Charter of the Brigade (4th edition)

Posted February 10, 2010

Preface

We, warriors, of the Cyberverse, in order to establish a world of safety, civility, and strength, to perfect the art of war, and to ensure that justice based on law rules, do hereby unite as The Brigade.

Article I – The Establishment and the Law

Section 1

The Brigade shall be comprised of nations from all color trading spheres, giving no preference to one over another. All nations of The Brigade, be they leader or follower, are soldiers of it and are expected to fight with it.

Section 2

The Law of the alliance shall be comprised of the Charter and the Codex. The Law shall always be the final word, subject to circumvention by no one, leader or follower.

a) The Charter shall establish the structure and ensure the rights of The Brigade and be subject to change only when absolutely necessary as determined by the soldiers of The Brigade. The Charter is the supreme law of The Brigade; no soldier or edict can usurp its authority.

b) The Codex shall maintain all other laws and procedures for the daily and prolonged operation of The Brigade, subject to change as the Executors see fit, with the advice and the consent of the Judicial Council.

Section 3

Any and all offices of authority not based within The Charter, or any structural establishment of the alliance in extension of The Charter, must be contained within the Codex.

Article II – Branch of the Executor

Section 1

The highest officials and powers of The Brigade, within the confines of the Charter and Codex, shall be distributed among the Executors: the Brigadier General, the Grand Emissary, and the Chief Commissioner. All Executors share equal power within the restraints and notations of the Charter and the Codex, but shall direct their focus on individual fields and objectives:

a) The Brigadier General is responsible for the organization and operation of all military affairs within The Brigade, as well as directing affairs during times of inter-alliance war. b) The Grand Emissary is responsible for maintaining all foreign affairs of The Brigade, communicating with other alliances both in times of peace, war, and crisis. c) The Chief Commissioner is tasked with the internal affairs of The Brigade, reviewing the performance and behavior of soldiers and prospective recruits, while ensuring a healthy level of growth and progress within the alliance as a whole.

Section 2

Executors shall be elected to one-year terms by the general membership of The Brigade. The general membership shall nominate candidates for Executor over a forty-eight hour period, after which voting shall take place for forty-eight hours. A simple majority is required for victory. If no such majority is obtained, a runoff shall be held between the top two candidates for twenty-four hours. In case of a tie, the Judicial Council shall vote to decide the winner.

Section 3

The authority of the Executors resides over every aspect of The Brigade. However, in some situations the Executors must first gain the consent of the Judicial Council or the membership before implementing a decision. In addition to holding a vote among themselves, the advice and consent of the Judicial Council must be respected first when:

a) Introducing a new law or procedure into the Codex. b) Removing a soldier from The Brigade for reasons not outlined within the Charter or Codex. c) Signing a treaty with another alliance or group of alliances. d) Canceling a treaty with another alliance or group of alliances. e) Declaring war when not obligated by a previously signed treaty.

Sub-section 1

Once approved by the Executors and Guardians, treaties or treaty cancellations shall be approved by a seventy-two hour vote by the general membership.

Section 4

With a unanimous vote among themselves, the Executors may declare a state of "great crisis" and temporarily suspend the rights of soldiers outlined in Article V of the Charter. The declared period will only end with a vote from the Executors or the unanimous vote of The Judicial Council.

Section 5

Should the soldiers of The Brigade determine that an Executor is no longer fit for duty, Articles of Discharge may be brought up by a single member of the Judicial Council or another Executor, outlining the reasoning for the Executor-in-question's removal for the soldiers of The Brigade. After the Articles have been introduced, the soldiers of The Brigade shall have no less than forty-eight hours to vote whether or not the Executor should be removed. A two-thirds majority is necessary for the forced removal of the Executor from office.

Section 6

In the event that a new Executor is needed in the middle of a term, the Judicial Council shall appoint a replacement. New Executors must receive a unanimous vote from the Judicial Council before taking office.


Article III – Branch of the Judicator

Section 1

The Judicial Council, a group of three elected officers, shall serve as representatives of all soldiers within The Brigade, delivering their ideas, concerns, and so forth to the Executors, as well as acting as the primary check on Executor Power.

Section 2

The Judicial Council cannot themselves introduce any legislation, nor do they have any power beyond restraining the Branch of the Executor. To this extent, the Council must vote on all issues brought forth to it by the Executors. Only with a majority vote of the Council can the Executors proceed with regard to issues outlined in Article II, Section 3. If the Council votes down outlined motions, then the Executors are required to comply, under threat of discharge if they fail to do so.

Section 3

Councilmen shall serve terms of three months once elected. The soldiers of The Brigade shall nominate and elect the Judicial Council directly. To run for the Council, a soldier must be nominated by any other soldier of The Brigade. Nominations shall take place over the forty-eight hours prior to Judicial Council Elections. At the end of this period, elections for office will begin with all nominees on the ballot and last another forty-eight hours. A nominee must receive a simple majority to take office; if no nominee attains a majority vote by the end of the election, the leading two candidates will be voted on in a twenty-four hour, run-off election. In the case of a tie, the Executors shall vote to decide the winner.

Section 4

Should the soldiers of The Brigade feel that a Councilman is no longer fit for duty, Articles of discharge may be drafted by another Councilman or an Executor, outlining the reasoning for the Councilman’s removal. After the Articles have been introduced, the soldiers of The Brigade shall have no less than forty-eight hours to vote whether or not the Councilman should be removed. A two-thirds majority is necessary for the forced removal of the Councilman from office.

Section 5

In the event that a new Councilman is needed for any reason between elections, the Executors shall appoint a soldier of The Brigade to fill the office until the end of the term.

Article IV - Espionage Policy

Section 1

The Brigade will not use spies against aligned nations, unless at wars or intra-alliance training. Any member found using spies against aligned nations are subject to reps, expulsion and/or possible military action. The action of one nation in The Brigade doesn’t abide with the rest.

Section 2

Members of The Brigade hold the right to purchase as many spies as they see fit for security.

Section 3

The use of spies against a Brigade nation will be considered an act of war and the attacking nation will be faced with possible ZI. Diplomacy may be attempted but the nation will be subject to offensive attacks from The Brigade.

Article V – Rights of the Soldier

Section 1

The right to free speech and expression in private forums. Speech in public forums is allowed; however, all public posts must show the highest levels of respect for other nations and alliances. Any member who makes any sort of inflammatory post or a post that differs from The Brigades official policies on a public forum will be immediately expelled from The Brigade.

Section 2

The right to make war on nations unaligned or unprotected shall not be abridged.

Section 3

The right to leave The Brigade at any time for any reason shall not be abridged. (Amended May 21, 2008)

Amended 05/21/2008 - Article V Section 3 revised to read:

A soldier is free to leave the Brigade at any time without penalty provided each of the following conditions are met:

1. A state of war or heightened alert does not exist. 2. The soldier has fulfilled any military or financial obligations imposed on them by The Brigade. 3. The soldier has not engaged in any acts of sabotage or espionage against The Brigade or its allies. 4. The soldier has formally announced their resignation in the appropriate section of this forum.

In the event the above requirements are not met the Executors may, at their sole discretion, impose any penalty they deem proper upon the departing soldier, including demanding repayment of aid received within the period of 60 days prior to the date of their departure and reserving the right to wage war.

Section 4

The right to exist on any color trading sphere shall not be abridged.

Section 5

The right of spying on an unaligned nation shall not be abridged.


Article VI – Expectations of the Soldier

Section 1

All soldiers must have military experience; they must have fought in at least one war.

Section 2

All soldiers must offer their forces and services when requested by the Executors. Should war come to The Brigade as a whole, all soldiers must fight.

Section 3

All soldiers must remain dedicated and alert. Soldiers are expected to maintain active communications with other soldiers of The Brigade through both peace and war. Should a soldier become inactive without just cause, he is subject to removal from The Brigade. Should just cause for inactivity not surface until after a soldier’s removal, he may be reinstated into The Brigade and his removal annulled from the record.

Section 4

All soldiers must be willing to offer their recorded experiences of their times at war.

Article VII – Amendment of the Charter

Section 1

Should the Executors deem it necessary to amend the Charter of The Brigade, he shall present the proposed amendment to the Judicial Council. If the Judicial Council offers a unanimous vote in support of the proposed amendment, it will proceed to be voted on by the soldiers of The Brigade. An amendment must attain a two-thirds vote by the soldiers of the Brigade to become a part of the Charter.

Section 2

Should the soldiers of the Brigade deem it necessary to amend the Charter of the Brigade, they shall present the proposed amendment to the Judicial Council. If the Judicial Council offers a unanimous vote in support of the proposed amendment it will proceed to be voted on by the Executors of the Brigade. An amendment must attain a two-thirds vote by the Executors of the Brigade to become a part of the Charter.

Section 3

Amendments will be listed separately of the Charter’s primary text, so as to maintain a clear record and document of changes to the Charter over time.

The Brigade

Patriarchs
Brigadier General: Xander Don
Chief Commissioner: FoAmY99
Grand Emissary: Segovia

Guardians
Military Affairs: SeraphimJulius
Internal Affairs: JB dinglenutz
Foreign Affairs: Ecthelion