As of this moment the SHIZL, Sirius Headquarters of Initiated Zoner Leaders, is being dissolved.
The SHIZL will be replaced with the new Zoner Security Council. This council, unlike the SHIZL, will be co-equal to the Council of Zoners. Any decisions by the Security Council can be challenged by delegates of the Zoner Council. Likewise, the Security Council may veto Zoner Council decisions. This veto can be overruled however, if the Zoner Council reaches a vote margin of eight votes in favor of the issue. For example, nine votes for, and three against gives a vote margin of six. The Security Council veto would stay in effect in this situation. But a vote of twelve in favor and three against would give a vote margin of nine, which would overturn the Security Council's veto. The reason for this is that the Security Council's main priority is the defense of all Zoners everywhere. However, to avoid any abuse, the Security Council must submit a clear reason for attempting a veto of any Council decision.
The Security Council consists of the Chairperson, the Vice Chairperson, and three selected Zoners. These three Zoners are chosen by the Chairperson, however the Zoner Council may oppose Security Council candidates and vote on whether or not to accept them into the Security Council. If the Zoner Council successfully opposes the candidate, the Chairperson is to select a new Zoner to replace the eliminated candidate. The Zoner Council may attempt to oppose any Security Council candidate except the Chairperson and the Vice Chairperson. Depending on the status of factions, groups, and organizations in the Zoners, additional Security Council seats may be added to allow faction representatives. The same conditions regarding nomination by chairperson and Council's ability to object apply to faction representatives. Faction representatives may also count towards the three Zoner Councilors, but not always.
The Security Council has four duties and responsibilities;
First, the Security Council assigns diplomats to negotiations with other factions and groups. These diplomats must either be a part of the Zoner Council or the Security Council.
Second, the Security Council regulates the usage of Zoner equipment and ships by non-Zoners.
Third, the Security Council handles the issue of misbehaving Zoners.
Fourth, the Security Council will participate and sometimes lead efforts that benefit some or all Zoners, especially in situations of hostility with other groups and factions, and in the aid of new Zoners who have come to us from the houses.
The reasons this decision was made are many, but the most important ones were that;
The first is that the SHIZL was not subject to the Council of Zoner's approval or decisions. The Council of Zoners was not in a position to challenge or object to SHIZL decisions. The SHIZL operated above the Council of Zoners, with little fear of reprisal or interference.
The second main reason is that the SHIZL was getting too big for its own shoes. Often times it was taking action that it wasn't given authority to in its charter. Some of these actions needed to be taken at the time, but it is my belief that the SHIZL has run its course.
From this point on, the Security Council will take the place of the SHIZL.
The other matter being presented is the formation of the 'Chairperson's Cabinet.' This will consist of the Chairperson, the Vice Chairperson, a Secretary and Treasurer, and two Enforcers. The Vice Chairperson is basically the assistant to the Chairperson, handling some of the diplomatic and political matters, and offering advice. The Treasurer is a pretty straight forward position, he/she handles all funds for Council-sponsored projects. The Treasurer also doubles as a third Enforcer. The Enforcers are the Chairperson's eyes, ears, and clubs. They are mainly Chairperson-sponsored Council delegates. Council Delegates with the authority to act in the Chairperson's name to resolve disputes or enforce decisions made by the Chairperson, Vice Chairperson, Security Council, and Zoner Council.
All positions for the Cabinet are chosen by the Chairperson.
from: the Persephone , Elizabeth Tate
to: **********
"fundamental changes are going on - the council and the zoners are undergoing a process that might easily gain its own - uncontrollable dynamic. - i do hope we re not steering towards a political spiral that draws us inevitably into depths we won t be able to ascent from anymore.
a new institution of "leaders" needs to earn their respect - respect is earned and given by others. - it cannot be claimed - so i ll monitor the ongoings closely.
meanwhile - i am sure that freeport 11 keeps operating on our basic laws and proceedings. - i will direct the Persephone a little closer to the station to have a permanent uplink installed with the CoZ - there s just no communication possible from out of the nebulas.
time will tell if those changes are beneficial for us zoners - or weaken us. weakness would be fatal - and i must remind every zoner on the principles of sticking together for strength as history tells - only together there is survival in the edgeworlds.
.::Incoming Transmission::. Message to : Aurelia Silvan
Comm ID: Yev Lightwing, Shipmaster, (]c[)
Location: Freeport 15, Omicron 74
First and foremost, allow me to congradulate Miss Silvan on her election as Chairwoman of the CoZ. I wish you luck and success in the times ahead.
Secondly, I would like to remind you that you can no more dissolve SHIZL than OSI, TAZ, and ZTC can dissolve the Council of Zoners.
What you mean to say is that you will be resigning from SHIZL and developing your own version of it.
I also want to remind you that the reason why the Council of Zoners had the power it did stemmed from the fact that it represented 90% of the Zoner population. Not to mention that at the time of its creation, Malaclypse was the leader of the single most powerful Zoner faction in all of Sirius. You appear to believe that the CoZ is the sovereign Zoner body. That may have been true one month ago but with the resignation of 3 very major factions, that situation has changed.
SHIZL still encompasses 2 members of the CoZ and 1 member from TAZ, OSI, and ZTC respectfully. In this manner, the SHIZL is still represented by most of the Zoner body. Should you chose to separate from this organization, your "Security Council" will poses only a fraction of the power you had. Zoner factions resigned from the Council because they realized that the philosophy of the independant Zoner and that of a factionalized one are too polarized. Now that we have separated, the factions are prepared to allow CoZ to do as it pleases with itself. In this manner, we can all conduct our own diplomacy within our geographic regions without ideological interference.
SHIZL, on the other hand, is not meant to do politics. It is meant to regulate abuse of Zoner Capital ships and so it is important that it is represented by CoZ and Factions alike. If you withdraw, neither SHIZL nor this Security Council will have the same power to regulate abuse of Juggernauts. I strongly urge the Council to reconsider this motion.
One last thing I want to mention is this: I have resigned from the Council but I have not yet had my log-in permissions revoked (Zoner Registry should be updated). As such I was able to scan over the communication logs, wherein I noticed that your motion to create this Security Council was not officially voted by any of your delegates. Maybe it's not my place to say this, but may I suggest that you ask the opinion of the CoZ delegates before making this organization official? Originally, SHIZL was the property of TAZ who graciously accepted representatives from the Council. SHIZL in itself was sponsored by TAZ and was not in fact directly related to CoZ. If you wish to create a similar organization directly correlated with the Council, it would seem that the "good old process" is in order. Having said that, I fully realize that I am no longer a delegate there so I would not expect for my words to hold any weight.
You claim I do not have the authority to dissolve the SHIZL and claim that the SHIZL was a creation of the TAZ and its property.. And here you are quite mistaken. The SHIZL was an organization made by, at that time, the Chairman of the Council of Zoners, Malaclypse. SHIZL did not belong to any 'faction' of the Zoners. If it did, I'd never have been a member of it myself.
SHIZL has always been under the control of the Council Chairperson. First it was Malaclypse, and when he left, Doc Holiday. However, I understand that some of the factions may be disgruntled at my decision, but nevertheless I stand by it for the reasons I gave before. You may have noticed, I gave an invitation for any of the factions to send representatives to the new Security Council. This Council will operate the same way the SHIZL did, but with a few distinct differences.
First, the Security Council, unlike the SHIZL, is not a leading body. When it was made, SHIZL was made distanced from the Council of Zoners. The SHIZL did not have to fear reprisal, objection, or any form of intervention on its decisions, for it did not answer to the Council of Zoners. As time passed, the SHIZL became more and more a leading body, making policies and decisions that affected all Zoners. But still, the SHIZL was not required to take the Council of Zoners into account. As such, regardless of the Council's decisions, the SHIZL could overrule it. This was detrimental to the democratic process. Democracy being the defining attribute of the Zoners. We've all left the houses for individual freedom, living away from oppressive governments. To ensure this didn't happen within the Zoners, every Zoner was given the right to speak his mind and vote on any issue that came up, guaranteeing that Zoners were equal and that the decisions reached truly were the majority's decision, not the decision of a few.
The SHIZL evolved from a small group dealing with the abuse of our equipment and vessels to a political entity - An 'Oligarchy' in control of the 'Zoner State.' The SHIZL had lived long enough to become corrupt in itself. In the past few months, the SHIZL has not dealt with any ship and equipment abuses, but with policies, politics, and diplomacy. That was never the goal of the SHIZL, but there was no way to stop the process from continuing and growing worse.. Except this.
The remaining SHIZL members may decide to keep it alive, but it doesn't have authority over the Council of Zoners, or other Zoners. The SHIZL was never subserviant to the Council of Zoners, and now the opposite is also true, the Council is not dictated by the whims of an elite few who have the arrogance to decide the fates of many. I am as much to blame for this as the other members of the SHIZL, but I choose not to continue in that oppressive form of control.
However, the Security Council does have the authority and right to deal with misbehaving Zoners and abuse of Zoner equipment.. However, there is also now a check on the Security Council's power. It can't grow out of control like the SHIZL did. It's responsibilities are clearly defined, and it can not stray from them. This gives control back to the Zoner people, where it belongs.
On your concerns about the authority of myself in making this Security Council;
You forget the past. The SHIZL itself was made without the consent, approval, or even opinions of the Zoner people, the Council of Zoners. This was a mistake.. But it is not one that has been repeated. Yes, I made the new Security Council on my own decision, but the Zoner Council also has authority over the Security Council along with myself. And if anyone does object to its creation, they can bring the matter up for discussion and possibly a vote as well. I never make a decision related to the Zoners without allowing any of my fellow Zoners to criticize that decision and have a chance to oppose it and undo what I've done.
While SHIZL was property of no one but its own leader, and answered to no one but itself, the Security Council is property of the Council of Zoners, and must answer to it and the chairperson.
The Council of Zoners had no say in the people chosen to become part of the SHIZL, it was always an internal decision. That, also, was a mistake. No matter which way you look at it, we created an organization with took it upon itself to dictate the lives of others without giving those others any representation.
And now for my own concerns.. You mention "We can all conduct our own diplomacy within our geographic regions without ideological interference." What is it you mean by geographic regions? The CoZ, as it always has since its creation, and as former Chairmen and the leader of the TAZ strove, myself along with him, has authority over all territory around Zoner stations and systems. The only places this was untrue of was Baffin, which was property of the TAZ. I can not imagine that the TAZ has forsaken it's former leader's beliefs and wishes to cut the Zoners into little pieces to dispense at its pleasure to others? And furthermore, what authority could you possibly have to make that decision?
You state that the Council of Zoners does not have authority over your factions, which I very much doubt, but where does the TAZ, or the OSI, or the ZTC have the authority to take territory from other Zoners? Omicron Theta, Freeport Six, Corfu, Freeport Eleven, all of these stations belong to the Zoner people, not individual corporations. To say otherwise would be an attempt at thievery, stealing from other Zoners, and completely destroy any meaning of the word Free, for what Freedom can there be under the explicit control of a few elite people?
The Zoners are not a people to be ordered about by other Zoners, simply because they are a group, rather than operate on their own. If this is indeed the direction the factions have taken, then they have taken the Oligarchic stance of the SHIZL and spread it, along with the oppression and unequal status that comes with such a style of governing.
So I ask again; What possible Authority can any group of Zoners have over others or the Council of Zoners, a Council of the Zoner people and controlled by the Zoner people through our treasured democracy? How can a faction justify the thievery of Zoner territory to claim as their own? Our stations have stood for decades, and I will not sit by idly while a group of people think they have the right to call those stations their property after barely a year of existing!
I will not tolerate a mirror state of the Sirius Houses to cut up the Zoners and dole it out. This is not Fascist Rheinland, Corrupt Liberty, or the Oligarchy of Bretonia. If you are so interested in a house government, I suggest you return to those that exist, but the Zoners stand for freedom, and that is a belief I'll protect with my life.
**Incoming Transmission**
To: Aurelia Silvan
From: Sam Nichols
Considering participation in the COZ has always been voluntary, as is pointed out by many of the delegates. I wonder how you can dictate anything. The SHILZ was started by Mal and I am unsure if at the time he was the Chairperson or not, but it was discussed with the COZ, in their private communications channel. All zoners clamored about the abuse of our technology and Mal presented an idea and presented it and all was good. SO he made it so. You claim the SHILZ was over stepping its bounds and yet you also were ready to move those boundries yourself. The SHIZL never over ruled the council. Never even really tried, until you made this statement.
Quote:Trogdor, if I'm correct you aren't the individual, or individuals in fact, that Mr. Duke was referring to. So please don't increase tensions or cause arguments here.
And to what Mr. Duke said, we in the SHIZL are already making plans on what to do with the aforementions individuals harming the Council. That issue will be dealt with immediately after the election of the next chairperson, and that election will be held immediately after this vote.
This from the minutes of the Council. I have no issue with keeping the SHIZL in the bounds of it's original intentions but to say we were forming..what did you call it, an Oligarchy, when you yourself were part of it, and assisting it in pushing it's boundaries, is a bit hypocritical.
Our factions decided to pull out of the COZ because of the direction it was heading. Since participation was voluntary and following the COZ's rule is also, the COZ does not have any say over what we do. Now if your stating that NOW the COZ is going to enfource it's rule and force those zoners who do not want to follow it to do so, then you are starting something that is contrary to all that is Zoner. We never said we were cutting ourselves off from the rest of zoners. Nor that we would not assist the council. We just wanted to forge our own path. You can not force us to join you, nor obey your new organization, just as we can not force those who do not want listen to us. I am unsure where you got this idea?
How can a faction justify the thievery of Zoner territory to claim as their own?
We claim nothing as "our own". Do we have areas that concern us? Our bases of operation? Can we not decide how we wish to conduct business in regards to those area. As long as it does not affect anyone else. You seem to assume that we factions are our to destroy the COZ and it's members. Not sure where you came up with that idea, but nothing could be further from the truth.
Do as you will, as is your right, and we will proceed as we will, as is ours. We will be happy to work with your new council, as were were happy to work with the old. But we will not be ruled by it. If it's beliefs or goals run contrary to ours, then we will go in our own direction.
Lousia Salome, I was there from the SHIZL's beginning and I've not forged anything about it or its creation. The SHIZL was never property, ownership, or anything of the TAZ. It was made using the authority of Chairman that Malaclypse had. SHIZL created many policies that were never put to a vote. One recent example, and one which I have documented evidence of;
The response to Apocalypse's request to station their fleet on a Zoner station. This issue was never put to a vote in the Council of Zoners. It was never discussed in the Council of Zoners.. But a policy was made, that it wasn't allowed. And who made that decision? The SHIZL, not the Council. But was this something that the SHIZL should have been dealing with? Were the Apocalypse's rogue Zoners, or were they abusing Zoner equipment at the time? No, they were not Zoners, and they were not using Zoner equipment. So it fell outside of the SHIZL's jurisdiction, but the SHIZL was still the ones to take control of that negotiation, not the Council.
You say I'm paranoid, and perhaps I am, because I'm seeing here that former comrades of mine seem to be conspiring in secret. What Yev Lightwing said, "In this manner, we can all conduct our own diplomacy within our geographic regions without ideological interference." The meaning of this is quite clear. I may be paranoid, but I see here a justification for it.
And your accusation that I don't help in protecting other Zoners and our stations is downright insulting. Not only do I do my fair share of it, but I've been doing it since long before you were ever a delegate. When the rampant numbers of Corsairs were pirating us in Omega-49, what did I do? I moved a Carrier to Gran Canaria. Before the end of that first day I was in a fight with five Corsairs, and your own pilots witnessed this. That is just one example of many. But my greatest skills aren't in running around in a carrier shooting everything I see. They are, as you called it, "Working on my smart speeches."
You can shoot the Corsairs a million times, but they will only come back harder, stronger, and more determined. I don't entertain the notion of settling our conflicts with such crude methods. My 'smart speeches' can do more than any lone carrier can. Would you prefer my carrier save the lives of a dozen Zoners, or my words save hundreds by ending the conflict? I'm disappointed if the only support you can recognize is that which is given from the barrel of a gun.
To Nichols, it is true that participation in the Council of Zoners is voluntary. However, there are some policies that, once agreed to, are expected to be followed by all Zoners, not just the delegates who have taken the time and effort to discuss and vote on them. The biggest example are our Official Policies. Malaclypse, who was chairman at the time, even stated;
"Effective immediately, the following Policies are in effect at all Zoner Facilities, and will be observed and enforced by all Council of Zoners Members and Official Zoner Factions."
/signed,
Malaclypse, Chairman, Council of Zoners
Observed and Enforced by members of both the Council of Zoners and the Factionized Zoners. Important policies like the ones in that document, or treaties with other factions, houses, corporations, and groups are expected to be abided by all Zoners everywhere. Less important policies are not expected to be followed by everyone. But since every Zoner has the right and the access to the Council, I can not bring myself to feel sorry for those who must abide by policies when they didn't take the time and effort to put out their own thoughts on the matter or vote on it.
The quote of what I said that you attached to your message is quite a poor example, considering that one of the SHIZL's original duties was to deal with Zoners causing problems, especially between other Zoners. The situation that quote refers to was where one Zoner was accusing an insulting another because he mentioned a few Zoners, without naming any, were disrupting negotiations with other factions. The Zoners I was referring to in that message were the Zoners that were destroying those negotiations. That does fall within the jurisdiction of the SHIZL. However, things like the Apocalypse situation I described above are not the SHIZL's responsibility, and there were other instances where similar decisions were made.
Now I've fully accepted the blame that is mine for going along with what the SHIZL was doing, but that doesn't change the fact that it happened and it needed to be fixed. The Security Council is the same organization as the SHIZL, but with more clearly defined roles and a way for the Council of Zoners to exert some control over it, should it start to get out of control like the SHIZL did. It basically fixed the main problem that was made when Malaclypse set the SHIZL up as being separate from the Council, and had no check on its authority.
And now you claim that your organizations are making policies that only affect yourselves, which flies right in the face of what Lightwing said earlier. You ask me not to think that you're cutting the Zoners up into different zones to be handed out, but you've offered nothing to show what you truly are planning. So how can you expect me to make any other decision? I can only use what I have, and what I've seen so far does not paint a very pretty picture of your actions.
You don't want to be falsely accused, then give us the facts and stop hiding them behind your back.
.::Incoming Transmission::. Message to : Aurelia Silvan
Comm ID: Yev Lightwing, Shipmaster, (]c[)
Location: Freeport 15, Omicron 74
CoZ was created by Malaclypse, leader of TAZ, the supreme Zoner faction in Sirius at the time. The only reason why CoZ had any validity to begin with was because TAZ endorsed it. Later as ZTC and OSI grew, they endorsed. If it were not for Malaclypse and TAZ, there would be no Council.
Miss Silvan, you seem to overlook where the power of the Council came from. We are Zoners. There is no sovereign body that controls all Zoners but ourselves. The reason why the Council could enforce edicts upon all Zoners is because in addition to the independant delegates it had dozens of representatives from the TAZ, OSI, (]c[), and ZAS. There was no one in the Zoner community to rival the CoZ because nearly everybody was in it.
But the factions have left and took a chunk of power with them. As such, the Council can no longer claim sovereignty. Neither can the Factions. We must now learn the very difficult process of "sharing." I have heard rumours that the Factions are preparing to endorse CoZ's supreme control over a number of regions. One of these regions is O-49 and a good number of bases. I am uncertain if this motion will pass but I can gurantee you that "dissolving" and "replacing" SHIZL is not going to help it.
Instead of trying perform a take over, why not work to reform the SHIZL? Allow the Council and the Factions to work together and reach a compromise. You are probably wondering why in such a case did the factions leave the Council? The reason is relatively simple: Factionalized delegates and Independant delegates are idealogically on two opposite sides of the coin.
Recall the motion that passed regarding O-49 being a no-fire system. Most of those who opposed it were Faction members. Now if you were to revisit the motion you would have a drastically different result and that says something about the extremes of our political differences.
A divorced couple may sleep in different beds but that doesn't mean that only one of them can discipline the children. This is why the SHIZL needs to remain intact and only for the purposes of preventing Zoner abuse. What SHIZL did by conducting diplomatic matters without CoZ's consent was a mistake. Reform the SHIZL and prevent it from happening again, but don't proceed to cut off its head.
Comm ID: Malcolm Reynolds
Location: Freeport 1, Omega 3
' Wrote:Recall the motion that passed regarding O-49 being a no-fire system. Most of those who opposed it were Faction members. Now if you were to revisit the motion you would have a drastically different result and that says something about the extremes of our political differences.
Yev, I recall that motion.
The record shows that the motion to declare O-49 a "NFZ" was defeated. 12 yea 14 nay, I also noted when I looked at the record, both Doc Holliday of the TAZ, and Samuel Nichols of OSI voted FOR it. so the Factions were split as were the independents, and the motion failed.
Quote:Miss Silvan, you seem to overlook where the power of the Council came from. We are Zoners. There is no sovereign body that controls all Zoners but ourselves. The reason why the Council could enforce edicts upon all Zoners is because in addition to the independent delegates it had dozens of representatives from the TAZ, OSI, (]c[), and ZAS. There was no one in the Zoner community to rival the CoZ because nearly everybody was in it.
I believe Yev, that you too overlook where some of the power came from, Malaclypse himself. We all followed his lead, not everyone agreed with him, but he kept us all together. Now he's gone, and the factions have separated themselves from the council.
I don't see us as "Taking over", The COZ elected a new chairperson. The COZ did not kick out the factions, They left on their own to go their separate ways. I totally accept and respect that, all the factions supported the Council, the council supported them. The fact remains, no matter what the reason, The factions left the council. By doing so they forfeited their say on what the Council does.
SHIZL was formed by the then Council Chair, and who's members were made up of members of the CoZ, and since it dealt with Zoners across all of Sirus, It is therefore my opinion that the new Council Chair has the authority to restructure it, as the former chair had the authority to create it in the first place.
Com ID: Reisiger Duke, OSI TDC
Location: Freeport 9, Omicron Theta
To: CoZ
Subject: Dissolving the SHIZL
Dear delegates of the Council of Zoners,
It is with quite some concern that I read about the news of the new chairperson to unilaterally dissolve the SHIZL without bothering to follow the democratic way of actually letting you - the delegates - voice your opinions and vote upon this decision.
Yes, the official factions have parted from the CoZ to - amongst other reasons - make it reflect the concerns and opinions of independent Zoners, but also stated more than once to be in favour of supporting and collaborating with you.
Now the SHIZL - the institution where the official factions still have representatives - got 'scrapped' by the chairperson for being 'undemocratic' in very much such a manner, destroying the ties the official factions have with the CoZ.
Now to Aurelia Silvan,
Originally I intended to congratulate you for being voted to be the councils chairperson, but now I am unsure on what to think of your decision to dissolve the SHIZL, as you have done so in a very undemocratic manner, which pretty much undermines the authority the Council of Zoners has as being a democratic institution.
As the SHIZL was formed with the consent of the CoZ, dissolving or restructuring it will have to be done with the CoZ's approval as well.