The One More Step Toward (Hopefully) Ending the Bug Wars Act

[Sir C. M. Siervicül]

Here is a streamlined and updated version of 44RZ24, just in case no one gets around to hoppering anything else. If someone proposes something I like better, I'll withdraw this one.

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WHEREAS no citizen of the Kingdom of Talossa currently may hold citizenship in what is legally defined as micronation, and

WHEREAS this policy was enacted to avoid divisive entanglements with what were perceived as "bug nations", but is itself the cause of as much divisiveness as any bug, and

WHEREAS the Kingdom of Talossa should not concern itself with micronations unless they actually pose a threat to Talossa, now

THEREFORE 37RZ2, The What’s The Difference Act, is hereby repealed, but the repeal is not intended to revive any of the statutes repealed by that Act.

FURTHERMORE the Ziu hereby enacts as follows:

1. A micronation is hereby defined for all purposes of Talossan law to be any society of persons (whether claiming territorial sovereignty or not) that

a. claims a governmental organization and citizenry and

b. is not a member of the United Nations and

c. is not a member of the Unrepresented Nations and Peoples Organization and

d. is not the Kingdom of Talossa, or a subdivision thereof, or officially recognised by the Kingdom of Talossa.

2. The Ministry of Foreign Affairs shall keep a blacklist of micronations that are considered a threat to the Kingdom of Talossa due to the commission of hostile acts or demonstration of hostile intent against the Kingdom of Talossa or attempts to interfere in the domestic affairs of the Kingdom of Talossa. The Ministry of Foreign Affairs may only add a micronation to the blacklist after consulting with the Attorney-General and receiving approval from the Seneschal. Micronations may be added to or removed from the blacklist by law.

3. It is a criminal act for any Talossan citizen to knowingly accept or hold citizenship in a blacklisted micronation. The penalty for committing such a crime shall be the revocation of Talossan citizenship. The Attorney-General, on being informed of any alleged violation of this act, and upon verifying the same to his personal and legal satisfaction, shall immediately notify the accused that the government has determined that valid cause exists for a criminal case to be brought against the citizen. After providing this notification, the Attorney-General shall allow ten days for the accused to dissolve any and all allegiance to the micronation, or to organize a defence against the charge. If, after this ten day period, the Attorney-General determines that the criminal act yet continues, he shall immediately file criminal charges against the accused. If after this ten day period, the Attorney-General determines that the criminal activity has permanently ceased, or the micronation was removed from the blacklist, he shall not file the considered charges.

4. Non-citizens who would be in violation of section 3 of this Act upon becoming Talossan citizens are not eligible for Talossan citizenship, and the Ministry of Immigration may require prospective Talossan citizens to certify that they are not citizens of any blacklisted micronation.

5. All members of the Ziu, the Cabinet, the Uppermost Court, the Magistrate's Court, the Chancery or the Royal Treasury must report the following information to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs within 15 days of assuming the aforementioned office or of a change in micronational status, whichever is later:
a) All micronations of which he/she is a member.
b) All offices he/she holds in these micronations.

6. The Ministry of Foreign Affairs shall make any information reported under section 5 available to any Talossan citizen upon request.

7. It is a criminal act for anyone holding an office mentioned in clause 5 of this Act to provide false information about his/her micronational involvement.

8. It is a criminal act for the Minister of Foreign Affairs or the Minister of Defence to seek, accept, or hold citizenship in a micronation.

9. "Citizenship" in a micronation, for the purposes of this act, shall not include "honourary citizenship," where the honourary citizenship:
-does not entitle the honouree to vote in the micronation's elections,
-does not entitle the honouree to hold political, governmental, or administrative office in the micronation,
-does not obligate the honouree, after the grant of honourary citizenship to pay taxes, fees resembling taxes, or membership dues, and
-does not create any continuing obligation or bond of allegiance to the micronation.

10. Commission of any of the criminal acts defined in this Act constitutes a class A misdemeanor for a first offence, and a class I felony for a subsequent offence.

Noi urent q'estadra sa:

C. M. Siervicül (MC, RUMP)
Txec Róibeard dal Nordselva (MC, RUMP)
Glüc da Dhi (Sen., Cézembre)
Lüc Iánescu Braneusefiglhëu da Schir (MC, MRPT)
C. Carlüs Xheraltescu (MC, ZRT)

[Capt. Sir Mick Preston]

I would vote PER on this Bill.

[Dr. Txec dal Nordselvă]

I would vote for this bill as well and ask to be added as a co-sponsor.

[C. Carlüs Xheraltescù]

As it has been mentioned elsewhere several times that the ZRT has been working on a bill to solve some of the problems raised recently, I thought it might be helpful if I posted what we have come up with:

The Live and Let Live Act

Whereas the noble words of the Organic Law proclaim that: “Liberty consists of any action which is not detrimental to others, and no right herein enumerated, or elsewhere recognised by the Cosâ, shall extend to anyone engaged in activities which injure, endanger, risk or compromise the physical health, privacy, or tranquility of other persons through the pretended exercise of said right.”; and

Whereas the Organic Law also stipulates that: “Talossa shall never tax nor purport to tax, unduly burden, outlaw or abridge for its citizens any right to acts of: peaceful assembly [...]”; and

Whereas Talossa, in the past, has involved itself too greatly in the dealings of its citizens with private recreational organizations patterning themselves on nation-states; and

Whereas we should strive for greater consistency in our dealing with such matters, and allow for the maximal liberty of our citizens; and

Whereas the convoluted nature of, and occasional rapid change of, international geopolitics suggests that the Government of Talossa should not be eternally constrained by statute concerning the types of governments with which it exchanges ambassadors and/or affords aid, friendship or protection: now

Be it therefore enacted by the Ziu as follows:-

1. Repeal of micronation acts

(a) 37RZ2 The What's the Difference Act is repealed.

(b) 25RZ50 The “Semi-Permeable Wall Act” is repealed.


2. Creation of a blacklist

(a) The Government shall maintain a list (hereinafter referred to as “the blacklist”) of proscribed (hereinafter referred to as “blacklisted”) organizations, any changes to which must be publicly announced. The Government shall enumerate in the list organizations which threaten the safety or tranquility of Talossa.

(b) It is a crime to belong to an organization on the blacklist.

(c) The Government shall issue a warning and afford a citizen seven days to disaffiliate himself or herself from a blacklisted organization prior to initiating criminal proceedings.

(d) The Cosa may amend the blacklist by resolution.

(e) The Senäts may amend the blacklist by resolution.

(f) Talossan courts may amend the blacklist as part of a ruling.


3. Definition of a micronation and disclosure

(a) A “micronation” is hereby legally defined to be any society of persons (whether claiming territorial sovereignty or not) that:
- claims a governmental organization and citizenry and
- is not a member of the United Nations and
- is not a member of the Unrepresented Nations and Peoples Organization and
- is not the Kingdom of Talossa or a subdivision thereof, or officially recognised by the Kingdom of Talossa.

(b) All members of the Ziu, the Cabinet, the Uppermost Court, the Magistrate's Court, the Chancery or the Royal Treasury and the Chancellor of the Royal Talossan Bar must report the following information to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs with all due celerity:

(i) All micronations of which he or she is a member.

(ii) All offices he or she holds in these micronations.

Furthermore, the Ziu affirms the Eighth Covenant's protection of free assembly.

[Ián B. Anglatzarâ]

Jul 21, 2013 6:30:51 GMT -6 C. Carlüs Xheraltescù said:

(d) The Cosa may amend the blacklist by resolution.

(e) The Senäts may amend the blacklist by resolution.

(f) Talossan courts may amend the blacklist as part of a ruling.

How would you prevent "amendment wars" between these three bodies, principally between the Cosâ and the Senäts? It is far from unheard of that the Cosâ and the Senäts have different opinions in this our good and pleasant land.

[Óïn Ursüm]

Jul 21, 2013 8:52:44 GMT -6 Ián B. Anglatzarâ said:

Jul 21, 2013 6:30:51 GMT -6 C. Carlüs Xheraltescù said:

(d) The Cosa may amend the blacklist by resolution.

(e) The Senäts may amend the blacklist by resolution.

(f) Talossan courts may amend the blacklist as part of a ruling.

How would you prevent "amendment wars" between these three bodies, principally between the Cosâ and the Senäts? It is far from unheard of that the Cosâ and the Senäts have different opinions in this our good and pleasant land.

Good point. I wrote these provisions and recognise the many problems. How about a publicly announced blacklist, *additions* to which by the government can be overturned by the Ziu as a whole, or by the courts?

[Txosuè Pologn]

For clarification, Section 4 seems to be intended to prevent citizens of Blacklisted nations from becoming Talossans. However, at the end it says that prospective citizens must certify that they are not citizens of ANY micronation. Does this Bill intend to create a system wherein one cannot be a citizen of any micronation before becoming Talossan, but after getting citizenship in Talossa it is then ok to join other micronations? If not, I would ask that Section 4 be re-written to say that a potential citizen must certify that they are not a citizen in any BLACKLISTED nation.

Other than that I'm completely in agreement with this bill and will have no problem voting PER.

[D. N. Vercáriâ]

To some (some, I say) extent I'm leaning towards the draft "Live and let live Act", especially where it is talking about blacklisting *all* organisations that are hostile towards Talossa, but also where the "What's the Difference Act" and the "The Semipermeable Wall Act" are unconditionally dropped. I for one would leave it at this, but hey, that's possibly my peculiar anarchist streak that the esteemed Dame Miestrâ has been talking about every so often.

My main problem with the "One more Step Towards... (etc) Act" is its mixture between civil law and penal law (saying this as a layman - I am definitely not a lawyer of any sort). Also, it's too focussed on micronations, in my humble opinion. In fact I cannot imagine many organisations that would be interested in challenging Talossa. The main threat could be that America (the USA) would start to believe that we are serious in our claims on parts of the City of Milwaukee. Therefor, we had to blacklist America, and Americans would have to be excluded from holding certain ministries in Talossa. Okay, I'm making up bullsh*t, but anyway: Are micronations such a serious threat to Talossa that they deserve so much attention? You must be kidding.

[Capt. Sir Mick Preston]

D. N. Vercáriâ:

Were you in the Kingdom during the "Republic of North Texas" incident?

[D. N. Vercáriâ]

Jul 21, 2013 14:33:27 GMT -6 Capt. Sir Mick Preston said:

D. N. Vercáriâ:

Were you in the Kingdom during the "Republic of North Texas" incident?

Certainly not. Fill me in, please.

[Capt. Sir Mick Preston]

It was many years ago. I may not be remembering correctly, but it involved Tony Weckstrom, and him being an Ambassador from Talossa to that micronation.

I know that I was personally involved in the Affair , because I was SoS at the time, and ended up filing this case:



talossa.proboards.com/thread/3700/notification-attempted-voter-fraud?page=1&scrollTo=35049

The false votes and information came from Mr Weckstrom's office, and I received a fax from phone line that was related to Mr. Weckstrom.

The more I try to relay the incident, the more I realize how much I have forgotten about it. Perhaps Cresti can fill in the gaps of the incident.



Well, anyway - there was an incident where a Talossan Citizen tried to alter an election. He was also a member of the Republic of North Texas, and was trying to establish relations between the two countries.

[Capt. Sir Mick Preston]

All of this happened in 2008, and I'm still looking for records of the incident




talossa.proboards.com/search/results?what_all=Republic+of+Texas&when_between_start=2008-01-01&when_between_end=2009-01-01&display_as=0

If you have time, and want to read the whole Weckstrom Affair played out , here's some light reading for you:



talossa.proboards.com/user/88/recent


And I got the original micronation name incorrect, and who Mr Weckstrom was an Ambassador to.

[Miestrâ Schivâ, UrN]

Yes, I was in the Republic over that time frame - I know virtually nothing about this since we really didn't pay that much attention to internal Kingdom politics except where they concerned us. I wonder what Deputy Preston is trying to say is the relevance of s:reu Weckstrom's shenanigans to the current debate.

Of course, I'm supporting Live And Let Live. Simple deletion of the anti-micronation laws; a ban on membership of "hostile organisations" whether micronations or whatever.

[Miestrâ Schivâ, UrN]

One possible parallel for us is something that happened early in the history of Nova Roma. I believe that they elected someone as Consul (joint chief magistrate) who was determined to convert the revived Roman Republic to Christianity, and had done so by falsely professing a faith in the ancient gods of Rome right up until he got into a position of power. I should look out how they dealt with him.

[C. Carlüs Xheraltescù]

Jul 21, 2013 15:46:01 GMT -6 Miestrâ Schivâ, UrN said:

Yes, I was in the Republic over that time frame - I know virtually nothing about this since we really didn't pay that much attention to internal Kingdom politics except where they concerned us. I wonder what Deputy Preston is trying to say is the relevance of s:reu Weckstrom's shenanigans to the current debate.

Of course, I'm supporting Live And Let Live. Simple deletion of the anti-micronation laws; a ban on membership of "hostile organisations" whether micronations or whatever.

I'm currently in touch with the ZRT's main policy-making body as well as a few supporters of our alternative proposal from outside the party. I am confident that tomorrow I will able to formally submit the final proposal to the Hopper.