SR - the last Word

[Brent & Susan Rachel]

Lee & Sosha wrote:

> Greetings;
>         I am making this my last post to the issue of the ballot
> results.

Before I write ANYTHING further, let me say that I am cool with this decision
because it is Sosha's decision to make.  I do not agree with it, but admit her
right to make it.  I don't think that her making it makes her a bad person in
any way.  All of this is to say, "this is not personal."  That being said:

> (Thank you, Pug, for indulging me)  Isobel, no one is calling any one a
> liar.  I wrote the facts that I sent snail mail to both Nara and
> Dominique respectively.  They did not receive it.  There is nothing more
> to say on that.

Might I suggest "return receipt requested" for all further such important
correspondence.  It is necessary for an officer to ensure that their policies
are actually received before there can be any expectation that subordinate
parties enforce them.

>         I have read the posting that I should have called the groups
> when the
> mail for the ballots did not come in.  I disagree with this vehemently.
> The seneschal's job is to keep a group running smoothly, by following
> rules and doing mediation.

You cannot ensure that the region will be properly administered unless you know
that all your administrators know your policies.

I have documented acknowledgment from all of my Regional Rapier Marshals that
they are aware of what is due to me and when it is due.  That is the only way I
can actually know that they know what I expect of them.  This goes for special
projects , as well as regular reporting.., I never assign a project without
getting documentable acknowledgment from that marshal that they know how and
when to report/respond.  If one of my Marshals failed to report, I would feel
remiss if I did not give them a call (or an email.., **something to which they
can respond**) and ask "What's up?"  Because of this I have discovered a couple
of times when there were legitimate delivery problems, and the Marshal was
unaware that his report was lost in the void.  Had I simply *assumed* that they
received my directions and that their failure to respond was apathy or
negligence, then I would be doing a grave disservice to the PEOPLE who hold my
subordinate offices.

> In business, it is not the shippers
> responsibility to call the receiver to make sure a package has arrived.
> This burden falls upon the receiver to complain, saying "I did not get
> A.  Please find out where it is and how soon it will be here."

Ahh, but the person who ordered the package **knows that it should be
arriving.**  If you had no idea that the package was on the way.., you didn't
order it..., how can you take action when it's late?  HOW would you even KNOW if
its late, if you're not even expecting it?

> Messages, both e-mail and snail mail were sent out on this reballoting
> concern.  This was not a surprise vote.

Was there response to either from Bjornsborg?  If there was e-mail response
((NOT post on SR, etc.., but actual e-mail response, person to person)) then my
entire concern is moot.  However, if you received no such response, I am
troubled by your assertion that Bjornsborg was aware of the balloting deadline.

> Had I known from Bjornsborg
> that the packets had not arrived I would have done two things.  A)
> Resent the packets and confirming the address and B) Extending (with
> gritted teeth) the dead line.  This was not the case.

Did Bjornsborg documentably know?  If not, then your assertion is logically
flawed.  If so, then tough nuggies on Bjornsborg, we'll string Dominic up later.

>  I feel that the
> only other thing that would have made some happy was if I had gone to
> each and every person with pen and a ballot going "Have you voted?
> Here, please use this."  Sorry, that just wasn't going to happen.

I feel that on this point you are absolutely right!  I feel that your
responsibility ends at taking the necessary steps to ensure that ballots were
present at at least one populace meeting of each group in question.., AFTER
announcement of that balloting had been made at the meeting before it, or in
that group's newsletter, so that folks could know to take extra pains to make
that particular meeting.  That's as easy as I feel it needs to be made, in my
opinion.

However, I am not sure that this situation meets this criteria in the case of
Bjornsborg.

>         The name, Campoleone, has already been sent up to Crown.  There
> will be
> no further voting on this issue.

No further OFFICIAL voting.  There is nothing, at all, to keep the Populace of
Bjornsborg from submitting our own informal petition to the Crown.  Every member
of the populace of the Kingdom, individually and severally, has the right to
petition the Crown directly regarding bestowal of honors (among other things.)
The official balloting having gone up, we may petition the Crown to take our
voices into consideration in support of or in opposition to the honor of having
a name bestowed upon our region.

Further, if we feel that a procedural error has been made (as at least a few of
us do), we may formally appeal the matter to Sosha, and, in light of the fact
that she has already stated that she will not entertain any action on such an
appeal, directly to the Kingdom Seneschal, where our Baronial balloting could
very easily be merged with the existing "regional" figures to produce newer and
truer percentages.

> NordAnsteorra, was chosen because it was used by the herald's
> office
> and was already registered.  It had also become a symbol for northern
> Ansteorra as a whole.  If we, as a region, are falling apart over a
> NAME, this is a symptom of a far deeper issue.

I agree.  I hate the name Campoleone..., am not a fan of all this Lion jazz in
the first place.  I even question the actual devotion of all of the groups of
this region to each other right now.  BUT, my personal feelings aside, I do feel
that an administrative error was made, and should be formally addressed..., and
the situation created by that error corrected.

>         This is my last posting publicly.  All other posts sent to me,
> privately, will be responded to by Sunday 11/21/99.

As this was merely an opinion piece --written more to get this off my chest than
to engage Sosha in a dialogue-- I expect no response from Sosha. That's cool.

> Lady Sosha Lyon's O'Rourke
> Southern Regional Seneschal

Baron Kazimir Petrovich Pomeshanov
Kingdom Rapier Marshal



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