UIU Memorandum — Paralaw Briefing

Edit Canary: 10/13/22 - six

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Memorandum
OF FBI Unusual Incidents Unit;
TO US Domestic Security Advisor;
FROM Executive Assistant Director of UIU

Arkwright,

Congratulations on the promotion, and my deepest sympathies. Unfortunately, the President has given me your old job, so you can't have it back now. Still, I'm glad it's you and not one of the ghostfuckers.

You'll remember you had me working on a briefing for the incoming DomSec Advisor, to bring them up to speed on all those thorny bits of law and government that don't officially exist. Obviously, you don't need that now, but I thought it might be useful for looping in the new members of the Council, so I beefed it up a bit and dumbed it down to the level of the average Senator. If that's still too much for them, try using crayons.

— AD Richard Frost

What is the Veil?

There is an international consensus to conceal from the general public the existence of certain inexplicable and unconventional phenomena which defy the natural order as it is commonly and currently understood. These phenomena are variously deemed paranormal, esoteric, occult, paranatural, and/or anomalous; the effort to conceal them is known as the Veil.

The Veil was established and codified in the wake of the 6th and 7th Occult Wars. These were a pair of global conflicts in the 19th and 20th centuries which involved the extensive usage of paranormal weapons and persons, and which at several points threatened to destroy humanity, Earth, and the United States.

The Veil is founded on the belief — justified by the Occult Wars — that widespread dissemination of paranormal knowledge and objects will incite mass panic, empower rogue actors, endanger humanity, and jeopardize national security.

The Veil is not absolute. Countless numbers of people possess some small awareness of paranormal phenomena, either from folklore or personal encounter, and entire communities exist completely behind the Veil. The objective of the Veil is to promote consensus normalcy as the dominant worldview, minimize discussion to the contrary, and undermine the credibility of such discussions. To this end, the definition of consensus normalcy has been revised several times to accommodate advances in science and failures of the Veil.

What is Paralaw?

Paralaw is the body of law related to the Veil. It includes both the organic laws that establish and define the Veil and consensus normalcy, as well as specific regulations and proscriptions meant to enforce and maintain the Veil. While secret in its implementation, paralaw is not secret law — the most important articles of paralaw are incorporated into the public law, albeit in an opaque or obscure manner that does not betray the existence of the Veil.

Paralaw can be broadly divided into two fields, classified by the spheres in which it operates.

  • General paralaw mainly applies to individuals not privy to the Veil, and is aimed at the maintenance of consensus normalcy. Most federal powers to control the movement of persons, goods, and information in relation to the Veil are derived from general paralaw.
  • Personal paralaw is only applicable to individuals and entities operating behind the Veil. It encompasses a wide range of criminal, regulatory, and civil law, with the intention of policing paranormal communities so that they do not disrupt consensus normalcy.

Basis of Paralaw

In the United States, paralaw is the exclusive jurisdiction of the federal government. Constitutional authority is primarily derived from the Commerce Clause1, the Copyright Clause2, the Define and Punish Clause3, and the Necessary and Proper Clause4.

There are four major sources for specific articles of paralaw.

  • International treaty — The fundamental nature and character of the Veil is defined by several international treaties, the most important being the four Conventions on the Veil Accords, the Charter of the Global Occult Coalition, and the Köln Agreement. As a signatory to the First, Second, and Fourth Conventions, the United States is committed to observing and upholding the Veil.
  • Legislative statutes — Legislative action related to the Veil is rare. Most statutes of paralaw instead confer broad rulemaking authority to the executive branch, usually in the guise of national security legislation. When necessary, riders may be attached to unrelated and non-notable bills in order to pass specific policy. Much of the modern legal framework of the Veil was established during the Cold War, with the Atomic Energy Acts, Invention Secrecy Act, and Arms Export Control Act being of particular importance.
  • Executive rulemaking — Significant power has been delegated to the executive branch to issue rules and regulations in matters of paralaw. This power is held by a number of different executive officers and agencies, with no single department holding exclusive responsibility for American paralaw. However, most paralaw policymaking is now centralized in the Domestic Security Council.
  • Judicial precedent — The courts have played an essential role in managing the role of paralaw in our constitutional system, providing guidance and boundaries on the limits of executive rulemaking authority. Judicial rulings have been especially important in resolving unforeseen constitutional questions raised by the paranormal, such as the citizenship rights of robots or the taxability of human souls. A system of limited jurisdiction courts has been established within the federal judiciary to handle cases addressing matters of paralaw.