The (Late) Great Society

The 'late great' Rat Pack...

While I was growing up, whenever a movie star, musician, or major performer passed away he or she was referred to by my Mom as, "the late great _______________________" (insert deceased party's name here). 

All these years later, the phrase bubbled up from the under-side of my brain and almost rocked me off my seat (a.k.a.:  a non-descript 'stump') two weeks ago while at Summer Camp with our local Boy Scout Troop.  I thought, with horror, that as we look at our country today, the same expression MAY apply to US. 

"The late great America"  
   (courtesy of the LBJ's Great Society)
 

WARNING:  Do not read the following unless your brain is fireproof.  My head's been smoldering for two weeks.  Unfortunately, now that I'm home, the smoke detectors won't let me sleep through the night.  

On a happier note, I won't need a haircut for months.    


They say the journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step. 

Time to get walking:

Gee, thanks LBJ.  You have indeed left us a legacy of a 'constantly renewed' challenge.  It's nice to read a quote from you which could have easily have been uttered by Karl Marx.   

Jerk.

Okay, so here's the thing:  Before I went on my Boy Scout camping expedition a few weeks ago I came across an article on Heritage.org.  It claimed to have to 'cure' to poverty.  Sure, I was curious, so I checked it out.

Funny thing is that it had NOTHING to do with forcefully taking money from one person (or group of people) and giving it to someone else - I thought that this WAS the approved methodology to ending poverty? 

How could the people at Heritage LIE about this undeniable truth of political posturing?

What, are they INSANE???

Yes, they are insane. 
They've been 'Certified' by the US Government.

I've heard the expression, "A rising tide lifts all boats" for years.  I thought it was the utterance of Ronald Wilson Reagan.  It sounds like something he would have said.   

Imagine my surprise when I discovered that it is correctly attributed to...

John F. Kennedy
He's the nice man in the photo above (attempting to restrain LBJ)

Moving forward in time from the photo above...  JFK is assassinated, the mantle of leadership passes over to Vice President Lyndon Johnson and the rest, as they say, is history.  I don't believe President Johnson ever said it out loud, or within ear shot of the public (reporters would NOT care), but I believe that HIS personal mission statement based upon JFK's slogan became:  

"A sinking ship raises everyone else's boat"

Prepare yourself for that 'sinking' feeling as restated by President Barack Obama, July 13, 2011:

"And I do not want, and I will not accept, a deal in which I am asked to do nothing, in fact, I’m able to keep hundreds of thousands of dollars in additional income that I don’t need, while a parent out there who is struggling to figure out how to send their kid to college suddenly finds that they’ve got a couple thousand dollars less in grants or student loans."

Okay, so taking 'stuff' from one person and giving to another IS the answer?!?!  Just a bit more 'Spreading the wealth around'? 

I KNEW it!!!  That IS the answer!!!

So let's jump back to LBJ (the Johnny Appleseed of Barack Obama's 'money orchard') and his 'Great Society'. 

According to Wikipedia:    The Great Society was a set of domestic programs suggested or enacted in the United States on the initiative of President Lyndon B. Johnson. Two main goals of the Great Society social reforms were the elimination of poverty and racial injustice. New major spending programs that addressed education, medical care, urban problems, and transportation were launched during this period. The Great Society in scope and sweep resembled the New Deal domestic agenda of Franklin D. Roosevelt, but differed sharply in types of programs enacted.

Some Great Society proposals were stalled initiatives from John F. Kennedy's New Frontier. Johnson's success depended on his skills of persuasion, coupled with the Democratic landslide in the 1964 election that brought in many new liberals to Congress. Anti-war Democrats complained that spending on the Vietnam War choked off the Great Society.

While some of the programs have been eliminated or had their funding reduced, many of them, including Medicare, Medicaid, the Older Americans Act and federal education funding, continue to the present.


Anyone else having that uncomfortable Déjà vu feeling right about now?  If you're not, let me drop a few crumbs for you to follow...  

1. New major spending programs addressed education, medical care, urban problems, and transportation were launched
2. It is a time of war
3. Democratic landslide of new 'Liberals' to Congress
4. Democrats complain that spending on the war choked off 'necessary' social programs
5. The Great Society was intended to eliminate poverty and racial injustice

Enough crumbs yet?

Good, let's take these crumbs and put together the whole sandwich...

One slice of bread is the foundation laid in 1964 with LBJ (we could go back to Woodrow Wilson OR FDR, but I'm old, I don't have THAT much time to relive all of Progressive History in the United States.  Plus, it would only make me sad. 

The second piece of bread consists of the past 2+ years of the Obama Administration. 

The 'gooey middle' of our sandwhich consists of war, class warfare, a failed public education system, corrupt unions, punitive tax policies, lobbyists, the interpretation of the US Constitution as a 'living document', bureaucracy, and an ever-expanding government at both the State and Federal levels. 

Yeah, eat up.

"The Poop Sandwich"... 
It's what's for dinner!

Don't worry, there's plenty to go around.  Even your grandkids
will get an unhealthy heaping helping! 

I'll only be focusing mostly at 'poverty' here because as a 'White Guy' and I can't possibly understand 'social injustice'.  'Cause you know, when you're a White Middle-Aged Guy, you've pretty much got the world on a string! 

Yeah, it's good to be ME...  Not a care in the WORLD!

As you'll soon discover (and most reading this likely already know), unlike almost EVERYONE currently working within the Obama Administration, I am NOT a Nobel Prize Winning intellectual Ivy League guy.  You probably realized this by the number of jumps sideways and backwards I've made in this post alone - but in case you have not realized it already, there is nothing NOBEL about me today, yesterday, or tomorrow.  For verification, simply ask my family.

Having confirmed for you that I am not a necessarily 'smart guy' in the Ivy-League-style-of-great-American-thinkers - we continue onward.  

Let's look at our Nation's Mandatory Spending since the Great Society was implemented!

Double your Mandatory Spending Percentage in less than 50 years!!!
"Sometimes you eat your lunch, sometimes your lunch eats you!"
And, BONUS!  Your outflows of cash are up 500%

Great, we're spending LOTS more money, let's see what we got for our mandatory 'investments'!

In 1964, 93% of all children born were born to a 'Married Mother'.

In 2008, fewer than 60% of children born were born to a 'Married Mother'.

That's an improvement of -35 %  (See Chart)

What's the impact of Poverty on these Married vs. Non-Married families?

'Married Families' are almost 3x as likely to be 'Non-Poor' as their un-married counterparts.

'Un-Married Families' are almost 2.5x as likely to be 'Poor' as their married counterparts.  (See Chart)

IF the Great Society had anything to do with increasing the percentage of children born into poverty in the United States, certainly the secondary goal of 'Social Justice' will have helped minorities disproportionately than 'Whites' - right?  I mean, you couldn't LOSE both objectives, right?

That WAS the objective, correct? 

If you consider increasing the percentage of Black / Non-Hispanics born into poverty (Unwed) households rose from 25% to 72%...

and,

If you consider increasing the percentage of Whites born into poverty (Unwed) households rose from 4% to 29%...

Progress?  If you believe that this is, then you, my friend, are a malevolent SOB...

According to the folks at Heritage.com, what's the best way that we can reduce the number of families living in poverty in the United States?

That's easy!

1 Man + 1 Woman + 1 Preacher (of your choice!) = 1 Married Couple

Please note that this solution has NOTHING to do with the Federal Government.  (Other than some married couples MIGHT go to DC for their Honeymoon.  Note to Honeymooners - the Honeymoon with DC has been over for years.  Go to Disney World instead.  It'll cost you more per day - but you'll only be there a week paying those incredibly high costs.  DC, on the other hand, will have its hands in your pockets long after you've obtained room temperature.) 

In actuality, the fix to poverty has MORE to do with the LACK of Federal involvement than anything else. 

LEAP OF LOGIC:  When a man and woman take the responsibility for raising their family, they have a vested interest in their family's success.  It does NOT take a village - sorry Hillary. 

It takes a Mom, a Dad and perhaps their extended families. 

When the Government dole replaces the 'man' (or 'woman') as the 'head of household' in a family environment - there is no personal responsibility to the family itself.  Procreating becomes nothing more than a revenue stream for the poor. 

Providing for your family consists not of working, slaving and hoping to pay your bills on time, but rather, filing out paperwork, cashing checks, waiting for the next hand-out, and another generation is born into poverty - not knowing exactly WHY it's there. 

When fewer than 50% of Americans are contributing to Federal Tax collections and the same number of Americans are suckin' them up?  Yeah, you could say we have a problem. 

I learned the following in business years ago, "You get the activity which you incent". 

You incent poverty, you get more of it.  


Oh, and another thing, "Uncle Sam" is a crappy Dad.  He'll never replace Fred MacMurray in the "My Three Sons" episodes of years gone by.  Fred had a job, an Uncle Charlie, and was a doting father for his three kids.  He knew that if he failed as a parent - his family failed.  As a single parent, he's the role model the country should aspire to.  Okay, I get it, he was a FICTIONAL guy in a TV show but perhaps the reason it had so much nostalgic charm is because we have drifted so far from its premise today.       

Sorry Uncle Sam, check out the chart which follows - you'll see that you're NOT ready for prime time.  YOU are NO Fred MacMurray... 

If the Federal Government perpetuates the problems of poverty by incenting the behaviors which CAUSE people to live in poverty as single parents - the Federal Government needs to 'fundamentally transform' (thanks Barack, I got that one from you).

Bottom Line:  The 'Great Society' has done nothing to improve the condition of the poor or those victimized by 'social injustice'.  The result after 45 years of funding would indicate that the programs implemented only made the situation(s) worse by lowering expections for GENERATIONS of Americans.  

Our country sits on the verge of Debt Default and the debate is NOT about reducing spending, it's once again about 'fairness'.  Fairness in DC is defined as taking MORE from those people who are already having their wealth confiscated and giving it to additional generations of 'Great Society Beneficiaries'. 

A couple hundred years ago someone holding people financially hostage, physically dependent, and bereft of any chance of their situation getting better was called... 

Slavery. 

I thought we learned that this was a bad thing years ago. 

Apparently we haven't learned much at all. 

Your Federal Government:  "Killing them with kindness since 1964"

p.s.:  The charts above came from the Heritage article linked above.  If you get a chance, read the original Heritage post online - it's interesting and horrifying at the same time.  If you want to address poverty in America - make it cool to be 'married' again. 

Oh, you know, marriage as in one man and one woman - don't even get me going on that one...




   

Maim That Tune!

Just when I thought it was safe to go back into the woods...  I brought the woods home with me.


Yup, spent all last week at Boy Scout Camp with our local Boy Scout Troop.  I got the kids up early in the morning, got 'em fed, got 'em to their activities 'mostly' on time, painted a latrine (more on this in another post), and brought them all home (alive) again on Friday evening. 


Only thing was - I had a lot of time to think between waking them up, and making sure they got to bed again at the end of the day.  What'd I think about?  Well, quite a lot, actually.  One thing I thought about was music, sweet, sweet music...


Initially, I didn't think about any particular music, but rather, I was bouncing themes around in my head.  I played a game at camp, without benefit of electronics, PCs, iPods, or headphones.  It's a game I'd like to invite you to play - and play you must!


I started thinking about 'stuff' and how music either adds, or detracts from the aforementioned 'stuff'.  For example, what would the movie, "Jaws" be without the musical soundtrack written by Stephen King (no, it was actually David Bowie... I was just playin' with you!)? 


Yes, it would have been a totally different theater-going experience if John Williams (the actual answer) hadn't written that whole Da da - da da - da da - da da da da da da da da CHOMP! riff for the movie soundtrack.  The Jaws theme overlayed the plot to the point where the music became another actor on the screen.  "Jaws" without the music would have been like Abbott without Costello, Hope without Crosby, Bill without Hillary, and Mickey without the 'Mouse'.

So this got me 'thinking' as I hunkered down in my campfire-side 'Thinking Spot' (yes, you should be conjouring images of Winnie the Pooh here - see above for a subliminal visual clue).  If we added music to people, parties, and 'stuff' in general, what soundtracks or musical selections would be the best fit for each?


Por ejemplo (Spanish for: "Never eat burritos while wearing a white swimsuit and no access to a bathroom with a flushable toilet"):  Consider the first song match-up which crept into my sun-baked noggin whilst sitting on a stump...


Q.:  IF President Obama had a theme song, what would it be?



But as I thought about it, it wasn't quite right.  President Obama HAS been doing what he's wanted to do for almost three years - and he sure as heck isn't leaving it up to US.


So as I went back to the old Stump-O-Roo, I thought better of it.  Hmm, Pooh, the President, Disney, Leaders and Henchmen...  Ah, now this is more like it!



Yes, President Obama was well prepared for his succession to GW Bush (a.k.a.:  Mufasa).  Owning both the House and Senate, he was poised to make history. 


He has.  He has driven the economy deeper into the dumper than GW ever thought possible and with the help of his hyenas in the House and Senate run Bush's 'Unbelievably High Final Year of his Presidency Deficit' from $465 Billion to over $1.6 TRILLION for the past Three Years.  We're going to be printing money for YEARS to come to 'pretend pay' down our debt. 


Of course if I were built of 'gloomier bits' I would have gone with something like this...


But nope, not feeling gloomy today - thank you very much!!!


I don't believe one guy, one deranged Congress and a couple of years can tear down 200+ years of Life, Liberty, and the American Way... 

Shoot, we lived through the Carter years, right?


Barack Obama - Man of Eel



Minions for Change!

Looking to the future (any future NOT including a second term of the 'Smartest Man In The Room') what's the outlook for the USA?



Barack Obama - One and Done.

And I feel fine.

Do you have suggestions for a theme to the current administration, the Republicans in the House, your pet hamster, or even, yours truly?  If so, comment below - I'll check them out after I'm done doing my part to prop up the economy by going to work today. 

The opportunity to have (or create) a job IS the 'business of America'.  We need to get back to business. 

Come on, everybody - get busy...

Have a nice day folks!  Remember to create your own soundtrack as you run through your day...

Moo (a.k.a.:  Mike) 

Give Peas a Chance...

"Ev'rybody's talking about

Bagism, Shagism, Dragism, Madism, Ragism, Tagism

This-ism, that-ism

Isn't it the most

All we are saying is give peas a chance

All we are saying is give peas a chance..."

  -- John Lennon, "Give Peace a Chance" 
        (With minor modification to the lyrics and a large apology to Mr. Lennon) 

From the Telegraph online:  President Obama raised the stakes on negotiations to raise the United States government's $14.3 trillion debt ceiling by declaring he would not accept any stopgap measures involving a short-term increase in the borrowing limit.

"That is not an acceptable approach," he said at a press conference before talks resumed. "So we might as well do it now. Pull off the bandaid. Eat our peas.  Now is the time to do it. If not now, when?"

Okay, for those of you who have been around for a while, you know that I spent last week at Tuscarora Boy Scout camp with our local Boy Scout Troop.  What you may NOT know is that not once during the week spent at camp were we able to 'Eat our peas' as they were not on the dining hall menu. 

I suppose that we could have 'Brought our own peas',  'Grown our own peas', or 'Special-Ordered our peas', but in hindsight, I never thought much about it.  I figured I'd just eat whatever was slapped on my tray.  Yes, I pretty much eat whatever gets tossed in front of me (with the exception of anything with EYES still attached).  Anything that's looking back at me while I'm eating it - no, that's the line I will NEVER cross. 

EYE-INCLUSIVE FOOD GROUPS:

• Whole shrimp 
• Crawfish
• Broiled whole snapper
• Lobster

Nope, I just can't bring myself to do any of the above. 

If I'm eating something it will NOT be looking at me as my canine's tear into it's soft white underbelly. 

(INTERESTING, YET POINTLESS FACTOID!:  The original name of the band, "Blue Oyster Cult" was, in fact, "Soft White Underbelly"!  Although, the song 'Don't Fear the Reaper' by "Soft White Underbelly" would sound completely STUPID, so I'm quite glad that they changed their name to something fearsomely awesome like "Blue Oyster Cult"!  Yeah, rock on - it's a CULT!  And they like oysters - which are blue...  And, oh, never mind...)

 
NOTE TO SELF:  Figure out why 'fishy creatures' are served 'mostly intact'.  Then, pass legislation which prohibits their appearance on menus in public restaurants which I might happen to frequent.  Add anything on the '1/2 Shell' to the list as well as they look like they just shot out of a TB-Ward and onto your plate...  NOTE TO SELF ENDS

So President Obama has decided that it's time for US to 'Eat our peas'?  Okay.  Sure, bring them on, I love me some peas!  Fresh peas snapped fresh from the pod, either raw, or boiled in water then dashed into a bowl of ice water to keep 'em nice and firm while still a healthy 'flourescent' green?  Yumm-O!

The thing of it is, why does the President make 'Eating our peas' seem like a BAD thing?  Does he not LIKE peas?  Was he accosted by a pea at an early age?  Do Democrats not eat peas?  Does the man not eat peas due to an obscure religious prohibition? 

I guess in general that there are folks who do not like peas so much, but that's probably because they were spoiled as children and were able to eat whatever they wanted (just as long as their wife was not nearby).

A completely pea-less meal. 

(Well maybe after slushing down that 32 oz. beverage? 

THEN the pea will come!!!  Mark my words there won't be a dry seat

at the Philly CheeseSteak House tonight!)

Here's the thing:  If someone's going to be getting all 'condescending' on me, I'd like them (the 'Dad' figure) to be articulate enough to make me feel guilty about whatever I did, or did not do, very SPECIFICALLY. 

I guess it's hard to be 'less than obtuse' when you're the smartest guy in the room.  If you're THAT smart, no one else knows what the heck you're talking about.  Unless, of course, you happen to be in room surrounded by Golden Retrievers.  In this case, THEY understand what you meant to say, but the rest of us?  We're still 'lost as last year's Easter Eggs... 

So I guess it comes down to this:  Does President Obama dislike peas THAT MUCH, or is he trying to sound like, well, you know, our 'Dad'? 

Typical Dad-isms:  "You'd better clean your plate because there are starving kids in China!", or, "Your Mother worked hard to cook, um, whatever THAT is, you'd better darn well eat it!  Unfortunately, I ATE on the way home when Mom told me what we were having so YOU need to eat MINE also!!!  Now get busy!!!"  

In the above 'pea' example, I'm assuming that President Obama wants me to eat a round green vegetable - which is easy, because I already eat peas.  Like sure, no big deal.  

Now, if he wants me to eat something with eyes (like potatoes!  Eww, SHUDDER!) or eyes hanging out of the critter's head on 'stalks', well, we've got a problem again (see 'Eye-Inclusive Foods' listed above). 

As for the President and Mrs. Obama, I think they'd better stop telling us what to eat because it all comes to the same.  They are forever telling us to eat, well, pretty much whatever they want US to eat. 

And I'm tired of the crap they've been serving out of the White House for the past couple of years.  I'll eat what I want - when I want. 

You won't find me on the 'Pea Line' accepting hand-outs from President Obama... 

"All you people - eat your peas!"

I'm a big boy.  My Mom told me to eat my veggies and such.  I don't need the President getting all "Jolly Green Giant-y" on me.  

Oh, and another thing - he'd better keep his hands off my Band-Aid.  Like I said, I was at Camp all last week and I know that it heals better 'When it's covered longer'.   
       

Lastly, someone came up with the 'Give Peas a Chance' schtick years ago...   Long-time before I thought of it.  That's why I'm always honest with you - because if I'm not, I'm gonna get caught.  And I'm already sporting a Band-Aid - don't want any more... 

You don't have to trust the Feds, but you can always trust your friendly neighborhood Cow Guy:

 

Would I lie to you???

Nah.  I mind my Peas and my Queues!

Yeah, it's the American Way (now).

How I'll Spend My Summer Vacation...

Hi,

I just wanted everyone to know (not that anyone cares... much) that I'll be spending some time away this week.  As a result, there won't be any blog posts (no, really, it will be 'okay'!  Quit your sobbing!) for the remainder of this week. 

If I were better organized, I could have proactively set some up to post in my absence, but, like I said, "If I were better organized"...

For anyone wondering where I have gone, please refer to the following 'Last Year's Post' by way of explanation. 

It's that time again.  It's Fourth of July week, the heat is hot, the sun is high, the mosquitoes are breeding, and I'm goin' to camp. 

Have a great week folks - remember to find a moment this Fourth of July week to reflect just how lucky you are to BE where you are.  Right here in the good old USA. 

Be safe, be happy, and try NOT to be attacked, and eaten, by bears...

Mike


Would you, could you, in a Tent???

Last week I had the privilege of spending a week in the woods with my youngest son, and several other Boy Scouts from our local Scout Troop at Tuscarora Scout Reservation. Okay, so the week wasn't a trip to Disney, but, yeah, so? I was able to spend an entire week speaking with, and hanging out with my son and a couple of kids who I've known for quite a while. It was 'All good'...

Not ONCE were we accosted by someone wearing a 'Character Suit' (although, this does not take into consideration the night I wrapped a heavy, brown blanket around my body, loped through camp after dark, making 'bear' noises as I shook and scratched on tent flaps. Okay, so it wasn't my 'shining moment', but it was a LOT of fun when I was a kid. I guess the only difference between then and now is that THEN I looked more like a cub than a full-grown black bear and NOW it'll be weeks before my Scout-inflicted wounds heal completely.)

NOTE TO SELF: Next time you plan a simulated 'Bear Attack' because you think it's funny, make sure the kids taking the Archery Merit Badge don't take their Bows and Arrows back to camp at night. The arrows, even when 'mostly' stopped by a thick blanket hurt a LOT.

In all, no lives were lost, but it'll be weeks before I sit down again without 'grunting'. Why couldn't the kids take 'Painting' or 'Basketry' Merit Badges like I did?

Ah, yes, here we are, Troop 244 Vestal, NY. Notice how our signage is much 'Yellower' than the troop above us? This was a mistake, but in hindsight, even on the darkest night of the week, it's sickly-electric-yellow glow still attracted moths from 47 miles around.




While at camp, please remember to visit ANY of our well-labeled sites, such as the Lake Shore, Nature Center (complete with a chicken name... Colonel Sanders), Chapel, or our Council Ring.




Ah, home sweet home, Summer Unit Three, the Chippawa Site!




I took a walk in the woods... And I was amazed.




While it hadn't rained for several weeks with temperatures in the 90's every day we were at camp, the forest surrounding the campsite was lush, thick, and, what's the word... Beautiful.




Sunset at Camp...




A photo of a 'Princess Pine'. These guys are EVERYWHERE around camp. They are typically less than 10 Inches tall and up close are extremely cool to look at. I don't know why this is, but all I know is that they fascinate me whenever I'm at camp. Each is a piece of art.




Like I said above, it hasn't rained in a while. The rocky 'road' below is normally a stream around six inches deep.

 


This is Council Point. On Monday evening the leaders and boys participated in a Flag Retirement Ceremony where we retired twelve flags. Yes, we burned them. No, it wasn't in protest. It was with respect.




This is 'Lake Shore'. From here, kids and adults can swim, canoe, kayak, AND board sail from this fully-equipped and fully-staffed pavillion. No one goes in the water without their Buddy Tag (and their 'Buddy').

Everyone who goes in is monitored and watched while in (or on) the water. And yes, everyone who went in, came out safely again... Another successful Scouting venture!




Another photo of the lake, this time from the trail which encompasses it.

 


Ah, the Dining Hall. At Summer Camp, all trails lead to the Dining Hall.

 


Morning Grace in the Dining Hall


It reads: "Gracious Giver of all good, Thee we thank for rest and food, Grant that all we do and say in Thy service be this day"

And in case you're wondering? Yes ALL kids in camp SING the above and following Grace(s) prior to each meal. The Scouts are not shy, they do no mumble it under their breath, they sing it loudly three times a day, every day while at camp.

Will wonders never cease? Teenage boys praying out loud and in public? What kind of CRAZY organization is this??? 

Oh yeah, Boy Scouts. Those Radicals...


Noontime Grace


"Father for this noonday meal, we would speak the praise we feel. Health and strength we have from Thee, help us Lord to faithful be"


Evening Grace


"Tireless Guardian of our way, Thou hast kept us well this day. While we thank Thee we request, care continued, pardon, rest."

Amen.


The lake at Dusk.




Random shots from around the camp. This one is a shot of the Quartermaster's building. Need shovels, saws, axes, or Toilet Paper? This is where you go! Just don't 'Go' to the toilet here, you'll need to save that for your beautiful, environmentally-conscious latrine! (Sorry, no photos here, you'll need to use your imagination (think of Congress - yeah, now you've got it!))





Yes, even I can make a fire (when it hasn't rained in several weeks). Every Wednesday night we cook at the campsite to give the cooks at the Dining Hall the night off. Then we invite staff members to share our meals with them. (I'm not bragging (much) but the Wednesday night meal was the best meal of the week - well, at least I think it was. Of course I COOKED it...)

Home sweet home for the week. If you listen very hard, you can almost hear the mosquitoes from here...



The Scout Staff prepares for the end of day ceremony.



Boys and Dads line up at the end of another hot, sticky, but oddly gratifying, day...
 


From Tenderfoot to Eagle Scout, boys wait patiently to lower our Nation's Flag at the end of each day. 
 

Yes, this flag



Boys line up outside the Dining Hall waiting for dinner.




Black bears sleep. Also, waiting for dinner. The Scouts are late tonight...


The week was hot, sticky, and long.

I wouldn't have missed it for the world.

If you'd like to learn more about scouting, search for your local Scout Council at: www.scouting.org

Your child (and other children) will thank you.

All I ask is that in the future if YOU are on a camp-out with your children and a large, shaggy, laughing, and 'mostly-upright' bear is lumbering through your campsite, please take a moment to see if the bear is wearing New Balance Sneakers prior to 'shooting' it.

Please???

Thanks!