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For Want of a Nail
Edited for humorLady Condoleezza on the battle of the Saracens. Many view Lady Condoleezzaâs testimony as a palace response to Richard the Clerk, who testified before the commission last week. The clerk maintains he warned the king about the nail. He recalled vividly going to His Highness with his hair on fire, lit by a Moor hiding behind a tapestry. Richard has served many kings, and developed a reputation for being able to spot a goblin in every woodpile, as the saying goes. While Richard has asserted he had consistently worked to secure the realm throughout his career, others have pointed out that the Saracens had slowly encroached on the Kingdom on his watch. During the reign of bawdy King William, periodic enemy attacks were met with scattered flights of arrows, to no discernible effect. The response plan Richard submitted shortly after King Georgeâs coronation â which called for "bigger arrows" â was dismissed as inadequate. Richard was not in the hearing room during Lady Condoleezzaâs testimony, but stood outside, hawking pamphlets to the crowd of spectators, performing minor feats of acrobatics, and juggling. His Royal Highnessâ defenders on the commission point out that since the initial battle the realm has been secure from Saracen attack, and the Khedive and his forces are disorganized and in retreat. But critics contend that this is not relevant to their investigation. They want to know why the king did not respond to the clear and conclusive prognostications that something could possibly happen. "Augury suggested bad humors," Ben-Veniste said. "There was increased chatter amongst the seers. Throughout the realm there was a vague sense of expectation. A crow alighted on the west tower in the moonlight. Given all this, if they didnât know about the nail, they should have." Commission Chairman Kean was less adversarial. "Our charter is not to fix blame. It is to make sure nail loss of this magnitude never happens again." Nevertheless, he did not rule out a follow-on Star Chamber proceeding. RTWT, as they say Posted by: mojo 2004-04-09 |
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