Post Archive
Region: Spiritus
Hey :)
I got your message and this seemd like a nice place to go.
So how does this game thing work.
Matrixulated, Eurotranrussialvanermany, The Imagisphere, Haidao Island, Superpig0, Aurenovia, Lorigia, Fecaw, Evilei, Hazzri, Nation Of Ecologists, Kurdislavic Algharbistan, Pankarpatia, Dengiland
Hey Dragonvalia =)
Welcome to the region.
My first advice for you is to join the forum. Or not. It's entirely up to you. Yet it's where we'll be doing our gov and stuff like that.
This game works like a political simulation only with a lot more community involved. In NS, it's the community that makes the game.
Pixelpark, Kacj, Eurotranrussialvanermany, Strawberries Are Not Berries, Itrosomia, Superpig0, Aurenovia, Hazzri
Sudowoodo! Sudowoodo!
Hello.
Superpig0
Umm... Welcome I guess... O.o
Isn't Sudowoodo a Pokemon?
Itrosomia, Superpig0
Yeah it is. I'm playing Pokemon out of boredom right now :P
Thanks for the advice Spirit. I'll consider joining the forum
Superpig0
Awesome. I'd love to see you there.
Itrosomia, Superpig0
New Nations: Welcome to Spiritus :)
Itrosomia, Superpig0
Welcome! Welcome!
Quick Quiestion: Howdcha manage to recruit nations to Spiritus?
Well some regions use the yahoo pipes recruitment tool.
What I use is a script that updates with a list of the most recently created nations every. Then I click the nation link and send a TG.
Haidao Island, Itrosomia, Superpig0
Welcome to all the new nations :)
Enjoy your stay :)
Itrosomia, Superpig0
Wow. There's so many new people here. This is great.
I forgot to give intros yesderday.
I'm Internally Stables. new to this thing after a friend showed be during lunch.
Looks pretty fun :)
Koznokora
It's really fun.
You should join the forum :)
Itrosomia, Superpig0
There's so many new people :)
But isn't a 30 nation goal too high :O
The Imagisphere, Superpig0
hello?
Welcome to Spiritus :)
Itrosomia, Superpig0
ok, thanks..
If you have any questions, feel free to ask.
The Welcome Telegram should have covered most of the basic things :)
Itrosomia, Superpig0
whats a forum all about?
Our offsite forum is where most of our government will be. Here is just like our chatboard. The offsite forum is where we will have our government, most of our discussions, and potentially a military.
Itrosomia, Superpig0
So wha type of gov are we havin. Or is there gonna be a vote or something?
Matrixulated
Well I'm pushing for a government with a strong executive system, a legislative branch, and a judicial branch. A bit like the US only made to fit NationStates, thus a very strong executive branch.
But it's what the region decides :)
Matrixulated, Itrosomia, Superpig0
Welcome to all of the new nations!
I've sent you all welcome telegrams.
Matrixulated, Itrosomia, Superpig0
Please think nothing of my corrupt and evil "republic" it's simply for a....project, however I will play the part of dictator while under this name, so heads up!
Matrixulated, Itrosomia
That's fine.
As you can see by our World Factbook Entry, we welcome everybody. Though you don't have to roleplay this game. Generally the Regional Message Board is just a chat area, but if we get enough people on the forum, we could start a nation Roleplay over there.
Matrixulated, Itrosomia, Superpig0
how do you make a military in this game? i thought you coudnt invade other nations?
Matrixulated
Newb checking in
Sif Nyre
@ Pawn Stars: read this: http://forum.nationstates.net/viewtopic.php?f=12&t=99173
It's not nation invasion, it's region invasion
@ Temple Servants. Welcome! I've sent you a Welcome Telegram
Itrosomia, Superpig0
I'm willing to write a constitution for this region to get it started. I've written the constitution for another larger region as well, so I'm confident in my ability. If you would like to propose any ideas, please let me know.
Drinkel, Zyann
Hello! I'm new and have no idea what I'm doing but this seemed like a nice place to move to, so here I am! :D
Drinkel, Principality Of Voree
@ Forbidden: Sure. Join the forum and we can talk!
@ Aquilonem. Welcome! I've sent you a welcome telegram
Itrosomia, Superpig0
Hey everyone it's a pleasure to meet you.
Welcome Adamaias :)
I've sent you a welcome telegram explaining the basics of Spiritus :)
Itrosomia, Superpig0
Um... thank you for inviting me
It was my pleasure. We always welcome new nations to Spiritus.
I've sent you a welcome telegram with the basics in it :)
Drinkel, Itrosomia, Superpig0
Post self-deleted by Forbidden In Heaven And Useless In Hell.
Thank you sir and welcome Cyrodilias
And reminding. If you want to be the World Assembly Delegate. Just join the WA and find someone to endorse you.
Until we have a government, that position is fair game :)
Zyann, Itrosomia, Superpig0
Is the WA Delegate granted executive powers? If so, may I kindly suggest you turn them off?
Hello all
Kacj
@ Forbidden: It's obviously off. This isn't my first nation you know xD. I've been here since 2008.
@ Osiena. Why hello there. How did you happen to find us?
Itrosomia, Superpig0
Sorry for asking :D
I just wanted to make sure.
I found you when you rejected Waldreich's embassy request.
How is Waldreich relevant O.o
You seem to have come from a non-related region.
Itrosomia, Superpig0
Post self-deleted by Osiena.
He runs the ISAF region
And he apparently just banned me
Ah. Understood.
Well welcome to the region :)
Feel free to join le forum.
Zyann, Itrosomia
I am proud to be an official citizen of this region.
Zyann
^this guy knows where it's at
Everyone should follow his example :P
Itrosomia
Howdy!
Itrosomia
Welcome to Spiritus!
I've sent you a Telegram with the basics
http://tinypaste.com/59ee1a0b
With the intent to create a democratic region that upholds the values of liberty, democracy, and justice, the people of the region of Spiritus have convened to establish this constitution. It shall serve as the absolute law of the region for all intents, constructs, and purposes.
Article I: The Regional Assembly
1. The legislative duties of Spiritus shall hereby be perpetually vested into the Regional Assmebly, which shall be a unicameral legislature.
2. The Regional Assmebly shall consist of one representative for every five citizens of the region who are elected on the fifteenth day of every month.
3. The representatives in the Regional Assmebly shall be elected using the first-past-the-post method of voting. In example, if there are five seats available in the Regional Assembly, the five candidates with the most votes take office.
4. If a vacancy has been created in the Regional Assembly for any reason, the President shall be required to issue a writ of election within five days of that vacancy being created. A special election for the vacant seat must be held within five days of a writ of election being made.
5. The Regional Assembly shall be presided over by the Vice-President, who shall organize its debates and procedure. He shall have no vote in the Regional Assembly
unless the total number of votes in favor and the total number of votes against are equal.
6. No person shall become a member of the Regional Assmebly who holds another public office in government, with the exception of positions created in the executive branch of government. Furthermore, no person shall become a member of the Regional Assmebly who is not a citizen of the region.
Article II: The President and Vice-President
1. The executive duties of Spirtus shall hereby be perpetually vested into the President and any other position in the executive branch that shall be made under his tenure.
2. The President shall be elected on the fifteenth day of fourth month.
3. The official method of electing the President shall be Instant-run off voting.
4. If a vacancy has been made in the office of the Presidency, the Vice-President shall assume all responsibilities of the Presidency until the former President has returned, or the next election has been conducted.
5. The Vice-President shall be nominated by the President and confirmed by the Regional Assmebly with a majority vote.
6. No person shall become President or Vice-President who holds another public office in government, with the exception of positions created in the executive branch of government. Furthermore, no person shall become President or Vice-President who is not a citizen of the region.
Article III: The official powers, duties, and responsibilities vested into the Regional Assembly
1. The Regional Assembly shall have the power, duty, and responsibility to pass bills, repeal previously passed bills, make amendments to the constitution, and any other activity that is deemed nessecary and required to perform the powers vested into it by the constitution.
2. The Regional Assembly must approve of all nominations to the executive branch made by the President with a simple majority vote.
3. The President may send a request to the Regional Assembly requesting that they declare war upon another region. In order for a declaration of war to be declared, two-thirds of the Regional Assembly must vote in favor.
4. The Regional Assembly shall have the power to create, maintain, and regulate a regional military with the purpose of protecting the region from all threats, foriegn and domestic.
5. The Regional Assembly must approve of all treaties, embassies, agreements with other regions by a simple majority vote.
6. The Regional Assembly shall have the power to create standards and rules regarding the process of attaining citizenship status in Spiritus. These standards and rules must be equally applied to all of those who apply for citizenship.
7. The Regional Assembly shall have the power to issue condemnations and commendations to other regions.
8. The Regional Assembly shall have the responsibility to draft a code of law, which shall outline all crimes and the resulting consequences of being found guilty of that crime. These laws must not be political in nature, be equally applied, and must conform to the Declaration of Rights.
9. The Regional Assembly shall have the power to set a location for casting votes in elections. These locations must be open and available to all who wish to vote, and most not discriminate based off any ideology, perceived or stated.
Article IV: The official powers, duties, and responsibilities vested into the President.
1. The President shall, from time to time, issue addresses to the citizens of the region and the Regional Assembly regarding the state of the region.
2. The President shall appoint cabinet members to assist him in his duties and management of the region, ambassadors to other regions with the purpose of furthering ties and friendly relations, and other positions in the executive with the purpose of helping him in the duties granted to him by this constitution.
3. The President shall have the power to issue writs of elections, as well as the power to issue executive orders with the consent and approval of Congress.
4. The President shall have the power to nominate a candidate for the position of Vice-President, who shall serve alongside the President for his full term.
5. The President shall be the commander-in-chief of the regional military, and lead it during times of war and peace.
6. The President shall have the power to veto bills presented to him by the Regional Assembly.
Article V: How a Bill becomes a Law
1. All bills must be proposed by a representative in the Regional Assembly, the Vice-President, the President, or a petition with 25% of citizens signing.
2. When the Regional Assembly has received a bill, they shall debate and discuss the merits of the bill, as well as making any amendments and edits to the bill they would like to make. The majority of the Regional Assembly must approve of the bill, and the Vice-President shall deliver it to the President within two days of its passage.
3. Once the President has received the bill from the Vice-President, he shall either choose to veto or sign the bill. If he shall sign it, then it shall become an operative law of the region. If he shall veto it, it will be returned to the Regional Assembly with his objections.
4. In the event of a veto, the Regional Assembly shall consider all objections made the President, and may overturn the veto of the President with a two-thirds vote.
5. If the President has not signed or vetoed a bill within one week of it being delivered to him by the Vice-President, it shall immediately become law as if he had signed it.
6. All propose treaties and agreements, embassies, and bills must all be delivered to the President for signing or veto.
Article VI: Amendments to the Constitution
1. The Regional Assembly may call a constitutional convention with the consent of both Houses. During this convention, they may discuss potential amendments and
revisals to the constitution. once the convention has been completed, amendments may be proposed, and they must pass in the same order as outlined in Article V.
2. Once an amendment has been made into law, it must first be approved by the majority of the region in a referendum called within one week of the bills passage. If the majority of the electorate approves of the amendment, it shall be put in the constitution. If the majority of electors do not approve of the amendment, it shall not be put in the constitution.
Article VII: Declaration of Rights
1. The Regional Assembly shall make no law infringing upon or restricting the right to free speech, the right to protest, the right to petition, or the right to free press.
2. The Regional Assembly shall make no law that respects any established faith or religion, or prevents the practicing of any established faith or religion.
3. The Regional Assembly shall make no post ex facto law, and shall make no Bill of Attainder.
4: Every citizen is entitled to manage their respective nation as they desire, and the Regional Assembly shall make no law respecting any type of government, or prohibiting any type of government.
5. The Regional Assembly shall make no law requiring membership in the WA, or any other international or regional organization of any form
6. No citizen of the region shall be ejected or banned from the region without a fair, speedy, and public trial, with guilt or innocence being decided by an impartial jury of their peers.
7. No citizen of the region shall be put on trial for a crime that they have already previously been charged with.
8. The right for every citizen to vote shall not be infringed upon or restricted by any law passed by the Regional Assembly.
9. The Regional Assembly may not expand the power of any government position beyond what is prescribed in this constitution.
10. The rights granted by this constitution shall not be construed to deny other rights.
Article VIII: Ratification
1. This constitution shall be ratified into law when the majority of the citizens of the region have approved of it through referendum.
Article XI: Signers
Approved by the people of Spirtus through referendum, this constitution has been made into law to establish a more perfect region for our citizens to live in, and to serve as a haven from the victims of dictatorships and oppression.
Forbidden In Heaven and Useless In Hell
Author of the Constitution
Why is representative democracy of merit to a player-created region likely to peak at no more than a few hundred members and perhaps fifty citizens?
Where are terms like instant run-off voting defined in terms of what they mean to Spiritus?
Where on earth is the Judicial Branch?
1: You're acting as if I planned on having a huge legislative body. I don't. Fifty citizens is plenty for a good legislature.
2: I think Instant-run off is self-explanatory, but I will define it in further detail if you want.
3: A Judicial Branch will be added later. The region is not prepared for that yet.
(Removed instant-run off and replaced it with whoever gets the most votes wins. It's more simple.)
I like most. Except for President = Commander in Chief
If we go raider, I would prefer a Commander be Commander because he's good at the military game, not because he was elected president.
1: Okay. So then why do you propose a plan that limits that legislature to ten?
2: A constitution is the supreme law of a region. You can't leave room for ambiguity in things like that unless you want some fool to argue about it.
3: The Judicial Branch is the single most important branch of government.
Spirit, the President doesn't have to be commander-in-chief completely. There's nothing stopping him from making cabinet positions to lead the war for him, which is perfectly fine, because they are allowed to ''assist him in his duties''.
Malistar:
1: My plan does not limit the number of representatives to ten. The number of representatives is based off the number of citizens, not a fixed amount.
2: I scrapped instant-run off for a more simple system, with it being defined as well. Thank you for the suggestion.
3: I agree, but there is no point in establishing a Judiciary at this point, because nobody can fill it. Once we have enough qualified people, I would gladly back an amendment creating it.
I did #3 in my last region, and it worked out fine.
1: "2. The Regional Assmebly shall consist of one representative for every five citizens of the region who are elected on the fifteenth day of every month." It's my projection that this region will peak at maybe 200 residents and perhaps 50 citizens. That's 10 members of your Regional "Assmebly".
2: You're very welcome.
3: So what happens when, at the very first election, you have a dispute about whether the consitution allows for someone to change their vote which nearly dismantles the new government because there's essentially no judiciary? Minus the part about there being no Judiciary, this is a real crisis that happened in The South during the first election following the raitification of the constitution there. The major difference in what I've said and what really happened is that the system pulled through because there was a Judiciary branch in place to settle that dispute.
At the rate we're growing, we'll get enough people for a Judiciary branch plenty soon. We just need one or three justices.
1: Thanks for spotting the spelling error! Writing all of that and catching all the errors is hard. It appears correct in all other instances, however.
Your projections on the population of this region are speculative. You can't say that it limits the legislature, because it just simply doesn't. It's found nowhere in the text of the constitution. Your speculative and unfounded projections on the population have no relevance. While you can say the legislature will end up having ten people, you cannot say it's required to have that many people.
2: The issue of editing votes after you cast them is de facto legal, since there's no law against it. I see no issue with counting the votes as is, posting the results, and anything past that doesn't count. The Constitution is only meant to establish a structure for our government and the rights of our people, not make laws regarding election procedure. It's an issue for the Regional Assembly once it's assembled.
3: Having more people doesn't mean that we can have a full bench. Out of all those people, how many do you think will be citizens? And of that amount, how many will be qualified as Justices on our Supreme Court? It is better to wait when we are ready than hastily create a court plagued by inexperience.
2: That's not what I was saying. It doesn't have to be that exact dispute. But, mark my words, we will have something that comes up and can be solved no other way than with a Judiciary.
BTW, the issue in the court in The South was not whether or not you could change your vote, at the heart, but whether the constitution intended for things not stated illegal to be legal or vice versa.
3: Then why are there enough citizens to have a representative legislature? ;) Besides, you only need one Justice, perhaps three (certainly not two, even numbers are never good in matters like this). Which reminds me, does the provision against people serving in more than one government position apply to members of the Assembly as well? It shouldn't.
The qualifications for a regional court, which will likely serve for a long time, and as you yourself said, is very important, are much greater than that of the Regional Legislature. The Regional Legislature has checks on it. The Regional Court wouldn't. The Regional Court wouldn't be elected. The Regional Legislature would. Because of the nature of the position, you can't just be appointing people to fill the positions because you need to. With elections on the Regional Legislature, the bad candidates will be weeded out, and the good candidates will take office.
Yes, you cannot serve in the Regional Assembly and be President, Vice-President, or in the hypothetical court. It would violate the separation of powers to have one person serving in either of the two offices.
1: Why shouldn't the court be elected? This might not work for the uninformed voter in a nation, but in a much closer setting like an NS region, it could work admirably.
2: Why should we deny the very people we've said are among our best from having a voice, then, in what I feel should be a public forum? (Alternately, would you still support such a thing if all citizens were free to serve in the Assembly and there wasn't indirect representation?)
Hello Everyone! Sorry for not noticing the RMB popped up until now, But I thought I should still say hi! Also, on the off-site forums, what is the difference between a "Citizen' and a "Free Spirit" ??
Hey Dalmascus.
Free Spirit is like visitor
Citizen is... citizen.. you see more stuff
@ Constitution discussion.
For court system. I would support 3 justices. One chief justice and two justices. Chief Justice would make all the in-court room rulings, but all 3 justices would decide verdicts together. Preferably the panel would be something of an impartial one. So for example it would consist of an Invader, a Defender, and a Neutral. That would be the best example for a court. An elected court would probably best. As for elected court. I would support that. Elect the initial 3 Justices. Then when one justice steps down, the other two appoint a new one. So only the first 3 original ones would be elected.
Yet I would not support President being a Justice. I would say you pick one or the other. So if you're President you're not Justice, and if you're Justice. You have to resign from the courts to become President. Ideally, the President should only be able to hold the President position, but we could allow him/her to hold a Legislative position again.
The Legislature numbers would have to be adjusted constantly if we keep growing like this, but I can see a 25% of citizens be a good number.
And Congratulations to our first WAD: New Age Land
Oh, ok, thanks!
And I like how you want the Justices.. at first you get an accurate veiw of public opinion, and later, you have the insulation of the courts from the people that we have now in the U.S.
Also. After reading, I do not feel that the regional assembly should have the right to regulate the military. They could officially disband the military.
Also, as a raider, I would say that the military should be used for military purposes (invading). If it is voted that we have a defender military, than that could work as well. Yet we do not need it to protect the region, for I will be around for a long time. With a founder, and a non-executive delegate, we need not worry yet.
And what exactly does it mean by: "7. The Regional Assembly shall have the power to issue condemnations and commendations to other regions."
I know it's a bit early, but perhaps for the legislature, political parties can be based off of the Plazas on the off-site forum.
(i.e. Senator "______" , Air Plaza)
Also, I'd like to help construct the forum, if you'd like.
And each plaza could have a different basic set of political opinions. (for fire, it could be a "Raider" Mentality, for earth, "defender", For Air, "neutral", and for Water, a sort of "catch-all" for those that don't agree with the other three) I'm just throwing ideas around :P
I don't think were using a multi-partisan system yet. As for the Plazas. I created them to be parts of the region. Some of them are not built yet
Plaza of Water is the fun and spammish forum area
Plaza of Fire shall contain the Legislature and the Court
Plaza of Air is the discussion area
Plaza of Earth shall contain the President and Cabinets that he makes.
And I do not plan on handing you out admin :P
Sorry. I've had run-ins with regions who's forums got destroyed by someone getting admin.
Forum Crashers are common here.
oh... that's too bad, but I understand.
Thank you for understanding. :)
Here's my proposal for the Constitution. It is based largely on the Constitutions of The South and the United States of America, and even more largely on FIHAUIH's wonderful proposal.
https://docs.google.com/document/d/1CymnsrzV0AqkrMwyOdn7Pgd3TwjF04282YX0h5nx50Y/edit
The Constitution of Spiritus
Intent upon the creation of a democratic region which will successfully uphold the values of Liberty, Democracy, and Justice, the Nations and Peoples of this region of Spiritus have convened to establish this document as their binding Constitution that it may serve as the absolute law of the region for all intents, constructs, and purposes.
Article I - The Regional Assembly of Spiritus
Section One: Establishment of the Regional Assembly
1. The legislative powers of the government of Spiritus are hereby vested in a Regional Assembly, which may exercise no power not given or implied to them by this document.
2. Members of the Regional Assembly shall consist of any and all citizens of Spiritus who have not been removed from their seats and do not hold another position in the government.
a. Members may be removed from their seats by order of the Court of Spiritus upon being convicted of Crimes.
b. Members may be removed from their seats by a vote of two-thirds of the members of the Assembly.
c. Members may also permanently renounce their seat on the Assembly.
3. The Regional Assembly shall be presided over by the Vice President of Spiritus, who shall have no vote in the Assembly unless a clear decision cannot otherwise be reached.
a. The Vice President shall oversee debate and ensure order, as well as enforce the rules of the Assembly.
b. The Vice President shall bring matters to and from vote and see passed matters on to the Delegate.
c. The Vice President shall otherwise moderate and maintain the meeting place of the Assembly.
4. The Regional Assembly shall ready for itself a set of procedures to be applied each month which shall not in conflict with this document or any other law; the Assembly may also elect to continue the current procedure.
Section Two: Powers, Duties, and Responsibilities of the Regional Assembly
1. The Regional Assembly shall debate and vote on any matters of law seen necessary and proper to fulfill the provisions of this document.
2. The Regional Assembly shall question and approve all nominations by the President to positions in the executive branch or the judicial branch with a simple majority vote.
3. The Regional Assembly shall have the power to declare war by the approval of no less than two thirds of its membership.
4. The Regional Assembly shall have the power to raise, maintain, and regulate a Regional Military for the protection of Spiritus, its denizens, and its interests.
5. The Regional Assembly must approve all treaties, pacts, and other diplomatic agreements not covered elsewhere in this document.
6. The Regional Assembly shall have the power to set procedure and other rules related to citizenship in the region of Spiritus.
7. The Regional Assembly shall have the power to draft and issue Official Statements, which shall in no way be considered official law.
8. The Regional Assembly shall have the responsibility to draft a code of law, which shall outline crime and punishment in Spiritus.
9. The Regional Assembly shall have the power to set procedure for the election of the office of President where such procedure is not already defined in this document.
Section Three: Method by Which a Matter Becomes Law
1. Any Member of the Regional Assembly may propose a bill to the Assembly for consideration.
2. Upon the proposition of a bill, the members of the Assembly shall debate and discuss its merits, as well as amend or otherwise edit the bill, until such time as it moves to vote.
a. An amendment shall not be made to a bill unless support for a motion to do so is supported by at least three members other than the one who proposed the motion.
b. A bill shall not move to vote unless support for a motion to do so is supported by at least three members other than the one who proposed the motion.
3. A bill shall stay at vote for three days or until six tenths of the Regional Assembly have voted if they have not done so within three days.
4. No bill shall pass the Assembly which has not received the support of at least a majority of members.
5. Within two days of the passage of a bill, the Vice President shall pass it on to the President.
a. Within five days of being presented with it, the President must either sign or veto a bill.
b. Upon receipt of the Presidents signature, a bill shall become Law.
c. Upon receipt of the Presidents veto, a bill shall be returned to the Assembly with his objections for further consideration.
d. A Presidential veto may be overturned by a revote in which two thirds of the Assemblys membership show favor.
e. If, within five days, the President has not acted on a bill, it shall be assumed signed.
Article II - The Executive Branch of Spiritus
Section One: Establishment of the Executive Branch
1. The executive powers of the government of Spiritus are hereby vested in a President of Spiritus and his subordinates, who may exercise no power not given or implied to them by this document.
2. The President shall serve terms of four months, beginning on the first days of January, May, and September.
a. Elections must be closed and counted by those days.
b. The candidate in these elections who receives the most votes shall be the next President of Spiritus.
c. The candidate who receives the next highest amount of votes shall be his Vice President.
3. No person who is not a citizen of Spiritus or who has a criminal record in Spiritus shall be eligible to run for President of Spiritus.
4. In the event that the Presidency is vacant or the legally elected President is otherwise unable to fulfill his duties, the Vice President shall assume his office until his return or the end of his term.
Section Two: Powers, Duties, and Responsibilities of the Executive Branch
1. The President shall make statements on the status of the region to its citizens.
2. The President shall have the power to appoint certain citizens of Spiritus to serve as a cabinet, as well as ambassadors to foreign regions and other positions related to the executive branch.
a. Members of the Cabinet may retain membership in the Assembly.
b. Members of the Cabinet may have delegated to them certain powers of the President, which they shall share with him.
3. The President shall serve as Chief Diplomat of Spiritus.
4. The President shall enforce all laws of Spiritus and set policy related to enforcement.
5. The President shall oversee and regulate the procedure, standards, and other practices related to recruitment and immigration.
6. The President shall serve as Commander-in-Chief of the Regional Military.
7. The President may establish such agencies as may be necessary for the gathering and processing of foreign intelligence.
8. The President shall appoint either two or four Assistant Justices to the Court, who shall assist the Chief Justice in matters of law.
Section Three: Permanent Mission the World Assembly
1. The President of Spiritus shall, as Chief Diplomat, hold the position of Regional Delegate to the World Assembly.
2. The President shall vote on all resolutions of the World Assembly in accordance with the will of the region, to be gauged as seen fit.
3. The President may approve any and all World Assembly proposals he desires.
4. The President shall not close himself to World Assembly campaigning for either the General Assembly or the Security Council.
5. No denizen of Spiritus may possess more World Assembly endorsements than the President.
Article III - The Judicial Branch of Spiritus
Section One: Establishment of the Judicial Branch
1. The judicial powers of the government of Spiritus are hereby vested in the Court of Spiritus, which may exercise no power not given or implied to them by this document.
2. The Court of Spiritus shall be headed by the Chief Justice of Spiritus.
3. The Chief Justice shall serve terms of two months, beginning on the first days of January, March, May, July, September, and November.
a. Elections must be closed and counted by those days.
b. The candidate in these elections who receives the most votes shall be the next Chief Justice of Spiritus.
4. No person who is not a citizen of Spiritus or who has a criminal record in Spiritus shall be eligible to run for Chief Justice of Spiritus.
Section Two: Powers, Duties, and Responsibilities of the Judicial Branch
1. The Court of Spiritus shall preside over all disputes, both criminal and civil, which may arise between citizens of Spiritus or between citizens and the government.
2. The Court shall also preside over matters of national court systems on appeal from those systems.
3. The Court shall decide on matters based on a majority consensus of all the judges.
a. In the event that consensus cannot be reached, the opinion of the Chief Justice shall decide matters.
b. Upon the statement of a decision and (if applicable) sentence, the Chief Justice shall write an official Opinion of the Court, which shall carry the force of law.
Article IV - Bill of Rights
Section One: Rights of Denizens
1. Denizens of Spiritus are guaranteed the following rights, which may not be infringed upon.
2. Denizens are guaranteed the right to free speech, assembly, and other useful expression, except where such speech is found to be obscene or otherwise unusually offensive or where such speech is found to constitute a clear and present danger to others or to the stature of Spiritus in either domestic or international affairs.
3. Denizens are guaranteed the freedom to practice a religion of their own choosing or to practice no relgion at all.
4. Denizens are guaranteed the right to privacy and safety in their person and documents. As such, no denizen of Spritus may be forced, obligated, or otherwise coerced to reveal private forum messages, telegrams, personal information, e-mails, or other private correspondences against their will.
5. The enumeration in this document of certain rights shall not be construed to represent the corpus of rights and privileges guaranteed to denizens of Spiritus.
Section Two: Rights of Citizens
1. Citizens of Spiritus are guaranteed the following rights, which may not be infringed upon.
2. Citizens are guaranteed the right to freely vote for any viable option, including abstaining, in any ballot, election, or other poll without fear of harassment or persecution, as well as the right to change their vote.
3. Citizens are guaranteed the right to an unbiased, speedy, and public trial by an impartial panel.
4. Citizens of Spiritus are guaranteed the right to legal counsel.
5. Citizens of Spiritus are guaranteed freedom not to testify against themselves and from being twice tried for a crime of which they had already been absolved.
6. The enumeration in this document of certain rights shall not be construed to represent the corpus of rights and privileges guaranteed to citzens of Spiritus.
Section Three: Powers Prohibited to the Government
1. The following powers are prohibited to all branches of the government of Spiritus.
2. The government shall make no ex post facto law nor bill of attainder.
3. All laws must apply equally to non-criminal citizens of Spiritus.
4. The government shall make no law mandating or prohibiting a specific form of government or mandating or prohibiting membership in the World Assembly.
5. The government shall make no law mandating membership in the military.
Article V - Amendment and Ratification
Section One: Ratification
1. This constitution shall be ratified upon when the majority of citizens of Spiritus have approved it by vote.
2. Upon ratification, this constitution shall be the Supreme Law of Spiritus.
Section Two: Amendment
1. Any citizen of Spiritus may propose an amendment to this document.
2. All proposals for amendment require a written proposal containing the text of the potential amendment.
3. The proposed amendment shall then be placed before all citizens for vote.
4. The proposal will become an amendment immediately upon passing with the support of three fourths of the citizens of Spiritus.
Section Three: Signatures
Approved by the people of Spiritus through referendum, this constitution has been made into law to establish a more perfect region for our citizens to live in, and to serve as a haven for the victims of dictatorships and oppression. Hereafter shall be listed the names of all those responsible for its ratification.
Great Job! I like it! Also, I readily support the inability of the government to instate a "draft"
I dig.
I'm posting my own draft that was about to be posted before I got ninja'd >.>
Mine is essentially FIHAUIH's with a bit of changes, and a Supreme Court
With the intent to create a democratic region that upholds the values of liberty, democracy, and justice, the people of the region of Spiritus have convened to establish this constitution. It shall serve as the absolute law of the region for all intents, constructs, and purposes.
Article I: The Regional Assembly
1. The legislative duties of Spiritus shall hereby be perpetually vested into the Regional Assembly, which shall be a unicameral legislature.
2. The Regional Assembly shall consist of one representative for every five citizens of the region. The term of a representative lasts 30 days.
3. The representatives in the Regional Assembly shall be elected using the first-past-the-post method of voting. In example, if there are five seats available in the Regional Assembly, the five candidates with the most votes take office.
4. If a vacancy has been created in the Regional Assembly for any reason, the President shall be required to issue a writ of election within five days of that vacancy being created. A special election for the vacant seat must be held within five days of a writ of election being made.
5. The Regional Assembly shall be presided over by the Vice-President, who shall organize its debates and procedure. He shall have no vote in the Regional Assembly unless the total number of votes in favor and the total number of votes against are equal.
6. No person shall become a member of the Regional Assembly who holds another public office in government, with the exception of positions created in the executive branch of government. Furthermore, no person shall become a member of the Regional Assembly who is not a citizen of the region.
Article II: The President and Vice-President
1. The executive duties of Spirtus shall hereby be perpetually vested into the President and any other position in the executive branch that shall be made under his tenure.
2. The President shall hold terms of four months. The president will be elected on the fifteenth day of the fourth month.
3. The official method of electing the President shall be first-past-the-post. The candidate who has received the largest amount of votes shall be elected President. If there is a tie for first place between two candidates, the Regional Assembly shall break the tie.
4. If a vacancy has been made in the office of the Presidency, the Vice-President shall assume all responsibilities of the Presidency until the former President has returned, or the next election has been conducted.
5. The Vice-President shall be nominated by the President and confirmed by the Regional Assembly with a majority vote.
6. No person shall become President or Vice-President who holds another public office in government, with the exception of positions created in the executive branch of government. Furthermore, no person shall become President or Vice-President who is not a citizen of the region.
Article III: The Supreme Court of Spiritus
1. The Supreme Court of Spiritus shall have the power, duty, and responsibility to strike down un-constitutional laws, listen and rule on cases of criminal law brought before them, and ensure fairness in the region.
2. The Supreme court shall consist of three Justices. One Head Justice and two Justices. The Head Justice will be in charge of moderating the Court, but all three Justices shall come together to decide on verdicts.
3. The three original Justices, are to be elected by first-three-past-thep-post. The three candidates who have recieved the largest ammount of votes shall become the justices. The candidate who recieves the largest ammount of votes shall recieve the title of Chief Justice
4. When there is one vacancy in The Supreme Court, the remaining two Justices shall appoint a third justice. If it is the Head Justice who is vacant, then a vote shall occur and the Justice with the most votes, shall recieve the title of Head Justice.
5. When there are two vacancies in the Supreme court, the remaining Justice automatically becomes Chief Justice. The vacancies shall be filled partially by vote, and partially by appointment. One of the Justices is to be appointed by The Chief Justice and one is to be elected by the citizens using majority vote.
6. If there are three vacancies in The Supreme Court then the three Justices, are to be elected by first-three-past-thep-post. The three candidates who have recieved the largest ammount of votes shall become the justices. The candidate who recieves the largest ammount of votes shall recieve the title of Chief Justice
7. No person shall become a Justice or Chief Justice, who holds another public office in government, with the exception of positions created in the executive branch of government. Furthermore, no person shall become Justice or Chief Justice who is not a citizen of the region.
Article IV: The official powers, duties, and responsibilities vested into the Regional Assembly
1. The Regional Assembly shall have the power, duty, and responsibility to pass bills, repeal previously passed bills, make amendments to the constitution, and any other activity that is deemed nessecary and required to perform the powers vested into it by the constitution.
2. The Regional Assembly must approve of all nominations to the executive branch made by the President with a simple majority vote.
3. The President may send a request to the Regional Assembly requesting that they declare war upon another region. In order for a declaration of war to be declared, two-thirds of the Regional Assembly must vote in favor.
4. The Regional Assembly shall have the power to create a regional military with the purpose of protecting the region from all threats, foreign and domestic. The military would also be there for miitary acts either against or for other regions. Such acts would be defined as raiding or defending. A raid or a defense of a region would not be considered a declaration of war against that region or that region's occupiers. Reason for this is due to raids and defenses being covert things, and an Assembly vote on it would instantly make it public.
5. The Regional Assembly must approve of all treaties, embassies, agreements with other regions by a simple majority vote.
6. The Regional Assembly shall have the power to create standards and rules regarding the process of attaining citizenship status in Spiritus. These standards and rules must be equally applied to all of those who apply for citizenship.
7. The Regional Assembly shall have the power to issue condemnations and commendations to other regions.
8. The Regional Assembly shall have the responsibility to draft a code of law, which shall outline all crimes and the resulting consequences of being found guilty of that crime. These laws must not be political in nature, be equally applied, and must conform to the Declaration of Rights.
9. The Regional Assembly shall have the power to set a location for casting votes in elections. These locations must be open and available to all who wish to vote, and must not discriminate based off any ideology, perceived or stated.
Article V: The official powers, duties, and responsibilities vested into the President.
1. The President shall, from time to time, issue addresses to the citizens of the region and the Regional Assembly regarding the state of the region. These would be commonly known as the State of the Region adresses.
2. The President shall appoint cabinet members to assist him in his duties and management of the region, and other positions in the executive with the purpose of helping him in the duties granted to him by this constitution. Examples of cabinet positions would be positions such as: Culture, Foreign Affairs, or Internal Affairs
3. The President shall have the power to issue writs of elections, as well as the power to issue executive orders with the consent and approval of Congress.
4. The President shall have the power to nominate a candidate for the position of Vice-President, who shall serve alongside the President for his full term.
5. The President shall be the commander-in-chief of the regional military, and lead it during times of war and peace. If the President is deemed not able to run a NationStates military, he shall appoint a Commander to lead it.
6. The President shall have the power to veto bills presented to him by the Regional Assembly.
7. The President shall be granted Administrative and Moderative privaleges on the forum.
Article VI: The official powers, duties, and responsibilities vested into the Supreme Court of Spiritus
1. The Supreme Court shall rule on passed bills to deem them consitutional or un-constitutional
2. The Supreme Court shall rule on any trials that come before them.
3. During a trial, the Head Justice shall make any and all of the pre-trial rulings.
4. Verdicts shall be ruled on by all three Justices and they must unanymously decide on the verdict.
3. The Head Judge shall recieve Moderation abilities over the Supreme Court area of the forum.
Article VII: How a Bill becomes a Law
1. All bills must be proposed by a representative in the Regional Assembly, the Vice-President, the President, or a petition with 25% of citizens signing.
2. When the Regional Assembly has received a bill, they shall debate and discuss the merits of the bill, as well as making any amendments and edits to the bill they would like to make. The majority of the Regional Assembly must approve of the bill, and the Vice-President shall deliver it to the President within two days of its passage.
3. Once the President has received the bill from the Vice-President, he shall either choose to veto or sign the bill. If he shall sign it, then it shall become an operative law of the region. If he shall veto it, it will be returned to the Regional Assembly with his objections.
4. In the event of a veto, the Regional Assembly shall consider all objections made the President, and may overturn the veto of the President with a two-thirds majority vote.
5. If the President has not signed or vetoed a bill within one week of it being delivered to him by the Vice-President, it shall immediately become law as if he had signed it.
6. All proposed treaties and agreements, embassies, and bills must all be publicly delivered to the President for signing or veto.
7. Once a bill is passed, it shall go to the Supreme Court. The Supreme Court of Spiritus shall then decide if the bill is constitutional. If it is, it passes. If the bill violates the Constitution then it shall be rejected and sent back to the Regional Assembly
Article VIII: Amendments to the Constitution
1. The Regional Assembly may call a constitutional convention. During this convention, they may discuss potential amendments and revisals to the constitution. once the convention has been completed, amendments may be proposed, and they must pass in the same order as outlined in Article V.
2. Once an amendment has been made into law, it must first be approved by the majority of the region in a referendum called within one week of the bills passage. If the majority of the electorate approves of the amendment, it shall be put in the constitution. If the majority of electors do not approve of the amendment, it shall not be put in the constitution.
Article IX: Declaration of Rights
1. The Regional Assembly shall make no law infringing upon or restricting the right to free speech, the right to protest, the right to petition, or the right to free press.
2. The Regional Assembly shall make no law that respects any established faith or religion, or prevents the practicing of any established faith or religion.
3. The Regional Assembly shall make no post ex facto law, and shall make no Bill of Attainder.
4: Every citizen is entitled to manage their respective nation as they desire, and the Regional Assembly shall make no law respecting any type of government, or prohibiting any type of government.
5. The Regional Assembly shall make no law requiring membership in the WA, or any other international or regional organization of any form
6. No citizen of the region shall be ejected or banned from the region without a fair, speedy, and public trial, with guilt or innocence being decided by the Supreme Court.
7. No citizen of the region shall be put on trial for a crime that they have already previously been charged with.
8. The right for every citizen to vote shall not be infringed upon or restricted by any law passed by the Regional Assembly.
9. The Regional Assembly may not expand the power of any government position beyond what is prescribed in this constitution.
10. The rights granted by this constitution shall not be construed to deny other rights.
Article X: Court Procedure
1. Any citizen may bring any other citizen of Spiritus to court.
2. Said citizen must create a trial topic within the Supreme Court. In said topic, must be the name of the Plaintiff, the name of the defendant, and the charges against the defendant.
3. The Head Judge shall rule whether the case is reasonable or not, and if it is, court shall commence.
4. The Defendant is to be permitted to bring in a councel from Spiritus, or anywhere else in Nationstates to defend them. This counselor shall be given appropriate masking.
5. Posting in the Court Room is to be limited to, The Plaintiff, The Defendant, Counselors, and the Justices.
6. Court Procedure is as follows
--Prosecution & Defense will give opening statements in that order. All evidence against the defendant needs to be sent to the defendants attorney as well as to the defendant
--Prosecution will provide evidence after the Defenses opening statement.
--The Prosecution may then call witnesses and examine the defendant. the defense will be able to cross-examine any witness.
--The defense may then call upon any witnesses, which the prosecution may cross examine.
--Finally, closing statements will be given by both sides in the same order. C
--The Prosecution has the right to a fifteen line rebuttal statement after the closing statement of the Defense. This rebuttal is to be in the default font and size. The Head Justice shall decide if the length of the rebuttal falls within the regulations.
--The Justices shall then discuss the verdict and must give a unanymous decision. An explanation on the verdict is required as well.
--Whatever verdict the Justices make is binding and is out in effect forty-eight hours after it is made.
--During this forty-eight hours, appeals may be made to reverse the verdict.
Article XI: Election Method
1. The way of election in Spiritus, shall be to post your vote. This shall be to reduce voter fraud
Article XII: Ratification
1. This constitution shall be ratified into law when the majority of the citizens of the region have approved of it through referendum.
Article XIII: Signers
Approved by the people of Spirtus through referendum, this constitution has been made into law to establish a more perfect region for our citizens to live in, and to serve as a haven from the victims of dictatorships and oppression.
Things I would like to see removed:
''These would be commonly known as the State of the Region adresses.''
Not only is ''addresses'' spelled incorrectly, but it doesn't seem necessary to give it a game. Let everyone decide what they would like to call.
''Examples of cabinet positions would be positions such as: Culture, Foreign Affairs, or Internal Affairs.''
Is it necessary to name examples? I think people will understand the idea.
''If the President is deemed not able to run a NationStates military, he shall appoint a Commander to lead it.''
This is kind of tautological considering Article V: Section 2, Clause 1. If he doesn't think he can run the military, then he can appoint somebody to do it for him in his cabinet.
''The military would also be there for miitary acts either against or for other regions. Such acts would be defined as raiding or defending. A raid or a defense of a region would not be considered a declaration of war against that region or that region's occupiers. Reason for this is due to raids and defenses being covert things, and an Assembly vote on it would instantly make it public.''
What do you think the military is there for? Raids and defenses! It's essentially saying the President can declare war without permission, because there's no other types of war we can have. The notion that an Assembly vote would ruin a raid has some truth, but a Declaration of War is just saying ''We're at war'', not ''We're going to attack you on this date at this time''. Planning can still remain secretive.
What this part does is essentially give the President the power to declare war without the consent of the Regional Assembly. I vehemently disagree with that idea.
''The term of a representative lasts 30 days.''
The original text covered terms. The old constitution says we have elections from the 15th to the 15th. That gives order and regularity in our elections. If we just do it every thirty days, then the time of elections will be changed every month. It's much easier to have it on the same day than different days every month.
''Elections for Supreme Court''
The Supreme Court is a position that requires objectivity. Popular opinion on the constitutionality of something is not always correct. Our Justices should be allowed to make objective decisions free from popular opinion.
''Head Judge''
Just to note, ''Chief Justice'' sounds better than ''Head Judge''.
Things I want to be added:
I also don't like the idea of the Supreme Court and the Supreme Court alone being allowed to decide guilt. Jury's should be randomly selected, not remain static. The Supreme Court could essentially put people on trial, then convict them, with no checks on that. They could essentially become a dictatorship if they want to.
How about this regarding SC appointments: Only the President can nominate SC Justices, but the people have to confirm all appointments through a referendum?
It seems to be contradictory that it is stated that no law shall be created requiring membership in the World Assembly, but yet it states that the President shall serve as the Regional Delegate to the World Assembly. We need to decide if we want to make the President exempt from this right or not.
It is my opinion that we cannot force the President to become the Regional Delegate to the World Assembly if that is not what he/she wishes, as we are not forcing other members of Spiritus to do so. The President cannot have his rights limited because he was elected to office. The President does not need to be the Regional Delegate in order to be the Chief Diplomat. Any citizen supported by his peers can do the job suitably. The President can still serve as the Chief Diplomat by representing the interests of our region to other regions.
I agree. The constitution I proposed does not require the President to be the WA, and it is unfair to force him to be in the WA.
Besides, isn't it possible for somebody to get more endorsements from the President? Would it then mean that person is the new President?
Endo-Cap bro.
Endo-Cap.
Do we want to have a position for President and then a position called something like WA Representative that represents Spiritus in the WA?
I still don't see why we need a delegate. Just have it sort of as a free position to who wants it. I can see a large ammount of our WA's going to the military hopefully.
I agree with Spirit. The WA Delegate should just be a free position without any powers in our government.
I wrote up a constitution that should be a good compromise: http://tinypaste.com/8ce3d8de
""What do you think the military is there for? Raids and defenses! It's essentially saying the President can declare war without permission, because there's no other types of war we can have. The notion that an Assembly vote would ruin a raid has some truth, but a Declaration of War is just saying ''We're at war'', not ''We're going to attack you on this date at this time''. Planning can still remain secretive. ""
This would involve asking for permission to invade a region. As in the regions name.
Have you ever raided before? You have to keep the name completely private. Date and ApproximateTime can be more or less revealed, but you have to keep the nation name private. Say we have a defender on the assembly. Instant kill of the raid. Plus raiding is not a declaration of war. You move in, move out. And then almost never interact with that region again. Raiding in itself is war against defender, not against natives.
I don't think our military should even be controlled by government.
(Added two more rights in this version: http://tinypaste.com/157147fe)
^is that what's on the forum?
Who says our region is going to be primarily focused on raiding anyway? The fact of the matter is that no democratic region allows the executive to declare war willy nilly without the consent of anybody else.
''^is that what's on the forum?''- The Spirit
Yes. The second link I provided is verbatim the post on the Forum.
I won't be, but as a raider I'm obviously going to be pushing us that way :P
I'm simply asking if you would define raiding as War or not?
Because if we don't raid/defend then we don't really need a military unless it would be to help our diplomatic allies once we get them.
And even then, most of those assists would generally be on raids/defenses.
I would define raiding as a declaration of war. I think your conflicts over privacy can be resolved by the fact that the Regional Assembly doesn't have to say ''Hey, we just declared war!''. It doesn't have to be public (as much as I prefer it that way).
It still doesn't fix the fact that you would have to tell the name of the region to the whole regional assembly.
What if there is a defender on said assembly? Would you just exempt anybody against raiding? The point is, what would happen is that the military would simply ignore the Assembly so they could raid without screaming what they're doing days in advance.
And a public declaration of war before a raid is completely idiotic. It makes you look like noobs.
War could be defined as any hostile act against another region as directed by the government of the region. People in this region are free to raid/defend as they please, but any operation by our regional military requires a declaration of war.
You're also assuming that we would even be a raider or defender region. The idea is that we can't just have one guy deciding who we go to war with. It's against the democratic process, and I would rather have democracy than slightly put a raid in danger.
Firstly: I'm going to be pushing for raiderism but I see where you're going with this.
Yet, Democracy can go too far. Ex. Throwing away the location of a raid.
What this would lead to is a military representing Spiritus, but simply stating that they don't represent the gov. It's still a Democracy even with the free raiding.
The entire issue could honestly be avoided by not screwing up people's regions, but that's beside the point for now.
I'm saying that if individual groups of people want to independently raid a region then it's fine. That's liberty.However, anything specifically directs our regional military to act against another region, then it requires the RA to consent.
The entire issue could be avoided yes, but if you plan to become big in NS, it's generally best to take a side.
But what I am referring to is that..
ex. President feels like a raid and the Regional Military feels like it too. They "independently" raid a region. Not as a government order but as a "yay let's raid"
Would that be Constitutional under your idea?
I would say so, yes. There's nothing we can do to stop people from raiding/defending if they want to do it on their own or in groups of people.
Assembled with Dot's Region Saver.
Written by Refuge Isle.