NationStates Jolt Archive

I'm somewhat hesitant to ask this, but this is something of a pre-poll. I plan on taking the top several entries and running a more formal poll.

In addition to making New Years resolutions and what-not, I'd like to ask people to review the NS UN resolutions from 2004 and explain which UN Resolution they liked the most and why.

I'm hoping that if this stays positive (meaning please ignore other people's posts and focus on your own opinions), it could be something that would be useful to future resolution authors.

Here is a list of the resolutions that reached the floor in 2004:

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Freedom from SPAM Act
Legalise Euthanasia
Fair Treatment of Mentally Ill
UCPL
Legalize Prostitution
Passport harmonisation
Definition of 'fair trial'
Save the Forests of the World
Rights and Duties of UN States
UN Space Consortium
Children in war
Ballast Water
Universal Freedom of Choice
UN Educational Committee
World Blood Bank
Space Defense Initiative
BioRights Declaration
Reduce Black Market Arms Sales
SPCC Regulation Act
The 40 Hour Workweek
Public Domain
Abortion Rights
FGM
Freedom of Press
Ban of Death Penalty
Tracking Near Earth Objects
Refugee Protection Act
Illegal Logging
Needle Sharing Prevention
Ban Trafficking in Persons
The Sexes Rights Law
Banning whaling
Sustainable Energy Sources
Reduction of greenhouse gases
Habeas Corpus
The Law of the Sea
No Marriage Under Age of 15
The Nuclear Terrorism Act
Good Samaritan Laws
Epidemic Prevention Protocols
Repeal "Fight the Axis of Evil"
Reformed Literacy Initiative
Ban Nuclear Weapons
Rights of Minorities and Women
Definition of Marriage
Stem Cell Research Funding
The Eon Convention on Genocide
Repeal "The 40 Hour Workweek"
NS HIV AIDS Act
Support Hemp Production

I'm going to go ahead and nominate "Epidemic Prevention Protocol". It was the most clear minded resolution to date, and was definitely worthy of the international community. Unlike most resolutions, it was written well and I think it deserves more attention.

I'll update this. :)

Definition of Marriage: 6
The 40 Hour Workweek: 3
Reduce Black Market Arms Sales: 2
NS HIV AIDS Act: 2
Tracking Near Earth Objects: 2
Epidemic Prevention Protocol: 1
No Marriage Under Age of 15: 1
Abortion Rights: 1
Repeal: Fight the Axis of Evil: 1
The Sexes Rights Law: 1
UCPL: 1


I only am recording each nation's first vote, even if it is sarcastic. It is fair to vote for your own resolutions folks if you honestly like them the best. :)

I think "Definition of Marriage" because to the nation of Sarcodina thinks if you are going to have same sex marriages why not just go ahead and let people have sex with animals...makes sense to me...well it at least it made me sarcastically smile.

No Marriage Under Age of 15

Simply because it illustrated the power of both the delegates to bring up 'bad' proposals and the general assemblies ability to vote down proposals.

Hmmm... this is a tough one... I mean, yes, Habeas Corpus is mine, but I wouldn't call it the 'best resolution'...

I think I'll go for 'Definition of Marriage', if only because of the huge amount of backlash from people who completely misread the resolution (Beastiality is Bad! et al).

Normally, I would vote for "Definition of Marriage" - because it caused the most controversy and bickering, particularly over things that were decided elsewhere already.

However, as it's gauche to vote for your own resolution, I'll go with Abortion Rights for the "quick and to the point approach", also found in Outlaw Pedophilia the previous year.

I'll nomiminate Repeal "Fight the Axis of Evil" simply because it was the first repeal ever.

The one about HIV. It has been educating to see people reveal their real sides.

The one about HIV. It has been educating to see people reveal their real sides.

I'll assume you mean the NS HIV AIDS Act, because there is a Needle Sharing Prevention resolution from this year which *also* involves HIV, but less directly.

You assume correctly.

Probably Reduce Black Market Arms Sales, with the EON Convention on Genocide in second and Rights and Duties of UN States third.

For nostalgia value, UCPL (boo! hiss!) gets a nod as the first resolution where I got involved in UN debate.

Personally, I'd go for Tracking Near Earth Objects, because it has had a lot of discussion and a failed resolution before it, and the discussion led to the rewriting and accepting of the TNEO resolution which, unlike the previous "let's put a big gun in space!", could get my support.

Other good resolutions which I'd still like to mention are the 40 Hour Workweek, the Epidemic Prevention Protocols and Habeas Corpus.

I also hope that, with about 2 million resolution in place on same rights for all sexes and allowing gay marriage, people are finally aware that at least in NSUN, it's all well law-wise and we don't need *another* resolution on those issues giving people rights they already have.

The 40 hour workweek, without a doubt. A resolution created by my allies, it's clearly worded and should have a distinct effect on the life of all those imaginary workers out there. Also, it's memorable since it was a very close vote and we had to do a lot of hard work to get it through; the same goes for the attempted repeal.

The Sexes Rights Law ...

As Seen Here (http://forums2.jolt.co.uk/showpost.php?p=7030222&postcount=70)

* As I am no longer in the U.N. I do not feel a need to give a reason or spout its ... many positive qualities ... yeah, that'll do ...

<.<

>.>

" heh "

Actually, I'm even more disgusted then usual since that hemp one got to open vote, -_-

( And for one other thing, at least mine was not another economy bashing hug a tree load of utter - )

I'll go with Reduce Black Market Arms Sales... ;)

Definition of Marriage

I'll notch a vote for NS HIV AIDS Act.

Definition of Marriage certainly turned heads and gets my vote.

Definition of Marriage, and the NS HIV AIDS Act.

Probably Definition of Marriage, although 'Repeal the 50 Hour workweek' was entertaining, cos so it was the only resolution I know of to actually reach the floor on the basis of a factually flawed argument, and the vote was so close.

40HWW, without a doubt; no vote was closer, and then it survived a repeal attempt by a far more convincing margin.

I've still not cast my own vote, but I must say that I honestly appreciate all the comments people have left with their votes. They are insightful to the memorable moments of the NS UN for some of us. :)

Naturally since I only posted this on the holiday, I'll still be tallying up future votes as well.

Definition of Marriage is winning. Good for it.

UCPL! RAWR!

- "Ya don't pull on Superman's cape / You don't spit into the wind..."
UN Gnome in Charge of Pissing Off Communists

I'm still deciding where to cast my vote ... ;)

Hmmm, I'm still having a hard time, so I'll talk about the more memorable resolutions of 2004:

First up is Frisbeeteria's "Rights and Duties of UN States". It is perhaps the least appreciated and most misunderstood resolution in the history of the game. Apparently there was an earlier draft that was debated and campaigned for before I came here, but enough of the class of Winter 2004 liked it enough to really presure Frisbeeteria into giving it another try.

It is well written, and should be talked about more often. Especially when a few players have nothing better to do than say, "You are dumb and wrong. Read the UN FAQ, LOL! The UN is all about forcing your will on others!" Frisbeeteria's resolution warns about the tradeoff between having your cake and eating it too.

Hersfold's United Nations Education Committee should be pointed out as another 2004 turning point. There was a serious typo in and and Hersfold got hammered by players, myself included. But instead of flaming (which he was getting threatening telegrams and was being trashed on many off-site boards), I invited him to the North Pacific, and his strong character allowed him to be polite and civil ... he ended up earning many allies and friends with his resolution and proved that you can defend your view and remain civil. His resolution later was the test case for the "no amendment" ruling and resulted in a show down between him, me, and at least two mods (one on our side, one against us). That said, he also ranks as a major UN player in 2004!

The failed Space Defense Initiative. I rank it here, because SCOS OJ, no longer playing the game, was one of the most polite players I've met. You could call him a moron and he'd say, "I disagree with your opinion" and leave it just at that! His resolution failed by a significant margin, but the principal behind it was enough to encourage the second of my resolutions (I technically wrote a few other resolutions prior to this and handed them to other players -- one of them you all know about, another resolution on the books is largely mine and it will remain a secret between me and my ally). ;) SCOC OJ was not a major UN player after this, but has always been a strong ally of mine.

Galdago's Reduce Black Market Arms Sales ... perhaps one of the most significant resolutions in the game to date for two reasons. First, it was the first failed resolution to return and pass! Yup, originally known as "Curb Illicit Arms Transfers" Galdago was the first nation to have any resolution actually fail back in mid 2003, but Galdago was instrumental in getting the mods to change how the resolution queue looks.

Before it would not keep spaces and the like. Galdago is really one of the major UN players before any of our nations was created and is the reason why the quality of resolutions improved from the stinky one paragraph "Kneel Before ZOD!" types to the longer conventions and real UN looking resolutions.

Galdago also made a fantastic web page for UNICAT and he and I will bring that committee to life this year. (Galdago is also one of the major forces behind the UNSC -- the committee, not the resolution.)

In sort, before Galdago, the UN Forum really was a major joke. There was no roleplaying and no continuity. Once a resolution passed or failed, everybody ignored that. Even the mods for the most part. But Galdago was the first player to really bring UN players into the world of roleplaying (already roleplayers had made some use of the UN, but this was working the other direction and visionary).

The 40 Hour Workweek. I was away for the debate here, but this resolution stands as the closest vote of anything in NationStates! The debate was vicious and the Free Soviets was the first player to have two unique resolutions adopted! :) The Global Market has had 4 come to the floor, and Austrivum had two, but the second one was really a repeal of the first and nothing new. The Free Soviets today remains a signficant and major NationState player in many circles outside of the UN.

Tracking Near Earth Objects. This is the first of my "official" resolutions, and marked the first time that a resolution that failed was given a complete face lift and came back. Tracking Near Earth Objects also broke the record for the number of endorsements. What is perhaps the most unique thing about it, there was no forum for debate! Jolt was in the process of being updated, so the resolution when through the UN process on its own. UPS Rail came in and took over my region (the North Pacific) and started ejecting nations right and left, but I managed to weather that and like Hersfold, I took my debate to the feeder regions, where the resolution had huge support from both the Francos Spain and anti-Francos camps.

Needle Sharing Prevention ... the first and last of its kind. This one is significant, since it looks the MOST like a real UN resolution, actually included real life footnotes to real research. Today the footnotes couldn't be included by current rules, but the resolution really ended up teaching many players about HIV and drug use ... or at least promoted a real world social issue. So many players telegrammed me with surprise that needle exchange programs work. But it is nice sometimes to get into a very complex issue ... and it is very hard to promote something that protects people whom many people hate.

No Marriage Under Age of 15. Though Roma Islamica's resolution failed, Roma was still around at least last month and still taking an interest in the UN. What is significant here isn't that a resolution failed, but that the resolution that failed was another "let's protect children and do the right thing" resolutions. It is difficult to say if it was conservative or liberal nations that voted this resolution down, because the idea sort of crosses both spectrums, but the resolution itself was very ambitious -- which is why I count Roma Islamica among the more influencial 2004 UN members.

It was a *gasp* Moral Decency resolution. Before this resolution reached the floor, many players outside of the UN accused us all of stat-wanking. In other words, it was long argued that UN members don't actually read resolution text, but vote based on the changes to game stats and the title of the resolution. Was that the case here or not? I'd say not, because people actually were talking about *gasp* the text itself ... though it is probably true that being a moral decency resolution handicapped the motion. Had it been a fluffy human rights issue, I still guess it would have passed.

Slackerness (the ally of Huai bei) is worth mentioning for his co-authorship of the Epidemic Prevention Protocol. The third of the 2004 Moral Decency resolutions, Slackerness not only proved himself to be the quickest campaigner in 2004, by getting Huai bei's resolution to the UN floor in less than a single day!!!, but also proved to be very willing to incorporate draft comments / rewrites into __their__ resolution. I'm not sure what happened to Huai bei (I do remember seeing Huai ejected from the UN, which also means that the resolution reached the UN floor and was adopted, making it the only 2004 resolution sponsored by a non-UN member), but I wish that nation well.

The resolution itself is worth of mentioning too, it was very long and very complete. The debate was overwhelmingly positive as 83% of the votes were in favour, making it one of the most supported resolutions of 2004! The resolution also was important, because it (and its predecessor the Good Samaritan Laws) took an already existing UN resolution and committee and gave them new power. The International Red Cross was given more power by a total of *3* resolutions in 2004. The IRCO is the only NS UN created committee to have any other resolutions expand its role, and the Epidemic Prevention Protocol hopefully pointed to new players that you can expand old resolutions.

The Eon Convention on Genocide, by TilEnca. This resolution had one of the longest DRAFT workshops and went through a prolonged debate before reaching the UN floor. It also marked a return to "Convention" formatted resolutions similar to what Frisbeeteria and Stephistan (a UN giant in 2003) promoted. It is a roleplaying aid. Though I'd say some of the debates and discussions were pretty banal (Independence Day anyone?), I still count the resolution itself and TilEnca's contribution as a watershed event in the NS UN.

That is a long list:

Rights and Duties of UN States
United Nations Education Committee
Space Defense Initiative
Reduce Black Market Arms Sales
The 40 Hour Workweek
Tracking Near Earth Objects
Needle Sharing Prevention
No Marriage Under Age of 15
Epidemic Prevention Protocol
The Eon Convention on Genocide

There have been other major positive forces in the UN, and none of the authors above did what they did without help. But off that long list of resolutions that I feel changed how NationStates works, the most significant (to me personally) would be ...

Tracking Near Earth Objects

I say this because in addition to being a face lift of a previously failed resolution (and I'd encourage Roma Islamica to revisit No Marriage Under Age of 15 for the same reason), when I was in high school and in Model UN programs, my second resolution was something I called the "Totally Awesome Action Jamming Asteroid Resolution" or TAAJAR. (Right, I was 17 at the time, which means my judgement was totally clouded by thoughts of what the girls in MUN were thinking and wondering if I could one day grow up to be Data from Star Trek.) ;) But the resolution itself (along with my interest in astronomy ... I also managed to have a science fair project on binary stars get pretty far that same year) was FUN. It was just plain fun. TAAJAR and Tracking were written to be serious, but they had a bit of escapism included in them.

I also feel that Tracking was important because it was a bit of a Trojan Horse for the ejected North Pacific nations. I used the resolution as a chance to network with delegates in other regions and appealed for those nations that liked the resolution to come to the North Pacific to throw out UPS Rail (aka Sir Paul ... a Francos cronie). I was surprised by how many Delegates passed along our request for aid, and so the resolution was being looked at not only as a UN resolution, but a point of community building for the Pacifics.

I had a lot of fun with that resolution and I'm always happen when I read that other players enjoyed it too.

10kMichael

OOC: This is the puppet of Serconea, author of Law of the Sea.

IC: Forty Hour Work Week.

Gotcha updated to the list above. Thanks! :)

The resolution "Ban Trafficking in Persons" highlights an important issue. As of now, thousands of women are lured mainly from eastern Europe to be forced into prostitution in the West. It's a hidden problem, people aren't that aware of it since it's only a small number of people who go see these prostitutes. But they exist and that is why the pimps can keep their business going and smuggle persons to other countries.

The best 'remedy' is to inform the general population that this kind of trafficking occurs and I hope this resolution has at least opened some persons' eyes to the problem.

Ok, this will just show me as the newbie i am but will someone explain what OOC. + scentence is all about?

Thanks, I know you lot will be as helpful as you always are!


President Murphy,
Getting there!
The Realm of Hibernia.

OOC=Out Of Character