Posted 31 July 2014 - 9:01pm by Thomas Bates
Edict #23
“This guy’s walking down a street when he falls in a hole. The walls are so steep, he can’t get out. A doctor passes by, and the guy shouts up, “Hey you, can you help me out?” The doctor writes a prescription, throws it down in the hole and moves on. Then a priest comes along, and the guy shouts up “Father, I’m down in this hole, can you help me out?” The priest writes out a prayer, throws it down in the hole and moves on. Then a friend walks by. “Hey Joe, it’s me, can you help me out?” And the friend jumps in the hole. Our guy says, “Are you stupid? Now we’re both down here.” The friend says, “Yeah, but I’ve been down here before, and I know the way out.”” - Leo Thomas McGarry, Noël (s2.e10, The West Wing).
Throughout my time in STF, I have seen many things. So much that, sometimes, I wonder how STF has existed for twenty three years without the members ripping each other’s throats out.
In the three years and forty-nine weeks that I’ve been here as I sit and write this, a great deal has happened. We saw our first ever impeachment investigation, a President resigned after we discovered crimes he had committed, Fleet Commanders have been fired, ships have been cut, fleets have been merged, ancient members formerlly of note have departed. We’ve started sweeping changes to STF’s web presense by initiating Genesis, and we’ve created what I consider the single best project the club has undertaken in a great many years - X-Fleet.
Several people were at the heart of all of these events (including me, with the exception of the X-Fleet Creation). This person has become an architect for club progress, and I’m sure will continue to shape it for many years to come.
Joe P has been an extremely close advisor and confidant throughout my entire membership in STF (and my closest friend here). I have vented moments of pure rage at him, moments of utter depression, musings of the Final End. …Then I also shared some STF stuff. Over the last two years especially, we have cooperated in an extremely close manner to do what we considered was the best for the club. Even when we disagree, we have debated intelligently and either changed our views, or agreed to disagree.
Some people have noticed that Joe is everywhere. This term, he was the Supervisor of Experiments, Assistant Internet Director, Librarian, Academy Commandant, Captain of the Europa, EGO-member, Election Coordinator, and (not in any measure least of all) a very close advisor to Kat and I. In many ways, he’s been the Leo McGarry to Kat and I’s Jed Bartlet (Kat is far too good a Vice President to be compared to John Hoynes or Robert Russel).
Along with all of his “Government” jobs, Joe has continuously been a fantastic Captain aboard the USS Europa, one of the club’s only fast-paced ships.
For all of these efforts, Joe receives very little recognition. There is, from time to time, a gentle nod of appreciation from the club, such as the recent STF Award he won for his work as SoX.
It is unusual for someone to be promoted up the ladder so fast. Joe was promoted to the rank of Fleet Captain by Lindsay Bayes in 2012, just two years ago. Joe and I both joined (in the same week, if I recall correctly) in 2010, and inside of four years, we’ve both been President. It’s very odd, to me, that such a feat is possible in this club.
I have pondered for the entirety of the month whether to do what I’m about to do. On one hand, some would argue that being promoted too fast would devalue the given ranks. On the other, I don’t think anyone would argue that extraordinary effort is deserving of extraordinary recognition. So let it be clear, for future Presidents pondering promoting someone very quickly: this is unusual, because the recipient is Extraordinary. Another factor is that Joe is one of my best friends - and I would not be Here without him. There are worse reasons to recognize someone for the good they do.
Fleet Captain Joe P is hereby promoted to the rank of Commodore.
Joe, thank you for everything you’ve done for the club, and for me. I fear that no one will ever no the full measure of your contributions.
-Thomas Bates