Dear All,
Almost from the moment of the adoption of the current constitution, a loophole has been evident that has been constantly exploited by those who wish us ill.
That loophole has two parts:
First, it is absurdly easy to become an RA member. Post the oath and you are in - there is no questioning of it, no possible veto of it. People treat becoming a RA member as if it is a right for anybody. And perhaps it is.
Now this would not be too much of a problem if the RA oath was watertight. But, as I shall show below it is not.
Second, the constitution was written consistently refering to nations. Nations are covered by the constitution, not the players.
Consider for a moment the absurdity of this. Nations are inanimate. It is players who make decisions. It is as if our RL laws concerning murder covered murder weapons, and we put them on trial, not the murderers. asking a nation to take an oath is as stupid as asking a sword or a dagger to promise not to stab anyone. What matters is how they are weilded.
This has been exploited almost from the moment the constitution was written, with players who are actively working to take over or undermine this region maintaining a nation within the RA of the region, even, theoretically, able to become ministers or delegate.
All the player need to do is to be careful not to attack the region in any way with the nation specifically put into the RA. They can do what they like with their other puppets.
Now I was involved in drawing up this constitution, and I KNOW this was not the intent of the drafters. But it is the situation we are in, and it leads to several problems.
1. It means, in a war situation, that enemy powers cannot easily be forum banned, as they have RA "rights".
2. It means we have a potentially large security problem. Not least because discussions and decisions by the RA are known to those attacking us. Even should we decide at any point to have a RA discussion behind closed doors, it woud be immediately ineffective.
3. It means that the RA oath is meaningless, since it binds the nation not the player. A player can sign the oath with a puppet quite easily, then attack the region with other nations and forum accounts.
4. It means we are, frankly, the cause of much bewilderment and laughter in other regions. I do not know of any other region who would embrace so readily players who are actively attacking the region.
5. It means that our justice system is ineffective. We can pass whatever laws we like, but if a player is careful, they are untouchable.
Please note, what I have said above is informed by, but does not specifically refer to aspects of our conflict with the Lexicon, nor trials which have or are being carried out in the region. I just think there is an unforseen hole in our constitution that we ought to patch.
Should this be done?
How should this be done - laws or a constitutional amendment?
Almost from the moment of the adoption of the current constitution, a loophole has been evident that has been constantly exploited by those who wish us ill.
That loophole has two parts:
First, it is absurdly easy to become an RA member. Post the oath and you are in - there is no questioning of it, no possible veto of it. People treat becoming a RA member as if it is a right for anybody. And perhaps it is.
Now this would not be too much of a problem if the RA oath was watertight. But, as I shall show below it is not.
Second, the constitution was written consistently refering to nations. Nations are covered by the constitution, not the players.
Consider for a moment the absurdity of this. Nations are inanimate. It is players who make decisions. It is as if our RL laws concerning murder covered murder weapons, and we put them on trial, not the murderers. asking a nation to take an oath is as stupid as asking a sword or a dagger to promise not to stab anyone. What matters is how they are weilded.
This has been exploited almost from the moment the constitution was written, with players who are actively working to take over or undermine this region maintaining a nation within the RA of the region, even, theoretically, able to become ministers or delegate.
All the player need to do is to be careful not to attack the region in any way with the nation specifically put into the RA. They can do what they like with their other puppets.
Now I was involved in drawing up this constitution, and I KNOW this was not the intent of the drafters. But it is the situation we are in, and it leads to several problems.
1. It means, in a war situation, that enemy powers cannot easily be forum banned, as they have RA "rights".
2. It means we have a potentially large security problem. Not least because discussions and decisions by the RA are known to those attacking us. Even should we decide at any point to have a RA discussion behind closed doors, it woud be immediately ineffective.
3. It means that the RA oath is meaningless, since it binds the nation not the player. A player can sign the oath with a puppet quite easily, then attack the region with other nations and forum accounts.
4. It means we are, frankly, the cause of much bewilderment and laughter in other regions. I do not know of any other region who would embrace so readily players who are actively attacking the region.
5. It means that our justice system is ineffective. We can pass whatever laws we like, but if a player is careful, they are untouchable.
Please note, what I have said above is informed by, but does not specifically refer to aspects of our conflict with the Lexicon, nor trials which have or are being carried out in the region. I just think there is an unforseen hole in our constitution that we ought to patch.
Should this be done?
How should this be done - laws or a constitutional amendment?
