Scouting as a Pundit

Body of U.S. commando found in Afghanistan

For Full Story click here

Comments: I am glad they found him. A terrorist spokesmen had said they he was captured and beheaded, but this was not the case. He died fighting to the last.

Countdown begins for Discovery launch

For Full story click here

Comments:I am glad the mission will continue after the Colombia tragedy.

Gulf Coast cleans up from Hurricane Dennis

For Full Story click here

Comments: Floridians pick themselves up once more. However Dennis was weaker then expected which is a great thing.

Retirement Will Change Direction of Court for Years

For Full Story click here

Comments: The man is right. We must have a conservative pro-life Christian justice! For more of my thoughts click here.

Conservative Students Unleashed

For Full Story click here

Comments: Hehe, this is kinda funny. The author begains with a description of was liberals must think of conservative students and then goes on to tell what said students do in the summer.

More later...

The Blogging Boy Scout,
Travis

A quick update...

Hey guys! I did a lot of lawn mowing yesterday and am looking to do some more today. As such, I didn't get to blog yesterday. :-( However I am still here and will strive to keep the blogging level steady. Please continue to keep the British people in your prayers

The Blogging Boy Scout,
Travis

Update: Look at this real quick from David Ketter

...a bill in the Pennsylvania legislature would allow Intelligent Design to be taught in public schools. Praise God! For a rather leftist report, see CNN's story.

Boy Scout Comments: This CNN article is hogwash. However the bill sounds good. For an article on why separation of church and state is not fit for pigs(much less humans), please visit my article on the display of the Ten Commandments in court here at Virtue Magazine.

Note: At the top of the Virtue article there are two spelling errors. Please ignore those. I am working with the Virtue staff to get those corrected.

Cartoon by FaithMouse

Attack on Briton

This morning terrorists claiming to be al-Qaida, attacked the London transportation system. More at the links below.

Story here @ MSNBC

Story here @ Fox News

Story here @ World Net Daily

Also see the excellent posts by Agent Tim and Spunky Jr. Please also visit the U.K. blogs of Adrian Warncock and Stone Pavement.


Quotes of the day:

''It's important, however, that those engaged in terrorism realize that our determination to defend our values and our way of life is greater than their determination to cause death and destruction to innocent people and a desire to impose extremism on the world,''
''Whatever they do, it is our determination that they will never succeed destroying what we hold dear in this country and in other civilizations in the world.''

"When they try to intimidate us, we will not be intimidated Â… we will not be changed," "When they try to divide our people our weaken our resolve, we will not be divided and our resolve will hold firm. We will show by our spirit and dignity ... our values will long outlast theirs."

Tony Blair

"...however many you kill, you will fail."

London Mayor Ken Livingstone

"America stands with you in this time of crisis in attempts to help in any ways possible."
(U.S.) Homeland Security Michael Chertoff

Note to the British people from the BBS: My heart goes out to you today. You will be in my prayers tonight and as the days go on. Do not waiver or faulter at this blow. Togather we can and will bring these crawling, yellow bellied, snakes to justice. God comfort the United Kingdom in this time of need.

The Blogging Boy Scout,
Travis

George...Don't Back Down Now!!!

Bush: Abortion Won't Decide Court Nominee

For full story click here

Comments: GRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRR. Sir, there can be no moderate compromise on this supreme court nominee! We must have a pro life justice who will flip Roe v. Wade! As a nation we can choose to be a Christian nation as our forefathers laid out, or we can be a atheist, agnostic junk heap subject to impending judgment. There can be no compromise on abortion. Our nation can be Christian or it can be liberal. There can be no middle ground. We must choose righteousness.

Faith in the White House is Back!

Hey Guys!

Faith in the White house is back on! If you have TBN please tune in! It came on at 9 CST and should play at least an hour. It is great!

The Blogging Boy Scout,
Travis

Happy Fourth of July!

Hey Everybody!

Happy Fourth of July! I hope everyone has a great 4th this year. Below I have posted a few links of interest.

Virtue Magazine issue 13 has been published!

Agent Tim has a AWESOME banner up for the Fourth.

Daddy Pundit guesses the result of the Supreme Court Confirmation Battle.

Hat Tip to SecDef for the cool picture!

The Blogging Boy Scout,
Travis

Another Birthday!

Hello guys!

Our family is about to head out to yet another birthday party! However this one is not an overnighter so I should be back at the blogging controls without a hitch. :-D I shall leave the following links for your viewing pleasure in my absence.

My article on the Ten Commandments should be up at Virtue Magazine soon.

Agent Tim posted some really cool pictures from his mission trip.

All Things 2 All visited with a member of the Chinese underground Christian movement.

Spunky Jr. posted the reasons she is proud to be an American.

And a 4th of July cartoon is in progress over at the FaithMouse Blog

Have a great day everyone!

The Blogging Boy Scout,
Travis

Supreme Court News Flash!

Supreme Court Justice O'Connor retiring

For full story click here

Comments: The battle for the supreme court has begun. Ms. O'Connor was a swing vote on issues like abortion. We must get a strict constitutionalist to fill her place. Read about the two ways of interpreting the constitution here in this article by David Barton

Unconfirmed Quotations

For those of you who are fond of using quotes in discussion, here are a list of quotes that and unconfirmed at this time and probably should not be used in a debate type setting as they are not rock solid. This is not to say that are not true, they just have not been proven true yet. A few of them are among my favorite quotes such as James Madison's quote about the Ten Commandments. :-( This by no means, indicates that the quotes are false, it merely states that as of yet they are unconfirmed. I may consider using these quotes again at some point, but would present them as unconfirmed quotes. Oh well, no one says in quite like David Barton himself so have a look.

The Blogging Boy Scout,
Travis

Faith in the White House

Hey Guys!

There is a really good show on PAX TV right now. It is really good so if you get PAX please check it out. It should be on at least until 9 CST.

The Blogging Boy Scout,
Travis

Update: Guys, that show was awesome! It was totally amazing! It tells all about George Bushes prayer life and his walk with the Lord and destroys the "separation of church and state" myth that says a president cannot be a practicing Christian and hold office. A truly great film. The film is available here if you would like to look at it.

Go George Bush! Down with Nancy Pelosi!

Oh me. George Bush's speech tonight was great. Nancy Pelosi's counter point speech stank. All she could say was "international help in Iraq, international help in Iraq" and "pull our troops out soon". She had nothing to say about finishing the job, and to top it all off, she said the George Bush said "Mission Accomplished" at his speech on the aircraft carrier. HE NEVER SAID THAT! THERE WAS A SIGN THAT SOME GUY PUT UP BEHIND HIM THAT SAID "Mission Accomplished".

Grrrrrrrrrrrrr. It just is aggravating.

Oh well, I am ranting. Talk to you guys later.

I'm Back!

Hey Guys!

I am back from the birthday party! Had a really fun time. Here is a quick link of interest and then I better head outside and start the weed eating. :-)

Supreme Court bars Ten Commandments at courthouses

For full story click here
Comments: I guess I shall save my comments for now as I am writing a article on this for Virtue Magazine. :-D

Have a great day all!
The Blogging Boy Scout,
Travis

Update: I am still doing research for my article. I am compiling a list of link to use as resources. I hope to present a well written article for you by Friday. Also I may post all my link on this topic here on my blog for my readers pleasure. Talk to you guys later!

Gone to A Birthday Party!

Hey Guys!

My sister and I were invited to a birthday party today! We won't be back until tomorrow so I will see you guys then!

Have a great day everybody!

The Blogging Boy Scout,
Travis

Scouting the News # 2

First up...

Commentary & News Briefs from Agape Press

For full story click here
Comments: Stories covered here include Billy Grahams last Crusade and the successful passing of Oregan's gay marriage ban.

The ACLU and religious intolerance at the Air Force Academy

For full story click here
Comments: Another story about the ACLU's desire to remove Christianity from the public sphere.

A nation of deists

For full story click here
Comments: This is scary.

Outlawing Flag Burning

For full story click here
Comments: Sounds good to me.

First Baptists, Now Presbyterians Urge Withdrawing Kids from Public Schools

For full story click here
Comments: I don't blame them.

O'Connor, Not Rehnquist?

For full story click here
Comments: How will be the first Supreme Court justice to resign?

High court OKs personal property seizures

For full story click here
Comments: Hmm. Interesting judgment. I would like to find out more about this issue.

That's all for now!

The Blogging Boy Scout,
Travis

Faithful Physicians

Survey: Most U.S. Doctors Believe In God

Hat Tip:FaithMouse Blog

Prayer in Public School

Having noticed, as I have, that someone voted to keep prayer OUT of public schools in the blog poll, I find it necessary to present the following article for your voting consideration.


BEN FRANKLINS CALL TO PRAYER - 1787

When, after the representatives who had met in 1787 to write the Constitution of the United States struggled for several weeks making little or no progress, eighty-one-year-old Benjamin Franklin rose and addressed the troubled and disagreeing convention that was about to adjourn in confusion. It seemed that their attempt to form a lasting union had apparently failed. Benjamin Franklin said, In the beginning of the contest with Britain, when we were sensible of danger, we had daily prayers in this room for Divine protection. Our prayers. Sir. were heard and they were graciously answered. All of us who were engaged in the struggle must have observed frequent instances of a superintending Providence in our favor. . . . And have we now forgotten this powerful Friend? Or do we imagine we no longer need His assistance?

I have lived, Sir, a long time, and the longer I live, the more convincing proofs I see of this truth: that God governs in the affairs of man. And if a sparrow cannot fail to the ground without His notice, is it probable that an empire can rise without His aid? We have been assured, Sir, in the Sacred Writings that except the Lord build the house, they labor in vain that build it. I firmly believe this. I also believe that, without His concurring aid, we shall succeed in this political building no better than the builders of Babel; we shall be divided by our little partial local interest; our projects will be confounded; and we ourselves shall become a reproach and a byword down to future ages. And what is worse, mankind may hereafter, from this unfortunate instance, despair of establishing government by human wisdom and leave it to chance, war, or conquest.

I therefore beg leave to move that, henceforth, prayers imploring the assistance of Heaven and its blessing on our deliberation be held in this assembly every morning before we proceed to business. Benjamin Franklin then proposed that the Congress adjourn for two days to seek divine guidance. When they returned they began each of their sessions with prayer.

The stirring speech of Benjamin Franklin marked a turning point in the writing of the Constitution, complete with a Bill of Rights.

Sirs, I ask you. If our founding fathers found prayer to be a fit, proper, and yes, necessary, part of writing the constitution, how can we forbid school children from praying in their classes?

For more information, please read my post, Our Christian Heritage

Hat Tip: Restoring America.org

Scout Found!

Boy Scout, Brennan Hawkins was rescued yesterday. He is alive and well, although a bit dehydrated. Praise the Lord! No news as of yet as to how he got lost.

Read full story here

Quote of the Day:

"People say that the heavens are closed and God no longer answers prayers. We are here to unequivocally tell you that the heavens are not closed, prayers are answered and children come home,"
Brennan's mother, Jody Hawkins.

Amen, Mrs. Hawkins, amen.

The Blogging Boy Scout,
Travis

One quick note on this story: Senator Durbin Apologized for Nazi Remarks

Virtue Magazine issue 12!

Hey guys!

First up today, Virtue Magazine has come out with issue 12! This issue is the largest one yet with a whopping 15 articles! Some of the Subjects include:

1. The Minuteman Project
2. Stem Cell Research
3. The Michael Jackson case
4. The Faith of Evolution, Part II
5. Rick Warren: Good or Bad?

And much, much, more! These are just a few of the many great articles that caught my eye. So please head over and have a look!

The Blogging Boy Scout,
Travis

Boy Scout Missing in Utah

An 11 year old Boy Scout, Brennan Hawkins has turned up missing in the mountains of Utah. He is the second scout to go missing in these mountains. The other scout, a 12 year old Garrett Bardsley, has been missing since last August.

Read full story here

Comments: Guys, this is terrible. Both of these young men were lost while walking approximately two hundred yards from their camp site. This has been all over the scout forums and one of the main reasons given for their disappearance was the violation of one of the chief rules of scouting, the buddy system. Both of these boys were would by themselves, had they had a buddy, their chances of survival would have been much better. A young man who is alone can fall into a river and never be heard from again, but two young men can protect each other and provide aid or call help if necessary. May the Lord help their family's as they go through this difficult time. Please pray for young Brennan as the search for him continues.

"Rejoice with those who rejoice, and weep with those who weep."
Rom 12:15

The Blogging Boy Scout,
Travis

Oh, You Got Me!

Hey Guys,

I have been tagged by Agent Tim. Playing "tag" has been sweeping the blogosphere lately. It is a game where you answer some questions and then "tag" other bloggers and asked them the same questions you answered. Tim asked me the following questions:

1. What is the total number of books you own?
2. What is the last book you bought?
3. What is the last book you read?
4. Name five books that mean a lot to you

Now without further ado, here are my answers:

1. Total Number of Books Owned: I counted 45 on the book shelf in my bedroom, but we have many more about the house. We are also regular library patrons. :-D

2. Last Book I Bought:Hmm, I think the last book that our family bought was...The Faith of George W. Bush

3. Last Book I Read: Lets see, I am currently reading, this list of books. I love reading. :-D

4. Five Books That Mean A Lot To Me:

A. First and foremost, the Holy Word of God, the Bible.
B. The writings of our founding fathers.
C. Man in Demand
D. Almost any history book. :-D
E. Books by G. A. Henty

Now if you would like to be tagged, please leave a comment and let me know when you answer the questions and I will post it here.

Thanks guys,
The Blogging Boy Scout,
Travis

Poll Results

Hey Guys!

I have added a new poll question and posted the results of the old one. The new poll question is "Should voluntary audio prayer be allowed in public schools?

I am also doing research for my article on separation of Church and State. I have been wanting to write this article for some time, but it always seems to fall by the wayside. After watching the David Barton video, America's Godly Heritage, a whole new world of information has opened up to me on this subject. This video includes the names of the various court cases that removed public prayer, Bible reading, and other such from school. These names allow me to search the internet for information on these cases. With the information available over the internet, I hope to present a well, written article to you, my readers. Now here are the last polls results:

Vote For your Favorite Article

What type of posts would you like to see on the Boy Scout Blogger? Historical Articles (0) 0% Political Posts (2) 7% Christian Living (8) 30% Boy Scouting (6) 22% Posts about the daily life of Travis (2) 7% Encouragement for young men in the Lord (8) 30% Other (1) 4% Total Votes: 27

Top headlines on Fox News

Christian School's Gov't Funds Raise Cain

Read full story here
Comments: This is just one more example of liberals trying to eradicate our Christian history and heritage and remove any Christianity from government(or schools).

Number 2 Democrat on capitol hill compares American troops to Nazis

Read full story here
Comments: A U.S. Senator bashes troops over interrogations of terrorists.

Any thoughts on these news stories? If so, comment below.

The Blogging Boy Scout,
Travis

Cousin's visit

Hey Guys!

Sorry about this late post. We were very busy today. My sister had an orthodontist appointment today and our cousins are up for a visit from Texas, *big grin* so blogging was light today. Hopefully more tomorrow.

Talk to you later!

The Blogging Boy Scout,
Travis

My first audio post!

Hey Guys! Agent Tim asked me to do this post to answer some questions about blogging! I wrote down what I wanted to say, so I am afraid I came off a bit "wooden". So please forgive me if I sound like I was reading a script. :-( I will have to work on that in future audio posts. Oh well, enjoy the post!

The Blogging Boy Scout,
Travis

Cattle Work and the game of Tag

Hey guys!

The ongoing life of Travis:

Today, Dad and I, got up the cattle and corralled a calf to haul to the sale barn. Mom and Dad took it into town and just got back. While Dad and I were driving out in the pasture we went by the fish pond and its cool, clear waters had us both thinking about fishing. :-D We got a new air filter and spark plug for my push mower recently, and I need to get that on.
Other then that, I have been tagged by Agent Tim, so it looks like I am going to have the pleasure of writing a post about my favorite books. Thank you Tim!

I added a new link today. If you have not discovered it yet, let me introduce Agape Press!

Don't let your heart be troubled!
The Blogging Boy Scout,
Travis

"Let Freedom Ring"

Hey guys!

Not much happened here today, except we watched a really cool movie about the missionary Gladys Aylward, called "The Inn of the Sixth Happiness". It was a really good movie. If you get a chance to watch it, I would.
For today's post I thought I would show for my new readers a song I really enjoy. It is by Oklahoma artist, Dennis Jernigan. It is a very powerful song and one I certainly hope you will enjoy. Please click on the link below to hear this wonderful song.

Let Freedom Ring

Note: When you get to the site, click the yellow button labeled "Listen".

The Blogging Boy Scout,
Travis

A Quick Post

Hey guys!

I took the ACT test today! That was interesting. After that we went out and rented some movies! We got one about a missionary and then a Roy Rogers western! :-D
Also, I would like to introduce you to one of the great blogs I have found lately. I have enjoyed reading this blog and hope to see more from this author in future. Now without further
ado,

True Believers - A blog about Christianity and Politics :-D

There are some other great blogs I have been looking at, and I hope to bring some of them to you soon.

Have a great Sunday!

The Blogging Boy Scout,
Travis

This Weeks Book Bag and One Great Video

Hey guys! Here is this week's list of library books!

For shear, heart pounding, historical, adventure, three books by the boy historian, G. A. Henty!

1. The Young Carthaginian
2. By Right of Conquest
3. Beric the Briton

Also in the book bag this week...
4. Debating - Applied Rhetorical Theory
5. Speaking in Public
6. Napoleon
7. The Right to Bear Arms
8. The Case of Roe v. Wade

Also we checked out an absolutely incredible video while at the library. I would highly recommend this tape to anyone. It is called:

America’s Godly Heritage

Guys, if you watch one movie this year, watch this one!!!! Author and historian David Barton shines the light on "separation of church and state" and the controversy over prayer and Christianity in School. This tape will change how you think about America and will wipe away many misconceptionss the humanists have been throwing at us for years.

Please watch this film!!!! :-)

That's all for now, have a good day everyone!

The Blogging Boy Scout,
Travis

Enemies Of The State - Children who bring Bibles to public school

Elementary School Bans Students' Recess Bible Study

Hat Tip: FaithMouse Blog

The Hand of the Lord

Well, everyone, I am just about rested up enough to tell you all some more about my week at Boys State. A little info on Boys State first.

Boys State is a 8 day camp put on by the American legion for high school juniors to teach leadership, patriotism and government.

I greatly enjoyed the week, especially the government in action and speeches that were given by some of Oklahoma's finest men. The Governor of Oklahoma spoke as well as our lieutenant governor. Other activities included a Counter terrorism drill, *big, huge grin* and fire search and rescue. One event that I am likely to remember as long as I live happened during government in action...

On the last full day of Boys State our city was in a class room, acting out the Oklahoma State Senate. We had all been given the opportunity to write a bill and present it to our Senate of 70 or so boys for approval. Before I go on, I would like to say that I was truly awed by the way the Lord worked though out the whole week. It was truly incredible. As I continue you will see what I mean. Well, the bill I wrote consisted of the following points.

1. Voluntary prayer in state funded schools shall be allowed so long as school activities are not interrupted.*
2. Prayers lead at a school activity such as a football game or school assembly shall be allowed so long as said prayer is voluntary.
*Prayer that would interrupt school activities will be allowed if religion requires prayers at certain times of day etc. and provisions are made with school officials.

I wrote this bill the day before and was really hoping for it's safe passage. After hearing several bills, my bill came up.
(First amazing point: My bill could have been placed lower in the stack of bills arranged by our steering committee. If it had, my bill would have not been heard.)

So I took the podium and begin reading my bill. About half way through my talk, a Senate member rushed in with the news that the entire Senate was convening to hear charges against our governor. So, the Senate moved to table my bill and go to the auditorium for the Senate hearing. When we returned, my bill was brought back up and I finished my talk and seat down. After some questions were asked of me, one senator gave a speech opposing my bill. After a more questioning my bill was again tabled.
(Amazing point Two: My bill could have died right there. It could have stayed on the table untouched and not been heard again. As it was, I found out later that one of the people who supported my bill wanted to table it while tempers were high over the governors impeachment hearing. My bill might have been killed on the floor or might have been amended to weaken it. But, by waiting, the bill was protected until tempers cooled.)

After hearing some other bills another Senator asked if we could bring my bill back up and finish it. The vote was heard and my bill was back on the floor. At this point another Senator asked to give a speech in favor of my bill. He proceeded to answer the arguments of the con speech and encouraged everyone to vote for the bill. (Amazing point Three: Had these two young men not recalled my bill could have died on the table. Also by giving a rebuttal to the speech against, the Bill's case was made stronger.

Then one of the aforementioned Senators motioned to add a friendly amendment. The amendments read as follows:

1. Teachers shall be allowed to pray in public schools2. Teachers shall be allowed to lead students in prayer if a student requests.(Amazing point Four: These public schoolers knowing more about the public school system then I, wanted to make the bill stronger and protect teachers rights as well!!!

Then the Senate voted on the bill. It passed some 68 to 2 in favor of the bill. Now the next hurdle was at hand. Now the bill had to pass the House of representatives in order to become law. The Senate asked me to take the bill over to the house and give a speech in favor of the bill. I said I would and was getting ready to go. Just as I walked out the door, one of the other senators asked me suddenly if he could go too. I said "yes" and we set off for the House.(Amazing point Five: Had this young man not gone with me, my bill might very well have , failed in the House, as you will soon see.

We reached the House and were asked to come in. The representatives voted to hear my bill immediately. After talking about my bill, I took questions. One young man stood up and told me that this bill was unconstitutional and had been declared by the Supreme Court. I responded that I did not know about that Supreme Court decision. My goose and my bill could have very easily been cooked right there, but then the Senator who had come with me took the floor. He replied that his school held prayers in public all the time and that there was no problem with the bill. The other guy sat down.
(Amazing point Six: I had no way of answering this person. I had not heard about that decision and could not answer arguments on those grounds. Had my fellow Senator not come my bill could have very easily failed in the House. Also, it is a wonder the young man sat down. He had won some prizes for debate in our state and probably could have given quite a fight.

After some more questions/statements it was put to a vote. It passed the House unanimously. With light hearts we took the bill to the governor for his signature.

Guys, I never cease to be amazed at the wonder of God. His hand was on this bill every step of the way. Had one of the links failed the bill could have fallen flat on its face. This is just one example of the Lord's faithful hand guiding me through the week at Boys State.
Guys, never loose faith in Him. He is our shield and a very present help in trouble. He will make a way, where there seems to be no way. He works in ways we can not see. He will make a way.

Praise God!

Impeachment and Lawmaking

Boy, what a wild 24 hours we just had! Our governor was elected, then impeached for lying, then acquainted by the supreme court. It has got a bunch of people stirred up.

In other news:
We passed a bill placing voluntary prayer back in public school! :-D
Also we passed a bill forbidding gay couples from adopting.

We are all very happy to be going home tomorrow. :-D

Have a great day all!
The Blogging Boy Scout,
Travis

Dude look at this!

Bloggers on a sign! Including mine!

Also in other news:

I got elected District attorney! I am very happy. :-D The other day we got to attack a building full of real soldiers. That was really cool! :-D We got to use replica M-16 in the assault. It was awesome! I hope everyone is doing well. I should be home on Saturday. Have a good day everyone!

The Blogging Boy Scout,
Travis

At Boys State

Hey Guys!

I got on a computer at Boys State and I just thought I would post real quick! :-D I am running for District Attorney. I won the support of my party and I will run in the whole country tomorrow I believe. :-) Please pray for strength as the week progresses.

God Bless,
Travis Henry

Gone to Boys State

Well, we are about to head out. As we leave I thought I would show you this picture a friend sent me from a past Boys State. Cool huh? :-D Have a great week everyone! Hold down the blogosphere while I am away! I shall return, Lord willing, next Saturday.

Yours in Christ,
The Blogging Boy Scout,
Travis

Packing for Boys State

Hello all,

The Blogging Boy Scout is packing up his things and getting ready to head off to Boys State tomorrow. I wish everyone the best while I am gone and how to find everyone well when I return.
I would appreciate prayers for my well being in manners spiritual, mental and physical.
I shall return, Lord willing, next Saturday.

Wish me luck. :-D

The Blogging Boy Scout,
Travis

Today's' events and a Question

Hey guys! Here is today's post.

Trip to Grandma's:
Today, we went up to my grandma's house. :-D I helped my grandad and my uncle change out the brake pads on our suburban. I tell you what, the difference in braking in unbelievable! It is like driving a new car! I also got to watch the History Channel, which I always enjoy.

Boys State:
Today we also worked on getting ready for a week long trip I am going to take this coming week. I will be attending Boys State. It is a program for high school junior's designed to teach respect "For God and country". It was established more than 60 years ago to combat the attempts of communists, anarchists, and other subversives who were attempting to recruit America's youth during the Great Depression. Their anti-government message was countered by the American Legion through the establishment of the Boys State program. The 720 boys from around the state get to practice state government in action, including running for office if they so desire. Other activity's include sports and speech's from the hero's who have gone before us. Each boy is guaranteed a spot on the legislature and the chance to write a bill. Now for the question.

"If you could pass any bill in your state, what would it be?"

Your answers will help me out a good deal in my preparation's. Thanks for your comments in advance.

Have a great day all!
The Blogging Boy Scout,
Travis

Site Updates and Lawn Mowing

Hey guys!

Today, I finished mowing the yard, read my library book about the Crusades, as well as doing other chores around the house. Which did not leave much time for blogging. :-( However more updates soon.

Have a great day all!
The Blogging Boy Scout,
Travis

Update on the Scout

Hey everyone! Boy, have I been busy! Here is today's post.

Graduations:
This weekend I attended two homeschool graduations. They were both very good. Many of my friends graduated this year, and I wish them the best of luck as they launch into a new chapter of their lives. Congratulations graduates of 2005! :-D

Mozilla:
After hearing about Mozilla from Agent Tim and Alex, I tried out this very nice web browser and found it be be highly superior to Internet Explorer. It load pages faster and just all around seems better! So, if you have time, please give Mozilla a look! :-)

The judicial showdown that flopped:
Grrrrr. Why did they do that?

I was out mowing also today, and I am tired, so I will let that issue go at that.

Thanks for visiting,
The Sleepy Boy Scout,
Traviszzzzzz....

A Scouting Pundit

Here is some of todays news:

Bush Would Veto Embryonic Stem Cell Research

Read full story here @ Pro-Life Blogs

Scouting the News

DeLay guiltier than bin Laden?
Howard Dean says GOP leader should go to jail, but Osama shouldn't be prejudged

Read full story here @ WorldNetDaily

Saudis Shred Bibles, Rights Campaigners Claim

Read the full story here @ CNSNews

U.S. Senator Orin Hatch tells the
"TOP 10 MOST RIDICULOUS JUDICIAL FILIBUSTER DEFENSES "

Read the full story here @ Senator Hatch's website

The Blogging Boy Scout's 18th Birthday

Hey guys!

Today, May 19 2005, is my birthday! I praise the Lord for the past 18 years and pray I will grow stronger in Him the next 18.

The Blogging Boy Scout,
Travis

Book bag once again!

Here are the books I have currently checked out for the library.

1. Best Little Stories from World War II

This small volume contains small, but exciting stories from WWII.

2.The Adventures of Robin Hood

*grin*

3.The Crusades

More on the history of the Middle East

4.Careers in Government

This book should be most interesting.

5.Board of Education vs. Pico
This book is about a court case concerning book banning for library's.

6.History of American Presidential Elections, Volume XI
Resent presidential politics. H.W. Bush, Clinton, etc.

7. Three Boys Life magazines
Boy Scout Stories and other such

Tennis today!

Hello all,

Today I am off for the great, green, land of tennis balls and racquets. I am very happy to be playing once again! It has been far to long since I have picked up my racquet. But I am so happy that I can play today!

Today, no matter what you are doing, Praise the Lord!

Have a great day everyone!
The Blogging Boy Scout,
Travis

"A Little Brother Follows Me"

A careful boy I want to be;
A little brother follows me.
I do not dare go astray
For fear he’ll go the selfsame way.

I cannot once escape his eyes;
Whate’er he sees me do, he tries.
Like me he says he’s going to be-
That little brother following me.

He thinks that I am good and fine;
Believes in every word of mine.
The bad in me he must not see-
That little brother following me.

I must remember as I go
Through summer’s sun and winter’s snow,
I’m building for the years to be
That little brother following me

Author Unknown

Update:I am so sorry. "bother" was in a spot in this where "brother" should be. That is not what I meant at all. :-( It has now been corrected.

The Blogging Boy Scout,
Travis

Dental appointment today

Hey guys!

Well, at the title suggests, today I am off to a dental appointment! :-)
I hope to talk to you all later!

The Blogging Boy Scout,
Travis

News Flash!
I just saw this...

The ACLU wants felons to be able to vote(?)

Click here for full story

HAt Tip: JackLewis.net

Scouting Politics

Here are some news story's of interest to Christians and conservatives

NoGayMarriage.com

Sign the petition now!

Nomination of Bolton heads to full Senate

Read full Story here

Up or Down vote on judicial nominees!

Read full story here

The "NO" guy :-)

I don't know about you, but our whole family will dash to the living room just to see the "NO" commercials Capitol One is running these days. Man, those are funny! Here is a sample. *Man sits in cubicle, phone rings* CALLER: May I redeem my credit card miles? MAN: No. CALLER: But, I'm in Chicago it's freezing out here. MAN: Euw, I predict a no storm. CALLER: Can my miles get me to Saint Thomas? MAN: Saint happenen CALLER: Hawaii? MAN: A-NO-ha CALLER: Cabo? MAN: CobNO maybe CALLER: Who's in charge over there? MAN:That would be our C.E.NO And that's just one of the 7 commercials! Then it goes on into the blurb about the Capitol on NO hassle card. You can watch one of them here. But anyway, now the GOP has got in on the act! Gop.com has a movie up here claiming the Democrats "NO" everything. Go figure. :-) The Blogging Boy Scout, Travis

Another trip to the library!

Hello all!

The week in my book bag:

1. The Complete Book of U.S. Presidents

*Hops up and down with excitement*

2. Roe vs. Wade (1973)

I would that this case, did not exist

3. The Story of the Crusades

Interesting history book. It tells about all 7 major crusades.

4, 5, and 6. Green Berets, Army Rangers, and The Worlds best soldiers

These three books tell about, well, The Green Berets, the Army Rangers, and the Worlds best Soldiers. :-) They are pretty cool. They have pictures of their equipment, vehicles, training etc. The Book about the Worlds best soldiers tells about non U.S. special forces like the British S.A.S., the Russian Spetsnaz. I noticed that most of the non U.S. forces still use U.S. weapons though. I thought that was kinda interesting.

Well, Talk to you guys later!

The Blogging Boy Scout,
Travis

Virtue Magazine is out!

Hey guys!

Virtue Magazine issue 9 is here!

Praise God for men like these

I am sorry that it has taken me so long to update my site again. I will try to do better in future. Life just seems to jump up and demand attention sometimes and these last few days have been somewhat that way. That about all I have got for now. I do want to point out that yesterday was the 60th aniversury of the end of World War II in Europe. I thought about our many men and woman who sacrificed the lives for the cause of freedom. These people are slowing leaving us now. By twos and threes, they depart from this world, and raise to meet the Creator. May we who remain here on earth learn from the lessons they leave us on history's golden page. Let us never forget those who died so that we might live.
Abe Lincoln said it best.

"It is for us the living, rather, to be dedicated here to the unfinished work which they who fought here have thus far so nobly advanced. It is rather for us to be here dedicated to the great task remaining before us. . .that from these honored dead we take increased devotion to that cause for which they gave the last fullmeasure of devotion. . . that we here highly resolve that these dead shall not have died in vain. . . that this nation, under God,shall have a new birth of freedom. . . and that government of the people. . .by the people. . .for the people. . . shall not perish from this earth."

Tony Blair - Prime Minister for another Term

Tony Blair - One of America's Greatest allies

Read more about Tony at Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia.

Scouting the Web #1

What is going on at other blogs:

A "Incredible" Mom scene taken from the film. But left in the DVD.

Comment: The reason I thought this was really cool was partially due to the fact I have not seen this movie. We got watch all that many new movies as a whole, but this makes me think that this one might be neat. Have any of my readers seen it? If so, did you enjoy it? Was there anything objectionable in it?

Hat Tip: Stones Cry Out

What is going on at this blog:

This post has been updated to add "Voice in the Wilderness" giving his response to the article Scott Thomas wrote on homeschooling.

Hat Tip:Voice in the Wilderness

Well, that's all for now!

The Blogging Boy Scout,
Travis

Agent Tim's new site!

One of my favorite bloggers, Agent Tim has just moved his blog to a new site.

www.agenttimonline.com

Boy, it is a cool site. New look, new address, same great blogging. The site itself was designed by Still Thinking. Please stop by their site and have a look around. They are a small, two person programmer/designer team, that came together with bloggers in mind. If I ever look into getting a new site, I may just have to look them up. :-)

Well, that's all for tonight. I hope to have more tomorrow.

The Blogging Boy Scout,
Travis

One Cool Comic

Here is a neat comic I wanted to share with everyone.(click for larger image) I saw it in this weeks Sunday Oklahoman. As a whole, I really enjoy this comic strip. It is written by a Christian Republican. :-) Could one ask for much more?

The Blogging Boy Scout,
Travis

"TOP 10 REASONS TO CRIMINALIZE HOME SCHOOLING"

Hehe...I found this over at Reggienation's old blog

1. Most parents were educated in the underfunded public school system, and so are not smart enough to homeschool their own children.
2. Children who receive one-on-one homeschooling will learn more than others, giving them an unfair advantage in the marketplace. This is undemocratic.
3. How can children learn to defend themselves unless they have to fight off bullies on a daily basis?
4. Ridicule from other children is important to the socialization process.5. Children in public schools can get more practice "Just Saying No" to drugs, cigarettes and alcohol.
6. Fluorescent lighting may have significant health benefits.
7. Publicly asking permission to go to the bathroom teaches young people their place in society.
8. The fashion industry depends upon the peer pressure that only public schools can generate.
9. Public schools foster cultural literacy, passing on important traditions like the singing of "Jingle Bells, Batman smells, Robin laid an egg..."
10. Home schooled children may not learn important office career skills, like how to sit still for six hours straight.

Home Schoolers and a Question

Hello folks,

Here is a update on the recent series of articles done by the Illinois Leader about home schooling. Scott Thomas a "conservative" radio commentator, wrote this article to explain his views of homeschooling.

THOMAS: Home Schooling not a good idea for most

To which readers and bloggers responded.

GUEST OPINION: Home-Schoolers Respond to Thomas Column: 13 Letters

A list of bloggers responses is located here

Mr. Thomas responded Thursday with this article. In which he labeled home schoolers as "odd".

THOMAS: Not persuaded by home-schoolers arguments

Then on Friday, Mr Thomas fellow Talk show host Kevin McCullough weighed in. Boy, what an article!

MCCULLOUGH: In Defense of "Odd" Homeschoolers

My comments: Boy, was I happy to see Mr. McCulloughs article! I think that if Mr. Thomas were to meet some homeschoolers on a informal type basis and was allowed to get to know them, he would no longer consider them odd. As a matter of fact, I bet he would like them! When we(Homeschoolers) come out and attack an article, we almost always tend to alienate the other person and place them more fully in the enemy camp. What do you think about that issue? When we meet someone with different views should we attack their views with logic? Or should we choose to let "our light shine" through our lives as it were? I tend to think there is a time for both. If you see by the persons words that they are not "hard core" I think the lighter approach is best, whereas with a hard core person you should proclaim the truth for the benefits of others who may be undecided.

What are your thoughts?

The Blogging Boy Scout,
Travis

Still Reading

Hello all,

I am still reading the books I told you about in yesterdays post and I have found them to be quite interesting. (Sean Hannity IS neat :-D) Here are some of the things going on right now in other parts of the blogosphere.

Daddy Pundit has a good post on Modesty

Agent Tim gives his thoughts on a encounter Voice in the Wilderness is going through right now.

Site News: After being added to ProLife Blogs the other day, I started wondering if any more people had linked to my humble spot of the blogosphere. To find out I turned to Technorati.com and Pagerank.net. Both sites let you as the blogger, find out what other bloggers have linked to you and in turn you can visit them! I have greatly enjoyed using both of these sites and would recommend them to any blogger!

Upcoming Articles:

Lawn mowing, Christian work ethic *In the works!
Astrology and Christian bloggers
My long-in-coming article on the separation of church and state

Well, That's all for now!
The Blogging Boy Scout,
Travis

Library Trip today!

Hey Guys!

I really had a good day today. Our family went into town and we got to go by the library! I always enjoy stopping by there. Tis' such a wonderful place to learn new and useful things. :-) I am really looking forward to reading some of the books I found. Here are some of the Titles:

1."Deliver us from evil" Sean Hannity

I don't know much about this fellow other then he does "Hannity and Colmes". But from the looks of the book I think I will like it.

2."The Scopes Trail"

This one got to me, I tell you!

3."We the people"

About the constitution. :-D

4."The Supreme Court"

Never hurts to learn a little more about it these days, does it?

5. "Lincoln's Yarns and Tales"

This one looks like fun!

Well, that some of what I am reading right now!
Talk to you more tomorrow, Lord willing!
The Blogging Boy Scout,
Travis

Note: As I have not read all these books yet, this post does not stand as a recommendation for the books listed above.

A Homeschoolers Blog Roll

Hey Guys!

JackLewis.net is starting a Homeschool Blog Roll. Please stop by and check it out!

Hat Tip:Daddy Pundit

Homeschoolers and others respond to article

Hello all!

Site Updates: Today I have been working on updating my blog roll section with a more current list of bloggers both linking here and that I find a good read. :-)

Homeschooling: A good idea for most. :-)
Christian Homeschoolers respond to this article.

Agent Tim responds here

Spunky Homeschool responds here

Lyflines responds here

Palm Tree Pundit responds here

Voice in the Wilderness responds here

Non blogger readers of the article respond here

If you know of any other responses please leave me a comment and let me know.

Upcoming Articles:

Lawn mowing, Christian work ethic
Astrology and Christian bloggers
My long-in-coming article on the separation of church and state.

Talk to you later!

Very late post.

Hello all,
I just got back from my Grandma's and have seen some very good posts in the short time I have looked about. I hope to blog about many things tomorrow. :-)

Goodnight,
Travis

Lets have a blogstorm

Hello everyone!

I can't be on long as I have some other schooling to do today. :-)

I was thinking about this article that calls for parents not to homeschool because public schools supposedly offer a higher regimen of academic education. I would be very interested to hear some of our fine homeschool bloggers write a article or post on the blog about their views of this article. Please read the article and then leave me a comment with a link to your response on your blog or if you don't have a blog just comment what you think. There is no need to bash the writer personally, only to give your thoughts on the views mentioned. When your links come in I will make a post (Lord willing) with the responses.

I hope to add my thoughts on this article today or tomorrow.

Have a great day everyone!
The Blogging Boy Scout,
Travis

Calling all Homeschoolers!

Every homeschooling (or homeschooled) blogger have a look at this.

"Home Schooling not a good idea for most"

Two Hat Tips to Spunky Homeschool and Spunky Jr.

Please give it a read, then comment what you think.

Look for my response soon

The Blogging Boy Scout,
Travis

A new Pope!

A new Pope - Off white smoke rises from the roof of the Sistine Chapel, declaring to waiting Catholics that a new pontiff has been chosen.

Go to MSNBC for the latest updates.

Read more on this story from the Washington Post

Hat Tip: Stones Cry Out

The Oklahoma City Bombing - Apirl 19 1995

The Oklahoma City Bombing - 10 years ago today.
May we never forget those who died here.

Virtue Magazine Number 8!

Just a quick update...

Virtue Magazine has come out with a new issue today! Please stop by and give it a look!

ACT test: Mom and I signed me up for the ACT test today. I am looking forward to the test and will be very interested in the outcoming score.

I am not sure if I will get to write about the Murrah Building Bombing or not today. I will have to see.

Update! I am sorry folks. I told you yesterday that the 17th of April was the day of the Oklahoma City Bombing. I was wrong. The Bombing took place on the morning of April 19th 1995. I believe I will write about the bombing tomorrow on its anniversary. Thank you.

Talk to you later!
The Blogging Boy Scout,
Travis

Sunday Evening Post

Hello everyone!

This week I am going to try to blog at least once a day! :-D I sure hope I can make it! Here is today's post.

The Oklahoma City Bombing: Today marks the tenth anniversary of the Oklahoma City Bombing. I hope to have a post up about this tomorrow. Read more here

UPDATE! Please read my post here for the correct day of the bombing and its anniversary.

A Trip to Grandma's: We went to my Grandma's house today and we help my two uncle's reopen a old water well. I had never done anything like that before so I learned a lot as well as being able to spend lots of time with my family. And to top it all off, I got to ride the four wheeler a while! :-D

Well, that's all for now! Talk to you later!
The Blogging Boy Scout,
Travis

Suspicious man at the Capitol!

WASHINGTON — Police on Monday tackled and dragged away a man with two suitcases who stationed himself in front of the west side of the Capitol and asked to see the president.

Read the full story here

Hit Tip:Fox News.com

I'M BACK!

Hey everyone!

I am now back up and kicking and so is this blog. :-) Boy, I have some stuff to do. :-D A lot has been happening and I haven't been reporting! Well here goes!

The Health of the Blogger report:

For about six weeks, I had been struggling with some allergy-like symptoms. Runny nose sneeze etc. I almost got better twice. Once before I went to the capitol and once before I went to church camp. After both of those events, I got worse. Then about 3 or 4 days ago, I woke up and took a shower, after which I became chilled and started shivering. It went downhill from there with fever and vomiting, and we proceeded to the doctor. After several minor incidents, we were called back and I was given a breathing treatment. Then while the good doctor wrote me a prescription, he told me I had bronchitis. In a nutshell, I had started out with allergies, that over time had worked itself into bronchitis. (Which is an infection of the passageways leading to the lungs) But anyway, I am on my 3rd or 4th day of antibiotics and I am feeling much better.

Boy Scout Visitors:

I have had several visitors from the BSA community lately. I would like to welcome them to my blog! I am open to most BSA related questions. If you have any questions about my trail to Eagle or and other general Scouting questions please fire away! I am still at a place where I remember how I got most of my merit badges and such so if anyone needs any help please ask!

Books!

My sister and I have been trying our hands at the art of book writing. I am trying a western and she has been writing a modern day mystery. I don’t know if I will start another blog for my book like Tim did, or not, but we shall see!

Well, Have a great day everyone!
The Blogging Boy Scout,
Travis

Sick

The Boy Scout Blogger is not feeling well, he would appreciate your prayers.
In Christ,
BSB's Mom

Blogging, a Cow and Virtue.

Hey everyone!

Update on Me: Yesterday, Dad, Grandma, and I went out and fed cows. As we were putting out the first bale, we noticed that one of the cows had jumped the fence and had popped one of the wires while Mrs. Cow herself had become entangled in the remaining wire. After cutting her out of the fence we went ahead and feed as it was getting dark and the light would soon be gone. So we have a repair job to do soon! :-)

The State of the Blogosphere: After looking high and low through the blogosphere, I have found the following,

Virtue Magazine has come out with its latest issue, number 7! This in one of the largest issues yet put out by this company of writers! Please stop by and give it a read!

Update! I have been thinking for some time about trying my hand at writing a western novel. It would be set up something like Tim's spy novel. :-) What do my readers think? Would this be something you would enjoy?

The Blogging Boy Scout,
Travis

I got to crawl through a B-17!

Hey everyone!

Last Friday, my family and I drove out to the airport and got to tour a B-17! It was really cool! I thought you would enjoy this picture of the plane. We got to look at the bomb bay, and stand in the top turrant. It was great to get to see this piece of living history. As we toured, we thought of the young men who flew this aircraft 50 or so years ago. This plane could hold 9 men. They included a pilot, co-pilot, bombider, navigator, and 5 gunners. This particular plane was armed with 12 machine guns for air to air combat and then 500 to 1000 pound bombs could be loaded into its large bomb bay. This plane was a big part of winning the war against Germany. With its ability to strike at targets far behind enemy lines, the B-17 was able to keep critical supplies from reaching the German front lines. However, early in its fighting career it was hampered by the lack of fighter support that could be provided by the allies. The allied fighter planes simply could not fly far enough to adequatly protect the bombers. The allies compensated by flying the bombers in large squadrons so that the bombers could support each other in aerial combat. This worked fairly well. Then later, the Mustang fighter was equiped with long rang gasoline tanks so the bombers could now have fighter support all the way to Germany and back! Anyway, without going into a complete history of World War II, *grin* I can say that I really enjoyed seeing this plane. I hope you are all having a great week!

Talk to you later!
The Blogging Boy Scout,
Travis

Quote of the day

Update: With help from Reggienation I now have the full quote.

"Today, millions of Americans are saddened by the death of Terri Schiavo. Laura and I extend our condolences to Terri Schiavo's families. I appreciate the example of grace and dignity they have displayed at a difficult time. I urge all those who honor Terri Schiavo to continue to work to build a culture of life, where all Americans are welcomed, and valued, and protected, especially those who live at the mercy of others. The essence of civilization is that the strong have a duty to protect the weak. In cases where there are serious doubts and questions, the presumption should be in the favor of life."

Predident George W. Bush, March 31, 2005

Terri Schiavo just died.

Terri just died. More comments later.

Dear Lord,
Please let our country return to You.
In Your Son's name,
Amen

Encouragment to young people

Hey everyone! I have made it back into the blogophere! Here is today's post!

Blog Reads:

First of all, Agent Tim has a post up talking about some of the mud slinging he has heard directed at his person, and how that has encouraged him!

Also, Reggienation continues to provide updates on Terri Schiavo.

Encouragment For Young People

Last night my family and I watched a film depicting the story of Anne Frank, a young Jewish girl who died in a concentration camp during WWII. As a person sits, watching as a young girl suffers, your heart longs for a rescuer to come. But she dies, as so many did, and you are left wondering "How could this happen?" "How can this be?" Then my thoughts turned to the hero's of that war, the men who struggled up the Normandy beaches on D-day, the men who gave their lives so that the cause of freedom might be so nobly advanced. The men who died so that the tide of evil would be stayed. I was reminded of this verse in Isaiah 59:19,

"So shall they fear the name of the Lord from the west, and his glory from the rising of the sun. When the enemy shall come in like a flood, the Spirit of the Lord shall lift up a standard against him."

Oh, what a comfort! The Lord hears, the Lord knows, all that goes on here on this earth. Let all young men in this land, grow up into godly Christian men who are able to follow in the steps of our Lord, young men who will become God's men of tomorrow. Let me quote to you the following poem from "Man in Demand".

"The men in demand is the man who can stand
All alone in defense of the right
Though the crowds threat and jeer
He stands firm without fear
Never stooping to lower his sight "

Let us all strive to be that man! Let us control evil desires in our lives, let us walk in purity and faith. Let us live straight and true, though the world jeer and scorn. Let us serve the Lord with gladness and enter His courts with praise! Let us set a example that we would be proud for our sons to follow. There are days when the world in pressing in, when it looks as if there is no hope. Days when evil appears to be dominant. These are the days when the Lord looks for a man who will stand in the gap and save the land from evil.

"Ezek 22:30 "I searched for a man among them who would build up the wall and stand in the gap before Me for the land, so that I would not destroy it; but I found no one."

Let us be that man! Let us take our stand!

As young men and woman, let us do what is right,
though the world mock at the sight.
As the hero's of old, let us be bold,
only walking in ways that are true.

I would now like to recommend two books to my readers. The one I have quoted for above is called "Man in Demand" it is written to young men. Then the second book is called "Christian Charm Course" is is written to young ladies. The authors are Wayne and Emily Hunter. Both books are very well written and are good guides to pick up in time of need. Both are available at Amazon.com Click here for a list Or our local Christian book store should be able to get you one.

In Christ,
The Blogging Boy Scout,
Travis

Update on Terri..

Here is the latest on Terri Schiavo's case. The Supreme Court will not intervene.

Click here for the full story

Please pray for Gov. Bush to make the right choice.

The Blogging Boy Scout,
Travis

Terri Schiavo

First of all, the case of Terri Schiavo.

This article by Reggienation really hits home. Where is our nation going when it kills off its unwanted? This must stop!

More at Blogs for Terri and Terri's Fight

New Blogger: On another note, I have meet a new homeschooling blogger. She runs a blog over at Spunky Jr. Please stop by and welcome her to the blogosphere.

Please pray for Terri,
The Boy Scout Blogger,
Travis

"To Give an Answer" interviews "The Blogging Boy Scout!"

Look for a update on this page for my answers to the following questions from To Give an Answer! Update: Here it is!

1. What aspect of Boy Scouting do you think is the most beneficial?

First of all, let me say thank you Scott, for the invitation to do this interview. I would say for me the most beneficial part of Boy Scouting was the time spent out in God's Creation and learning about him from godly leaders.(including my dad) Other benefits include learning to live out of a backpack, learning how to survive in a outdoors type environment, and learning how to work as a team with other young men. Some cautions I would have about my son one day being in scouting would be having the right leaders at the head of the group and the right boys in the troop. There is room for much foolishness to take place in a camp setting, and this can be avoided with the right group and with the right rules.

2. Describe the best hike or camping trip you've taken.

Wow, that's a tough one. I guess it would probably have to be a 40 something mile backpacking trip we took to New Mexico. It was a glorious hike, 5 beautiful days of hiking, camping and cooking! We saw a cougar track and a herd of elk. We tried to sneak up on the elk, but they were to sharp for us, and ran. After a great summit hike to the top of one of the mountains, we hiked 10 miles down and made it home in time for the 4th of July!

3. Give a one-paragraph explanation of why you're a Christian.

I am a Christian because, Jesus is Lord of my life and my King. He is Lord of everything. He is the Alpha and Omega, the beginning and the end. The earth turns on its axis because He wills it. The greatest men of all time, believed in him. His walk is the way to eternal life! Through His power, we can put to death the deeds of the flesh and live a pure, clean life that He can be pleased with. There is no other name by which men can be saved, there is no other name under heaven.

4. If you had the ability to change one thing about the blogosphere in general, what would it be?

Hmm, well as far as programs for blogging and such I am pleased with all the technology that it out there for bloggers. I wish that you one, true God would be exalted in all that we do and blog.

5. Complete this sentence: "I wish that I..."

I wish that I could come to the end of my life and echo the words of Paul and say "I have fought the good fight, I have finished the course, I have kept the faith."

Terri's ongoing battle

Hello everyone!

I have returned from camp a sore man. :-) I had a lot of fun though. Soccer, basketball, and and volleyball are just a short list of the activity's. It was a great weekend. Now on the the news!

Issue 6 of Virtue Magazine is now up and running!

Agent Tim and Reggienation both have some great posts up about the case of Terri Schiavo. More information is also available at Blogs for Terri and at Terri's Fight.

Also, Agent Tim is writing a spy novel!

That's all for now. Talk to you later!

The Blogging Boy Scout,
Travis

Gone Camping...

Hello Everyone!

I am going to church camp this weekend! We are leaving today and Lord willing, we will be back on Sunday. I hope to have my interview up on Monday some time. Sorry about the delay. :-( If you are looking for other blogs to read while I am gone, please visit some of the great blogs in my blog roll. Also if you like you could take a look back into my archives.

Well, have a good weekend everyone!

God Bless,
The Blogging Boy Scout,
Travis

Good Morning!

Hey everyone!

First of all, please visit Blogs for Terri. This young lady is one day away from having her feeding tube removed and being starved to death! Please visit the site for more information. Also, Reggienation has a good post about Terri and the current happenings surounding her case.

In other new, I have been asked by To Give an Answer for a interview! So I hope to have that up later today.

The Blogging Boy Scout,
Travis

The State of the Blogosphere

Hello all,

Today I have done a lot of browsing through the blogophere and the Christian web in general. I found a interesting site in the Christian Teen Forums. They have a debate section which is interesting to read. (Topics range from the war in Iraq to Gay marriage)

Also, I found a good bit of discussion about Patrick Henry Collage, the recently founded conservative, collage in Virginia that has a large group of home schoolers in attendance. I might post a larger article on just this topic at a later time.

In site news: I have signed up for ProLife Blogs as well as The Christian Top 1000. (I am ranked 938) LOL!

Prayer request. Agent Tim's cousin recently lost his dad, so please keep that family in your prayers.

Well, That's all for now!
The Blogging Boy Scout,
Travis

Spring Cleaning and a Virtue Meeting

Hey guys!

Well, today I helped my family with spring cleaning, found some time to attend a Virtue meeting and also did some lawn mowing(for the first time this year!)

Invitation!

I have noticed that I have had some visitors coming to my site from out of the US! If you are one of those, please make yourself known! I would love to meet some like minded people from around the world! So if you would like please leave a comment!

Well, Goodnight!
The Blogging Boy Scout,
Travis

Two Days in the Life of a Capitol Page

Here (at long last) is my paging article!

Getting Started

Well, we (my family) drove up to Oklahoma City on Sunday evening. We got to the hotel, and proceeded to unload everything. After that we went to a meeting to hear the rules of the week. In that meeting we meet our two counselor's who were to supervise us for the week. After that we all had to hurry up to our rooms and get ready to go out to dinner, so there really wasn't much time to meet anyone. Then after the pages had all congregated, we headed outside and loaded into to state vans. After getting in the vans we got to get to know each other better. There where 15 girls and 4 boys!(not counting two other girls who where driving in every day) Then we got to the restaurant, and proceeded to go in and order. At dinner we got to know more about each other(What got you interested in paging. Etc.) After that we loaded back into the vans and went to a Super Target, to buy any items we might have forgotten. I needed to buy a wrist watch, so I headed over to the jewelry department and picked up a nice one for $9.99. After hanging around a bit, we loaded back up, and drove back to the hotel. Soon after we arrived, it was time for bed. So me and my roommate, went to our room, cleaned up a bit, and went to bed and waited for sweet sleep to plunge us into the land of dreams. And waited...And waited... We were to get up at 6:30 in order to get breakfast, so I knew I had to get to sleep. No luck. Finally I fell asleep.

The First Day of Paging

"..Sunny skies over South OKC, no major wrecks repor*click*" With that our friendly alarm clock reminded us that it was now 6:30. With that and a groan or two, my roommate and I got up and dressed for the day. Then we went down to eat. After eating an excellent breakfast, off we went to the capitol! After driving a bit, oh, maybe 10 minutes, we drove up to the side entrance of the building. We all piled out of the vans, and then trooped inside. Just inside the door, we lined up to go through security. It looked like one of those things you see at air ports. A metal detector to walk through, and a large box that one of the guards told me housed an X ray device. After clearing security, we went down a long corridor, then hopped into our choice of two good sized elevators. Once inside we proceeded up the shaft to the fourth floor. After reaching the top we walked past the senators offices and into the page area where we met a very nice lady who was to be our page manager. The sergeant at arms, was sick the first day so we will have to meet him at the proper time. :-) The room itself was located right behind the senate chamber. It housed 3 desks at which sat our manager and two wonderful ladies who ran the phone banks of the capitol. Then along the wall, folding chairs and sofas were set up for the pages who were waiting for a errand. There was also a small table set up laden with cookies, coffee, and ice water. (The cookies were popular items, and not just among pages. We had at least one senator drop by to sneak a taste.) After just a small stay in this room, we moved out to meet the page coordinator. She was a very nice lady who told us a bit about our duties and the rules of decorum. (example: Pages while on duty, were to use the stairs :-) Then we went back to the page room and begin our first day at the capitol! We(the pages) were seated on the aforementioned sofas and chairs and we rotated towards the desk where calls where coming in. When the phone rang, the first page in line would take a sticky note that had the room number of the caller on it.(example: A sticky note that read 417b means go to the forth floor, room 17b.) We were asked to perform a number of duties, such as, refilling coffee pots, taking bills from one office to another and some pages were asked to "office sit" while the secretary was out. Another thing we did was page for a committee. That is where the senators are looking at bills to see whether they are important enough to put before the entire senate. The pages duties in a committee consist largely of handing out bills to the senators. After a busy morning half of the pages headed down to the cafeteria for lunch! Boy, was I ready for that! After lunch, the calls slowed down as most of the senators were in committee, and pages were all ready assigned to them. So we just sat in the paging room and talked. We were told the the next day would be busier as the senators would be in session. After a few more calls, it was time for us to head back to the hotel. We said goodbye to the page manager, and went back down the elevators, to the ground floor. From there we loaded back in the vans and drove out to eat supper(I think we had pizza, but I am not sure). After that, back we went to the hotel. We were all zonked(an Oklahoma term for really tried :-) and ready to go the bed. Not to long after arriving we all went to our rooms and were checked in. My roommate and I watched the History channel just a bit, then after reading my bible, I fell asleep.
And so ended my first day at the capital!

Note: I thought I might make this a weekly part of my blog for a while, maybe every Friday?

The Blogging Boy Scout,
Travis

Coming Soon: The Tale of Travis, the Capitol Page.

Hey guys!

I have been working on my paging article, and hope to have it up sometime today!

The Blogging Boy Scout,
Travis

The Boy Scout Bloggers Web Browsing # 2

Some sites of interest...

Euthanasia of the hungry?

"A Florida judge passed a death sentence. Time of execution: March 18 at 1:00 p.m. The capital punishment will be meted out not to some terrorist or serial killer but to a young woman whose only crime is being disabled."

Full article here

Travis' comments: This is the story of Terri Schiavo, a young lady, whose only crime is the God given need for food. Please read above. To join the effort to save Terri, please visit Blogs For Terri.

Collage professor...America hater?

"Selectively constructing his facts and even his own identity, controversial Colorado professor Ward Churchill embodies the radical left that dominates college campuses..."

Full article here

Travis' Comments: This is the story of Mr. Ward Churchill, the professor who has been on the news lately, for his comment comparing the 9/11 victims to Nazis.

Pro-Life Blogs, a Blog Roll worth looking into...

View Pro-Life Blogs

I am looking into joining this blog roll. Looks pretty good to me. :-)

That's all for now folks!
Talk to you later!
The Blogging Boy Scout,
Travis

A new blog I like...Reggienation!

Here is a blog I stumbled across that I really like. It is called Reggienation.

This post really seized my attention. It is called "The Bill of NON Rights".

http://reggienation.myblogsite.com/blog/_archives/2005/3/7/407596.html

Please stop by and give it a read.

Also, Virtue Magazine came out today with its 5th edition! With new articles and a great new look, it is definitely worth a look!

Talk to you later,
The Blogging Boy Scout,
Travis

Sunday Post!

Hey guys!

I just wanted to check in and let you know I have not forgotten about The Boy Scout Blogger, and to post an update.

Progress on articles: I have now started work on my separation of church and state article. :-) I have yet to tell you what I did paging at the capitol! I must try to fix that soon!

Reading List: I just borrowed "Ben Hur" from a friend! After seeing the movie, I am really looking forward to reading the book!

Birthdays: Agent Tim just turned 15! Please stop by his blog and wish him many more years of blogging!

Senate Pages: If any of you drop by, please let me know!

Well, see you later!
The Blogging Boy Scout,
Travis

Virtue Magazine recognized on Evangelical Outpost!!!

"...Take, for example, the group of conservative students studying Constitutional Law(!) who banded together to start Virtue, a bi-weekly with articles on politics, the economy, Christian life, and the Supreme Court...From their bios it appears that many of the students are home schooled, which would explain why they can write better than 75% of the blogosphere. But what I can't comprehend is why someone like fourteen-year-old Tim Sweetman is writing a defense of marriage..."

Read more at Evangelical Outpost!

Congratulations to Tim, Alex and all the other great writers over at Virtue, Magazine!

The Blogging Boy Scout,

Travis :-D

Permalink here: http://www.evangelicaloutpost.com/archives/001223.html

Laser tag and coyotes again!

Well, today we went to a laser tag* place to celebrate a friends 18th birthday. It was a lot of fun, but I sure got tired from all the moving about. :-) The room we played in was really neat, it had these dark lights that made anything white glow, as well as smoke machines. We played 4 rounds, I got 6th, 3rd,and two 1st places. Also while we were in town we got a copier/printer/scanner/fax machine. We praise the Lord for it and hope to have a good bit of fun using it. Then after dark when we got home, we were inside the house and suddenly heard a chorus of coyote howls! After listening a minute, mom said "they sound close" so we turned on the outside lights to see if we could see anything. As the lights went on the noise quieted, and then rose again. Then my mom and my sister went to the back door while I got the shotgun. As they unlocked the door, the noise stopped. If you ask me, when a bunch of coyotes are close enough to your door to hear it being unlocked, that's a little to close. We are now thinking of getting a dog or something. :-)

Health update: I feel about 99% well now.

Article progress: Well, it seems like one gets busy and it is hard to find time to write. However, I hope to get both the article about paging and the separation of church and state article done soon, as well as continuing the current series in progress on the topics of "encouragement for young men in the Lord" and "Boy Scout Memories".

God bless,
The Blogging Boy Scout,
Travis

*This was not a BSA activity.

Interview of the Blogging Boy Scout!

Hey Everyone!

Well, a day or two ago, Agent Tim http://agenttim.blogspot.com , asked me for an interview so here goes!

1. What is the best thing about where you live?
Well, where I live in Oklahoma, we have some of the biggest sky's you have ever seen. On a clear day, you can look up and gaze forever into space, and just stand in awe of the Creator who made it all. At night, the view is even more spectacular, we live miles from the nearest city and the skyline runs for miles over the open pasture. The view is absolutely magnificent! If you ever get out this way, try to get out of the city somewhere at night and just gaze into the heavens, the view should be unforgettable!

2. What has been your favorite book of all time?
For this I would without a doubt have to say the Bible. It stands alone as the only book ever written by God for man. By its words nations rise and fall. By its morals great men stand true. From its pages, flow the words of life.

If I may quote from one of my favorite presidents:

"I believe the Bible is the best gift God has ever given man. All the good from the Savior of the world is communicated to us through this book. But for it we would not know right and wrong"

Abraham Lincoln

3. If you were allowed to visit only three buildings in D.C., what would they be?
I would have to say, the Capitol, the White House, and the Smithsonian.

4. What has been your most exciting experience?
Well, let me see, there are many things that come to mind. Let me try to give you, the reader a glimpse into my mind. laying on a sleeping bag, looking up into the heavens, and thinking on the power and majesty of God...The feeling of thankfulness to God as you are raised up from baptism...Standing at a pond with a fishing poll, as a big bass hits the bait and takes a dive to the bottom...The feeling of joy as mom and dad pinned on the Eagle Scout medal...The joy of learning as you get to talk to leaders of your state...The utter thrill of a rollercoster diving to the bottom of a loop...The thrill of a good canoe race, as the boats dart downstream...The resounding pop of a well hit tennis stroke...The crash of a bowling strike...The smile on a younger siblings face...Driving out in the pasture talking with dad...In my bedroom talking to mom...The feeling of victory as the good guy shoots the gun out of the bad guys hand...The feeling of patriotism as the president delivers a speech to rally our nation...A hug from grandma..Changing the oil with granddad..May the list grow ever longer.

5. What do you want to pursue as a career?
I would like to go to a local collage and then perhaps go on to law school. After that marriage and the raising of children, then possibly run for a public office.

Tim, thank you so much for the interview! I really enjoyed doing it! Now if there are any of my readers out there who would like to be interviewed here are the instructions.

1. Leave me a comment saying "interview me." The first five commenters will be the participants.
2. I will respond by asking you five questions.
3. You will update your blog/site with the answers to the questions.
4. You will include this explanation and an offer to interview someone else in the same post.
5. When others comment asking to be interviewed, you will ask them five questions. (Write your own questions or borrow some.)

Thanks for reading!
The Blogging Boy Scout,
Travis

Update: Various spelling errors corrected. :-)