Following the Line

Think about it. It is truly amazing. We spend a lot of our lives in line or lanes. We wait in line at the bank. We wait with our shopping cart at the store. We drive in lanes, sometimes one wide, sometimes two wide. These lanes and lines help us to get where we are going and help us to stay organized in our community.

What I find truly amazing is that many of these lines and lanes are nothing more than a line painted on the floor or road. Sometimes they exist only in our minds. We "create" the line, and then we and the people around us, follow it. And we all live happily ever after...

Until someone does not follow the line. It irritates us when someone cuts into the line at the store or theater. Tempers rise and words are said. People become unfriendly. When someone incorrectly crosses the line on a road doing seventy miles an hour accidents can happen and people can be killed.

We also have lines to follow in Scouting. Using a map and compass we follow an imaginary line to get to where we wish to go, possibly our campsite for the night. We stand in line to get a plateful of food, or to participate in an activity at a camporee.

The Scout Oath and the Scout Law represent two lines that a boy and adult agree to follow when they join a Boy Scout troop. When an adult follows these lines he sets a good example for the Scouts in his troop. When a boy follows these lines he has a good start on growing into a man of strong character. He will be an asset to his community. People will look up to him. He will be respected.

Of course, when a boy (or an adult leader) drift away from the line of behavior set by the Scout Oath and Law, the chances increase that he will find himself in trouble. The news is full of boys and men who have strayed from the line of good behavior. Too many times they find themselves in a small room looking out through vertical lines that keep them in place.

Which lines have you chosen to follow?

Around The Scouting Campfire #7

It has been over a month since the last show so Buttons and I thought we better get one posted before you all think that we quit doing them. We have not. In fact, we have outlines for another three shows, and hope to write a few more while we are at summer camp this year.

During Around The Scouting Campfire #7 we find out that Buttons had a small problem during his scoutmaster conference for his Star Rank, and how he came up with the theme for this show which happens to be The Scout Law. Scoutmaster Steve then introduces us to a Scout Law song by the Croutons, and talks about Boy Scouts and adults who use bad language. During Buttons' Corner we hear about one of the radical Scout's first videos uploaded to Youtube. The show closes with Scoutmaster Steve sharing a story about being trustworthy from his 1950's version of Scoutmaster's Minute book.

Steve and Buttons would like to thank everyone who listens to the podcast, and who have sent emails about how they have enjoyed the shows.

Please rate the show and/or leave a comment at the iTunes store or at PTC Media forums.
You can contact Buttons at buttonst68@yahoo.com. You may contact Scoutmaster Steve at stevejb68@yahoo.com. We appreciate your emails and letters.

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Download episode by clicking HERE.

This podcast is found on iTunes at
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and is a member of the family of Scouting themed podcasts at PTC Media found at
http://www.ptcmedia.net/

Show notes:
The Scout Law Song by the Croutons  -  http://music.topdownloads.net/mp3/view.php?id=2829

Buttons Talks About The Scout Law is show #6 of Melrose Scouting Productions Podcast.
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MSPP #68: Scout Law According To Great Leaders

I am veering away from the usual song or skit video found on the Melrose Scouting Productions Podcast to bring you something created by Eagle Scout Doug Gray. A couple years ago Doug's father, Fred, asked me for some assistance in finding some Scouting videos that his council could not find for him. Fred recently wrote me to share a few videos created by his son. Here is a portion of that email:

My son just completed his Gold Palm and put together some videos. One of the DVD presentations was for this spring's Buckeye Council NYLT. He is going to be JASM and will present "The Leading Edge, How To Be An Effective Leader." Doug made an interactive DVD presentation in which he (as Napoleon on stage) interviews Napoleon on the screen. For Youtube he filmed both parts and put them into a complete presentation. Doug spent months on the project and then broke the presentation into four parts (he left out the first segment about Storming, Forming, Norming, etc because only NYLT people would understand that). The parts on Youtube Doug made because he felt that the National canned presentation was too much "how" and not enough "what" as far as leadership for 14 year old kids.

The best part of the whole presentation was about the Scout Law according to Great Leaders - Doug made that into a separate Youtube video. He is going to use it at his Eagle Palm presentation in a month.

I watched both videos and was very impressed with Scout Law video. After a quick email of my own, I received permission to share Doug's video through this podcast. Fred wrote that Doug made the videos to share, so if you have an opportunity to use this within your troop, council, or district than do so.

Leave a comment using the link below, or at the PTC Media forums. You can also rate the videos of Melrose Scouting Productions at the iTunes Music Store. It really is great to hear what you think about the podcast videos.

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Learning the Scout Stuff

It is time for the scoutmaster conference for the Boy Scout's latest rank advancement. We sit down and review his progress. When we get to Scout Spirit I ask him to repeat the Scout Oath or the Scout Law. The Scout suddenly looks confused. Confusion slowly becomes panic. He has become so nervous he can not remember which one is which.

If you are a scoutmaster I am sure you have had this happen once or a dozen times. When this happens we do our best to calm the Scout, put him at ease, and help them remember. They usually know it but just can't remember it at that moment.

Over the years I have come up with a little trick to help some boys remember which one is the Oath and which one is the Law. The word Oath begins with the letter O. The first word of the Scout Oath is On, which also begins with the letter O. The Law has an A as it's only vowel. The Scout Law begins with "A Scout is..." This seems to work well with some of the boys. It gives them a reference point.

Learning the twelve points of the Scout Law can be very challenging to a new young Scout. There may even be some words in there that the boy is not familiar with using. I have found that some boys learn the points easier when they lean them in groups of three: trustworthy, loyal, helpful - friendly, courteous, kind - and so on. Of course after reciting it for a year during troop meetings they usually do not have a problem.

The Scout Motto only has two words, Be Prepared. The word Motto has two syllables, two O's, and two T's. Coincidence? I think not! If a Scout remembers that the Outdoor Code has the four C's (clean, careful, considerate, and conservation) he can usually remember them all, albeit maybe not in the right order.

So, there are my helpful hints for the day. Will they work for your Scouts? I do not know. But they have worked well for mine.

The Knight's Code

In addition to reciting the Scout Oath, Scout Law, or the Outdoor code as an opening for their troop meetings, the patrol leader council of Troop 68 has looked toward other ways to start their meetings. One code that seemed to make its way into a meeting every month or two is a little thing found in the ninth edition of the Boy Scout Handbook. If you have a copy of the book turn to page 42 and you will find something called the Knight's Code.

To quote the handbook - "Baden-Powell got the Scout Motto and developed the Scout Law from the code of the knights of old." This code is:

Be always ready with your armor on, except when you are taking your rest at night.
Defend the poor, and help them that cannot defend themselves.
Do nothing to hurt or offend anyone else.
Be prepared to fight in the defense of your country.
At whatever you are working, try to win honor and a name for honesty.
Never break your promise.
Maintain the honor of your country with your life.
Rather die honest than live shamelessly.
Chivalry require that youth should be trained to perform the most laborious and humble offices with cheerfulness and grace; and to do good onto others.

I think this is a pretty good code to even live by in today's world. Other then wearing that heavy armor, that is.

A Different Way To View The BSA

I belong to several internet groups and forums that deal with Scouting topics. Once in a while I someone posts something that is a true gem. Recently, CrewMomma posted a article on the Scouter.com forums that I thought was awesome, and I want to share it with you:



A different way to view the BSA…

We still deliver the character traits found in the Scout Oath and Law. With those values in mind, today we are very much a part of workforce development! Employers tell me that they always need kids with a good education. But, what they would really like is people who come to work on time, don’t lie, and don’t steal from the company and who will give a full day’s work for a full day’s pay. Those are character issues, not educational issues.

People are seldom fired over reading, writing, and arithmetic… educational issues. People get fired over character issues… trustworthy, loyal, helpful, friendly, courteous, kind, obedient, cheerful, thrifty, brave, clean, and reverent. Your education is what gets you the interview. Your education is what is required to get the job you want. However, it is your character by which you keep that job.

Let’s get personal… Families don’t break up over educational issues. Relationships break up over character issues… trustworthy, loyal, helpful, friendly, courteous, kind,… etc.

So… is character important? Tell me how football, baseball, and soccer will help a person keep his job. Tell me how sports reinforce traits that contribute to a successful marriage, business, or employment relationship. Scouting reinforces traits that are fundamental to being a successful parent, employee, employer, citizen, or partner in any relationship.

by John Thurston, retired Scout Executive from Corpus Christi, Texas
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The Scout Law Song (update)

One month ago I wrote about a little song that caught my attention nearly a year ago called The Scout Law. I thought, and still think, it is a cute song that nicely pokes a little fun at Boy Scouting, and yet teaches the Scout Law and the meaning of the twelve points (kind of). This song is available as a free download provided by the two man group The Croutons at http://music.download.com/thecroutons/3600-8592_32-100115552.html

When I wrote that blog post on May 4, the song had received 241 listens since it was posted on that site on April 6, 2004, over four years ago. During the last month, after writing about it on this blog and a couple of Yahoo Scouting groups, and recently talking about it during the PTC Media audio podcast A Leader's Campfire, there have been quite a few visits to the site and listens to the song. I checked out the site today and it shows a total of 327 listens. That is a 36% increase of the amount of listens during a one month period. While I do not take all the credit for that increase, I would like to think that I helped a little to get the word out about it.

Now that some of you have listened to the song, I would like to hear what you thought about it. Leave a comment by clicking on the link below.

The Scout Law song

Would you like to listen to something a little different about Scouting. In particular, the Scout Law? A little song that just might stick with you for awhile?

A group called the Croutons, a duo from Arizona, has recorded a song called The Scout Law, and it actually is about the Scout Law. The song uses the Scout Law as its refrain. The three verses cover the meaning of each of the twelve points. From bit and pieces that I have found on the internet, it appears the the Croutons have been performing this song as part of their act for at least five years. (I have not listened to their other music yet, so I am not sure if their other songs are family appropriate.)

I like the The Scout Law. Oh, it is not going to win a Grammy, and it is not going to earn a million dollars for the two guys, especially since the song is a free download online. But it has a good beat, and it is just silly enough to be fun.

You can download the song (for free) at music.download.com by clicking HERE. After you listen to it leave a comment on how you liked it, or did not like it.

Buffaloeagle's Hope For America

With this blog entry I would like to steer you to another Scouting blog for just a moment. Buffaloreagle at the Lone Star Scouter blog wrote an excellent post that I think you might find interesting. He called it "Last, Great, Best, Hope For America. Here is a portion of it:

"You are the last, great, best, hope for America. You are! You believe in HONOR, in a world where honor has lost much of its meaning. You believe in doing your duty to God and your Country, in a country where school prayer has been outlawed and many Americans don’t even bother to vote. You believe in a scout law, with 12 very demanding and very specific points, and you commit to ALL of them….when your non-scout friends commit to NOTHING."

I agree totally with his blog post. Check it out at the Lone Star Scouter Blog.

John Wayne, the Boy Scout

Did you know that the great American actor John Wayne was a Boy Scout in his youth? It seems that even in his adult life he never forgot his time in Scouting. In fact, even as Mr. Wayne was dying of cancer, he attended a benefit dinner to raise money for a new Scout camp. President Gerald Ford, who also attended the dinner, said of Mr. Wayne, "It occurs to me that John Wayne, like so many other great Americans, has never lost the sense that there is a higher good, something outside the individual, which each of us should seek to achieve."

When the time came for Mr. Wayne to speak to the crowd he surprised everyone when he recited the Scout Law. Then he added, ""Trouble is, we learn them (the points of the Law) so young we sometimes don't get all the understanding that goes with them. I take care of that in my family. As each boy reaches Scout age, I make sure he learns the Scout Law. Then I break it down for him, with a few things I have picked up in more than half a century since I learned it." He then went on to break it down for the audience.

I am not going to print the whole thing Mr. Wayne said in this blog because you can read it at Boy Scout Trail or the USSP site. It is a great explanation about the meaning of the Scout Law so I do encourage you to check it out. I have wanted to use this a couple of times at a court of honor, but for some reason I always seem to forget to put it in my briefcase.

I am always amazed with the number of well known people who were involved with Boy Scouting in their youth, and how they fondly remember their days as a Boy Scout. I wish more people would come forward and tell the public about what Scouting has meant to them.

MSPP #6 and #7

I decided to upload two videos to the Melrose Scouting Productions Podcast this weekend, after all, it is raining outside so I can not go for a bike ride. Both videos feature your favorite Scouting puppet, Buttons, the radical Boy Scout. The first shows Buttons reciting the Scout Law, the second features him talking about the Scout Motto, Be Prepared.

The video featuring the Scout Law is actually the very first video made with Buttons. (Click HERE to watch it.) It was an experiment that went fairly well. I posted it on Youtube and actually received a few positive emails about it. So I made other videos with the puppet.

The video that features Buttons talking about the Scout Motto was probably the fourth or fifth video made with the radical Boy Scout. (Click HERE to watch it.) I thought it might be interesting to hear Buttons point of view on what it means to really Be Prepared.

There are more videos of Buttons waiting for their turn to be placed on this podcast, along with a few ideas for more videos of the radical Scout. Stay tuned to see them all. Or, if you can not wait, check them out at the troop's website.

Watch Your Language!

The Boy Scout Law states that a Scout is physically strong, mentally awake, and morally straight. The Scout Oath states that a Scout is Clean: in body, mind, language, and environment.

So why are so many Scouts using bad language and swearing? It is not too bad in my own troop but I have seen it pretty bad in some troops. I hear Scouts swearing. I read bad language on their messages left on internet forums and on their myspace pages. I see it in the sign language they use.

I put a lot of the blame for this on the adults, the parents, and yes, even some adult Scout leaders. I firmly believe that if adults use bad language then the youth they are associated with will also use the same bad words. After all, if the youth hear it from adults then what is to stop them from using it.

During the last twenty-five years that I have been a scoutmaster I have enforced a policy of "no bad language" in the troop. When a Boy Scout swears during a troop meeting or activity he gets to do fifteen push-ups, right there and then. I have had Scouts do push-ups at meetings, on campouts, in parking lots, and various others places.

When a boy joins our troop I sit down with him and his parents and explain several things about our program, including the policy about bad language and push-ups. You know, in twenty-five years I have never had a parent complain about it.

Of course, boys will be boys, and sometimes someone will start teasing the Scout who is doing push-ups. All I have to do to stop him is to ask him if he would like to get down on the floor to join the other Scouts. That usually quiets them down quickly.

I expect all adult leaders and parents who attend activities to follow the same rules as the Scouts. They are usually happy to comply. In fact, there have been several times when a father gets to show the boys how to do push-ups after he has a slip of the tongue. Yes, I even remember there has been two times that I have done push-ups over the years.

It is truly amazing. The Scouts in our troop watch their own language doing troop activities, and they listen to everyone else's words. They also tend to watch what they say outside of Scouting when they know I am around. It just serves as proof that if an adult refrains from using bad language, and expects the youth to do the same, that they will usually rise to the challenge.

A case in point... I was bowling with a few Scouts one Saturday afternoon. In the lane next to us was Brian, a former troop member, and a few of his teenage friends. When I heard one of his buddies swear after a bad throw I glanced over to see who said it and caught Brian's eye. Brian immediately turned to his friends and told them they should not use language like that.

I smiled. I had not said a word to Brian and his friends about it. In fact, I had not even looked sternly at the group of friends. But Brian took it upon himself to correct his friend. He rose to the challenge.

Set a good example for the boys and they will follow it.