[Artemisia] Oct BoD Meeting Report

[Dr. C. M. Helm-Clark]

> Greetings Maximillian -
> There are some of us out here who do have a great deal of details.  I 
> would
> suggest that anyone who wants to know more contact Ibrahim or Dahoud
> privately.  I would also suggest that any talk of "awards being given 
> out
> inappropriately" not happen when details are not known.
> I know that I can speak for at least 3 of the Peers of Sentinel's Keep
> (having just returned from lunch with them) who think the action of 
> the BoD
> is incredibly wrong.
> My heartfelt sympathy to Brahim and his past queen for the BoDs 
> decision.
> Gefjon

> I would ask you to consider the wisdom of making your feelings public.
>  I hope you will have the courtesy to not make things worse for Brahim.
> Speaking on my own without consulting anyone,
> Thea

Thea, I can sympathize with your position, but frankly, how could things
possibly get any worse for Ibrahim?  I think the worst has already 
happened!
What else can they do to him beyond the crap that has already been 
dumped
on him and his Queen.  Seriously, what can they do, yank his peerage?  
Nope,
not likely.  Read Outlands law and Corpora and it will be clear that 
other than
the ongoing smearing of his good name, the perpetrators of this 
unfortunate
affair have blown their wad.

Sometimes it is wisest to let sleeping dogs lie.  Unfortunately, when 
crap
like this happens, it is very hard to prevent the rumors from bouncing 
off the wall
and multiplying across various mailing lists.  The President's Reports  
of BoD
meetings and BoD minutes are somewhat  like microsoft windows 
documentation:
they tell you exact factual information about a situation without 
explaining anything
useful whatsoever.  And in this case, the way the 2 paragraphs in the 
meeting
report were written is going to guarantee a discussion of this matter 
and its
aftermath across the many amails lists of the SCA. It think it will be 
best to get
the rehash done and over with here since its spread will not likely be 
preventable.
The best way to insure gossip spreads is to try to prevent it from 
spreading.  Open
and frank discussion on a factual basis is the only mitigation short of 
censurship.

Personally, I would feel reluctant to impose on either Ibrahim or his 
brother
for whom these matters have likely become old, unwelcome and painful. 
And
regardless of anyone's good intensions, the way the BoD meeting report 
blurb
was written just about guarantees this is going to blow up all over 
again. But
on this list, since we have already dredged the dregs of these matters 
just a
few months ago, for those new to the what happened or for those who 
weren't
paying attention or have forgotten, might I recommend you read the past 
posts
on these matters starting with:

http://lists.gallowglass.org/pipermail/artemisia/2005-August/003526.html

and then click through the posts from August using the "next message"
feature of the Aerie archives.  Once you have read all that, you will 
understand
just what the President's Report on the Oct BoD meeting is referring 
to.  If you
read the archives, perhaps we can avoid rehashing all the details a 
second time.
since what's germane right now is the wording of the BoD meeting 
report, not
the old details which can be found and easily reviewed in the Aerie 
archives.

It is unfortunate that the kingdom involved was not named since now 
that item in
the Oct BoD meeting report is going to flash in the veritable pan of 
knowne
world-wide gossip in a scandal-mongering and stir-the-muck fashion.
Obscuring information this way in the meeting reports and minutes of the
BoD only guarantees a greater spread of undesirable repeating of a 
painful
and unhappy state of affairs by creating curiosity by omitting the 
barebones
of time and place while waxing unwisely about the value of traditions.

Stuff like this makes me very nostalgic for the days of Hilary, whose
BoD meeting reports stifled rather than promoted this sort of re-airing 
of
unhappy affairs by everyone and their brother throughout all the 
kingdoms.

I read the "non-result" decision of the BoD this morning with 
consternation,
thinking it would have been better to merely state it was not the BoD's
place to make rulings on kingdom traditions however unhappy and
regretful the original incident was and then left it at that.  That is 
the sum
of the BoD's juristiction on these sorts of matter. To have extended 
the state-
ment about the place of any Crown with respect to 
non-kingdom-law-codified
"traditions" was inappropriate at the least - and besides, it's already 
implicit
in "Corpora" (technically they should really be called the SCA 
Organization
Documents, of which Corpora makes up about a third).  After all, I have
always thought the most important of all traditions anywhere was that 
the
King's word is law.

(except in the East where the Curia must vote on it and then it needs 
to be
published in the Pikestaff to be commented on by the populace for 6 
months
before confirmation and then...)

the gaff about the East is actually from the East kingdom lightbulb 
joke:
how many easterners does it take to change a lightbulb, blah blah 
blah....?
Answer: well first it must be read in court by the Crown and then voted
upon by the curia afterwhich the lightbulb change must be published 
for...."

So I guess there should be a new lightbulb joke:

q: how many outland kings does it take to change a lightbulb?
a: hey, he can't change that light bulb! That lightbulb's a tradition!

Like MEOW.
Where the *bleep* did I put that 6 pack of mice?
anyone got cream?

Maybe it's time to write some new verses to "Imperium Compound," one
for each BoD member?

ttfn
Therasia