!). Then, tell 'em what Merit Badge(s)
you'd like to counsel, and the rest will happen pretty quickly. By
the way, annual registration fees are waived for MBCs!
Dear
Andy,
I’m a
new Boy Scout Roundtable Commissioner and need to get access to the
2005-2006 Roundtable Planning guide. Do you know where can I find
this information online? (Dan Williamson, Ft. Monroe, VA) Even
if you do find the 2005-06 BSRT Planning Guide online, are you
really prepared to download and print over 70 pages? Wouldn't it be
a heck of a lot easier, and cheaper, to just buy one for a few bucks
at your local council's Scout Shop? If that's too far away, contact
the BSA National Supply Division at 1-800-323-0732 or
www.scoutstuff.org.
Keep on keepin' on! Andy
Got a question?
Send it to me at AskAndyBSA@yahoo.com -
(Please include your Council name and home state)
(Mid-October 2005 –
Copyright © 2005 Andy McCommish)
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