A Constitutional Inquiry

Day 3,103, 16:25 • Published in USA USA • by Silas Soule

Live Sharp Look Smart

A Constitutional Inquiry



Note: Opinions reflected in this article are my own, do not necessarily reflect those of any other members of the Socialist Freedom Party, and of course may be debated in the handy comments section at the end. The facts reflected in this article are more difficult to debate, but go for it if you like.


Big hugs and (unapologetic) revolutionary greetings to all!
-- Phoenix Quinn, Cantankerous Old Windbag





I hear that the SFP Constitution has been the topic of some debate lately.

I am told that some folks outside of the SFP have recommended that this Party's Constitution be amended in a particular way that accords with their perception of e-reality. I don't know if this is entirely the case, or exactly what has been said, since I choose not to participate, myself, in that on-line game called "e-USA Forums".


But this is what some people have told me.



So... I thought this might be a good opportunity to share a little knowledge transfer with y'all on some info about what the SFP Constitution contains.

You can also read the whole darn thing for yourself here.




Perhaps a good starting point for talking about the Constitution of the Socialist Freedom Party is thinking happy birthday thoughts to brother Malcolm X, the famous American revolutionist who would have been 91 today (May 19th). As you probably are aware, he was a clever fellow who said a lot of clever things before being gunned down by a religious fanatic.




Many folks remember Malcolm for being a member of a somewhat oddball Muslim (Sunni-ish) sect that was a mainstay of the Black Nationalist movement in the rlUSA back in the 60s and 70s. Perhaps lesser-known to the general public is that there was also, after that, in the later 70s and earlier 80s mainly, for a brief time, a revolutionary communist group in the USA called the "May 19th Communist Organization". M19CO was descended from the Weather Underground. Its main purpose was to support the Black Liberation Army, which itself was a militant split-off from the Black Panther Party.

That group was named "May 19th" in honor of Malcolm X and Ho Chi Minh, both of whom had birthdays on May 19th.

I only point out that little bit of rad-left historical lacuna as way of emphasizing that there are really very few things about radical politics in the (real life) USA which follow a nice, neat ideological line. It is a country with a hugely diverse population and a history which is strange, wonderful and a bit terrifying, no matter from what perspective you look at it. Which leads to some interesting turns of event.

Which leads me to my main introductory point...



I would say that a certain flavor of this kind of crazy-mixed-up-radicalism-of-many-colors is a big part of the gaming spirit, if I can put it that way, behind the e-USA's Socialist Freedom Party and its militia affiliate, the SFP Bear Cavalry. It is why the SFP exists and why it doesn't quite fit in to many pre-conceived categories.





Anyhoo... One of the clever things Malcolm X said was: "A man who believes in freedom will do anything under the sun to acquire ... or preserve his freedom." I like that pretty well. And I think it captures much of the spirit of the SFP Constitution.






The SFP Constitution was first adopted on October 13, 2011 (Day 1423) and it was last revised on June 2nd, 2014.


It is organized into 5 Parts and 16 Sections. Much of it has to do with how the SFP organizes itself, and in particular, how its Revolutionary Committee operates.

I would offer that the overall "theme" of this Constitution is not really about "making laws". And it is especially not about restricting the actions of any players. It is, on the contrary, very much about empowering individual players and, if it creates restrictions at all, they are aimed at limiting the creation of authoritarian hierarchies.

It is more about opening up spaces than enclosing them.




For example, the only official titles recognized in the SFP Constitution are:

"Chair of the Revolutionary Committee of the Socialist Freedom Party"
and
"Member of the Revolutionary Committee of the Socialist Freedom Party".

Aside from these, Party members, whether participants in the "RC" or not, are free to give themselves whatever fanciful names they like. For example, mine is: "Cantankerous Old Windbag", which can handily be abbreviated, like: "Oh PQ, that COW!". But nobody is obliged to recognize that title.




Part II of the SFP Constitution deals with "Powers of the Leadership". The last Section within it, Section 12, addresses both Congress and Country President Nominations.

Sub-section 4 under Section 12 explains in some detail how the Party goes about selecting its candidates for Congress, during times when the Party is in the Top Five.





Here is Part II, Section 12, Sub-Section 4 in full:



"4. If the SFP holds the status of a top 5 party, the following procedure will be use😛

"After the new SFP Chairman is in office (16th of the month), s/he or a representative from the SFP Revolutionary Committee shall open a Call for Congress Candidates in the forums.

"Interested SFP members should answer this Call by stating his or her desire to be a Congress candidate in the thread and by declaring their intention in game.

"Candidates will campaign for the primary and provide a manifesto on why people should vote for him/her.

"On the 20th of every month, the Call thread should be locked and a new thread opened for primary voting on the candidates. The Congressional Primary will last until the 23rd of the month.

"SFP members will vote for three candidates in the primary, allocating respectively 3, 2 and 1 points to each.

"At the conclusion of the election, the SFP Chairman-President or an authorized representative of the SFP Revolutionary Committee will tally the points for each candidate and rank each accordingly. The primary results will be announced in the forum.

"The SFP Chairman-President will rank the candidates in game according to the primary vote.

"The SFP Chairman-President can negotiate with external parties in order to include outside candidates on the SFP ballot. Every such arrangement must be ratified by the Revolutionary Committee before the 23rd."





As you can see, this is a very collaborative and democratic process. The role of the leadership committee is simply to facilitate. It is up the membership of the Party as a whole to decide how to rank candidates on the Party List. The Chair of the RC merely implements their wishes.

There is no explicit political litmus test, nor any rules about who can or cannot be a candidate. The judgement on who is a suitable candidate is left entirely up to the candidates' peers in the Party, using this system of ranked proportional voting.



If someone wants to change or amend how this works, the Constitution covers that too. Part V of the Constitution explains how changes are made. Amendments require a 2/3's majority vote of the active membership.





So. That's how that part works, in case anybody was interested.






But I'd like to point out a few more things in this interesting document, because I think they really get more to the heart of what the SFP is, how that is-ness is reflected in this Constitution, how it highlights what a unique eRep gaming style, or really, what a unique kind of eRep e-Being, this party reflects.






Sections 14, 15 and 16 of the SFP Constitution outline, at a high level, the Political Strategy of the SFP. This is summarized as:

"...promoting revolutionary freedom for the individual player within a framework of social solidarity."


Section 14 is titled "Domestic Revolution and Solidarity". Sub-section 3 notes the following element of this strategy:

"3. Promotion, support and organizing of a progressive and revolutionary political culture in the eUSA."



Section 16 is entitled "Economic Revolution and Solidarity". Sub-sections 4 and 5 outline the following points of attention in this area:

"4. Finding ways to support and encourage working class and impoverished players by outflanking the capitalist game model.

5. Promoting the study, analysis and development of anarcho-syndicalist theories of e-political economy."




Nowhere in this Constitution is there any statement that the goal of the SFP is to unquestioningly adhere to and defend so-called "Laws" made up by an off-game forum dominated by what everybody knows is an establishment clique.


Nor, anywhere in this Constitution, is there any statement that the Socialist Freedom Party is dedicated to "unity" against perceived or so-called "national enemies", neither at an individual or in a collective sense. In fact, Section 15, on "International Revolution and Solidarity" contains the following enumerated notes:

"2. Support for the defense and liberation of small and oppressed e-nations.

"3. Opposition to e-Imperialism in all of its forms.

"4. Material, political and military support for revolutionary e-nations and other far-left parties who share the SFP's vision of freedom and solidarity.

"5. Material support for grassroots democracy in all spheres, including the development of worker-managed communes and cooperatives internationally."



Of course, the Bear Cavalry has always come to the defense of the e-USA when it is attacked. This proud militia is one of the oldest autonomous, self-funded militias in the game. But it has never agreed, as a matter of principle, to blind participation in an imperialist foreign policy. And has seldom had any problem encouraging its militants to find a fighting style that matches their own anarchist and revolutionary principles.


It should also be clear by now that the SFP as a Party has never agreed to recognize the authority, much less the suzerainty, of any "Jedi Councils", "Unity Committees", "Democratic Dictatorships" and so forth.


By the way... This is not an argument I am making. It is simply a statement of fact. This Constitution reflects what the SFP is, and, to a large degree, what it is not.


Those who don't like this Constitution are naturally free to argue all they want that the December Uprising initiated by the SFP Bear Calvary, in support the Country President's electoral program, was "illegal", despite the fact that it was simply a reflection of the obvious popular desire of a large portion of the citizenry to try life without Dictatorship (via the use of a perfectly "legal" game mechanic to try to achieve that goal).

Likewise, critics of the SFP are perfectly welcome to bemoan the fact the the SFP is now the second largest Party in the land.

That's just politics, after all.

But trying to tell the SFP that they must change their Constitution? Or... what? The oligarchic congressional party will continue to "blacklist" certain people, is that it? That the SFP will be chastised until it changes its spots?







Oh my. We are shaking in our balaclavas.








Honestly now, let's think...


Ask the Bear Cavalry commanders how difficult it is to launch an uprising when you have a critical mass of pissed-off citizens who want to back it.

Ask Major Trite how difficult it is to launch an uprising against the Dictatorship, even if your entire Party disagrees with you on the timing.

Ask The Black Knight how difficult it is to prevent a Military Coup if you really want to.




My point is quite simple: Nobody can, in fact, "outlaw" revolutionaries in e-Republic. We are already an e-Being that is simultaneously an e-Nothing. We are already "a girl who does not have a name". No off-game forum has ever had any authority over a Free Spirit. And they never will. No so-called "government" can "own" Solidarity. Just like the Music Industry does not actually own music; it just profits from it.


And finally, as if it needed saying, the actual game mechanics are what they are -- for both establishment types and for revolutionaries.


So. Yeah. My little editorial comment for today is:

We're here, we're free. Get used to it.