ARN - From the Earl Marshal

[Kief av Kiersted]

Heilsa Good my Fellow Ansteorran Combatants…!

On the subject of Authorization Card wording:

I am somewhat at a loss to describe how I feel about the current discussion. 
A simple item has been taken, somewhat, to an extreme…and friends have had 
cross words over the subject.

My first response in hearing about the ongoing discussion was to chuckle… So 
was my second response… Then I began to read the various missives enclosed 
in the thread.

Inelegant, perhaps… Mundane and even "hick-ish" certainly. Authentic 
wording…nope…errr…most certainly not. And of course it does not maintain 
"period ambiance". I could have written the document in a variant of the 
Danish tongue circa 984 c.e. and in a Runic script…but I did forbear from 
doing so. "Unprofessional"…again I must cry thee nay…it is quite 
professional. Any parrot can repeat by rote what is offered up and served to 
the masses…but a good human resources manager can get his people to smile 
and reflect with good word skills. Up until this moment smiles and good 
natured ribbing are all the wording on the card has elicited.

Yes, it was my choice and mine alone to use that particular phrase and while 
it may sound a touch like "Ned Flanders" and a bit "backwood-ish" it does 
serve several purposes. First, it is wording unlike any other Authorization 
Card in the Known World and does reflect the…ahhh…individual nature of our 
Kingdom. Second, it is comic relief. Relief from all those self-important 
folk out there that find so little to laugh about and view all that we 
strive to do with an air of utter seriousness. (I've certainly run across my 
share of those type of folks in my travels around the Known World for the 
past 16 years…)

As to embarrassment when other Kingdom's Marshals read the wording… I hate 
to tell you all this…but these cards are in the hands of most every Earl 
Marshal in the Known World and their Deputy Earl Marshals. So far the 
reaction has been various double takes, laughter, and, in one case, utter 
disbelief that I "got away with it…". The current Society Marshal had quite 
the good chuckle about the card…so did the Society Deputy Marshal for Fence…

As for any legal issues… This wording was reviewed by several lawyers and 
nary a word was said about any ambiguity or lack of legal standing if read 
in any court proceeding.

I feel that I must answer this concern directly: "To trivialize the 
authorization to participate in fighting activities diminishes the 
responsibility to do so safely." Anyone that knows me well knows that I take 
my responsibility towards safety very seriously. I pulled His (then) Majesty 
Alaric's own Champion out of a major battle at the last Gulf War because he 
would not wear a particular piece of armor. I do not trivialize my people's 
safety…period. I would "yank the card" of anyone that compromised their or 
other's safety on the field. My bit of whimsy is just 
that…light-heartedness. I find the whole "Authorization Card Process" to be 
trivial. A Combatant's Word, Honor, and Deed are what are paramount in my 
book…not some piece of paper. Still, since I must follow the Rules and 
Standards set down by my Society Superior Officers we will continue to have 
Authorization Cards. As well, much to my chagrin I have found that there are 
those out there in the Known World that would lie about their 
certifications.

As for the "simple solution" the "damn cards" cannot be changed by Ansgar. 
To do so would render the card invalid. The Marshalate Secretary, Mistress 
Stella, has the printing done and her version is the only "Official Issue". 
Please do not pursue this course of action.

Still I find that this thread is not very timely… These cards have been in 
use for well over a year now and this is the first time that any legitimate 
concerns as pertains the wording have surfaced in any of Ansteorra's varied 
Combat Communities.

I do hope that I have addressed some of your concerns and have answered some 
of your questions. Please feel free to contact me at your leisure as 
concerns this matter or any other.

Good my Friends and Neighbors…do not let this issue bring strife and 
contention into your ranks. There is truly no need to exchange harsh words 
over my actions in this matter.



Wæs Þu Hæl kinfolk...!
Kief - EM Ansteorra
"Better the Hammer than the nail..."

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