[Ravensfort] A statement

[AMH/DBLJ]

You want fact ??  Here is my original five page answer.

cockerham,

When Saint David demanded a stop to our on line fighting over a month ago I
gave my word that I would not post to you again till after he had step down.
You on the other hand took advantage of my silence and continue to heap your
email garbage.  Typical of you as you respect no authority in Raven’s Fort save
your own.  I will now respond to your misstatements and other misinformation.

First and foremost, when you suggested that I "put up or shut up" in regards to
the baronial selection process I decided to lodge my complaints in letter form
to the proper officials rather than do any more damage to individuals (save
you) on line. I have received advice from varied sources (some of official
status) suggesting that good etiquette dictates I wait till the current Crown
steps down to mail my letter as it will not change what has already been
decided.  Your ranting and raving and bullying has not and will not change my
mind on this.  Please stop.  Since then I have tried several times to do what
you suggested and drop the subject.  You insist on harassing me with it.  Even
when I emailed you privately, with copies going only to the former Seneschal
and the former Baron and Baroness you could not resist slamming it back on the
Raven’s Fort post.  You seem obsessed with having this out publicly.  You boost
of being the Kings troubleshooter.  If the King asked you to keep the subject
fresh and raw in everyone’s minds you’ve done a great job.  You are correct
about one thing.  As you stated, the Crown, Seneschal, 
dogcatcher 
 and our
new Baron and Baroness will not soon forget what has happened.  Nor will anyone
else in the Barony that has had to endure the process.  I will especially
remember how you have behaved.

Your treatment of individuals in this Barony has for some time now been, in
short, reprehensible.  My complaints about your actions have so far fallen on
deaf ears.  You give me a brush off and changed the subject.  You have begged
me to give you examples of your self-serving behavior.  There have even been
threats of slander suits if I don’t, again, "put up or shut up". I know you.  I
know things you’ve done. I have resisted granting your request by revealing
your misconduct until now out of respect for the close friendship we once
enjoyed.  Your oppression of the people in this Barony and your high and mighty
ranting has left me little choice but to comply with your wishes. It is time
for the Emperor of Raven’s Fort to display his not new, but true wardrobe.

I will refresh your memory on two laps in your character.  Both are from when I
was Seneschal of Raven’s Fort and served the Barony in an official capacity.

The first stems from when Drake did his thing at the site.  Patrick Michael was
King and wanted us to move the location of Defender of the Fort to another
site.  The populace of the Barony voted to have Defender at the Stones or not
at all.  Patrick Michael said that we needed to try to move it anyway and
suggested Jones Country. You called Jones Country and reserved most of it under
a fake name of a fake organization. Then you, Sir Knight, Master Pelican,
Baron, called Patrick Michael back and duped him into believing that Jones
Country was not available by telling him it was already booked up.  Some people
might say that is breaking your sworn fealty to the King.  I say it is you
lying to get your way. For the good of the Barony or not, it was wrong. I
wonder how you have the audacity to rail at me for supposedly insulting our
King. Compared to lying to a seated Crown your on line fabrications seem mild.

The second example happened during a work weekend at the Stones.  You showed up
with a load of lumber for a project that you were working on.  As Seneschal, I
pointed out that you had not asked for or received permission to buy the
lumber.  You flew into a rage and told me that if you weren’t reimbursed for
the lumber you would take every tool you owned, leave the site and never set
foot on it again.  I was about to call you on this when Baroness Chrystal
stepped in to save you from embarrassment.   You got your money.  Given the
site access only through you strangle hold you have on this Barony a reasonable
argument could be made that this little episode was extortion
 emotionally at
the very least. Typical of you as you respect no authority in Raven’s Fort save
your own.

Both of these examples show the true nature of your honor.  Whenever you find
it inconvenient it is discarded.

Your points to the populace at large about my campsite were largely erroneous.
(Read lies)  Let’s review them.  (1) Yes, you have let me use the site at times
other than "normal" SCA gatherings.  I now thank you yet again for that.
However, to justify my camping there I always did work to improve the site
unless rain or other obstacles prevented it.  Your telling me to lie to the
landowners about working is your style not mine.  I would not have had to lie
if asked.  No one has contributed more time (maybe you) or money (save the
Barony) to improve the site.  You yourself have admitted that I have done a
major amount of work. I paid my dues when I camped.  (2) The "huge’buffer
zone’" for privacy you speak of consist of an uncampable dry creek bed, an
uncampable lemon bush thicket and a small clump of pines which is actually the
back drop for the Rose Garden.  (3) As for having a "one"-person campsite you
are dead wrong. (read lying)  Mistress Edwina shared the camp with me for years
and often had her friends camp there with us.  Since she has moved I have
invited and have hosted several guests in the camp.  As you know, at this time
I share my camp with Baroness Gwynn and Baron Don Zorcon of Lizard Keep.  (4) I
am by no means the only person that sleeps in their auto.  Many do and always
have.  I would say the most offensive perpetrator of this is you as you park
your van right next to your camp in plain view of both the list field and the
bonfire.  I at least camouflage my van to make it less noticeable.  This seems
to be another case of your "do as I say, not as I do" behavior.  (5) I would
not say that I "pick and choose" my camping neighbors.  When I find that a
group has or is about to move out I have gone to my friends and told them of
the move and even helped them move in, but that is as far as it goes.  (6)
Mostly I maintain the Tavern area and Rose Garden myself. The populace as a
whole uses these areas at nearly (if not) every event.  I am more than happy to
accommodate the populace with a comfortable place to gather. They are good
people and they deserve a good place.  The bottom line is that the Tavern, the
Rose Garden and or my campsite have been the staging point for many special
projects and events.  What area I do have I’ve always shared.

I also have two bonus points to make about the site.  (7) No matter how you
have rationalized it in you mind or what you publicly claim most people see
your demanding the return of the site key I have used as an act of personal
revenge against me and not in the best interest of the Barony.  I agree with
them.  (8) Do you know what the standing joke in the Barony is at this time ??
It’s that when more than two people are in the room it is never said that the
site improvement committee was established to prevent you from bullying your
way in and taking over every project at the site no matter who thought of it or
started it.  It is also the reason that the Tavern was established as a private
enterprise rather than as a Baronial Brewers Guild enterprise.

You have insinuated that I should be afraid to have my activities exposed to
the light of day.  I am not afraid.  I am an honest man.  The worst thing that
I can think of doing is smoking pot. It’s a victimless crime and a minor
offence. I have smoked pot with you on many occasions but since you are a "do
as I say, not as I do" kind of guy, you will probably try to make something of
it anyway.

You have an attitude that reeks of elitist aristocracy.  Personally I have to
ask why.  In the real world you are chronically unemployed by choice and spend
most of your time and efforts playing a pretend fantasy game while racing
across country with your girlfriend.  Although I can see the appeal this may
hold I would not call it particularly noble.  Perhaps if you accomplished more
with your real life you would not have such a large chip on your shoulder.
You have told me that Lee Cockerham and your fantasy persona are one in the
same person and can’t be separated.  That is too bad.  Kief’s "Better the
hammer than the nail" approach to life sucks.  It is more than fair to say that
I find his spirit mean, his style crass, his motives base, his logic twisted
and his words as the braying of a jackass.  For your sake I hope you can get
past him.  Of course this whole paragraph is my personal opinion.

The fact that you can see no way to participate in local SCA activities without
requesting or receiving support from the local officials shows just how narrow
minded and short sighted you have become. Over the years I’ve seen you mutate
from a really nice guy to a self-righteous control freak that can’t accept
others opinions without trying to trash both the opinion and the individual.
You are out of control.  The fact that you physically struck a Mistress of this
Kingdom at an SCA event is a clear indicator.  
"Better the hammer than the
nail"
 NOT !!!!  I assure you, if such a thing were to happen to me I would
bring down the full weight of both criminal and civil law onto your head.

In service to the Barony and the Kingdom,
Marius
-----------------------------

As I suspect there is a good chance that I will be banished from this Raven’s
Fort post after this response I will close with a few parting words to the
populace of Raven’s Fort.

First of all, thanks to the surprisingly large number of you that have come to
me with support and stories about kief’s behavior toward you.  It has made it
easier to endure his hateful vomit.  I strongly suggest that you do not
confront kief with complaints that involve him. His mind is closed to any
criticism. As you have seen it does no good and it will bring grief upon your
head as it has mine.  I recommend that instead you tell your stories to
individuals that live outside of this Barony.  He has pulled the wool over
their eyes for too long. They need to know how he treats the people back home.
Do not fabricate anything. Stick to the facts as I have done.

My apologies to the individuals that did not want to know about the bad things
that go on behind the scenes with our peers. Truth is sometimes a bitter pill.
I can only say that people living in glass houses should not throw stones.
Believe it or not, all that I have done and said has been for the good of the
Barony.  I love this group and could not stand by silently any longer.

In service to the Barony,
Pax n Luv,
Marius


Kief av Kiersted wrote:

> Heilsa the list...
>
> As regards any letters where I am attacked in public.
>
> I will respond as I see fit.  If anyone has an allegation about myself or my
> actions let them present their proofs and witnesses. If said proofs and
> witnesses are not presented the allegation is a lie and/or unfounded.
>
> I have shown time and time again that if I am proven to be in error I will
> retract and apologize to the offended party. I have yet to be shown that
> same courtesy by most of those that have attacked me, no matter how often I
> have proven them to be in error.
>
> If defending myself in this public forum is disallowed then I will remove
> myself from this forum.
>
> However, no matter the forum, I cannot abide slander and libel against my
> person. I will seek legal action against those that do conduct themselves in
> a slanderous and/or libelous manner against my person, name, or reputation.
>
> Good my friends and neighbors, I am tired. I am tired of defending the
> Kingdom, Barony, my friends, family and myself against blatant attacks and
> continuous innuendo by people either mistaken in their beliefs or just flat
> malicious.
>
> If anyone has anything to say then say it, but you *must* include your
> proofs and/or witnesses. If you cannot do so you are either ignorant of the
> facts or malicious in intent.
>
> I am going to reply to one of Lord Finn's letters in a separate post, but
> only briefly.
>
> As for Mr. LeJeune's posts, I have said all I need to say to Mr. LeJeune.
> Everything I stated in my past letters to and about Mr. LeJeune are in
> effect. As far as I am concerned I need have no further contact of any kind
> with Mr. LeJeune.
>
> I bid you all a good day.
>
> Wæs ?u Hæl in Tro? and Fri?...!
> Kief av Kiersted
> "Better the Hammer than the nail..."
>
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