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Below are the 8 most recent journal entries recorded inSociety of Mars Information Exchange's LiveJournal:

Sunday, January 16th, 2005
_4:42 pm_[iarwain]	I'll get some ythings started with a couple things....First, if anyone wants one, I am having Cafe Press print out (on-demand) dead tree hard copies of Pallas Armata: http://www.cafepress.com/iarwainThe best online copy of it is here: http://www.plumes.org/manuals/PallasArmata/PA-title.htmlHappy reading!Second, here's the essay I recently wrote on honor:( Essay cut for space...Collapse ) (Comment on this)
_3:43 am_[dwerenat]	A Personal Code of Honor A Personal Code of Honor by Natalie Daniels, Councilmember: Society of Mars Honor, by its classical definition, consists of three primary components; at least where it applies to the warrior. These are Obligation, Justice, and Courage. Secondary components of courtesy, honesty, fairness and consistency must also be considered. "Obligation is the root of warrior honor. So said Forrest Morgan in his book, ‘Living the Martial Way’. Meeting one’s obligations is the principle part of what make a warrior honorable." Not just financial or filial, but all of the obligations of everyday life. Obligation is in short the warriors bond and his currency. Support is exchanged for loyalty and so on. That is the ideal. The reality of the issue is that obligation is not always clear. The warrior must weigh obligation against the situation in which it is offered. This is how the justice of an obligation is measured. In my opinion, sometimes the obligation is to ones self. In this case the warrior must simply strive for personal excellence, thus, at least his most personal obligation is met. The rest is sure to follow with hard work. In conclusion obligation encompasses every exchangeable commodity, concrete or otherwise that one encounters in life, and it is up to the obliged to set their precedence. Justice is the second component. Act rightly. It is the implied ‘right’ or ‘wrong’ of an act performed. It is the duty of the warrior to determine: 1. Is the act I am to perform just, or am I about commit an injustice? 2. Am I committing this deed for the right reasons? Is justice being served? It is the warrior’s responsibility to determine the integrity of a potential master. The warrior must never allow him or herself to become obligated to an unjust person or entity. Doing this as a matter of course will help the warrior to avoid battles of conscience. Easier said than done, I’ll admit. Even a deed performed for the right reasons can be evil if it serves to create an injustice. An evil deed done for the sake of good is no less evil and the doer must live with the consequences, legal or otherwise. An example follows. The duel is a custom among many warrior cultures. Most people would assume that a duel is fought for Honor. It is simply not true. A duel is fought to save Face. A true warrior knows the difference and will be the first to tell you that Honor has nothing to do with it. "To see what is right and not to do it is to want of courage" Confucius Courage is the virtue most often associated with Honor. To risk life and limb in just service is the warrior’s reason for living. Courage is absolutely essential to a warrior’s life and a pivotal component of honor. Life’s little problems demand the courage to face them responsibly. Courtesy is a vastly underrated virtue these days. Simply put, a bully is no match for a potential victim that refuses to be ruffled. Manners can cut deeper than the sharpest sword. Honesty speaks for itself. Fairness in everyday life is the most unimpeachable way to fulfill an obligation. Consistency is often overlooked by people and shouldn’t be. A lack of instability in one’s dealings with others and consistent behavior will help build the people’s trust in a warrior as well as in a leader, and will build a leader’s trust in a warrior as well. (Comment on this)
Thursday, January 13th, 2005
_10:22 pm_[dwerenat]	Terror Tactics and the Ancient World (intro) When discussing unconventional means of war such as poisoning, sabotage, use of incendiaries, biological agents and the like, military historians will often refer to these and other means of terrorism as relatively recent developements in the evolution of warfare. Most historical treatments on the subject of unsavory means of war place its origins at or near the first world war. The common consensus is that terror tactics in war weren't engaged in by the ancients for the most part because of firmly entrenched codes of honor practiced by the warriors of antiquity. It is true that ancient cultures at least made a great show of condemming unconventional means of warfare as cowardice, but the reality is not so pretty. All of the great cultures of antiquity have resorted, in most cases many times, to the use of extremely barbaric means when it came to reaching their objectives, whatever they were. Poison arrows, poison fumes, flammable materials, booby traps, trained animals, insects, and even disease vectors were commonly employed throughout the ancient world. The truth of the matter is that contradicting military ideologies existed both in ethical codes and in written manuals on how to conduct warfare. Most ancient cultures, with the noteable exception of the Greeks who relied oupon an oral code of military ethics, had written codes of conduct regarding warfare and it seemed then as now these rules came to be stressed simply because of the myriad ways they were commonly ignored by the militaries that supposedly adhered to them. The Greeks, like the others, found ethics easy to ignore where strategic nescessity reared its ugly head. I'll be touching on this subject repeatedly over time in various ways by documenting various historical incidents as they relate to the subject matter. Any suggestions, comments or input is welcome. This entry is simply a heads up. There's a lot coming. Current Mood: busy (Comment on this)
_3:25 am_[killsuave_kitty]	Ninjas?!? This may entertain you. It is fighting, kinda,...okay not realy. But a little humor never kills.http://www.realultimatepower.net/index3.htmCurrent Mood: ditzy (1 Comment |Comment on this)
_3:00 am_[killsuave_kitty]	Krav Magar An associate of mine informed me that there may be a Krav Magar course coming up. For those who don't know it is the form of martial arts that the Israeli special forces and riot units use. If I attend I would be willing to share info. Anyone interested? Current Mood: agressive learning (6 Comments |Comment on this)
Wednesday, January 12th, 2005
_4:24 am_[ursa_mater]	Help wanted. Am looking for someone who I can lean/practice holds & releases with (weapon side, from behind, etc). I don't know alot, what I do know I don't remember much of; and would like to find someone to spar with. Among other things, it would assist me with my job (Security, carrying OC spray). I thought maybe once every week or two I could come down south a ways if necess. I am not yet interrested in any particular style of martial art for this - just workable moves that could save my ass in case of DOV situations or disgruntled ex-employees. Anyone interested? I make a good crash-test dummy. (10 Comments |Comment on this)
Tuesday, January 11th, 2005
_10:45 pm_[dwerenat]	A reminder: Everyone who has wants to join this community has to join at the community information page. If you add the community to your friends list be sure you are actually "joining" the list and not just "watching" it. I can't correct the mistake from my end. When you join I'll get a notification by email. If you have any doubts regarding your status try posting, not commenting, posting. Current Mood: frustrated (3 Comments |Comment on this)
_12:07 am_[dwerenat]	And So It Begins... Hi all. I'd like to start the ball rolling by asking everyone to submit some beginning subjects for discussion. In a short time I'll be posting the Society's new charter for input, editing, and revisions. Any suggestions you have will be greatly appreciated. Current Mood: accomplished (7 Comments |Comment on this)