Boy Scouts 'All Started Screaming'

wyway via drudge ^ | 07.26.05 | LARRY O'DELL , JEANNETTE J. LEE

[scripter]

A real tragedy...

[537cant be wrong]

a big ol' eagle scout bump.
what a tragedy. prayers for all.
ronnie t.

[phoenix0468]

I don't mean to sound insensitive or uncaring. I think the deaths of those men is a tragedy. Nevertheless, there is one fatal flaw in the actions of those Scout Leaders. They did a very poor risk assessment in the setting up of this tent. Using tall metal poles in the vicinity of high power lines is not the brightest thing to do. Again, I do apologize if my opinion offends, but let's hope others learn from this mistake.

[vox humana]

There are about 400 electrocutions each year in the U.S., and about a quarter of them are related to power lines.

Several TV stations have lost their news trucks (burned up) when the operator raised the truck's microwave antenna into an overhead power line. Anyone that works under or near power lines should have safety training.

[kublia khan]

A terrible tragedy
With all of the base closings on the table why doesn't the Govt donate some of those unused facilities to the Scouts in areas where a better camp or a new camp is needed? Just a thought

[Congressman Billybob]

A Scout is trustworthy, loyal, helpful, friendly, courteous, kind, thrifty, obedient, cheerful, brave, clean and reverent. It applies to the adults as well as the boys. I know. Much of my successes in life, I owe to a dedicated Scoutmaster, Dr. Carl A. Zapfee.

I thought of him when I read this story originally. I thanked Dr. Zapfee's widow, Denise, for "sharing him with us" at his funeral. And I stood at attention with the Scout salute, as he passed by the last time, in his casket.

"A man never stands so tall, as when he stoops to help a boy."

Congressman Billybob

Latest column: "South Pacific" Lesson about Muslims

[Fudd Fan]

This is just heartbreaking. Prayers for all affected.

[Egon]

Prayers for their families, and for all the boys.

[DoughtyOne]

These people are volunteers. They more often than not hold down full time jobs and make time for the kids on top of that.

While your comments are probably accurate, people do stupid things. I'm not sure assessing blame is necessary here.

I was very sorry to hear about this and wish nothing but the best for the grieving families and scouts.

[Coleus]

you have to realize they were in new territory probably using new equipment. Most campgrounds don't usually have wires like that nearby so it wouldn't have been on their minds. A "jamboree troop" is not your normal troop, you have a scoutmaster from a troop picked by the council to represent a "jambo troop" and most of the boys come from within the local Scout Council.

Even though they went on one or two practice trips in Alaska, being in VA with kids you don't really know, the stress and the excitement of it all, the leaders are not the same. I could see how an accident like this happened. I'm wondering how high the lines were.

[eagle11]

When I was in scouts, I recall the tent poles being either wooden or aluminum. Was this tent post steel?

[Anticommie]

"I trust the judgment of the leaders who are there with them," she said.

Sorry for this tragedy, but I would not entrust my kids to 4 adults who play with long metal pole around power lines, this is an ultimate stupidity, total ignorance, poor jugement, and childish carelesness.

Fortunately no kids were hurt.

[Polybius]

........ people do stupid things. I'm not sure assessing blame is necessary here.

Well, actually, as is the case in military after-action analysis, assessing screw ups can save lives in the future.

As my namesake wrote 21 centuries ago:

".........there are two ways by which all men may reform themselves, either by learning from their own errors or from those of others; the former makes a more striking demonstration, the latter a less painful one."

[Experiment 6-2-6]

I don't mean to sound insensitive or uncaring. I think the deaths of those men is a tragedy./i>

Neither do I. I'm trying to understand WHY the ADULTS were putting up the tent. I mean, maybe scouting has changed, but the whole purpose of being a scout is learning and doing. Not having parents or parental figures do work FOR YOU..

[Coleus]

http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1451323/posts?page=11#11

[Anticommie]

Most campgrounds don't usually have wires like that nearby so it wouldn't have been on their minds.

You don't have to have power lines in your mind, but I don't believe neither of the four people raising the pole did not see the power lines when raising the pole.
When you are raising a pole, your head goes up and your eyes follow the end of the pole, power line is not a needle on the sky background, you have to be blind or under some kind of influence not to see it.
This is one of those tragedies which should never happen. The victims paid the ultimate price for their recklessness.

[TXnMA]

You obviously have never erected a large tent. They were raising the pole from inside the tent, and could not see the power lines overhead.

Your callous and ignorant comments are totally uncalled for in this instance.

[DoughtyOne]

In the event that you have a friend going to put up a circus tent, by all means, warn them.

I'd hate to think a family member or friend of these folks would cruise through this thread and read some of the comments made on it.

This is a time for sympathy, not explaining what a foolhardy thing these men did.

[Ruth A.]

But the task went terribly awry when they lost control of a giant tent pole and it hit some nearby power lines,

Accidents do happen, even if we try to claim that they never should. I will accept that these men were "doing their best." Heartfelt sympathies to all. I would hate losing any of my fellow Cub Scout leaders and I would punch anyone of spoke ill of them.