Chapter 7
The Roots
The Organization's Citizen-Members


In our attempts to sketch out our prototype (imagined) concepts, it makes sense to begin with ‘the roots’, the citizen-members, in whom power shall reside, and from whom all authority must flow, and to whom all who are charged with the responsibility of authority must remain accountable.

The citizen-members will have inalienable rights, which must be defined and codified as clearly and strongly as possible. To ensure and maintain their enfranchisement with these rights, citizen-members will also have responsibilities that they owe to the organization.

Below are prototype ideas we have considered that define the rights and responsibilities of citizenship in the organization we imagine.


Chapter 7a
Rights and Responsibilities of Citizen-Members


The rights of citizen-members must be clearly defined and protected in the group’s constitution. Basic and universally recognized democratic rights and freedoms, (freedom of speech, one person one vote, the rights of judicial proceedings and appeal, etc), must be protected by ironclad provisions that comprise a Bill of Rights, with particular attention given to the rights of individuals and minorities to dissent from majority opinions.

We believe that the rights of citizenship are rooted in responsibilities that each citizen owes to the group. These responsibilities must also be codified within the constitution, with provisions made for consequences and penalties if responsibilities are not met.

We believe that the group must seek to define in its founding documents a democratic culture of civility and respect between and among citizen-members. While freedom of speech must be ‘absolute’, and no citizen should ever be prevented from expressing her or his point of view, we believe that the group has the right to require that all points of view must be expressed within the parameters of civility and mutual respect for all other citizen-members.


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