Boy Scouts Introduce Merit Badge For Not Pirating

Scouts Honor.... by MECC · 2006-10-20 08:23 · Score: 5, Insightful

"Scouts also must choose one activity from a list that includes visiting a movie studio to see how many people can be harmed by film piracy. They also can create public service announcements urging others not to steal movies or music." And complete a lobotomy.

Do they also have merit badges for not thinking independently? Or one for having your IQ reduced to a single digit and being converted to a near-mindless automaton?

--
"We are all geniuses when we dream"
- E.M. Cioran

Re:Scouts Honor.... by Anonymous Coward · 2006-10-20 08:25 · Score: 5, Funny

Scouts also must choose one activity from a list that includes visiting a movie studio to see how many people can be harmed by film piracy.

I wouldn't worry. When they see the true extent of the "harm" caused by movie and TV piracy, they'll be heading to thepiratebay.org the moment they're near a computer.

Scouts will be instructed in the basics of copyright law and learn how to identify five types of copyrighted works and three ways copyrighted materials may be stolen.

Cool, they'll be teaching them how to do it, too.
Re:Scouts Honor.... by rubycodez · 2006-10-20 08:27 · Score: 4, Funny

My Republican oongressman would like the ym nick of any teen scouts having such badges.
Re:Scouts Honor.... by MattGWU · 2006-10-20 08:33 · Score: 5, Insightful

Yes, it's called the "You don't HAVE to do any merit badges you don't want to do." merit badge. The one requirement is you DON'T DO THE BADGE. It's a total gimmie, it's great. Nobody is holding a gun to some kids head to do the badge.

My prediction: If it's easy, scouts will do the badge. You don't have to believe in it, you just have to do it, and damn if there's nothing better than an easy merit badge for that extra Eagle palm or whatever.

--
"These people look deep within my soul and assign me a number based on the order in which I joined" --Homer re:
Re:Scouts Honor.... by OS24Ever · 2006-10-20 08:33 · Score: 5, Interesting

I wasn't in the boy scouts, but I was in the Explorer portion and that's how I got my private pilot license at 18.

However, I feel that the scout organization has fallen so far from its original intended roots that it's nothing but a special interest shadow of its former self. It's very sad, because what once was an organization that helped kids learn about skills and camping and other simple yet vital tasks for a well rounded person have been hammered away into anti-gay, christian centric whored out to any group that wants type of thing.

--
As a rock-in-roll Physicist once said, No matter where you go, there you are.
Re:Scouts Honor.... by smittyoneeach · 2006-10-20 08:40 · Score: 5, Informative

However, I feel that the scout organization has fallen so far from its original intended roots
The organization is no more than the sum of its members.
The two or three scout parents I know are the kind of old fashioned, independent thinking, screw-the-post-modernists sort of people whom you'd want to have around in case of actual emergency. Can't speak for their sons, whom I have not met.
Succumbing to the moral dry-rot so rampant in contemporary America is something we have to eschew individually.

--
Get thee glass eyes, and, like a scurvy politician, seem to see things thou dost not.--King Lear
Re:Scouts Honor.... by networkBoy · 2006-10-20 08:40 · Score: 4, Funny

I was going to say, I bet the pirates in the scouts will be the first ones earning a merit badge (in an ironic twist).
-nB

--
whois gawk date unzip strip find touch finger mount join nice man top fsck grep eject more yes exit umount sleep dump
Re:Scouts Honor.... by WilliamSChips · 2006-10-20 08:44 · Score: 4, Insightful

Why does this have to be a partisan issue instead of a cut and dry, "creepy old man" issue?
It's an election year for Congress, plus it's karmic retribution for the Lewinsky scandal.

--
Please, for the good of Humanity, vote Obama.
Re:Scouts Honor.... by Anonymous Coward · 2006-10-20 08:48 · Score: 5, Informative

As has already been pointed out, this is NOT a Merit badge, it is a patch. Anyone can create a patch and offer them to anyone. It has nothing to do with whether the LA Boy Scouts want to earn the patch or not.
Re:Scouts Honor.... by vought · 2006-10-20 08:48 · Score: 4, Interesting

However, I feel that the scout organization has fallen so far from its original intended roots that it's nothing but a special interest shadow of its former self. It's very sad, because what once was an organization that helped kids learn about skills and camping and other simple yet vital tasks for a well rounded person have been hammered away into anti-gay, christian centric whored out to any group that wants type of thing

Thanks for saying so well what I've felt often over the past fifteen years. Scouting is nothing more than bitter old men leading impressionable young men around anymore. It's almost like a page program for suburban and exurban white guys.

I was a First Class Scout before leaving when I was 16, to spend more time bike racing. I enjoyed scouts because it let me get outdoors (I'd formerly beena roly-poly little fat computer nerd kid, and while I kept my computer nerd cred, scouts got me outside, working some of that flab off and seeing, doing, and loving the outdoors.

As I crested Muir and Bishop Passes on consecutive days four summers ago, I thought a lot about my time as a scout. I'd never have learned to enjoy the outdoors were it not for my thoughtful and tolerant scoutmaster. Stuff like this - being a shill for big business - and the flaaaaaaming antigay rhetoric coming out of the Boy Scouts is a truly sad thing. The organization could do a lot of good for ALL young men if they chose to.
Re:Scouts Honor.... by Mateo_LeFou · 2006-10-20 08:55 · Score: 5, Insightful

So do you think there should be a merit badge about not-breaking every law, or just the most important ones (murder/rape/filesharing)?

--
My turnips listen for the soft cry of your love
Re:Scouts Honor.... by Greventls · 2006-10-20 08:59 · Score: 5, Interesting

The quality of the Boy Scouts depends on where you are. I was in the Boy Scouts in the Westmoreland Fayette Council up until 4 years ago(I turned 18). I was openly atheist and recieved Eagle. I knew of a couple openly gay members who also made it through to Eagle. No one cared. Everyone was openly accepting of everyone. I think these are select councils or troops run by extremely socially conservative people.
Re:Scouts Honor.... by adisakp · 2006-10-20 09:01 · Score: 4, Funny

Scouts will still be allowed to sing songs around the campfire during camping trips assuming that all use of music is properly accounted for with performance fees and royalties paid to the RIAA.
Re:Scouts Honor.... by 644bd346996 · 2006-10-20 09:01 · Score: 5, Insightful

Your comment almost perfectly hits the mark. The only thing is that there are still a few troops that accomplish the original purpose. They are actively being repressed by the higher levels, but there are ways to deal with them. It is only through the efforts of a few extremely patient and caring men, mostly Eagles, that some troops can stick to BP's ideals. Unfortunately, these men are almost entirely absent from the organization above the troop level.
Re:Scouts Honor.... by ottothecow · 2006-10-20 09:02 · Score: 4, Interesting

Excellent point
When I was a boy scout (I would have had to stop due to age 2 years ago but I really stopped 4-5 years ago) my troop was a lot of fun. It wasnt the nerdy bunch that boyscouts were stereotyped as at the time (though there certainly were entire troups like that) but was really a bunch of good people. Had a lot of focus on camping and outdoors type stuff rather than pushing certain ideals and morals (well, there was still the good-doing ideals but nothing remotely like the anti-gay stuff). I never really advanced too far as I only went for merit badges I was interested in so I ignored a lot of the "required" merit badges like swimming since while I certainly can swim, it was a lot of time and foolish tests to prove I could swim rather than learning about something new with another merit badge. It was a lot of fun either way and the way the organization seems to be going these days makes me kind of sad.
Something tells me that I wont be willing to be a scoutmaster by the time I have children...

--
Bottles.
Re:Scouts Honor.... by davmoo · 2006-10-20 09:03 · Score: 4, Interesting

I was in the Boy Scouts, from start to finish...started as a Cub Scout as soon as I could get in, stayed in until I was 21, and then served four years as a Scoutmaster. I was also in the OA, Explorers, and several other "side groups" (for lack of a better term). This was in the 60s through the 80s. I have nothing but fond memories of the experiences. There are **MANY** positive skills I learned and things I did that I would have never experienced without having been a Boy Scout.

That was then, this is now.

Now I'll echo what you say here. The organization has changed so much from what it was then that if I had children and they were to ask to be in Scouts, I'm not sure I would approve. I ceased donating even my money in the mid-90s.

--
I want a new quote. One that won't spill. One that don't cost too much. Or come in a pill.
Re:Scouts Honor.... by Maxo-Texas · 2006-10-20 09:05 · Score: 5, Insightful

Actually, more likely to be like the kids in "Jesus Camp".

You get to people young enough- you define who they are and what they feel is right and wrong.

--
She was like chocolate when she drank... semi-sweet at first and then increasingly bitter.
Re:Scouts Honor.... by swillden · 2006-10-20 09:10 · Score: 5, Insightful

However, I feel that the scout organization has fallen so far from its original intended roots that it's nothing but a special interest shadow of its former self
I was a boy scout, got my Eagle, have been a Cub Scout leader for the last few years and just recently became the Varsity Team Coach (Varsity is the 14-15 year-old boys), so I have a very good view of what Scouting actually is, as opposed to what it appears to be in the press.
My take is that your perception is driven primarily by the special interests who have decided to attack scouting based on the two tenets of the program they don't like: homosexuality and religion. The scouting organizations actually have very little problem with either of those, and spend no time at all worrying about them. The prohibition on homosexual and pedophile leaders is very sensible, in my opinion, and the religious position is both open (must profess faith in *some* god) and not really enforced.
Scouting is a great program that does a tremendous amount of good. It's precisely because it's such a valuable program that people who object to a couple of its tenets like to attack it. Don't take their attacks to mean that the program has changed.
Anyway, I need to get back to planning next year's High Adventure camp. We're going to do a week-long, 100-mile rafting trip, most of it through the inaccessible canyons of the Colorado River above the Grand Canyon. I'm actually not so much planning it as putting together the framework for planning it, because the boys will do the real planning themselves.
That's what scouting is about. Self-sufficiency, outdoor skills, teamwork, preparedness and the moral strength and integrity that are developed by doing hard things in a place that no one can cover for you. Oh, and fun. Lots of fun.
Doesn't stop people from trying to use Scouting to score political points, but we try to ignore those people.

--
Note to ACs: I usually delete AC replies without reading them. If you want to talk to me, log in.
Re:Scouts Honor.... by Score+Whore · 2006-10-20 09:13 · Score: 5, Insightful

Without getting too political, Bush has lied under oath as well. He swore to uphold the constitution, but then ordered that people be held without access to courts, attorneys, etc. It went to the Supreme Court and was deemed that those orders violated the constitutional rights of the people being held and the Bush administration then said "ok, we'll stop doing that." But the thing is, just because Bush felt that it was constitutional doesn't mean that it's OK until a court says otherwise. It means that he was in violation of those constitutional rights all along. Bush should be impeached for breaking his oath.
Re:Scouts Honor.... by Pollux · 2006-10-20 09:13 · Score: 4, Insightful
God forbid the Boy Scouts teach kids how to obey the law!

As an Eagle Scout, I can say first-hand that the Boy Scouts DOES teach scouts how to obey the law. Here are a few examples:
- One of the twelve points of the Scout Law (a moral code which all scouts pledge to follow and uphold) is that every scout is obedient, to leaders, and to the law.
- Scouts, as they work towards their Eagle Scout rank, are required to obtain the Citizenship in the Community, Nation, and World merit badges (three separate badges) that teach scouts how the law is created, legal methods in changing and upholding law, as well as what it means to be good citizens in the community.
However, I am personally sad to see special interest groups who are imposing a political agenda upon scouts. Once upon a time, scouting was about kids discovering themselves. While there was a core set of requirements which every scout was expected to achieve as they worked their way up the ranks (the basic skills of camping, first aid, being a leader...), there were hundreds of merit badges which scouts could work towards and earn, depending on what interests they had. A great example of this was when Spielberg, himself an Eagle Scout, helped create the Cinematography merit badge, for any scout who may have an interest in learning more about movie making. Looking back, the most amazing thing about scouts was all the opportunities I had to learn about new things, as well as all the people who willingly worked so hard to offer me those opportunities.

Nowadays, I feel more and more that special-interest groups, including but not limited to the RIAA, are seeing scouting as a vehicle for "indoctrinating" their agendas onto future leaders of America (and believe you me when I say that Eagle Scouts truly are leaders). I was asked last year by a parent if I could be a merit badge counselor for the Computer merit badge. As the tech coordinator at my school, I thought it would be a great chance to catch-up with boy scouts again. I opened up the merit-badge book, and lo-and-behold, one of the requirements to obtain the merit badge was for scouts to be able to understand and give examples of piracy, whether it was burning CDs or P2P. This had NOTHING to do with learning about computers, how they work, learning about how to create documents, spreadsheets, and databases, and programming a computer. This was a political agenda, and it didn't sit well with me.

Scouts are certainly educated every day about how to be obedient to the rules and be good citizens of this country. But I want scouts to find and grow their own ideals, not have them spoon-fed by the RIAA.
Re:Scouts Honor.... by robyannetta · 2006-10-20 09:16 · Score: 5, Interesting

Scouts also must choose one activity from a list that includes visiting a movie studio to see how many people can be harmed by film piracy.
The scouts can drop by my microcinema studio and see how I release all my movies for FREE under a Creative Commons licence.
Will they still get their badge?

--
- Just my $0.02, take with a grain of salt, your mileage may vary.
Re:Scouts Honor.... by c6gunner · 2006-10-20 09:25 · Score: 4, Insightful

There's a big difference between saying "no I did not have relations with this woman" while knowing you did, and saying "I swear to uphold the constitution", and then doing something which in your opinion doesn't violate the constitution and then having someone else determine that it does. One is intentional, the other accidental. One is a deliberate lie, the other is an accidental failure to keep a promise.

Unless, ofcourse, you can show that Bush deliberately set out to violate the Constitution.
Re:Scouts Honor.... by monoqlith · 2006-10-20 09:25 · Score: 5, Insightful

I can't let this one go. Republican strategists tried for all 8 years of Clinton's presidency to nail him, they hated him so. The fact that the most credible charge they could come up with was lying about the Lewinsky affair(which was, I admit, stupid and unnecessary) is a testament to his relative integrity as a politician. He was under such heavy scrutiny from the Republican congress that they would have nailed him to the cross had he done something else even remotely as morally reprehensible. But none of preceding accusations levied against him held water, so they were left with the stupid Lewinsky tapes. This is not to excuse him, but to simply show that we once had a competent and relatively honest creature for our president.

This all lies in contrast, of course, to our current president, whose resignation you apparently aren't calling for. He hasn't been held accountable for a single false, misleading, or outright deceptive public statement, of which there are plenty to cite. Some say that these lies have directly resulted in as many as half a million deaths. The only reason he has gotten away with them is because he has encountered virtually no resistance or scrutiny from Congress, and has skillful deceptive tactictians who, in a very real, cynical, Machiavellian sense, have artfully deceived the entire world, America included, into turning over as much power as possible to them and their cronies. Heavy accusations, I know. But unlike many of the Republican accusations against Clinton, these hold water.

So what I suppose you are really complaining about is that Clinton got caught.
Re:Scouts Honor.... by Anonymous Coward · 2006-10-20 09:26 · Score: 5, Insightful

Why do people lump homosexuals and pedophiles into the same group?

As an adult hetrosexual male, do you have the desire to fondle a female child?
Re:Scouts Honor.... by Firehed · 2006-10-20 09:40 · Score: 5, Informative

As a (former) Scout, I can pretty much be sure that's the case. The badge requirements for the Computers merit badge look as if they were written in about 1992 last I checked (before electronic mail was shortened to email...), so I never even really considered to bother with it, though that site says they were revised in 2004. The article was incredibly thin on details, though I'd be interested to find out a bit more. Like what the thing is called. Something tells me that "Respecting Copyrights" isn't going to fit between Archery and Citizenship in the Nation, but then again I earned Dentistry and Space Exploration without the use of a dental pick or spacesuit.

I'd just like to know how many people would have any interest in earning the thing. I'm thinking that, aside from those 'have to earn them all' types, there will be very, very few.

--
How are sites slashdotted when nobody reads TFAs?
Re:Scouts Honor.... by jZnat · 2006-10-20 09:41 · Score: 5, Insightful

One is a deliberate lie, and the other has set us back hundreds of years.

Yeah, I completely see how perjury is far more severe than shitting on the US Constitution on a daily basis while in the federal government.

--
'Yes, firefox is indeed greater than women. Can women block pops up for you? No. Can Firefox show you naked women? Yes.'
Re:Scouts Honor.... by drinkypoo · 2006-10-20 09:41 · Score: 4, Insightful

think cheating on your wife is an immoral thing to do, but I understand why some people might do it, and it doesn't really speak to his competence as a president. Lying under oath on the other hand is something I have a huge problem with.

I don't think that lying under oath is wrong in all situations, especially since if you don't take the oath they just throw the proverbial book at you. This is a case in which they were asking Clinton questions that were none of their fucking business. Answering them would have disgraced not only Clinton, but also his wife and his lover, not that she was too worried about disgrace - she was only concerned about money once the whole thing came to light.

An old, old concept of honor is that you cannot reasonably be held to an oath made under duress of force, which is precisely what we're talking about here.

--
"You're right," Fisheye says. "I should have set it on 'whip' or 'chop.'"
Re:Scouts Honor.... by drinkypoo · 2006-10-20 09:43 · Score: 4, Insightful

There's a big difference between saying "no I did not have relations with this woman" while knowing you did, and saying "I swear to uphold the constitution", and then doing something which in your opinion doesn't violate the constitution and then having someone else determine that it does. One is intentional, the other accidental.

Oh, it's all become clear to me now! Bush accidentally ordered and approved of illegal wiretaps against citizens of the United States! Bush has been accidentally allowing people to be incarcerated and held without trial! Silly me! I guess he just slipped.

The only thing more offensive than a politician willing to tread all over our freedoms in order to make a buck is the apologists who excuse all of his wrongdoing because it fits their political agenda.

--
"You're right," Fisheye says. "I should have set it on 'whip' or 'chop.'"
Re:Scouts Honor.... by HiThere · 2006-10-20 10:10 · Score: 4, Insightful

People keep saying that.

Voltaire was raised by the Jesuits, and people keep saying that.

Adolph Schicklgruber grew up as a Jew. And people keep saying that.

Statistically it may be true, but frequently there comes a time when a person decides to define himself by violently rejecting (some part of) what he was taught. The more coercively it was shoved down his throat, the more violent the reaction.

--

I think we've pushed this "anyone can grow up to be president" thing too far.
Re:Scouts Honor.... by sfjoe · 2006-10-20 10:19 · Score: 5, Insightful

It seems rather obvious to me... because the potential sexual interest, particularly between the leader and the older boys, may interfere in a variety of ways, some mild, some severe.

I think this statement illustrates the homophobia in our society in general and Scouts in particular. For example, few people would raise an eyebrow at a heterosexual male coaching a high school girl's basketball team. Yet somehow gay men are supposedly unable to control themselves when around young men. I am reminded one time when a gay friend of mine was presented with this issue by a homophobe who was deathly afraid he would get cruised if he was arounf gay men. My friend told him, "You know, none of you straight men are nearly as hot and irresistible as you think you are".

--
It's simple: I demand prosecution for torture.
Re:Scouts Honor.... by Maxo-Texas · 2006-10-20 10:21 · Score: 4, Interesting

You have a very good point.

While 99% are successfully brainwashed, the wonder about humans is that 1% seem to do what they have to do regardless. Call it destiny, a sense of purpose, or being a sociopath.

--
She was like chocolate when she drank... semi-sweet at first and then increasingly bitter.
Re:Scouts Honor.... by drinkypoo · 2006-10-20 10:41 · Score: 4, Interesting

Because words like truth, honor, duty, and integrity actually have some meaning to me. But you're right, those are my values and not yours.

Oh, they have value to me, too. However, to me "duty" does not mean "following laws which make no sense and which are actually harmful to society" and "integrity" means to live by my beliefs, not by yours. Your rhetoric continues to be underwhelming. Now let's talk about truth and honor. Truth, well, truth is subjective so I'll not go into it now. Honor to me means not going back on your word. I never promised to follow bullshit laws, so my honor is not compromised by lying to avoid being penalized for not following them.

Your attempt to paint me as a dishonorable individual because I'm willing to lie in situations in which I shouldn't be asked a question at all is ridiculous, because I am not a sheep. I make my own decisions and I don't need the court to tell me about right or wrong. If you do, then I have nothing but pity for you.

I can't remember who said it but it went something like: "The man who does the right thing does it, not because he wants to change the world, but because he refuses to be changed by it."

Obeying an unjust law is not the right thing, it is the wrong thing. Allowing yourself to get in trouble for doing something that does not hurt anyone is not the right thing, it is the stupid thing - unless you really want to be a poster child for civil disobedience.

Now, ignoring unjust laws, and being unrepentant - that is the right thing to do, at least in my book. So what we have here is a clash of ideologies, in which we each believe the other is missing something important. You think I'm missing honor, but I keep my word when given, so clearly that's a matter of definitions. I think what you're missing is a willingness to grasp reality and manipulate it, instead you are ruled by it. I think what is needed here is an agreement to disagree.

--
"You're right," Fisheye says. "I should have set it on 'whip' or 'chop.'"
Re:Scouts Honor.... by zerocool^ · 2006-10-20 11:27 · Score: 4, Informative

I am an Eagle scout, troop 171. I also spent time in troop 343.

I loved boy scouts. I really had a good time. I was in it all the way from cub scouts, up till my 18th birthday. I still use a lot of the knowledge I gained in scouting - aside from the camping skills, I learned how to camp, and how to tie knots (which comes in handy more often than you'd think), and a number of other skills. The leadership experience was also very important in building me into the person I am today.

However, before I sound like an advertisement for scouts, the point where it started turning down hill was when they introduced "Family Life" merit badge. I think it was while I was a scout - it wasn't in my handbook, but you had to get it to get your Eagle. We all kind of looked at it like it was just an excuse to have the parents do part of the dirty work - part of the merit badge is having "the talk" (both the sex one and the drugs one) with your parents. I look back now and see that it's the religious influence that was probably slipping talks about responsible abstinence and sexuality into a club which otherwise dealt with how to build a good fire, or which boot and sock configuration would avoid the blisters, or how to splint a finger or put your arm in a sling. It comes from the fact that most of the top scouts decision makers now are Mormons. I think something like 2 out of every 5 scouts, maybe more, are mormons. The mormon church has in part co-opted scouts to be part of it's youth program. There's nothing wrong with Mormons, of course, but organized, denomination-specific christianity should not be an integral part of a scout program.

I'm also very dissapointed with the boy scouts' dual standard of government status. I was never a part of a troop that met in a public building (both my troops, and my pack, were church-affiliates), but some boy scout troops meet in schools, for free. Well, the deal is if you use government property for free, you need to conform to government regulations, which includes anti-discriminatory regulations. However, when the scouts want to keep the gays out, they claim private organization status. You can't have your Jamboree at Fort A.P. hill, and rent a government base (and use a lot of government labor) for free one minute, and the next minute, say that homosexuals can't be scouts. Or that people who don't believe in God can't be scouts (not "a god" or "any god" or "a higher power", but "The GOD(tm)").

Thankfully, if there is a saving grace for boy scouts, it's that individually, on a troop level, most of the crap is ignored. I've never been near a troop that forced any religion on anymore, or that wussified scouting on purpose. Our weekly meetings were either talking about the camping trip that just happened, or planning that awesome cold-weather backpacking trip next month. We ran obsticle courses, we learned first aid, we had discussions of good citizenship and community envolvement. We did service projects - we fixed homeless shelters' food pantries, we made handicapped ramps for churches, we cleared overgrowth for city parks. To me that's what scouting is about.

I think what we have here is a case of individual scouting practices on a troop level probably will forego the crap that people are worried about - it's the top level that is out of line here. Also, let me point out that this story is about boy scouts of Los Angeles, and I don't think this is on a national level.

~Will

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sig?
Re:Scouts Honor.... by Alchemar · 2006-10-20 12:04 · Score: 5, Interesting

The boys scouts are "Jesus Camp":

Can't be atheist http://www.komotv.com/news/story.asp?ID=21204

But lets get their belief on their "Duty to God" strait from their legal department
http://www.bsalegal.org/faqs-195.asp

I am all for letting everyone practice whatever their beliefs, but I am for letting them practicing equally. I have a personal beef with the schools system for only allowing religious organizations that they personally find acceptable. The local school even states in their policy that the only uniforms allowed are for ROTC and Boy Scouts. I am a humanist, I believe in Peace and Getting support from other human being instead of waiting for divine intervention (on a personal note, I think I have made an involentary exception to that for the upcomming elections), why can't I have an organization advertised in the school by allowing the children to wear a uniform?
Re:Scouts Honor.... by ampmouse · 2006-10-20 12:06 · Score: 5, Funny

Demonstrate your knowledge of the following:
a. What is a copyright?

Copyright is a set of exclusive rights regulating the use of a particular expression of an idea or information.
b. Why do copyrights matter?

To promote the progress of science and useful arts, by securing for limited times to authors and inventors the exclusive right to their respective writings and discoveries;
c. Identify five types of copyrighted works (two may be your own). For each, give the author/creator and the date the work was copyrighted.

1. GNU GENERAL PUBLIC LICENSE - Copyright (C) 1989, 1991 Free Software Foundation, Inc.
2. libdvdcss - Copyright (C) 1999-2003 VideoLAN
3. dvdbackup - Copyright (C) 2002 Olaf Beck
4. Linux - Copyright (c) 1991 Linus Torvalds
5. FreeBSD - Copyright (C) 1992-2006 The FreeBSD Project.
d. Name three ways copyrighted materials may be stolen.
1. Go to the location where the copyrighted materials are stored, create a diversion, and run off with the copyrighted materials when no one is looking.
2. Go to the owner of the copyrighted materials, make statments that might suggest his or her life is in danger if you do not have the copyrighted materals, then run off once the person gives them to you.
3. Run in to the location where the copyrighted materials are used, screeming, and waving a bag over your head. Then, grab the copyrighted material and speed off in your car.
Visit a video sharing network or peer to peer website and identify which materials are copyrighted and which aren't.
I visited Jamendo. All the material is copyrighted.
Ok, I am done. Now give me my Badge!

Great by Who235 · 2006-10-20 08:23 · Score: 4, Funny

There's another badge I wouldn't have gotten.

Just like the "Don't Stab Hoboes" badge.

Re:Great by pluther · 2006-10-20 08:31 · Score: 4, Funny

I can see it now:

No, mom, I'm not pirating movies, I'm... um... doing research for my MPAA merit badge! Yeah, it's for the Boy Scouts!

--
If the masses can keep you down, you're not the Ubermensch.

I PLEDGE.... by joerdie · 2006-10-20 08:23 · Score: 4, Funny

allegiance to the flag of the communist MPAA.

Re:I PLEDGE.... by Conspiracy_Of_Doves · 2006-10-20 08:41 · Score: 4, Informative

Communist? Do you even have any idea what communism means? In a communist state, the MPAA wouldn't even be able to exist. The MPAA is about as capitalistic as it is possible to get.

--

Technoli
Re:I PLEDGE.... by lurker5 · 2006-10-20 08:52 · Score: 5, Informative

You needed to grow up in the former USSR to get the joke. The communist party often spread its message through organized youth groups such as pioneers & rewarded those kids with various awards for their political activities.

Make sense by CastrTroy · 2006-10-20 08:24 · Score: 5, Funny

It makes sense since the Boy Scouts of America shares its initials with the Business Software Alliance

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Anthropic principle: We see the universe the way it is because if it were different we would not be here to see it.

Preaching to the choir by LunaticTippy · 2006-10-20 08:24 · Score: 4, Funny

Seriously, how big a threat are Boy Scouts to the content cartels? If they get the boy scouts on their side, who next? 80-year old fundamentalist grandmothers?

They need to start something that'll get the cool kids. Like an anti-piracy gang. Complete with drugrunning and cap-bustin.

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Man, you really need that seminar!

fair use by Anonymous Coward · 2006-10-20 08:24 · Score: 5, Insightful

I'm guessing that fair use won't be part of the learning experience.

Positively Orwellian ... by gstoddart · 2006-10-20 08:24 · Score: 5, Insightful

This reminds me of the children in 1984 who were trained to turn anyone who may have comitted a thought-crime.

I realize the Boy Scouts like to try to teach morals and the like, but it doesn't sit well that the *AA's would be able to create a new merit badge and start indoctrinating them.

Errie.

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Lost at C:>. Found at C.

Re:Positively Orwellian ... by User+956 · 2006-10-20 08:33 · Score: 5, Insightful

it doesn't sit well that the *AA's would be able to create a new merit badge and start indoctrinating them.

The boy scouts of today are the politicians of the future. I can see where the RIAA is going with this.

--
The theory of relativity doesn't work right in Arkansas.

As I understand them, by justinbach · 2006-10-20 08:26 · Score: 4, Insightful

Merit badges are typically awarded for the completion of a task (hiking, camping, good works, &c), not for passively NOT doing something. Is there a merit badge for not smoking? How about for not cheating on exams?
These qualities are important, sure, but to dangle a badge as a carrot for not doing something wrong seems a like it's missing the point. Boy Scouts have a code and moral values (including those that would keep you from pirating software, smoking, and cheating) are implicit therein; further bribery, especially in the form of badges, seems unwarranted.

--
I left my wallet in El Sigundo!

Re:As I understand them, by pluther · 2006-10-20 08:38 · Score: 4, Funny

It isn't for not pirating, it's for actively opposing piracy:
From TFA:
Scouts will be instructed in the basics of copyright law and learn how to identify five types of copyrighted works and three ways copyrighted materials may be stolen.
Scouts also must choose one activity from a list that includes visiting a movie studio to see how many people can be harmed by film piracy. They also can create public service announcements urging others not to steal movies or music.

Some of this was also quoted in the summary. Now c'mon, we all sometimes respond without reading the article, but to skip the summary??

--
If the masses can keep you down, you're not the Ubermensch.

Un-badge. by Wellington+Grey · 2006-10-20 08:27 · Score: 5, Funny

Can I get a merit badge for not being a boy scout?

-Grey

--
Silver Clipboard: Time Management Tips

Merit _Patch_? by gauauu · 2006-10-20 08:28 · Score: 5, Informative

The article is a little short on details. In Boy Scouts, the official things you work towards are Merit Badges, which are determined by the National Boy Scouts of America organization. The L.A. council/district/whatever doesn't, as far as I know, have the authority to create a new Merit Badge.

What this article makes it sound like is that it's just a patch. Anybody and their uncle can make up a patch and make up their own requirements for it. We had patches made for activities only our troop would do. It sounds like this is just one of those, which if so, is no reason for anyone to get worked up about it. Sure, they're trying to brainwash Scouts, but there's nothing official or magical about it.

Re:Merit _Patch_? by Gadgetfreak · 2006-10-20 08:51 · Score: 4, Informative

Bingo. I'm an Eagle Scout myself (yeah, there are plenty of us) and most people don't realize that there are all kinds of non-sanctioned "patches" that really mean almost nothing besides the fact that you participated in something.

True merit badges are standardized. They're very much like elective courses in school... you can pick when you want to 'take' a merit badge, but everyone has a standard set of requirements to complete before you get the badge. You also have to take the badge from an authorized instructor. They're obviously not difficult, but some have some significant physical and time-intensive requirements to be done.

They're like mini-classes for real life. If you have a kid in the 10-15 year old range, even with no interest in Scouting, I'd recommend the merit badge books as a good "quick study" intro course to something new.

That being said, here is a list of merit badges that are standardized, and the year they were introduced.

Scouts on the local level have all kinds of extra meaningless crap. It's like getting the volunteer award at college. Cute, but doesn't count towards graduation.

--
"No fair, you changed the outcome by measuring it!" - Professor Hubert J. Farnsworth

Feedback by Wellington+Grey · 2006-10-20 08:31 · Score: 4, Insightful

Putting the fair use argument aside for a moment, who thinks it's a good idea to reward people for what they should be doing anyway. Should I expect to be rewarded because I didn't shoplift today or commit murder?

-Grey

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Silver Clipboard: Time Management Tips

Swift action needed by digitalamish · 2006-10-20 08:33 · Score: 4, Funny

We need to get a Pirate Badge ASAP. Given the choice is some kid going to want to "perform a market study of the impact of copyright infringement on the entertainment industry", or learn how to keelhaul properly?

Avast!

Re:Swift action needed by eclectro · 2006-10-20 09:05 · Score: 4, Funny

Ahoy matey! My musings exactly! Here's be a badge that be given to scouts for helpin' shootin' down big media that be suin' li'l girls and grannies by learnin' the ways of pirates.

Them know how to tie knots pretty good, so learnin' them to hoist a mast an' fire a cannon nary be hard at all.

--
Take the cheese to sickbay, the doctor should see it as soon as possible - B'Elanna Torres, "Learning Curve"

Another Badge by FrankDrebin · 2006-10-20 08:33 · Score: 4, Funny

Perhaps they should also have a badge for not IM'ing your congressman.

--
Anybody want a peanut?

How about they teach the scouts the real stuff by TheWoozle · 2006-10-20 08:35 · Score: 5, Funny

How about they create a "Hollywood Accounting" Merit Badge? The scouts can pursue activities like Screwing People Out of Money and Establishing a Distribution Monopoly? Or the "Hollywood Agent" Merit Badge; they can learn about Being A Money-Grubbing, Bloodsucking Parasite?

--
Insisting on "correct" English is like saying that there is only one, definitive recipe for chili.

Re:first its not stealing post by Scrameustache · 2006-10-20 08:38 · Score: 4, Insightful

Its not stealing, since you are not depriving anyone of the thing.
The editors should be more careful with their phraseology.

It's straight from the article.
And more to the point, it's the exact doublespeak that the RIAA wants to drill into these kid's heads, using them to spread their propaganda, astroturf style.

--

You can't take the sky from me...

ftfa by Wellington+Grey · 2006-10-20 08:38 · Score: 4, Insightful

The patch shows a film reel, a music CD and the international copyright symbol, a "C" enclosed in a circle. The movie industry has developed the curriculum.

Shouldn't the boy scouts decide what their badges are? This is like McD's making the health curriculum for a school.

-Grey

--
Silver Clipboard: Time Management Tips

I need one of those by computational+super · 2006-10-20 08:39 · Score: 5, Funny

I want to get one of those merit badges for my son, but they cost too much. Does anybody know somewhere I can download one from?

--
Proud neuron in the Slashdot hivemind since 2002.

It will when I teach it by swillden · 2006-10-20 08:41 · Score: 5, Interesting

The article isn't clear if this is a regular BSA badge or just something cooked up by the local council, but if it's official, I'm going to sign up to be a merit badge counselor (I'm already a counselor for a dozen other merit badges).

My version will focus on understanding all of copyright law, including (especially) Fair Use, the Doctrine of First Sale and the historical and constitutional basis of copyright law.. I think I'll substitute the "Make a Public Service Announcement" for a 200-word essay on Why the Digital Consumer's Bill of Rights is a good idea".

--
Note to ACs: I usually delete AC replies without reading them. If you want to talk to me, log in.

I concur and remember one patch... by Chagatai · 2006-10-20 08:41 · Score: 5, Interesting

In the 1980s, I remember seeing in Boys Life magazine, the publication for Boy Scouts, that they were offering a "Donor Awareness" patch that would go on the chest pocket of the uniform, which is the spot usually reserved for various summer camp logos or other incidental merits. This patch required the scout having a conversation with his parents, and then sending in a form that said something along the lines of, "I have talked with Mommy and Daddy about who will get my kidneys when I die," plus shipping and handling. The badge looked pretty fruity overall, too. I imagine that this is what the "Anti-Piracy" patch would replace. Both merit badges and belt loops (remember those?) had sets of goals that had to be attained across several disciplines. This sounds like a one-step patch, and not a badge.

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--Chag

Boy Scout Billy goes to the studio by russotto · 2006-10-20 08:43 · Score: 5, Funny

Scouts also must choose one activity from a list that includes visiting a movie studio to see how many people can be harmed by film piracy. So Billy the Boy Scout takes the tour of the movie studio. While he's there, he sees several groups of people. First it's carpenters, putting together a set.

"Are THOSE the people hurt by piracy?"

"Oh, no, Billy, the carpenters are paid whether the film sells or not. They aren't the ones hurt by piracy".

Later they see some writers, smoking cigarettes and muttering under their breath. "Are those the people hurt by piracy"

"Oh, no, Billy. It's kind of complicated, but we actually don't pay them no matter how well the movie does. It's called 'accounting'"

Then they pass a group of actors. "How about them, are THEY hurt by piracy?"

"Oh, no, Billy, they get paid even if the movie flops, no matter how many people pirate it. They're supposed to get extra if it does well, but, well, there's that 'accounting' again"

Billy then points to a director, sitting in a chair. "Is HE the one hurt by piracy"

"Well, you're getting a little closer. He's a little better at 'accounting'. But piracy really doesn't hurt him all that much either"

"Then who IS seriously hurt by piracy?"

"Well, Billy, it's not normally a part of the tour, but just for you, we'll make a special trip."

So Billy and the tour guide go to the studio offices. Up, up they go to the very top floor. The guide takes Billy to a large office with a door. "Billy, if you stand right here and look through the door, do you see the man there"

"Yes"

"That's one of the vice presidents of the studio. Thanks to piracy, he could only buy 3 Porsches last year instead of 5, and had to cut his cocaine habit in half. He can now only maintain one mistress, and she's in her LATE 20s. This studio alone has 30 executives, and they're all similarly suffering. And THAT'S who is hurt by piracy. NOW do you understand why you mustn't pirate movies?"

"Loud and clear," said Billy, "Loud and clear". Billy then went home, told his parents he was quitting the Scouts, and asked if they could get a faster Internet connection

Three ways by Anonymous Coward · 2006-10-20 08:46 · Score: 5, Funny

three ways copyrighted materials may be stolen.

First there's your basic shoplifting.

Second there's the classic breaking and entering.

The third way is a little tricky. You have to forcibly board a boat and seize their copyrighted materials at swordpoint.

Bonus points for recognising which one involves piracy.

Me too by jimlintott · 2006-10-20 08:48 · Score: 4, Funny

I have one of those badges.

I downloaded it.

Re:I bet they got a better deal from the RIAA... by gstoddart · 2006-10-20 08:48 · Score: 5, Insightful

I once heard a gay activist emphatically state that almost all child molesters were heterosexual

I don't have any statistics one way or the other on that. Certainly, I often hear that these people are married and have children. Who is gay or not is up to them. If some people have an agenda whereby they want to define as many people as possible (or as few) as gay, that's their problem.

My point is, this is not something which is representative of the community any more than the actions of a few priests are representative or Catholics, or the actions of Foley are representative of congress, or that blacks are more likely to commit crimes, or that Hispanics are probably illegal immigrants who are in gangs, or that all Muslims are terrorists, or that all Americans are gun toting fundamentalist rednecks. None of the preceding are fair generalizations to any of those communities.

You can't go about painting an entire group of people with the same brush. But, this is slashdot, where it's more expedient to do so.

Cheers

--
Lost at C:>. Found at C.

Ok this is just wrong by billsoxs · 2006-10-20 08:49 · Score: 5, Informative

This is not standard BSA. FYI: BSA webpage is http://www.scouting.org./ You will not find this 'merit badge' there. In fact, it does not seem to fit into what BSA is trying to do.

Also for the comment about a merit badge for 'learning how to think'. That is really the whole point of scouting - to give young men the skills they need for adulthood, including thinking.

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Here is a list of Merit Badges by NutMan · 2006-10-20 08:51 · Score: 5, Informative

This article is inaccurate. A Council (local office) of the BSA cannot create their own Merit Badge. This is some local program to educate the Scouts, but whatever award they earn is not "official", and would not help them earn a rank advancement or anything like that.

Here is a list of the current Merit Badges, along with the requirements to earn each one.

If you are so inclined, consider volunteering at your local Council as a "Merit Badge Counselor". If you have expertise in a particular area covered by a Merit Badge, you may be a counselor. A scout may not earn a badge unless a counselor verifies that the scout has completed all of the requirements. So if a scout cannot find a counselor for a particular badge, they have no way of earning it.

For more information, see this training page, this guide and the application form.

Re:ZONK EARNED THE "BUTT PIRATE" MERIT BADGE by grub · 2006-10-20 08:51 · Score: 5, Funny

Olde Joke

Q: Why was Michael Jackson kicked out of the Boy Scouts?

A: He was going through a pack a day.

--
Trolling is a art,

Re:I'm an eagle scout by Anonymous Coward · 2006-10-20 08:53 · Score: 5, Funny

Given the link in your sig, I'd say you're quite the expert on inanity.

Re:first its not stealing post by khayman80 · 2006-10-20 09:15 · Score: 4, Insightful

Businesses and people who offer services or products are not concerned with being deprived of things, it's being deprived of the sale of the thing.

Under your definition, it seems like I'm "stealing" from a music store if I tape record a song from the radio and don't feel the need to buy the CD later. They're being deprived of a sale either way, right?

Needless to say, I don't agree with this reasoning. When I copy a music file, I gain music but the music company doesn't lose anything physical at all, despite their claims to being deprived of a potential sale. This is a purely hypothetical loss on their part, based on the assumption that if I couldn't get the music via mininova, that I'd have no choice but to buy it at full price, in which case they've lost the sticker price of the CD. I think this reasoning is flawed for several reasons:

(1): Some music I would buy for $5 or listen to if it's free, but I wouldn't pay $20 for the CD. In some instances, music that I would pirate I would not buy, even if I was unable to obtain the music through P2P networks. This means that in a situation like this, the music company is only "losing" the amount of money that I would actually pay for the music. The problem is that the RIAA is treating their product as though it's a commodity, like it's water... and we have no choice but to either buy it from them, steal it, or die of thirst.

(2): I could just as easily buy the CD from a friend or from a store that sells used CDs, in which case the RIAA has lost nothing.

In short, I believe that you are correct that being deprived of a sale constitutes stealing, especially in the cases you mentioned. What I'm disputing is that copyright infringement necessarily deprives anyone of a sale.

Re:first its not stealing post by Maxo-Texas · 2006-10-20 09:22 · Score: 4, Insightful

No.

Jesus. This is such a broken record.

to use YOUR article for the example.

It's like watching the barber cut someone's hair, and cutting your own hair and he sues you because he's a magical barber like magicians and expects to get paid for the REST OF HIS LIFE and 50 YEARS after HE DIES for cutting hair in a PARTICULAR pattern and way with particular tools.

Not to mention that 99% of the stuff downloaded would never have been purchased at the desired price.
Not to mention that 80% of the stuff will probably never be listened too or only listened to once.
Not to mention that the 20% that is listened to will probably expand the market.
Not to mention that lots of people are as moral as they afford to be and when they make more money, they'll buy the products if they like them since they want the "real" thing.
Not to mention the products that you *can't BUY period* and can only get these ways.

Seriously- if barbers were like musicians, the fact that they wet the right side of your head, combed it back, then combed a row and clipped it with no.6 scissors would be equivalent to a "chord" and they could sue other barbers for cutting hair using the same sequence of "chords" and ever barber who invented a new haircut (like "the bob cut" or the "monica cut" or the "shag cut" could copyright it.

Then they could sue the hell out of anyone who cut hair that way (including people who cut their own hair) and they would add a .25 cent fee to any hair cut of that style for the rest of their lives and for 50 years after they die which would be paid to a big "hair cut production company" that had rights to that style of hair cut.

Why are musicians SO MUCH better than a barber who invites a new style of hair cut?

--
She was like chocolate when she drank... semi-sweet at first and then increasingly bitter.

Better link by Vainglorious+Coward · 2006-10-20 09:23 · Score: 4, Informative

This is not standard BSA

It's local to LA, about 52,000 scouts, according to the MPAA press release

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The actual curriculum by Vainglorious+Coward · 2006-10-20 09:28 · Score: 4, Insightful

It's straight from the article. And more to the point, it's the exact doublespeak that the RIAA wants to drill into these kid's heads

Indeed, the MPAA-developed "curriculum" begins :

Intellectual Property is no different than physical property

Intellectual dishonesty is no different than child abuse

--
My next sig will be ready soon, but subscribers can beat the rush

Eagle Scout by CherniyVolk · 2006-10-20 09:40 · Score: 4, Insightful

I'm not an Eagle Scout; more by choice than anything. Years ago, I took a honest interest in scouting, but was very disappointed in the whole scheme. While some might assert that scouting isn't supposed to be a focus on survival skills, why else for all the survivalist training such as cooking without stove, camping with minimal supplies, hunting etc.? OK, so there are much better clubs to join that can better teach you how to eat dirt, weeds and to build a sheltor out of leaves and bark... but I was still rather annoyed at how little the Boy Scouts prepared a young adult for if they did get lost in the woods and had to get by a few days.

Looking back on those days, I realize that the Boy Scouts is heavily capitalist, despite any hopes a young scout might have for actually learning something for outdoor life. I remember the joy of seeing the Boy Scout emblem on my new portable stove, knife, compas etc. It never really dawned on me till after the fact, the Boy Scouts were actually far more mainstream than what people might expect. For a real life comparison, they are like the Air Force with air conditioned, reinforced tents in "war" rather than the Marines left to cover up with whatever they might, their jackets, a rock... anything but no air conditioner. I also came to realize everything in the Scouts was geared towards making me think like a malible consumer. A consumer which even if he isn't "sold" by advertisement, will still buy whatever is in the advertisement. A consumer who thinks that name brand is everything (does it have the Boy Scout Emblem!?). The dangers in this, is also an intiment involvment with the authorities behind the hype, and I assert no organization, no company should be above either the People or the Government. It is often in Capitalist Nations that people tend to bag on the government and forgive the Company without considering the fact that all their horrors were becuase of the Company rather than the Government; America doesn't go to war becuase of public support, but becuase of entire industry wide consensus (A lot of private/public companies making money off of our campaign in the Gulf and that money is not going to expand Middle Class. This is fact.).

Yeah, I learned how to pitch a tent, tie a few knots, and clean a wound. But, honestly, I could have figured that out along the way anyways... the depth of how much they teach in the Boy Scouts I believe is a hidden agenda as well. "You're too stupid to do much else, and trust Big Business and it's ability to make sure you won't ever have to decide which flower or weed you can eat. If you do end up in the woods, your car broke down and left you stranded becuase of Government regulations. In the meantime buy this handy Boy Scout Portable Stove, Boy Scout Portable Water Purification Kit and Boy Scout Compas to help tide you over till Big Business will rescue you."

The Boy Scouts is really a political/economic condition course for a particular ideology. The fact is, most capitalists embracing nations have Youth Programs all, in some way, dubbed as "scouts". Communists, tend to go for "pioneers". They all expose simple survival aspects which more give an impression of the phenomenal attraction to "Tips'n'Tricks", while underneath the stage tricks and simple wood carving classes... there's a political, philosophical, economic lesson vehemently pushed and ingrained in the childs mind.

Sure you get a letter from the President for making Eagle Scout. Those that are trying to push their message are often proud of their efforts; yes, it's worth something to put on your resume, there are benefits adding to real life incentive to encourage parents to toss their children into these programs.

Bottom line. I didn't learn all that much while in the Boy Scouts. If you went against the grain you were punished for it. For example, most of the kids in my district ran around with State Fair, Stainless Steal, Rambo "Survival Knives"... it seemed the ONLY non-Boy Scout peace of gear authorized for use du

Re:Eagle Scout by Hahnsoo · 2006-10-20 12:37 · Score: 4, Informative

With the Boy Scouts, as with many things, your mileage may vary. It is HIGHLY dependent on the people that you were with, both scouts and leaders. I learned how to live with just a tarp, a knife, and a rope in the wilderness. I had friends who shared my interests in computers, gaming, and various geeky activities. Individuality was encouraged, and we had scout leaders across the political spectrum from liberal to moderate to conservative. We were taught tolerance and the value of freedom. We played capture the flag (real life version, not Quake *grin*), dodgeball, and many games of Magic: the Gathering, Shadowrun, and Battletech. My younger brother learned how to make a campfire in the pouring rain with just 2 matches and some damp wood. I have nothing but fond memories of the time I spent in scouts. Like the parent poster, I was a Life Rank, had a bazillion Merit Badges, and was Assistant Scout Master (never made it into Order of the Arrow). Unlike the parent poster, though, the people who surrounded me were supportive, fun, and not tied to any propoganda or agenda.

Re:ZONK EARNED THE "BUTT PIRATE" MERIT BADGE by Anonymous Coward · 2006-10-20 09:43 · Score: 5, Funny

Q: When does a Cub Scout become a Boy Scout?

A: After he eats his first Brownie

BSA has taken stance against piracy since 2005 by slightlytwisted · 2006-10-20 09:47 · Score: 5, Informative

Consider the following questions which must be answered in order to earn your Computer merit badge, the requirements of which were updated in 2005:

1. Why it is not permissible to accept a free copy of a copyrighted computer game or program from a friend
2. The restrictions and limitations of downloading music from the Internet
3. Why copyright laws exist

http://www.usscouts.org/mb/mb036.html

Lowering standards by SuperKendall · 2006-10-20 10:13 · Score: 4, Funny

It just breaks my heart to think you can earn a Space Exploration badge without a minute exposed to hard vaccuum and direct radiaton from the sun.

I had an Eagle Scout friend growing up and some of the badges he went for actually seemed rather hard to get...

--
"There is more worth loving than we have strength to love." - Brian Jay Stanley

Lying vs. "Not telling everything" by Theaetetus · 2006-10-20 10:31 · Score: 4, Informative

Lying under oath on the other hand is something I have a huge problem with. I think (although I can't offer any evidence) that most people felt the same way. If he had told the truth from the beginning, I would have defended him instead of calling for his resignation.

Little known fact, thanks to the overzealous media and the Republican Congress, but Clinton did not lie under oath, and did not commit perjury.
Perjury means (a) knowingly (b) making a false statement (c) about material facts (d) while under oath. It's not perjury if you honestly believe what you're saying is true, or if your lie is irrelevant to the issue you're under oath about. Moreover, the Supreme Court has ruled that it's OK for "a wily witness [to] succeed in derailing the questioner--so long as the witness speaks the literal truth."

The judge who found Clinton in contempt of court said she did so because he made misleading statements and did not fully participate in the discovery phase of the trial. But she did say specifically that it wasn't perjury. The most often cited example for "lying under oath" is the "did you have sexual relations with Ms. Lewinsky" question. Clinton asked the judge to define 'sexual relations', which she did - as intercourse. He didn't have intercourse, so he truthfully (while misleadingly) said "no". That's not a lie, and it's not perjury. However, it is interfering with discovery, and why he was found in contempt.

The more you know! [star]

As an Eagle Scout by Anonymous Coward · 2006-10-20 10:41 · Score: 4, Informative

As an Eagle Scout, I can certainly confirm that. Outside of the 'fluff' badges, many are quite involved. In particular, I remember Environmental Science, Backpacking and Emergency Preparedness as being fairly difficult.

Re:US-provided WMDs were used on Kurds. by crawling_chaos · 2006-10-20 10:52 · Score: 4, Insightful

I can only hope that every Bush voter has a friend or loved one maimed, murdered, or mutilated by the violence Bush stirred up in the Middle East with this unneeded war.

Well you had me agreeing with you right up until the point you wrote this bullshit. You're a pretty sorry excuse for a human being if you really believe that. Did you ever think that those innocents you are wishing harm upon might not have agreed with the idea of the war either? Or do you just consider them "collateral damage" making you no better than the man you condemn?

--
You can only drink 30 or 40 glasses of beer a day, no matter how rich you are.
-- Colonel Adolphus Busch

Obedience by alexo · 2006-10-20 12:25 · Score: 4, Interesting

> As an Eagle Scout, I can say first-hand that the Boy Scouts DOES teach scouts how to obey the law.

Just out of curiosity, do they also teach the scouts that there are cases where you should disobey the law?

RTFA, Folks. Not a merit badge. by Etherwalk · 2006-10-20 15:50 · Score: 4, Interesting

It's an activity patch or some-such, not an actual merit badge. The difference? It doesn't mean anything in terms of advancement, it's just a patch. Sure, some people will do it anyway, since it's easy. Some troops might run programs in it, either because it's a boy scout program that's relatively easy to put together and fun to do (A movie studio, remember?), or because they actually believe what it's teaching. But it's not a merit badge. It doesn't go on the merit badge sash (not that scouts wear those much,) and it doesn't count towards Eagle, or any other rank.

The distinction may sound trivial on slashdot, but it's nontrivial within the organization. Even among merit badges, some are easy and some are hard. Some are more respected than others. An activity patch for knowing what copyright infringement is? It's not even going to register on the status board. Maybe some kids will get to see a movie studio, but that's okay.

As to all the comments about Boy Scouts not being what it used to be--that's true, in some ways. A lot of things have changed, in Boy Scouts and in American culture. That's not all bad. Some is, and some isn't. The thing that influences the program most is the quality, not only of the youths who become leaders in the program, but of the adult volunteers that make it happen and show them how to lead. Two troops in the same town, with members of the same socioeconomic background, can be as different as night and day because they have different leaders. Don't sit on your rear and say what a bad program it is--fix it. A good troop can change the lives of a lot of boys, in a good way.

Of course there are politics, and there have been major disagreements about what values the Boy Scouts should be instilling. They argue that there is a God--whatever name you may call him by--and that it is immoral to embrace a gay lifestyle. Every scout takes an oath to do his duty "to God and his country," and promises to keep himself "morally straight." Maybe you agree with the policies and maybe you don't, but as an organization, the Boy Scouts of America has the right to say "this is what we want to teach." They're not preaching hate--but they are saying that they believe some things are wrong. They don't ask you if you're gay, ever--but if you come out as gay, in some councils at least, you're out of the organization. They have their beliefs, and they stick to them. I don't like some of those beliefs, but I believe they have the right to stick to them.

There are other organizations that are smaller, that are more inclusive, as an alternative. It's an imperfect world. Not everyone is tolerant. The Boy Scouts aren't tolerant of open gays, and a lot of others are intolerant towards the Boy Scouts because of that intolerance. Intolerance breeds intolerance. But we still each should have the right the choose what we believe is right, and what we believe is wrong. That the BSA does a lot of good doesn't absolve them of responsibility for their intolerance, but it does seem to increase the relative depth of the hypocracy of the BSA's critics.

I remember talking with a friend of mine. We were part of a much larger group of college friends who had "camped" out in a cabin in the woods one night, singing late into the night whatever random songs we all knew and telling ghost stories (Sam McGee) and the like. And my friend was glad because of how much he enjoyed the experience and yet sad because he didn't expect he'd ever have one like it again. In part, I think, because he wasn't an overly woodsy type, but also because he was gay. Now most boy scouts can't sing half so well as that group (one or three of us excluded,) but still, much of the night was beautiful. It is a terrible crime that they should deny him that experience. There's no two ways about that. (One could move the agency if one wished; but at best it is shared.)

But if we were intolerant of their intolerance... where does it end? It is possible for men of good conscience to disagree, ev

You don't have anything to worry about by The+Wooden+Badger · 2006-10-20 17:24 · Score: 4, Informative

"I won't get concerned until the "Respect for Intellectual Property" badge becomes Eagle-required. At which point I'll personally go down to headquarters and find out what the hell's going on, and tell them to get back to their proper (ie, founding) values. Scout's Honor."

The article and the summary are from completely different worlds. The thing is a patch that can be earned in the Los Angeles area. There's a museum centered on biology here that offers a patch for visiting. It's not a merit badge. The last paragraph of the article specifically spells that out. The "insightful" submitter put together an amazing summary that makes it seem like this is a nationwide BSA merit badge while it is not a merit badge at all. You've got to love slashdot.

Congrats on the Eagle. I'm a fellow 1%er.

--
Heroscape, it's like legos combined with anachronistic wargames.

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Boy Scouts Introduce Merit Badge For Not Pirating

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