[ALL] IRRK: Foreign Affairs document release for comment by Newland City

Foreign Affairs document release for comment by Newland City.
April 15, 29484 - [Global]

IRRK - Document released for discussion by Mayor King and the Newland Council.


The following was sent to us via Mayor King's office and we were asked to publish it to give it the wide recognition this needs:

Quote:

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Originally Posted by Zephrem King, Newland Mayor

Citizens of Newland,

The world around us changes us weekly if not daily and it is the council's duty to keep up with it.

In the last few months we all had to deal with some misunderstandings and minor struggles with law enforcement hailing from other cities than Newland. The weak excuse or justification had always been one of ignorance of the procedures and laws applicable in Newland. Thus changes, additions and the publication of said articles is now necessary to tackle this problem. Let me state for the record that most of these have always been applicable and in use even before I was elected mayor of Newland.

This document, as it now stands, is a proposal and the changes are subject to ratification by the council which will be one of the points discussed during the next monthly meeting. I ask every citizen to read this document carefully and to bring any and all comments or concerns to the council's attention before April 30th.


Zephrem King,
Newland Mayor

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Newland City Foreign Affairs Document

Purpose of Document:
This document is to outline rights and responsibilities of all governments, entities, and persons outside of Newland City conducting business, visiting, or travelling through the City of Newland. Also this document is designed to state what capacity Newland City and its government will act within official requests from other governments, entities, and persons.

Article 1

Traveling though and Visiting:
All parties travelling through and/or visiting Newland City are expected to adhere to and act in accordance with Newland City law.
Subsection A: Transporting Goods through Newland City.

1. Parties transporting material deemed hazardous or volatile must have proper documentation and clearance from the Newland City Council before transporting said material through the city.
2. Parties transporting material of high value must clear route and travel time with the General of the Newland Militia.

Subsection B: Transporting Persons through Newland City

1. Parties transporting person(s) through Newland City for arrest or incarceration in areas other then Newland, must have proper authorization for transport of said person. Parities also must receive clearance from the Newland City government, before transportation is to be allowed.
2. Parties acting as escort for person(s) of “high profile” status travelling in public view must alert the Newland City Council before transporting will be allowed.

Article 2

Importing and Exporting of Goods:
All Parties seeking to do trade within Newland City must abide by the follow.

1. Parties importing and exporting goods in Newland City must receive clearance and documentation from the Newland City Ministry of Trade.
2. All goods must be accordance with Newland City, Omni-Tek, and ICC galactic fair trade laws.
3. All taxes and tariffs must be paid by parties in accordance with Newland City law.

Article 3

Warrants and Arrests:
In the event where a warrant is issued for residents and non resident of Newland City wanted for crimes outside of Newland City. The Newland Council and its Militia will respond by request, under set conditions.
Subsection A: Conditions for Warrant Enforcement

1. The Newland Council and it's Militia will assist in the apprehension of Newland residents:
   
   1. Where the warrant was issued before the party took residency in Newland City.
   2. If the party is proven to be using Newland City as a haven to promote and act out crimes in other territories.
2. The Newland Council and it's Militia will assist in the apprehension of non Newland residents:
   
   1. When the parties in question are considered a threat to Newland City, its residents and government.
   2. When special assistance is requested for immediate apprehension of suspects of crimes listed criminal in nature flee into Newland City.
3. The Newland Council and it's Militia refuse to enforce warrants for crimes outside of Newland City when:
   
   1. If the grounds for the offence are considered political in nature by the Newland City government.
   2. If the offence is solely labelled as an act of terrorism, without further definition or clarification, by the requesting Party.
   3. If there are grounds to believe the request has been made to prosecute or punish on the account of that person's race, religion, nationality, ethnic origin, breed, political opinions, sex, or that the person's position may be prejudice for any of these reasons.
   4. If the offence is an offence under military law and not also under criminal law.
   5. If the person has, under the law of either party, become immune from prosecution or punishment for any reason, including lapse of time or amnesty.
   6. If the person would be subject to torture or cruel, inhuman treatment or degrading punishment.

Subsection B: Conditions for Arrest in Newland City by Outside parties.

1. Outside parties must represent an official entity or government recognized by the Newland government.
   
   1. Any parties or individual(s) representing For Hire organizations are prohibited from operating in Newland City, unless granted special permission from the Newland Council.
   2. Parties representing Organizations or Governments acting without official authorization will be subject to Newland City law, as well as possible accountability to their respected Organization or Government.
   3. Any Party impersonating representation will be held accountable in accordance with Newland City Law, as well as the Law(s) defined by the Organization or Government the party is impersonating, along with ICC Galactic Impersonation laws.
2. For Parties to detain, arrest, or questioning individual(s) in Newland City must have proper documentation at the time.
   
   1. Parties must be able to show proof of documentation and authorization if requested by the Newland Council or Militia.
   2. Documentation must be approved and accepted by the Newland City government.

Subsection C: Conditions for Formal Questioning in Newland City by Outside Parities.

1. Parties must request permission to perform formal questioning from the Newland City Council.
2. Person(s) being questioned by outside parties have the right to have a member of the Newland City Council present for the proceeding.

Article 4

Cost:
Expenses which occur from outside parties conducting business in Newland City are the responsibility of said party.

1. The requesting party meets the cost of any proceeding being conducted in Newland City.
   
   1. The Newland City Council, its Militia, nor its residents shall be held liable for fees or cost encored while conducting proceedings.
2. Damages and/or loss of wages incurred while conducting proceedings within Newland City shall be the responsibility of the Outside party.
   
   1. The Newland City Council shall investigate and assess any damages and/or loss of wages. Upon the Newland City Council's final assessment, a document of expense shall be sent to the responsible party

Article 5

Final Provisions

1. This document is subject to (ratification, acceptance, or approval).
2. This document can be subject to change with the approval of the Newland City Council.

Editor's note:

While we here at IRRK will not comment on content in any way we can only underline the importance of this document.

While Mayor King was unavailable for comments we have talked to some who are employed by his office, from what they were able to tell us the Mayor himself is very pleased by the document itself. He recognizes the hard work that went into it and he is looking forward to having this document ratified. One employee even quoted Mayor King as going so far as to state that this document will be the cure to some headaches he and his security minister had been having, but did not want to go into specifics. Newland has seen some hard times over the last few months, but it seems that it is back on its feet and making its stand. How Omni-Tek and the Clans will react to this document and if they will finally abide by the laws remains to be seen, but ignorance can no longer be used as an excuse by them.

Watch out for more IRRK News as we will keep you informed about this story.

[[ This is chock full of Win and should probably get stickied. ]]

Pretty much common sense material. Of course, a lot of entities trying to arrest someone inside Newland City will find ways to wrangle the wording to suit their needs.

Thanks for the heads up. I'll make sure any future entanglements will keep this in mind.

((OOC: Simply fantastic bit of writing there. Tempted to come back right now to see how it is going to pan out. This has been needed for a long time, since it has always seemed a murky area for some. It has bit and pieces in which should make for some very interesting RP. I hope that there might be further documents like this in the future.))

>>Start of message.<<
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I sincerely hope this makes Newlands position black and white to all other parties.
Well done all those who helped shape this important bit of Newland City history.
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Neutral for life!
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Neutral freedom!
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Neutral forever!
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>>End of message.<<

((Good to finally be able to see some of the rules in Newland. Now we have to see how we can twist them to our advntage :D ))

As an omni-tek employee who spends a great deal of time in Newland and has quite an affection for the place i'm glad to see this step toward clarifying interfactional issues that might crop up. I'll feel that little bit more secure walking the strees when this is ratified.

Nicely done, Newland! This is a welcome spring cleaning.

I hope you'll be able to enforce that, I doubt Zora will give this his blessing.

If you ever have to make a stand against corporate goons to preserve your sovereignty over your city, please have a thought for the Clans: that's pretty much how we started out.

Godspeed to this manifesto, and I wish you the best in upholding it.


((Awesome! This is alot of RP material and an interesting step forth, I'm looking forward to see where this will take things :) ))

*** Parties transporting material deemed hazardous or volatile must have proper documentation and clearance from the Newland City Council before transporting said material through the city.

*** Parties transporting material of high value must clear route and travel time with the General of the Newland Militia.

Both of these entries could mean a broad sweeping catagory of goods for example... grenades or flamethrower ammunition as well as other personal protection items and weapons.

***Parties acting as escort for person(s) of “high profile” status travelling in public view must alert the Newland City Council before transporting will be allowed.

"High profile" is too vague. Do org leaders or members of entertainment industry count as high profile? Example GSP dancers and DJ's.

***Parties importing and exporting goods in Newland City must receive clearance and documentation from the Newland City Ministry of Trade.[*] All goods must be accordance with Newland City, Omni-Tek, and ICC galactic fair trade laws. [*]All taxes and tariffs must be paid by parties in accordance with Newland City law.

Again very gray areas in this one, for example. Paying a tariff on transported items meant for destruction. Example many SOL banking weapons are considered illegal per Omni Tek, if someone without grid access were to pass though NLC on route to ICC to hand over contraband to appropriate recipients how do you police that for items that include a reward?

***Warrants and Arrests

This entire section... where to start. Under what "laws" or whose authority do these laws apply? Omni Tek or Council of truth? How do you resolve warrants when conflicting rules apply from different governments?

***Any parties or individual(s) representing For Hire organizations are prohibited from operating in Newland City, unless granted special permission from the Newland Council.

Where do I sign up?

I agree there MUST be laws, but the implementation and execution of said laws is what I am suggesting should be reviewed.

As citizens of Newland City, the membership of Wolf Brigade reviewed the foreign affairs document and have submitted to the Council the following items for consideration:

Preface - "This document is to outline rights and responsibilities of all governments, entities, and persons outside of Newland City conducting business, visiting, or travelling through the City of Newland."

The preface limits neutrals that reside out of Newland City and come to Newland to conduct business with residents. Wolf Brigade recommends revisiting such limiting verbiage and to allow this to be non-applicable to all neutrals.

1.A.2. - "Parties transporting material of high value must clear route and travel time with the General of the Newland Militia."

This limits neutral free trade, especially if neutrals are transporting to neutrals. Refer to recommended preface adjustment.

1.B.2. - "Parties acting as escort for person(s) of “high profile” status travelling in public view must alert the Newland City Council before transporting will be allowed."

If the recommended preface adjustment is made, then nothing should be changed. However, if the preface adjustment is not made, then wording that does not restrict organization leaders of all organizations from entering or leaving Newland City for peaceful reasons should be included.

2.1. - "Parties importing and exporting goods in Newland City must receive clearance and documentation from the Newland City Ministry of Trade."

Further clarification to this rule should be made. If a person carries an item on their persons, then the Militia or the Trade Minister can choose at any time to deem the item as being "imported" and thus can be confiscated.

3.A.2.b. - "When special assistance is requested for immediate apprehension of suspects of crimes listed criminal in nature flee into Newland City."

Wolf Brigade totally objects to this rule. All Newland citizens are free and considered innocent before proven guilty. Newland citizens suspected of criminal acts outside of Newland City should go in front a jury of their peers. If this isn't changed, any claim can be made against any Newland citizen without merit and will be subject to being extradited.

3.A.3. - Nowhere does it state whether or not the Council or the Militia will investigate such warrants or allegations towards Newland City residents prior to taking any action. This is clearly against the civil liberties of residents.

3.B.1.B. - "Parties representing Organizations or Governments acting without official authorization will be subject to Newland City law, as well as possible accountability to their respected Organization or Government."

Wolf Brigade will take appropriate action if any of its members are apprehended or questioned without due representation from both the Council and the organization. In addition, "official authorization" needs to be clarified as to who is giving the authorization.

3.B.2.a. - "Parties must be able to show proof of documentation and authorization if requested by the Newland Council or Militia."

Amend to include "citizen and/or citizen's representation."

3.C.2. - "Person(s) being questioned by outside parties have the right to have a member of the Newland City Council present for the proceeding."

Amend to include "representation from the citizen's organization."

5.2. - "This document can be subject to change with the approval of the Newland City Council."

Amend to include "after being postedfor a minimum of 30 days and comment by citizens can be made to the Council."

In addition to the above recommendations, Wolf Brigade also recommends the reposting of the Newland City citizen rights as well as asking the Council to include such "appeal" language into the laws, else it will appear that the Council is becoming to authoritarian. Lastly, it is high time the Militia receives upgraded armor and weapons in order for it to fulfill its assigned duties.

((We too are glad to see a bit more RP in the game. Hopefully the taxes brought in will help spruce up the city landscape and expand the size of the city to include the grid point.))

As a neutral citizen of Rubi-ka and a resident of Newland city I think it's great the cities council published some rules and regulations for people conducting business in Newland.
For the most part I am in agreement with the document itself, what I read seemed to be common sense and has always been the way Newland has handled it's affairs.
My concern is the criticisms that have been put before it and the motives behind it. I'm sure most of it is just a misunderstand or misreading of the document in question.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by Psikie

*** Parties transporting material deemed hazardous or volatile must have proper documentation and clearance from the Newland City Council before transporting said material through the city.


*** Parties transporting material of high value must clear route and travel time with the General of the Newland Militia.


Both of these entries could mean a broad sweeping category of goods for example... grenades or flamethrower ammunition as well as other personal protection items and weapons.

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Quote:

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Originally Posted by taconis

1.A.2. - "Parties transporting material of high value must clear route and travel time with the General of the Newland Militia."

This limits neutral free trade, especially if neutrals are transporting to neutrals. Refer to recommended preface adjustment.

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Well I think it's safe to say that most munitions are cleared for transport through Newland, I mean this is Rubi-Ka just about everyone is armed.

Maybe it's just me but I took it as a group or party moving a WMD or some kind of massive viral toxin that could wipe out the city. I'm also guessing this is here to ensure the safety of the residents of Newland. Not to be used to harass everyone that comes through the whom-pah.

Also I'm not seeing how this limits free trade. I'm seeing it as parties moving convoys of good “through” Newland City (ie. items not meant for Trade within the city) are being requested to clear their routs with the General of the Militia. If anything I'm seeing this as protection for parties moving their wears and the Newland residents.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by taconis

2.1. - "Parties importing and exporting goods in Newland City must receive clearance and documentation from the Newland City Ministry of Trade."

Further clarification to this rule should be made. If a person carries an item on their persons, then the Militia or the Trade Minister can choose at any time to deem the item as being "imported" and thus can be confiscated.

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As of right now there is no customs going into or leaving Newland. And I've never once heard of people being randomly checked and having items confiscated from them.

I'm going to say this would apply to legitimate merchants doing large transactions of merchandise within the city.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by Psikie

***Parties acting as escort for person(s) of “high profile” status travelling in public view must alert the Newland City Council before transporting will be allowed.

"High profile" is too vague. Do org leaders or members of entertainment industry count as high profile? Example GSP dancers and DJ's.

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Quote:

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Originally Posted by taconis

1.B.2. - "Parties acting as escort for person(s) of “high profile” status travelling in public view must alert the Newland City Council before transporting will be allowed."

If the recommended preface adjustment is made, then nothing should be changed. However, if the preface adjustment is not made, then wording that does not restrict organization leaders of all organizations from entering or leaving Newland City for peaceful reasons should be included.

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Where it is possible that the term “High Profile” is vague, I have never once considered and org leader to be High profile. I would consider someone being high profile would be a CoT leader, Zora, etc. Someone that is going to cause a stir when they walk into Newland.

Also there seems to be a key word people are missing here and that's “escorting”. Personally I took this as people that are being somehow paraded through the city. For example if Zora wanted to take a tour of Newland for some reason. I don't see issue with the Newland Council wanting to know so they can beef up security, to both protect the visitor and Newland residents.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by Psikie

***Parties importing and exporting goods in Newland City must receive clearance and documentation from the Newland City Ministry of Trade.[*] All goods must be accordance with Newland City, Omni-Tek, and ICC galactic fair trade laws.[*]All taxes and tariffs must be paid by parties in accordance with Newland City law.



Again very gray areas in this one, for example. Paying a tariff on transported items meant for destruction. Example many SOL banking weapons are considered illegal per Omni Tek, if someone without grid access were to pass though NLC on route to ICC to hand over contraband to appropriate recipients how do you police that for items that include a reward?

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Quote:

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Originally Posted by taconis

Further clarification to this rule should be made. If a person carries an item on their persons, then the Militia or the Trade Minister can choose at any time to deem the item as being "imported" and thus can be confiscated.

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First off I'm not sure people bring in personal goods that come and go with them is considered importing and exporting. Also again there is no customs check when entering or exiting Newland. So I'm sure personal property will be considered just that. Unless of course you're saying that Newland should allow for people to buy and sell illegal goods in the city?

Quote:

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Originally Posted by Psikie

***Warrants and Arrests

This entire section... where to start. Under what "laws" or whose authority do these laws apply? Omni Tek or Council of truth? How do you resolve warrants when conflicting rules apply from different governments?

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I'm pretty sure that the authority would fall to Newland as they are the publisher of the document in question. Usually this is how these kind of things work.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by Psikie

***Any parties or individual(s) representing For Hire organizations are prohibited from operating in Newland City, unless granted special permission from the Newland Council.

Where do I sign up?

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I'm going to go out on a limb here and say at a Newland City Council meeting, or perhaps contacting Mayor Toog, or General Hekkat. events-feedback@ark.anarchyonline.com

Quote:

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Originally Posted by taconis

Preface - "This document is to outline rights and responsibilities of all governments, entities, and persons outside of Newland City conducting business, visiting, or travelling through the City of Newland."

The preface limits neutrals that reside out of Newland City and come to Newland to conduct business with residents. Wolf Brigade recommends revisiting such limiting verbiage and to allow this to be non-applicable to all neutrals.

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Why should non resident of Newland receive special treatment just because they are neutral. I love my fellow neutrals but Newland is one city out of a few neutral cities. I realize that Newland maybe the only officially recognized neutral government on Rubi-Ka but that doesn't make them the governing party for all Neutrals. If this were to be changed would that then mean that all neutrals would have to abide by Newland City law? Even if they lived in lets say Hope or Last Ditch?

Quote:

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Originally Posted by taconis

3.A.2.b. - "When special assistance is requested for immediate apprehension of suspects of crimes listed criminal in nature flee into Newland City."

Wolf Brigade totally objects to this rule. All Newland citizens are free and considered innocent before proven guilty. Newland citizens suspected of criminal acts outside of Newland City should go in front a jury of their peers. If this isn't changed, any claim can be made against any Newland citizen without merit and will be subject to being extradited.

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Okay first off. Article 3 subsection A, part 2 states. The Newland Council and it's Militia will assist in the apprehension of non Newland residents:

This is for "non Newland" residents, so your argument doesn't apply. Also Part B of that says “When special assistance is requested for immediate apprehension of suspects of crimes listed criminal in nature flee into Newland City. “ The key word here is “flee”. So are you saying that if someone commits a crime in another city and are being chased by authorities Newland should be okay with them hiding out in the city. Are you suggesting that Newland be a haven for criminals?
I would also like to point where it is true in many places across the galaxy people are innocent until proven guilty. That still doesn't stop authorities from arrested and charging a suspect with a crime. After that's happened a person gets a trial. And to be honest Rubi-Ka is the most trail friendly places around.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by taconis

3.A.3. - Nowhere does it state whether or not the Council or the Militia will investigate such warrants or allegations towards Newland City residents prior to taking any action. This is clearly against the civil liberties of residents.

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Okay so 3 A 3 states, The Newland Council and it's Militia refuse to enforce warrants for crimes outside of Newland City when:

And then it goes to list the reasons. I think it's pretty safe to say since they're stating why they won't enforce warrants, there is going to be some kind of investigation, other wise it would be pointless to even put that part in. Also that whole section appears to be written to protect the civil liberties of it's residents so again I am confused by your logic.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by taconis

3.B.1.B. - "Parties representing Organizations or Governments acting without official authorization will be subject to Newland City law, as well as possible accountability to their respected Organization or Government."

Wolf Brigade will take appropriate action if any of its members are apprehended or questioned without due representation from both the Council and the organization. In addition, "official authorization" needs to be clarified as to who is giving the authorization.

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Okay this here makes me concerned.

Article 3 B is “Conditions for Arrest in Newland City by Outside parties.”
Seeing how there have been and are times when groups other then the NLCC or Militia have came in arrest, question, or whatever with people (I'm sure many are familiar with the Official Omni-Tek Authorization Documentation, which I'm pretty sure is recognized by the NLCC) and they have authorization or whatever to do so. What concerns me here is, are you saying Wolf Brigade members should have the right to arrest or question people in Newland without the Councils okay? Because the part you're pointing out, is saying people with out authorization will be punished. So I'm confused to what you're issue is.

And again since this is being published by Newland, I'm going to say the NLCC are the ones that give out “official authorization” here. There is no need to for clarification, it's rather pretty clear already.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by taconis

3.B.2.a. - "Parties must be able to show proof of documentation and authorization if requested by the Newland Council or Militia."

Amend to include "citizen and/or citizen's representation."

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Great point, I totally agree with you and should be brought up at the next meeting if it is not being changed already. Anyone in Newland should have the right to ask to see a “badge”.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by taconis

3.C.2. - "Person(s) being questioned by outside parties have the right to have a member of the Newland City Council present for the proceeding."

Amend to include "representation from the citizen's organization."

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I'm not sure how an Org would apply here. There are many organizations on Rubi-Ka all having different roles. Some are small independent governments, others are business, some are hobbyist groups, others are gangs. Since there are so many different types of organizations, I see allowing for something like this would only cause confusion and more issues.

The Council of Truth wishes Newland the best in establishing their independence, as is the right of every community. We would offer support and feedback if you should seek it.

The Leet Protection Agency has some conserns about this document. You will be hearing from us in the near future

I hope most of you aren't surprised of this bulletin. The most stressful part is about the meaning of the city border. Many parties just walked in and gunned their way out without really caring where they were. We also had problems for months with poo throwing, I don't have a better name for this. The crazy part is that there is a lot to lose and pretty much nothing to win there.

A few pointers about the text that may help understand :

Arrest and warrants : There is no doubt that arrest warrants will never be taken as an order. Such demands will be analyzed and, if accepted, assistance will be provided. Because the militia will do a better job for that.

Laws applied have been a 2 parts reports of the Newland's law and the laws under the crimes are comited, I'll clarify after the next council.

Transport and high profile : I doubt anyone will enjoy seeing 5 tons of flamethrower ammo in their backyard, or dead VIP. The point here is risk control, when notified we can take needed measures. Business around the city have already the right papers for this.

If something is not clear, I'll ask for clarifications but don't forget many of this are old news.

(( Still not a sticky?... Okay, bookmarking, then... ))