Article XXI (21) of the Constitution of the Nation of Pacifica

Military, Defense, and Veterans Affairs

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Article XXI (21) of the Constitution of the Nation of Pacifica

Military, Defense, and Veterans Affairs

Article XXI (21): Military, Defense, and Veterans Affairs

    Commmentary: Article XXI (21) covers the military, defense, and veterans affairs.

additional commentary

    “Little money should be spent on a military. Let the U.S. be the policeman of the world. Pacifica would be a nice, neutral country. We’d have a force suitable for defending our borders, but could accept not blowing up the world 12 times over.” —Pacifica unite!, by Matt Cail, 1999, The Daily, University of Washington


    [Documment Quotations:] Quoations in light gray from source documents are for reference only annd are not part of the Constitution of the Nation of Pacifica.

    This Constitution is a work in progress.

Article XXI (21): Military, Defense, and Veterans Affairs

Section 1. [powers of Congress]

    Clause 1: The Congress shall have power to provide for the common defense of the Nation of Pacifica;

    [Constitution of the United States of America, Article I, Section 8, Clause 1:] The Congress shall have Power To lay and collect Taxes, Duties, Imposts and Excises, to pay the Debts and provide for the common Defence and general Welfare of the United States; but all Duties, Imposts and Excises shall be uniform throughout the United States;

    Clause 2: The Congress shall have power to declare war, grant letters of marque and reprisal, and make rules concerning captures on land and water.

    [Constitution of the United States of America, Article I, Section 8, Clause 11:] The Congress shall have Power … To declare War, grant Letters of Marque and Reprisal, and make Rules concerning Captures on Land and Water;

    Clause 3: The Congress shall have power to raise and support armies, but no appropriation of money to that use shall be for a longer term than two years.

    [Constitution of the United States of America, Article I, Section 8, Clause 12:] The Congress shall have Power … To raise and support Armies, but no Appropriation of Money to that Use shall be for a longer Term than two Years;

    Clause 4: The Congress shall have power to provide and maintain a navy, coastal guard, and lighthouses.

    [Constitution of the United States of America, Article I, Section 8, Clause 13:] The Congress shall have Power … To provide and maintain a Navy;

    Clause 5: The Congress shall have power to provide and maintain an air force and space force.

    Clause 6: The Congress shall have power to make rules for the government and regulation of the land, naval, air, and space forces.

    [Constitution of the United States of America, Article I, Section 8, Clause 14:] The Congress shall have Power … To make Rules for the Government and Regulation of the land and naval Forces;

    Clause 7: The Congress shall have power to provide for calling forth the militia to execute the laws of the Union, suppress insurrections, and repel invasions.

    [Constitution of the United States of America, Article I, Section 8, Clause 15:] The Congress shall have Power … To provide for calling forth the Militia to execute the Laws of the Union, suppress Insurrections and repel Invasions;

    Clause 8: The Congress shall have power to provide for organizing, arming, and disciplining, the militia, and for governing such part of them as may be employed in the service of the Nation of Pacifica, reserving to the states respectively, the appointment of the officers, and the authority of training the militia according to the discipline prescribed by Congress.

    [Constitution of the United States of America, Article I, Section 8, Clause 16:] The Congress shall have Power … To provide for organizing, arming, and disciplining, the Militia, and for governing such Part of them as may be employed in the Service of the United States, reserving to the States respectively, the Appointment of the Officers, and the Authority of training the Militia according to the discipline prescribed by Congress;

    Clause 9: The Congress shall have power to exercise exclusive legislation in all cases whatsoever over all places purchased by the consent of the legislature of the state in which the same shall be, for the erection of forts, magazines, arsenals, dock-yards, and other needful buildings.

    [Constitution of the United States of America, Article I, Section 8, Clause 17:] The Congress shall have Power … To exercise exclusive Legislation in all Cases whatsoever, over such District (not exceeding ten Miles square) as may, byCession of particular States, and the Acceptance of Congress, become the Seat of the Government of the United States, and to exercise like Authority over all Places purchased by the Consent of the Legislature of the State in which the Same shall be, for the Erection of Forts, Magazines, Arsenals, dock-Yards, and other needful Buildings;

Section 2. [Chancellor of Defense]

    Clause 1: The Chancellor of Defense shall be the chief executive of federal departments regarding military, defense, and veterans affairs. He or she shall hold his or her office during the term of five years, and be elected by the people of the Nation of Pacifica.

    Clause 2: No person shall be elected to the office of the Chancellor of Defense more than once.

    Clause 3: The Congress may determine the time of voting for Chancellor of Defense; which day shall be the same throughout the Nation of Pacifica.

    Clause 4: The terms of the Chancellor of Defense shall end at noon on the 20th day of January, and the term of his or her successor shall then begin.

    Clause 5: Before he enter on the execution of his or her office, he or she shall take the following oath or affirmation:—“I do solemnly swear (or affirm) that I will faithfully execute the office of Chancellor of Defense for the Nation of Pacifica, and will to the best of my ability, preserve, protect, and defend the Constitution of the Nation of Pacifica.”

    Clause 6: Whenever there is a vacancy in the office of the Chancellor of Defense, the President shall nominate a Chancellor of military, defense, and veterans affairs who shall take office upon confirmation by a majority vote of both Houses of Congress. If the remainder of the term is less than three years, the new Chancellor of Defense may run for reelection once.

    Clause 7: The Chancellor of Defense shall, at stated times, receive for his or her services, a compensation, which shall neither be increased nor diminished during the period for which he or she shall have been elected, and he or she shall not receive within that period any other emolument from the Nation of Pacifica, or any of the states.

    Clause 8: Should the a 55% majority of the Senate vote no confidence in the Chancellor of Defense, the people shall vote on the Chancellor of Defense at the next election. If the sitting Chancellor of Defense receives the most votes, he or she shall continue to serve the remainder of his or her term. If another candidate receives the most votes, he or she shall become the new Chancellor of Defense and serve the remainder of the term. If the remainder of the term is less than three years, the new Chancellor of Defense may run for reelection once.

Section 3. [powers and duties of Chancellor of Defense]

    Clause 1: The Chancellor of Defense set policy regarding military, defense, and veterans affairs; and he or she may require the opinion, in writing, of the officers in the military, defense, and veterans affairs executive departments, upon any subject relating to the duties of their respective offices.

    Clause 2: The Chancellor of Defense shall nominate, and by and with the advice and consent of the Senate and the President sitting at the time of the nomination, shall appoint public ministers and consuls and all other officers of the military, defense, and veterans affairs executive departments, whose appointments are not herein otherwise provided for, and which shall be established by law: but the Congress may by law vest the appointment of such inferior officers, as they think proper, in the President alone, in the courts of law, in the Chancellor of Defense, or in the heads of departments.

    Clause 3: The Chancellor of Defense shall have power to fill up all vacancies that may happen during the recess of the Senate, by granting commissions which shall expire at the end of their next session.

    Clause 4: The Chancellor of Defense shall chair the Senate committees corresponding with military, defense, and veterans affairs.

    Clause 5: The Chancellor of Defense shall from recommend to Congress for consideration such measures as he or she shall judge necessary and expedient; and he or she shall take care that the laws be faithfully executed. The Chancellor of Defense shall appear before each House of Congress from time to time as determined by each House to give information on military, defense, and veterans affairs and answer questions from the members of each House.

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This Constitution is a work in progress.