Frankly, Mr Sir Orange, celebrated Minister of Art & Fisheries of what now commonly is called Orange County, was a bit uneasy when summoned for on appearance at the Royal Residence. He knew that visits to the Royal Residence could be quite a captivating experience. Once in you could only get out by the Royal Blessing.
When his name was called Mr Sir Orange proceeded from the antechamber to the entry of the throne room where a herald sounded out his name loud and then whispered: “Now walk to the throne with downcast eyes and sink on your knees before the Royal Elevation. (The Royal Elevation, dear readers, is a podium on which are placed the royal thrones). And Mr Sir Orange did so. After a long wait during which our hero increasingly felt uncomfortable he was relieved to hear a resounding voice, royal beyond doubt, say: “You may rise and be seated.”
Mr Sir Orange now sat on a low chair, a stool rather, from where he glanced upward to the thrones that were privileged to support the bodies of King Octopus and Queen Octopussy.
“Glad to have you here, dear fellow,” was the warm welcome by His Royal Highness (HRH in short), “please do feel at home. Have you come with your pussy cat or did you travel by yourself? In any case,” proceeded HRH without waiting for an answer, “that is not of importance as far as the matter at hand is concerned. As King of the Land I need to keep tabs on what is happening. And, as you can see, I have many instruments to do so,” said the King skillfully manipulating his manifold arms. (By the way 1: Readers, to refer to the King’s arms as tentacles was a sure way to get into deep trouble! By the way 2: the King was an internationally celebrated pianist – the only one in the world who could simultaneously play Johan Sebastian Bach’s fourth and fifths piano concertos – using two piano’s of course!). The King proceeded to say:
“Some disquieting news has come to us. Only hearsay of course, probably just gossip, but nevertheless worthy of some elaboration. Word has it that you have signed the draft New Protocol for the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination. Is that true?"
“True, Sire,” responded Mr Sir Orange, “I did so as a member of the TC, Orange County Chapter. We were the first to have our draft ready.”
“And what is next?” inquired the King.
“When we have the drafts in from the other regions we shall assembly and integrate these individual drafts into a unified document that can be applied to the entire country by the principle of regional variation.”
“Do you mean,” postulated the King in a stern voice, “that this proposed new national instrument that is to abolish all forms of discrimination does not apply in the same manner to all my subjects but is to be applied to them according to their residence or tribal appellation?”
“Indeed Your Highness, your insight is astounding and penetrating. We, the TC, believe that this approach is the only manner to uphold both the principle of national unity and regional diversity.”
“Elaborate!” ordered the King.
“Well,” Mr Sir Orange started out, “Our country is not only great but also quite varied in its population. Our peoples all have a history and culture unique to each and we need to respect these. At the same time there is need for communality, common law and common values. Let me give an example. Northeners like eating monkeys. Under the new legislation they can do so, but only in their own territory. It is a case, so to speak, of restricted freedom, for the sake of a higher good, that of national unity.
“Would it be correct to say,” queried the King, “that you propose to decentralize the issue of discrimination; and if that is the case, what is unifying about that?
“The measure is unifying, Sire,” replied Mr Sir Orange, “in that it applies to all of your subjects, irrespective of their origins or location. Moreover, Sire, this instrument only is to enhance the role you play in this great nation by highlighting the need for You and Your Office as symbol and instrument of national unity.”
“I know you are a clever cat,” responded the King in an ambiguous voice. HRH found it hard to counter the last argument and had a lingering suspicion that there might be a Hidden Agenda he had not managed to unearth. He resolved: “I’ll withhold judgment till the time when I have the final consolidated draft document. And do keep it simple, will you? Even with all of my arms there is a limit to what I can grasp!”
When his name was called Mr Sir Orange proceeded from the antechamber to the entry of the throne room where a herald sounded out his name loud and then whispered: “Now walk to the throne with downcast eyes and sink on your knees before the Royal Elevation. (The Royal Elevation, dear readers, is a podium on which are placed the royal thrones). And Mr Sir Orange did so. After a long wait during which our hero increasingly felt uncomfortable he was relieved to hear a resounding voice, royal beyond doubt, say: “You may rise and be seated.”
Mr Sir Orange now sat on a low chair, a stool rather, from where he glanced upward to the thrones that were privileged to support the bodies of King Octopus and Queen Octopussy.
“Glad to have you here, dear fellow,” was the warm welcome by His Royal Highness (HRH in short), “please do feel at home. Have you come with your pussy cat or did you travel by yourself? In any case,” proceeded HRH without waiting for an answer, “that is not of importance as far as the matter at hand is concerned. As King of the Land I need to keep tabs on what is happening. And, as you can see, I have many instruments to do so,” said the King skillfully manipulating his manifold arms. (By the way 1: Readers, to refer to the King’s arms as tentacles was a sure way to get into deep trouble! By the way 2: the King was an internationally celebrated pianist – the only one in the world who could simultaneously play Johan Sebastian Bach’s fourth and fifths piano concertos – using two piano’s of course!). The King proceeded to say:
“Some disquieting news has come to us. Only hearsay of course, probably just gossip, but nevertheless worthy of some elaboration. Word has it that you have signed the draft New Protocol for the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination. Is that true?"
“True, Sire,” responded Mr Sir Orange, “I did so as a member of the TC, Orange County Chapter. We were the first to have our draft ready.”
“And what is next?” inquired the King.
“When we have the drafts in from the other regions we shall assembly and integrate these individual drafts into a unified document that can be applied to the entire country by the principle of regional variation.”
“Do you mean,” postulated the King in a stern voice, “that this proposed new national instrument that is to abolish all forms of discrimination does not apply in the same manner to all my subjects but is to be applied to them according to their residence or tribal appellation?”
“Indeed Your Highness, your insight is astounding and penetrating. We, the TC, believe that this approach is the only manner to uphold both the principle of national unity and regional diversity.”
“Elaborate!” ordered the King.
“Well,” Mr Sir Orange started out, “Our country is not only great but also quite varied in its population. Our peoples all have a history and culture unique to each and we need to respect these. At the same time there is need for communality, common law and common values. Let me give an example. Northeners like eating monkeys. Under the new legislation they can do so, but only in their own territory. It is a case, so to speak, of restricted freedom, for the sake of a higher good, that of national unity.
“Would it be correct to say,” queried the King, “that you propose to decentralize the issue of discrimination; and if that is the case, what is unifying about that?
“The measure is unifying, Sire,” replied Mr Sir Orange, “in that it applies to all of your subjects, irrespective of their origins or location. Moreover, Sire, this instrument only is to enhance the role you play in this great nation by highlighting the need for You and Your Office as symbol and instrument of national unity.”
“I know you are a clever cat,” responded the King in an ambiguous voice. HRH found it hard to counter the last argument and had a lingering suspicion that there might be a Hidden Agenda he had not managed to unearth. He resolved: “I’ll withhold judgment till the time when I have the final consolidated draft document. And do keep it simple, will you? Even with all of my arms there is a limit to what I can grasp!”
