From: albion@castle.ed.ac.uk (D J B Hunter)
Newsgroups: rec.org.sca
Subject: Re: Drachenwald to be kingdom
Date: 22 Aug 92 18:08:31 GMT
Organization: Edinburgh University

Arval wrote:
>> At Great Court, the Prince and Princess of Drachenwald presented their
>> petition for kingdom status.  It was met with universal acclaim.  The
>> current plan calls for Drachenwald to be the 13th kingdom by Pennsic
>> XXII. 
>
>> At this news, Eastern Great Officers were seen to roll in the aisles with
>> glee, giggling hysterically.

As a resident of Drachenwald who has some reservations about the wisdom
of becoming a kingdom within the next year, I found this comment by
Arval saddening. I knew that the East was generally in favour of the
idea, but I hadn't realised that they were so keen to be rid of us that
the very thought fills them with glee. Obviously we've been a lot of bother
to them:

>Arval:
>Some people seem to have overlooked the word "glee", and concluded that the
>Eastern officers might not be in favor of this separation.  Perish the
>thought; they are in unanimous support.  There is no officer I've ever met
>who would hesitate to leap at the prospect of reducing his workload and
>phone bill by 30%.

On the other, hand in a reply to Bertram, Arval writes
>For years, the Eastern officers have done little more than offer advice
>and rubberstamp Drachenwald's own decisions.

If this was the case then it would hardly be 30% of the workload, would
it? I am surprised that Arval thinks it the case when for the past 2
years heraldry from Drachenwald residents has been sent straight to the
East Kingdom because the Principality heraldry was disfunctional
(this situation has now been resolved, but only very recently). 

The fact that Drachenwald is distant, and hence necessarily more
independent, does not mean that it is ready to be a Kingdom. That it
should be, ultimately, moving toward Kingdom, seems obvious: the same
applies to Lochac as a geographically and nationally distinct group. But
unlike Lochac, the majority of peers and officers here are US citizens
who joined the SCA in the US, not in Drachenwald; unlike Lochac there is
not yet a registry (fortunately one is being set up at last) so
memberships can't be paid in local currency, and no newsletter
accompanies membership; unlike Lochac, coronet tourneys average 5-10
entrants; unlike Lochac there is no traditional 'major' event of the 
year that attracts the whole population...

Perhaps these constitute a few concrete reasons why Drachenwald is not
ready to be a Kingdom _yet_? At the moment it looks like it will happen
anyway, although until the poll has been taken we don't know if "most
of the Drachenwalder want it" (quoting Arval again) because we haven't 
been asked yet. And it may well be a success - certainly I wish it so!
But the fact that the East don't want us to be their Principality
any more doesn't strike me as the best argument in its favour. 
Rather than being delighted to have done with us, a more appropriate 
emotion of the Eastern officers would be parental pride that a child
had now grown strong enough to leave their care.

yours in service,

Caitlin de Courcy
From: Tim@f4229.n124.z1.fidonet.org (Tim)
Sender: FredGate@ocitor.fidonet