https://www.ksl.com/article/46592257/scouts-group-rescued-in-emery-county-after-ill-fated-green-river-trip-in-homemade-canoes

Now it does not specifically state in the story that these were mormon scouts, but I'll cover 10 bets off up to a dollar each that they are.

Homemade canoes?

Amateurs

"... in mostly homemade canoes that were fashioned out of PVC pipe and wrapped with a plastic tarp material."

"Sheriff’s Sgt. Mitch Vetere, who has extensive experience on the Green River, said in the post that the boats had “no business being on the river,” especially because the river is currently flowing swiftly."

Ya think.

The way I remember it is boring meeting in the basement "Scout Room" with an overbearing, self-important scoutmaster who appointed his sons to leadership positions. We'd go on one lame campout each summer.

That sounds typically mormon and typically boring.

I don't know if anyone else has had this experience but

it seemed like every year during the scout outing one of

the boys would get injured... broken legs, broken arms,

head wounds, etc cetera. I vowed that I would never let

my son go to any scout outings. I wanted to keep him alive.

Lol.. seriously.

Canoes made out of PVC tubing and plastic tarp instead of something just a little durable?

Not checking the river depth and speed before deciding to use said canoes on the river?

Scout leaders apparently a danger to themselves and others?

Sounds like a Mormon troop, alright.

and running rivers. If my one brother hadn't been an excellent swimmer, he wouldn't have made it.

Another discernment failure.

I thought the Church had broken ties with Scouting?

When I was scouting age, we moved into a new ward. It wasn't long before I was sent on an overnight camping trip with the young men. On the way there, several of the boys asked, "Are we going to the camp where we burned the forest down?" Yes, the "troop" had burned down a forest due to careless fire maintenance. Needless to say, I was "thrilled" to be part of this troop.

I was a Boy Scout Master for 15 years in an LDS troop. I was lucky that I had the personal resources to equip the troop (i.e. Troop Equipment trailer, 15-pass van, etc.). We went on many canoe trips over the years. However, this is where common sense kicks in over the cult programming. As a leader you are responsible for the safety and well being of the boys. It doesn't matter whether you have the Priesthood power, the holy ghost, sacred temple garmies that protect you from bullets, fire, water, etc. Stupid mistakes, failure to follow sensible safety procedures, and risk taking will always injure or kill someone. That boy scout master could easily be criticized by everyone, BUT I understand his predicament. He didn't ask to be a scout leader over a bunch of boys that don't want to be scouts. He has no budget for good equiptment. He is not adequately trained. He is under the misassumption that he is protected by God and holy angels, and well "everything will be fine in these home made canoes...they did it in the BOM...God will bless us, amen." He had all of this approved by the PEC in his ward and scout committee, so it's not just his idiotic misgivings, but probably 7 or 8 other grown men. So glad no one lost their life. Hopefully they were wearing life jackets.

Yep, this is exactly the way LDS troops are run. It's good the church is getting out of scouting. This will save lives.

I once looked into becoming an actual Scout Master though the BSA, not the church. One of the guys in the office made a passing comment on the "Mormon Troops" and how different they were and how they tend to cause problems wherever they go. I think ultimately, the BSA will be happy to see the church's troops go as well.

Unfortunately I don't share your optimism on this move saving lives. I have a feeling it could be worse for the boys in the church. At least while they had the BSA, they had materials and guides from an organization that had years of experience to teach kids how to act in nature, on camping trips, etc. Even with that they still screwed things up to an all too often dangerous level. Now, the church will be likely to continue to try and do those things, but without even those guides to help them.

It will be inexperienced "volunteers" with little to no training and now with little to no handbook to help them out. That's not a good combination.

So they run their Scout programs like they run their church.

Not a member, left 39 years ago, but I loved Scouts. Did it another 15 years after leaving.

Mormons will be out of Scouting next year, Jan 1, 2020.

They are abysmally shabby Scouts. Don’t follow the program, wink at requirements, and create “paper tiger” Eagles who can’t make a fire or tie a decent knot.

People die every year through their negligence and lack of, get this, preparedness! Remember “Be Prepared?”

All of my Scouts got the First Aid Merit badge first, and we all carried kits.

Guess how often we used them on our own troops, right hardly at all. But we sure had to rescue our fellow troopers often!

Many Utah National Parks don’t want Scout troops to visit anymore, which is ironic, since the largest Scout Council in the world is the Utah National Parks Council.

There is a ranger at the state park who is supposed to check out all groups leaving the boat ramp for safety and sanitation equipment, and issue the group a permit. That person should have intercepted this group and denied them to launch. The leaders who thought this was a good idea should be arrested for child endangerment.

In the minds of the faithful, the church is always right.

In this instance, no one was hurt: ghawd is good!

If someone is injured or property damage is done: the culprits weren't living the gospel

If someone dies: he was one of the most valiant and ghawd called him home for a good reason.

It makes me wonder how many scouts died on an outing at

the inept hands of their Scout Master.

Well, if we considered BY the scoutmaster there would be a lot of "scouts" who perished due to poor planning and irresponsible leadership.

I sure was lucky. I didn't care for living in Pennsylvania, but the Mormon scout troop I joined there was excellent. The two scoutmasters were serious woodsmen, and we camped every month, year-round. The winter camping was a blast, because everyone was properly equipped. I got lucky with that one.

By the way, that was the only thing about that goddam religion I ever liked.



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 07/13/2019 04:05AM by donbagley.

Much like trying to cross the plains with a poorly made hand cart.

Those boys must have been terrified, but they shut up and obeyed, anyway. They must have been Mormons, because only Mormon parents would have been stupid enough to let their sons do this.

Dumb Shittery at its finest.

> Those boys must have
> been terrified, but
> they shut up and
> obeyed, anyway.


I'm going to offer the possibility...Nay, the likelihood, that the boys were the driving force behind getting those 'canoes' into the water.

Which is why things go wrong so often with mormon scouts: there are too few trained, disciplined adult leaders. I think there are many, many ward scoutmasters who are as undisciplined as the kids they are charged with caring for. Like the two scoutmasters who took selfies of themselves toppling rocks at a Utah State Park.

https://www.npr.org/sections/thetwo-way/2014/03/18/291201681/ex-scouts-who-toppled-ancient-rock-formations-reach-plea-deal

They put me in a boat once. I capsized at least thirteen times. Sometimes these people don't get the message.

My parents forced me to go on a scouting trip in the middle of winter... only good thing I got out of it was I learned how to smoke cigs!