[Draft] Covenant of Lazarus

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[Draft] Covenant of Lazarus; Templar Theme
Tweet Topic Started: May 1 2015, 01:46 PM (652 Views)
Cormac	May 1 2015, 01:46 PM Post #1
Lazarene Posts: 398 Group: Members Member #9 Joined: Apr 8, 2015 Alignment Chaotic Neutral Military Stance Raider Political Views Independent Nation in Lazarus Cormactopia II Skype cormac.ns Discord Cormac#9408	Covenant of Lazarus Preamble Like the phoenix rising from the ashes, like the sun rising in the east, so Lazarus rises. Though governments and their mandates may rise and fall, Lazarus endures. We, the nations of Lazarus, affirm our collective commitment to maintaining the community of Lazarus as a source of liberation from the chains of past lives, an everlasting sanctuary of rebirth. The Eternal Sanctuary of Lazarus will stand as the guarantor of this affirmation and the government of Lazarus, as mandated by this Covenant. 1. Charter of Rights (1) Unless otherwise noted, all nations residing in Lazarus will be afforded all rights enumerated by this article. (2) Nations will have the right to free expression, including freedom of speech and of the press. (3) Nations will have the right to free association, including freedom of peaceful assembly. (4) Nations will have the right to equal treatment under the law and freedom from denial of participation based on arbitrarily discriminative criteria. (5) Nations will have the right to defend themselves against criminal charges before the Chancellery with the guarantee of a fair and speedy trial. (6) Nations will have the right to due process of law and guaranteed protection against ex post facto applications of the law and bills of attainder. (7) Nations will have the right to reside in Lazarus and to be protected against ejection or ban without reasonable cause and due process of law. (8) Nations will have the right to sovereign management of their affairs and to decline to provide World Assembly endorsement to any other nation. (9) Nations will have the right to maintain World Assembly endorsement count up to thirty less endorsements than the Grand Sentinel or, during periods of transition in office, the Sentinel with the highest endorsement count. (10) Citizens will have the right to vote and to stand for elected office. 2. Citizenship (1) Any person may apply for citizenship by disclosing their nation residing in Lazarus and their World Assembly nation, and swearing an oath of citizenship established by statute. (2) The Grand Master will approve or reject applications for citizenship. The Convocation may vote to overturn approval or rejection of an application for citizenship within fourteen days. (3) If the Grand Master neither approves nor rejects an application within fourteen days, it will proceed to vote in the Convocation. (4) Citizenship may be voluntarily forfeited or may be removed if a citizen's nation residing in Lazarus ceases to exist or voluntarily relocates, or if a citizen is convicted of a criminal offense. (5) Citizenship will not be removed except under the conditions enumerated by this Covenant. 3. Convocation of the Elect (1) The Convocation of the Elect will be comprised of all citizens and will be the supreme governing authority of the Eternal Sanctuary of Lazarus. (2) The Convocation may enact, amend, or repeal the rules of its proceedings by simple majority vote. (3) The Convocation may enact, amend, or repeal statutory law by simple majority vote. (4) The Convocation may enact, amend, or repeal legally binding agreements with foreign regions or organizations by simple majority vote. (5) The Convocation may remove any official for which a higher threshold is not established from office by simple majority vote. (6) The Convocation may remove any of the following officials from office by two-thirds majority vote: Grand Orator, Grand Master, Grand Chancellor, Chancellor, Grand Sentinel, Sentinel. (7) The Convocation may declare war against a foreign region or organization by two-thirds majority vote. (8) The Convocation may amend this Covenant by three-quarters majority vote. (9) The result of any vote in the Convocation will be determined by taking into account only citizens who have voted and discounting abstentions cast in the vote. (10) The Convocation will elect a citizen to serve as Grand Orator, to administer its business according to the rules of its proceedings. (11) The Grand Orator may appoint deputies to assist in legislative duties. Such deputies may be regulated by the rules of the Convocation's proceedings. 4. Grand Master of the Convocation (1) The Convocation will elect a citizen to serve as Grand Master, to serve as World Assembly Delegate of Lazarus and as head of state and government for the Eternal Sanctuary of Lazarus. (2) The Grand Master will exercise the powers of the World Assembly Delegacy of Lazarus only as permitted by statute. (3) The Grand Master may negotiate treaties with foreign regions and organizations, which will come into force only if enacted by the Convocation. (4) The Grand Master may appoint a Council of Ministers to assist in state and government duties. Ministers will only take office upon being approved by a simple majority vote of the Convocation, and the Convocation may regulate the Council of Ministers by statute. (5) The Grand Master may veto legislation to enact, amend, or repeal statutory law within fourteen days of its passage. The Convocation may override such a veto by two-thirds majority vote. 5. Chancellery of the Convocation (1) The Chancellery will be the judicial authority of the Eternal Sanctuary of Lazarus and will be comprised of three Chancellors who will serve until resignation or removal from office by the Convocation. (2) The Grand Master will nominate citizens to serve as Chancellors, who will only take office upon being approved by a two-thirds majority vote of the Convocation. (3) A Chancellor may not serve as: Grand Master, Grand Sentinel, Grand Orator, government minister, or legislative deputy. (4) The rules of the Chancellery's proceedings will be established by statute. (5) The Chancellery will try all criminal and civil cases and determine the constitutionality of statutory laws, foreign agreements, and government policies. (6) The Chancellery will elect a Grand Chancellor from among its membership to administer its business according to the rules of its proceedings. (7) The Chancellery will reach decisions by majority vote. 6. Sentinels of the Convocation (1) Any citizen who meets endorsement and influence requirements established by statute may apply to become a Sentinel. (2) The Convocation may approve an application to serve as Sentinel by two-thirds majority vote. Sentinels will serve until resignation or removal from office by the Convocation. (3) Sentinels will monitor and report on regional security to the Convocation. (4) Sentinels will enforce decisions of the Convocation to remove the Grand Master from office. (5) Sentinels will be prepared to serve as acting Grand Master, if the office of Grand Master is vacant or the Grand Master is absent without notice, according to a line of succession established by statute. (6) The acting Grand Master will exercise the powers and carry out the duties of the Grand Master for the duration of the office's vacancy or, in the case of absence without notice, until the Grand Master returns. (7) The Grand Master may only be considered absent without notice if certified as such by majority vote of the Sentinels. (8) Sentinels who cease to meet endorsement and influence requirements established by law will automatically forfeit their service as Sentinels. 7. Grand Sentinel of the Convocation (1) The Convocation will elect a citizen to serve as Grand Sentinel, to seek to hold the second most endorsements in Lazarus. (2) The Grand Sentinel will administer the business of the Sentinels according to the rules they adopt for their proceedings. (3) The Grand Sentinel will be first in the line of succession to serve as acting Grand Master. 8. Lazarene Liberation Army (1) The Lazarene Liberation Army will be comprised of citizens and will be the sole legal military force of the Eternal Sanctuary of Lazarus and the only military force officially sanctioned by Lazarus. (2) The Lazarene Liberation Army will be under the command of the Grand Master, who may further delegate command to citizens. (3) The primary responsibility of the Lazarene Liberation Army will be defense of Lazarus and execution of all military mandates established by law. (4) The Lazarene Liberation Army may engage in defense of regions at the discretion of command. The Lazarene Liberation Army will be barred from invading regions absent a declaration of war by the Convocation. 9. Elected Officials (1) The Grand Orator, Grand Master, and Grand Sentinel will be considered elected officials for the purposes of this Covenant. (2) An election for an elected office will be conducted if four months have passed since the previous election for that office began or if the office is vacant. (3) Citizens will cast their ballots for a single candidate per office. If a candidate receives a simple majority of votes cast in the election, the candidate will be elected to the office. (4) If no candidate receives a majority of votes, a run-off election will be conducted between the two candidates with the most votes. The candidate who receives a simple majority of votes cast in the run-off election will be elected to office. (5) All ties will be broken in favor of the candidate who has been a citizen for the longest continuous period of time. (6) Abstentions cast in an election will not count against a majority. (7) No person may simultaneously hold multiple elected offices. (8) No person may consecutively serve in the same elected office for more than two terms of four months. 10. Regional Forum (1) The regional forum will be located at the following URL: http://nslazarus.com/archive/NSLazarus/index/ (2) Violation of forum terms of service or use and establishment and enforcement of moderation policies will be the responsibility of forum administration. Edited by Cormac, May 2 2015, 02:28 AM.

Replies:
Cormac	May 4 2015, 12:27 AM Post #31
Lazarene Posts: 398 Group: Members Member #9 Joined: Apr 8, 2015 Alignment Chaotic Neutral Military Stance Raider Political Views Independent Nation in Lazarus Cormactopia II Skype cormac.ns Discord Cormac#9408	killer kitty May 3 2015, 09:52 PM And perhaps that is my concern. We are driving an entire generation of players away from Lazarus and into other regions. We are culturally secluding ourselves. And if the region is raider, we'll be driving other people away from Lazarus and into other regions. For example, most of its currently active and contributing community. Before you say you're not advocating for Lazarus to be raider, yes, you are. A military that raids is a military in which defenders can't or won't participate. By advocating for the military to do some raiding, you are advocating for it to go down the path of other "independent" militaries, which has been to raid enough that it has no more defenders and might as well be a raider military. So what you're proposing would exclude people, it's just that you don't mind excluding defenders. You've done your best to drive defenders out of The North Pacific whenever an opportunity arises to do so.



Funkadelia	May 4 2015, 01:52 AM Post #32
Posts: 2,155 Group: King of the Undead Member #86 Joined: Apr 22, 2015 Alignment Chaotic Neutral Military Stance Raider Political Views Socialist Nation in Lazarus Funkadelia	killer kitty May 3 2015, 09:52 PM Cormac May 3 2015, 11:10 AM In regard to newer people, why would anyone who can only contribute to a region by raiding join a defender region with a community that is majority defender by an overwhelming margin in the first place? I'm not sure who you think you're convincing with this argument. And perhaps that is my concern. We are driving an entire generation of players away from Lazarus and into other regions. We are culturally secluding ourselves. Who else is part of your generation that is being driven from Lazarus?



Kazmr	May 4 2015, 02:02 AM Post #33
Lazarene Posts: 987 Group: Members Member #85 Joined: Apr 22, 2015 Alignment Lawful Good Military Stance Neutral	I would question whether you're even being 'driven out'. You very well know what you're doing, Wolf, and thats grandstanding so that some time down the road you can point to how you were some sort of marter slain on the cross of defenderdom. You're 100% free to remain a citizen, you're the one deliberately forcing yourself out.



Monomaniac	May 4 2015, 02:42 AM Post #34
Pauper of Spam Posts: 1,138 Group: Members Member #134 Joined: Apr 29, 2015	Couldn't a nation simply opt out of raiding if they only want to defend? Other nations that are willing could go instead. I don't see why it has to be so black and white. As long as a majority of people and party leaders are behind it. Edited by Monomaniac, May 4 2015, 02:47 AM.



Benevolent Thomas	May 4 2015, 03:13 AM Post #35
Blessed of the Vale Posts: 1,532 Group: Members Member #63 Joined: Apr 14, 2015 Alignment Lawful Good Military Stance Neutral Nation in Lazarus Benevolent Thomas	Monomaniac May 4 2015, 02:42 AM Couldn't a nation simply opt out of raiding if they only want to defend? Other nations that are willing could go instead. I don't see why it has to be so black and white. As long as a majority of people and party leaders are behind it. Except that it has been proven (thanks polls) that the vast majority of people and leadership disapprove of invading. We're not excluding participation of invaders in Lazarus, we can and are however excluding Lazarus from invasion activities. 'Tis the mandate of the masses. We're all about having the minority having their voices heard, but asking the region to bend to their will is a different thing entirely.



Monomaniac	May 4 2015, 03:23 AM Post #36
Pauper of Spam Posts: 1,138 Group: Members Member #134 Joined: Apr 29, 2015	I only believe we should still have the ability to strike back in the event the region comes under attack. I'll go looking for those polls and get myself educated.



Kazmr	May 4 2015, 03:41 AM Post #37
Lazarene Posts: 987 Group: Members Member #85 Joined: Apr 22, 2015 Alignment Lawful Good Military Stance Neutral	Mono: Thats already included in all of the drafts; as far as I know from skimming they all include an option to allow us to attack in the instance of war. Its not an issue of defending ourselves or striking back; its an issue of preventing us from arbitrarily raiding regions, which the vast majority of the community is against. This very draft says: (4) The Lazarene Liberation Army may engage in defense of regions at the discretion of command. The Lazarene Liberation Army will be barred from invading regions absent a declaration of war by the Convocation.



Monomaniac	May 4 2015, 04:18 AM Post #38
Pauper of Spam Posts: 1,138 Group: Members Member #134 Joined: Apr 29, 2015	I've always been pretty good at making an ass of myself lol. I haven't had time to fully read the document. I was under the impression that invading included any military action outside of the region. Effectively keeping everyone here to "defend". Foot in mouth.



Benevolent Thomas	May 4 2015, 04:18 AM Post #39
Blessed of the Vale Posts: 1,532 Group: Members Member #63 Joined: Apr 14, 2015 Alignment Lawful Good Military Stance Neutral Nation in Lazarus Benevolent Thomas	Monomaniac May 4 2015, 03:23 AM I'll go looking for those polls and get myself educated. http://www.nationstates.net/page=poll/p=25781 http://nslazarus.com/archive/NSLazarus/topic/7940046/1/



Monomaniac	May 4 2015, 04:37 AM Post #40
Pauper of Spam Posts: 1,138 Group: Members Member #134 Joined: Apr 29, 2015	Thanks Thomas, though I was happy to find them myself.



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