Scouts No More by Michael S Alford

[mes5464]

As the parents of multiple home-schooled children we are always looking for ways to get our kids some social activity. With that in mind we had considered Cub Scouts for our two oldest. I had a very positive impression of the organization, and expected lots of fun with campouts and survival skills being taught. And to tell you the truth, it started out great. We formed up a little Pack made up of other homeschoolers, and in true homeschooler fashion, us dads sat down with the BSA Manual and began to rewrite the curriculum. We decided what to keep, what to toss, and the dad we elected as the Den Leader did a phenomenal job. We even rewrote some of the standard Cub Scout cheers which we thought were a bit ribald for these 1st graders in our care. When time came for fundraising, we rejected the overpriced trinket sales model that was recommended and we devised our own program which was a smashing success. The whole family was involved in our Cub Scout pack, even the Den leader’s daughters who volunteered to be the hapless victims in every first-aid scenario we played out. The poor girls choked on a chicken bone, broke their legs, had boulders fall on them. It was great fun.

http://lewrockwell.com/orig14/alford-michael1.1.1.html" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

[Shimdidly]

Sadly, a lot of this isn't even the BSA's fault. Some of the blame falls on them for having a top-heavy organization, and overpriced shirts and badges, but our litigious, environmentally unreasonable society also prevents a lot of good, productive, gritty learning to get done. Rugged individualism is a dying trend.

[JohnnyL]

I read much of that article and all I could keep thinking was, "Idiots! Why do you keep going???!!!!"

Take them out, start your own little thing with all the other homeschoolers.

So I stopped reading before the very end. I imagine the end was better than the middle.

[Silas]

Don't worry Johnny that is what they ended up doing, they just tried to make things work a little longer than I would have myself. The litigious environment isn't even that big of deal. I mean it could be dealt with by having parents sign waivers saying that they won't sue the BSA over accidents that take place during scouting activities. I hope that the church steps away from scouting. We could do it so much better ourselves and while I am more than happy to donate to help the boys be able to do scouting, I don't want to give a penny to support the extremely overpaid administrators at the BSA.

[karend77]

Thanks for the article. It is so very right on, and sad. I am ready for the church to move on beyond scouting. This is coming from a former Scout Advancement Chair with two eagle scout sons,

[mes5464]

My stake had the 2nd Councilor in the Stake Presidency come our ward last Sunday to hold a short meeting with all of the adults (between Sunday School and Priesthood) to encourage all of us to contribute to the Friends of Scouting (which it isn't called that anymore according to the literature and the letter from the stake president). I am still considering what I am going to do. It makes me feel the same way I did when I worked for the church and they did the United Way drive each year. I felt pressured to financially support an organization that I don't believe in. I do believe in BSA, what I don't believe in is corporate BSA that makes a living off of the program. It smacks of priestcrafts to me.

[jcricket6048]

My stake had the 2nd Councilor in the Stake Presidency come our ward last Sunday to hold a short meeting with all of the adults (between Sunday School and Priesthood) to encourage all of us to contribute to the Friends of Scouting (which it isn't called that anymore according to the literature and the letter from the stake president). I am still considering what I am going to do. It makes me feel the same way I did when I worked for the church and they did the United Way drive each year. I felt pressured to financially support an organization that I don't believe in. I do believe in BSA, what I don't believe in is corporate BSA that makes a living off of the program. It smacks of priestcrafts to me.

do you know that these guys who are working are getting paid for the work they have done and since if they were doing it for free we would be lucky to have any work done at all. I would prefer that we are lucky to have such organization who promotes good will to all those who wants our boys to have a better life. It seems like your organization is doing pretty good but not every one is like yours and they do need help. My deaf branch just started having their own for the first time and they send the kids to the hearing wards because we did not leaders who understands what our boys needed but now we have an excellent leaders doing the work. But to me I think the leaders in the corporate ladder are doing what they are doing best. To me I do not think you know what is going on inside because you are outside of the organization. I have some friends who work at the office and they are doing some wonderful jobs of informing us and helping us so unless you think you can do a better job then why not just apply or takeover the BSA.

[BroJones]

Thanks for the article. It is so very right on, and sad. I am ready for the church to move on beyond scouting. This is coming from a former Scout Advancement Chair with two eagle scout sons,

Must say I agree with you, Karen. I've served as a Scout Leader also (never paid, of course) in the Church. We'll see how BSA rules on the homosexual leader issue before it....

[gkearney]

Don't worry Johnny that is what they ended up doing, they just tried to make things work a little longer than I would have myself. The litigious environment isn't even that big of deal. I mean it could be dealt with by having parents sign waivers saying that they won't sue the BSA over accidents that take place during scouting activities. I hope that the church steps away from scouting. We could do it so much better ourselves and while I am more than happy to donate to help the boys be able to do scouting, I don't want to give a penny to support the extremely overpaid administrators at the BSA.

Our history in dropping out of scouting, which was done overseas about 25 years ago, would not suggest that we are able to offer a better replacement however. Rather the operate is the case in places like Australia and New Zealand where church scouting was once common. We have tried leaving scouting it does not work out as one would like to imagain it would.

That said Scouts Australia is run very differently from the BSA in administration. I can count the number of paid professional in my state on the fingers of one hand. And I have never heard of a fund raising program like the BSA FOS here. We will go to corporate fund raising for that kind of thing not families.

[A Random Phrase]

Excellent post! I, also, agree that the dads should be the cub scout leaders. (I also agree with everything else he said, that I have had experience with.)

My question is this: How do we get a copy of that book he mentioned? The one that was the original boy scout book that taught how to build shelters and kill (and cook, I presume) their own suppers.

As the parents of multiple home-schooled children we are always looking for ways to get our kids some social activity. With that in mind we had considered Cub Scouts for our two oldest. I had a very positive impression of the organization, and expected lots of fun with campouts and survival skills being taught. And to tell you the truth, it started out great. We formed up a little Pack made up of other homeschoolers, and in true homeschooler fashion, us dads sat down with the BSA Manual and began to rewrite the curriculum. We decided what to keep, what to toss, and the dad we elected as the Den Leader did a phenomenal job. We even rewrote some of the standard Cub Scout cheers which we thought were a bit ribald for these 1st graders in our care. When time came for fundraising, we rejected the overpriced trinket sales model that was recommended and we devised our own program which was a smashing success. The whole family was involved in our Cub Scout pack, even the Den leader’s daughters who volunteered to be the hapless victims in every first-aid scenario we played out. The poor girls choked on a chicken bone, broke their legs, had boulders fall on them. It was great fun.

http://lewrockwell.com/orig14/alford-michael1.1.1.html" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

[A Random Phrase]

I am ready for the church to move on beyond scouting.

Me, too, and my son won't even go to scouts, so why should I care, right?

[JohnnyL]

The BSA Fieldbook has lots of that.

[A Random Phrase]

The BSA Fieldbook has lots of that.

BSA Fieldbook. Okay. Thanks.

[cartcart]

I withheld donation last year because a court compelled the BSA to cough up hidden records of abuse. I do not like a cover-up. This year, the FOS request will be tossed away. I donate plenty, but not to BSA any more.

[gkearney]

The book your thinking of is The American Boy's Handy Book by Daniel Carter Beard fist published in 1890 it predates the Boy Scouts, which Beard was involved in as well. The book outlines a whole range of activities some of which I would not suggest due to danger. The first aid section is seriously out dated.

The book is still in print. Here are the details:

Beard, Daniel Carter [1890] (1995). The American Boy's Handy Book. Originally published: New York, Scribner. This edition: Lincoln, Massachusetts, David Godine. ISBN 0-87923-449-0

[A Random Phrase]

The book your thinking of is The American Boy's Handy Book by Daniel Carter Beard fist published in 1890 it predates the Boy Scouts, which Beard was involved in as well. The book outlines a whole range of activities some of which I would not suggest due to danger. The first aid section is seriously out dated.

The book is still in print. Here are the details:

Beard, Daniel Carter [1890] (1995). The American Boy's Handy Book. Originally published: New York, Scribner. This edition: Lincoln, Massachusetts, David Godine. ISBN 0-87923-449-0

Thanks. I've heard of that book. I think I even saw it in a home schooling catalog some years ago. If I'm able to get it, I'll remember that about the first aid section.