ARN - From the Earl Marshal

[Timothy Adams]

OK:
reality check.
if I show up with this card.. will they let me fight?  YES
what else matters.
Timothy of Northkeep
(contemplating getting it translated to sandskrit)  *G*

>From: "Kief av Kiersted" <sirkief at hotmail.com>
>Reply-To: ansteorra-rapier at ansteorra.org
>To: ansteorra-rapier at ansteorra.org
>Subject: ARN - From the Earl Marshal
>Date: Wed, 20 Sep 2000 00:19:09 CDT
>
>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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