A bill to create a framework for equitable unification of the CDS with other democratic virtual nations in Secondlife in a manner that preserves and protects the rights of the citizens and the cultural differences and legitimate autonomy of the unified micronations:
Whereas the attempted unification of the CDS with Al Andalus failed, in part, due to difficulties in merging the different forms and styles of government and estate ownership into a single federal unit;
And whereas the Citizens and RA of the CDS recognize the desirability of forming enhanced and close relations, even to the point of confederation, with other Secondlife Democracies;
And whereas the Citizens and RA of the CDS recognize that the Federal representative unicameral democracy practiced by the CDS is only one of several potential forms of virtual democracy;
And whereas the Citizens and RA of the CDS recognize that the culture and history of the CDS may not be a culture or history other democratic virtual micronations want to join through full unification:
Be it resolved that:
A Commission shall be formed to draft Articles of Confederation under which other virtual micronations can join with the CDS in common projects with limited sharing of government and institutions on a confederation model, rather than on a federation model. These Articles of Confederation shall state strict and permanent limits on the power of the Confederated Government and shall provide for equitable distribution of governing authority among the micronations that join together in the confederation. These Articles of Confederation shall require that all participating micronations have some democratic form of governance and some minimum level of enfranchised voters, but shall otherwise not require governmental forms in a confederated micronation. These Articles of Confederation shall provide for revenue generation sufficient to pay for the expenses of the Confederation, but shall provide that the manner of generating and paying the revenue shall be left to the discretion of the participating micronations, provided such is paid, and the Confederation shall have no direct taxation or tier-payment rights with regard to any individual citizen of any participating micronation. These Articles ofConfederation shall expressly reserve matters of land use, land ownership (with the exception of advertising and embassy land in nonCDS sims), general police power, and general governance jurisdiction to the confederated micronation, excluding such matters from the governance or other jurisdiction of the CDS as defined by the Articles of Confederation.
The proposed Articles of Confederation shall be drafted by the Commission and submitted to the RA for submission, with any changes the RA deems proper, to the citizens of the CDS through a special referendum. Upon passage, the Constitution of the Confederation of Democratic Simululators will be renamed as “The Constitution of the Core Sims of the Confederation of Democratic Simulators”, and the current CDS Sims, along with any future expansions authorized by the RA, shall be called “The Core Sims of the Confederation of Democratic Simulators.” The jurisdiction of the RA shall apply only to the Core Sims thus defined, but shall be general jurisdiction over those sims.
My initial thoughts:
There are many good experiments in virtual democracy going at the moment, each with its particular flavor and forms. It would be good to link up with these to the extent we can, but we must not do so in a way that seems hegemonic or invasive, and certainly not in a way that replaces their own flavor or institutional forms with our own. That said, there are also benefits from scale and strength in numbers.
A Confederation form of political union (as opposed to the Federal system we have, even though we call ourselves a “Confederation”) can create these social and political links without threatening to have either participant absorbed into the other. I was not here for the Odyssey of the Al Andalus merger, but it seems that the fear of each side that it would lose itself in the other was, perhaps, the primary impediment to what would have been a wonderful union. Like a good marriage, I think such unions should preserve and enhance what is best about the parties – and that requires that each remain itself.
So, true to form, I am breaking my promise to myself and the CDS to ease myself slowly back into the community, and instead announce my presence with a sweeping, and no doubt controversial, proposal to address a problem that has already passed and which may never come again.
My initial thoughts on the Articles –
1. They should define very specific, very limited areas of activity for the Confederation, reserving all other matters to the confederated sims. I think that foreign embassy and advertising is scalable and cheaper when done in groups – especially if those groups advertise in cooperation (each offering a particular version of democracy) rather than in competition (each needing to sell itself as superior to the others). Then the interested people can choose from among the share offering, rather than choose among competing alternatives, which I think benefits all involved. So, I think the Articles should provide for a “foreign office” with a “foreign secretary”.
2. Perhaps some universal concern, such as anti-griefing rules and enforcement, can be done most efficiently by a larger confederation. If so, the Articles should provide for “home office” with a “home secretary.” The Home Secretary can and should also arrange generally sponsored events and internal cultural and commerce exchanges.
3. There needs to be revenue, especially if there are expenses maintaining advertising and/or embassies. However, I think the revenue should not come from individuals, who should be encouraged to enhance local identity and local relationships. Thus, I would propose that revenue by paid on a per sim basis or a per capita basis (I prefer per capita – setting it at, say, L$100/per citizen initially), but should be paid in a lump sum by each confederated micronation. Nonetheless, this will require some revenue apparatus.
4. Even though some confederated micronations could be direct democracies, I think that participation in the confederation has to be by representation. I would propose a mixture of per-sim and population based representation, with each sim with a population over 10 being accorded a representative, with an additional representative at a population of 60 and a third with a population of 110, to a maximum of three representatives per sim. I would then leave selection and apportionment of representatives (provided it was democratic) up to each micronation (that is – they could hold elections and be represented sim-by-sim, or could have at-large representatives, etc.)
I am a big believer in prior planning. I find that most events are not truly unforeseeable, and that wise people plan for events that might not happen on the chance that they will. To this end, although we are still licking bleeding wounds from our last attempt at unification with another micronation, I think we should nonetheless plan for and establish a process for other attempts in the future – and do so when the outcome of recent events is fresh in our minds so that we can incorporate lessons learned into the process.
Beathan Vale
