new awards...

[Lori Jones]

> > Kat / "Lori Jones" <LJONES at ossm.edu> wrote:
> > What's all the fuss over adding stuff to the Order of Precedence?

> Daniel de Lincoln wrote:
> I'm the only one to mention it (with Gunther, I think,.....

I didn't think you were complaining (notice, I didn't quote your 
original message).  In fact, I wasn't really thinking about your 
message in particular when I responded.  Sorry, I know you're 
practically the only one to mention it *here*, but you're not, by a 
long shot, the only one to mention it to me...(guess I got my 
parallel universes mixed up).  The feedback I'd gotten was largely 
like "what, ANOTHER fighting award???"   I was only trying to 
communicate that "The good stuff really outweighs the negatives in 
this instance."

> If I Recall Correctly, the original poster wrote "award"....

I think a lot of people were unclear on the whole thing - as is 
almost always the case when something new and heraldic is created.
Especially if it involves the words: award, order, principal, etc.

> - does anyone have information about when "campaign ribbons" 
> attached to a battle standard came into use?

At the risk of muddying waters that already resemble quicksand....
I think the banner resembles more of a standard than a ribbon....
I'm not sure if anyone intended for a written record to be kept on 
this.  Adding the groups' badges to the penant itself should be an 
adequate record (at least, it'll last as long as the banner itself, 
as Talen previously noted  :-).

> I am not particularly concerned about the paperwork or the work of
> maintaining the Order of Precedence.  It's not my job, thank heaven!

Someone, somewhere, is concerned about the paperwork end of things.  
Having been Sable Scroll on two separate occassions, I know that 
there's already enough keeping track to do.   Since this honor is 
bestowed on a group, not individuals, I think it'll be interesting to 
see how it gets recorded for posterity.  There's also the additional 
angle of "what if it's not a local group, but just an organized group 
of fighters (not from any particular shire or barony) that is truly 
the most outstanding team?"

> The idea of proliferation of awards, all for slightly different and
> narrow things, is to my mind unclean.  

I agree, as my previous post on "award stuff" should show :-)

>  I think award inflation cheapens the types of awards,

I agree wholeheartedly.  I think the Crown must be responsible 
enough to seek educated advisement (College of Heralds, peerages, 
etc.) before creating new awards.  This may help ensure that any 
new creation is truly unique and necessary, and that it will be 
beneficial in the long run to many, not just one or two, 
individuals/groups.  I think something that can only be given out 
once in a blue moon (read 2+ years) probably isn't worth keeping 
(either that, or the standards can safely be labeled almost 
impossible to achieve). 

> Daniel de Lincoln

Kat MacLochlainn  >"<

(The artisan in me just has to wonder how it is that one goes about 
casting images of one's emerods in gold.  It'd make an interesting 
archaeological find though, you have to admit.....).

***********************
Lori Campbell
Oklahoma School of Science and Math
LJONES at ossm.edu