NR - Principality

[M. D. Heydon]

> HE Barn Silveraxe stated;
SNIP
> is, maybe.  But that does not mean that I support it, I don't!  And here
are
> my reasons.

That makes it the total who have committed to support Principality or not:
002 Principality poo pooers
002 Principality woo hooers

> 1)  Other than a few groups and households and political buddies there is
not
> the cohesivness in the North that is being portrayed here.  The lack of
> participation from certain groups in the north last weekend kind of makes
> that obvious. Right now in this region you have the political pirhana
chewing
> away at everything that isnt thier way of doing it or not their idea.
Then
> you have the people who are trying to have fun and remember what the game
was
> about.  The majority of the people who just want to have fun aren't going
to
> participate in this discussion one way or another because they see it as
> "just another argument" in a region that has had more than it's share in
> recent years.

Your Excellancy Silveraxe, please forgive me, but you once asked me to wear
a squires belt of yours partly because I speak my mind as honostly as I can,
so I offer this *personal opinion* not to poke or prod, but as honost
feelings for a man I thought highly enough of once to take that squires
belt.  My heart pounds, cause I know the thin line I am about to tread, but
hear goes.  The people who have the most fun didn't come to your event cause
we didn't want to know who you were gonna get pissed off at and threaten to
take out of the S.C.A. next.
The wife and I "just wanna have fun", and learn something, but fun is fun.
That is WHY we tolerate the political piranha chewing, constantly chewing.
I am both embarrassed and proud that my name has shown up so many times
today, cause all I am trying to do is have MORE fun (but there is always
that point in the ride when you wish it would stop, you know right before
you hurl).


> 2)  Unless the State of Oklahoma triples in population it does not have an
> adequate base to ever attain Kingdom status. IMHO.  I just don't see the
> point in becoming a Principality just for the heck of it.  What we have
now
> seems to accomplish the same things a new name, more banners, more brass,
> etc. would accomplish.

Just like entering Crown Tournement, you nor I ever did it for the heck of
it, we did it for personal goals, to accomplish something.  We the little
people will never be a King probably, and after today, I will probably never
be even a member of the Chivalry, but we little people can try to accomplish
a Principality, which would give us little people the same thrill as you
recieved when the tears came to your eyes the day "you" won Ansteorra's
Crown Tournement.


> 3)  Another level of Royalty.  CPs can't bestow any awards except
> Principality awards without permission of the crown.  CP's are subject to
the
> Crown's will.  The Crown approves changes to principality laws, etc,
because
> they are part of kingdom law.  CP's do what the Crown says and go where
the
> Crown says.  Frankly I think we have enough representation if the peers
and
> the Landeds do our job by recommending people for the awards they deserve.
> Anyone can recommend anyone for any award.  If there is an abundance of
> people who deserve recognition but aren't getting it, then that reflects
> badly on everyone in this region because they aren't doing what is
necessary
> to get that recognition for the folks who deserve it.   The idea that we
need
> another level of awards to recognize people for thier work in the region
is
> ridiculous at best.  The Region is part of the Kingdom, and anything that
> betters the kingdom or region and not an individual group is already
covered
> under the current award structure. Unless of course you're only in it for
> more cookies, not the dream.

And how is that really different than now if our Crown says what to do and
where to go, we still have to do it, don't we?  A more well defined chain of
command if you will, from us to our C.P. to their and our Crown.
Could you define the difference between the cookies, and the dream, teaching
someone to fight, skipping on the battlefield, being recognized be your
fellow members, meeting outstanding people, slap-daddy feasts, etc. all
sound like cookies to me, which is a good dream, lots of warm cookies for
everyone.


> 4) It frees up the Kingdom calender.  How is this possible? The deputy in
> charge of the calender already checks to see if there is anything in the
> region and ajoining region for conflicts.  That argument doesn't wash.  If
> anything it clutters it up more with four more events on the calender with
CP
> tournaments and CP coronations.  As a landed noble, I must travel in the
> kingdom to baronial investitures, Crown Tournaments and Coronations.  As
> Baron, I'd like to travel to as many baronial championships around the
> kingdom as I can.  I constantly find myself unable to travel to these
events,
> though, because there is the strong perception that the landeds *must*
> support events in this region.

Isn't that just part of the sacrifice you make as a landed for the period of
time you spend as a landed.  How any of you do it for more than two or three
years is almost better than a book on astro physics.  In the end it simply
make more choices for more people to chose from.  And as so many have
correctly pointed out to me, at the point in the future when we might make
that leap to "Kingdom" from "Principality", we would have 600 people to
attend all those wonderful juicy diverse little events, and perhaps even
make the attendance of a "landed" even that much more impressive.  It might
be fun ya know...


> 5)Over the last five or so years the SCA has been undergoing a steady drop
in
> membership.  This Kingdom has been losing the equivalent to a Shire a year
in
> population.  All of the groups in the North have been fluctuating at a
pretty
> steady basis and in some cases recruitment efforts right now are marginal
at
> best.  We get some new members, but we lose an equal number of older
members
> for different reasons, ie, moving, politics, arguing, or just get tired of
it
> and go on.  These are facts.

So we simply accept these facts, or as a region, collectively try to do
something else, maybe a little better?


> It is obvious to me that there are people here with PERSONAL differences.
We
> all have the right to our personal opinions but when it comes to flaming
> someones peerage because of their opinion, this has gotten out of hand.
Over
> the past several years, Northern unity has decreased.  To get back what we
> once had, this community needs all the support it can get.  I'm afraid
that
> serious principality discussions will end with folks tearing each other
> apart, rather than respecting differing opinions.  With that kind of
internal
> politics we will never make it as a principality.  The ideals we try and
> follow are our own.  No one else's, just ours.  If you try and jump into a
> principality with politics like they are at present, you will fail.  Years
> ago I might have been persuaded to change my mind about principality for
the
> North.  But in the recent years there have been some serious political
games
> between some of the higher ranking members of this region.  Things are
only
> just now dying down a bit.  I think to push this issue now would reopen
all
> of those cans of worms (and we only just now seem to be getting them back
in
> the can).  I have seen what politics and power grabbing can do to a
Kingdom,
> a region, and a local group and trust me people if you think its bad now
just
> wait till you have a principality.

"EVERYONE" has personal differences.  I am not flaming a Peer for their
opinion, I am flaming a Peer who says their Region can't accomplish
something, and for saying that they would rather save their energy for a
"better" discussion.
But for an opinion, I know more people in my Region now than ever before and
have more email addresses etc.
Next opinion, "IF" we have cans of worms on the shelves, lets ferret them
out, and get rid of them, this is supposed to be a fun and educational
hobby, not a root cellar.
And for my last opinion, I thought the whole purpose of this discussion is
to NOT jump into a Principality with the current piranha politics.

Merrik

P.S. I have to assume that this post means that not only do I pick up the
next cyber-round of 110 drinks, I probably ought to just pick up the whole
evening's tab...  CHECK PLEASE!!! (note the time, only me and the crazy pets
are still awake)



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