Boy Scout of America

Out for a morning stroll I was waylaid by this small family lugging a truckful of sponsorship popcorn around the streets - would I like to buy some? They were trying to raise money for the kid to go camping. The parents were seemed frazzled and were painfully grateful when I acquiesced to the smallest sized bag. The boy was very chipper and gave me this salute which I imagine means something to those in the know.

Not being a joiner myself I have always steered clear of Scouts, Guides, or anything else that required special clothing. Of my two sons, the elder was horror-struck by the suggestion he might like to join the Sea Scouts and learn about boats. The idea of coming home from school, willingly changing from one uniform into another and subjecting himself to further regimentation, was beyond belief. Younger son, on the other hand, expressed an interest in joining friends who were Beavers. His first meeting involved an expedition to the woods and was a great success. Next time was a more routine gathering in the clubhouse and when he came home he said he didn't want to go again - there had been too much about God.

My $10 bag of popcorn was taken round to friends later in the evening. We shared a roast chicken with baked vegetables and watched a powerful but underacclaimed film from 1997, Men With Guns, directed by John Sayles. A bleak, gruelling road movie set in an unnamed Latin American country where the population has been terrorized successively by soldiers and guerillas.The ending is ambiguous: possibly hopeless, possibly redemptive. Despite the title, no actual violence takes place within the film.