3816: A Message to All State Assemblies from Lincoln County Watch
By Anna Von Reitz
People
who have been deeply indoctrinated into a foreign political system are
trying to restore the American Government we are owed; unfortunately,
many of them cannot recognize it when they lapse backward into the old
"system" and they react by acting upon the old political power
paradigm they were taught.
As a result, there are three key bottlenecks that these people attack and attach to and try to control in the Assemblies.
The
first bottleneck opportunity that they swarm to is the Vetting and
Oversight Committees. They assume, based on their past experience, that
these committees can be used to promote their individual agendas for
the group, either by limiting the choice of candidates to those who meet
their own personal approval (Vetting Committee) or by removing officers
who don't perform to their personal satisfaction (Oversight
Committee).
What
everyone is missing is that we don't have political parties and neither
of these Committees have the authorities and functions that some people
assume that they do,
The
Vetting Committee is supposed to check three things: (1) basic
eligibility for the job in question; (2) past criminal history that
might affect job performance; (3) substantial conflicts of interest.
Finding
no significant evidence of impairment, the Vetting Committee must let
the candidate apply for and/or run for office and let the Electors elect
whomever they judge to be the best candidate.
In
no case can the Vetting Committee base any of their "Pass/Fail"
decisions on their collective personal feelings or prejudices. To do so
would be to put themselves in the position of Electors PRIOR to an
election, and thereby put them in position to bounce out candidates
BEFORE they have a chance to present themselves to the General
Electorate.
The
job of the Vetting Committee is simple. Check to be sure that the
candidate is properly recorded as a member of the Assembly, check to be
sure that they have no criminal record that would prejudice or impair
their job performance; check to be sure that the candidate has no
substantial conflict of interest, such as having significant income from
foreign sources.
Yes or no?
It
is not the Vetting Committee's job to judge whether the candidate is
"personable" or pretty or enforce any judgements related to a person's
religion, appearance, age, race, or former political persuasion.
Similarly,
regarding the Second Potential Bottleneck, it is not the Oversight
Committee's job to nit-pick and harass anyone. They exist so that any
perceived serious breach of trust or improper activity can be brought
forward and addressed. Examples of breach of trust include
misrepresentation of the Assembly, abuse of or misrepresentation of
office or authority, and violation or evasion or prejudicial exercise of
service obligations. Examples of improper activity include nepotism,
adultery with subordinates, petty theft and the like.
In
no case can the Oversight Committee lapse into witch hunts or
complaints based on nebulous unfounded suspicions. Complaints must be
based on facts. It is the Oversight Committee's job to inquire into the
actions and operations of The Assembly to ensure that everything is
above board and running properly.
Any
conflicts need to be brought to the Ombudsman. If the Oversight
Committee finds that the Treasurer made an improper payment, for
example, and they can't get correction from the Treasurer, it's their
right to bring the matter forward to the Ombudsman's Office. If the
Ombudsman's Office can't solve the problem to everyone's satisfaction,
it can be taken to the General Assembly for a vote.
All
offices and positions in a State Assembly are subject to recall by vote
of the General Assembly, either for cause or for lack of confidence.
The
third and final bottleneck is the Marshal-at-Arms Office. In a
traditional State Assembly, the members are engaged in face to fact
meetings. The Marshal-at-Arms is charged with ensuring the physical
safety of the Assembly and its members during meetings and events. Today,
that duty can extend to maintaining simple decorum in meetings and
enforcing the Agenda and limits which the Assembly may adopt on the
length of time that individuals may speak. It is important to note that
these limits must be imposed by vote of the Assembly and must be
applied impartially, so as not to censor dissent or curtail free
discussion.
In
Assemblies with a lot of members and especially a lot of talkative
members (California, for example) it is advisable for the Assembly to
set up a process by which topics can be added to the Agenda prior to
scheduled meetings and to also set up a limit as to how long an
individual speaker may speak. These are actions that help expedite the
flow of business and discussion, and are not meant to prohibit or
prevent action or censor anyone unduly. Each Agenda item should be
limited in proportion to the other Agenda items and if an Agenda is too
packed to get through in one meeting, the topic gets held over to the
top of the list at the next meeting.
Rules
of Basic Decorum may also be adopted. People come into Assemblies
flat-footed and often they are angry with "government" in general. Some
people may also come in drunk or under the influence of other drugs,
and start raging and shouting and causing inappropriate disruption, at
which point it is the duty of the Marshal-at-Arms to terminate the
disturbance.
In
this manner, everyone knows the rules beforehand and there are no
surprises. Keep your cool, have your say within the time limit
established for individual speakers, and behave politely. That is not
too much to expect from our members.
I
should also say that if elections are properly conducted in the first
place, the results of elections are permanent for the term of the office
and may only be overturned by recall and/or impeachment for cause.
Everyone who is a member of an Assembly is an adult and expected to act like an adult.
Name-calling,
threats, outbursts of rage, unfounded accusations, drunken speech, and
similar activities are to be discouraged and curtailed for the sake of
the Assembly-at-Large. We have work to do and can't let it be sidelined
by a lot of nonsensical drama. The Marshal-at-Arms must exercise
discretion and let people have their say within the limits set by the
Assembly and may not abuse their position for purposes of censorship ---
but if anyone is being disruptive, impolite, or threatening,
overstaying their turn at the podium, or otherwise imposing upon the
other members, it is entirely proper for the Marshal-at-Arms to hit the
mute button.
Assemblies
are here to conduct business for their membership and their State and
maintaining a calm and business-like atmosphere is important. There are
many other places for people to vent outside the forum provided during
General Assembly meetings.
Keep
the ideas of "appropriateness" and "reasoned debate" uppermost in your
mind when it comes to General Assembly business. Is your concern better
addressed by a Committee --or best addressed by a Committee, before you
bring it to the Assembly? Is your issue personal or does it impact
everyone? How important is your issue, really? If it involves debate,
should that debate be scheduled as a Special Event with time allocated
for a prolonged discussion?
Creating
a safe space for reasoned discussion is the job of the
Marshal-at-Arms. Setting the rules to provide that safe space is the
business of the Assembly-at-Large. If everyone understands the goal ---
which is calm and productive business meetings --- there should be no
great deal of controversy about how we arrive at our chosen destination
and put an end to grandstanding and political rhetoric and irresponsible
accusations.
As
members of your State Assembly, you should be aware of and sensitive to
the functions of these Committees and the office of the
Marshal-at-Arms, so as to make sure that practical level-headed people
are drafted to serve in these positions.
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