General Domestic Issues

[kingpie3]

In unrelated news, the Janisi made a statement today that highlighted the strength of multiculturalism in the Consortium's Entinates. As one of the most diverse nations in Sol, she firmly asserted that the rights of ethnic and religious minorities must be respected in order to promote economic and political prosperity.

"We are all within the wheel of the cosmos bound to the soul of Janisis. So let those who do not adhere to the Primadic faith live as they see fit and their spirits will rise all the same." the Janisi said. "We have much to learn from one another and regardless of faith, we are one nation of a common history. The Espers shine upon us in our unity."

[jonisilk]

Rumours of a split over how to best handle Asteria's "Troubles", appear to have been confirmed, in another leaked conversation from the Chambers of the governing body.

H - We can’t just stand by and let the Holy State continue to commit these grotesque acts of historical vandalism and cultural genocide. I have to speak out to the other members.

S - But the Corporation doesn’t want to jeopardise our existing, or potential, interests in the area. Give it some time and things will calm down. We have to think about the bottom line. A considerable offer mining rights offer has just been made by the Holy State.

B - Fuck the bottom line! What’s right, is right, and this… this is wrong!

T - It’s not our country. It’s not even our planet. It’s the presidents planet, and Careca doesn’t seem to be too concerned either.

M - Careca hasn’t been firing on all cylinders for the last few years, it’s the MD that has taken up the slack, but we need new blood in there sooner rather than later.

B - Someone who’ll act, instead of standing by and watching these atrocities unfold.

H - What are future generations of Asterian people going to to hear about the PCG? That we stood by and let these injustices occur? Or that we made a stand!. We used to do that, you know.

T - Only when we had to, and for a man who says he has no interest in the top job, you’re starting to sound like a lot like a president.

H - Fuck you, T——.

T - …most of the time. Look, I applaud the fact that your moral compass has a True-North, but you should think carefully about whether you really want to choose this particular hill, on which to sacrifice your political career.

H - You think I care about the politics?

T - No, I don’t, which is part of the problem. Listen, knee-jerk reactions to extreme situations, rarely come without unseen consequences. You’re preoccupied with doing what you feel is just and righteous, but you haven’t stopped to fully consider the consequences of those actions.

H - Such as?

T - If we impose sanctions, who suffers?

S - Not the ones in charge.

T - No, it’s the little people. the children, the aged, the infirm. They will be the first casualties, but they wouldn’t the last.

H - So what happens if we let this play out?

B - Yeah, you’ve “seen this all before”, so what’s the endgame? Where does this all go?

T - Asteria has always been a fragile state. Such a large smelting-pot of nations and cultures, synthesised together into one… it was a bold experiment, but it was unlikely to last more than a couple of centuries.

M - We’re predicting they’ll break up into smaller independent nations again, and when they do, it’ll be important to individually recognise them as such.

T - The links already made within those communities will allow us to stitch their economies back together again faster than they’d be able to do on their own.

S - We get them back on their feet and cement an integral relationship with future generations that ensure the Corporations presence in the region for centuries to come.

H - What about this generation?

T - Every generation has it’s unique challenges. There is an ancient saying, or a curse rather, that comes from that region - "May you live in interesting times".

H - So you’ve already anticipated the break-up of Asteria, and our standing by and doing nothing, is all part of a carefully laid out strategy, that your fine with?

T - A contingency. Nobody wanted Asteria to fail, but, we anticipated the likelihood of an Asterian fracture and came to the conclusion that the best move for the Corporation, was to do…. nothing.

S - Until the smoke clears.

T - Then we do what we always do, go in and help them pick up the pieces.

M - We help them rebuild, reclaim and restore some sense of national pride and independence.

B - I’m not happy with this H——

H - I don’t think it really matters what we think, Without these guys, we wouldn’t have the numbers to swing a vote

S - H——, trust the board to get this right.

T - And trust that the Asterian people to have the strength of their own convictions. They’ll find their true voices again, soon enough.

[beadsman]

In a recent development, the Latin Empire is increasing security measures across the nation.

All forms of media are now to be strictly regulated by the government. Any unpatriotic, pro-communist, or potentially treasonous messages are not to be relayed by any form of media or press (as judged by a new Press Management Council). Any deviants or rebels found doing so are to be dealt with, with force if necessary. They will be imprisoned or sentenced to extended community service in one of the (also new) Community Service Regiments. These are highly regimented prisoner labor squads sent to improve and maintain national infrastructure in the most remote areas of the country. Deserters from these regiments will be killed on sight.

Additionally, all public meetings are now to be overseen by a representative of the police force, usually a Terminator unit. If any treachery is reported, the offending group will be shut down and prohibited from meeting in the future. Any future violations by any recorded members of said group will be dealt with, by force if necessary. They will also be imprisoned or sentenced to extended service in a Community Service Regiment. Religious groups are not exempt.

Finally, we encourage anyone who overhears their neighbors, family members, or friends threatening the government or the Immortal Emperor to immediately report that offender. An investigation will subsequently be launched into that individual. If found to be a danger to the nation or a repeat offender, they will be sent to a Community Service Regiment. Rioting and public protesting is illegal in much the same way.

Community Service Regiments are expected to do the hardest jobs in the Empire. They are essentially prison labor, but will allow people to get out of a few years of prison time. Funding for prisons is also being lowered significantly. From now on out, prisoners can expect a cell, a public toilet, food, and a heavy guard. A prison medic will be on call for emergencies. Nothing else is guaranteed any more. This is to provide an incentive to opt for the hard labor option, as, while much harder, such labor can be expected to be much shorter in nature in the long term.

The intent is to crack down on dissidence in the Empire and enable more preventative measures.

[jonisilk]

The PCG’s 13th President, Antonio “Tony” Careca, born Juan Antonio De Oliveira-Guzman, has passed away at the age of 214 (b. 4627 - d. 4841)

The first Terran President of the Corporation, he began his career as a translator and interpreter to the governing body’s Terran CEO, before become the Corporations official envoy to the Free City of Manaus, and become a popular figure in South America

Originally groomed as an intended replacement for the Terran CEO, his popularity saw him become a serious candidate for Presidency and his election results confirmed this, with a large majority that saw him become the first Terran to hold the presidency of the Corporation

His tenure has been one of steady growth and consolidation, as the PCG has expanded beyond Sol, to the Trappist 1 & Teegardens systems, establishing extra-solar colonies, as our mining interests continue to expand and diversify (including an additional 200-year contract for mining rights from the Holy State, at Struve 2398), allowing us to scale back on mining operations within Sol, and focus on other industries. Among these industries is Agriculture.

Traditional means of agriculture are now almost impossible given the impact of the Founding Tree Rainforest. This has necessitated the ongoing cultivation of selected crops that now serve us as efficiently as our former agricultural methods used to. Furthermore, the conversion of rocky asteroid husks into terrariums, has allowed us to surpass previous production output, negating the need for large scale food imports.

Though we still plan to import foreign produce, the demand for it has waned considerably since the devastation wrought by the Tsunami, which saw the demise of our last traditional agricultural communities and the partial abandonment of Berrynopolis, the Corporations “second-city”.

In addition to the Tsunami resulting from terrorist attacks against our planetary neighbours, much work has been done behind the scenes to create a Martian defence system, similar to the Mobian-controlled “Hadrian”, that would ensure this kind of attack could never happen again. The project is still ongoing, but the president has asked that his successor make this shield-wall a reality sooner rather than later.

In response to recent criticisms over the Corporations silence on the situation in Asteria, President Careca had this to say, in his final speech as President…

“A people must choose their own path, we can only choose whether or not to walk it with them. The Corporation has walked side by side with Asteria through many trails and tribulations. We did not turn away then and were rewarded with a long and fruitful relationship during ‘the long-peace’, as it has come to be known.

The present situation is indeed troubling, but these are troubles the people must be allowed to find their own solutions to, just as a parent needs to allow their child to make their own choices and even mistakes, however hard that may be for us to watch sometimes.

The loss of democracy is point of contention that doesn’t sit well with many and on this, I would ask that the Holy State strive to find a way to restore a democratic voice to their people, and ask that they reconsider some of their more extreme actions and rhetoric, before they risk doing far more harm than you have done good, both to your people and to your relationship with the next president of the PCG.

My successor is unlikely to share the same warmth of relationship with your nation that I have, unless of course you can give him with something to warm to. I sincerely hope that you can, and that you do“.

President Careca has passed away and accepted a rebirth as part of his retirement plan. He has been given a new body and a new identity, in order to live out his second life in anonymity.

The funeral, marking his first death, took place in Cali, Colombia, with members of his family present. As is the culture, his head was removed and cremated, to be added to the family ashes beneath the hearth of the family home. His body was buried with seeds, to provide new life to the earth and marked with a memorial plaque.

Those who wish to pay their respects are free to visit the site of his burial and tend to the plants.


Presidential candidates are currently being assessed before campaigning begins, with general elections to follow shortly.

[mat.gopack]

A joint statement by the Union of Mattibean Communes' Central Committee and the National Assembly of Communes condemns, in the strongest possible terms, the degradation and destruction of liberties and freedom in both this new "Holy State" and the "Latin Empire".

In the case of the declaration against the Holy State, this is joined with one by the Iranian Church of Janis, which is the organization under which ~90% of the Union's roughly 50 million Janisists worship under.

[jonisilk]

So I’ve decided to throw the race open and make it truly democratic - you all get to vote for my next president.

Here are the candidates:

Meurig Halloran.

The youngest member of the governing body, Meurig is a principled idealist. He can flex, but will not bend. He could achieve great things, but his style of leadership may prove costly in certain regards. New relationships may be forged, and some old ones revived, but some existing ones would have no such guarantees. Unlikely to provoke, but more likely to react than has predecessors, such is the power of moral indignation.


Lucas Tarsitan

Tarsitan makes no attempt to hide the fact that he is living a second-life. Ever the company man, he gave a century of service before the first-death, then returned to work for the Corporation after his re-birth and entered at a high-level, progressing to the governing body soon after. He’s fully bought into Careca’s vision and would strive to finish that which his predecessor started. If you’re looking for more of the same, this is your guy.


Darius ap SaZi

Not a politician, nor a member of the governing body, Darius is the youngest biological child of Daniel Sacien and Zuyendine Zwecklini (ZiZi), and the wild-card of the campaign. He is both a Janisist and he has studied the Craft, earning himself the title of Teller. He has strong family ties to both the Corporation and the Entinates and has taught seminars on both the faith and the Craft, throughout Mars and South America. As a result, he’s a hugely popular figure with the public and is comfortable in the spotlight, having been raised there all his life.


Send me a pm with your votes (first and second choice) and I'll announce the winner on the weekend.

[mat.gopack]

What are their positions on economic issues and democracy within the PCG?

[jonisilk]

They're all in favour of both.

Joking aside, democracy is a given, economic policies don't vary too much as they're mostly the domain of the Managing Director (or VP). While he would obviously have some input, the president is more of a figurehead than he is a politician.

[mat.gopack]

They're all in favour of both.

Joking aside, democracy is a given, economic policies don't vary too much as they're mostly the domain of the Managing Director (or VP). While he would obviously have some input, the president is more of a figurehead than he is a politician.

So in terms of both of those, they basically all have the same positions? Makes sense.

[jonisilk]

The Craft plays many roles in our society and Tellers widely travel the land, serving communities in a variety of ways.

One of the roles they can serve is in presiding over legal matters within local communities, dispensing justice in accordance within the guidelines of the Craft (these are typically smaller matters the community is looking for an equitable answer to, and so they approach the Teller to act as judicator).

These were compiled just over 1000 years ago and still serve, practically unchanged, as the foundation on which they consider the cases presented before them today.

If anyone is interested, read on below…

Three tests of civil liberty - equality of rights, equality of taxation, and the freedom to come and go.

Three causes that ruin a state - inordinate priviledges, corruption of justice, and national apathy

Three things of solid foundation that should always remain so - peace, property and law

Three things indispensable to a true union of nations - sameness of laws, rights, and language

Three things free to all people - the forest, the unworked mine, and the right to hunt wild animals.

Three things that are sacred to all people - a partner, their children, and the family home

Three things which no law can touch, fine or transfer - the infant, the family home, and the instruments (tools) of a calling (trade), for no law can un-call a calling.

Three people in a family exempted from all menial or manual work - the infant child, the elders/elderly, and the family instructor (professional parent) at their own discretion.

Three against whom no threat should be made - the Teller, the infant, and any unarmed man

Three civil birthrights of the PCG - the right to go wherever you please, the right (wherever you are) to protection of the lands sovereign, and the right to equal privileges and equal restrictions.

Three property birthrights of the PCG - the right of land for a home, the right to bear arms for protection of that home (rarely exercised, but present in law), and the right to vote on laws of that land as citizens.

Three guarantees of society - security of life and limb, security of property, security of the rights of nature

Three people who free themselves - the artist, the scholar, the craftsman

Three things on which the safety of the other depends - national sovereignty, national courage, and just administration of the laws

Three things free to every person, the refusal of which no law will justify - water from spring, river or well, firing from a decayed tree, nor a block of stone not in use

Three thieves who shall not suffer punishment - a child, those forced to do so by another, and any necessitous person who has sought charity and failed to find it.

Three ends of law - prevention of wrong, punishment of wrongs, and insurance of just retribution

Three chastisements are necessary - that of a child by the parent, of an apprentice by their master, and of a soldier by a superior officer. Each of these is a correction, not an insult.

Three persons to whom public maintenance is guaranteed - the old, the babe, and the foreigner who cannot speak the tongue.