Tag: BSA

A Scout is Kind

Screenshot (71)

Screenshot (72)

“Boy Scouts of America files for Bankruptcy”– Washington Post (02-18-2020)

I am heartbroken after hearing about the bankruptcy filing of the Boy Scouts of America. As an Eagle Scout, I know my life would not be the same without the lessons and experiences I had as a Scout. While I am hopeful that the storied tradition and mission of Scouting will be around for another 100 years, how this situation is handled will determine if that is possible.

HEALING the damage that has occurred and preventing future harm, should be the FIRST PRIORITY.

If that means this organization must come to an end, sadly… that is the way it must be. If they choose to operate in a way that protects or promotes criminal sexual abuse of any form, I would PROUDLY hand my Eagle Scout Badge BACK to the BSA before I would support them, and I believe EVERY Eagle Scout would do the SAME.

We must remember… the ABUSED are not the criminals here, the ABUSERS are. There should be NO TIME LIMIT against coming forward. Their stories help us PREVENT future abuse and we should welcome their stories. We must be focused on making sure it cannot happen again.

 

My Boy Scout Troop dealt with an experience of sexual abuse while I was an active Scout. During one of our monthly camping trips, our newly elected Scout Leader subjected a group of first year Scouts to an “underwear check”. I didn’t attend that camp out… I can’t remember why. I know at the time it was an important reason, but the events of that weekend seem to have overshadowed everything else around it.

As a youth organization, I believe the BSA must address two issues in order to prevent future abuse:

1.) Why did those boys not know that that situation was unacceptable and should have SPOKEN OUT about it immediately?

2.) Why did that boy believe it was possible for him to subject those Scouts to a situation like that without accountability?

 

Preventing sexual abuse requires SPEAKING about sexual abuse, which naturally means educating kids about what IS and IS NOT acceptable. At such a pivotal point in their development, the BSA should take a more active role in educating Scouts about these things, and clearly define expectations to actively promote a safe environment for all members… parents, volunteers, and Scouts.

Everyone must feel SAFE, and the BSA must create an atmosphere where Scouts feel comfortable SPEAKING OUT when they are not. The experiences of the Boy Scouts are not an isolated incident. Many organizations are beginning to open their eyes to abuse within their ranks, and we are learning that many lives have been affected. Many people live their entire lives without speaking of it… and some are affected by it everyday.

SILENCE will not fix the problem in the future, and it will not help victims heal.

If the goal truly is to protect CHILDREN, then we must give them the TOOLS necessary to someday do so for themselves… they need KNOWLEDGE.

What better group is there to provide that knowledge than the BSA?

 

JC

“A Scout is Trustworthy”

Have you ever built a fire by rubbing two sticks together? Either by rubbing one on top of the other or using a bow and string method. If you’re not experienced at doing it, to an observer, it looks like a person is just doing a lot of sweating! Keeping the friction going long enough to get that first bit of smoke… it’s exhausting. I’ve done it a handful of times. Now that I think about it, each time was in the middle of summer, in Kansas. That’s probably why I remember a lot of sweating involved. Once, so focused at getting it lit, bent over, constant rubbing, and see the first whiff rise, I lean in to see and… Sweat from the tip of my nose drips into the glowing amber and POOF, gone. Grrr…..

That intense feeling as the smoke starts to rise is how I feel right now. I feel like I am sitting in a dry field, in July, where the heat feels like an oven door opening as you walk around, and I am rubbing two sticks together. It’s starting to smoke. Just a bit. I MIGHT be able to make it catch.

I’ve never had “political motivations”. I had considered doing it later in life. Mitt Romney’s father was said to advise people not to go into public service until they become financially secure. In a way it makes sense, help avoid temptation. Like giving something back to the system that helped you achieve so much.

I realized yesterday why I am so motivated to see this campaign be successful now- I dance with death on a daily basis. No… not exaggerating. Being type one diabetic puts me in a unique position where, if my blood sugar levels drop, I start to feel faint and I see ‘spots’. THEN I get to eat massive amounts of chocolate! DOCTORS ORDERS! I eat more chocolate now after diagnosis than I did when I was a kid! It’s great! My dentist doesn’t like it, but…

T1reaper

The perspective gained from, not just knowing someday I won’t be around anymore, but FEELING like I’m not gonna be around much longer! It’s a clarifying motivator. The last couple years has shown me that I have the power to do whatever I chose. I have the choice. Whatever it is, it begins with a choice. IF I chose to do nothing, then I will die. And if I apply that mentality to life in general, then I should be able to do the impossible.

That’s really what I’m doing everyday. If I want to keep going, I have no choice. I better make the most of my abilities while I have the chance… That’s all. I’m not sure I had a point. Hmmm… I think my blood sugar is low.

Keep your head UP!!

JC

 

 

Kim Jong-un vs. “…Your Mom!”

I am… a giant. At 6’4″, 175 lbs, I stand above everyone. With RARE exception, I can either see over a large crowd unobstructed or my hat (a SpongeBob SquarePants Yellow hat) can bee seen over everyone. I am instantly shocked when someone taller walks into the room. Because it never happens! I have been tall all my life. Tallest in class, tallest in the school. Taller than all but one of my teachers. (second grade, my teacher was 6’1″. I was only 5’6″.) I was the tallest kid in my elementary school at the beginning of 5th grade, but at some point that year, Mindi hit her growth spurt and passed me by a couple inches.

I think that’s the reason I had a crush on her.

When I was in Cub Scouts, around 13 yrs old, my friend Tim’s Mom was our Den Mother. I was 5’6″ or so and a mouthy thirteen year old, and she was as tough as a wolf mother, and not even 4’6″ tall… To my eyes, it was a DRAMATIC height difference. And, being a 13 year old, I liked to… um, kindly reference our differences in height…? (did anyone buy that?)

Right. I would smart off “Oh yeah? What’cha gonna do about it, shorty?”

…. quick aside here. As I write this, I have in my minds eye a scene where I am being sarcastic with Tim’s Mom. I HOPE that’s how it was? I sound like a hell-child writing it out loud! I HOPE that’s how it came across. If not, I guess, Look for my “Apologies and Retractions” section, coming soon!… sigh…

SO, smart-ass me says “What’cha gonna do about it, shorty?” And, bless her heart, all four-foot-nothing walks right up to me, serious as can be, looks me in the eyes and says “No matter how tall you get, I can ALWAYS stand on a chair.”

boom.

She was a wonderful woman. Very caring, loved her being our Den Mother. So she had earned our respect, and each of us tried to show it. And we had seen he grab Tim’s ear a time or two, so we knew NOT to piss her off!

I could not think of a better person to be engaging overseas with aggressive foreign leaders on behalf of the People of the United States. Honestly, who could make decisions that reflect the overall wellbeing of the ENTIRE US better than “…Your Mom!” I would say, in fact, IF Tim’s Mom were to run in 2020, that would be the ONLY possible opponent I could not defeat.

After all, she could just stand on a chair.