SR - Beginning new traditions

[Lorraine and/or Kief]

Heilsa Daniel and all other right and good Ansteorrans...

Kief here... Writing from HE Lorraine's account...

You questioned....

>How often does barring actually happen?  How often, in your opinion,
>*should* it have happened?  I suspect that, for most people, the first
>number is less than the second.  How much fuss and emotional pain does
>barring / not barring cause?  I suspect it causes a fair amount.


In my observation and memory it has not happened... I've heard that it did
happen in the early days of the Kingdom. In my opinion barring should have
happened a few more times. To explain. I feel that we are too lax on the
checking of requirements to enter the Crown lists. There have been several
folk enter that did not fully meet the requirements, in the spirit as well
as in
the letter of the law. This is not only the fighters but their consorts as
well.
Barring a contender/consort  would/could be _very_ embarrassing and
might very well lead to a "fuss". It would depend on how the barring was
handled. If it was very public it would be a potential problem. If it was
done privately, with the fighter requested to withdraw, it might well be
much less painful... As well, the Crown and/or the Chivalry would have
a chance to talk to the "problem child" and instruct them in how to
overcome the problem.

>What I've heard is that the SCA generally does not deal well with
>nasty bastards (in the metaphorical sense) or incompetents.  Officers
>stay in past burnout.  Groups get their treasuries ripped off (the
>Steppes twice).  Abusers keep abusing.  All this because SCA people
>want to be accepting, and trusting, and often problems fall between
>the cracks, and SCA people don't want to play the heavy.


In my opinion we do not deal with criminal behavior or incompetents
well at all. Yes we are trusting, and accepting...we should remain that
way...until that trust and acceptance is violated. What follows is
MY OPINION and no one else's...

ON CRIMINAL BEHAVIOR:
Any person caught, at an event, engaged in violently abusive
criminal behavior, including molestation of a minor, should be
remanded immediately to police authority...with permanent
banishment to follow. Any person that has been convicted,
or has plead guilty to, a _felonious_ crime of violent abusive
nature should, barring the appeals process, be permanently
banished from the Society. These crimes should include, but not
be limited to: non-consensual sexual abuse of adults, sexual and
physical abuse of minors, and assault.  As well, any person caught
embezzling funds, especially as an officer,  or convicted of same, or
pleading guilty to same, while in the Society should be permanently
banished from the Society.

ON INCOMPETENCE:
Peer review should be an on-going process. Officer tenure limits
should be rigorously enforced. As per Kingdom Law all Officers needs
must have a viable Deputy as an emergency fallback. These Deputies
should be used after an unfavorable peer review, and if the situation is
deemed uncorrectable.


I've heard the term, "...but we're a volunteer organization...!" used so
many times to excuse burnout, incompetence, lack of performance,
laziness, disinterest, or even plain spiteful behavior it makes me want
to retch... Good people we "VOLUNTEER" to do a job...! It then
becomes our "DUTY"  to do that job correctly, and to the best of our
ability. There is NO SHAME in stepping down if one cannot do the
job anymore. When I took on the job of Principal Herald I told His
Majesty Inman and the Laurel Sovereign of Arms Da'ud, "...if I feel
that I'm reaching burnout, or if the job is done (fixing the "problems"),
or for any other reason I feel that I cannot finish the job in an orderly
and proper manner I will step down...". True to my word, at 18 months
into my tenure, I felt that I was approaching the burnout point. Rather than
hanging on "to the bitter end" I stepped down. I felt no shame, no remorse,
I had given my all to the office and, in my opinion, done a good job.
I urge all those good officers out there to follow this example. Have your
Deputies in place and trained. Use them, delegate some of the load,
and if you feel the heat has become too much...step down BEFORE it
eats your life away. And before the Office suffers from your lack of
attention.

>Automatic safeguards are useful.


Yes they are, my good kinsman, Daniel... Self evaluation is useful as
well...
As are rigorously enforced rules and peer review...

>Daniel de Lincolia


Kief av Kiersted...

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