I made it to First Class and had a fun time at it. I'm not so much of an outdoorsman as I am a computer geek, so it could only be enjoyable to a certain extent. I remember in particular one campout we took on an Air Force base, which only sticks out in my mind because it was so *not* rugged. The base had a movie theater, a bowling alley, a great beach nearby, and some of the best (and cheapest) food I've ever had. Everybody spent the trip surfing and skimboarding, and living it up on the town, except for the leaders, who seemed to enjoy sitting in lawn chairs sipping coffee.

Well, the scoutmaster, Mr. Ortner, didn't drink coffee because he said it stunts your growth. The irony is that he was already only about 4'10", and we affectionately nicknamed him Mr. Shortner. :-) He liked hot chocolate, however, and bummed around with all the other adults at the campsite. Old people are so boring sometimes.

As far as the Boy Scouts discriminating against homosexuals, I suppose they have a right to choose who is allowed and who isn't. If an organization wants to adhere to certain moral standards, it shouldn't be forced to violate them by the government or by anyone else. Likewise, if an organization wanted a membership of only gays, they should be able to stick to that plan without interference by third parties. The way I see it, disliking people--or "discrimination," if you want to call it that--is a right. And too bad for the poor chap who got his feelings hurt. I sure don't want the government telling ME what to do or who to like. A nation that tries to save its people from feeling the pain of occasional rejection produces people who don't know how to handle pain... It also produces people who dare to try risky or downright dangerous things that might have been stopped early by society in a different culture, because they don't have to endure a guilt trip: anybody who opposes them is viewed as oppressive and closed minded, and therefore bad... making the people in question, regardless of what they're doing, the good guys. But I digress. This is another topic altogether and I'm not going to say anymore. Sorry for hijacking the thread.

Back to Boy Scouts. That's a great organization and a great way for boys and young men to realease some of that energy in a positive way. I learned a lot during my time in it, and have only good to say about scouting. I hope that someday my kids will become scouts, and maybe even go for Eagle. That is, of course, if they don't pick up geeky computer habits from their Dear Old Dad. :-)

-useless"Despite my efforts to remain civil, I think I know what's coming next...*duck!*"ness