Thoughts and Questions

[Mitchell, Paul]

Galen replies to Lionardo Acquistapace:

>On Tue, 24 Sep 96 17:00:00 EDT, Galen wrote:
>
>[snip]
>>But I don't see this sort of popular movement, nor do I see what looks to 
me
>>like anyone trying to start one.
>
>Must be a regional thing, I've certainly heard the issue discussed
>here before and it seems to be considered fairly favorably among the
>general poulace.

With respect, I would suggest to you that occasional discussion, favorably 
treated, is different from a bunch of folks determined that "what our region 
needs is a principality, and we're going to do what it takes to start one!"
>
>[snip]
>>But it seems to have sprung full-grown from someone's forehead.  Whose?
>> What process leads to the Kingdom Seneschal calling the Barons and 
putting
>>a note in _Black Star_?  The Crown wants our input.  What prompted that?
>> They haven't asked for our input on whether we should merge with 
Meridies,
>>presumably because no one proposed it.  Who wants this?  And who is it 
that,
>>wanting this, instead of bringing it up for discussion here, followed a
>>course that led directly, with minimal rumor leakage, directly to notices 
in
>>_Black Star_ and Barons kingdom-wide bringing the issue up?  And why?  Why 

>>principalities, and why this way?
>
>My understanding of this situation is that the Principality issue has
>been "floating" around for at least 5 years. I certainly heard of it

Indeed, twice in the past, I'd say around 1986 and again in about 1988, 
full-blown pushes for principality status came up, fueled primarily from the 
Stargate area.  Then, they spoke of starting a southern principality, but 
few people wanted any part of it.

>before the calls to the groups about it and I've only been in the SCA
>for a year. (Maybe it's a Bjornsborg thing.) If you absolutely have to
>assume that a single individual (and I really don't believe a single
>individual brought this up without hearing some grumbling) then feel
>free to assume it was me. I'm as good a person as any to "blame" if
>that is what you are looking to do even though I have only met TRM
>once, in passing, and the subject never came up. Truthfully I think
>who brought it up and why is irrelevant. What is relevant is that
>those who are paying members discuss the issue and "vote" by writing
>to the Crown with their opinion.
>
>If you want reasons, I think we have seen quite a few here already, on
>both sides of the argument. The best reason I can think of is to
>really get a Kingdom wide, involved, discussion of the issue that
>would include all of the Kingdom, not just those few of us with Net
>access.

I'm not asking for reasons why we might or might not want to have 
principalities.  I'm asking what reason the person or people who started 
this had for doing so.  What problems did they feel it would solve?

Why are we discussing this?  I don't say we shouldn't be on this topic, but 
this is a lot of hassle for somebody, mainly TRM, to hear and read a lot of 
comments.  What benefit for that hassle?  Either it'll lead to Ansteorra 
being divided up into principalities, or not.  Given that we can have the 
"not" without the hassle, someone must want the principalities, and feel 
that this is the best way to achieve it.

> Why does is matter WHO brought this up? Couldn't a Crown or
>Seneschal just bring it up for discussion because they had heard some
>talk of things like this in passing? Is that such a bad thing? It's

As a former Kingdom Seneschal, I can tell you that that officer is busy 
enough without creating artificial tempests.  And the Crown, with just a 
six-month reign, has even less time.

>not like anyone has said "We will now have Principalities and there
>will be no discussion about it! We are just doing it, so there!"
>Nobody I have seen has said that, although a few people have almost
>assumed that to be the case.

Quite true.  I don't quite understand why you mention it.
>
>>We've given this a fair hearing, and a reasonable discussion of pros and
>>cons.  I think we're entitled to know how this issue came to be at the
>>center of our public discourse.  We've discussed the merits of the idea
>>independent of the question of whose idea it is.  I believe we have 
reached
>>the point where it is relevant to know who brought up this issue 
initially,
>>and for what purpose.
>
>> - Galen of Bristol,
>>who's not sure why he cares about this...
>
>Well, if you could answer that I know I'd appreciate knowing why you
>feel it is so important. There were issues brought up about
>Principalities I had never thought of before, any answers to this
>question would be appreciated as well. For now, though, I don't see
>where who brought it up is relevant to the heart of the issue.

I guess it would have to be because I love Ansteorra, and I feel that its 
growth has not reached the point where it can support three principalities 
without severe damage to the game we play here.  See my previous note, "I 
was a Teenage Prince..." (reposts available).  Most of the time, when I get 
involved in SCA politics, I'm trying to prevent someone from doing something 
I think will impair the fun of people who don't play politics, but just play 
the dream.  I see that again here.

But it looks increasingly like someone doesn't what us to know how this 
topic came up, and I can only imagine (in paranoid fashion) whose idea it 
is, what their motives and goals are, and why we aren't being told those 
things.  All we get is people insisting that it be discussed in the vacuum 
of not knowing why we're on the topic.

DOES someone want this enough to get through the political and bureaucratic 
obstacles to achieve it?  If so, is that what's happening now?  Or did TRM 
and Duke Inman just get bored and decide to stir up this question this year? 
 I can't help but believe that someone, somewhere, has some goal.  I don't 
know who or where, I don't know whether it's for good or ill (I can easily 
imagine either), and I don't understand why TRM declined to say who had 
brought it up.
>
>Honos Servio,
>Lionardo Acquistapace
>(Lenny Zimmermann)
>zarlor at acm.org

 - Viscount Galen of Bristol, KSCA, former Kingdom Seneschal
soon to be pmitchel at flash.net