ANST - re: p-word: political considerations

[Galen W. Bevel]

Keith Hood wrote:
> 
>
>         I know from your snips that you read my entire message, and I see that
> you passed over one of my main points; you did not address it at all.  I
> repeat it here:
> 
>         "Anyone who has ever had a job that involves supervising others knows
> good and well that a high personnel turnover rate is a guaranteed cause
> of expense, friction and ineffeciency.  It works that way in the
> military, at IBM, at McDonalds...anywhere you can think of.  Ease off
> the turnover rate of royalty, and a lot of the problems that drive the
> push toward principalities will solve themselves."
> 
>

Although this was not addressed to me, as a former Crown, Kingdom
Seneschal, etc. I would like to take a moment to step in and say a few
things about the idea of extending Crown Reigns.   The problem creating
the stress for Crowns in regards to travel is the rate at which the
local people of this Kingdom do remarkable, noteworhty and praiseworthy
things.  The problem isn't that the crowns can't get to all of the
groups during their reign, it is that they cannot get to all of them
_fast enough_ regardless of the length of the reign. Groups go for long
periods of time waiting for worthy people in their midst to be
recognized by the Crown.  But the Crown can't get around to enough
groups quick enough to grant awards personally to all of those people. I
know, I've tried. Making the reigns longer and slowing down the Crowns
travel schedule won't resolve that problem.  People would continue to do
things deserving of recognition at the same rate as they do now....but
the time between Crown visits would become even longer, and the problem
would become more pronounced, not less.  As someone who has sat the
throne I can safely say that if you told me I would be there for two
years instead of six months, I would probably not fight in Crown tourney
again.  It is too emotionally, fiscally, and physically draining. 
Making the term longer won't relieve that, it will only increase it.  

Another thread has mentioned the practise of court barons and baronesses
relieveing the load of the crown by holding court in their absence, and
giving out awards for them.  This is a great practise, but in many cases
it is a little bit of a let down (no offense to all of those courts
B&B's out there, you do great things as far as I can see).  Imagine you
are a new person, who has worked hard and diligently for your group. 
Just last week you were at an distant event (unbeknownst to the
crown)and saw a person recieve his/her AoA from the Crown's own hand. 
This week, at your event, you get your own AoA, but it is given to you
in absentia for the Crown by Baron LocalGuy, whom you respect greatly,
but who you see every week out at fighter practise...   That has got to
take some of the gleam off for someone who still has a new and
misty-eyed view of our game.  The point of Principalities is that they
bring more of the Pomp and Circumstance and the beauty of what we are
trying to achieve to a more regionalized area.  The Prince/Princess may
not be the King/Queen, but getting an award from them ain't bad. The
Crown can then travel at a more leisurely pace, realizing that worthy
people are not missing out on their rightful recognition because your
are just too stressed to go to another event at the other end of the
Kingdom again this weekend. 

Graf Galen Kirchenbauer
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