Pocket Monkey Weighs In

Pocket Monkey will be my ghost writer for a part of this post. Today was an awesome day. My class had a concert for the veteran’s. Dad wore his Navy Service Uniform because Mom said so. He has a lot of ribbons. He had wanted to wear his dress blues but Mom said no. My concert had four classes of second/third graders. First, we paraded the colors, using a few Cub Scouts from a different pack than mine. Then, we started singing various patriotic songs. During the Armed Forces Medley, all vets and active service members were encouraged to stand during their respective song. The Navy Commander sitting next to Dad didn’t stand up until Dad did during “Anchors Aweigh”. When I was practicing, I got the Army Song stuck in Dad’s head, ha-ha. He was not amused. Snipe comments: My retired Coastie buddy admitted to me after the concert that he didn’t recognize his service’s song. Seeing a bunch of elementary school kids singing patriotic songs was beautiful. The songs included such hits as: 50 Nifty United States, Lights of Freedom, Grand Old Flag, and the Armed Forces Medley. PM is right, the CDR sitting next to me didn’t seem like he wanted to stand up at first. There were a ton of sailors, a couple of Air Force Vets, and a couple of Marine vets. I didn’t personally notice any Army vets. It seems like I was the only active duty E-6 and junior there. I counted several officers and a couple of Chief Petty Officers. A couple of guys wore their cammies. Call me old fashioned, but I believe that for an event like that, the Navy Service Uniform should be the bare minimum. Cammies are for work and brief stops.

That is all. Fall out and carry out the plan of the day.

OMG. He’s Got a Gun!

We have recently been doing site sales for Boy Scout popcorn. Washington is an open carry state. When one of my neighbors happened to our sale, openly carrying his pistol, one of the Cub moms almost pooped. I had to explain to her the way things work. The following is a rough approximation of our conversation.

“OMG!. He had a gun!” said Cub Mom.
“He was open carrying. There was a good chance he meant no harm. Besides, he’s my neighbor, and I have spoken to him before,” said I.
“Can he do that? Is that legal?.”
“Yes. And if someone is open carrying, it is highly unlikely that he is up to no good. Matter of fact, I am willing to wager that if someone tried to rob us, he would be the first person to draw down and defend us.”

Cub Mom went on to ramble for a few more moments, while I tried to explain that if people are open carrying, it is a good thing. I don’t personally open carry because I don’t want the hassle. Some A-Hole might call 911. However, if a fellow citizen wants to open carry, go for it. I know who can back me up when the fertilizer hits the ventilator.

At least half of our adult leaders have concealed carry permits. They have a weapon at almost every meeting. It is irresponsible not to. My paperwork is in progress to renew my CCW. You may bet your last pair of shoes that I will carry when my permit is renewed. I want 10 chances to tell a bad guy no.

I knew that man was my neighbor because I have spoken to him. On of the reasons was because he was open carrying. I asked him if any A-Hole had called 911 on him recently and he chuckled. As a country, we need to get back to loving and trusting our neighbors. They are the ones who defend us. They are the ones who watch out for our loved ones when we are away. I might seem old fashioned, but some things just work.

That is all. Fall out and carry out the plan of the day.

Birthdays and boys

As I stated earlier, it is my goal to make the budget shutdown as transparent to Pocket Monkey as possible. His birthday is today. We took PM and a friend to mini golf today. We baked cupcakes and had a birthday supper today. We had ham and taters. That is great for me because I get the good ham sandwiches all week. He got a Ninja Turtle Lego set, a Nerf Tac Vest, and a toy M-16 for his birthday. The toy gun was an afterthought when we were getting some other stuff at the local convenience store.

Most federal workers have been recalled. I suspect that the outcry over the sheer number of unessential federal workers rose to a fever pitch. We have enough food on hand to survive a mini apocalypse. When the commissaries shut down, we went there and stocked up on perishables. It was a mad house, but well worth the effort.

My birthday is in one week. I told Mrs. Snipe that I am willing to take a rain check on any festivities. All I want is Madden 25 or Assassin’s Creed IV. If not that, then let me drink all day and watch football. I may end up learning how to brew my own beer from a neighbor.

One of PM’s friends from Scouts lives just a few doors down the street from us. The Dad and I can BS about a variety of topics, including beer. The Mom and Mrs. Snipe can do all the girly stuff. It is a symbiotic relationship in the making.

You are never too poor to pay attention. Fall out and carry out the plan of the day.

Core Values

Grin and Barrett over at http://rhinoden.rangerup.com/grammatical-retirement-conditional-courage/ has an excellent article about what constitutes real courage. Coincidentally, the Cub Scout idea of the month is being brave, which goes hand in hand with courage. Naturally that got my wheels turning in my head.

What makes a King out of a slave? Courage.

Even pacifists can show courage. They are showing courage by standing up for what they believe in the face of adverse opinion(in some cases).

Let’s talk about core values. When I was a Boy Scout, we had the Scout Oath, Scout Law, Scout Motto, and Scout Slogan. All of these constitute core values. I am a Christian. The Bible informs my core values. I am a sailor. The Navy’s Core Values are what I strive to live every day while I am associated with that particular canoe club. The Navy’s Core Values are what we will discuss here.

We had to discuss Navy Values when we were going through training required of all new PO1s.

Honor-Say what you mean and mean what you say. Your word should be as good as gospel.

Courage- Word Central, an elementary school website defines courage as “strength of mind to carry on in spite of danger or difficulty”

Commitment-good old follow through.

All of the above go together. The Rhino Den article breaks it down thoroughly. Go read. I have showed courage and fear in my lifetime. Mark Twain once said, “Courage is resistance to fear, mastery of fear, not absence of fear.”

Sorry for all the actors, politicians and fakes out there. The word courage should be reserved for people who do truly brave things. Amputees going back to war, the soldier who dives on a grenade to save his brothers, the first responders of all types who run towards danger. Rhino Den will be linked on my side bar.

That is all. Fall out and carry out the plan of the day.

Cub Camp after action report

We had Family Camp this weekend. Since my permit has expired, I did not bring any firearms, but I did secret a combat knife on my person in case of emergency. A knife is not a gun, but it beats having nothing by a long shot. Pocket Monkey got to help build the log cabin fire for the ceremony, with the help of an older Cub and your humble scribe. We only had to use the first aid kit once, which was shocking considering the amount of little boys playing games at any given time. Much like Commander Salamander( armedandamphibious.wordpress.com/ ), I expect rain when I go camping. I brought rain gear for the entire household, and it didn’t even rain. So of course, now Mrs. Snipe thinks I am paranoid for bringing all the rain gear and first aid stuff. The number one rule of Scouting from new Scout to Eagle Scout is Be Prepared. Be prepared for what? Anything.
The boys got to fish and canoe this morning, and do some physical activity. As much as my Mom is not an outdoor adventure kind of person, even she realizes the value of Scouting after helping push my brother and I to Eagle Scout. We made boiled omelets, which I believe I expounded on a few posts back.

The Pocket Monkey liked canoeing best, which I love, because I am a watersport guy myself.

Until next time, Be Prepared; Fall out and carry out the plan of the day.

The Scouting Trail

Pocket Monkey decided a few months back that he wanted to be a Cub Scout.  I was stoked.  He was thus far enjoyed it and earned a few awards.  Tonight was the Blue and Gold Banquet.  We had a spaghetti western theme.  For the gathering activity, the boys were given a checklist of people to find(different color eyes, born out of state, Eagle Scout, etc).  I was one of only a couple of Eagle Scouts in the room.  As usual, I was wearing an Eagle Scout shirt with a subdued design. The boys were timid to ask me to sign their list at first. I signed each one with a smile because a Scout is cheerful.    After the meal, we retired a tattered and worn US Flag in accordance with the laws and traditions governing such endeavors.  It was a moving ceremony.  For those wondering how to do it, here is an abridged play by play hitting the most important parts.

First the field of 50 stars must be removed from the flag by cutting neatly. Then, you cut the stripes into 13 sections.  Depending on the ceremony style, at some point it must be mentioned that the flag is not being burned in anger, but out of reverence.  Solemn patriotic may be played quietly in the background.  The Webelos Den read a summary of the meaning of the various parts of the flag.  As the summary was read for each piece, the appropriate portion was brought forward and placed respectfully in the fire.  Most Scout troops and veteran’s organizations will do it for you if you ask. Fall out, and carry out the plan of the day,