Well, it happened again. Yesterday lightning killed one Boy Scout and it injured three others while they slept in a shelter at a mountain scout camp in Utah, just East of Salt Lake City.

In case you didn’t know this is another in the long line of Boy Scout deaths this year. Last Thursday a Scout Master and a 13 year old scout were killed by lightning in the California Sequoia National Park.
On July 24th four Scout Leaders were electrocuted in front of all of their Scouts at the National Boy Scout Jamboree in Virginia, when the tent pole they were using to pitch their tent accidently fell and hit a power line. That’s not all folks, the day before at the Jamboree a Scout Master died of an apparent heart attack.
The best moment at the Jamboree had to be everyone waiting outside in the scorching heat for President Bush to arrive to address the scouts. But wait he postponed his visit because of the threat of thunderstorms. So what of all those scouts waiting for the President. Well, sun-sick Scouts began collapsing and more than 300 people were treated for heat-related illnesses.

I know that this is a sad matter at the Jamboree but what was everyone thinking? I thought their motto was “Be Prepared”. There are going to be a lot of law suits filed against the Boy Scout Organization, namely for putting tents under power lines (which I remember from my days as a Scout is a big NO-NO), and not keeping everyone properly hydrated.

I use to think that Scouting was a safe and postive activity. I am starting to worry when I have kids and what will happen to them when they go out to Scout Camp.