Wednesday, September 09, 2009

Meanwhile, Across the Pond in Sarah Brady Paradise...

Scouts will now be a little worse prepared after they were banned from carrying their traditional penknives due to the fears of those in charge of health and safety. [More]
I don't suppose making anyone with such fears not in charge isn't an option?

And I guess the online store won't be getting much UK traffic?

This guy Dave Budd sounds like a real piece of...uh...work: an anti-knife knifemaker. Seems he was misquoted. Thanks to commentator Chris.

Then there's this from "a Scouts spokesman":
"Scouting helps to prepare young people with valuable life skills, while keeping them safe by not carrying knives."
That's true. You're preparing them for their proper role by teaching them the valuable life skills necessary to be subjects of an Orwellian nanny state.

Hey, what with the multicultural changes in Empire demographics, I wonder if there are any Sikh kids in scouting over there, and if they get a special dispensation...?

[Via Plug Nickel Times and Jeffersonian]

8 comments:

Sean said...

Next to go, their balls.

The_Chef said...

What the fuck?

It's because I went through boys couts that I ALWAYS have a folding knife on me. You never know when it's going to come it handy.

Nancies.

Ned said...

Sounds like "Knifemaker Budd" has Stockholm syndrome.

He relates with his masters more than he does with common sense.

"There's a reason God put those people on an island..."

Anonymous said...

Boy Scouts are trained in the safe handling and sharpening of knives, axes, and hand saws. The Boy Scouts are allowed to carry a knife if they possess the training card as proof of their training in safe handling of edged tools.
In the BSA nationally there is no prohibition against sheath knives. The magazine "Boy's Life", distributed by paid subscription to Boy Scouts, recently recommended two sheath knives for backwoods camping requiring heavy duty knife use. However, the volunteer leadership of local councils have prohibited the carrying of sheath knives on council properties such as camps, despite the fact that sheath knives by design are safer than folders, which may cut the user when folding unsafely and typically lack hilts. Local Scout troops have extended this policy to be consistent. Scouts backpacking are advised to carry the smallest, lightest knife possible to save weight. In Florida, Boy Scouts and their leaders, like other citizens, are not allowed to carry knives in schools. Last year a student was arrested for carrying a kitchen table knife to school to help prepare her lunch. It appears that the "Be Prepared" motto takes on a sinister meaning to many. Hoplophobia is as alive and well in Scouting as it is in general society.
-A Scout leader who USED to carry a sheath knife.

Anonymous said...

See
http://boyslife.org/outdoors/askgearguy/4856/choosing-a-hunting-knife/

chris said...

http://www.britishblades.com/forums/showthread.php?t=87650

Mr Budd himself replies on page 2 of the forum and boy his he pissed.

Unknown said...

It seems that later reports have put the lie to this one. The internet is an amazing tool for quickly disseminating false information.

David Codrea said...

I'm not sure how you conclude that terms like "lie" and "disseminating false information" are warranted here, Mike B. Those are pretty strong terms, the first one implying intent. I haven't seen any news accounts retracting the essence of the scouting/knife story, and as for Mr. Budd, if you look at his article from which much of the Telegraph information was gleaned, he writes:

"Knives should be carried to and from meetings by an adult...Campsites are considered public places (when used for a camp) and so knives are not to be carried...Except for reasons of religion, knives may not be worn with uniform...I think it is probably safest to assume that knives of any sort should not be carried by anybody to a Scout meeting or camp, unless there is likely to be a specific need for one. In that case, they should be kept by the Scout leaders and handed out as required."