The collective neck of the Boy Scouts has gotten a lot redder since my day. Back in the 70s, Whole Earth guru Stewart Brand gave a glowing review of the Boy Scouts' "enlightened environmentalism." A few years later, the New Republic did a very positive cover story on the Scouts, hinting broadly that a lack of Boy Scout values is what made Nixon Nixon.
I'm turning in my merit badges.
A role-player wearing a dress? Sounds like the gender border is in danger. The scouts need to be prepared for more gays trying to infiltrate!
Loyal and obedient, the Argus-eyed Spotty is dead on target as usual. I've been following 'The CS' for 2 years now since visiting DL 331 June '06 - a week before the bridge thing. The GOP convention, Gov. Pepsodent, and the Coleman-Frankin thing keep Minn politics more lively than usual.
You might check out a Lafayette, Indiana [local to me] attorney's blog, see:
http://www.masson.us/blog/
Masson has been on a hot streak lately. Watch out for IN Gov. Mitch Daniels. He is a sleeper waiting to pounce out of the GOP.
Ben, It is good to hear from you. Spot owes you "thanks" for a book. It got misplaced somewhere along the line, either in the mail or the mail room. Anyway, Spot didn't get it until a year and half after you sent it, and then he couldn't find your email address. The one on your comment was rejected when Spot tried it a minute ago.
If you're inclined, drop Spot a line at blogspotdog@gmail.com
M3 also makes a point that Spot meant to make in the post: the Scouts aren't exactly gay friendly either. Spot doesn't think this is really what we want for a "true-blooded American guy and girl."
Burglary in progress-Two patrol officers respond to a call from an individual who claims his or her home has been burglarized and the suspects might still be in the residence. The two officers, upon arrival are faced with a situation with many unknown dangers. Explorers will be graded on their ability to determine the initial facts and proceed with their investigation, as necessary.
Domestic Crisis Intervention-Explorers learn how to respond to and investigate domestic crisis. The training begins with classroom instruction and quickly elevates to hands-on role-playing. Police officers try to replicate the varying situations and complexity when dealing with these problems.
Firearms Safety & Competition Shooting-Explorers receive training in the use of firearms. Training begins with complex classroom instruction and continues with hands-on supervised handling. During the off-season, the Explorers shoot semi-automatic pistols and rifles, incorporated with additional police training.
Hostage Negotiation-The Explorer team will be judged on how it deals with an individual holding a hostage in a residence. More specifically, the team will be judged on how effectively it establishes contact with the suspect, the manner in which it responds to the suspect's demands, and its success in satisfactorily resolving the incident within the allotted time.
Arrest & Search-Explorers will form a detail to search an apartment occupied by suspected narcotics dealers. Arrest and search warrants, inert service revolvers, handcuffs, and badges or credentials will be provided.
Traffic Stop-Explorers learn how to safely perform a traffic stop.
Don't look now Spot, but there is a 'junior militiamen' program in, gasp, Spot's hometown! All of the above training scenarios are taken from the Edina police Explorers website.
Aside from Spot's (intentional?) confusion over Explorers and the Boy Scouts, which are separate entities, maybe you should do a little research on this before you start throwing out Hitler youth comparisons.
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