An Eagle candidate can choose their own advisor OR no advisor. I am confused that you say it must not be a parent. Can you show me that in a BSA policy statement? Nearly all of my Scouts who have earned Eagle have not had an advisor. I agree that they are useful but they are not required or, in most cases, necessary.

It's interesting that more experience often leads to more doubt in what we are doing. I remember something about the most dangerous pilots being ones that have many hours of flying and, thus a false sense of confidence in their abilities. Less experienced pilots are more careful because they know they are inexperienced, and veteran pilots are more careful because they've likely had more close calls and seen more accidents. I think this is true with Scoutmastership too. I always have second thoughts and question my own conclusions because I know, from experience, how fallible I am. Oddly, though, this theoretically makes me more competent - I know I don't know. That's not a bad place to be for beginners or veterans.

New Jersey(and many other states) prohibits the use of power tools by minors only as a condition of employment. I cannot hire a minor to work with power tools, nor can I hire them to work twelve hours a day. Child labor laws are there to protect minors from exploitation and assure their safety in their place of employment. These laws do not prohibit minors from using power tools at home or as a part of something like a merit badge or Eagle project. As for the shop class caveat you mention I could not find it in the state code - I checked.

I 'd pick the centennial uniform nylon shirt by a country mile! Lightweight, dries fast, cleans easily - way better than the old cotton-poly shirts!

Hey Larry Almost every good idea has reasonable exceptions! I kind of thought that the tarp-in-tent tip would cause controversy. My Scouts think I am crazy to put a groundcloth inside my tent (and for other reasons too numerous to mention here) but it works. Truth be told I am camping under a tarp 80% of the time on top a a sheet of Tyvek so go figure.

It's okay Larry - you'll hear the 1001 strings again! Don't blow a gasket brother! I have two or three different versions of taps (maybe four!)

See this post; http://scoutmaster.typepad.com/my_weblog/2011/01/height-of-pioneering-structures.html

There's a new edition of the G2SS that includes the ban on homemade liquid fuel stoves. You can see it online here:http://scouting.org/scoutsource/HealthandSafety/GSS/gss07.aspx

This is different - it is not burning any fuel. This is a homemade pot, not a stove.

I don't know of any place to get actual accident reports that would tell us the nature of the fatalities. I wish we had access to them.

Thanks for your thoughts Tracey. I'd agree that leaders knowingly putting Scouts in harm's way is rare. What usually happens is well-meaning leaders do not recognize dangerous situations. I thin the writer actually did a very good job researching the article. He did include several statements that placed the number of accidents in context with the number of active Scouts.

Good thoughts Larry! What we really need is to define the difference between review and test. We also need to consider exactly what would constitute reasons for a Scout failing a board of review.

Thanks Will! There were two economist jokes, not accountant jokes. Two accountant jokes would be out of the question!

Thanks for the head's up on the links! I've fixed them.

Sorry to hear about the SPL - but this happens from time to time - similar things have happened to me too. It follows if this has happened to two of us it means it has happened to two hundred more! I have a bigger mouth than you Larry! It cuts both ways, sometimes we get a pat on the back, sometimes we get a kick in the pants. We both know the Scouts will work this all out. Sometimes the committee's job is to be nervous, the SM's job is to calm them down.

Thanks Jerry! It is energizing and inspiring to hear from readers and listeners - we do need to remind folks every once in a while how things look from our perspective. I feel the same way you do about appearing to beg for a response. I am conflicted over posting numbers too - but they are one way to interpret effectiveness (a very imperfect way). I think it is important that folks understand this does cost money. None of us are going broke but none of us are getting rich either! Keep on keeping on.

I totally agree Allan - adults often have a very different idea of what 'fun' is. We need to see the world from a Scout's perspective to understand what 'fun' is to them. As your story recounts it is almost always linked to some challenge.

Good thoughts Allan! You guys keep me on my toes! If, as I suggest, Scouts can elect a Patrol leader whenever they want it does not immediately follow that they will do this impulsively every two weeks. While this could happen in theory it does not commonly happen in practice. I am not so much concerned that Scouts are learning about types of government as they are about the underlying principles of autonomy tempered by responsibility - the heart of the democratic process. In the situation that was described to me it was clear that the no-show patrol leader needed to start carrying his weight, or to be replaced. The question was how does one replace a patrol leader. My answer was that the patrol elects a new leader. So the next question follows - when and how does this happen? My answer is that the patrol may elect a leader at any time but this does not mean they do this cavalierly. There's a common false dichotomy when discussing youth leadership; we often think that if we give them full responsibility and authority then we have to stand by and watch them descend into chaos. The other extreme is the adults making all of the decisions and plans for them. Coaching and mentoring from older Scouts and adult leaders are a check on Scouts making impulsive, poor decisions. We invest our Scouts with autonomy to make decisions but this comes with an expectation of responsibility. As you note building patrols is hard in the absence of a strong model but we are not so much aiming at an ideal as taking our Scouts through a process.

I buy from several and always look on Ebay before I do to see if there's a better deal on something I am looking for personally. Campmor suits us for the group plan.

Total cost, depending on what choice of sleeping bag and pad (foam vs. self inflating) is as little as $184.00 or as much as $200.00 after the 20% discount. As to weight - about 11-15 lbs for the list(depending on the choices of bag and pad) I encourage parents to but the larger sleeping bag but we offer the smaller one if they want(can be handed down to a younger brother) The Z lite is nice, but at three times the cost I'll pass. I have seen the Frogg Toggs, frankly not impressed. Two of our crew packed them on our Canadian Canoe Trip and they got shredded in short order. The rain gear isn't breathable but I get few complaints. Waterproof/breathable (Gortex, etc) does not keep up with my ability to perspire so I am usually pretty wet anyway, but the polypro layer keeps me comfortable and warm.

Thanks for letting me know, fixed it!

I am working on the results of the patrol system survey right now. I'll have it posted soon.

Thanks Nick- I changed it to 'Mr.' Spock. That simultaneously took a corner off my geek card and added 10 points to my 'dotty old man' score.

Excellent approach to the question. Apply the Scout Law - simple!