(Posted on 4-6-00)

The Preamble to the Constitution of the Federation of United Planets

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As accepted by the thirty-six delegates to the "Convention to address the Rights of Government" held on Earth in the year 935 NC.

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We, the citizens of the Federation of United Planets, hold that our freedoms and rights have more value than any possible form of wealth.

We hold as sacred the belief that all humanity is created equal and that we are all free to be both proud of our nation and of our heritage. We have the right to realise ourselves as individuals, and are free to act upon any of our hopes and ideals.

Our democratic and representative system of government exists under law to protect our rights and our dignity, which may never be infringed by prejudice nor invoked against any achievement.

We hold that our borders, which we extend to beyond the furthest system of those Planets that have entered our Union, are sovereign and shall be inviolate. We will spare no effort in enforcing our independence from any invading forces and reserve the right to strike against those who would expand into those areas of space that we have claimed as ours.

We are a nation built out of many cultures, and we recognise both their validity and their right to continue, and we greatly welcome the enrichment that they bring. In spite of our varied backgrounds, we have all recognised both our common ancestry and destiny. We believe that the future of humanity lies among the stars, and that we can best achieve that future by embracing the unified vision placed before us.

We, the citizens of the Federation of United Planets, commit ourselves to this our constitution.

(This message has been edited by moderator (edited 04-06-2000).)

Just a note to explain that while this preamble to Nova was submitted by me (pipeline), it's creator was Frandall (Jason Cook).

best to all,

pipeline @ ATMOS

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Pretty cool - sounds like a cross between the UN charter and the US constitution.

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"This evening's meeting of the Clairvoyance Society canceled due to unforeseen circumstances."
-More Anguished English

I believe that the sources for the document (other than Frandall's own brain) are wide and varied. More comes from the Australian constitution than the US one.

all the best,

pipeline @ ATMOS

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I did a little research into the writings of various preambles to various constitutions world wide. Some I had a litte trouble understanding because they were in foreign languages. But yes I drew heavily on would-be Australian preambles, the US preamble, the UN charter, as well as historical documents from a number of other english-speaking nations regarding their official stance towards governance.

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and just how far does the Federation hold to these lofty words. Hope there's a dark underbelly there somewhere or you lose all the cynics' interest in the string at a stroke

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Alan wrote:
**and just how far does the Federation hold to these lofty words. Hope there's a dark underbelly there somewhere or you lose all the cynics' interest in the string at a stroke:)

**

Nah, just ignore that question, I stand by my hopes, but let me find out in the fullness of time.

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Just wait until I post the ~second~ Federation Preamble. You'll see...

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(url="http://"http://www.AmbrosiaSW.com/games/ev/chronicles.html")Visit the Official EVO Chronicles!(/url)

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Originally posted by pipeline:
**(Posted on 4-6-00)

The Preamble to the Constitution of the Federation of United Planets

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As accepted by the thirty-six delegates to the "Convention to address the Rights of Government" held on Earth in the year 935 NC.**

Governments - at least not the democratic governments you based this charter on - do not have rights. A democratic government is delegated power by the citizens contained therein. People have rights, governments have power. The people's rights are designed to protect them from the governments power, lest it corrupt the governing body. A government that has the unalienable right to oppress and degrade its citizens is not the kind of government you seem to intend to describe.

-reg

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Originally posted by Regulus:
**Governments - at least not the democratic governments you based this charter on - do not have rights. A democratic government is delegated power by the citizens contained therein. People have rights, governments have power. The people's rights are designed to protect them from the governments power, lest it corrupt the governing body. A government that has the unalienable right to oppress and degrade its citizens is not the kind of government you seem to intend to describe.

-reg**

There is no such thing as an unalienable right. And governments do have rights, otherwise they would be incapable of wielding any power. Rights are there not just to protect people from governments, but to try to formalise certain ways of behaving, and that goes for individuals and governments. That's what constitutions do, they are supposed to detail the rules, responsibilities and rights for individuals and governments. If a government didn't have the right to govern, then it wouldn't be a government now would it.

Yes, we do decide on our governments in western democracies, but once we have put them in place, they have the right to govern for a full length term (whatever that is) as long as they don't breach certain rules. Just like you are allowed to carry a firearm in the US until you go around shooting people willy-nilly and they catch you, take your firearm away and throw you in jail.

So it is possible to have a convention to address the rights of government, because it would be about what rights the government SHOULD have, and, of course, what rights it shouldn't.

Also, if you look closely, the document says nothing about allowing the Federation government the unalienable right to oppress its people. You will notice that you are reading a preamble to a constitution, so it is trying to explain the general feeling and ideas behind the legal double-talk that make up most constitutional documents, allowing later generations an insight into interpreting the laws in the way they were meant.

Anyway, if you want to read about a really unconstitutional body, read the second Federation story...

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I was illustrating a point, not drawing a direct or indirect quotation from your post. In any case, it's a minor point, and the only people who will probably ever notice are hard-core libertarians like me. Really, though, you could make the charter just a bit more accurate by substituting a single word in that first line: "Rights" should be "Powers". That's it.

In any case, I don't really care that much. It's only ancilliary documentation to a game.

-reg

This is pretty cool...

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A scholar's ink lasts much longer than a martyr's blood. - Irish proverb.

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Originally posted by skyblade:
**This is pretty cool...

**

very...

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