[MR] Laws/Rules & pesky 10% - was "furry friends"

[sigrune at aol.com]

Gorm of Berra posted:

>>...As lovely as that would be...let me give you my point of view
>>as the Seneschal of a group that chooses to ban animals from
>>most of our events because of previous issues...

>>...We found out when the dog's barking disturbed the next
>>camp over...

>>...the camp in question denied the dog's existence,
>>until directly confronted with "We know it's here, the
>>Option is to come clean, or all of you go home now"...

>>...however, to be blunt, it is a case of the 10% ruining it for
>>the other 90%, like most of the restrictive rules in the SCA are.

Please humor me a moment, tis my birthday and am feeling mischevious.

The first excerpt is concerning when the SCA group decides to ban 
animals
as opposed to it being a requirement of the site or the site 
negotiations.

The second excerpt... Umm were not barking dogs period?

The third and fourth excerpts do detail the root of what I wish to 
address
The growing tendancy for us as a modern group to create rules and codes
to elimanate the chance of specific incidences which are not overly 
common.

We are supposed to be emulating the noblility and the virtues that 
accompany it.
Even with these restictive rules put in place because some people 
didn't get a clue,
these rules exclude other responsible persons...  In this particular 
case, the rule that
was in place failed to prevent that pesky 10% (as often does) and 
resulted in an
intervention by the authority.

Instead of comming up with restrictive rules as this, why not enforce 
the idea of
personal responsibility.  After all if I act inappropriately I may be 
kicked off a site, I
may be subject to modern law, or Society sanction/penalty...  But 
rarely used and
implimented now is the historic power we emulate, we have royalty to 
turn to.
Courts historically were more than award ceremonies, courts were 
offical meetings
of business, law, politics...

All I ask is prior to implimenting a rule, why not consider 
implimenting a standard
and expecting people to hold to it?  And if they do not, utilize what 
we aer trying to
recreate?

Thank you for your patience in this rant.

-Takeda