The New Social Contract
Introduction
The role that Ω was proposing to play in the Mexican Standoff scenario that we were just discussing is essentially that of a referee: referees do not play the game, and cannot win or lose, but they do have power over the players. They can issue them orders (which the players have to obey); they can penalize them; they can undo actions; they can reset scenarios, and so forth. In sports, the power of the referee is derived from the league in which the players play. Disobeying a referee can get you expelled from a game, lead to forfeiture, or even result in penalties imposed outside the game. Ω, by securing ultimate command over the rulers' armed forces, put himself in a position where, like a referee, he had more power than they had, and so he could command their respect and obedience, and, most importantly, control and eliminate the outbreak of war. In exchange, Ω pledged that he would not use his power to take over countries and run them (just as a referee does not play the game or otherwise act as a competitor, though his power would allow him win any time he chooses). Because this parallel applies so well, we will refer to Ω's role as that of a referee (etymologically, 'umpire' might be the better term, but 'referee' is currently better for rhetorical purposes).
Ω also mentioned that he was part of a group, so there will not be only one referee. The referees will, however, act as a unit or team, so one should not hope to pit one against another or expect a different ruling by asking another referee for a ruling. As in sports, the referees may occasionally 'blow a call', but, if the referees are not inclined to reverse their call, there is no way to compel them to change it. It is as if the referees perception of reality is, ultimately, the only one that counts. For this reason, it is of the highest importance that the referees have the highest integrity and sense of fairness. Other qualifications for the position include: wisdom; the ability to see through the rhetoric and sophistical arguments of politicians, demagogues, and outright scoundrels; patience to tolerate the sort of vehement objections that referees in sports contests are subjected to from time to time; a lack of ambition to be a ruler or government official; impartiality towards their home country (or a willingness to recuse themselves from matters involving it or other countries for which they have feelings of attachment or other obligations), and an ability to get along well with the other referees. The referees themselves will select and train new referees.
Aside from including the referees, this new social contract won't be much different from existing traditions regarding the relationship between governments and their citizens: no one's citizenship will be changed in this process; people will still be required to obey the laws of their country (or those of the country they are currently visiting); no government official will lose their position; no territorial boundaries will change; no alliances will be dissolved; no trade agreements changed, and so forth.
In its form, the New Social Contract is essentially a pledge or oath by which one commits to adhering to this revised governmental structure which incorporates the referees as having both control and the final say in all acts involving an exercise of force. For most citizens, this mainly involves committing to adhere to the referees' rulings, to report plots against the referees, and to cooperate in the implementation of the automatic removal of powers that immediately occurs when a person in power plots or acts against the referees or disobeys one of their orders—this means refusing to heed their 'orders' (which are no longer binding since they have no power) and reporting them to the appropriate authorities (usually, the local police). Soldiers, military police, other police-like forces (sheriffs, state troopers, FBI agents, private security guards, members of private militias, etc.), the supreme commanders of such forces, and heads of state have additional provisions which they must adhere to, and so there are additional pledges for those in these positions. We will lay these out here in ascending order.
Oath For All People (regardless of rank)
I commit to honor God, the God of Abraham and the Abrahamic faiths, above all others.
I commit to care for all others, as if they were my parents, my brothers or sisters, or my children.
For the sake of peace and general prosperity, I am committed to abiding by the rulings of the referees, to giving them my respect, and, when called upon, to protecting their safety and integrity. Except when the referees rule otherwise, I pledge to follow the laws of my country and community (or the laws of any community I am visiting), or to bear the consequences for breaking them.
I understand that anyone who directs or incites me to harm a referee, disobey a referee's commands, or attempt to compromise their integrity either does not mean what they are saying, and deserves a warning, or has, by the very fact of communicating such a directive or order, automatically lost whatever position of authority they were holding, has forfeited all their powers, and has committed a crime which must be reported to the police. I will not obey the orders of such a person, no matter what their former position was.
I also understand that failing to report such an action to the police constitutes participation in a plot against the referees, which is also a crime.
I understand that, if I become involved in a plot against any referees, I instantly and automatically lose all rights, privileges, and powers that I had as a citizen, and become subject to criminal prosecution for doing so.
I resolve to conform to the terms of this oath for the sake of a peaceful, happier, and more prosperous future with liberty and justice for all.
Oath For Soldiers
Applies to any member of a force organized to repel external incursions, assess the activities of foreign powers, or to attack an enemy. This includes spies, assassins, and diplomats, as well as soldiers.
As a soldier, I commit to abiding by the rulings of the referees, and, if the situation arises, to protecting their safety and integrity. Except when the referees rule otherwise, I pledge to follow the commands of my superior officers or to bear the consequences for failing to do so.
I understand that they outrank all my commanders, including the Supreme Military Commander, and that anyone (including the Head of the Government, the Supreme Military Commander, and any of my superior officers) who orders, directs, or incites me to harm them, disobey their commands, or compromise their integrity either does not mean what they are saying, and deserves a warning, or has, by the very fact of communicating such a directive or order, automatically forfeited all their powers, lost whatever position of authority they were holding, and committed a crime which must be reported to the military police.
If they commit this crime while on a military base, ship, aircraft, or other military property, they are to be treated as civilian trespassers.
I also understand that failing to report such an action to the military police constitutes participation in a plot against the referees, which is also a crime.
I understand that, if I become involved in a plot against any referees, I instantly and automatically lose my position and all rights, privileges, and powers that I had as a soldier, and become subject to criminal prosecution for doing so.
I resolve to conform to the terms of this oath for the sake of a peaceful, happier, and more prosperous future with liberty and justice for all.
Oath For Police
Applies to any member of a force organized to maintain or impose order within an organization, investigate or prevent crimes, or provide protective services (e.g., a bodyguard).
As a police officer, I am, primarily, an enforcement agent of the referee system, and, secondarily, an enforcement agent for the community or organization I serve. Except when the referees rule otherwise, I pledge to follow the orders of my superiors, or to bear the consequences for failing to do so.
I commit to abiding by and enforcing the rulings of the referees, and, if the situation arises, to protecting their safety and integrity.
I understand that they outrank the Supreme Military Commander and the Head of the Government, and that anyone (including the Supreme Military Commander, the Head of the Government, and all their subordinates) who orders, directs, or incites me to harm a referee, disobey their commands, or compromise their integrity either does not mean what they are saying, and deserves a warning, or has, by the very fact of communicating such a directive or order, automatically forfeited all their powers, lost whatever position of authority they were holding, and committed a crime for which I am empowered to charge and arrest them.
As an enforcement agent of the referee system, I am obliged to attempt to prevent any harm to referees, to record, collect, or otherwise secure any evidence I find of such a crime, and to arrest the plotters and/or perpetrators of such acts.
I also understand that failing to intervene, or to collect evidence, or to report such an action to my peers, colleagues, or superiors constitutes participation in a plot against the referees, which is also a crime.
I understand that, if I become involved in a plot against any referees, I instantly and automatically lose my position and all rights, privileges, and powers that I had as a police officer, and become subject to criminal prosecution for doing so.
I resolve to conform to the terms of this oath for the sake of a peaceful, happier, and more prosperous future with liberty and justice for all.
Oath For Government Officials
Applies to anyone who a) works for the government or serves as a government agent and b) whose position is not covered by another of these oaths. Because corporations are licensed by the government, persons in management positions in corporations are government agents, and so must take this oath.
As a government official I commit to abiding by the rulings of the referees, to insuring that all my subordinates do so as well, and to protecting the safety and integrity of the referees. Except when the referees rule otherwise, I pledge to follow the laws, rules, regulations, and traditions of my country, or to bear the consequences for failing to do so.
I acknowledge that the referees outrank me, the Supreme Military Commander, the head of state and all their subordinates.
I understand that, if I order, direct, signal, or incite anyone to harm a referee, disobey their commands, or compromise their integrity (or even hint at doing any of these actions), or if I otherwise become involved in a plot against any referees, I immediately and automatically lose my position and powers, and become subject to arrest and criminal prosecution for doing so.
I further understand that anyone who requests, signals, or incites me to harm the referees, disobey their commands, or compromise their integrity either does not mean what they are saying, and deserves a warning, or has, by the very fact of communicating such an idea, automatically forfeited all their powers, lost whatever position of authority they were holding, and committed a crime which must be reported to the police. I also understand that failing to report such an action to the police constitutes participation in a plot against the referees, which is also a crime.
I resolve to conform to the terms of this oath for the sake of a peaceful, happier, and more prosperous future with liberty and justice for all.
Oath For The Supreme Military Commander
Applies to anyone who a) has command over a military or police force and b) has no superior within that force, but c) does report to a civilian superior.
As the Supreme Military Commander, I commit to abiding by the rulings of the referees, to initiating military action only when they officially grant me approval to do so, to immediately relaying their commands to my soldiers, and, if the situation arises, to protecting the safety and integrity of the referees. Except when the referees rule otherwise, I pledge to follow the orders of my superiors, or to bear the consequences for failing to do so.
I acknowledge that the referees outrank me, as well as the Head of the Government, and all of our subordinates. I understand that, if I order, direct, signal, or incite anyone to harm a referee, disobey their commands, or compromise their integrity (or if I even hint at doing any of these actions), I immediately and automatically lose my position and powers, and become subject to arrest and prosecution for doing so.
I further understand that, anyone (including any official or representative of a foreign power) who orders, directs, signals, or incites me to harm the referees, disobey their commands, or compromise their integrity either does not mean what they are saying, and deserves a warning, or has, by the very fact of communicating such a directive or order, automatically forfeited all their powers, lost whatever position of authority they were holding, and committed a crime which must be reported to the military police.
If they commit this crime while on a military base, ship, aircraft, or other military property, they are to be treated as civilian trespassers.
I also understand that failing to report such an action to the military police or other officers of the referee system constitutes participation in a plot against the referees, which is also a crime.
I acknowledge that, if I become involved in a plot against any referees, I will instantly and automatically lose my position and all rights, privileges, and powers, and become subject to arrest and prosecution for doing so.
I resolve to conform to the terms of this oath for the sake of a peaceful, happier, and more prosperous future with liberty and justice for all.
Oath For The Head of State
Applies to any person a) who has the highest executive position of an organization, b) who does not have a superior within that organization, and c) whose organization is not subordinate to another organization.
As the Head of State I commit to abiding by the rulings of the referees, to insuring that all those under my rule do so as well, and to protecting the safety and integrity of the referees. Except when the referees rule otherwise, I pledge to follow the rules of my country's constitution, or to bear the consequences for failing to do so.
I acknowledge that I can order the initiation of military action only by officially seeking approval from the referees to do so.
I acknowledge that the referees outrank me, that they outrank the Supreme Military Commander, and that they outrank all of our subordinates.
I understand that, if I order, direct, signal, or incite anyone to harm a referee, disobey their commands, or compromise their integrity (or even hint at doing any of these actions), I immediately and automatically lose my position and powers, and become subject to arrest and prosecution for doing so.
I further understand that anyone (including corporate executives, political supporters, lobbyists, officials or representatives of a foreign power, and so forth) who requests, signals, or incites me to harm the referees, disobey their commands, or compromise their integrity either does not mean what they are saying, and deserves a warning, or has, by the very fact of communicating such an idea, automatically forfeited all their powers, lost whatever position of authority they were holding, and committed a crime which must be reported to the police.
I also understand that failing to report such an action to the police constitutes participation in a plot against the referees, which is also a crime. I acknowledge that, if I become involved in a plot against any referees, I instantly and automatically lose my position and all rights, privileges, and powers that I had as Head of State, and become subject to criminal prosecution for doing so.
I resolve to conform to the terms of this oath for the sake of a peaceful, happier, and more prosperous future with liberty and justice for all.
For Referees
The referees will have an oath as well, which will require them to be fair, to dismiss any thoughts or suggestions about becoming a government official anywhere, to attend to cases carefully, to be on their guard against sophistical arguments, to recuse themselves from any case that involves a conflict of interest, to avoid meddling in matters unnecessarily, and so forth. Since one may not volunteer or apply to become a referee (it's an 'invitation only' position), there is no point in posting the oath here.
That said, the referees do have certain obligations which they must fulfill. Primarily, they must adhere to any agreements made with leaders and others in order to get them to participate in the system. One primary concern, as we saw above, is that of keeping the current rulers in power. In general, the deal is that rulers are safeguarded from hostile or unconstitutional takeover
- for the remainder of their life,
- until they are constitutionally removed from power, or
- until Jesus' second coming,
whichever comes first. If a leader dies or is constitutionally removed from power, the protection offered by the referees is automatically transferred to the constitutionally designated successor. If Jesus arrives, well, presumably we'll all be following His orders, and there won't be any need for the referee system to continue, but that's His call.
For their part, referees must not become the leader of any state, region, or municipality. In some emergency circumstances, a referee may be appointed as an interim leader for some such communities. In such cases, the referee ceases to be a referee for as long as they hold a position as ruler—the two positions are mutually exclusive.
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