SDW : THE CONSTITUTION OF THE GRAND ALLIANCE From: Eitzenberger Thomas <eitzenbe> Date: Wed, 07 Jun 1995 00:00:00 +0000 X-URL: news:rec.games.pbm?ALL Content-Transfer-Encoding: 7bit Content-Type: text/plain; charset=iso-8859-1 Hello everyone this little article is about the basic constitution of the prime force in SDW the Grand Alliance consisting of the First Imperium (FI) The B'Norgs (BN) Storm Opportunities (SO) and Urr Nation (UN) mfg Sire ReezArrk EihZen THE CONSTITUTION OF THE GRAND ALLIANCE ARTICLE I Section 1. All legislative powers herein granted shall be vested in the Senate of The Grand Alliance. Section 2. The Senate of the Grand Alliance shall be composed of one Senator from each allegiance, chosen in accordance with the laws of that allegiance, for two years, and each Senator shall have one vote. The Heads of State of the various allegiances may not be members of the Senate. Section 3. The Head Of State of the Federation shall be President of the Senate, but shall have no vote, unless they be equally divided. Section 4. Senators shall receive a compensation for their services, to be ascertained by law, and paid out of the Treasury of the Grand Alliance. Section 5. The Senate shall have power to lay and collect taxes, duties, imposts and excises, to pay the debts and provide for the common defense and general welfare of the Grand Alliance; but all duties, imposts and excises shall be uniform throughout the Grand Alliance; the Senate shall have power to recommend all laws to the membership at large, which shall be necessary for carrying into execution all powers vested by this Constitution in the Government of the Grand Alliance. The Senate shall propose no Law that violates this Constitution. Section 6. The membership of the Grand Alliance, defined as ship captains and city leaders, shall be vested with the power to vote on all laws recommended by the Senate of the Grand Alliance. A majority vote, of those casting votes on each specific legislation, will be required to constitute passage of the legislation into the law of the Grand Alliance. ARTICLE II Section 1. The executive power shall be vested in The High Council. Section 2. The High Council shall consist of the Presidents of the member allegiances of the Grand Alliance, chosen in accordance with the laws of that allegiance, for two years, and each member of the High Council shall have one vote in the General Assembly of the High Council. The President of the High Council shall be the Head of State of the BN Government. In the event of a tie vote on any matter before the High Council, the President of the High Council may decide between the options. Section 3. The President of the High Council shall be Commander in Chief of the Military of the Grand Alliance and of the Militia of the various allegiances, when called into service of the Grand Alliance. Section 3.a. The President of the High Council shall appoint a member of the High Council to serve as Head of Military Operations. The Head of Military Operations shall receive directives from the President of the High Council and will carry out all directives so ordered. Section 3.b. The Head of each military allegiance shall be responsible for the conduct of every member of their respective allegiance. Additionally, the Head of Military Operations shall be responsible for the conduct of each member Military Allegiance. In the event of alleged violation of the laws of the Grand Alliance by a member of one of the Military Allegiances, that individual will be subject to the Military Justice System of the specific Military Allegiance. In the event that no judicial action is taken within a six month period by the Head of the military allegiance involved, the President of the High Council may call for a vote of the High Council on a motion to remove the military allegiance from the Grand Alliance. A unanimous vote of the High Council, excluding the Head of the military allegiance involved, shall be required to validate the expulsion order. Section 4. The High Council shall have power to make treaties; and shall appoint Ambassadors, other public Ministers and Consuls, and all other Officers of the Grand Alliance; and shall have the power of veto, by unanimous vote, to any legislation passed into law by the membership at large; and shall have power to grant reprieves and pardons for offenses against the Grand Alliance, except in cases of impeachment, by a two-thirds vote of the High Council as a whole. Section 5. The powers vested in the High Council by this article can be delegated to another office at the discretion of the members of the High Council, without diminishing their right to such powers. Section 6. Executive Offices may be created by the High Council as deemed necessary for the proper execution of the duties of the High Council. Section 7. The High Council shall have the exclusive power to declare war, grant Letters of Marque and Reprisal, and make rules concerning captures. ARTICLE III Section 1. The judicial power of the Grand Alliance, shall be vested in one Supreme Court consisting of three judges appointed by the President of The High Council. The judges shall hold their Offices during good behavior, and shall, at stated times, receive for their services, a compensation, which shall not be diminished during their continuance in office. Section 2. The judicial power shall extend to all cases, in law and equity, arising under this Constitution, the laws of the Grand Alliance, and treaties made, or which shall be made, under their authority. Section 3. Treason against the Grand Alliance, shall consist only in levying war against the Grand Alliance, or in adhering to their enemies, giving them aid and comfort. No being shall be convicted of treason unless on the testimony of two witnesses to the same overt act or on confession in open court. Section 3.a. The Senate shall have power to declare the punishment of treason, but no attainder of treason shall work corruption of blood, or forfeiture except during the life of the being attained. ARTICLE IV Section 1. The members of each allegiance shall be entitled to all privileges and immunities of members of the several allegiances. Section 2. New allegiances may be admitted, by the two-thirds vote of the High Council, into the Grand Alliance. Any allegiance that achieves membership without the two-thirds vote of the High Council shall be ejected from the Federation by order of the President of the High Council. Section 3. The Grand Alliance shall guarantee to every individual and allegiance in this Federation a democratic form of government, and shall, to the best of its ability, protect each of them against invasion; and on application of the High Council against domestic violence. Section 4. The Grand Alliance shall guarantee to every individual and allegiance in this Federation the right to arm themselves for the purpose of defending themselves from unauthorized aggressions in or on all positions occupied, planetary sections or system sections that are owned or operated by that individual or allegiance. Section 5. The Grand Alliance shall guarantee the sovereign territory of the Federation. Sovereign territory is defined as any system, planet, moon, asteroid or artificial body that has been claimed by a member allegiance, or member, and is registered with the High Council or an appropriate office established by the High Council to oversee such matters. No Allegiance may claim any system unless they have an open market city in that system and there are no other open market cities of other allegiances in the same system. No allegiance may claim any planetary body unless they have an expedition there and there are no other conflicting claims on the planetary body. Section 5.a. The right to travel all systems on peaceful endeavors, by members of the Grand Alliance, shall not be abridged. Section 5.b. Sectors, ArcSectors, or MegaSectors or any other form of the dimensioning of space other than listed above are to be considered open and free space. No Federation, allegiance, or individual may lay any form of claim to open space. Section 5.c. No sovereign territory may be closed by a member allegiance to a member military allegiance during the apprehension of an individual found guilty by the High Court of crimes against the Grand Alliance or any member state of the Grand Alliance. Section 6. The Grand Alliance, in order to promote the progress of science, shall secure for limited times to inventors the exclusive right to their discoveries. Section 7. The Senate of the Grand Alliance shall initiate the necessary legislation to enforce these rights. ARTICLE V Section 1. Whenever two thirds of the Senate and High Council shall deem it necessary, they shall propose amendments to this Constitution, to be voted on by the membership. A two thirds vote of the membership shall be required to pass any amendment to this Constitution. ARTICLE VI Section 1. This Constitution, and the laws of the Grand Alliance which shall be made in pursuance thereof; and all treaties made, or which shall be made, under the authority of the Grand Alliance, shall be the supreme law of the land. Section 2. The Senators and all executive and judicial officers, both of the Grand Alliance and of the several Allegiances, shall be bound by oath or affirmation, to support this Constitution. ARTICLE VII Section 1. The ratification of the conventions of four allegiances, shall be sufficient for the establishment of this Constitution between the allegiances so ratifying the same. -- Sire Eitzen 'eitzenbe@utc01.avl.co.at' Up