Leif is a Tiger Cub
- Thread starter koyote
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Esav Benyamin
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He doesn't even seem to mind being all dressed up. 
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Hell, I remember being a cub scout - good stuff. As much as we here negativisms about boys scouts, it really is a great club and there are some great folks who dedicate their time to teach children the means to be independent. Not every leader is as great as the best leader, but they are volunteers who do the best they can. Here is too you Koyote, for supporting the club!
---Its much better than say basketball camp.....What a bloody waste of youth that is....
---Its much better than say basketball camp.....What a bloody waste of youth that is....
mtnfolk mike
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great pic Christof..:thumbup: he's getting big man... i'm sure he's loving scouts too..
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I've dug into this a lot- I find the scouting bashing to have some merits in some areas- WOSM in general has opened up scouting to people of all faiths, no faith, both genders, and almost only- definitely notably- n the US is it heterosexual Chritian Boys Only. Two churches in the US are the prime movers behind the churchification of scouting, with a bunch of hangers on.
Now, plenty of scouts and scout groups completely ignore this, with packs being sponsored by churches that have openly gay ministers and so on. There are plenty of atheists and pagans in scouting, just not hard core fanatic ones who want to force everyone to be like them!
The other issue - where the WSS crowd gets most of its ammo- is actual outdoor skills and use of tools. Scouting has whittlin chits for cub scouts and knife/axe/saw chits for boy scouts. It's very reasonable, the chits are given as partof safety measures- you have to know and promise to abide by the rules to carry a toold with an edge.
Where it gets problematical is in two areas:
Scoutmasters/den leaders/etc who DO NOT UNDERSTAND KNIVES. This is a big one, and likely to source of the majority of the bad feelings towards scouting from a technical perspective. The answer to this is to get the grown ups out into the field with a knife. Very simple, very easy- volunteer to teach these folks how to use an SAK. Don't get all huffy and snooty about emersons or striders, fixed blades or Buck 110s. Baby steps. Get these people behind some compacts, tinkers, climbers, and woodsmen. use every tool, just spend a few hours messin around. In almost every case, I think you will find it is people who don't understand knives who are the problem.
The second issue is the fixed blade issue- There's no answer for that. Changing fixed blade carry is something that would have to be done with a concerted, educated, and reasonable effort. Calling people stupids and walking away won't fix that. And there is some reason behind the general ban on fixed blades by the scouts. You hardly want to be running around with sugar crazy hyperactive 11 year old who has no idea what he's doing and a 12 inch blade 'super-survival' knife- and that would happen. a 4 inch blade length limit would work. Of course, then you'd have people screaming about how a kukri is a perfectly fine tool, etc etc etc.
Now, plenty of scouts and scout groups completely ignore this, with packs being sponsored by churches that have openly gay ministers and so on. There are plenty of atheists and pagans in scouting, just not hard core fanatic ones who want to force everyone to be like them!
The other issue - where the WSS crowd gets most of its ammo- is actual outdoor skills and use of tools. Scouting has whittlin chits for cub scouts and knife/axe/saw chits for boy scouts. It's very reasonable, the chits are given as partof safety measures- you have to know and promise to abide by the rules to carry a toold with an edge.
Where it gets problematical is in two areas:
Scoutmasters/den leaders/etc who DO NOT UNDERSTAND KNIVES. This is a big one, and likely to source of the majority of the bad feelings towards scouting from a technical perspective. The answer to this is to get the grown ups out into the field with a knife. Very simple, very easy- volunteer to teach these folks how to use an SAK. Don't get all huffy and snooty about emersons or striders, fixed blades or Buck 110s. Baby steps. Get these people behind some compacts, tinkers, climbers, and woodsmen. use every tool, just spend a few hours messin around. In almost every case, I think you will find it is people who don't understand knives who are the problem.
The second issue is the fixed blade issue- There's no answer for that. Changing fixed blade carry is something that would have to be done with a concerted, educated, and reasonable effort. Calling people stupids and walking away won't fix that. And there is some reason behind the general ban on fixed blades by the scouts. You hardly want to be running around with sugar crazy hyperactive 11 year old who has no idea what he's doing and a 12 inch blade 'super-survival' knife- and that would happen. a 4 inch blade length limit would work. Of course, then you'd have people screaming about how a kukri is a perfectly fine tool, etc etc etc.
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That's interesting wasn't Seton, one of the founders of scouting married to a Theosophist??
Also didn't he sort of hold to Native American spiritual practices?
I remember an article in the old Gnosis magazine suggesting a lot of the practices in Wicca were not from Gerald Gardners alleged New Forest coven but from Setons Native American Woodcraft rituals.
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You are completely right, about all of it. It's not Scouting nor the founders that are the problem- it's very hard line and vocal elements in Scouting. Hel, we have the same problem with the US as a whole- not all of our founding fathers were christian, but there's a very vocal element of our nation that claims our country is inherently christian and ONLY christian.
I hate pointing specific fingers, but in the US, you can look at a very few specific religions, such as the Church of JC of LDS, the Catholic curch, and a few others, that have a lot of control over Scouting and the BSA.
I hate pointing specific fingers, but in the US, you can look at a very few specific religions, such as the Church of JC of LDS, the Catholic curch, and a few others, that have a lot of control over Scouting and the BSA.
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good looking kid! i cant wait til my boy is that age!
go and get that chit Leif!!!
go and get that chit Leif!!!
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Just to keep some updates-
Leif is abotu done with the first month of Tigers. We have an advantage in some awards due to homeschooling- I've worked his academic belt loops and pins (cub scout versions of belt loops and merit badges) into his curriculum.
He's received his belt loops for Art and Weather, and is going to be receiving Fishing, Citizenship, and Mathematics at the next pack meeting.
He's done 10 of the 50 Tiger Cub Electives and 8 of the 15 tiger cub patch requirements.
We're starting him on the Art Pin, which would generally seem pretty early for a tiger (most pins come at the bear level, and webelos). He might be able to get 2 or 3 pins this year, which would be fairly amazing, but the Art one he's down for fer sure.
We've also arranged a mentor for him to get the cub scout level Religious Studies pin for the Unitarian Universalist denomination. He *should* get that by summer scouting camp, which would be cool.
Leif is abotu done with the first month of Tigers. We have an advantage in some awards due to homeschooling- I've worked his academic belt loops and pins (cub scout versions of belt loops and merit badges) into his curriculum.
He's received his belt loops for Art and Weather, and is going to be receiving Fishing, Citizenship, and Mathematics at the next pack meeting.
He's done 10 of the 50 Tiger Cub Electives and 8 of the 15 tiger cub patch requirements.
We're starting him on the Art Pin, which would generally seem pretty early for a tiger (most pins come at the bear level, and webelos). He might be able to get 2 or 3 pins this year, which would be fairly amazing, but the Art one he's down for fer sure.
We've also arranged a mentor for him to get the cub scout level Religious Studies pin for the Unitarian Universalist denomination. He *should* get that by summer scouting camp, which would be cool.