ELECTION: Judge

[mapfi]

This poll will be open for 5 days until January 20th, approximately 7:05pm GMT

We have three candidates, Frozzy, H Tower, Devil of Truth

nomination thread

[H Tower]

I guess I'll start the campaign debating.

I believe I am uniquely qualified for this position above all others because I have already served as a Judge. For the last month I have been the Senior Justice and have worked hard on the three cases we have been presented with. After working hard to interpret the constitution on these real cases and several theoretical ones i was presented with by other members of the game.

I believe in a strong court capable and willing to make decisions that will both uphold our constitution and make the game more enjoyable to the people. I don't believe that these two goals are against each other but can be done together to make this an incredible game.

Another benefit of returning me to the court is that the new Senior Justice (mapfi) and I have worked together very well, and have learned to guess how the other would react given an event, and while we don't always agree with each other, we manage to find an acceptable ruling for both of us.

As leader of the court last term I managed to keep the court running even though we were missing the third member of the court, we managed to drive through. Once I was 99% sure Gilgamensch wasn't coming back, I did the best thing I could for the court, I called for his impeachment, while we have proven that the court CAN function with only two judges, it doesn't mean that it should.

I guess I should close by pointing out that I have a reputation as a reliable poster, I won't dissapear, I visit the forum frequently and am not afraid to voice an opinion.

I of course await my fellow candidates for further debate

[Frozzy]

I've learned to be patient in life, and not rush things. Although I was not elected last time, I didn't let that stop me trying again. Contrary to the saying "Do, or do not. There is no try", I believe that if you don't try, you won't do.

One thing that brings people down is fear. Fear of what? That is up to the person. Like most people, I have my own fears. But through life I have overcome a number of these fears, like most people.

Another one of my personal qualites, in my opinion, is my desire. If I wish for something to be done, I won't rest until it is done. When it is done, I go to number two on the list and drive for that.

Like my fellow candidate, I too am an active poster on Apolyton CS, and also like my fellow opponent I am active in a number of areas of Apolyton, not just the CtP1 section.

Lastly, I realise that this is a democracy, and you the voter get the final decision on which circle you click in. I can't make you do what I want you to do. However, I hope you take heed of what I have to offer, and focus on the positives of Lemuria, not the negatives.

I wish to see what Devil of Truth has to say as to his case.

[Devil of Truth]

It is my great pleasure to be included among such worthy fellow candidates.

I too have much to offer, and I’ll offer it succinctly.

I believe in equality, reason, calm judgement, the rule of law, and the democracy that we have created. I believe in the remarkable cross-cultural experience these forums grant us. I believe that every poster, by they Settlers or Deities have a voice, and their voice must be heard. I believe in active participation, divergent opinions, and the uniqueness and flavour we all contribute. I believe that what makes an elected official great, is their ability to follow the people, and not the other way round.

I believe I can offer you these attributes.

[Locutus]

None of these speeches really convinced me, so I am for now unable to vote (and judging from the total number of votes, I'm not the only one). To stir up debate a little, let's look at a hypothetical case:

Let's say I had messed up the 'Attitude towards Austria' thread by IW for good and would not have been able to recover it. If someone had filed a case against me for this screw-up, would you have accepted this case if you were Senior Justice or not? Also explain why (not). And if the case had indeed been accepted (by you or someone else), how would you have ruled on it?

[mapfi]

yes Locutus, good question!

I'd also like to know if H Tower's two contestants would have ruled differently in any of the three cases so far or if they have at least some reservations about the rulings.

[Devil of Truth]

Locutus:
As a fledgling democracy, it is vital that all participating parties contribute within the framework of the constitution. Every vote is sacrosanct, and as a judge, it is our duty to uphold that.

If the new poll falls outside the norms, or is deemed to fall outside the norms set by the constitution, then there is no question that I would accept the case.

I would rule that all previous polls are declared invalid and that the threads be closed. I would then call for a new poll. But beyond that, I accept as true that a judge’s duty goes beyond just ruling on cases. As a judge, we should act as guides and assist with the creation of the new poll to ensure that it complies fully with the constitution.


Mapfi:
I have no reservations or problems with the rulings on any of the cases. I believe the court, and H Tower in particular, acted with absolute decorum.

[Frozzy]

Locutus,

Since the screw up had nothing to do with you purposely disobeying the constitution, and it was exprerimental within ACS, no.

If someone else had accepted it, I would like to hear their reasoning first before making my decision.


Mapfi, I can't really answer that question, but H Tower was in power at the time. The first elections was a blunt mistake, due to under reading of the constitution, and we needed to get the game started.

The Austria poll was full of controversy, but it was around 1 month after the constitution was set out. Sure, there was the wording flaw, but if you took common sense into account, then I believe the previous judges performed superbly.

[H Tower]

For locutus' hypothetical case: Based upon the fact that you stated that the problem was that a problem with the apolyton database, i would not accept the case. We can hardly fault you for problems that occur with apolyton in RL, not our little role playing world.

DoT,when you say :

I would rule that all previous polls are declared invalid and that the threads be closed. I would then call for a new poll. But beyond that, I accept as true that a judge’s duty goes beyond just ruling on cases. As a judge, we should act as guides and assist with the creation of the new poll to ensure that it complies fully with the constitution.

do you understand that by your wording you are declaring EVERY poll we have EVER had invalid? An ambigous ruling like this could throw our nation into complete chaos, such reports need to be carefully thought out and loopholes closed.

[HuangShang]

im still deciding...

[H Tower]

do you have a question for the candidates that we could answer? something to help you decide?

[HuangShang]

uh....

[H Tower]

any question at all

Do you like George W. Bush? No
Are you a space alien? No
Have you ever had a PCR before? Yes
Have you ever met someone from poly in RL? Yes(Ming, rah, theben, loinburger. chegitz guevera, -jrabbit, barry, bunnygryl)
Do you own CtP2? No
Pentium or athalon? Pentium
How old are you? 20

EDIT: If you want to see some of my work, go look in this thread where i went over the constitution with a fined toothed comb and found several sections that I believe need to be altered. http://apolyton.net/forums/showthrea...threadid=74289

[Devil of Truth]

Originally posted by H Tower
DoT,when you say :

do you understand that by your wording you are declaring EVERY poll we have EVER had invalid? An ambigous ruling like this could throw our nation into complete chaos, such reports need to be carefully thought out and loopholes closed.

I think it’s too early here to think straight, but I’m not quite sure what you’re getting at. Would you mind clarifying your statement?

But before you do, allow me to explain again:
Article IV of the constitution defines what a poll should look like. Right? So if it doesn’t comply, or is deemed to be incompliant, then it is invalid. It is irrelevant who creates it. If that was not so, I could create the unconstitutional poll, and hide behind a cloak of general amnesty because “Hey, I didn’t know better.” In the end, only chaos will reign.
Also, if Citizen 1 creates an unconstitutional official poll, and Citizen 2 repeats his effort, I wouldn’t hesitate to close them down and declare them both invalid. I cannot foresee any reason why this shouldn’t be so – they are not constitutional. If I start picking bits and pieces of the constitution I like best, and discard the rest (even for the sake of game play) – by all means – impeach me – hell, I’ll impeach myself.

Why would doing this, blight all constitutional polls that have gone before, and ruin the game for everybody?

Names have been changed to protect the innocent.

[H Tower]

Locutus, did you make a test for us? That Resolution poll is not Constitutional IMO.

Article IV section 3(c) They have to be Yes/No polls. Multiple choice polls are not allowed as resolutions.

Your options are Settler/warrior/abstain


Of course, I can't file a case since I'm still a judge.