Rule No. 85: o Opinions are never substitutes for facts. ________________________________________ Dear Andy, I’m the Advisor for a Venturing crew. Our council us to start this crew with a group of 13 year-old girls, and we were told that they could do anything Venturing-related so long as they had a parent along with them. Right […]

Rule No. 84: • If God is indeed watching us, the least we can do is be entertaining. ________________________________________ Dear Andy, Thanks for all the great information you provide. My question’s about BSA trek safety. Reading the GTSS information, it seems to say that all activities now require two adults: one at least age 21, […]

INDEPENDENCE DAY The usual day we make resolutions for ourselves is January first. I think today—Independence Day—may be even better. Here are my Independence Day resolutions… o As Scoutmaster, I will train and guide the Scouts in my troop to lead themselves. o As Scoutmaster, I will make sure the troop I serve has a […]

Rule No. 83: o A boy kept from making mistakes is likely to be kept from making anything else. ________________________________________ Dear Andy, I really appreciate your piece on “Working for Pay.” I’ve been getting flack from lots of good people who say I shouldn’t do the NAPS newsletter for free, or go to denominational conferences […]

DOING A GOOD TURN… OR WORKING FOR PAY? In addition to Scouting, I’m also a Rotarian; been a member of our local Rotary Club for a half-dozen or so years. Our club’s regularly on the lookout for ways we can help our community. Yesterday, I reached out to a local businessman who has organized a […]

Rule No. 82: • Some volunteers are sort of like Slinkies… not really good for very much, but you can’t help smiling when you see one tumbling down the stairs. ________________________________________ Dear Andy, This is more of a comment rather than a question; however, I’d like your thoughts on the matter… The BSA’s Activity Consent […]

Rule No. 81: • It takes just one careless match to start a forest fire, but it’ll take a Scout the whole box to start a campfire. ________________________________________ Dear Andy, May I use your Memorial Day piece at an upcoming meeting? (Gary Marquardt) Any number of Scouters like you have asked about this, and the […]

________________________________________ Rule No. 80: • Change is inevitable, except from a vending machine. ________________________________________ Dear Andy, One of our Scouts is under a time crunch to earn his Eagle. He made First Class on January 30th and will turn 17 in June. The active and leadership requirements for Star are both four months, so I […]

Rule No. 79: Ready, fire, aim isn’t always the best way to tackle a problem. Dear Andy, I noticed in one of your recent issues that you were sending a fellow Scouter a “Reader’s Digest” version of how a troop should operate.  Any chance I could get a copy as well? We’re also a troop […]