Forums of the Kingdom of the Golden Plains

After having had some time to contemplate the suspension handed down against Sir Monkey at the recent March Allthing, I feel it is time to speak up and call for a review of the suspension by the Kingdom Allthing.

Glen wrote: Any kingdom that doesn't allow an appeal to an Althing is really, really screwed up, but I'm not aware of any kingdoms that screwed up. I'm pretty confident that everyone can appeal to an Althing or the actual banning is done by the Althing, so I'll amend my statement to be that anyone who remains banned/suspended after the opportunity to appeal to an Althing (whether they use it or not) should have their belts stripped.

-Glen, MoP

This is a quote from a discussion regarding the suspension of another knight from a different Kingdom using the Code of Conduct taken from E-Sam, but it helps highlight a very important point: at this time, two people have the power to suspend, and potentially completely ban, a person from this kingdom without any appeal process. When Sir Monkey’s suspension was announced, I was shocked enough, literally enough that two items I had for corpora clarification were totally forgotten until a few days ago. I struggled with the idea of what Sir Monkey could have done to warrant this punishment, and upon reflection, I see a number of grey points in the case against him.

1. In the Allthing, King Uther stated when citing Article 1 of the Code of Conduct that there was a thread on the Skywatch Facebook Group where approximately 6 months ago Monkey’s conduct was given as a reason why 8 people quit the game. Since, it has been stated that it is the pattern of behavior, not the specific instance. This is a misrepresentation of the decision involved given to the allthing.
2. The Guildmaster of Reeves, as the second officer involved in the decision, was in office past the official term as set by corpora, and as such could have potentially been held by a different person that would not have agreed with the suspension set forth.
3. In the allthing, King Uther stated that the Monkey Rulewas not used as this would be a second offense, and as such a permanent ban from the kingdom. This is not supported by the copora, nor any information that can be found in the allthing minutes or a search of the forums. The Monkey Rule however does permit for the punished party the chance to overturn the punishment by a 2/3 vote by allthing.
4. There was no mention as to whether the Amtgard Ombudsman was consulted before this punishment was handed down, and as this is the first time our kingdom has ever applied the Code of Conduct, this is an important resource that should be utilized before a sentence using the Code of Conduct is handed down.
5. I have been informed that Sir Monkey’s account has been suspended from the Golden Plains forums. I feel this is an extreme over-reach of the suspension ruling, as to my knowledge, the only time anyone has been removed from a forum or facebook group is after they have been banned from that kingdom. Sir Monkey has been suspended from participation, but to deny him a voice in the kingdom he has dedicated over 15 years of service to is an extreme interpretation of “participation.”

This suspension sets a dangerous precedent for the kingdom, one in which a dissenting voice can be suspended without a means to appeal the decision. Many of us have been in a position where we have been frustrated with the direction our Kingdom or land has taken, and voiced that opinion in an abrupt or poorly chosen way, myself included (see some of my article for E-Sam for examples). Voicing an opinion, even if it is openly negative, of the kingdom should not be something that factors into a suspension.

I would like to point out that this suspension has actually hurt a land in the kingdom. Sir Monkey was set to run an egg tourney at the event when the suspension was handed down as a fundraiser to help Evermore Hollow recoup its coffers after paying for damages that occurred at a recent demo. Sir Monkey volunteered to run this tourney, and gathered 3 dozen eggs to have on hand for the tourney, all for a land he is not a resident of.

Ultimately, even if Sir Monkey’s suspension is upheld, as a Kingdom, we need to establish a process for those who have been punished via the Code of Conduct to appeal if they feel the punishment is unfair. Our corpora dictates the Monkey Rule is enforced by the Allthing, the voice of the people. I believe the Allthing should be able to overturn a Code of Conduct suspension or ban by 2/3 majority, just as it can override a decision via Monkey Rule.

I request that this motion be place on the April Allthing, and that Monkey be allowed to attend to present his case. Furthermore, I encourage all dues paid members of the kingdom to attend the Allthing in Nine Willows and make their voice heard through their vote.

In Service to the Kingdom, Present and Future,
Sir Arminius the Pale-Skinned

Thank you for posting this. Very well worded and all points backed up. Personally I think suspension and banning should be withheld for the worst offenses, not just voicing your opinion. With that said I support this motion wholeheartedly. Every populace should have an appeal process to punishments.

HAZAAH!

Now, I am well aware of how members of GP think of *my* opinions, and hopefully we can work on that.
However:

I'd like it brought up that Sir Monkey has done so much for this kingdom that many of us just take for granted. If pressed I am sure I could list plenty of reasons, but for now I am just going to go to work and come back to this later.

I would just like to put my 2 cents in here.
a) point 2 that was brought up has already been shot down. There was an allthing vote to suspend voting the gmr at quals((i belive thats where it was)) thus Sir Doughboy was still gmr at the time until a new GMR was elected.

b) Sir Monkey has openly said ((and I do not remember EXACT wording)) but along the lines of he is not upset he is suspended. He is okay with being suspended. It was the way he was suspended. No Warning, no chance to defend himself, no nothing.

c)) Code of Conduct does not require an allthing. The suspension is from all types or participation. He is not allowed to do anyting GP related. ((to my understanding)). This cannot be overturned by an allthing nor anyone but the gmr and monarch.

Sorry for the horrible spelling and construction, I suck with these kinds of things.

mizunami wrote:I would just like to put my 2 cents in here.
a) point 2 that was brought up has already been shot down. There was an allthing vote to suspend voting the gmr at quals((i belive thats where it was)) thus Sir Doughboy was still gmr at the time until a new GMR was elected.

Please reference the allthing minutes from the Quals allthing, quote here for your reference:

SirHern wrote:Golden Plains Quals overall scores
Uther 43.54 points
Tanis 25
Rodnik 11.6
Garon 6
Alucard 5
Joe 4
Flint 2
Stopwatch 1

The vote was taken for Monarchy of the Golden Plains
The Winner of the vote was Uther

We then began the election althing.
Kingdom of The Golden Plains 02/23/2014
Emergency Althing

Due to no one putting their intent to run for regent
Flint Nominated Sir Hern for the Position of GP Regent Mariah seconded it
For 7
Against 0
Abstain 3

It was motioned that Nevon be allowed to run for the position of champion even though he was not present by Shotgun
It was seconded by Flint.
For 7
Against
Abstain2

Nominated Nevon for the Position of Champion by Uther seconded by Akkir
For 6
Against 1
Abstain 3

A motion to replace the GP rules rep was made.
The althing was then closed.

Nowhere does it indicate that the vote for GMR was suspended via allthing decision. While it is possible that the vote was simply missed in the minutes, this does not change the fact that the GMR term was extended beyond the normal timeframe, which could have alter the possibility of the suspension being implemented.

mizunami wrote:b) Sir Monkey has openly said ((and I do not remember EXACT wording)) but along the lines of he is not upset he is suspended. He is okay with being suspended. It was the way he was suspended. No Warning, no chance to defend himself, no nothing.

Actually, Sir Monkey is not fine with the suspension. He does not feel what he has done warrants a suspension, however because of the extremes being taken in this matter, his account here on the forums has been temporarily blocked, and he cannot even make a case online. The statement you are referring to is that "If I had done something warranting a suspension I'd have been okay with it also would have been fine with it had they at least came to me about it if I did something wrong."

mizunami wrote:c)) Code of Conduct does not require an allthing. The suspension is from all types or participation. He is not allowed to do anyting GP related. ((to my understanding)). This cannot be overturned by an allthing nor anyone but the gmr and monarch.

Sorry for the horrible spelling and construction, I suck with these kinds of things.

Yes, the Code of Conduct gives the Monarch the ability to suspend, or even outright ban a player as long as either the PM or GMR agree with them. The difference here is that MOST other kingdoms allow for the person affected by this punishment to appeal the decision to the Allthing. Otherwise, this is a tremendous power that could potentially be abused.

In my 15 years in Amtgard, Suspension/Banning is a tool that is never used on a member who is in "good graces" with the majority of those in power. We have to remember that as a society, we have a duty to ensure that those who are receive the extremes of our punishment system have done so because of a sufficient cause. In this case, there are a number of points of concern to indicate this is not the case.

The greater issue at hand is not Sir Monkey's suspension; it is ensuring protection against future abuse of the system. Sir Monkey's suspension is temporary by nature, but what happens when in the future someone is banned under similarly shaky circumstances citing this incident as precedence? What recourse would they use to appeal the unjust treatment? The process in the Monkey Rule was established long before the Code of Conduct, and it includes an appeal protocol. All that I am calling for is the establishment of the same process for decisions made with the Code of Conduct. If 2/3 of the voting populace at the allthing do not agree the decision should be reversed, then the suspension will stand, and Sir Monkey will serve out the remainder of his punishment.

Sir Arminius