Electronic community government should be linked with proximity based government.

It's Time To Bring The Rule Of Law Into The Electronically Connected Community

A centralized government linked to and working with proximity based governments is needed to protect the rights of the citizens of the electronically connected community, including that portion using the Second Life communications system. All proximity based governments are dependent on involuntary membership , involuntary financial support, and involuntary subjegation to the laws imposed by those governments. There is no reason to think that governments existing in the electronically connected community can be otherwise.

The division of the world into separate governments today is not the result of design but rather the result of geographic separation, the costs of travel and the costs of imposing the rule of law over geographic distance. Since there is no effective distance between the citizens of the electronically connected community there is no reason to divide the rule of law in a manner analogous to proximity based government. Hence the government of the electronic community need have no divisions into separate provinces, regions, communities, or nations. The rights of humans are universal and exist throughout time and space, and in the world of humans connected electronically, the government that protects those rights can be equally pervasive and all encompassing, making the protection afforded by the rule of law ubiquitous and inescapable.

The government of the citizenry of the electronically based community must work closely with proximity based governments in order to protect the rights of the the citizens of the electronically connected community and to protect those same people in their roles as citizens in proximity based governments. In each type of electronic community an official identity should be created that would allow proximity based government officials to participate in an on duty manner. In the case of Second Life this would mean creating a role with powers similar to but greater than what those named Linden possess but filled with representatives of actual government police agencies with all the legal power and authority they would have if on duty in normal situations. This could start with members of the law enforcement agencies that govern the areas in which Linden Lab resides, the police force of the city and county of San Francisco, the various agencies of the Californa state law enforcement apparatus such as the the California Department of Justice., and agencies of the federal government such as the Department of Homeland Security, an organization of special importance in the protection of public safety in this age of international terrorism.

Legally empowered representatives of physical world law enforcement agencies should be incorporated in recognizable and on duty status into all online communities such as There, Active Worlds, Sociolotron, and other such communications systems.

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This thread concerns itself with the need for the introduction of real world government agencies into the electronic communities in general , not just Second Life., and thus should not be moved into the SL Polysci forum, which specifically addresses issues concerning only SL and forbids the discussion of real world politics.

They just made a new forum...SL Polysci....

so you didnt read the post either, Talen?

I glanced at the italicised bit at the bottom. Apparently he doesnt want it in that forum. Presumably he wants people to read it, then

(then ya shoulda made it shorter, buddy )

Nope I did read the end tag and don't care...it still belongs in the new Kooky Government forum

See? Your reason for wanting the post over there is precisely why he doesn't want it there I imagine!

I'm on your side, btw. Any talk of anything with the tiniest sniff of politics or governance about it should be banished over to there so the budding dictators can go argue amongst themselves out of our way

When they all finally get over there maybe we can lock the door behind them

I did read it, and I think it's a lot of cock....

Last thing I need is Officer Plod to get sick of eating donuts and come hassle me when I'm playing an online game.

Siggy.

It sounds an awful lot like Alby with a new Alt to me.

Either that or it's John Ashcroft with too much time on his hands.



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No, it should be moved to the Off-Topic area. If it does not focus on SL in particular it does not belong in the General forums... if it focuses on SL Politics, it belong is the SL Polisci forum.

Put it where non-SL discussions belong: Off-Topic.

Thanks,

-Ghoti

The only legitimate purpose of government is to promote the general welfare. The obstacle is that all to often, civil servants forget they are servants and begin to imagine themselves rulers.

The solution is surprisingly straightforward, and consists of three basic steps:

1) All elected officials, from the President to the local dogcatcher, should recieve minimum wage (with rudimentary or zero benefits) and be prohibited from supplimenting this wage with any outside income. All assets of the official become state property upon election. Not only will this help remind them of their proper place in society, it should also result in an immediate and substantial increase in the Federal minimum wage.

2) At least 50% of every official's time should be spent in useful tasks, such as field work, custodian services and toxic waste cleanup. This assures that even in periods of legislative gridlock, taxpayers are still getting some value for their investment.

3. Public servents will conduct themselves in a respectful and modest manner with citizens. Uninvited eye contact will be occasion for a scolding. Smiling and shaking hands with a stranger as if they were a trusted friend will be punishable by flogging. Soliciting campaign contributions will result in the immediate application of tar and feathers.

I'm toying with the idea of requiring them to wear distinctive jumpsuits at all time, but that's more decorative than functional.

The degree to which this plan translates to the virtual world may be subject to debate, but the underlying goal would be the same - attract to office only those with the humility and sense of sacrifice required to effectively serve the people.

I think it can be solved in just one even easier step:

1. Shitcan the idea.

It ain't broke - why fix it?

Laws are outlined in the TOS. Read it! What it comes down to is the only rights you have are play the game/ or don't play the game. If you don't like the TOS get the hell out of SL at let the rest of us play. RL government in a game. NO

Whats next bring the Government into my house when I invite friends over to play xbox online, monopoly, chess, trivia pursuit or wait I definatly need them there when I play go fish. Oh no I just realized I'm not even intelligent enough to surf the web alone. Question for you This omnipresent gov official is going to raise my taxes by hoe much?

See my reply is about a stupid as your statement( at least I know that). Get a grip it's a game you have the option to go somewhere else.

besides with all the corruption in the governments of the world It just means I need to earn more $L to grease the palms of some gov official.

SGT. USMC 1975-1983

Are you running for office in RL? 'Cause damn, I'd probably vote for you.

I particularly like the toxic waste cleanup - when can we send Delay & Frisk, Alaska would be an outstanding place for them.


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Considering America's puritanical streak, I have WAAAAAY too many skeletons in the closet to run for office (along with an array of items that are currently illegal in Texas).

But I may be electable in parts of Scandanavia.

I was about to say that jumpsuits make me look frumpy, but as the years go by, I begin to suspect it's not the jumpsuits that are at fault.

And yes, anybody who is making decisions regarding Alaska should be required to spend at least a full year subsistance hunting in that strange, beautiful, terrifying land.

If I understand this correctly, he's advocating the deployment of virtual goon squads in virtual worlds that have actual real world policing powers. Oh joy, the "virtual" man cometh to keep us down.

As long as the goon squads are trained by Jack Lalanne, I'm all for it.

He eats healthy, is on the Walk of Fame and wears a jumpsuit! My Hero!