The Boy Scout Jamboree

The Boy Scouts are celebrating their 100th anniversary at Fort A.P. Hill, Virginia, the place where they've held their 10-day Jamboree every four years since 1981.  I was there in 1981. The trip cost me $1300.  My parents couldn't afford that, so I worked on a dairy farm after school for $1.50 an hour and moved irrigation pipe (with my illegal Mexican brothers) all summer until I saved enough money to go. (By the way, this American did do a job Americans won't do, and I worked just as hard as the illegals did, and I was a boy).

One of the highlights of my two week tour through Toronto, New York (New Yorkers mocked us in our uniforms--gotta love those folks), Philadelphia, and Virginia was when President Reagan arrived in a huge helicopter at a Jamboree gathering and spoke to all of us. I can't remember a word he said, but it was inspiring for a kid from the sticks. I'd love it if my boys could have the same kind of experience, but presidents these days seem to think appearing on The View is more important.

Another sign of American decline

In another sign of American decline, the number of Boy Scouts dropped by 600,000 over the past decade. But at least the dwindling numbers are not as bad as Europe: they now allow girls. Some of my fondest (wholesome) childhood memories are of scouting, but if I had shared a tent with a girl, my memories would be a bit different. And what's with female Scout leaders now? Is there no escape from women for a boy?  A life of Perpetual Mom. I'm sure the knitting merit badge is much more popular now than was firearms when I was a boy.