From: mittle@watson.ibm.com (Josh Mittleman)
Subject: Re: Heraldic questions...
Date: Wed, 16 Dec 1992 19:10:12 GMT
Disclaimer: This posting represents the poster's views, not necessarily those of IBM
Organization: IBM T.J. Watson Research Center

Greetings from Arval!  Someone wrote to Carolus:

> ...if you really mean it, why don't you do something productive?  People
> like Kwellend and Arval, who are among the many people actively trying to
> fix the problems with the CoA, have the same complaints you do.  So do aa
> number of the members of the BoD.  Unlike you, however, they're doing
> something besides bitching.  At the least, why don't you compose a letter
> and send it to Laurel and Dave Thewlis (the BoD ombudsman for heraldry.)
> That way you will have at least managed to send your thoughts to someone
> who will try and make a difference, even if you won't.

Carolus replied:

> Well, now we get to the meat of the matter, don't we? I'm not a
> herald, nor will I *ever* invest the time needed to seriously
> participate inthe college. To you, this appears to mean I 
> should shut up and eat my lima beans.

Carolus, that is unworthy of you.  You know very well that is not what was
suggested.  A dissatisfied customer in ANY market has to complain to the
appropriate people if he expects anything to change.  One of the major
obstacles standing in the way of fundamental change in the College of Arms
(as elsewhere in the SCA) is that there is not sufficient evidence that a
large number of people really are dissatisfied.  The Board and its officers
are not going to make radical changes based on informal commentary, and it
is long-standing (though sometimes ignored) Board policy not to act without
a request from below.  If you think there is a problem and if you want
something to change, then you have to express your opinion to someone in
position to do something about it.  And that (and only that) is exactly
what was suggested to you in the quoted passage above.

> 1) the BoD (brace yourselves) is an impediment to the SCA
>    and should be radically trimmed and concievably 
>    eliminated entirely.

And the only people with the authority to do that are the members of the
Board.  So, if you want it to happen you'd better be prepared to work with
them.

> 2) I would rather speak to the populace than a bureaucrat,
>    which is what i do when I post here.

And what do you expect it to accomplish?  No amount of demagogic oratory
here or anywhere is going to make a difference unless someone puts it on
paper and sends it to the people empowered to make changes.

> 3) The ombudsman, if not already aware of these problems from any number
>    os sources..., certainly won't be swayed by *my* letter.

In fact, the truth is exactly the opposite: The Board tends to make
significant changes only when there is a large flow of complaint from the
general populace.  

Carolus, you have some good ideas and some very useful observations.
Please put them on paper and send them somewhere they will help make a
difference. 

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Arval Benicoeur                                       mittle@watson.ibm.com