RWE, your memory of a an application of hue and cry in the Heartland 35 years ago indicates to me that you transitioned from boy to man a few years either side of that event. You may have been mentored, as I was, by Old School Gentlemen of the Greatest Generation, whose respect and approval was worth enough to you to accept the challenge of traditional rites of passage.

A Scout is:
Trustworthy
Loyal
Helpful
Friendly
Courteous
Kind
Obedient
Cheerful
Thrifty
Brave
Clean
and Reverent.

Eleven out of twelve after 40 years ain’t bad.

My Country ‘Tis of Thee is not the Sweet Land of Liberty it was supposed to be. But it was once, and perhaps if enough of us old enough to know what we’re doing and still can survive the coming Tribulation, it wil be again.