Article of the Arizona Corsairs

Name of the Organization

The name of the organization shall be the Arizona Corsairs.
Also referred to as the AZ Corsairs.

Mission Statement

The Arizona Corsairs exist to incorporate the theme of pirates and piracy in all forms; be it historical, legendary, cinematic, or literary; in everything we do for our enjoyment and the enjoyment of the general public.

Membership

Primary membership begins with a ship.
For a ship to form, it requires a captain and a crew.

Captaincy shall be defined and governed as follows:

Any person who has met the basic requirements as set forth by these articles (Article III, Section 2, Sub-section a.) shall be said to hold captaincy. Officially Recognized Captaincy does not expire; however, it may be revoked by a vote of quorum of the Council of Captains (see article IV.).
Captaincy is a rank established by being sponsored by a recognized captain of the AZ Corsairs for one year, upon which time the captain will become an “Officially- recognized” Arizona Corsair Captain before the Council of Captains. Only an “Officially-recognized” AZ Corsair Captain may sponsor someone for captaincy.

An officially-recognized captain may only sponsor one captain at one time, unless otherwise selected by the Council of Captains for reasons of mutiny as covered in Article VI, Section3.
Once the sponsored captain becomes official, the sponsoring captain may select another to be sponsored.

Before being sponsored, the said captain must have:

A name for his or her ship.
A “Roger”/Jack (ship’s colors, design, or motto to be displayed on a flag).
A ship’s mission statement that does not conflict with the articles.
At least five crew members who recognize him/her as captain for one year.

Captain’s Duties & Responsibilities

A captain shall be responsible for himself and his crew at all times.
The matters of discipline shall be the jurisdiction of the captain involved, with the following restrictions:

No ship law may conflict with the Arizona Corsairs Articles and Code of Conduct.
No ship laws may supersede the laws and titles of the governmental jurisdiction in which the ship operates and exists.

A captain is responsible for the annual tariff placed on his/her ship for membership. (A captain may request the tariff from his/her crew or not).

This annual tariff fee is required for ship’s recognition along with primary contact information, including mailing address and phone number.
The annual tariff is subject to change, upon review and voted by the Council of Captains.
Current tariff comes with these privileges:

A seat upon the Council of Captains and all privileges that come with that responsibility (Article V).
The Captain’s Ship is listed on all websites and official ledgers as being recognized as an “Official” Ship of the AZ Corsairs.
All crew from a recognized ship are recognized as members of the Arizona Corsairs.

A captain is responsible to assign members of his ship as proxy and at minimum there must at least be a first officer.

Duties of the first officer:

A first officer should attend Captains’ Council whenever possible
Most importantly the first officer must attend in the captain’s stead at a council meeting to declare the captain’s vote by proxy if the captain is unable to attend.
The vote stated by the first officer is dictated as the word of his or her captain and shall be counted as such.

Responsibility of sponsoring captain

To inform the incoming captain of the Articles and Code of Conduct of the AZ Corsairs.
To relate the traditions and history of the AZ Corsairs.
To inform the probationary captain of meetings and current events.
Introduce the new captain to the Council of Captains.
Mentorship.

A sponsoring captain may pull sponsorship at any time, thus removing membership status.
May speak on behalf of the new captain in Council and Tribunals.

Crew Member

A crew member is someone that is considered a member of a ship that they support and are supported from.
Crew members are represented in the Council of Captains by their captain.

Membership Packet

With every ship membership there will be a membership packet granted the captain to include:

Set of business cards with AZ Corsairs contact information.
Access to the Captain’s Forum and Email Listings.

Loss of Membership

Captains’ and Ships’ Membership

It is important to note that a ship is how the captain’s crew holds membership and is represented by council. This is a lifetime title as long as annual tariffs are met and the captain wishes to keep it.

Any captain or crew member’s conduct or actions that would be contrary to the Arizona Corsairs Articles or Code of Conduct could be grounds to initiate a Council Tribunal.
Any captain or sponsored captain may address the actions of a crew member prior to a Captains’ Council or Tribunal.

Tribunal Council

When the actions of a member have been brought to the attention of the council, a Tribunal Meeting will be set forth within a month, with all parties involved to be called forth before the Council Tribunal.
A Council Tribunal shall consist of not less than a quorum of the captains (A quorum is 2/3 of the current captains that sit on the Council of the Captains)
Captain of the ship concerning the tribunal may not sit on the tribunal.
The tribunal shall hear the evidence on grounds that the offender is innocent until proven guilty.
There may be representation present at Tribunal for crew members or sponsored captains. (Captains for crew members and sponsoring captains for probationary captains)
Any member may speak for themselves at anytime. (Right to represent oneself)
An inquisitor must be selected by the Tribunal prior to the proceedings.

This may be any captain or first mate of the Tribunal’s choosing on a majority vote.
The individual must be chosen a week prior to the proceedings at minimum.
The inquisitor may not be chosen from the same ship as the offender.
The inquisitor is to research all the information and speak to all the witnesses on behalf of the Tribunal to present a case.
The inquisitor must share all of its findings with the defense upon defense’s request.

The Tribunal will vote with majority for a judge among themselves to only conduct the proceedings.
The Tribunal will vote for majority for a secretary to report the proceedings. (This does not have to be a member of the Tribunal Council.)
Upon hearing all arguments, either from both defense and prosecution, the Tribunal will vote for removal of said membership status.

For crew member the Tribunal only needs a majority vote for removal of membership.
For captain or ship there must be a unanimous vote of the Tribunal for loss of membership.
In the case of a majority vote for the captain’s or ship’s removal, the captain or ship will be placed on notice for six months. After the six months, the notice will be removed and not held against the person or ship again.

If the captain or ship is brought before the Tribunal again for any other reason, it will only take a MAJORITY vote of the Tribunal for the loss of membership.

For all cases of membership loss, the member shall be stripped of all AZ Corsair titles and privileges and taken off the listings on websites and ledgers. Any equipment and loaned items from the AZ Corsairs should be returned.

Any attempt to bring a person or ship up on the same charges shall be considered “Double Jeopardy,” and will be ignored by the Captains’ Council for convening a Tribunal.
The Tribunal Council may recess a tribunal for any reason it deems necessary, i.e., for length of arguments creating a need for a break or for research into any argument.

Council of Captains

Preface: The Captains’ Council has been established to discuss and vote on all issues that involve the Arizona Corsairs as a whole. Individual ships are free to function on their own and represent themselves as Arizona Corsairs so long as they follow the Articles and Code of Conduct.

The Council of Captains will meet every 3^rd Sunday of the month to do business, unless otherwise noted by the Council of Captains for the purposes of holidays or conflicts of interest such as official events. Then the meeting will be adjusted.
Elections are to be held annually every September for officers of the Captains’ Council.

Officers are chosen with a majority vote of the Council.

The Body of the Council

The Council is made up of all captains of the Arizona Corsairs and all are considered equals at this Council.
Officers of the Captains’ Council

Officers of the Council will be elected for a service of not longer than a year. (Nor allowed to be elected for a consecutive year; however, they may be elected the year after not serving in that position (i.e., A treasurer could be elected the next year as ambassador, but not as treasurer).

Officer Titles & Duties:

Secretary

Duties to include but not limited to:

Recording minutes of the Captains’ Council meetings.
Keeping and organizing the archives, including ship contact information and status. (Materials to be supplied by treasury).
Posting of minutes from Captains’ Council meetings.
Contact all captains on new matters prior to meetings.
Control materials needed for meetings such as recorders, conference calling, etc…
Tertiary contact for external events or productions.

Treasurer

Duties to include but not limited to:

Tracking and collection of ship tariffs.
Accounting for the Arizona Corsairs on a whole.
Tracking of expenditures.
Reporting of balances and shares.
Account access combined with Council Chair or Ambassador.

Check writing.
Deposits.
Account Transfers.

Is responsible for the filing of annual taxes.

Ambassador

Duties to include but not limited to:

Will conduct Captains’ Council meetings in absence of the Council Chair as the position.
Is the primary contact for external events or production requests.
Is a co-signer for account access combined with the treasurer.
Primary contact for media and press.

Council Chair

Duties to include but not limited to:

To conduct Captains’ Council meetings using “Robert’s Rules” as a guideline.
Secondary contact for external events or production requests.
Is a co-signer for account access combined with the treasurer.
Secondary contact for media and press.
Upon ties, chair may break it with an additional vote.

Voting

All events involving the Arizona Corsairs as a whole must be voted on by the Council of Captains.

Official events and projects require majority vote by captains.
Ship events are a matter of individual ships.

All captains have a right to vote.
If a captain is unavailable for the meeting, the first mate of their ship may vote in their stead with all rights of the captain.
If neither the captain nor first mate or any representative of the ship is unable to be present for the vote, a proxy may be chosen by the captain of the absent ship.

A proxy vote may be a written and signed statement by the captain of the absent ship, or given in such a way as to be understood by all captains present. (Telephone, email, etc…)
The proxy may only pertain to a singular matter/meeting and any other vote/meeting would require another proxy.
The proxy may be delivered by any means necessary to the Council of Captains.

In some cases a conference call or texting may be utilized by the Council, but is not required.
Majority will be ruled as 51% or more present at a meeting.
Quorum will be ruled as 2/3 of total Captains on Council.

Powers of the Council

Council has the right to alter or amend the Articles or the Code of Conduct with a quorum vote(2/3 of total captains on the Council).
Council will create a Tribunal as covered in article IV section 2, for matters of discipline.
Council will select events to be officially recognized and backed by the Arizona Corsairs with a majority vote of the Council (51% or more of Council present).
Council has the right create events and programs for the Arizona Corsair with a majority vote of the Council (51% or more of Council present).
Council will elect officers and representatives with a majority vote of the Council (51% or more of Council present).
Council will recognize a captain that has met all the requirements of captaincy as covered in Article III, Section 2.
Council is to decide on promotions and official gear and collateral (i.e. flyers, brochures, posters, etc…) with majority present.
Council may create “sub-committees” or ship alliances to handle events or projects.

Alliances will report to the Council of Captains while planning and executing events or projects.
Alliance may be granted a stipend for event or project expenses, as designated by the Council (Based on an as-needed-basis).
Sub-committees/Alliances will be granted power to purchase, barter and act as an agent for the event or project it was formed for.

Mutiny

Mutiny is wherein the crewmembers of an existing officially-recognized ship of the Arizona Corsairs wish to remove the captain of said ship from its command. The following shall take place:

A Case of Mutiny

Before a case of mutiny may exist; any crewmember of the ship in question shall have convened with other crewmembers of the ship and become aware of the significant state of the dissatisfaction in not less than 1/3 of the crew.
The significant state of dissatisfaction shall be recognized to exist if the said crewmember that convened the meeting of mutineers is willing to pursue the matter of mutiny before the Council of Captains. (This should be a last possible remedy to any unsatisfactory command condition on board the ship in question.)
The crewmember in charge of the mutiny shall inform the Council of Captains that a state of mutiny is in effect in person before the council with a written statement, including the signatures of all mutineers involved as an official Act of Mutiny.
In extreme cases the crewmember in charge of the mutiny may make the Act of Mutiny available to all the captains of the Council with copies of the signed agreement prior to a pre-scribed meeting of the Council.
After the Act of Mutiny has been given to the Council of Captains, including the captain in question;

The captain of said ship shall not disband the ship or take any actions against the mutineers until such a time as the matter of mutiny has been resolved before the Council of Captains.

Council Resolution of Mutiny

Council will make the Act of Mutiny an “Incidental Motion” with a second by default at the first convened Captains’ Council after the Act of Mutiny had been submitted.
Both the Captain and the Mutineer in Charge are to appear before the Council at this meeting.

Failure to show on behalf of the Mutiny by the Mutineer in Charge will be treated as default for the captain and the said crew will remain onboard without reprisal.
Failure of said captain to appear on behalf of the ship will be treated as default for the mutineers and the mutineers will have succeeded in their mutiny (See successful mutiny below).

A hearing of grievances and a reasonable attempt to resolve the differences will be conducted by the Council of Captains.

If no solution can be agreed upon by all parties, the Council of Captains shall vote as to the outcome of the mutiny.

Decision of a Mutiny

After a successful mutiny, the mutineer leader shall take on the responsibilities defined by the Articles for a New Captain. (See Article III, Section 2)
With exceptions:

The newly appointed captain will be granted a sponsorship from the Council with the requirements of a year of sponsorship.
This supersedes the limitations of only sponsoring one captain as in Article III.

Upon completion of the sponsored year, the new captain will be recognized as a captain in accordance to Article III.
The fellow mutineers that had signed upon the Act of Mutiny shall be the new crew for the ship and answer to the leader of the mutiny as captain.

If the mutineers are short the required five members, they will have until the end of the year to attain the required number of crew.

The captain of the original ship shall retain the rights to the name, roger, and the remaining loyal crew of the current ship.

Appendix: Parliamentary Procedure (only used as a loose outline)

Parliamentary procedure provides the process for proposing, amending, approving and defeating legislative motions. Although following parliamentary procedure is not required, it can make council meetings more efficient and reduces the chances of council actions being declared illegal or challenged for procedural deficiencies.

Many city councils and boards of county commissioners have adopted Robert's Rules of Order, by reference, for the purpose of providing rules of parliamentary procedure for meetings. However, Robert's Rules was drafted primarily for large assemblies and not so much for use by small legislative bodies such as city councils or boards of county commissioners, and they are quite formal and detailed. As a result, some local legislative bodies have found it advantageous to craft their own less detailed and less formal rules of procedure. So, as a practical matter, many councils and boards of county commissioners that have adopted Robert's Rules but that prefer to operate less formally use them only where their own rules do not address a particular procedural matter.

Robert's Rules

The following section summarizes important points from Robert's Rules of Order. Other parliamentary rules or your own council rules of procedure may contain different provisions.

• Only one subject may be before a group at one time. Each item to be considered is proposed as a motion which usually requires a "second" before being put to a vote. Once a motion is made and seconded, the chair places the question before the council by restating the motion.

• "Negative" motions are generally not permitted. To dispose of a business item, the motion should be phrased as a positive action to take, and then, if the group desires not to take this action, the motion should be voted down. The exception to this rule is when a governing body is asked to take action on a request and wishes to create a record as to why the denial is justified.

• Only one person may speak at any given time. When a motion is on the floor, an order of speaking is prescribed by Robert's Rules, allowing the mover of a motion to speak first, so that the group understands the basic premise of the motion. The mover is also the last to speak, so that the group has an opportunity to consider rebuttals to any arguments opposing the motion.

• All members have equal rights. Each speaker must be recognized by the moderator prior to speaking. Each speaker should make clear his or her intent by stating, "I wish to speak for/against the motion," prior to stating arguments.

• Each item presented for consideration is entitled to a full and free debate. Each person speaks once, until everyone else has had an opportunity to speak.

• The rights of the minority must be protected, but the will of the majority must prevail. Persons who don't share the point of view of the majority have a right to have their ideas presented for consideration, but ultimately the majority will determine what the council will or will not do.

Motions

Business is brought before the council by motions, a formal procedure for taking actions. To make a motion, a councilmember must first be recognized by the mayor. After the councilmember has made a motion (and after the motion is seconded if required), the chair must then restate it or rule it out of order, then call for discussion. Most motions require a second, although there are a few exceptions.

Exact wording of motions and amendments is important for clarity and recording in the minutes. If it's a complex motion, the motion should be written down for the chair to read.

Robert's Rules of Order provides for four general types of motions:

Main Motions

The most important are main motions, which bring before the board, for its action, any particular subject. Main motions cannot be made when any other motions are before the group.

Subsidiary Motions

Subsidiary motions are motions which direct or change how a main motion is handled. These motions include:

• Tabling. Used to postpone discussion until the group decides by majority vote to resume discussion. By adopting the motion to "lay on the table", a majority has the power to halt consideration of the question immediately without debate. Requires a second, non-debatable, not amendable.

• Previous Question or Close Debate. Used to bring the body to an immediate vote. It closes debate and stops further amendment. Contrary to some misconceptions, the majority decides when enough discussion has occurred, not the moderator. The formal motion is to "call for the question" or "call for the previous question," or simply, "I move to close debate." The motion requires a second, is not debatable and requires a two-thirds majority.

• Limit/Extend Debate. May be desired if the group has adopted a rule limiting the amount of time that will be spent on a topic, or if the group desires to impose a time limitation.

• Postpone to a Definite Time. Similar to tabling, except that the motion directs that the matter will be taken up again at some specific date and time.

• Refer to Committee. Directs that some other body will study the matter and report back.

• Amendment. Used to "fine tune" a motion to make it more acceptable to the group. The amendment must be related to the main motion's intent and cannot be phrased in a way that would defeat the main motion. Two amendments may be on the floor at one time: the first amendment modifies the main motion, and the second amendment must relate to the first amendment. When an amendment is on the floor, only the amendment may be debated. The amendments are voted on in the reverse order in which they were made, as each amendment changes to some degree the intent of the main motion. As each amendment is voted on, an additional primary or secondary amendment may be introduced. Requires a second, debatable, majority vote.

• Postpone Indefinitely. This motion effectively kills a motion, because, if adopted, a two-thirds vote is subsequently required to take the matter up again.

Incidental Motions

Incidental motions are housekeeping motions which are in order at any time, taking precedence over main motions and subsidiary motions. These motions include:

• Point of Order. To bring to the group's attention that the rules are being violated. You don't need not to be recognized prior to making a point of order. This is not really a motion, but requires the moderator to make a ruling as to whether or not immediate consideration is proper.

• Appeal from the Decision of the Chair. The group can overrule the chair on any decision. While the motion must be seconded, it cannot be amended. When this motion is moved and seconded, the moderator immediately states the question, "Shall the decision of the chair stand as the judgment of the council?" If there is a tie vote, the chair's decision is upheld. The motion is not debatable when it applies to a matter of improper use of authority or when it is made while there is a pending motion to close debate. However, the motion can be debated at other times. Each person may speak once, and the moderator may also state the basis for the decision.

• Parliamentary Inquiry. Not a motion, but a question as to whether an action would be in order.

• Point of Information. A person may rise to offer information that is considered necessary for the group. This provision is not used to offer debate.

• Division of Assembly. To require a more precise method of counting votes than by a voice vote, such as having persons raise hands, or stand. No second, not debatable, no vote required.

• Request to Withdraw a Motion. Contrary to popular misconception, a motion cannot be withdrawn by its mover. This request requires majority approval.

• Suspension of the Rules. When matters are to be taken out of order, or a particular task can be better handled without formal rules in place, this motion can be approved by a two-thirds vote of the group. However, until the rules are restored, only discussion can occur; no decisions can be made. Second required, not debatable, not amendable.

• Object to Consideration of a Question. When a motion is so outrageous, intended to distract the group from resolving legitimate business. The motion can be objected to and ruled out of order without debate. However, if the chair does not rule the motion out of order, a two-thirds vote of the group can block further consideration.

Renewal Motions

Once the group has taken action, renewal motions require the group to further discuss or dispose of a motion. The motions include:

• Reconsider. When the group needs to discuss further a motion that has already been defeated at the same meeting. A majority of the council must approve taking additional time to debate the motion again. The motion can be made only by a person who voted on the prevailing side earlier on the question. Contrary to another popular misconception, the motion may be brought up again at a subsequent meeting. If the moderator believes that there is no indication that the group's wishes have changed, however, the motion can be ruled out of order, subject to an appeal from the decision of the chair.

• Take from the Table. Unless the original motion to table directed that the motion be brought back at a specific date and time, a majority of the group must pass a motion to take from the table. Such a motion is non-debatable.

• Rescind. When the group wishes to annul some action, a motion to rescind is in order at any time. If prior notice has been given to the group that this action will be considered, the motion to rescind can pass with a simple majority vote; however, if no prior notice has been given, the vote requires a two-thirds majority.

Questions of Privilege

Finally, there are a few questions of privilege that are in order at any time and must be disposed of prior to resuming discussion on the matter at hand:

Fix the Time for Next Meeting. This is in order at any time, including when a motion to adjourn is pending. Second required, not debatable, amendable.
Adjourn. To bring the meeting to a halt. Second required, not debatable, not amendable. Alternatively, instead of a motion, the chair can ask if there is any further business. If no response, the chair can say, "since there is no further business, the meeting is adjourned."
Recess. A temporary break in the meeting; should state a time at which the meeting will resume. Second required, not debatable, not amendable.
Point of Privilege. A matter that concerns the welfare of the group. Can be raised even when another person is speaking. No second, not debatable, no vote required.
Call for the Orders of the Day. A demand that the group return to the agenda. Can be taken when another person is speaking, no second required, not debatable, no vote required.