Re: Glorious Stars Turn 1 Assembly Debates
Posted: Mon Jun 24, 2013 9:03 pm
I confess my delegation's original wording regarding use of military presence within a system is founded on the basic reality that the Indep Worlds, wracked as many are in lawlessness and piracy. If a House informs the citizens of a system that they are now under its protection, but commerce raiding or human rights abuses or local warlordism continues unchecked on that system's worlds and star-lanes, what message does that send about the benefits of repatriation? Not to mention the nearly-unspeakable possibility of reprisals or outright civil war between those who favor repatriation and those misguided enough to think their worlds are better off remaining untethered from the legitimate authority of this Assembly and its constituent Houses... No, any way you slice it, House Phoenix believes our obligation is clear: Marginal systems would be poorly served to find themselves under the banner of a House but not its aegis.
Additionally, it's worth emphasizing that the clause stipulates singular military presence by House starships, which serves to ensure that the presence of multiple House fleets in orbit within a system while they hash out who shall have control of that system is a dangerous precursor to unfortunate escalations. For example, if Houses Winton and Phoenix both had ships in Tau Ceti, and the system was legitimately repatriated to Winton by this Assembly; suddenly House Winton would have a pretext for claiming military infringement on their territory by House Phoenix, and might even authorize a punitive strike! This would be a terrible, terrible misunderstanding, and the sort of thing for which much later apologies and reparations might be elicited; but such things happen, in the heat of the moment, and it is just such posturing and shadow-skirmishing which the Repatriation Protocol is explicitly designed to prevent.
For the former reason, we believe some armed starships should be present in a system as a precondition for repatriation; for the latter reason, we believe all such ships should fly the flag of a single House. Nothing more or less than these two beliefs drives the wording of the Repatriation Protocol.
However -- You raise an interesting counter-proposal, Factor van der Broecke. The ability to rapidly stage existing security forces into a system via a Major Jump Lane would indeed serve as a better measure than nothing at all, and it is true that the improved trade and transit capabilities that infrastructure investment would allow does indeed serve an additional good for the NEE as a whole.
House Phoenix would be amenable to considering, in the next legislative period, this revised version of the Protocol should the currently proposed Repatriation Protocol measure be voted down.
And, if the existing Draft Law passes the Assembly, we would still be amenable to entertaining further debate addition of wording around non-military methods by which a House can establish sufficient interest and commitment to warrant repatriation rights by nonmilitary means.
In either case, Amabassador van der Broecke, I look forward to further discussion with you about this important situation and the legislative niceties of its solution after the tallying of votes. Bravo, by the way, for stepping up and taking such an active voice in the charting of a course for our great civilization -- you do your House, and all humanity, a great service by participating in the Assembly so adroitly.
Additionally, it's worth emphasizing that the clause stipulates singular military presence by House starships, which serves to ensure that the presence of multiple House fleets in orbit within a system while they hash out who shall have control of that system is a dangerous precursor to unfortunate escalations. For example, if Houses Winton and Phoenix both had ships in Tau Ceti, and the system was legitimately repatriated to Winton by this Assembly; suddenly House Winton would have a pretext for claiming military infringement on their territory by House Phoenix, and might even authorize a punitive strike! This would be a terrible, terrible misunderstanding, and the sort of thing for which much later apologies and reparations might be elicited; but such things happen, in the heat of the moment, and it is just such posturing and shadow-skirmishing which the Repatriation Protocol is explicitly designed to prevent.
For the former reason, we believe some armed starships should be present in a system as a precondition for repatriation; for the latter reason, we believe all such ships should fly the flag of a single House. Nothing more or less than these two beliefs drives the wording of the Repatriation Protocol.
However -- You raise an interesting counter-proposal, Factor van der Broecke. The ability to rapidly stage existing security forces into a system via a Major Jump Lane would indeed serve as a better measure than nothing at all, and it is true that the improved trade and transit capabilities that infrastructure investment would allow does indeed serve an additional good for the NEE as a whole.
House Phoenix would be amenable to considering, in the next legislative period, this revised version of the Protocol should the currently proposed Repatriation Protocol measure be voted down.
And, if the existing Draft Law passes the Assembly, we would still be amenable to entertaining further debate addition of wording around non-military methods by which a House can establish sufficient interest and commitment to warrant repatriation rights by nonmilitary means.
In either case, Amabassador van der Broecke, I look forward to further discussion with you about this important situation and the legislative niceties of its solution after the tallying of votes. Bravo, by the way, for stepping up and taking such an active voice in the charting of a course for our great civilization -- you do your House, and all humanity, a great service by participating in the Assembly so adroitly.
Citizen Shareholder Landry Aigrette
Senior VP of Interstellar Affairs, Incorporated Republic of Phoenix
Ambassador, NEE Assembly - Arcturus Delegation, New Earth Empire