[Ansteorra-missile] [Fwd: [SCA-MissileCombat] Proposal to the BOD for: Marshallate Reformation Proposal

[meggiddo at netzero.net]

This is a long read on the subject of:  Marshallate Reformation Proposal

Michael Fray
Unit Artillery for the Condottieri

Jaime Tiampo wrote:
> 
> Ni Hao,
> 
> I'm trying again, for some reason my iPaq sent the message as an
> attachment. So here it goes again.
> 
> --
> Armsmaster Ts'ai T'ien-p'u
> Royal Archer for the Principality of Tir Righ
> Arcuarius To HL Shadhra
> WOAW
> 
> "If you want to know the conditions of a military force, archery is an
> appropriate model. The arrows are the soldiers, the bow isthe commander,
> and the archer is the ruler." Sun Tzu
> 
> >From :
> Gary Chelak <gchelak at earthlink.net>
> 
> Subject :
> <SCA-Caid> FW: Proposal to the Board of Directors --long
> 
> Date :
> Fri, 03 Oct 2003 15:29:22 -0700
> 
> Forwarded by request. This is well written and bears a solid read.
> 
> in servizio,
> Giacomo / Gary.
> 
> ___________________________________________________
> Gary:  would you forward this for me to the Caidan general list, and
> rapier
> list?
> 
> c, G
> 
> ***********************************************************
> 
> Gentle cousins:
> 
> The following proposal was submitted to the Board of Directors for
> consideration this week.  It will receive its' first review at the BoD
> meeting in 2 weeks.
> 
> I believe the proposal to be well-reasoned, and to address several
> issues
> which face the Society as it looks to the growth of period combat
> practices
> and studies.
> 
> Please read the proposal, and consider supporting it with a letter or
> Email
> to the Board, as I shall be doing.
> 
> If you have questions, I would be more than happy to address them.
> 
> I remain, in service,
> Don Giovanni di Fiamma
> proud companion of the Order of the Duellist
> past Queen's Champion of Caid
> past Queen's Guardsman
> 
> dedoc at mac.com
> 
> ************************************************************
> 
> Marshallate Reformation Proposal
> 
> Introduction
> 
> My name is Bill Colbert.  In the SCA, I am William de Montegilt.  My
> first
> SCA  activity  was a small tourney in Towson, Maryland, in March of
> 1975.  I
> was a spectator.  My second SCA activity was a fighter practice.  I have
> been a rattan combat fighter for more than 28 years, and a warranted
> marshal
> in two kingdoms.  I am not a knight, nor have I ever picked up a rapier.
> I
> do not participate in period combat studies.  I do enjoy fighting, very
> much.  This information is included so that any biases are evident.
> 
> Safety in all forms of SCA combat is a particular interest of mine.  It
> may
> have something to do with my first two fighting seasons both ending
> early
> with a broken arm.   I don?t like to be hurt, and I don?t like to see my
> friends hurt.  Also, I believe that a really serious fighting-related
> injury, or a death on the field (any field) might very well spell the
> end of
> combat in the SCA.  The financial circumstances of the Society are such
> that
> a large judgment exceeding our liability insurance would cripple the
> organization.
> 
> The present structure of the Marshallate within the Society is, I
> believe,
> conducive to such a disastrous event.  The reason for this is that
> decision
> authority for safety, standards, and practices, within the kingdoms and
> at
> the Society level, are made almost entirely by people very experienced
> in
> rattan combat.  That is just fine for rattan combat, but it is not fine
> for
> rapier combat, nor equestrian activities, nor siege weapons, nor period
> combat studies.  The Board of Directors agrees, at least in the case of
> equestrian activities.  As of the April 2003 board meeting, the
> equestrians
> were made independent of the Marshallate.
> 
> Now, I recognize that there are exceptions to the above assertion.  But
> for
> the most part, the situation is as stated.  All, or nearly all, of the
> kingdom earls marshal and the Society Marshal, presently, and
> historically,
> have been experienced rattan fighters.  Precious few of them have had
> any
> other sort of fighting experience.  Look within your own kingdoms, and
> see
> if this is not the case.
> 
> The main thrust of this proposal is to decentralize decision authority
> for
> safety, practical techniques, and equipment standards, for each
> combat-related activity to the deputy for that activity.  The Society
> Marshal and the kingdom earls marshal would have different
> responsibilities
> than at present.  They would continue to be responsible for coordinating
> reporting to their respective crowns and corporate superiors.  They
> would
> have the added responsibility of  encouraging all forms of fighting, and
> fighting-related activities in their kingdoms, or in the case of the
> Society
> Marshal, in the Society as a whole.
> 
> What comes next is a synopsis of the evolution of  Society combat.  This
> is
> intended to illustrate how we got to the current situation.  The
> elements of
> the Proposal will follow that.  History
> 
> On May 1, 1966, the Last Tourney was held.  It was a backyard party.  A
> total of ten fighters competed that day.  I have spoken to three of The
> Ten
> (Flieg Hollander, Henrik Olsgaard, and Dave Thewlis), and they confirm
> that
> the weapons used in what became the first tourney of the SCA were modern
> fencing equipment, broomsticks, and trash can lids.  Within two years,
> rattan combat had become the standard (only) form of combat used in the
> Society.  I mention this to illustrate that the evolution of combat
> within
> the SCA has occurred, literally, from the beginning.
> 
> In A.S. 6, the Society Marshal published a statement to the effect that
> all
> fighters should expect to give and receive full force blows at all
> times, in
> order to simulate the reality of medieval combat.  This idiocy
> engendered a
> variety of amusing ballads, and intervention by the Board of Directors,
> who
> appointed a new Society Marshal.  I mention this to show that, even very
> early, the Board was willing to intervene in combat-related situations
> they
> found patently unsafe.
> 
> When I began fighting in A.S. 9, there were only four kingdoms.  Combat
> archery did not exist.  Light weapons were not used.  Face thrusts were
> not
> used.  In the East Kingdom, ladies were allowed to train as fighters,
> but
> could not participate in any tournament competition, much less a Crown
> Tourney.   There were a few siege weapons, but they were for
> demonstration
> purposes only, and were not used in combat.
> 
> There was no organized study of historical fighting techniques from any
> era
> of the period, and the development of rattan combat fighting was
> evolutionary rather than historical.  By that I mean that many
> techniques
> were tried, and the ones that tended to work were kept.
> 
> Today, all these things are part of  Society combat activities.  We have
> Lady knights, and even one Lady who was queen, in her own right.  Many
> battles are enhanced by the presence of combat archers, and at Gulf
> Wars,
> the sky darkens during the castle battle with the missiles of the siege
> engines.  Rapier combat was introduced in 1979, and has thousands of
> adherents today.  Finally, the translation and study of actual period
> combat
> manuals is perhaps the fastest growing combat-related activity.  It
> certainly is the most dynamic.
> 
> Fighting and the Society
> 
> The first event was a tourney.  As we all know, the Society attempts to
> recreate "the Middle Ages, as they should have been".  I have heard this
> referred to as the "Romantic Arthurian" model.
> 
> >From the beginning, the tourney has been the centerpoint of most
> Society
> events.  Throughout its early history, this meant, exclusively, rattan
> combat.  Rattan combat tournaments are held even today at the vast
> majority
> of Society events.  It tends to capture the imagination of the viewing
> public more than any of our other activities.
> 
> The assignment of responsibility for all combat-related activities to a
> Marshallate organization composed of rattan fighters made perfect
> sense?.as
> long as there were only rattan fighters.
> 
> There is now a much wider menu of combat-related activities than was
> imagined when the present structure was set up.  The Marshallate has
> evolved
> somewhat in response.  As presently (September 2003) constituted, each
> of
> the combat-related activities has a deputy to oversee it.  This deputy
> has
> the obligation to make policy recommendations to the kingdom earl
> marshal or
> the Society Marshal, as appropriate.  However decision authority remains
> with the kingdom earl marshal or the Society Marshal, regardless of  the
> level of his or her qualifications, actual experience, and interest in
> the
> particular activity.
> 
> The Problems
> 
> Safety - It simply does not make sense for someone with no direct
> knowledge
> or expertise in an activity to be regulating it.  In this case we are
> talking about regulating it at the level of actual fighting techniques,
> equipment standards, and safety practices.  You wouldn?t want a fire
> safety
> specialist making decisions about airplane safety.  Yet that is exactly
> the
> situation that non-rattan fighters are faced with.  It represents an
> obvious
> danger to the participants.
> 
> Liability - We do not have a Society with a large financial endowment.
> It
> is well known that the Society operates on very narrow fiscal margins,
> with
> no major reserve funding.  The loss of an injury-related lawsuit
> significantly in excess of our liability insurance would cripple or
> liquidate the Society.  If I were the attorney arguing such a case from
> the
> other side, I would be overjoyed to find that at three separate levels
> (Society Marshal, Crown, and kingdom earl marshal), oversight
> responsibility
> was being performed by persons with no direct knowledge of the activity.
> 
> Membership dissatisfaction - It should come as no surprise to anyone
> that
> members participating in combat forms other than rattan combat have been
> subjected to arbitrary rule changes, arbitrary equipment changes,
> arbitrary
> technique rulings, and arbitrary activity elimination.  These have
> occurred
> at the Society Marshal level and the kingdom level, often changing from
> reign to reign, and demonstrably by people acting on erroneous or
> inadequate
> information.  They have been done by officers without direct expertise
> in
> these other combat forms.  The members have also had to endure, on many
> occasions, these types of actions by officers with active dislike or
> overt
> hostility to their activities, even, in some cases, to pursuing an
> agenda to
> eliminate them.
> 
> Concerning the last point, I wish to make it clear that I am not talking
> exclusively about rapier combat.  Similar problems, although fewer in
> number, have occurred with combat archery (on again, off again, hit
> them,
> don't hit them), siege weapons (ever had anyone firing onions at you
> during
> a battle?  It's happened.), and equestrian activities.  It is occurring
> right now with period combat studies.  Notice I said "studies", not
> fighting.  In the past few weeks we had the absurd situation of a
> kingdom
> earl marshal initially forbidding the showing, at an event, of a
> videotape
> illustrating historical combat techniques taken from period fighting
> manuals.  The justification presented was that this might confuse
> fighters
> as to what was legal on the field.  This decision was even upheld by the
> Society Marshal.  I believe, however, that the earl marshal in question
> has
> rethought his position.  Still, the incident illustrates that the
> Marshallate as presently organized is not equipped to deal fairly and
> appropriately with alternative combat-related activities.
> 
> There are, literally, thousands of members who use siege engines, fight
> with
> rapiers, and study historical combat techniques.  They also hold events,
> cook feasts, serve their Crowns, and in short, behave like all others
> members.  They deserve better treatment and more respect than they have
> gotten up to this point.  They deserve to be as safe in their activities
> as
> we can make them, just like we rattan fighters.
> 
> The elements of the Proposal that follows will address each of these
> issues.
> 
> Reorganization of the Marshallate
> 
> Society Level: Discussion and justification for this have been argued
> above.
> In summary, the present organizational structure places people with
> little
> or no expertise, and occasionally outright hostility, in decision
> authority
> over combat-related activities other than rattan combat.  This
> compromises
> the safety of the participants, our membership.  It also significantly
> increases the legal liability of the Society in case of an injury
> lawsuit.
> It also exposes participants to the whimsy of officers not particularly
> interested in their activities.
> 
> Arguments in favor of such a reorganization include:
> 
> All three of the major problems discussed above are solved or at least
> heavily mitigated.
> 
> People not interested in a particular activity are no longer required to
> be
> in the loop.  They can confine their attentions to activities that do
> interest them.
> 
> If done correctly, cross-activity technique sharing is enhanced.  I
> refer
> here particularly to the efforts of those studying historical combat
> techniques on both rattan combat and rapier combat.
> 
> The positions of Society Marshal and king earl marshal will have a
> larger
> pool of candidates as they will no longer be tied to just rattan combat
> expertise.
> 
> Arguments against might include:
> 
> It isn't traditional.
> 
> It dilutes the influence of rattan combat as the primary form of
> fighting
> within the Society.
> 
> The present Society Marshal and kingdom earls marshal won't like it.  It
> removes much of their authority.
> 
> As a strong believer in both tradition and rattan combat, I will address
> the
> first argument below, later in the Proposal.  As to the second argument,
> well, yes.  That's the idea.
> 
> Proposed:  The office of Marshal of the Society, as described in
> Corpora, VI
> D., will become a reporting office for activities related to combat and
> archery.  Information coordination activities, working with the
> Chirurgeon
> General to promote safety, and working with the Minister of Arts and
> Sciences will continue as present.  Supervision of combat and related
> activities, supervision of subordinate marshals, and making policy
> decisions, interpretations and clarifications regarding the Rules of the
> Lists as they apply to a particular type of combat are now assigned to
> the
> deputy society marshals for each activity.  In particular, deputies will
> be
> appointed for rattan combat, rapier combat, siege weapons, historical
> combat
> studies, youth combat, and archery/thrown weapons.  Other deputies may
> be
> appointed as needed, however these deputies will have decision authority
> over their particular activities.  Warrants for the Marshal of the
> Society
> and the Deputies defined below are signed by the Board of Directors.
> 
> Note:  New text is underscored.
> 
> Enabling legislation -  Corpora is changed as follows:  the text of VI
> (Society Officers) D (Marshal of the Society) is deleted in its entirety
> and
> replaced with:
> 
> "The Marshal of the Society is responsible for reporting on activities
> related to combat and archery to the Board of Directors.  This includes
> coordinating the reporting from the Deputy Society Marshals for each
> activity, and from the Earls Marshal of the kingdoms.  The Marshal of
> the
> Society will also work with the Chirurgeon General to promote safety in
> the
> Society's martial arts, and with the Minister of Arts and Sciences to
> encourage research in armor and weapons.  Further, the Marshal of the
> Society will have the responsibility to encourage and promote
> participation
> in combat and archery activities by the membership.  The Marshal of the
> Society may appoint such Assistant Marshals as are necessary to fulfill
> these responsibilities.
> 
> Deputy Society Marshals are created for the following activities:
> Armored
> Combat, Rapier Combat, Siege Engines, Archery, Youth Combat, and Period
> Combat Studies. The Deputy Society Marshals are responsible for
> activities
> in their respective areas.  This includes directing the appropriate
> Deputy
> Earls Marshal of the kingdoms in matters concerning the supervision of
> combat and related activities at Society events and the manner and
> conduct
> of duties of all marshals of their activities throughout the Society.
> The
> Board specifically authorizes these Deputy Society Marshals to make
> policy
> decisions, interpretations, and clarification regarding the Rules of the
> Lists, for their respective activities only, and with the proviso that
> such
> rulings must be reported to the Board at the following meeting.  These
> rulings will stand until and unless overruled by the Board."
> 
> Before I discuss the effect on the kingdoms, I want to explain some of
> the
> reasoning here.
> 
> First, additional deputy Society marshals can easily be created should
> circumstances dictate.  Second, I have included a deputy, rather than an
> assistant for siege engines.  The reason for this is that some of these
> use
> sufficient force to be quite dangerous in uneducated hands.  They need
> to be
> regulated by someone who really understands them.
> 
> Third, I feel that having the Archery deputy have responsibility for
> target
> activities and combat archery is a Good Thing.  The reason is the
> necessity
> of  having some sort of Society-wide standards, particularly when it
> comes
> to arrow construction, so that we can all play safely together.
> 
> Fourth, most kingdoms now have some form of youth combat, and others are
> considering it.  This activity is still in its early stages, and there
> is a
> real opportunity here for the kingdoms to share best practices, if there
> is
> someone to do the coordination.  A Society-wide set of minimum standards
> is
> probably an important outcome.  I believe this level of official
> attention
> is appropriate, as I don?t think we have any assets more precious than
> our
> children.
> 
> Finally, although there has always been some level of interest, it is
> only
> recently that there has been dramatic growth in the interest level in
> the
> translation and study of historical combat techniques.  The important
> word
> here is "study".  This is not a competitive activity.  There are no
> tournaments.  There are practices and demonstrations.  As some of these
> use
> weapons or other physical activity, there is risk to the participants.
> It
> isn't purely theoretical.  Consequently, it is necessary to have
> regulations
> and equipment standards overseen by someone with expertise in the
> activity.
> Placing the sidesword experiment here instead of under the Deputy
> Society
> Marshal for Rapier Combat might be worth considering.
> 
> I was recently asked why the study of historical combat techniques
> should be
> a Society activity.  The justification is simple, and comes from the
> Articles of Incorporation, section II, which says: "...The purposes for
> which this corporation is formed include: (a) Research and education in
> the
> field of pre- 17th Century Western Culture. (b) Generally, to engage in
> research; publish material of relevance and interest to the field of
> pre-17th Century Western Culture; to present activities and events which
> re-create the environment of said era, such as, but not limited to,
> tournaments, jousts, fairs, dances, classes, et cetera"
> 
> Now that is exactly what the period combat studies folks are doing, and
> certainly more so than those of us who fight with rattan and rapier.
> Some
> of these techniques can probably be transferred to the armored and
> rapier
> combat fields, as they were used in period.
> 
> Kingdom Level: Proposed:  The earls marshal of the kingdoms become
> reporting
> officers with the responsibility to coordinate information flow from the
> deputy earls marshal in their kingdoms and to report to the Society
> Marshal.
> They also have the duties to promote safety by working with their
> kingdom
> Chirurgeon and to promote general equipment standards improvement by
> working
> with their kingdom Minister of Arts and Sciences.
> 
> For a kingdom to participate in a particular activity, it must appoint
> the
> appropriate deputy earl marshal for that activity.  Warrants for a
> kingdom
> earl marshal are signed by the Crown and the Society Marshal.  Warrants
> for
> a deputy earl marshal are signed by the Crown and the appropriate Deputy
> Society Marshal.  The reasoning here is to make certain that persons
> with
> appropriate interest and expertise are overseeing each activity.
> 
> Enabling legislation -  Corpora is changed as follows:  the text of VII
> (Kingdom, Principality, and Local Officers) D (The Earl Marshal) is
> deleted
> in its entirety and replaced with: ?The Earl Marshal is responsible for
> reporting on activities related to combat and archery to the Crown and
> the
> Marshal of the Society.  This includes coordinating the reporting from
> the
> Deputy Earls Marshal for each activity within the kingdom.  The Earl
> Marshal
> will also work with the Chirurgeon to promote safety in the kingdom?s
> martial arts, and with the Minister of Arts and Sciences to encourage
> research in armor and weapons.  Further, the Earl Marshal will have the
> responsibility to encourage and promote participation in combat and
> archery
> activities by the membership.  Deputy Earls Marshal may be appointed for
> any
> of the following activities:  Armored Combat, Rapier Combat, Siege
> Engines,
> Archery, Youth Combat, and Period Combat Studies.  However, none of
> these
> activities may be performed in the kingdom without an appropriate Deputy
> Earl Marshal being appointed.  The Deputy Earls Marshal are responsible
> for
> all combat-related activities in their respective areas.  This includes
> overseeing the conduct and safety of all martial arts in their
> respective
> areas, including but not limited to tournament lists, wars, practices,
> and
> combat demonstrations.  The Deputy Earls Marshal are also responsible
> for
> appointing and warranting subordinate marshals for their respective
> areas."
> 
> Corpora VII I. (Duties of Other Officers) is changed to read: ?Specific
> duties of Kingdom Lesser Officers, deputies, Principality Officers, and
> Local Officers are defined by Royalty and the appropriate superior
> officer
> unless otherwise defined in Corpora.
> 
> Corpora VII J. (Appointment to office) 1, add after the first sentence:
> ?Kingdom Deputy Earls Marshal are appointed by the Crown after due
> consultation with the outgoing officer, the Earl Marshal, and any other
> appropriate Great Officer."
> 
> Corpora VII K (Warranting / Rosters) 1, first sentence is changed from
> ?Kingdom Great Officer?s appointments are confirmed by a signature from
> the
> Corporate Level and the Crown, on the standard warrant form."  to
> ?Appointments of Kingdom Great Officers and Deputy Earls Marshal are
> confirmed by a signature from the appropriate Deputy Society Marshal,
> and
> the Crown, on the standard warrant form."
> 
> Again, the purpose here is simply to ensure that people with appropriate
> interest and expertise are in charge of each activity.  The Crown: I
> expect
> this will actually be the most controversial part of this Proposal.
> First
> let me say that I have been a member for more than 28 years and a peer
> for
> nearly 25.  I have always endeavored to support my Crown and my Kingdom,
> no
> matter where I have lived.
> 
> When there was only rattan combat, it made sense to have the Sovereign
> oversee the fighting.  One could safely assume that he (it was always a
> he
> then) was pretty good at it.  Unfortunately, few Sovereigns, are expert
> in
> other forms of combat activity, and probably none are in all of them.
> It
> makes sense, therefore, to reduce the responsibility of the Crown for
> these
> areas.  The justification is exactly the same as for the Marshallate.
> 
> On the other hand, I?m a firm believer in traditions, and am not trying
> here
> to change the way we select our Crowns.
> 
> Therefore, what I am proposing is a compromise between the traditional
> privileges of the Crown and the safety and enjoyment of the membership.
> 
> Specifically, Proposed: The Sovereign retains final oversight
> responsibility
> for rattan combat within the kingdom.  Oversight responsibilities for
> other
> activities devolve to the appropriate deputy earl marshal. Access to the
> fighting field, any fighting field, is granted at the pleasure of the
> Sovereign.  The Sovereign retains the right to remove any fighter, at
> any
> time, from any field. Rattan combat remains the only formal tournament
> lists
> for royal ranks and titles, unless a specific exemption is granted by
> the
> Board.
> 
> Enabling legislation -  Corpora is changed as follows: IV (Royalty) A.
> (Selection) 1. ?Royal Lists must be conducted at a tournament announced
> in
> the kingdom newsletter as being for that purpose.  Crowns or Coronets
> who
> wish to conduct a royal list in a manner other than individual armored
> combat must obtain the prior approval of the Board of Directors."
> 
> Corpora IV C (Duties)  9 is changed to read: ?The Sovereign supervises
> armored combat on the field of honor.
> 
> Corpora IV C 10 is renumbered as IV C 11.
> 
> Corpora IV C (new) 10 is added, as follows:  ?The privilege of access to
> the
> combat fields, regardless of the type of combat activity being
> performed, is
> granted at the pleasure of the Sovereign. The Sovereign may remove any
> fighter, at any time, from any tourney or melee combat field, for any
> period
> of time, up to the duration of the Reign.  Such action shall not be
> construed to indicate a safety violation has occurred; no Marshallate
> action
> may be taken as the result of this exercise of Royal prerogative.
> Safety
> violations shall be addressed through reports to, and appropriate
> actions
> by, the Marshallate."
> 
> Other Changes These are required, mostly for consistency, to complete
> the
> proposed implementation. Proposed:
> 
> Corpora IX (Society Combat) A. (Society Combat-Related Activities) 1,
> first
> sentence is replaced with: ?Society combat-related activities are
> defined as
> armored combat, rapier combat, combat archery, marshalling, scouting,
> banner
> bearing in combat, youth combat, and period combat studies."
> 
> Corpora IX A. 2, first paragraph is replaced with: ?A participant in any
> of
> the Society combat-related activities as defined above must be
> authorized by
> a marshal warranted and designated by the Deputy Earl Marshal of a
> kingdom
> for that activity, or his representative, as able to authorize
> individuals
> in the appropriate activity."
> 
> Corpora IX A. 6, is deleted in its entirety and replaced with: ?Prior to
> the
> authorization of a minor in any Society combat-related activity, the
> parent
> or guardian of the minor must witness the activity, discuss it with a
> witnessing marshal, and execute a Waiver, indemnity, or other required
> document for the minor.  The witnessing marshal must be explicitly
> authorized to perform this function by the Deputy Earl Marshal for Youth
> Combat of that kingdom.  The marshal who authorizes a minor person for
> any
> form of Society combat-related activity must the Kingdom or Principality
> Deputy Earl Marshal for Youth Combat, or the Kingdom or Principality
> Deputy
> Earl Marshal for that activity.  This need not be the same person as the
> witnessing marshal."
> 
> Corpora IX B (The Rules of the Lists) 2, is deleted in its entirety and
> replaced with: ?No person shall participate in Combat-Related activities
> (including armored combat, rapier combat, combat archery, marshalling,
> scouting, banner bearing in combat, youth combat, and period combat
> studies)
> outside of formal training sessions unless and until he or she shall
> have
> been properly authorized under Society and kingdom procedures."
> 
> Corpora IX C (Rapier Fighting in the Society) is now superfluous and
> therefore deleted.
> 
> Other Documents
> 
> As near as I can determine, no changes to the Articles of Incorporation,
> By-
> Laws, or Corporate Policies of the SCA, Inc. are required to implement
> this
> proposal.
> 
> Other Considerations
> 
> Should the Board of Directors act favorably on this Proposal, presumably
> after consultation with the membership, a reasonable amount of time
> should
> be given for implementation so that the kingdoms have a chance to adjust
> their organizations.  Six months seems about right, a year is probably
> too
> long.
> 
> In Conclusion
> 
> My motivation for this Proposal is simple.  I am worried about the
> Society.
> We do not seem to be growing.  We do seem to be aging, and a significant
> number of the kids drop out on reaching adulthood.  The membership is
> well
> aware that the organization has financial difficulties.
> 
> We also have too much friction.  When I joined, I was given to believe
> that
> the Society was inclusive.  There were many, many different activities,
> and
> people were encouraged and rewarded for excelling in any field of
> interest.
> I continue to believe that should be one our ideals; it may be our very
> greatest strength.
> 
> Alas, for reasons that completely elude me, I have witnessed, time and
> again, one group trying to restrict the activities of another group.
> And
> they weren?t even interested in participating themselves, they just
> didn?t
> want anyone else to do it.
> 
> But I also believe that we are a Society that puts a high premium on
> courtesy and on honor.  The reason that people stay in the Society for
> decades is that generally the org