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[highhealplz]

Hi! Hi again, to people I know already, hello for the first time, to anyone I haven't met yet. I'm Ashraf Salib, one of the heads of the clinic, high priest, snazzy dresser… [ He waves a hand. ] General things like that.

So, I'll get straight to the point. In the wake of the mutiny, I've seen a lot of talk on the network that I haven't seen before. Establishing a code of conduct, uniting… there was even some discussion of who you personally look to as a leader. Whatever your opinion of the mutiny may be, you have to admit that it's sparked some new subjects for us. And I'd say they're things we've been needing to talk about.

It isn't just a matter of wresting control from the Initiative, I think that was overly hasty and shortsighted. I think what we should be looking at is how to take control of ourselves. We're a really big group up here, with over three-hundred of us. That's a lot of voices to be heard at once, especially when none of them have much in the way of a recognized authority.

So, I think that should change.

My suggestion would be a council, voted on by the entire Transport body from a number of nominations. The people that we most trust are the ones we should have speaking for us — deciding for us. Because someone needs to. That we're still locked in this base after over two months up here should be evidence enough that it's difficult to achieve much of anything with no one calling the shots.

I've got some specific ideas about the organization of this council, which I wrote down and can attach here, but I want to hear from you. How should we organize ourselves? How can we decide who to listen to? This won't work if we don't all agree to it, and we need to agree on something. We're in a precarious position up here that frankly can't last, and it's past time that we take it into our own hands to change that.

{attached: councilnotes.txt}

Choosing Council Members
- 11 members total, to allow for tie-breaking (do we need more?)
- Members should be elected from nominations (should it take 2 votes to nominate? maybe 3…)
- Every 3-4 months (more often? less?) we vote again, which is meant to keep our current members or replace them with new ones

Council Voting
- Anyone can propose an issue to the Council for voting
- Voting on routine issues should be monthly
- Emergency issues should have immediate votes

Potential Issues
- Being sent home by the Transporter! Members can be replaced in the quarterly(?) election, but if the group falls under a certain number (7?), we can hold an emergency election
- Decisions made the majority doesn't agree with: should a majority vote in the Transport population overturn a Council decision? Or only make the Council revote after open debating of it?
- What if someone is nominated and voted in, but unwilling to take the position?
- What should be done with those who refuse to acknowledge the authority of a Council?
- What boundaries can be placed on what the Council has the power to decide on, to avoid a tyranny of the majority?
- Can we perform audits, to be sure our Council members aren't becoming corrupt?

Suggestions received so far:
- Designated seats for established groups? DITR, clinic, non-humans, etc. This would assure they're given a voice, respectively as experts and those with different values
- Nominations should fit an agreed-upon criteria
- Background checks should be run before a Council member is accepted
- A 60% vote by the Transport population can overrule a Council decision
- Should voting on Council members be mandatory? We want as varied a vote as possible, but uninformed votes are worse than fewer votes
- Elections could run on cycles, replacing (or keeping) only 3-4 Council members at a time
- Pending return to Exsilium, this should be used as a civilian council, and a military council can be arranged as well
- A code of conduct: no one can be tried for a crime committed at home


red = ideas recently added from this post, thank you to everyone for them!

Comments

[chore_boy]

[A bit surprised--Coby frowned inwardly.]

You speak more like a noble--or, a politician.

[highhealplz]

Really? [ He makes a face, but the humor isn't gone. ] I think saying "you speak like a politician" is usually an insult, actually.

[chore_boy]

[A series of rapid blinks overtakes Coby. The implication surprises him.]

Wh-- No, of course not! Aren't politicians very well educated?

[highhealplz]

Well, hopefully. But it's sort of a joke in this world that they're slimeballs, too.

[chore_boy]

I would hope not. I've always heard that educated men and women taking seats in office helped improve civilization as a whole.

It shouldn't be something ordinary people would deal in.

[highhealplz]

It would be something they deal in, here. Education doesn't necessarily equate to good ideas, or strong moral character. We're going to need plenty of both for something like this.

[chore_boy]

[At that, Coby paused. He couldn't quite argue with Ashraf, despite his own positive hopes.]

Sir, I believe I may be able to help--in the event of moral issues. I'm certain Mr. Goodman can vouch for me in that I have a keen ability to understand the motivations of others.

[highhealplz]

Good! Then I definitely want to hear your opinions on these matters. What do you think of what we have so far?

[chore_boy]

[Sullen, Coby pressed on.]

I would merely be operating as a tool to confirm honesty.

[highhealplz]

And I'd be glad to hear you weigh in on those matters, but it's too early for us to need that.

How about, let's see... people were talking about auditing the council members we had, once we had them, to be sure no one was getting corrupt. We'd need to agree on a guideline for what "corrupt" means to us, and then we'd have to figure out what counts as a sign of corruption. If you were putting together a guideline like that, what are things you'd want on it?

[chore_boy]

There are already written standards when it comes to political corruption, sir. Unlawful use of one's power for personal gain, the promotion of one's allies unfairly, extortion and monetary exchanges. I've never seen such things among nobles, but such things happen in the ranks of mid-level Marines. [Carefully, to avoid the word 'want'. Coby would force himself to use the word 'need', instead.]

I can only function as an advanced lie detector.

[highhealplz]

There are written standards, but not here. We're starting from scratch here. We need to put together a list of things exactly like that, that we can all agree are important to guard against. [ he smiles ] So that's a good start.

[chore_boy]

Wouldn't it be meaningful to conform to the most recent laws dictated before the United Earth took control?

I imagine there can be alterations voted upon, but while there are so many differing opinions, stability in foundation may be necessary. We cannot forget that this world has had its own laws created and recorded.

[highhealplz]

Would it? You're making an assumption that the laws of this world would fit us. The fact is that our situation is vastly different than the one they created their laws to fit, and there's no guarantee of that.

[chore_boy]

It's heavy-handed to say something like that. You can't be certain of any law, then, even if there's a popular majority.

It would be favoritism and preference above order.