Greetings, all!
With the assistance of our new WA Delegate and our Communications Branch, I have developed text for two amendment proposals for the Forest constitution.
The first proposal is one that I would like to move very quickly on if possible, due to the imminent nature of the event for which it is necessary. When we previously adjusted Article 6 on Embassies, we eliminated some old loop-holes and placed all power over embassies in the hands of the populace, with direct votes under our traditional set of criteria. While that achieves the goal of preventing fiat from being used to circumvent our normal embassy process, it also eliminated the only means by which we might set up a short-term temporary embassy for use in a special event like the looming N-Day, for which we would very much like to form an embassy with the region being created to manage our event alliance.
This is a very straightforward amendment, which allows the Forest Keeper to create such an embassy by fiat for a defined and limited duration, and provides for its automatic closure at the conclusion of the event or other special circumstance unless it separately passes the normal requirements and public vote for permanent creation.
The second proposal is a more complex overhaul, which modifies Article 4 (on the Forest Keeper Elections) and Article 7 (on Founder CTE). As you may recall from spring, there was a long interregnum where, due to the wording of our present Constitution, the government’s ability to function was effectively terminated, despite the election process not actually having started for replacement. This change will eliminate that by defining the end of the term as being when the Founder initiates the electoral process, rather than just the first moment when it is possible for the Founder to have done so. In this way, there is no gap where we have officers without authority, and we can handle business more effectively.
Associated with that, of course, were a number of fears related to the possibility of a Founder CTE. These fears were in part due to the fact that our present Constitution is extremely clear on what must be done, and what must be done is the destruction of our region! This stems from a time well before our present size and power would have allowed us to operate safely in that limbo, and would have bound us to a course of action that would have been harmful. This overhaul allows the option for refounding, but permits it instead to be an informed decision by the populace and leadership of the region, rather than a blind requirement.
Please read the specific text and changes here:
Amendment Proposal Dispatch
Please post comments or suggestions about these proposals here, or telegram them directly to me!
I hope to bring the Article 6 amendment up as soon as possible. The Article 4/7 one can be taken more deliberately if needed, and I will continue to work on them with my successor to the position of Forest Keeper if that is necessary.
Many thanks,
Verdant Haven
