87
****A MESSAGE FROM THE SPEAKER: UPDATE! Congress says "No." to PEACE.****
Greetings eCanadians, allied nations, and global citizens. I am Vincent Chaotic, the current Speaker of the House of Commons within the Congress of eCanada. Let me state right off the bat that I have written this article in response to the massive panic which is now streaming through the international media and diplomatic world regarding the fate of eCanada’s diplomatic relations. A panic started by rumour and half-truths which threatens to turn itself into a full blown epidemic. I must remind you of a sermon preached by one Phillip Seymour Hoffman within the film “Doubt.”
[img]http://www.odt.co.nz/files/story/2009/01/philip_seymour_hoffman_as_father_flynn_in_doubt__1862491734.JPG[/img]
A woman was gossiping with a friend about a man she hardly knew - I know none of you have ever done this - that night she had a dream. A great hand appeared over her and pointed down at her. She was immediately seized with an overwhelming sense of guilt. The next day she went to confession. She got the old parish priest, Father O’Rourke, and she told him the whole thing.
‘Is gossiping a sin?’ she asked the old man. ‘Was that the hand of God Almighty pointing a finger at me? Should I be asking your absolution? Father, tell me, have I done something wrong?’
‘Yes!’ Father O’Rourke answered her. ‘Yes, you ignorant, badly brought up female! You have borne false witness against your neighbour, you have played fast and loose with his reputation, and you should be heartily ashamed!’
So the woman said she was sorry and asked for forgiveness.
‘Not so fast!’ says O’Rourke. ‘I want you to go home, take a pillow up on your roof, cut it open with a knife, and return here to me!’
So the woman went home, took a pillow off her bed, a knife from the drawer, went up the fire escape to the roof, and stabbed the pillow. Then she went back to the old parish priest as instructed.
‘Did you gut the pillow with the knife?’ he says.
‘Yes, Father.’
‘And what was the result?’
‘Feathers,’ she said.
‘Feathers?’ he repeated.
‘Feathers everywhere, Father!’
‘Now I want you to go back and gather up every last feather that flew out on the wind!’
‘Well,’ she said, ‘it can’t be done. I don’t know where they went. The wind took them all over.’
‘And that,’ said Father O’Rourke, ‘is GOSSIP!’
The rumour that has been spreading throughout the media, sewing doubt in the minds of eCanadians and our current allies, is that the Congress of eCanada is currently voting to join PEACE. At best, this rumour is merely a half-truth, released to sew panic amongst our citizens and destabilize our relations with other nations.
I am here to tell you the Truth, the Full Truth, and Nothing but the Truth. Yes, the issue of joining PEACE has been raised in congress over the past two months. HOWEVER, PEACE is only one of many options that was discussed within Congress about the future of ATLANTIS after the events of the 541st. Other serious options discussed included: Long term NEUTRALITY taken from the Irish example, Temporary Neutrality to observe the actions of our neighbours, the creation of a full-fledged defensive alliance with all non-PEACE states, reformation of ATLANTIS, and recently the Atlantic Alliance proposal. The April-May Congress was inhabited by a bloc of individuals who advocated for induction into PEACE, as does the current Congress. There was an equally large proportion of congressmen who advocated the maintenance of ATLANTIS, or a similar alliance. Yet another portion of Congress remained on the fence, believing it to be too early to make a decision. The debate became highly charged, as one bloc demanded an immediate vote on whether or not to join PEACE, while the other demanded more time to provide a suitable alternative.
I was faced with the unenviable task of standing between the Unstoppable Force and the Immovable Object in Congress, thus I offered what I thought to be the only true compromise. The vote I posted was on the matter of closure of the topic: a vote on whether to cease debate and vote on all viable options, which would last for the longest period in eCanadian history: 72 Hours. The April-May congress was given 24 Hours to vote on the topic, while the May-June Congress was given 24 Hours to review the arguments, and 24 hours to vote. The result being both congresses had the opportunity to review, voice their concerns, and vote on whether or not to keep waiting.
http://ecanada.forumotion.com/open-door-voting-f76/closure-on-atlantis-peace-debate-t2691.htm
This resulted in a complete statistical tie, which by the constitution it came down to President Bruck to decide the final vote. Bruck opted to end the debate and begin a vote.
At the time, three distinct possibilities were clearly favoured by the Congress:
- Neutrality
- Formation of a New Alliance.
- Entry into PEACE
But whereas the constitution sets out that bills can only come into law, and votes are only binding if they exceed the 50% threshold, I have called for two votes. The first vote offers the above three options as a possibility, requiring 21 votes in order to reach majority status, and thus become binding. IF NO OPTION CAN REACH 21 VOTES, A second vote would be held. The option with the least amount of votes would be dropped from the ballot, and the final two options would be debated against each other. This vote is still ongoing, but with the consent of Congress, President Bruck, and the Finance Ministry, both votes have been moved to the Open Door Congress section of the eCanadian forums.
The current vote can be seen here.
http://ecanada.forumotion.com/open-door-voting-f76/alliance-debate-t2796.htm
As you can see, with 34 out of 40 Congressmen voting, NO ONE OPTION CAN TAKE THE MAJORITY, thus a second vote MUST be held. If the vote share remains constant, then it will be the PEACE option that is removed from the ballot, as it remains the least popular option at the time of this posting. By the time the second vote is concluded, the May-June congress will have had 7 days, a full 25% of its term to debate, consult and vote on this issue, and provide the government with a full constitutionally ratified mandate to initiate the Foreign Policy option chosen.
However, that will not be the absolute, deciding vote. As Defence Minister and congressman John Wilkmot has tabled a motion to form a national referendum on the Alliance Debate following the proceedings. A motion which I myself have seconded.
Should the congressional mandate created by the Congress in this vote conflict with the Government’s stated foreign policy, then the President has the power to veto this legislation, which Congress could only overturn if it voted to do so by a margin of 60% (24 Votes).
The Congress and the Executive are also reviewing the current and previous discussion topics within the Closed Door Congress in order to declassify portions of the debate within the Open Door Discussion area of Congress.
FOR THOSE OF YOU TOO LAZY TO READ THIS ENTIRE THREAD!
HIGHLIGHTS!
- Congress is NOT voting to join PEACE. Congress is voting on what it wants the government to do: A) Declare Neutrality.
Accept the invitation to join PEACE. Or C) forge a new Alliance.
- Congress WILL NOT DECIDE with this vote. An option requires 21 Votes to be binding, and the most popular proposal holds only 13 votes with 85% of the congress already voted.
- A SECOND VOTE will be held on the 31st of May, which will DROP THE LEAST POPULAR option from the ballot. At the time of this posting, the least popular option is to join PEACE.
- The government is in the process of declassifying the debates and votes on this issue so that the public may enlighten itself.
- We MAY see a public referendum on this issue regardless of the vote.
That is all
- Vincent Chaotic
NS Congressman
Speaker of the House of Commons
UPDATE
The First Ballot has now been complete, and as expected, no one option had enough support to become law. Thus a second ballot will begin tomorrow. Whereas the PEACE option recieved the lowest percentage and lowest number of votes in Congress, the PEACE option will be dropped from the ballot.
The second ballot will consist of the following options.
Option 1: Neutrality
Option 2: New Alliance
While the second ballot WILL be legally binding, a public referendum is still being considered before the government moves to act.
That is all
- Vincent Chaotic
Re-Elected Speaker of the House of Commons.
NS Congressman.
[img]http://www.odt.co.nz/files/story/2009/01/philip_seymour_hoffman_as_father_flynn_in_doubt__1862491734.JPG[/img]
A woman was gossiping with a friend about a man she hardly knew - I know none of you have ever done this - that night she had a dream. A great hand appeared over her and pointed down at her. She was immediately seized with an overwhelming sense of guilt. The next day she went to confession. She got the old parish priest, Father O’Rourke, and she told him the whole thing.
‘Is gossiping a sin?’ she asked the old man. ‘Was that the hand of God Almighty pointing a finger at me? Should I be asking your absolution? Father, tell me, have I done something wrong?’
‘Yes!’ Father O’Rourke answered her. ‘Yes, you ignorant, badly brought up female! You have borne false witness against your neighbour, you have played fast and loose with his reputation, and you should be heartily ashamed!’
So the woman said she was sorry and asked for forgiveness.
‘Not so fast!’ says O’Rourke. ‘I want you to go home, take a pillow up on your roof, cut it open with a knife, and return here to me!’
So the woman went home, took a pillow off her bed, a knife from the drawer, went up the fire escape to the roof, and stabbed the pillow. Then she went back to the old parish priest as instructed.
‘Did you gut the pillow with the knife?’ he says.
‘Yes, Father.’
‘And what was the result?’
‘Feathers,’ she said.
‘Feathers?’ he repeated.
‘Feathers everywhere, Father!’
‘Now I want you to go back and gather up every last feather that flew out on the wind!’
‘Well,’ she said, ‘it can’t be done. I don’t know where they went. The wind took them all over.’
‘And that,’ said Father O’Rourke, ‘is GOSSIP!’
The rumour that has been spreading throughout the media, sewing doubt in the minds of eCanadians and our current allies, is that the Congress of eCanada is currently voting to join PEACE. At best, this rumour is merely a half-truth, released to sew panic amongst our citizens and destabilize our relations with other nations.
I am here to tell you the Truth, the Full Truth, and Nothing but the Truth. Yes, the issue of joining PEACE has been raised in congress over the past two months. HOWEVER, PEACE is only one of many options that was discussed within Congress about the future of ATLANTIS after the events of the 541st. Other serious options discussed included: Long term NEUTRALITY taken from the Irish example, Temporary Neutrality to observe the actions of our neighbours, the creation of a full-fledged defensive alliance with all non-PEACE states, reformation of ATLANTIS, and recently the Atlantic Alliance proposal. The April-May Congress was inhabited by a bloc of individuals who advocated for induction into PEACE, as does the current Congress. There was an equally large proportion of congressmen who advocated the maintenance of ATLANTIS, or a similar alliance. Yet another portion of Congress remained on the fence, believing it to be too early to make a decision. The debate became highly charged, as one bloc demanded an immediate vote on whether or not to join PEACE, while the other demanded more time to provide a suitable alternative.
I was faced with the unenviable task of standing between the Unstoppable Force and the Immovable Object in Congress, thus I offered what I thought to be the only true compromise. The vote I posted was on the matter of closure of the topic: a vote on whether to cease debate and vote on all viable options, which would last for the longest period in eCanadian history: 72 Hours. The April-May congress was given 24 Hours to vote on the topic, while the May-June Congress was given 24 Hours to review the arguments, and 24 hours to vote. The result being both congresses had the opportunity to review, voice their concerns, and vote on whether or not to keep waiting.
http://ecanada.forumotion.com/open-door-voting-f76/closure-on-atlantis-peace-debate-t2691.htm
This resulted in a complete statistical tie, which by the constitution it came down to President Bruck to decide the final vote. Bruck opted to end the debate and begin a vote.
At the time, three distinct possibilities were clearly favoured by the Congress:
- Neutrality
- Formation of a New Alliance.
- Entry into PEACE
But whereas the constitution sets out that bills can only come into law, and votes are only binding if they exceed the 50% threshold, I have called for two votes. The first vote offers the above three options as a possibility, requiring 21 votes in order to reach majority status, and thus become binding. IF NO OPTION CAN REACH 21 VOTES, A second vote would be held. The option with the least amount of votes would be dropped from the ballot, and the final two options would be debated against each other. This vote is still ongoing, but with the consent of Congress, President Bruck, and the Finance Ministry, both votes have been moved to the Open Door Congress section of the eCanadian forums.
The current vote can be seen here.
http://ecanada.forumotion.com/open-door-voting-f76/alliance-debate-t2796.htm
As you can see, with 34 out of 40 Congressmen voting, NO ONE OPTION CAN TAKE THE MAJORITY, thus a second vote MUST be held. If the vote share remains constant, then it will be the PEACE option that is removed from the ballot, as it remains the least popular option at the time of this posting. By the time the second vote is concluded, the May-June congress will have had 7 days, a full 25% of its term to debate, consult and vote on this issue, and provide the government with a full constitutionally ratified mandate to initiate the Foreign Policy option chosen.
However, that will not be the absolute, deciding vote. As Defence Minister and congressman John Wilkmot has tabled a motion to form a national referendum on the Alliance Debate following the proceedings. A motion which I myself have seconded.
Should the congressional mandate created by the Congress in this vote conflict with the Government’s stated foreign policy, then the President has the power to veto this legislation, which Congress could only overturn if it voted to do so by a margin of 60% (24 Votes).
The Congress and the Executive are also reviewing the current and previous discussion topics within the Closed Door Congress in order to declassify portions of the debate within the Open Door Discussion area of Congress.
FOR THOSE OF YOU TOO LAZY TO READ THIS ENTIRE THREAD!
HIGHLIGHTS!
- Congress is NOT voting to join PEACE. Congress is voting on what it wants the government to do: A) Declare Neutrality.
Accept the invitation to join PEACE. Or C) forge a new Alliance.- Congress WILL NOT DECIDE with this vote. An option requires 21 Votes to be binding, and the most popular proposal holds only 13 votes with 85% of the congress already voted.
- A SECOND VOTE will be held on the 31st of May, which will DROP THE LEAST POPULAR option from the ballot. At the time of this posting, the least popular option is to join PEACE.
- The government is in the process of declassifying the debates and votes on this issue so that the public may enlighten itself.
- We MAY see a public referendum on this issue regardless of the vote.
That is all
- Vincent Chaotic
NS Congressman
Speaker of the House of Commons
UPDATE
The First Ballot has now been complete, and as expected, no one option had enough support to become law. Thus a second ballot will begin tomorrow. Whereas the PEACE option recieved the lowest percentage and lowest number of votes in Congress, the PEACE option will be dropped from the ballot.
The second ballot will consist of the following options.
Option 1: Neutrality
Option 2: New Alliance
While the second ballot WILL be legally binding, a public referendum is still being considered before the government moves to act.
That is all
- Vincent Chaotic
Re-Elected Speaker of the House of Commons.
NS Congressman.
Facebook
Twitter
Thanks for the update.
i skipped a ton of what you said and then got to the part that said "for those to lazy to read" and read it all through.
i am embarresed to say that i was one of the people who a little over reacted to these rumers and thank you for this article, realy clarifys things.
I figured a lot of people would. But the information within this article was important enough to ensure that even those conquered by walls of text can still know what's going on.
Thanks for the update as well.
Could've come a bit sooner, but an amazing update overall. Thank you.
Took a while to get the consensus, and the authorization to release this much.
Thanks Vincent for the article. It was really necessary after all the panic articles we have read in the last hours/days. As congressman, I was aware of what was going on and I was furious to see that someone who can read the closed door section was leaking information (in fact partial information) with no respect of what was happening and the work of the government.
Vincent is a PEACE agent! CSIS told me so.
Well i for one am glad that this information was leaked.
This is an extremely important issue for all canadians and if a offer came from peace before the last congression elections then all congressman should be ashamed for keeping that imformation secret. This is a national matter and those people choosing to run for congress should of been asking the voters how they want their leadership to vote.
We are not a nation of childern, congress is here to serve the peoples will. And not make such an important decision public was a poor choice.
If you think that the articles that were written were 'panic articles' the shit storm that would of happened if congress made plans to join peace without public consultation would of made the events of the past 24 hours pale in comparison.
There is a reason people have demanded tranparency of goverment, and this event has been an excellent example of the need for it.
I do believe this was an excellent article and have voted for it.. Its a shame that it came out so late when it could of lead the discussion.
*pretends to get strangled by Augustus*
*Comes back with a moustache*
@citizenRobin : you don't understand that what was leak was a wrong information. That is the problem. And I'm sorry to don't agree with you but some debate HAVE TO be kept secret for a time. The more information you give, the better your opponent is ready to beat you (and it is the same IRL).
For example if the debates were going to be obvious to not join PEACE, what do you think PEACE could do ? Preparing and acting against us before we finish to decide what option we will choose and before we sign agreements with other countries. (it is an example and that does not mean that joining PEACE is not a possibility nor that PEACE won't attack us).
Galen Alda I do understand the need for closed doors meetings but this is not a tax raise or a single attack we are talking about but an entire shift in Canadian policy. This is an election matter not something congress should be deciding on its own.
Congress should of been voting on how to address the public, not how to proceed. Democracy does not stop because our enemies are strong.
And in democracy IRL it is the congressman who decide the country policy and not (unfortunatly) the citizens ;o) I understand your point.
**This moment of clarity brought to you by your local Speaker of the House of Commons.
Now we take you back to your regular programming of rumour, half-truths,and full blown epidemic sh*tstorm**
Thanks for the update, Vincent. I really hope this well let us take a breath to prevent hyperventilation. Yet again, the sky is not falling. whew!
Oh yes it is Plugson! As if it couldn't get any worse!
<a href="http://www.erepublik.com/en/article/up-coming-wedding-815513/1/20" target="_blank">http://www.erepublik.com/en/article/up-c[..]1/20</a>
So, with all that said (and yes, I read it all), in effect we are voting whether to join PEACE or not (with the 'or not' being two other options - big deal).
I am shocked and disappointed that our elected body would actually bring this to the floor. I am shocked and dismayed, that even one Congressman would even vote to join PEACE.
Join peace, and you will hear a 'giant sucking sound' of Canadians fleeing south to the USA (or even Mexico). VOTE NO - NO PEACE.
PEACE means no peace.
Great article and thanks for the information! I'm glad to see Canada is taking this seriously and voting on all options.
Jaxon Leith
US Ambassador to Canada
Citizen B. You do realize, that Mexico is a member of PEACE right? That if PEACE were to attack the eUS, they either have to conquer Alaska, and western Canada to get to the continental US, or attack from Mexico.. Which sounds, much simpler. It's interesting that PEACE hasn't done that as yet...
You obviously have strong views, I understand that. But your extreme views are not shared by many eCanadians. Many of us wouldn't flee if things didn't go our way. This isn't intended as an insult, but what you seem to be describing is what we parents refer to as a temper tantrum..
Also, while it might surprise you, those of us in government must consider all options in the best interest of the country regardless of how personally distasteful we find it.
Thanks for the update Vincent. Glad to see hear it coming from a fellow Nova Scotian. This Homeless Dad would love to be in there given his two cents. But c'est la vie. Next month
@Goran best reply ever.
Thanks for all this information, it's truly appreciated. It gives us a clearer point of view on what is happening right now in the Congress.
I ironically read all of it except for the highlights
Anyway, great article. I don't usually read long ones like that, but the sermon drew me in, and I honestly wanted to know what the fuss was about.
There should be a public referendum, it is after all the future of our country
Mirahge, There will be a referendum, It has been so decreed.
Goran, I share Citizen B's convictions, although I'd probably move to a different Country than eUSA (New Jersey Smells, and Florida has too many old people). But regional jokes and RL predjudices aside, the onlyway I will support PEACE is under duress, and mTickets are so easy to buy these days. Morally reprehensive acts are never for the good of the country.
Everybody Else, Donate to the SCOTIA Organization, a charity org that is run by Vincent Chaotic, that uses funds to buy Defence Systems and Hospitals for Canadian Provinces, they are less than 50g away from a q4 hospital for Alberta. Donate what you have, be it Gold, CAD, any currency, or even Items, weapons, food, tickets, even houses. Its for a good cause that I beleive in (and got elected in Alberta last term for [my term was cut short for complicated reasons, short answer, Search for the citizen Unthak]).
Long live the Empire.
Is there any way for you to publish the vote in a more open section? Like, your allies might be a little bit interested in the results of this vote...
Intrepid132, MoFA eUK
RhinoIndustries: viewing of congressional votes is allowed for eCanadian citizens only. If you're not a citizen, you don't get in. Simple as that.
Bureaucratic nonsense.
PEACE is our only option, tell people the truth about ATLANTIS and their/our part in the cheating and people will see that the PEACE option is the only option.
Letting the public becide is a nonsense aswell because most of the public are conditioned to the pathetic ATLANTIS = good PEACE = bad propoganda BS.
Good article!
much interesting stuff
"while it might surprise you, those of us in government must consider all options in the best interest of the country regardless of how personally distasteful we find it."
@Goran Thrax, I agree completely but you must also understand that congress may make decisions in good faith and in what they might believe to be in the best interests of the country. But ultimately it is the people whom you represent that will decide if you have acted in our best interest or not at the ballot box. I can only speak to what I will do and in future elections I will never ever cast a ballot for any current congress person that advocated joining PEACE.
2 reasons why Tamas should be kicked out of Ecanada
1. He's obviously spreading PEACE propaganda and should be thrown out for this
2. He's a penguins fan
There's no excuse for that
PEACE is evil. Whats wrong with penguins?
You have obviously never been attacked by a "waddle" of penguins, the most vicious of the species hail from Pittsburgh.