\m/ Announcement

[Groucho Marx]

[center][img]http://i48.tinypic.com/2nrekbl.jpg[/img][/center]

Since \m/'s reformation, our Triumvirate has served us well. However, it's come to the point that we've started to feel that the disadvantages of such a system outweigh the benefits.

With that in mind, we've adopted a new constitution.

Something to set the tone: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kbrANo-1QMQ

[quote]I. Preamble

\m/ is an alliance of nations who strongly believe in personal freedoms, defense of our sovereignty, security of our brothers in arms, and the wellbeing of fellow members. We understand that during difficult times we will be asked to relieve certain rights, civil liberties and privileges for the good of the alliance and that \m/ will never ask anything of its members without just cause.

The members of \m/ also recognize: \m/ > Friends > Self

II. Membership/Separation:

1. In order to join \m/, nations must meet the following requirements:

i. Nations of any strength may join as long as they meet the following criteria:

a. cannot be engaged in war of any kind. If currently at war with another nation, you must declare peace before being accepted as an applicant.

b. Cannot be considered a rogue, terrorist, or be on a ZI list for another alliance. \m/ is not a safe haven to escape past discrepancies. You must settle any outstanding issues that you may have with another alliance before being considered for membership.

c. Cannot be a current member of another alliance or an applicant. If you have already applied elsewhere and would like membership here instead, you must contact the other alliance and notify them of your intentions.

d. We're black, y'all. And we're black, y'all. And we're blackity black, and we're black, y'all.

e. Cannot be an asshat, a !@#$%, or a chicken!@#$.

ii. Nations which wish to join must acknowledge charter policies by stating the following:

"I, **Nation Ruler** of **Nation Name**, have read the \m/ charter and I pledge my loyalty to \m/ before anything else. I'm not going to be dumb about this."

iii. Nations wishing to be granted membership must post the following information in the Member Sign-Up forum:

Nation Name:
Ruler Name:
Team Color:
Nation Resources:
Nation Link:
Nation Strength:
Former Alliances:
Position in former alliances:
Are you currently on any ZI Lists?
Where did you hear about how bad ass we are?

2. Secession & Expulsion from \m/:

i. Nations may leave during peacetime with no consequence provided they have no outstanding debts to its members. Nations are required to post their resignation in the appropriate section on the Forums or by informing a Government member of \m/.

ii. Leaving during a declared time of war is considered desertion. Nations may leave \m/ if you choose but this means you're a !@#$% and a coward. We don't like those sorts, and we'll take whatever action we feel is necessary to make things a pain in the ass. Exceptions can be made on a case-by-case basis.

iii. Should any member directly violate this constitution with rogue actions, disrespect of government, disrespect of our allies, or general violation of clause (e.) they will be eligible for disciplinary action up to & including expulsion from \m/. Alliance government shall decide if this action is necessary and the method of expulsion based on the severity of the offense. Expulsion may range anywhere from peaceful parting of ways to severe as perpetual ZI status enforced by the members you have inconvenienced with your failure to abide by this constitution.

III. Member Expectations: The 3 Tenets of \m/

\m/ allows great swaths of freedom to its members and will do all in it‘s power to defend them. In return for these freedoms, \m/ requires it’s members to follow 3 simple tenets.

1. Follow orders.

2. Respect and assist fellow members.

3. Never compromise operational security.

Breaking any one of these tenets will have consequences, see Article II, Section 2 part ii for clarification.

IV. Government and the Powers of Government:

1. The chain of command for \m/ is as follows:

i. President
ii. Vice President
iii. \m/land Security Tribunal
iv. The Almighty Janitor
v. Strip Club Manager
vi. Interior Designer
vii. Rain Machine Operator
viii. Team Senator

i. The President: Responsible for alliance oversight, the ultimate Manager within \m/. All major decisions, including war declarations, member erections, ejections, mergers, treaty collaborations, shall be approved or rejected by the President. Should the President resign, the Vice President will assume the Presidency. Presidents will serve a term that lasts up to 4 months (120 days) and elected by the common membership of \m/ with a simple majority vote.

In order to qualify to serve as President, individuals must meet the following requirements;

Been a member for at least 6 consecutive months,

Or served in Government for at least 3 months,

And nominated by another member, with at least 3 months tenure in the alliance, as a Presidential Candidate. Must also accept the nomination publicly.

A. The President has the right and authority to set forth a code of Conduct not already stated within this document for all members of \m/ including the Government, which is not explicitly written in this Constitution. He is also tasked with providing for the enforcement of this conduct either directly or indirectly through other Government Officials.

B. The President, and only the President, reserves the right to invoke Martial Law, temporarily banning elections, suspending the Constitution and giving total control of the alliance to the President and Vice President. Enacting Martial Law requires a three-fourths vote of \m/'s Ministers. Martial law will last for no more than 2 weeks, at which time the President may ask the Ministers to vote to extend Martial Law for another two weeks. Extending Martial Law requires a two-thirds majority vote in favor of extending Martial Law.

1B. Martial Law may only be extended once.

2B. Once Martial Law has been successfully declared or extended, it may not be declared again for 30 days.

ii. Vice President: Second in command in the alliance, answering only to the President. The Vice President will be the runner-up in the Presidential Election. The Vice President acts as an executive manager beneath the President. Should the Vice President resign, the President will nominate a replacement to be confirmed by the \m/land Security Tribunal.

iii. \m/land Security Tribunal: Responsible for the operational security of \m/, ghost busting in assistance to the Minister of Internal Affairs and keeping the Salahis out of important \m/ state dinners. The Tribunal consists of a Director and two Deputy Directors. The Director and the two Deputy Directors are appointed by the President, requiring a two-thirds vote of \m/'s Ministers to appoint or remove the Director of \m/land Security or his Deputies. The Director and the two deputies serve for life once appointed. The Tribunal is responsible for making sure that all policies and actions taken by the rest of the Government are within the bounds and powers defined in the Constitution. The Director will also work to guarantee that member freedoms and rights are not violated. The Director will have 2 Deputies, but can also recruit the assistance of other \m/ members as agents.

A. Agents of the \m/land Security Agency will be expected to assist the Director in any manner possible. These agents can be dismissed by the will of the President or Director at any time with a confirmation vote from the \m/ Ruling Council. In the absence of one or both Deputy Directors, agents may step up as temporary Tribunal Judges.

B. Ministers or regular members may serve on the \m/ Tribunal concurrently with any other position they hold within the alliance with an exception to the Presidency or Vice Presidency.

iv. The Almighty Janitor: Heads up the alliance military to include the creation of war lists, maintenance of individual enemy lists, the creation and maintenance of war guides, and the creation and maintenance of unit organization. The Almighty Janitor has the authority to command the Military how he sees fit and appoint and organize as many staff members as deemed necessary to help oversee and insure effective unit cohesion. The Almighty Janitor is also responsible for creating, enforcing or repealing policy concerning the Military. Only the President can repeal policies implemented by the Almighty Janitor when deemed necessary. Contacts the President with information about all aggressive action against \m/.

v. Strip Club Manager: Conducts foreign affairs to include embassy creation and inter-alliance coordination. This Minister has the power to enlist help from the general Membership to aid in these activities. This Minister is also responsible for maintaining, overseeing and communicating with Foreign Diplomats who have been given Embassies on the \m/ forums. The Strip Club Manager is also responsible for deciding on the organization and layout of these Ministries.

A. Enlisted Diplomats can be fired at will by the Strip Club Manager and replaced as deemed necessary.

B. The Strip Club Manager is responsible for insuring that all \m/ Embassies abroad are active and that the Diplomats actively and visibly take part in them.

C. Enlisted Diplomats of \m/ whom are deployed abroad will be expected to give regular reports to their overseeing Minister.

vi. Interior Designer: Conducts the day-to-day affairs of alliance operations to include member masking, recruiting and updating membership rosters. The President prefers tech-savvy individuals in this position that can keep the Forums in prime condition. This Minister is responsible for ensuring that elections are started and finished on time. They will be permitted to aid the Ministers of War, Finance and Trades with their duties if needed. This Minister must ensure that all of \m/’s guides are up-to-date, accurate, and easily understandable.

A. The Interior Designer must create and maintain an Academy that will test all prospective \m/ applicants before they may be permitted to join the alliance. The Academy must be rigorous and should educate these prospective members in anything from how to wage war, partake in Tech Deals, Grow their Nations effectively, \m/ Laws, and any other items set forth in their Mission Statements.

vii. Rain Machine Operator: Responsible for making it rain, organizing Tech Deals, member Aid, Development projects and writing and maintaining Economics guides. The President prefers organized and number-savvy individuals in this position. All programs and projects undertaken by the Finance Minister that involve the Membership must be voluntary programs. However, mandatory programs may be approved by a simple majority vote of the \m/ Ruling Council.

A. This Minister is responsible for organizing Trades for the alliance. They are expected to do so in an orderly and efficient manner and he may assign individuals who have asked to be placed in a Trade Circle into another one if the requested circle is not available or if a more beneficiary circle is found.

iiv. Team Senator; Responsible for representing \m/’s interests on the sphere in which the alliance resides. The Team Senator is free to approve any sanction requests made by foreign governments, and only foreign governments. The President reserves the right to override \m/’s Team Senator’s decision to grant or deny a sanction request. Should \m/ decide to support a foreign senator, \m/ acknowledges the sovereignty of the foreign alliance’s right to govern their senator as they see fit.

2. Impeachment

Should an individual within \m/’s ruling government be impeached, they are thus charged with a crime or other violation.

If an elected Government Official of \m/ feels that another elected Government Official, the Vice President or President have performed poorly in their office, or have committed a serious crime against \m/, may request Impeachment Proceedings against the government official in question. They must provide evidence to support their accusation and the official being Impeached may provide their defense. \m/'s Ministers must then decide on whether or not to vote to impeach the government official. If successfully impeached, the government official will be temporarily stripped of his or her title and powers and the case is then taken to the \m/ Tribunal. They will decide on whether to rule in favor of removing the impeached government official from office. Deliberation will last no longer than 72 hours. If the Tribunal agrees with the plaintiff’s accusation, they will remove the government official from office and decide on whether or not to expel the member as well.

3. Elections

Minister Elections occur every 2 months, Presidential Elections occur every 4 months. All elections begin at 6PM EST on the 13th day and ending at 6PM EST on the 15th day of the assigned months. Candidates must state their intentions to run for office at least 3 days before Elections begin. Campaigning is allowed in the appropriate places on the Forums but no campaign messages may be sent to the alliance in-game. The Minister of Internal Affairs is responsible for alerting the alliance to elections, but must do so neutrally.

4. Policy and Laws

The \m/ Government shall have the power to make all laws and policies which are necessary and proper for execution of its responsibilities without having to amend the constitution. No law may be passed which violates the rights of \m/’s membership.

5. Disbandment

Impossible cannot be done. Whoever seriously suggests it will more than likely be expelled and attacked for !@#$% and giggles. This clause may not be revised upon the ratification of this document.

V. War:

1. Inter-alliance war, whether it be aggressive or defensive, is sometimes necessary. Approval from the President is necessary to declare war.

i. Nuclear First Strike Policy: The government & members of \m/ realize that nuclear weapons are beneficial to the alliance and fully support nuclear development. We also realize that nuclear weapons are built for 2 reasons:

A. Deterrent

B. To cause maximum damage to enemy nations. Therefore \m/ authorizes nuclear first strikes in war, unless deemed not necessary by the President.

2. Inter-alliance ceasefires and peace declarations will only be approved by the President.


VI. Nation-on-Nation War:

\m/ permits and approves of the practice of Nation-on-Nation Wars to gain tech/land/money within a reasonable set of rules.

1.) Unaligned targets may be open to Nation-on-Nation Wars by any member of \m/.

2.) If the Nation you are looking to start a Nation-on-Nation War has its alliance affiliation set. and that alliance affiliation has 16 or less members you must ask permission, and be granted authorization by the Minister or War.

3.) If the Nation you are looking to start a Nation-on-Nation War has its alliance affiliation set. And that alliance affiliation has 17 or more members, forget about it you will not get permission to raid so don’t even ask.

4.) Team Nation-on-Nation War (Nation-on-Nation War by 2 or more \m/ members} are permitted on unaligned nations. If the nation has its alliance affiliation same rules apply stated in #2 and #3 above

5.) Forms of attack - In a Nation-on-Nation War the only thing you should be doing is 2 ground attacks and spy attack (gather Intel, lower defcon) Use of Air, Cm's, Nukes are not permitted after your 2 ground attacks you should send peace immediately. IF the target uses Air, CMs, Nukes on you then you are free to use any attacks you wish. But Nations which attack you back while you are in Nation-on-Nation War will not considered rogue, and will not be pursued beyond the duration of the war or made targets for sanctions because of their choice to nuke. Any violation of these rules will be dealt with as seen fit by the government. Nation-on-Nation War is a risk, by starting a Nation-on-Nation War you take the risk of getting attacked back.

VII. In-game Spying:

1. Spying is aggression.

2. If we discover members of another alliance spying on one of our members, the aggressive alliance will be contacted. The nation in question will be dealt with and reparations may be received. No \m/ nation is to attack this nation unless approved by the President or Almighty Janitor.

VIII. Constitutional Amendments

1. Editing or amending the current constitution:

i. A copy of the previous version of this constitution must be permanently archived to preserve the history of the living document.

ii. All changes and additions to the current text require Presidential approval.

IX. Miscellaneous

1. \m/ also recognizes:

i. Alice in Chains rocks your face off.
ii. Metallica used to kick a lot of ass, it no longer does.
iii. Chris Cornell was dead to us upon the release of his solo album.

2. Geocaching is the official alliance sport.

3. We support the U.S. military, and the Marine Corps in particular. Semper Fidelis.

4. Coffee's for closers only.

5. Free speech: No one will be ejected, banned, etc., on the basis of speech in our IRC channel or on the forums alone so long as what was said and done falls within the bounds of the Code of Conduct for all members.

Commonly-used terms:
-- i don’t even know what’s going on: You don't even know what's going on. Used most often after a member has recently joined a conversation.
-- \m/: When used as an adjective, generally refers to something awesome.
-- Tech raid: All wars are tech raids until the game mechanics allow individuals to isolate what is taken or destroyed in war.[/quote]


Along with restructuring our government, we also recently held elections to decide who would hold these new government positions.

Our current government is as follows:


[color=green][size=12pt][b][u]Elected Officials[/u][/b][/size][/color]

[b]President;[/b] [i]Emperor Marx[/i]
[b]Vice President;[/b] [i]Merrie Melodies[/i]

[b]The Almighty Janitor:[/b] [i]Ddog241[/i]
[b]Interior Designer:[/b] [i]Chief Stubbs[/i]
[b]Strip Club Manager:[/b] [i]LegendoftheSkies[/i]
[b]Rain Machine Operator:[/b] [i]Caliph[/i]

[color=green][size=12pt][b][u]Appointed Positions[/u][/b][/size][/color]

[b]Director of \m/land Security:[/b] [i]Supreme Emperor Daeg[/i]
[b]Deputy Directors of \m/land Security:[/b] [i]Caliph, Chief Stubbs[/i]


[color=green][size=12pt][b][u]Honorary Positions[/u][/b][/size][/color]

[b]\m/ Chaplain:[/b] [i]Margrave[/i]
[b] Emperor of MAD:[/b] [i]Thomas Jackson[/i]





[img]http://tshirtgroove.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/01/but-wait-theres-more-billy-mays-tshirt.jpg[/img]



In addition, I'm proud to announce an upgrade of the treaty we hold with our good friends in Asgaard:

[quote][center][size="4"][b][u]No Excuses[/u][/b][/size]

[IMG]http://i51.tinypic.com/mj6dyd.jpg[/IMG]
[img]http://i48.tinypic.com/2nrekbl.jpg[/img]

[i]“It's alright
There comes a time
Got no patience
To search for peace of mind

Laying' low
Want to take it slow
No more hiding
Or disguising truths I've sold

Everyday
Something hits me all so cold
Find me sittin' by myself
No excuses that I know

It's okay
Had a bad day
Hands are bruised from
Breaking rocks all day

Drained and blue
I bleed for you
You think it's funny
Well you're drowning in it too

Everyday
Something hits me all so cold
Find me sittin' by myself
No excuses that I know

Yeah, it's fine
We'll walk down the line
Leave our rain
A cold trade for warm sunshine

You're my friend
I will defend
And if we change
Well I love you anyway

Everyday
Something hits me all so cold
Find me sittin' by myself
No excuses that I know”[/i]
- “No Excuses” ~ Alice In Chains[/center]

[size="3"]Article I[/size]
\m/ and Asgaard recognize that each alliance is a sovereign entity and will not interfere with the internal affairs of one another. Each alliance retains the right to make decisions for themselves and act on their best interests within the spirit and cooperation in this document.

[size="3"]Article II[/size]
Information is knowledge and a sword that cuts both ways. Without it, both agree that they are vulnerable and pledge to share intelligence when deemed necessary to guarantee the security of one and thus the other, preventing vulnerability.

[size="3"]Article III[/size]
In the event that either \m/ or Asgaard find themselves victims of aggression from an outside party to this treaty, the other party shall consider said act of aggression as an act of war against their own alliance and will respond accordingly. Should either \m/ or Asgaard choose to engage in an aggressive war against a third party, the other party shall be encouraged to assist them, but this is not mandatory.

[size="3"]Article IV[/size]

Non-chaining clause. You should all know what that is and I'm too lazy to write it out, so screw it.

[size="3"]Article V[/size]
The growth and financial development of both entities is key to guaranteeing a strong defense and to the development of political and personal friendships. Both parties agree to work together for the advancement of their respective alliances and the sphere in which they reside.

[size="3"]Article VI[/size]
Should either party wish to terminate this pact, they are required to give notice to the other at least 96 hours before the cancellation takes place. During this time, the pact is still considered valid.

[center]Signed for \m/,

[b]President;[/b] [i]Emperor Marx[/i]
[b]Vice President;[/b] [i]Merrie Melodies[/i]

[b]The Almighty Janitor:[/b] [i]Ddog241[/i]
[b]Interior Designer:[/b] [i]Chief Stubbs[/i]
[b]Strip Club Manager:[/b] [i]LegendoftheSkies[/i]
[b]Rain Machine Operator:[/b] [i]Caliph[/i]

Signed for Asgaard,
[b]The Aesir[/b]
[b]Tyr-[/b] [i]Lonewolfe2015[/i]
[b]Loki-[/b] [i]Gambona[/i]
[b]Magni-[/b] [i]Mustakrakish II[/i]

[b]The Vanir[/b]
[i]Commander Thrawn[/i]
[i]Nickmagus[/i]
[i]SpanktheFrank[/i]
[i]Nihalist Dandy[/i][/center]
[/quote]



[b]OH, AND ANOTHER THING.[/b] We've decided that Coldfront is one of the worst possible IRC servers, and being spread out over two irc servers is more of a pain than it's worth. As such, we're dropping Coldfront altogether and we'll be maintaining our SynIRC channel. You can find us there in #\m/.

Server Information:
irc.synirc.net
Port 6667
Channel #\m/

Thanks to LegendoftheSkies for helping write this announcement.

As a side note, \m/ is looking to import as much tech as possible. If your alliance sells, or you're looking to sell, swing by [url="http://blinging13.com/forums"]our forums[/url] and let us know.

-EM

[Rampage3]

First....and congrats to our homies.

Stay blingin'

[Yankees Empire]

Too close to update. Got me excited. Poor show.

[Merrie Melodies]

A huge shout out to our allies over at Asgaard!

[Earogema]

Congrats guys!

[Gopherbashi]

[quote]Presidents will serve a term that lasts up to 4 months (120 days) and elected by the common membership of \m/ with a simple majority vote.[/quote]

Is this supposed to mean that the top candidate becomes president, or do you have a runoff is no one gets a majority?

[Groucho Marx]

[quote name='Gopherbashi' timestamp='1291356504' post='2528795']
Is this supposed to mean that the top candidate becomes president, or do you have a runoff is no one gets a majority?
[/quote]

The candidate with the most votes is elected to the Presidency and the runner-up candidate becomes the Vice President.

[Merrie Melodies]

[quote name='Gopherbashi' timestamp='1291356504' post='2528795']
Is this supposed to mean that the top candidate becomes president, or do you have a runoff is no one gets a majority?
[/quote]
If there was a tie there would be a runoff, otherwise it only takes having one more vote than any other canidate to win.

[mythicknight]

I demand a recount.

[Groucho Marx]

[quote name='mythicknight' timestamp='1291356895' post='2528805']
I demand a recount.
[/quote]

You'd have to join \m/ first to be able to demand such a thing. [IMG]http://i53.tinypic.com/1z56hzd.jpg[/IMG]

[Liz Girard]

Congrats to \m/ and asgaard
Nice to see a good strong government as well
Caliph and Legend
and marx too
i guess.

[nippy]

Congrats, guys. Oh, and I thought you were already on SynIRC?

[Groucho Marx]

[quote name='nippy' timestamp='1291358281' post='2528835']
Congrats, guys. Oh, and I thought you were already on SynIRC?
[/quote]

We were on both and just decided our coldfront channel wasn't worth keeping around.

[nippy]

[quote name='Emperor Marx' timestamp='1291358665' post='2528840']
We were on both and just decided our coldfront channel wasn't worth keeping around.
[/quote]

Excellent choice. I don't know why we keep ours around, tbh.

[dockingscheduled]

congrats on the upgraded treaty

[Joe Stupid]

Congrats to our brothers in \m/

[x8BitL0gic]

All this congrats and hailing makes me tired. Who brought the beer?

[commander thrawn]

Gah now I will never see you on IRC >_<

[Merrie Melodies]

[quote name='x8BitL0gic' timestamp='1291359765' post='2528863']
All this congrats and hailing makes me tired. Who brought the beer?
[/quote]
I know nothing of beer but I do know where a packed bowl is

[x8BitL0gic]

[quote name='Merrie Melodies' timestamp='1291360301' post='2528870']
I know nothing of beer but I do know where a packed bowl is
[/quote]
Oh snap.
>_>
I will be right over.

[Acca Dacca]

hot. Needs less Alice in Chains.

[Monster]

I was wondering when this would be announced.

[Kevin McDonald]

Congrats \m/ and to my good friend EM.

Marx, I know you will do well in this position. Congratulations.

[Caliph]

[quote name='Liz Girard' timestamp='1291357555' post='2528819']
Congrats to \m/ and asgaard
Nice to see a good strong government as well
Caliph and Legend
and marx too
i guess.
[/quote]
you too Liz

[Supreme Emperor Daeg]

o/ Asgaard always glad to see our friendships grow.