Comm ID: Robert Pirx
To: Council of Zoners
1.Are Freeports our home?
2.Can owner set the rules in his home?
3.Is there any obligation to dock in Freeports?
4.Do we prohibit slaves' trading?
5.Do Slavers care about our business?
- Robert Pirx
Comm ID: Doc Holliday
The issue of slavery. What a delicate issue. A quick backround on me. Most of you know that I was born in the Earth year 1851 and that I wound up here as the result of cryogenic preservation.....somehow. Anyway, as a child in Confederate Georgia, I watched the nation I grew up in torn apart by a war over slavery. It was a damned if you do or damned if you don't situation.
We can do nothing, letting people be cast into slavery and have so many bellowing at us to do something or we can do a little something and still have people bellowing at us. Either way, we lose. And really, is disallowing slave traders docking rights so bad? I think we do plenty enough for Outcasts so that this shouldn't be such an issue. It's not as if we are disallowing slavery in their lands.
One thing I don't want to see happen is this Council dissolve or bicker amongst themselves. We have worked very hard to get here and on the whole, have done a lot of good. Even some of the Houses are impressed how well we work and use us as a model, even if it's not the houses we're trying to impress. We will from time to time have issues that are hot button and we will disagree on. Let's not let that be our undoing as we have many other issues to deal with bearing much greater impact such as the threat of Bretonian expansion upon Gran Canaria.
-Doc
To: The Council
Thank you for your response, Mr. Holliday. Our intention is certainly not to cause a rift in the Council, but simply to state our position and our response; we are just as sure that it is not the Council's intention to dictate the behavior of all Zoners.
It's as important as ever to show that in spite of our affinity for individualism, we can confront common threats such as Bretonian or Libertonian expansionism as a cohesive unit.
And just to clarify, the measure did not deny Slavers docking rights but rather ordered that all Slaves will be freed upon docking any Zoner-owned Freeport.
We reaffirm our position on the Slaver motion and further state that we will be hiring several slaves of aour own to demonstrate a model of responsible slave ownership, that slavery is not synonymous with cruelty.
However, we now look forward to addressing other issues, particularly the situation in Omega-49.
-Jonah Robinson and Crew
Callsign: Yev Lightwing of the Zoner Trading Consortium (]c[)
Last words I'll say regarding slavery and then I'll hush up:
We are not banning Slavers 5km within our Freeports. We are not even banning Slavers from docking on our Freeports. We simply ask that Slavers liberate or sell their human cargo to Zoner officials before Undocking, which they already do at Freeport 15.
Bottom line is: Zoners escaped to the edges of Sirius because they were slaves themselves. If you step your foot onto a Freeport you become a liberated individual -- slaves included. No, we shouldn't force Slavers to liberate their cargo, and the voted motion does not specify the consequences for braking it, but we need to make everyone aware as to why Zoner bases exist in the first place. We escaped from those who imposed control on us. If you respect the existance of a Freeport, which allows almost anyone to dock there, then you should understand that without liberated people they wouldn't exist. Myself, I do not plan to put a gun to a Slaver's head and make him set his cargo free. But if he values the freedom that our establishments bring, he'll honor the liberation act.
And that's all I have to say on the matter. Anything else is just a broken record on my part. May I suggest that we begin to move towards the topic of Britonian expansion in Omega-49?
COMM ID: Shade Yuka, Freeport 14 Delegate
Slavery Issue
Slavery seems to be one of the main topics today. So, I would have to agree in full with Mister Lightwing, and Robinson. We shouldn't 'force' slavers to relinquish their human cargo. We should request that if they land on our facilities and planets that any slaves be handed over.
Bretonia - Gran Carina Issue
Now for the move by Bretonia's hand. Expansion is what every house does. Kusari, wanting to expand into Tau-29. Bretonia, any nearby system. Rheinland seems to be doing fine, and Liberty, we can't just leave Liberty out of this. They annexed Planet Erie over the years, and we sat to the side and did nothing. I say we talk with Bretonia. We're Zoners, not a military organization so taking up arms against a weak house will only show the rest of Sirius what they want to see. Non-peaceful Zoners. After our 'peace-protest' the other day, which I failed to show up as I was busy, we shouldn't turn around and fight.
However, I don't believe we should help Bretonia's enemies either. After all, The Kent, and Lieutenant Austin Goodmen did come to our aid when Mon'Star was roaming around in Omega-49. The Armed Forces came to our aid when we had to deal with the Corsair threats in Omega-3 and Omega-5. How can we turn on that? As for Kusari, they hate 'gaijin' which, is what we are to them.
I believe for the Bretonian problem we should enter diplomatic talks with them. See what their plans are for Gran Carnia, once we figure this out, we shall be able to determine how to play our own cards.
*Cough....Cough*
Mr. Chair, I would like to make a motion that the council re-vote the slavery issue on it's own, not part of a larger group of votes, thus allowing the proper time for the discussion of the matter.
Comm ID: Chairman Mal
The Chair compliments the Council on its discussion of this delicate matter. There have been good points from both sides of the "aisle" on the subject of our previous vote.
The Chair is therefore willing to entertain a motion, but...
...what exactly "is" the Motion? To completely rescind the previous vote on the release of slaves? To amend the previous vote? Or to start from scratch?
Before I'll allow a vote, I must ask that a clearly defined Motion on the issue be presented, specifying exactly and in detail what the Council would be accomplishing with a "re-vote".
I will submit that we may have voted in haste on the matter, or lost some of its importance by placing it in a "package". Let's not make the same mistake twice, Delegate.
Thank you.
*Gurgle gurgle gurgle*
Ok, ok, ok, weeeelll, then, I would make a motion to rescind the councils vote on item number 4 of the previous vote, and further motion the council consider a the new motion to be thus,
resolve, the Council of Zoners will not take any official position on the legality or illegality of the slave trade in what is considered Zoner space. This resolution does not stop any individual Zoner from following his or her conscious, but this motion would affirm the Councils neutrality in this matter.
Very well..
The Chair finds the Motion to rescind and replace to be adequately worded for clarity.
Is there a second, or objections to the Motion as stated by Delegate Leshtov?
Mr. Chair, I'll second the motion.
However, I would like it if Delegate Lestov would kindly confirm my thoughts on his motion, if I am indeed making sense out of what is to be made sense out of. To my current understanding it's "Council of Zoners, will not take action on Slavery within Zoner controlled space. However, this resolution does not condone any Zoner individual from following his/her conscious."
Which I have made out to understand "If the individual sees slavery as a problem and wishes to stop it, then he/she can."