Citizenship

*During his lifetime Robert Baden-Powell, founder of the worldwide Scouting movement, wrote many books and articles directed to Scouters.*Each Sunday I’ll publish a selection from his writings in the hope that you’ll draw inspiration and understanding from his timeless ideas. As nearly every man will now have political voting power, one of the aims of education should be to prepare the young citizen for his responsibilities in this line. This is a matter, however, that cannot be taught by class instruction in “civics....

click the image to see full-sized On Independence Day we celebrate; We celebrate the trust our nation’s first leaders invested in one another. We celebrate loyalty they mutually pledged: their lives, their fortunes and their sacred honor. We celebrate the helpfulness of those who aided our fledgling country. We celebrate friendship born in service and devotion to the aims of liberty. We celebrate courtesy, the civility that both values our own ideals and treats those of others with respect....

Via Facebook Tracey Lucas asks: We’ve helped our Elks with an annual Flag Day Ceremony and Flag Retirement Ceremony for many years. Some years we have over 400 flags that have been collected during the year to retire during the evening. We want to retire these flags with the utmost respect, but at the same time, the emissions from burning mostly synthetic flags for several hours has us worried, for the environment, but mostly for our Scouts....

Here are some guidelines and policies concerning politics and Scouting. From the JOIN SCOUTING form: Program Policies Chartered organizations agree to use the Scouting program in accordance with their own policies as well as those of the BSA. The program is flexible, but major departures from BSA methods and policies are not permitted. As a parent, you should be aware that… • Citizenship activities are encouraged, but partisan political activities are prohibited....

EDITOR”S NOTE: Doug Metz is a reader/listener who’s story about ShelterBox is a great example of Scouters serving the wider community – he’ll be featured on Podcast 87 along with Mark Dyer Shelterbox Scout’s program director. Last summer my son and I visited Fort AP Hill for the 2010 National Jamboree. One of the exhibits at the Jamboree featured a large white dome tent that looked like a prototype for future habitats on the moon....

Independence Day celebrates our collective and individual patriotism, freedom and potential. Robert F. Kennedy spoke of this potential in Capetown Africa in 1966: [M]any of the world’s great movements, of thought and action, have flowed from the work of a single man. A young monk began the Protestant reformation, a young general extended an empire from Macedonia to the borders of the earth, and a young woman reclaimed the territory of France....

The following statement comes from a Council website. It seemed a timely thing to pass along. I found the picture above on the web. The name on the sign isn’t important, we all need to read, understand and practice this policy: Boy Scouts of America policy prohibits Scouts from participating in political activities. Uniformed unit members and leaders may participate in flag ceremonies at political events and may lead the Pledge of Allegiance;...

We will be reminded many times today that Memorial Day is not about picnics, ballgames and the first day of summer. But it really is. Picnics, little league, trips to the beach or lake will all happen in a country where most of us are free to breathe and can persue happiness with little fear of our fellow human beings, our government or our neighbors. These heady freedoms are protected, to a large extent, by those who serve or have served in the military....

“It is for us, the living, rather to be dedicated here to the unfinished work which they have, thus far, so nobly carried on. It is rather for us to be here dedicated to the great task remaining before us — that from these honored dead we take increased devotion to that cause for which they here gave the last full measure of devotion — that we here highly resolve that these dead shall not have died in vain; that this nation shall have a new birth of freedom; and that this government of the people, by the people, for the people, shall not perish from the earth....