Wednesday, September 3, 2014

Commissioners Corner: Accountability & Responsibility

“A people that values its privileges above its principle soon loses both”


This is a speech given by President Dwight D. Eisenhower back in 1953

“My friends, before I begin the expression of those thoughts that I deem appropriate to this moment, would you permit me the privilege of uttering a little private prayer of my own. And I ask that you bow your heads,


Almighty God, as we stand here at this moment my future associates in the executive branch of government join me in beseeching that Thou will make full and complete our dedication to the service of the people in this throng, and their fellow citizens everywhere.


Give us, we pray, the power to discern clearly right from wrong, and allow all our words and actions to be governed thereby, and by the laws of this land. Especially we pray that our concern shall be for all the people regardless of station, race, or calling.


May cooperation be permitted and be the mutual aim of those who, under the concepts of our Constitution, hold to differing political faiths; so that all may work for the good of our beloved country and Thy glory. Amen.


My fellow citizens:

The world and we have passed the midway point of a century of continuing challenge. We sense with all our faculties that forces of good and evil are massed and armed and opposed as rarely before in history.


This fact defines the meaning of this day. We are summoned by this honored and historic ceremony to witness more than the act of one citizen swearing his oath of service, in the presence of God. We are called as a people to give testimony in the sight of the world to our faith that the future shall belong to the free.


Since this century's beginning, a time of tempest has seemed to come upon the continents of the earth. Masses of Asia have awakened to strike off shackles of the past. Great nations of Europe have fought their bloodiest wars. Thrones have toppled and their vast empires have disappeared. New nations have been born.


For our own country, it has been a time of recurring trial. We have grown in power and in responsibility. We have passed through the anxieties of depression and of war to a summit unmatched in man's history. Seeking to secure peace in the world, we have had to fight through the forests of the Argonne, to the shores of Iwo Jima, and to the cold mountains of Korea.


In the swift rush of great events, we find ourselves groping to know the full sense and meaning of these times in which we live. In our quest of understanding, we beseech God's guidance. We summon all our knowledge of the past and we scan all signs of the future. We bring all our wit and all our will to meet the question:


How far have we come in man's long pilgrimage from darkness toward light? Are we nearing the light—a day of freedom and of peace for all mankind? Or are the shadows of another night closing in upon us?”


Our boys aren’t going off to war in foreign county to fight, but we are at war. A war of good vs. evil, light vs. darkness, right vs. wrong.Scouting can help our young men by following the Scout Oath, with the Scout Oath a Scout is engaged to do his best to obey the Scout law. The main principles are;


Duty to God

Duty to others

Duty to self

 

The Scout Oath

On my honor I will do my best 

To do my duty to God and my country 

and to obey the Scout Law; 

To help other people at all times;

To keep myself physically strong, 

mentally awake, and morally straight.

 

Living each day by the 12 points of the Scout Law: 

The Scout Law is a personal code of living to guide the way each Scout lives his life. It is not a repression of faults, so was not framed as a list of prohibitions. It states what good form is and what is expected of a Scout. The Scout Law is at the heart of the Scout method


A Scout is trustworthy, loyal, helpful, friendly, 

courteous, kind, obedient, cheerful, thrifty, 

brave, clean, and reverent.


The Scouting Slogan “Do a good turn daily”  

The good deed is a key component of the law and promise. Baden-Powell felt this is the main duty God asks for, and fulfilling our duty to others makes us happy, which fulfills the duty to ourselves. The point is not so much the deed itself, which could be minor, but to teach the Scout to always pay attention and recognize if he could help someone. As we help and serve others we are reminded of the ultimate example of service by Jesus Christ. When we serve others unselfishly we are truly rewarded for that service.


This does not mean that you should do just one Good Turn during the day and then stop. It means you should always be looking for extra opportunities to help others, quietly and without boasting. Remember that a Good Turn is an act of kindness, not just something you do because it is good manners. Good Turns should be done for family, friends, adults, children, and especially for those that are not able to do the task themselves.


We need to prepare these young men for life, and the responsibilities that will come their way. Leaders plan and prepare your actives that follow the Scouting Aims and Methods,  


Scouting Aims:

Character Development

Citizenship Training

Mentall and Physical Fitness

 

Scouting Methods:

The Ideals

The Patrol Method

The Outdoors

Advancement

Association with Adults

Personal Growth

Leadership Development

The Uniform


All Scout Masters, Varsity Coaches and Venturing Advisers as you follow the Scouting Aims and Methods you will become a hero to the young men you serve and this is for everyone involved in Scouting: A Hero is an ordinary person who sees a need, and is willing to sacrifice and suffer for another person who is willing but unable to do it for himself. There are many heroes around us. Many of these heroes are ordinary people who unselfishly give of themselves to provide comfort and aid to those in need.


HEROES

Men of the mountain, Men of the plain

Who drink of fountain, Of suffering and pain.

Men of valor, And men of might

Who live every hour, To do what is right.

Men of wisdom, And men of strength

Who cherish freedom, And guard it at length.

Men who talk, And men who do

Who show by their walk, That their word is ture.

With there I care, To place my name

But I must dare, To live the same

 

 

 

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