Trinsic Draft Constitution
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Written by Group effort, last updated by Annunzio Monday, 16 April 2001
This Constitution is a work in progress. As the Council meets to discuss sections of the Constitution and as more sections are written, this page will be updated. This document is a DRAFT and has not been formally approved yet by the Council membership. We thank Servantes for writing most of this and getting us off to a good start!
Contents |
Preamble
We, the Loyal Subjects of the Crown of Britannia, imploring the aid of the eight virtues that guide us, in order to build a just and humane society and establish a Council that shall embody our ideals and aspirations, promote the common good, and secure to ourselves and our posterity the blessings of independence and democracy under the sovereign rule of Lord British, the rule of law and a regime of truth, justice, equality and peace do ordain and promulgate this Constitution.
[The Council met and discussed this on 3/5/01 in IRC. One small grammatical change was made; otherwise, everyone present said this Preamble is fine.]
Article I
, Council Territory and Area of Responsibility
The following areas are considered within the territory of responsibility for Trinsic:
The northern border is described by the river which meets the coast at 40o 4'S 16o 27'E and ends at 81o 49'S 7o 14'E. The borderline extends east from the endpoint of the river, to the corner of the Destard mountains at 83o 13'S 1o 7'W.
On the West side of the Destard mountain range, the boarder is considered to run along the area where the jungle meets the forest, from 104o 35'S 6o 53'E at the mountains to 104o 35'S 0o 42'E at the coast.
The southern, eastern, and western boarders of Trinsic's territory of responsibility is the coastline.
Also, the four islands and one islet north of the Trinsic swamps are considered to be in Trinsic's territory of responsibility:
The island that has its approximate midpoint at 42o 11'S 55o 32'E
The island that has its approximate midpoint at 31o 17'S 52o 48'E
The island, also known as Arx Draconis island, that has its approximate midpoint at 40o 41'S 40o 46'E
The island that has its approximate midpoint at 32o 52'S 27o 54'E
The islet that has its approximate midpoint at 31o 54'S 60o 57'E
These areas are simply to define the territory that is associated with Trinsic, within which residents can be considered citizens and seek aid from the Trinsic Council of Honor. It is not to be considered a claim of ownership, or to infringe upon any other cities, towns, or institutions established in the area.
[The Council met and discussed this on 3/5/01 in IRC. We agreed to adopt the territory outlined in Auren's regional map of the Trinsic Area in both the Felucca and Trammel facets (the map is available in the Photo Gallery). Also to be included is a section on player-run towns in our territory and our relation to them. Annunzio volunteered to write up the text for this article.]
Article II
, Declaration of Principles and Council Policies
Principles
Section 1. The prime duty of the Council is to serve and protect the people, uphold the teachings of Lord British on the Eight Virtues, and be honorable in all its actions.
Section 2. The Trinsic Council of Honor is a democratic organization. Sovereignty resides in the people and all council authority emanates from them.
Section 3. The Council of Honor renounces war as an instrument of council policy and adheres to the policy of peace, equality, justice, freedom, cooperation, and amity with all organizations.
Section 4. The maintenance of peace and order, the protection of life, liberty, and property, and the promotion of the general welfare are essential for the enjoyment by all the people.
Council Policies
Section 5. The Council values every individual and respects their rights.
Section 6. The Council recognizes the equality between men and women, and shall ensure the fundamental equality before the law.
Section 7. The Council shall maintain honesty and integrity in the public service and adopts a policy of full public disclosure of all transactions involving public interest.
[The Council met and discussed this on 3/12/01 in IRC. Section 5 was reworded. (The original was: The Council values the value of every human person and guarantees full respect for human rights.) Otherwise, all the other principles and policies were fine.]
Article III
, Citizenship
Section 1, Eligibility
Those who meet one of the following criteria are citizens of Trinsic:
1. Was born in Trinsic 2. Owns housing in the greater Trinsic area 3. Is a member of a Trinsic-based guild 4. Considers himself or herself loyal to the city of Trinsic.
Section 2, Requirements
1. The individual must have a valid email address. 2. The individual must not already be registered as a citizen of another City.
Section 3, Loss of Citizenship
1. Trinsic citizenship may be lost or reacquired in the manner provided by law.
[The Council met and discussed this on 03/19/01 in IRC. This article was rewritten to be in line with the recently approved guideline Requirements for Citizenship. It was also reorganized some.]
Article IV
, Bill of Rights
The following rights are enjoyed by all citizens:
Section 1. No person shall be deprived of life, liberty or property without due process of law, nor shall any person be denied the equal protection of the law.
Section 2. All person shall have the freedom of expression.
Section 3. All person shall have the right of peacefully assemble and petition the Council for redress or grievances.
Section 4. No law shall be made respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof. The free exercise and enjoyment of religious profession and worship, without discrimination or preference, shall forever be allowed. No religious test shall be required for the exercise of civil or political rights.
Section 5. The right of the people, including those in the Council's service, to form or join guilds and other non-government organizations for the purpose not contrary to law shall not be abridged.
Section 6. Any person under investigation for the commission of an offense shall have the right to remain silent and to have a competent and independent counsel preferably of his or her own choice. No torture, force, violence, threat, intimidation, or any other means which vitiate the free will shall be used against him.
Section 7. All person shall be held innocent unless the contrary is proven, and shall have the due process of law.
Section 8. All person shall have the right to bear arms and defend oneself against those that would infringe his Constitutional rights.
[The Council met and discussed this on 03/19/01 in IRC. The intro line "The following rights are enjoyed by all citizens:" was added. Otherwise, the list of Rights was fine.]
Article V
, Suffrage
Section 1, Suffrage may be exercised by all citizens of Trinsic not otherwise disqualified by law. No literacy, wealth, or other substantive requirement shall be imposed on the exercise of suffrage.
Section 2, The Council of Honor shall provide a system for securing the secrecy and sanctity of the ballot as well as a system for absentee voting by qualified Citizens.
Section 3, Registration of Citizens shall be a requirement at least one week before an election.
[The Council met and discussed this on 04/02/01 in IRC. Section 3 was changed to "one week" from "two weeks."]
Article VI
, Council of Honor
[This article shall cover: council positions, functions, terms of office, and the details of the ability of the Council of its executive and legislative powers.]
Executive Power of the Council of Honor
Section 1, The executive power shall be vested in the Mayor of Trinsic.
Section 2, No person may be elected as Mayor unless he is a citizen of Trinsic and a member of the Trinsic Council of Honor for at least two months immediately preceding an election.
Section 3, There will be a Vice-Mayor who shall have the same qualifications and term of office and be elected with and in the same manner as the Mayor. He may be removed from office in the same manner as the Mayor.
Section 4, The Mayor and the Vice-Mayor shall be elected by a direct vote of the people for a term of six months which shall begin at the second week upon election from office
The returns of every election for Mayor and Vice-Mayor shall be transmitted to a Senior Counselor representing the Crown of Britannia. Upon receipt of the certificate of canvas, the aforementioned Senior Counselor shall, not later than 2 days after the day of the election, open the certificate in the presence of the public canvas the votes.
The person having the highest number of votes shall be proclaimed elected, but in case of an equal number of votes, one of them shall forthwith be chosen by the vote of majority of all member of the Council of Honor including the Honor Guards. The Court of Yew shall be the sole judge of all contest relating to the election, returns, and qualification of the Mayor or Vice-Mayor, and promulgate its rules for the purpose.
Section 5, Before they enter on the execution of their office, the Mayor or the Vice-Mayor shall take the following oath:
"I do solemnly swear that I will faithfully and conscientiously fulfill my duties as Mayor (or Vice-Mayor) of Trinsic, preserve and defend its Constitution, execute its laws, do justice to every man, and consecrate myself to the service of the City. May the virtues guide me."
Section 6, The Mayor-elect and the Vice-Mayor elect shall assume office at the beginning of their terms.
Section 7, In case of death, permanent disability, removal from office, or resignation of the Mayor, the Vice-Mayor shall become the Mayor to serve the unexpired term. In case of death, permanent disability, removal from office, or resignation of both, the oldest member of the Council shall assume the position of Mayor and an election shall follow no less than a month.
Section 8, Whenever there is vacancy in the Office of the Vice-Mayor, the Mayor shall then nominate a Vice-Mayor from among the members of the Council of Honor who shall assume office upon confirmation by a majority vote of all members of the Council of Honor.
Section 9, The Mayor shall have the power to nominate secretaries of positions he sees fit among members of the Council of Honor.
Section 10, The Mayor shall have control of all executive offices and shall ensure that the laws be faithfully executed.
Legislative Power of the Council of Honor
Section 11, The legislative power shall be vested in the Council of Honor except to the extent reserved to the citizens by the provision on initiative and referendum.
Section 12, No person shall be a member of the Trinsic Council of Honor unless he has qualified through formal application to the Council Webtome, attended three consecutive meetings, has no outstanding warrant against his person from other Councils of Virtue, and has been duly inducted to the Council of Honor.
Section 13, The Council of Honor shall convene at the Trinsic Meeting Hall, at least once a week, at a day to be determined by all Councilors. The Mayor may call a special session at any time.
Section 14, (1) The Council of Honor shall be lead by the Mayor, acting as moderator, during legislative sessions.
(2) The Council of Honor may determine the rules of its proceedings, punish its Members for disorderly behavior, and, with the concurrence of two-thirds of all Councilors, suspend a Councilor.
(3) A Councilor maybe expelled from the Council of Honor through a majority vote of three-fourths of all Councilors.
Section 15, The Council of Honor, by a vote of two-thirds of all Councilors present during a session, shall have the sole power to declare the existence of a state of war.
Section 16, Every bill passed by the Council of Honor shall embrace only one subject which shall be expressed in the title thereof.
Section 17, Every bill passed by the Council of Honor shall, before it becomes a law, be presented to the Mayor. If he approves the same, he shall sign it; otherwise, he shall veto it and return the bill which shall then require a majority vote of two-thirds of all Councilors for such to become a law.
Article VII
, The Honor Guards
[This article will detail THG's purpose, function and relationship to the Council itself (plus its independence).]
Article VIII
, Judicial Authority
[Serv's note: (questionable since we are impaired by UO's own laws... a tremendous headache in developing this Constitution... you have no idea how hard this part is unless we could start any form of deliberation on this matter)]
Article IX
, General Provisions
[This article will discuss our relationship to other guilds, resident organizations in any form, or of any individuals who does or does not concern itself or recognizes the TCoH.]
Article X
, Amendments or Revisions
[Serv's note: (in changing parts or in its entirety this Constitution)]
Article XI, Transitory Provisions
[Serv's note: (how we apply all of this... take note that there may be a need for an election of officers upon the Constitution's ratification)]