Very Enthusiastic Nerdz

The Very Enthusiastic Nerdz (VEN) is a small alliance on the Yellow team sphere. It was founded on April 23, 2010.

History
Founded on April 23, 2010 the founders of VEN came from the membership of the 57th Overlanders. These members believed that changes had to be made and decided that the only way for these changes to come was to create a new alliance. Thus VEN was born.

Overview:
In the beginning, the founders of the Very Enthusiastic Nerds had a difference of opinion as to exactly what theme they would operate on. No solution could be found, until someone who was very drunk and rather exasperated just randomly said, "Why don't we do all of them so then?". So that's what we decided to do.

Membership:
The Very Enthusiastic Nerds handle membership differently to most other alliances out there. Bluntly, our alliance is founded on the difference of opinion, rather than on any coherent thought... other than maybe tolerance of different opinion? Anyway, I'm getting way ahead of myself. Where was I? Oh, right, how do you join? Joining the Very Enthusiastic Nerds requires you to make one right choice and one even better choice. The first choice, as you may have guessed, is choosing the Nerds in the first place. I know right? You're already way ahead of the pack! Anyway, moving on. After making this outstanding decision and making your little post saying you want to be part of our fabulous alliance, we'll interview you and see if you'd be good in the alliance. Then comes the harder decision, which house will you choose. Entry into a particular House requires the approval of the House Senator. They're usually the blokes who recruit you, but not necessarily. Each House has a different theme, such as the Royal Navy, and even Family Guy, as particular aspects of the alliance that you enjoy. There is really no superiority difference between the houses, even if one is larger than another. Each just gives you a title, maybe even a rank (such as Lieutenant or Mr. Griffin), and let you roam your house as you please. Regardless of your title, as far as the entirety of the Very Enthusiastic Nerds are concerned, there are two "global" ranks. Government (the President Pro Tempore and the Senators/House Leaders) and the membership (everyone else). These two tiers are the official standpoint of the Very Enthusiastic Nerds as a community generally.

Houses:
I know what you want to know. I'm impressive like that. Basically, the Houses are a community inside an alliance. Some people prefer X theme over Y theme. Personally, I just prefer girls, but what're you gonna do? Anyway, each House has a single Senator (which I'll get to later) who is also the House Leader. The Senator/House Leader (who will probably take a more thematic title based on their House is elected internally once every 6 months, as that House decides is best. New Houses are commissioned by the President Pro Tempore and approval of the Senate on the basis of a minimum of 5 members, and a theme that is distinct from any other House. While there are only two official tiers of membership as far as the Very Enthusiastic Nerds are concerned, internal House protocols may be established as best they see fit. Provided nothing is done inside a House that isn't contrary to government decisions and this document, they should give it a lash anyway and see what happens. You can move from House to House as you see fit, but you must have approval from the House Leader to gain entry into a House.

Once a house is instated in the VEN it must maintain its membership. If the house falls below 5 members the house must reach the minimum of 5 members within the current Senator's term limit in order to maintain the house. If the member count of the house is below five at the next elections then the house will no longer exist. However, houses can always be reinstated into the VEN provided they meet the requirements of membership.

Government:
There are two pillars to the government. The Senate and the President Pro Tempore.

The Senate is an assembly of the House Leaders. They are elected internally and govern their House as best they see fit, provided it doesn't clash with a Very Enthusiastic Nerds set standard or policy.

The President Pro Tempore is a popularly elected leader of the alliance from the entirety of the membership of the Very Enthusiastic Nerds.

Order of Succession:
In the event that the President Pro Tempore is unavailable for an extended period of time to make decisions, an emergency runoff election will be held consisting of only the Senators to determine the temporary fill-in.

Decisions:
The Senate and the President Pro Tempore represent the government of the Very Enthusiastic Nerds, and take the decisions that must be taken on a regular basis in the proper running of an alliance. There are no set Ministers for any particular department. However, a Senator can (and is expected to) work in a particular sphere of the alliance. This is done on the understanding that no House will impede his running of that department in any manner other than through the Senate. On the whole, we're all decent folk and so we trust that nobody will go and make a decision that would be detrimental to all concerned. So, any Senator working in a particular sphere can flake away with his set policies to his heart's content.

Any other Senator though may, with at least one other Senator seconding him, bring any particular policy under review. During this time, the Senator is expected to continue with his efforts, and all members are expected to comply with these policies. Any issue under review must be voted upon within 7 days of it being brought under review. The options for voting are always the same: Agreement, Disagreement, Defer (the subject is to remain under debate while it is being implemented). The President Pro Tempore is to oversee the vote, ensure that the system moves smoothly, and has a tie-breaking vote should it be required.

Elections:
President Pro Tempore

The President Pro Tempore is elected by a popular vote by all members of the Very Enthusiastic Nerds. Candidates will be chosen from among the membership. They must have spent a minimum of two months in each house, declaring their intentions on running prior to their "House Crawl". If no member should meet this criteria, the first two people closest to this requirement are selected. Nominations are to begin on the 1st of every January, ending in a voting period from the 24th-31st of that same month. Candidates are not to establish platforms or official campaigns until the week of voting.

Internal House elections

All affiliated with Internal House elections (who can run, term length, etc.) is to be determined by each House. Internally, anything can vary between houses.

Side Note: No Senator or President Pro Tempore may serve more than two terms consecutively, but may run again after sitting out a term.

Redress:
Cross-House Disputes:

Any dispute that occurs between two or more Houses will be settled in the court of the Senate and President Pro Tempore. The Senate shall act as jury, and the President Pro Tempore shall act as the judge.

Internal House Disputes:

Any disputes involving only one House are to be handled by the House Leader, unless they specifically request to the contrary. The President Pro Tempore may also decide that the House leader is unable to contain the issue, in which case it will be settled as a cross-House dispute.

Removal from Office:
Upon a Senator's unapproved leave of absense for 1 week without the appointment of a deputy, the President Pro Tempore may demand the removal of a Senator. This will result in an internal House election, with an deputy appointed (within 72 hours of said absense) by the President Pro Tempore acting in place of the House Leader.

Warfare:
First and foremost The VEN would like everyone to realize that before war is considered all peaceful diplomatic means will be attempted. Though war is inevitable at some points we prefer for that to be our last choice of diplomacy.

One important issue to note, is that a cadre of officers under the President Pro Tempore is to administer and lead the Very Enthusiastic Nerds military as he best sees fit.

Defensive Warfare: If nation of VEN is attacked we will first simply ask for the offending nation to apologize and give some retribution for damages caused. If the messages go unanswered then the offending nation will come under fire from the nations within VEN until they're in a deep hole that they won't be able to get out of.

Aggressive Warfare: The VEN is not one for aggressive wars and will attempt peaceful diplomacy before any war.

However, if a member of VEN decides his honor's been affected, we won't think too hard about making him see otherwise. We aren't here to baby them, so our members will handle their own scuffles however they feel best. Point being, if a member of VEN picks a fight with an unaligned nation without getting the ok, you won't see us coming in to save the day except when the fighting ends and the tables turn.

If a member of VEN attacks an aligned nation then they will immediately be brought before the court for a military tribunal. No exceptions. There may at some point come a time when we feel a particular alliance has either caused extreme offense to The VEN or has caused us a number of problems, this is when The VEN will declare war.

Raiding is a no. Don't bother asking.

Nukes: Nations that can use nukes are encouraged to do so, but it's not mandated. Nuclear first strikes are a part of warfare. You spent the money on the nuke, so you've got the right to use them. The VEN will use nukes in order to defend itself, though, the use of nukes in a defensive war must be approved by the Senate and President Pro Tempore. No nukes will be used against a nuke free nation, unless said nation uses a spy against our members' nukes, then the offending nation is fair game. Also, if a nation believes that they can get a jump on us by making the attack at update, they can expect a full retaliation from The VEN.

Spies: Our members are allowed spies and won't hear any complaints from us. Spies are a part of military maneuvers and we see them as such. The VEN will answer any spying with spying. The VEN will not attack due to spying, but if an alliance decides to send in their forces first, they'll be met by the full force of The VEN. Spying away nukes is considered an act of war and we'll be treated as such. Hands off the merchandise.

Amendments:
Amendments are allowed on this document. For an amendment to be considered, the proposer must be an active member for at least 2 months and must provide just cause for the change. All amendment requests will go before the Senate for review and approval. The Senate has the authority to change the amendment in any way they see fit and it must be approved my a 2/3 majority. Amendment trials will be open to all members of the alliance so that the many views can be represented.