| Subject: Ana-Mapper Rag 2 |
Author:
Rudd Bum-Knee
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Date Posted: 11:14:35 12/28/05 Wed
The focus of this essay is to analyze the most visible organ of clan Anagram, that is, the Central Executive Committee. Here the guidance of the Clan takes place, the very workings of government made manifest by the representatives of the people. The structure of the Central Executive Committee is stated directly by the Magna Carnal; indeed, of all the governing structures, the CEC garners the most attention. This was deliberately done by the framers for a number of reasons, all with the intent of establishing a unique system of governance within the Kingdom. As the framers and most, if not all, of the members of Clan Anagram are Americans, I shall make numerous comparisons to the US system of government when describing the Central Executive Committee. One may then be able to understand better the governing structure as written in the Magna Carnal through a system already familiar to the reader.
Most notably, only one specific organ of decision-making exists in the Clan: the Central Executive Committee. This stands against the Madisonian American model of a tripartite government. Even against the authoritarian model of the Soviet Union, the Central Executive Committee of Clan Anagram seems uniquely monolithic in its form. No separation of delegated power exists in the Magna Carnal. Furthermore, the Central Executive Committee holds not only executive powers, but also legislative and judicial. However, before one dismisses the Clan as an Orwellian dystopic organization, one ought to realize why there is no such separation of governing powers. The Central Executive Committee exits to guide the Clan as a whole. Its intent is to act on behalf of Clan Anagram as its own entity. Most notably this is in the realm of foreign relations, in which a single, unified voice is necessary to deal with the other clans in existence. One need only look at Warehouse 23 clan to see how a single, unified voice can goad Jick into bestowing various gifts and honors on their behalf.
Also made explicit in the Magna Carnal is that the Central Executive Committee consists of three members. Three is not only a good number in its own right, but it also strikes a balance between absolutism and stalemate. Power concentrated in the hands of one person can only lead to despotism; something expressly prohibited by the Magna Carnal as well as ill received by the members of the Clan. In such a dictatorship, the Clan would cease to exist for the benefit of all its members, and instead the dictator would see to it that power as well as riches falls into his of her hands. The other members would leave the Clan, creating in effect a one-man Clan. Many such clans exist in the Kingdom now, and all they do is isolate adventurers rather than foster a bond to the rich community at large.
Two people serving as co-leaders also pose a problem. This was the method used in the Roman Republic with the rule of two consuls with coequal power. Each had the power to veto the other, thus leading to petty disputes among the two of them for dominance. In times of crisis, such as the Punic Wars, the Catiline Conspiracy, and the Cimbrian sack of Rome. Were it not for the constant bickering between the two consuls, Rome may have been an even greater power than she was, having defeated the Carthaginians in the First Punic War. As such, actually to fulfill the obligations the Central Executive Committee has to the members of Clan Anagram, two people would lead only to a constant stalemate, as one would usurp the powers of the other.
What is so special about three then? First, a clear head of government and chief of state exists, consolidated the office of the END SPRITE. This person wields the inherent power of authority, and he or she dictates the course of action for the Central Executive Committee simply by position. The Direct Pensives, even though they are adjutants to the END SPRITE, also share power equal to that of the END SPRITE. Three power holders then dilute the power each one holds, and with an odd number of decision makers, this prevents the deadlock that would occur in a two-person system, allowing the Central Executive Committee to fulfill its duties to the Clan.
Already I have mentioned the fact that the Central Executive Committee is the most visible focus of power in the Clan. This because it is the brain behind Clan Anagram. Aristotle, in his treatises on politics, likens government to the brain and the people to the rest of the body. The brain makes the decisions for the rest of the body to ensure its survival, but it is the compliance of the body to implement the orders of the brain that makes the body whole. The Central Executive Committee is no different. Even though it has the power to guide the Clan as a whole for the benefit of the Clan as a whole, it must still be beholden to its constituents. The Magna Carnal states this as the fact that the Central Executive Committee must make its action known to the Clan Assembly for the public backing of its policies. After all, the Clan itself is nothing without actual people to fill its ranks.
The economics of the Kingdom do not behave the same way they do in the "real world". Even though the Kingdom economy is a very laissez-faire type of capitalism, meat is abundant and renewable. In addition, lives are never at stake simply because one cannot afford anything. As such, any argument that exists between liberals and conservatives about the extent of welfare is moot in the Kingdom. The economic concept of "free lunches" does exist in the Kingdom, which demands a new way of thinking concerning the relation between government and the individual. One such concept that ought to apply to all Central Executive Committees, present and future, is the concept of a dictatorship of apathy. That is, as Thomas Paine stated, "That government is best which governs least" properly encapsulates the principle behind effective Clan governance. Even with so much power, the Central Executive Committee ought not to actively micromanage every aspect of the Clan. However, this also does not mean that the Central Executive Committee ought never to do anything for its constituents, either. The Clan has a meat tree that spontaneously generates 500 meat a day for each person, it has a gym free to its members, and it has the tradition begun by the administration of Smitty the Bold in which for every Kingdom holiday all Clan members receive a stat-specific workout, among other things. The dictatorship of apathy implies the fact that the Central Executive Committee could use their constitutional powers to direct the Clan, but they would much rather play their adventures for that day. That is the dictatorship of apathy.
“Rudd Bum-Knee”
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