Object Returns and Ownership

I wanted folks to know that quite a large number of objects have been returned to my inventory from the city by someone other than myself. I have not seen recent RA transcripts that gave authorization for the removal of these yet (they're not posted), but I am assuming (and hoping) it was under RA authorization. Since there was no public announcement, I just wanted to let you all know I was not the one who returned the objects, if those objects have left a hole in the sim in any way.

While we have not yet discussed the topic of my property that remains in the city, since there are mass returns going on, I thought now would be a great time to bring it up, so the general populace can understand what's going on with their sim.

Since the preference of the city is tending towards deletion (website and in-world content) as opposed to attribution or payment, let me ask, are there any structures that you would like to keep for the city that I own or should I return them all? I won't do anything until the RA makes a decisions, so there's time to think it over. This issue is independent of the SC debacle and can be treated separately.

~Ulrika~

I returned your things from my land because you seemed to not like the fact people are using your ip rights.

The best way to keep some of your legacy in place is to make a fast deal with the government for reasonable payment or to renounce your claims.
Otherwise N'burg might replace all your items or even become something different completely and all your work will be lost.

I applaud your conviction! Although the returns of which I speak were not performed by you.

I'm not interested in planting a permanent flag rather I'm interested in ensuring that I am not exploited. If something was created by me and is being used without my permission, it must be attributed, purchased, or removed, without exception. All three are acceptable outcomes and in regards to IP I am here to find a mutually beneficial compromise.

~Ulrika~

Hmm. The object returns seem to be continuing, although it could be a delay in the email system. It seems to include city infrastructure such as street signs and roads. I hope this was approved by the RA in advance and not a result of an ad-hoc decision made behind the scenes.

I just thought I'd let citizens know, since there has been no public announcement by the government.

~Ulrika~

As per the Construction Authority Act ( http://aliasi.us/nburgwiki/tiki-index.php?page=NL+3-10 ), the Guild is authorized to make modifications to the public spaces of the city as long as it does not affect its layout or the performance of the sim.

The Guild does not need approval of the RA to move ahead with this, though it has my support.

Oh yes! I wrote that law. It was the first one to include a "philosophy" section to prevent literal and thus slightly askew interpretation, which oddly enough is precisely what you did.
From the looks of the returned objects, there very well could be the removal of buildings, streets, and lots. It would be the SC's duty to compare the actions with the intent of the law, however, they're, um, on vacation right now.

Your personal support is irrelevant. It is the majority vote of the RA that matters. As long as you keep providing individual consensus in support of the actions of an ad-hoc direct democracy, the government as defined in the constitution will remain a facade.

Claude, decisions are currently being made by an ad-hoc direct democracy behind the scenes of the existing goverment. As a vocal member of the RA, you have the power and duty to reawaken the hiding SC and call to task a potentially law-breaking AC. Your inaction is complicity.

~Ulrika~

Let's step out on the edge here and hypothetically agree with everything Ulrika says...

A few pragmatic points stand out:

1)Only the SC can interpret the constitution
2)The LRA will not complain unless he has a problem with what's happening.

So in theory we could agree with you in principle...and nothing would change because no one cares. All I want is peace, order, good gov't and stability so I can run my business.

I feel this will improve my quality of second life and in the end, that's what most citizens care about...Even if it means installing oligarchic crypto-fascists, I'm all for it if it meets the above criteria.

So I'd encourage Ulrika to found another Socialist Utopia elsewhere, because I'm tired of the whinging. We'll make every effort to settle ASAP.

Both your points are factually wrong.

1)Each branch, according to The Constitution, has the duty to interpret the Constitution.
2) The LRA's complaint is no more valid than any citizen of Neualtenburg.

This Government has forgotten it serves the people, and instead believes the people serve the Government.

1)Yes, but pragmatically it doesn't matter what anyone but an SC chair really thinks about it. The only 2 exceptions to this are a request for SC chair impeachment, and an RA vote on amendments. From a practical standpoint, the only role a non-citizen has in interpreting the constitution is in deciding whether to become a citizen. The only role a non-Gov't serving citizen is whether or not to remain a citizen.

Unless you are on the USSC or a very influential legal scholar or very politically connected, for instance, NO ONE GIVES A RAT'S ASS what you think of the US constitution. Except of course at election time. Ulrika and I fall into this no one cares category with respect to NB. You have a RA vote, and that's it.


2)While that's true, I stand by my statement that the LRA (or citizen X) will not complain unless he/she wants to (freedom of expression), whether bound by duty or not. I don't see the factual error there. Enlighten me.

As to the last point, if true, I'm sure that will be addressed at election time. It is not an argument, it's political rhetoric (and good stuff at that). I personally feel my government has served me very well.

-So what are your plans for the Chamber of Commerce? Flohmarkt this weekend?

Are posts being deleted?

yes. Pel is self-deleting

It would be a lot easier to take you seriously if you weren't so gosh darn mean and making all these false insulting claims all the time.

Only Ulrika could refer to the busiest time in the SC's history as them being "on vacation." You just continue making these foul statements one after another until someone calls you on it, then you stop, but don't apologise for them, and move on to insult number 2, (or 3, or 4). Didn't your debating coach ever teach you that the "win" is more satisfying if you stick to the facts?

If I was your mother I would wash your mouth out with soap and send you to bed without dinner!

In response to your claim, it rests on an interpretation of the definition of "large" and the one word "replacement." The rest of it doesn't apply. I went to Nburg at lunchtime and all I saw was the platz sidewalk had been replaced. So far that doesn't seem "large" to me.

PS - We are getting some decent and even handed forum moderation rules soon so I would not expect the freedom to make these attacks to last forever. Why not modify your behaviour now? It will make you feel all good and warm inside.

Sudane Erato asked that I assist her in replacing the Neualtenburg road structure today. Given that Sudane is Guildmaster and the sim owner, I saw no reason to not do so.

Aside from halting possible IP infringment, the road pieces used were of a lower prim count than previous and thus represent a small but significant savings in prim usage in the sim as a whole, which is always a desirable effect.

No problem. Given the strange happenings going on in the city as of late I hope that if you can't excuse my paranoia you can at least understand it.

~Ulrika~

Yes, and to borrow a French programmer pun, I'm self-effacing. I think we've badgered Kendra enough. We've got work to do.

I wanted to let folks know that large sections of a wall and spire were returned to me today Saturday 29 Apr 2006. This is a notice to let folks know that I didn't do this (as I own the structures) and to inform the RA that there is a possibility that the modification might be large enough to invoke NL 3-10. I just thought I'd let you know.

It looks like the NW walls were removed, by looking at the messages, although it's hard to tell.

~Ulrika~

They are being returned to me as well --because apparently NOBODY could be bothered to check and see that the creator of those walls was ME.

textures on the marktplatz (also mine) are being changed as well.

I fully intend to bring full weight on this issue. The Guild is now acting in concert with the SC to remove key elemnts of the city designed by me, with zero approval from the RA.

Do citizens get a say at all??

Yes. Those are your walls and textures.

Are the Guild and SC in on this together? Since all communication has become secret via email no one really knows what's going on. I strongly suspect that Sudane has transferred estate powers to her two friends and are acting outside the government as a separate entity. If so, this would represent a complete disintegration of the government and the end of the democracy in the city. I think we just saw the project die.

~Ulrika~

This suspicion has been confirmed. I spent several hours in world today talking to folks about recent actions, including for a brief period, Aliasi and Dianne.

Sudane authorized (and later halted) the replacement of the city walls using a new version that Dianne reverse engineered from the original. The walls were created by Kendra and did not need to be replaced. Additionally, the policy of reverse-engineering (similar to pirating my homes) continues. Kendra stated she would have given a copy to Dianne, if she had just aked. The problems with replacing these walls are:

1. It irrevocably destroys historic city structures.
   
2. The walls were reverse engineered without discussion or permission.
   
3. The walls have a higher prim count.
   
4. There was no authorization for the removal of large historic city structures from the RA as required by law NL 3-10.

When I confronted Aliasi with these unapproved modifications, she stated that she only recognized Sudane's authority and deleted a stretch of BladeDancer Allee before logging off to drive home her point. Thus, is seems that Sudane along with two cronies (one who has pirated structures and another who denies the power of the government) are acting as a team outside of the government.

~Ulrika~

If I wish to play tinpot dictator, Ulrika, I've got my own sim to do it in. (*plug* Suffugium, open soon! */plug*)

So does Sudane. So, I believe, does Dianne. I have no wish to "abuse power", as evidenced by my repeated requests to Sudane to remove the last vestige of semi-official involvement and remove me as a sim manager. I had left the city's land-management group and had rejoined solely because I agreed to assist in replacing the existing roads. As the backstreets are next to be replaced as I get around to it, I wasn't even doing anything I didn't plan on doing anyway. Replacing an object with a materially similar but non-infringing object is hardly "drastic". As soon as this road-replacement job is complete, I'm leaving the group again - I could use the open slot, and my future ambitions in Neualtenburg are strictly limited to the borders of the Field of Can'-Ka no Rey, my plot. Should I recognize the government in the future, I may humbly ask to be re-apprenticed in the Guild so I might be able to sell my products... but I'm through painting a nice big target on my forehead.

Quite the contrary to being "illegal" - whatever limited value that has in this case - I am in fact conforming to a higher set of laws, since whatever we pass in Neualtenburg, we are bound by the LL ToS and the laws of California and of the United States. You dispute the claim to IP, and have formally filed a complaint with "the management" of the sim. Under my understanding of the DMCA, we are obliged to remove such intellectual property; the laws of the actual, physical real-life nation take precedence over local agreements.

In short, you are wrong. You asked for it to be removed, and if I disbelieve in the government of Neualtenburg, I most assuredly believe in the government of the United States of America.

This is about more than you and the rules you do or do not choose to recognize. What about the people in the sim who joined the project, agreeing to function together in a virtual government? They should have a say in whether or not you and your above-the-law cabal run roughshod through the sim replacing structures. By selfishly refusing to follow these rules you are doing a disservice to everyone in the sim. If you cannot abide by these rules, then out of respect for the others you should renounce your citizenship.

I'm not even a citizen and even I am trying to follow the rules. I actually want a fair trail under your government (and according to the UDHR I should have it).

~Ulrika~

"I, Ulrika Zugzwang, having recognized that the economic, temporal, and emotional costs associated with my participation in SL have exceeded my family's threshold, swear upon hitting the "Submit Reply" button to walk away from SL (and similar virtual worlds), its forums, and email permanently."

You don't even have the excuse of not knowing my beliefs, Ulrika; You were the sole functioning member of the SC when I was nominated. It is precisely about what I do or do not choose to recognize; I keep my word, but I expect the same courtesy to be given to me.

I was promised one thing and agreed to a set of rules in exchange for that one thing. That thing has not been provided, and attempts to make this so have met with much loud protest and interference on your part, telling us all that we don't, in fact, know what we want or what was offered. It is for this reason I hold the bargain void. I do not renounce my citizenship because there is no citizenship to renounce and never was. This is why I DID quit all of my "government" positions; I cannot participate in what doesn't rightfully exist, can I?

Ulrika is a junkie.

Her drug of choice is drama and conflict.

This place is f*cked if you don't get rid of her once and for all and I have my doubts of anyone EVER doing that.


Take care Aliasi, keep up the good work.

THis attitude makes you more or less what? A Tenant?

In my view non-recognition of the Government would automatically make you not a citizen.
Do you plan to vote in elections? Certainly you seem to weigh in at Government hearings.

I'd like a better clarification of your intentions in Neualtenburg. Perhaps we need a new form of contract for someone of your status. Certainly you can't expect to enjoy the priveledges of citizenship in Neualtenburg and at the same time ignore the rest of the people's rights in the Sim.

So this is your admission that you are operating outside of the government, breaking the city rules, and letting down the other citizens. Take care Aliasi, keep up the good work.

~Ulrika~