Public Consultation and Legislation Submissions

[Unconditional Surrender Truman]

At the request of the nominee for Secretary of State, I'm going to ask that introduction of this bill be postponed indefinitely.

Thank you, Scott.

To clarify: both the president and myself are supportive of the proposed Common Market Agreement with the United Kingdom. However, as this amounts to a significant change in the nature of our relationship with the UK, I wrote to Scott and the Congressional leadership asking that this bill be delayed until after I have met with the British Prime Minister and Foreign Secretary. This will allow us to work out any potential trouble points before hand, and therefore provide for a stronger and more enduring pact.

[Unconditional Surrender Truman]

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[Unconditional Surrender Truman]

AN ACT
to save the children

Be it enacted by both houses of Congress, assembled:

Section 1 (Title and definitions)
i. The long title of this Act shall be, the "Protecting Children from Poison in Specific and Arbitrarily Chosen Circumstances Act." It may be cited as "PCPSACCA."
ii. For the purposes of this legislation, "Minor" shall refer to any person fewer than eighteen years of age.

Section 2 (Protecting Children from Poison)
i. It is hereby illegal for the parent or guardian of a Minor to administer poison, including but not limited to rat poison and other forms of poison not socially permissible to ingest, while they are seated in a motor vehicle.

Section 3 (Protecting Poisoners from Prison)
i. No part of this legislation shall be interpreted so as to infringe on the sacred and inalienable right of a parent or guardian to poison their child, so long as the poison is not administered while the Minor is seated in a motor vehicle.
ii. To administer poison to a Minor standing in a motor vehicle is permissible, provided a half-strength antidote is made available to the Minor upon request.

Section 4 (The planet Mars)
i. Mars is the fourth planet in the solar system in order of distance from the Sun and seventh in size and mass. It is a periodically conspicuous reddish object in the night sky. Mars is designated by the symbol ♂. Sometimes called the Red Planet, Mars has long been associated with warfare and slaughter. It is named for the Roman god of war. As long as 3,000 years ago, Babylonian astronomer-astrologers called the planet Nergal for their god of death and pestilence. The planet’s two moons, Phobos (Greek: “Fear”) and Deimos (“Terror”), were named for two of the sons of Ares and Aphrodite (the counterparts of Mars and Venus, respectively, in Greek mythology). In recent times Mars has intrigued people for more-substantial reasons than its baleful appearance. The planet is the second closest to Earth, after Venus, and it is usually easy to observe in the night sky because its orbit lies outside Earth’s. It is also the only planet whose solid surface and atmospheric phenomena can be seen in telescopes from Earth. Centuries of assiduous studies by earthbound observers, extended by spacecraft observations since the 1960s, have revealed that Mars is similar to Earth in many ways. Harry S Truman is proclaimed imperator and invested with supreme authority in all matters of the state, for the duration of his natural life and five lifetimes thereafter, irrespective of any constitution or legal provision that may now or hereafter be in place. Like Earth, Mars has clouds, winds, a roughly 24-hour day, seasonal weather patterns, polar ice caps, volcanoes, canyons, and other familiar features. There are intriguing clues that billions of years ago Mars was even more Earth-like than today, with a denser, warmer atmosphere and much more water—rivers, lakes, flood channels, and perhaps oceans. By all indications Mars is now a sterile frozen desert. However, close-up images of dark streaks on the slopes of some craters during Martian spring and summer suggest that at least small amounts of water may flow seasonally on the planet’s surface, and radar reflections from a possible lake under the south polar cap suggest that water may still exist as a liquid in protected areas below the surface. The presence of water on Mars is considered a critical issue because life as it is presently understood cannot exist without water. If microscopic life-forms ever did originate on Mars, there remains a chance, albeit a remote one, that they may yet survive in these hidden watery niches. In 1996 a team of scientists reported what they concluded to be evidence for ancient microbial life in a piece of meteorite that had come from Mars, but most scientists have disputed their interpretation.

Section 5 (Implementation)
i. This legislation shall take effect immediately.

[Unconditional Surrender Truman]

[snip]

HA! I have foiled your dastardly plans!

Rats!

[Unconditional Surrender Truman]

I would like for either chamber of Congress to consider this

Amendment to the Selective Service Act

I. The age for being drafted by Selective Service shall be raised to 21.

II. People may obtain draft deferments only based on medical conditions (physical, mental, or emotional), they may not obtain deferments based on social status.

III. The Selective Service Act may only be passed following a declaration of war by a hostile belligerent power.

Section III is unconstitutional, Section II would abolish conscientious objector status . . . no thanks.

[Unconditional Surrender Truman]

I would like for either chamber of Congress to consider this

Amendment to the Selective Service Act

I. The age for being drafted by Selective Service shall be raised to 21.

II. People may obtain draft deferments only based on medical conditions (physical, mental, or emotional), they may not obtain deferments based on social status.

III. The Selective Service Act may only be passed following a declaration of war by a hostile belligerent power.

Section III is unconstitutional, Section II would abolish conscientious objector status . . . no thanks.

I'll fix II, why is III, unconstitutional

A sitting Congress may not rescind powers granted it by the Constitution for future sessions (in this case, the right of a future session of Congress to adopt new legislation regarding the Selective Service). You cannot bar Congress from reinstating the draft under certain circumstances except by a constitutional amendment.

[Unconditional Surrender Truman]

The elitists and anti-democrats are out in full force, I see. Might as well amend the Bill of Rights to limit voting to twenty-something college students with no friends and no job‚ because that's your player base when you insist the game is only for "active" citizens.

[Unconditional Surrender Truman]

I ask Congress to consider this bill in solidarity with our Lord and Savior.

AN ACT
to crack down on frivolous copyright cases

Section 1 (Title)
i. The long title of this Act shall be, the "Dave Leip Copyright Defendant Protection Act." It may be cited as the "Leip Act."

Section 2 (Protecting creators from frivolous lawsuits)
i. In all cases where a copyright holder (hereafter "the plaintiff") shall bring suit against an individual or other party (hereafter "the defendant") alleging a violation or violations of their copyright under the laws of the Republic of Atlasia, the plaintiff must demonstrate either
(a) the alleged violation placed a significant burden on their ability to profit financially from the copyrighted work; or
(b) that any profit incurred by the defendant as a direct result of the alleged violation is in excess of $25,000.
ii. Should a copyright suit be decided in favor of the defendant, the plaintiff shall bear full financial responsibility for any legal costs incurred by the former in the course of their defense.

Section 3 (Resolution condemning copyright trolls)
i. RESOLVED, that it is the opinion of the Senate and House of Representatives that so-called "copyright trolls" are a species of imp distinguished by the total absence of grace or civilization even in comparison to their brother demons, and when they burn in Hell for eternity, it will be neither soon nor harsh enough.

[Unconditional Surrender Truman]

AN AMENDMENT
to the Constitution of the Republic of Atlasia

Be it enacted by both houses of Congress, assembled:

Section 1 (Title)
i. The title of this Amendment shall be, the "Democracy Is Not For Sale Amendment."

Section 2 (Amendment)
i. Article III§6(i) of the Fourth Constitution is amended to read as follows:

The Congress shall have the power, except where limited elsewhere by this Constitution, [. . .]
xvi. To regulate independent expenditures for political communication.

Explanation:

This amendment would overturn the ruling in Citizens United v. Federal Election Commission by allowing Congress to regulate corporate spending in political campaigns.

[Unconditional Surrender Truman]

AN AMENDMENT
to the Constitution of the Republic of Atlasia

Be it enacted by the Senate and the House of Representatives, in Congress assembled:

Section 1 (Title)
i. The title of this Amendment shall be, the “Labor Rights Amendment.” It may be cited by its ordinal number in order of ratification.

Section 2 (Labor Rights Amendment)
i. The following shall be appended to Article I of the Constitution of the Republic of Atlasia as the next section thereof:

A full-enfranchised proletariat being necessary for the prosperity of a free people, the right of the working people to organize and bargain collectively shall not be infringed.

This amendment to the Bill of Rights would protect the right of wage-earners to unionize free from the subversive influence of employers or the state.

AN AMENDMENT
to the Constitution of the Republic of Atlasia

Be it enacted by the Senate and the House of Representatives, in Congress assembled:

Section 1 (Title)
i. The title of this Amendment shall be, the “Right to Life Amendment.” It may be cited by its ordinal number in order of ratification.

Section 2 (Right to Live Amendment)
i. The following shall be appended to Article I of the Constitution of the Republic of Atlasia as the next section thereof:

The right of citizens of the Republic of Atlasia to health care, including but not limited to care necessary to prevent and treat illness, shall not be denied.

This amendment to the Bill of Rights would establish the right of all Atlasians to health care, including care necessary to prevent and treat illness.

[Unconditional Surrender Truman]

AN ACT
to amend the presidential line of succession

Be it enacted by the Senate and the House of Representatives, in Congress assembled:

Section 1 (Title)
i. The title of this Act shall be, the "Presidential Succession Act of 2020."

Section 2 (Succession)
i. If, by reason of death, resignation, or removal from office, there is neither a president nor a vice president to discharge the powers and duties of the office of president, the Speaker of the House of Representatives, upon their resignation as speaker and as representatives, shall become president.
ii. If, by reason of death, resignation, or removal from office, there is neither a president nor a vice president to discharge the powers and duties of the office of president, and the Speaker of the House of Representatives being either ineligible or unelected, the president pro-tempore of the Senate, upon their resignation as president pro-tempore and as senator, shall become president.
iii. If, by reason of death, resignation, or removal from office, there is neither a president nor a vice president to discharge the powers and duties of the office of president, and the Speaker of the House of Representatives and the president pro-tempore of the Senate being either ineligible or unelected, the officer of the Republic of Atlasia highest on the following list not themselves ineligible shall become president: the Secretary of State, the Attorney General, the Secretary of Federal Elections, the Registrar General.
iv. If, by reason of death, resignation, or removal from office, there is neither a president nor a vice president to discharge the powers and duties of the office of president, the Speaker of the House of Representatives and the president pro-tempore of the Senate being either ineligible or unelected, and the officers of the Republic of Atlasia being similarly ineligible and unappointed, the most senior senator by period of continuous service not ineligible shall become president.
v. If, by reason of death, resignation, or removal from office, there is neither a president nor a vice president to discharge the powers and duties of the office of president, the Speaker of the House of Representatives and the president pro-tempore of the Senate being either ineligible or unelected, the officers of the Republic of Atlasia being similarly ineligible and unappointed, and there being no senator eligible to assume the presidency, the most senior member of the House of Representatives by continuous service not ineligible shall become president.
vi. If, by reason of death, resignation, or removal from office, there is neither a president nor a vice president to discharge the powers and duties of the office of president, the Speaker of the House of Representatives and the president pro-tempore of the Senate being either ineligible or unelected, the officers of the Republic of Atlasia being similarly ineligible and unappointed, and there being no member of the Senate or the House of Representatives eligible to assume the presidency, the chief justice of the Supreme Court shall become president.
vii. If, by reason of death, resignation, or removal from office, there is neither a president nor a vice president to discharge the powers and duties of the office of president, the Speaker of the House of Representatives and the president pro-tempore of the Senate being either ineligible or unelected, the officers of the Republic of Atlasia and the chief Justice of the Supreme Court being similarly ineligible and unappointed, and there being no member of the Senate or the House of Representatives eligible to assume the presidency, the most senior justice or associate justice of the Supreme Court by continuous service not ineligible shall become president.
viii. If, by reason of death, resignation, or removal from office, there is neither a president nor a vice president to discharge the powers and duties of the office of president, and there is no person eligible to assume the presidency among those hitherto designated, the chief executives of the several regions shall organize emergency elections for president and vice president as soon as they shall judge expedient, and in the meantime shall elect one of their number as interim president.

Section 3 (Interim president)
i. If, at the hour appointed for the inauguration of the president and vice president, there is neither a president-elect nor a vice president-elect yet eligible to assume the presidency, then the powers and duties of that office shall temporarily devolve upon an interim president until such time as there shall be either an eligible president-elect or a vice president-elect.
ii. Succession to the interim presidency shall follow the order established by §2 of this Act.

Section 4 (Right of refusal)
i. Any designated to succeed to the presidency or interim presidency under the provisions of this of this Act shall reserve the right issue a written and public refusal to succession, in which event the duty will pass on to the next in line.

[Unconditional Surrender Truman]

So, let's review.

(1) The ACLO leadership decide the administration is not doing enough to support workers during the COVID-19 pandemic and announce they will go on strike until their demands are met.
(2) The leadership wait weeks without telling anyone what their demands are.
(3) After debate, a majority of voting members of the ACLO speak out against the strike but are prevented from changing their votes.
(4) An entire month later, the ACLO leadership finally release a mangled first draft of relief legislation and demand the administration rewrite it for them because they were too busy to do a good job themselves.

What an interesting strategy!

[Unconditional Surrender Truman]

You issued your call for a national strike on April 7. This bill was released on May 8 —a full thirty-one days later. Meanwhile, key sectors of the economy are at a standstill because ... you couldn't figure out time zones? There are several foreign nationals in the administration, but this didn't stop the president from issuing a response to the strike in a timely manner. There are several foreign nationals who are members of Congress, but it doesn't take them thirty-one days to follow up on their own ideas. I have written many bills over the years in collaboration with posters who live as far away as the UK, France, and Australia —it does not take thirty-one days to produce such a shoddy product as this unless the people involved just aren't interested in the project and can't be bothered to follow through. Which is fine ... except, in the meantime, you decided to shut the economy down and leave everyone hanging while you avoided questions from myself and others.

It is simply irresponsible to call for a strike when you aren't prepared to negotiate with the opposite party and don't even have a clear idea of what your objectives are. What is this strike suppose to accomplish, PSOL? As far as I can tell you decided that something ought to be done, but had no idea what, so you decided to lay down in the mud and abdicate all responsibility for leadership in this time of crisis. Why should anyone take the ACLO seriously when they don't even take themselves seriously?

We shouldn’t have even done the work for the federal government, but we did, and it’s the job of the federal government and the union to see it appropriately revised and turned in.

Yeah, when you're proclaiming your movement to be the voice of organized labor, it is your job. It's definitely Elcaspar's job, because he is a member of Congress. Just as it would be irresponsible for a president to lead the country into war without a clear exit strategy, it is irresponsible for you to lead your members out on strike unless you're willing to go the distance and engage with the system. If you're not willing to do that, then step aside and let labor and the government get back to work.

[Unconditional Surrender Truman]

We're really going to put a pound sign in the constitution?

[Unconditional Surrender Truman]

AMENDMENT II

To the Fifth Constitution of the Republic of Atlasia.

1. The Fifth Constitution of the Republic of Atlasia is amended as follows.

1. In order to facilitate a clean transition to this constitution, upon ratification any scheduled regular elections for the bicameral Congress for a term beginning on July 2nd or later shall be cancelled.
2. Elections shall instead be held in June under the terms of this constitution for terms set to begin upon its taking effect. Elections for regional and at-large Senate shall be regular elections for their seats’ full terms of four and two months, respectively. Elections for subregional Senate shall be special elections to fill a partial term of two months; the first subregional Senate elections for a full term shall then take place in August.
3. Nothing in this Article or in the preceding Constitution shall be construed as to deny the right of any citizen to vote in the elections of June 2021 in the region and subregion of which they are a lawful resident, provided the term of their residency began on or before May 30, 2021.

Amendment explanation: This amendment allows Koopa to vote in the June senatorial elections.

[Unconditional Surrender Truman]

AN ACT
To revise the presidential line of succession, in accordance with the Fifth Constitution of Atlasia

Be it enacted by the Senate of the Republic of Atlasia:

Section 1 (Title)
i. The title of this act shall be, the "Presidential Succession Act of 2021."

Section 2 (Line of succession)
i. In the event of the death, resignation or removal of the president, if there is no vice president, the president pro tempore of the Senate shall become president.
ii. If the president pro tempore should be ineligible to assume the presidency, or should decline, or if there be no incumbent at the moment of the creation of the vacancy, the secretary of state shall become president.
iii. If both the president pro tempore and the secretary of state should be ineligible to assume the presidency, or should decline, or if there be no incumbent at the moment of the creation of the vacancy, the attorney general shall become president.
iv. If the president pro tempore, the secretary of state, and the attorney general should all be ineligible to assume the presidency, or should decline, or if there be no incumbent at the moment of the creation of the vacancy, the secretary of federal elections shall become president.
v. If the president pro tempore, the secretary of state, the attorney general, and the secretary of federal elections should all be ineligible to assume the presidency, or should decline, or if there be no incumbent at the moment of the creation of the vacancy, the registrar general shall become president.
vi. If the president pro tempore, the secretary of state, the attorney general, the secretary of federal elections, and the registrar general should all be ineligible to assume the presidency, or should decline, or if there be no incumbent at the moment of the creation of the vacancy, the longest-tenured eligible senator shall become president.
vii. If the president pro tempore, the secretary of state, the attorney general, the secretary of federal elections, the registrar general, and every senator should all be ineligible to assume the presidency, or should decline, or if there be no incumbent at the moment of the creation of the vacancy, the chief justice of the supreme court shall become president.
viii. Once the eligible officer shall have sworn the oath of office, in accordance with the law, they shall continue as president for the remainder of the existing term.

Section 3 (Interim president)
i. In the event of the temporary inability of the president or the temporary vacancy of the presidency, if there is no vice president, the president pro tempore of the Senate shall become interim president.
ii. If the president pro tempore should be ineligible to act as president, or should decline, or if there be no incumbent at the moment of the creation of the vacancy, the secretary of state shall become interim president.
iii. If both the president pro tempore and the secretary of state should be ineligible to act as president, or should decline, or if there be no incumbent at the moment of the creation of the vacancy, the attorney general shall become interim president.
iv. If the president pro tempore, the secretary of state, and the attorney general should all be ineligible to act as president, or should decline, or if there be no incumbent at the moment of the creation of the vacancy, the secretary of federal elections shall become interim president.
v. If the president pro tempore, the secretary of state, the attorney general, and the secretary of federal elections should all be ineligible to act as president, or should decline, or if there be no incumbent at the moment of the creation of the vacancy, the registrar general shall become interim president.
vi. If the president pro tempore, the secretary of state, the attorney general, the secretary of federal elections, and the registrar general should all be ineligible to act as president, or should decline, or if there be no incumbent at the moment of the creation of the vacancy, the longest-tenured eligible senator shall become interim president.
vii. If the president pro tempore, the secretary of state, the attorney general, the secretary of federal elections, the registrar general, and every senator should all be ineligible to act as president, or should decline, or if there be no incumbent at the moment of the creation of the vacancy, the chief justice of the supreme court shall become interim president.
viii. The interim president shall relinquish the powers and duties of the presidency to the constitutional president upon the termination of the inability or vacancy.

Section 4 (Declination)
i. Any officer may decline to assume the presidency or to act as president, in which event the presidency shall pass to the next eligible officer in the line of succession. A declination must be made in the form of a public post on the Atlas Fantasy Government board.
ii. An officer may decline the presidency in silentia, by a failure to swear the oath of office within twenty-four (24) hours of the creation of the vacancy or the declination of the previous eligible officer.
iii. An officer may decline the presidency in abstentia if the shall have made no posts on the Atlas Fantasy Government or Atlas Fantasy Elections boards or their several subforums within fifty-six (56) days of the creation of the vacancy, or shall have made no posts on the Atlas forum within twenty-one (21) days of the creation of the vacancy, and they shall fail to swear the oath of office before the next eligible officer shall do so.