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<DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2>Oh and please lay off the people who are trying to
help us prepare for if the BoD dissolves us. It's like blaming World War 3
on the guy letting us use his bomb shelter. Silly, mean, and
rude.</FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2></FONT> </DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2>Gerrold</FONT></DIV>
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<DIV style="FONT: 10pt arial">----- Original Message ----- </DIV>
<DIV
style="BACKGROUND: #e4e4e4; FONT: 10pt arial; font-color: black"><B>From:</B>
<A title=drachenhohle@suddenlink.net
href="mailto:drachenhohle@suddenlink.net">Chris England</A> </DIV>
<DIV style="FONT: 10pt arial"><B>To:</B> <A title=western@lists.ansteorra.org
href="mailto:western@lists.ansteorra.org">Western Region of Ansteorra - SCA,
Inc.</A> </DIV>
<DIV style="FONT: 10pt arial"><B>Sent:</B> Tuesday, March 18, 2008 9:38
AM</DIV>
<DIV style="FONT: 10pt arial"><B>Subject:</B> [Western] Our Situation - it's
long.</DIV>
<DIV><BR></DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2>I haven't commented on this out in a public forum
yet so here's my two cents on it.</FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2></FONT> </DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2>When I was told about this I was taken outside
and told from a range of ten feet and reluctantly. With good
reason. I raged. I screamed. I cried. I cursed my
enemies (real and imagined), total strangers, and dear friends with the same
vile tongue. I composed an elaborate conspiriracy theory involving
crowns, great officers, blackmail, revenge, cowardice, and cast of
hundreds. A little to much bureacracy for Shakespeare but a
compelling plot nonetheless, best told at night with dramatic lighting(hot
cocoa optional). Like all such theories it was compelling, lined up
with all known facts, made sense with the personalities involved,
and couldn't be proved or disproved either way.</FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2></FONT> </DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2>So other than some emotional catharsis and a
basis for a bard piece what did I accomplish? Nothing. Nothing
wasn't going to do anyone any good. I may have felt better but was that
going to fix anything? Was pointing at whoever I blamed this week and
calling them a Son of a Bit** going to save Blacklake, the other groups,
the west? No.</FONT></DIV>
<DIV> </DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2>No one feels good about this. No one
should. No one that I have met, talked to, corresponded with, or
discussed with likes what is happening. No One. That is the fact
of the matter. I won't say that someone somewhere isn't doing a happy
dance. Human nature allows for serial killers and child molesters so
there may be someone who is happy about whats going on, but if there is I dont
know them. So stop the blame game please. It's not accomplishing a
damn thing but making everyone more angry and bitter. When bad things
happen those that survive it feel guilty. Ask a shrink and they will
tell you all about it. They will also tell you about the tendency of
those that are victims to lash out at those that are not. 'What makes
you better than me? Why me? You must be part of it!' I
believe it's called Transference. In period we would be burning people
at the stake or hanging them for being witches and making a pact with the
devil so that evil things wouldn't happen them but to everyone else.
Instead we spread rumor and write nasty emails. Flame them on the
internet instead of at the stake. A fine distinction worthy of the SCA,
modern materials for a period activity.</FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2></FONT> </DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2>Pug isn't the devil. Nor is Ulsted, Aaron,
Julia, Chaing, Kainin, Gavin, the shire of Trelac, the Barony of Bonwicke, the
Great Officers of State, prominent members of other shires in the
west, or anyone that wants the money from Gothic. Or me. I'm
sweet, cuddly, and generally well loved.</FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2></FONT> </DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2>So where does that leave us? Well it leaves
me without a villain for my bardic, but besides that it leaves all of us
in the same place. Work the problem. </FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2></FONT> </DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2>Everyone involved screwed up to some extent and
now we need to fix those mistakes. Everyone get up and move. If
one of the problems is how we are doing the paperwork call the
regional/kingdom officers and get a time you can sit down in person or over
the phone and go over every line. You may think they are putting to much
emphasis on that but get real. This is a kingdom that covers more
inhabited landmass than almost any other(I believe it's the third) and
has about 5000 people playing at any given time. Those reports are all
they have to go on in some cases. To think that they can run it in the
same casual way we run our local groups is wrong, bordering on stupid.
Go hold a kingdom office if you don't believe me. That difficulty goes
up by an order of magnitude at the corporate level. The paperwork isn't
more important than the people. At that level it almost IS the
people. Thats unfortunate but it's what has to be. Don't like it?
Join the BoD and then go get to know every single person in the SCA.
I'll wait.</FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2></FONT> </DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2>Let me also say this. I-20 is a two way
street. There's some construction around Eastland but it's not
bad. No more complaining about none of them coming out here till we get
out there more. BTW I'm going to Squires and Cadets and Steppes Warlord
in May if someone wants a ride.</FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2></FONT> </DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2>Do some demos. Population is a big concern
and one demo a year isn't going to cut it. We should also talk to
everyone that comes up and call those who are interested, dont wait for them
to call you.</FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2></FONT> </DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2>In April the BoD is meeting in Dallas. We
are on the agenda and will have time to speak with them. Show up.
Show up in hope. Show up willing to roll up your sleeves and work for
what you love. Show up in humility knowing that we did make mistakes
(and we did, deal with it). Show up proud in that no matter what happens
we will continue to be who we are and can overcome whatever comes our
way. Show up and be counted as one people willing to do whatever is
needed to convince them that we should exist. Again, I'll be there, let
me know if you need a ride. Oh and if you're going to rant, rave and
call people names, do us all a favor and stay home. Makes torches to
run through the streets and wave in the air. It's period and at
least we'll have some torches.</FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2></FONT> </DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2>Gerrold Von Drachenhohle</FONT></DIV>
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