ANST-Announce - *Potential* Potent Potables Prohibitions

[Ronnie]

The following comment is repeated in the body of the text I'm forwarding.
Since this is a topic that can be touchy anyway, the comment is worthy of a
few repeats.  

>Above all, remain calm and sensible. If you wish to write letters
>directly to the BoD, stay on target, don't get overly emotional, and
>state your case reasonably and logically. We'll get farther that way
>if we can deal directly with the issues and not have to cool tempers
>before we can even address the import of the matter to our play.

>From: Mistress Carrot <siobhan75 at hotmail.com>
>Subject: [gdh] Date: Fri, 11 Jun 1999 10:16:24 -0400
>
>Good morning!
>
>I've talked with one of the SCA's lawyers, who has had an extensive
>and ongoing discussion with Duke Andrew of Riga, who is on the BoD,
>and this is what I have heard back. I have permission to share this,
>and I give anyone permission to share this entire post with any and
>all lists, since this is a Society-wide concern. A big one :-)
>
>I have sent it to Middlebridge, Midlaurel, MK-BNV, Hordenet,
>SCA-Laurels, and some friends in Northshield and Ealdormere. Please
>please pass this information on!
>
>Please note that there is still discussion on bnv newsletters and
>what they can contain. Note also that there is a POSSIBILITY for big
>changes in Kingdom-sponsored parties where alcohol has been served
>in the past. This could have major ramifications for camping events
>such as Gulf Wars, Lillies, Estrella, and Pennsic. It also is
>appearing that we can no longer gift royals with potent potables,
>nor can we offer potent potables as prizes in any SCA tournaments. I
>am going to ask how this affects BNV competitions within the SCA,
>since there is a very active BNV division in the Middle Kingdom's
>Arts and Sciences Faires.
>
>As I get more news, I will share it with you. If you wish, you can
>email me with questions, and I will collect them and pass them on up
>the corporate ladder.
>
>Above all, remain calm and sensible. If you wish to write letters
>directly to the BoD, stay on target, don't get overly emotional, and
>state your case reasonably and logically. We'll get farther that way
>if we can deal directly with the issues and not have to cool tempers
>before we can even address the import of the matter to our play.
>
>If you wish to mail me, my address is:  judith.a.kirk at wmich.edu.
>
>Yours in service for safe and free consumption of potent potables,
>
>Mistress Siobhan O'Neill
>Middle Kingdom
>
>************
>
>Hi, Siobhan.  I have had a long chat with Duke Andrew, the SCA
>Board's Executive Assistant, about the letter from Mistress
>Tetchubah.  Here are a few of the points; note that I promised to
>get some more specific information to him about a few of the issues,
>so the matter is not yet resolved.  However, we both give you
>permission to share this with whomever wishes to see it, so that
>they know the questions are being researched and answered and
>hopefully an acceptable resolution will be achieved.
>
>To start, the SCA's insurance policy is VERY clear: the SCA may
>not
>"manufacture, distribute, sell, serve, or furnish" alcoholic
>beverages of any kind.  This means, no serving alcohol at feasts,
>events, or
>SCA-sponsored parties, or even those that appear to be SCA (eg, the
>King invites everybody to his camp for a kegger).
>
>As you noted, and as the letter from Mistress Tetchubah states,
>purchasing alcohol which will be an incidental ingredient in a
>recipe, such as stew with a bit of wine, or even Perys (although
>that is probably pushing it), is OK.  Buying a bottle of brandy to
>use a thimbleful to soak the sugarcube that will be the flames out
>of the mouth of a dragon soteltie, is not.
>
>It is the "manufacture" on the list of forbidden acts that causes
>the
>problem for buying supplies.  Yes, grain alone, or sugar, or yeast,
>are not alcoholic, and only become so in the proper quantities and
>prep aration. Yes, you can use the same ingredients to make bread.
>However, the act of combining them to create alcohol is a
>manufacture, and this cannot be done by the SCA or with SCA funds.
>
>I did point out that publishing recipes would not be considered
>manufacturing as far as I am aware, and did promise to do a bit
>more
>research on this subject (hopefully, this weekend before I
>disappear to Lillies War).  The problem is that the recipes must be
>presented along the line that the cooking newsletters offer recipes:
>"Here is what they did in period.  Here is a period recipe.  Here
>is what it means, in modern English. Here is how to do it safely in
>a modern kitchen."  Publishing something that says, "I came up with
>a recipe for chili mead and here is how to do it" is just not
>appropriate for an SCA publication.  (And IMHTO, sounds pretty
>disgusting.)
>
>I don't think there is a First Amendment issue here, but am going
>to look into that as well.  I think that the SCA is entitled to
>limit the contents of newsletters published as a part of the SCA to
>appropriately educational and historical writings.  Modern recipes,
>except as a way to achieve a period result, have no place in the
>newsletters.  Think of it as someone giving their Killer Adult
>Brownie recipe in "The Rolling Scone" - it is simply out of place.
>
>What can be done with the funds collected by the B&V guilds?  They
>can be donated to the SCA or another NFP, such as MADD or the ASPCA.
>Donating the funds to the SCA does not mean that you have to turn
>them over to another account; the B&V guild can sponsor an issue of
>the Kingdom newsletter, or the Kingdom A&S newsletter; they can
>donate the prizes (of course, NOT alcoholic, or even empty
>to-be-filled bottles) for a tourney or other competition; they can
>buy supplies to donate to the chirurgeons or waterbearers or
>whomever; and so on.  They can also use the money for non-supplies
>such as books for a lending library.
>
>If the members of the guild want to pool funds to buy consumable
>supplies, they need to give the money to someone who holds it
>outside of the SCA. This money will not be tax-deductible as are
>donations to the SCA.  However, it can be used for whatever the
>members wish to do, as long as they are not doing so under the aegis
>of the SCA.  Think of the example many colleges have, with the
>student group being officially separate from the SCA group.
>
>I think this answers everything, except for the items that I noted
>are still under research.  More to come as I get the information.
>
>                                                                        ---=
>Morgan
>                   |\     THIS is the cutting edge of technology!
>
>8+%%%%%%%%I==================================================---
>                   |/ margolh at nortelnetworks.com
><mailto:margolh at nt.com>
>*
>Hablutzel at compuserve.com <mailto:Hablutzel at compuserve.com>
>                              Morgan Cain * Steppes, Ansteorra
>
>Red meat is NOT bad for you. Now blue-green meat, THAT'S bad for
>you!
>                                                           --Tommy
>Smothers
>
>                             May God have mercy on my enemies
>                             For they shall certainly need it.
>
>              For every action, there is an equal and opposite
>criticism.
>
>                I intend to live forever -- so far, so good!
>
>
>_______________________________________________________________
>Get Free Email and Do More On The Web. Visit http://www.msn.com
>
>
>
============================================================================
Go to http://lists.ansteorra.org/lists.html to perform mailing list tasks.