Post Archive
Region: Libertatem
Also, if anyone wants a TZES Super weapon, I'm here to help. I'll still be sending them out though to you all, but just ask for spam.
I hope not :D
Me too.
Anyone here want Dead Space 1?
Well, my men are all out and I haven't got enough to go on curing them.
Saw this one coming.
Is there a way for us to help with that?
All the cure bombs possible.
If you'd like, there are probably worse cases out there. I hope.
Related, thanks to everyone who sent cure missiles, that's really been helpful.
I am here to cure! I have the best missiles.
Don't mind me.
...
B-but I like minding people...
...
Okay, you people are boring me. Goodbye.
...
I'll miss you ;-;
I suppose i should have posted the other day. Thank you for inviting me to this region, i think i'll like it here.
Negative Nancy
Is "All Consuming" for economy a good thing?
Probably not...
Muh Roads, I assume you're a libertarian? ;)
No way, not me. ;)
Your national flag... is one of the finest memes on the internet.
MUH ROADS!!!!!
No more zambies :(
I agree, and thank you!
lol! WHO WILL BUILD THEM?
Pevvania for Delegate!
I'd like to tell you, Libertatem, that I'm going to put myself forward as candidate for the Delegacy. Now while I, like many other members of the region, think that Delegate Snabagag has done an excellent job at leading this region and has served us well over time, I believe that it's time for a new Delegate to lead us out of the darkness. We are slowly coming out of an age of darkness. Inactivity has suppressed our ambitions and begun a process of decay that many of us feared we would only end with the total destruction of a region we've come to know and love.
But we're starting to see the light at the end of the tunnel. Due to the vigorous recruiting efforts of myself, Snabagag and others, a new generation of Libertans approaches the gates of the region to take us forward into a prosperous future. This is exciting news, but recruiting alone will not see us through. If we are to survive as a region, we need to act on multiple fronts to strengthen our institutions, reform our legislative processes and restore our status as the premier force of freedom on NationStates. Only then will we be truly on the path to recovery.
Below is my five-point plan for the restoration of our great region.
Recruit as many nations as possible and mandate that all government officials must recruit weekly. If we stay the course, we'll have up to and over 90 nations in the region by the end of the year!
Reshuffle our government. For too long we've had inactive and in some cases absent legislators and cabinet members that aren't committed to their jobs. 1/4 of the Board and 1/3 of the Managers live in another region, and nearly all of them are completely inactive. This needs to change. When I'm elected, my first executive action will be to replace every single Board member and Manager with nations who are active and willing to serve the region.
[B]Restore[/B] our military. Libertatem once had one of the proudest and strongest defenses in NationStates. This is no longer the case. The Army is starved of volunteers, with very few ongoing operations. I will do my best to restore the armed forces and restart the War on Tyranny!
[B]Repair[/B] our diplomatic status with other regions. We have allowed some of our oldest partnerships to be weakened by small events. When I am Delegate, I will do even more than I already have to reach out to others who share our values of freedom and democracy.
[B]Reform[/B] the Constitution. To encourage activity and democratic participation, we need to push the constitutional reform that so many of us have worked hard for. Both myself, Conservative Idealism and ISA tried, and failed, to amend our constitution. We need it as much as we did then, if not even more. Our Board and Delegate are essentially unelected. I will push to reform the Constitution for fixed-term elections to all government positions (excluding the Managers) in late December/early January.
I'm confident that if these five steps are realised, we will recover. I firmly believe that this region's best days are ahead of us. But I can't restore this region on my own, Libertatem - I'll need your help to do it.
Endorse Pevvania now!
Endorse Snabagag for the delegacy!
A year behind us and Libertatem is slowly recovering from a temporary lowpoint, at the behest of the government's action. I've sent out 500 recruitment telegrams near-daily.
A brief list of my work:
- Co-authored the constitution and signed it
- Defended Libertatem from a takeover by fascists long before the War on Totalitarianism began
- Ideologically nurtured the founder to see the moral basis of liberty
- Defended the constitution from legislatory attacks
- Sent out over 5,000 recruitment telegrams and recruited probably 50-70 nations overall
- Established, among others, peace with the Federal Islands
Pevvania's ideas about reforming the constitution are very dubious. You encourage democratic participation but you still want to restrict it by instilling fixed-term elections? I've always fought against them. The system we have today is like in the market: you can vote every second of the day, every day. What is more democratic than that?
I am elected indeed, until recently, I had always had the support of 60%-90% of the region. I would lose support if I chose unfit people for the board.
Nobody doubts your great achievements, Snabagag, but most of these are in the past. Let's face it: the status quo is not working. If it was, we would have never had this two-month low-point in the first place. You can't honestly tell me that we have a working democratic system. We don't. Mister Delegate, I'm surprised you haven't lost support because of the current Board. They're inactive, demotivated and completely uncommitted to serving the region. And anyway, who gives the executive the right to pick the region's public servants? In the words of Clint Eastwood, politicians work for us, and when they're not doing the job, we have to let them go.
Fixed-term elections are not oppressive - they are a mark of legal order that will encourage participation and real democracy. What you perceive as 'market democracy' just strengthens apathy. If we had organised, fixed-term elections, we'd be able to encourage the region to actually participate. We need real reform, not a continuation of the status quo!
Endorse Pevvania, make Libertatem great again.
An election!
So, how exactly does this election thing work?
Simply endorsements.
Howdy there folks, I'm here to announce my support for Pevvania for Delegate. For to long I have seen this region not attain the greatness it is capable of because of the status quo. I hereby give my endorsement to Pevvania and may a new age begin for Libertatem.
Thank you, ISA :)
I have only been in this region for a week, so I'm not exactly a catalyst of Libertatem politics, but I believe that the most informed voter is one who has not chosen favorites, but looks at both sides objectively and decided. As such, I have concluded that although both candidates are incredibly qualified and have good intentions, I must throw my endorsement to Pevvania, and urge you to do the same. Pevvania for Delegate.
Thanks Humpheria :)
Another quick reminder to y'all about the Libertatem Lottery. Throw in your name and get the chance to win Dead Space (for real!) on Steam or EA Origin!
An election with two competent, qualified candidates? Mass Hysteria!
Dear friends,
It has become evident that I do no longer have support to lead Libertatem. For that I am partly sorry, but a part of me still knows there is nothing to be sorry about. It's remorse, clean and simple. I know that I can quit and be happy with my work, as I will be. I thank all my friends for the year and the cooperation. This has been wonderful. I wish Libertatem a bright future.
Again, thank you, for supporting me and trusting me. I congratulate the new delegate on winning a fair fight.
Yours sincerely,
Kjartan
Thank you, Snabagag. You've served this region well over the past year and 30 days. I wish you the best of luck in your future endeavours, and sincerely hope that you join us to build a new future for our region.
Libertatem: for now I'll sleep, but will formally address you tomorrow morning. I can't wait to begin restoring this region to and beyond it's former glory. Let's make Libertatem great again.
I would like to congratulate our new WA delegate elect. Snabagag, I believe you know how much I appreciated your service to the region and to me.
Congratulations Pevvania, I am certain you will continue to be a beacon of hope in Libertatem as the new delegate. Also my deepest thanks to Snabagag who helped to create this region and molded it into what it is today.
Inaugural Address
Libertatem, I feel honoured that you have elected me as your Delegate. Thank you to all who supported my campaign.
My journey from Representative to Board Member to Manager to Delegate has been wrought with trials, challenges and triumphs. But not long ago I considered myself relatively new to this region, but in light of recent events I'm one of the oldest. Some of our greatest nations, New Sea Territory, Bavaria, Conservative Idealism, have abandoned the 'sinking ship' that many of us thought the region had become. For weeks on end, the region began falling deeper and deeper into decay. Our once-great region fell to 57 nations earlier in October, with very few of them active.
We're beginning to see the light at the end of the tunnel. More nations are joining us to create a better, stronger and more prosperous region. We recently jumped to 76 nations. While this is certainly very encouraging news, we must not only recruit to restore our region to its former glory. What incentive would any nation have to stay here without a strong and active community? We'd only slip further into the abyss if we ignored the various other factors in crafting a healthy region.
Libertatem needs real change. Many reminisce about the 'glory days' of Libertatem, when the War on Communism was soaring to success and the Libertatem Empire marched forward. What if I told you this was nothing? What if I told you that we can reach much higher than what we've already seen? Call it unrealistic optimism, but we can. The Libertatem Army, a small yet experienced fighting force, has scored some major victories in recent months: the invasion of the Korean Satellites, the liberation of The Impact Federation, the fall of The Communist Region and The True Communist Region. We have done this with a handful of trained guerillas and mercenaries. What can we do with a larger force?
Much, much, much more. While in various regions across NationStates the voice of freedom may be quiet, suppressed or non-existent, liberty will always triumph. Good will always defeat evil. But we cannot challenge the almighty grip of the forces of statism alone - we must work with our friends abroad to cooperate on advancing freedom. Citing Article II, Subsection III of the Libertatem Constitution, I am hereby issuing an executive order ratifying the REAGAN Treaty, which mandates the creation of a trans-regional organisation banding various anti-totalitarian regions together in fighting against tyranny. The Treaty has already been ratified by Benevolent Capitalism, The Federal Islands 2Nd Gen and the International Republican Union. We need one more region to officially begin operations, and until then I'm truly excited about the future of the War on Tyranny.
My agenda won't be limited to military interventionism, of course. As you can see above, I have reshuffled the Board with nations who are active and ready to serve the region. Many of you are new and untested, but I have faith that you'll help me build a new Libertatem. Starting next week, every Board member will be mandated to recruit for the region.* Effective recruiting is cheap and easy, and it's about time that the public servants of this region start working hard for us again.
I hope that the region will join me in passing needed Constitutional reform that many of us have devoted so much time to seeing through. My reform package will start simple with the PUPPET Amendment, restricting puppeteering in the legislative process and making the House of Representatives an 'opt-in' body. I hope that we will gradually build stability and legislate new reform over the coming months until we can hold our very first real elections in late December.
I believe that a strong roleplay community is a path to a stronger region. I will be creating a regional map in the days ahead to complement 'forum reform'. For too long our forums, an opportunity for debate, discussion and historical reflection, have been neglected. I hope to change this.
But for all that I am promising, and for all my ambitions, I cannot restore Libertatem on my own. To execute my duties, I need the support of the people. If you help me, Libertatem, then I can help you. The road ahead is always a long one, but the reward at the end will be worth the difficulty.
Once again, thank you for electing me as your Delegate. You have made the right choice.
(*Upon looking over the Constitution, I've concluded that passage of the GROWTH Amendment or similar legislation will not be needed to mandate Board recruitment. The Board is selected by the Founder or the Delegate at the discretion of the Founder, so my policy in selecting Board members henceforth will be to appoint only those who will recruit for us.)
Post by Liberod suppressed by a moderator.
Ahh I see you are excellent at constructing a solid argument.
Tell me sir/madam, have you ever considered you might not be allowed to use such foul language in a socialist state? Your lacking freedom friend, I can show you the way out.
You mean the freedom that corporations have the say and the most are unemployed and poor, no thank you!
I apologize for not grasping your point World Wide Socialists. I would greatly appreciate further expounding of your statement.
To the Most Esteemed nations of Liberod and World Wide Soviets:
This is a region of of respectful, hard working people. As this is not a socialist state you may say whatever you please. But, if you deem it wise to insult the people of this region, at least put some thought into it. All that I ask is that you at least try to make your insults original. It does get quite boring sometimes, and it always catches the attention of the region when someone decides challenge a well-constructed healthy debate. But, when someone comes forth solely to spew the pungent filth that was previously penned, it makes no impression. If you want to truly make an impact you must have solid reasons, if you want to change someones ideology you must have solid reasons. Insulting the region has accomplished only one thing- no one will take you seriously now. It is much easier to talk to an intelligent being rather than a whining adolescent. If you insist on being so utterly immature and irrational, please take it to a region that is such.
Best Regards,
Humpheria
Very strong argument. You have me convinced.
I am glad to see we are finally dissolving ties with South Africa
Corporations have so much say because of government. The state doles out subsidies and bailouts, and in return politicians get funded by them. Regulations actually crush small business and encourage monopolies, but if you knew anything about economics I wouldn't have to tell you that.
Indeed, Lack there of. They claim not to be racist, but support the existence of a discriminatory minority regime and are tied to various white supremacist regions.
So do any of you want a spot on the regional map? I've posted the map of Pevvania in my factbook.
Post by Liberod suppressed by a moderator.
Post self-deleted by World Wide Soviets.
I would like to point out to my colleagues that the nations in question have finally achieved a higher level of intelligence. They had the proper intelligence to hide behind the facade of having the prior knowledge of anything that closely resembles an "experiment". So I applaud you for having the pretension for not being "retarded". Thank you for your participation. In closing, "lol, xD".
So you came to the region and posted a message showing your inability to use proper spelling, grammar and punctuation, or even construct sentences, which somehow proves to use how superior your intellect is to ours?
Yeah, I'm reporting you.
Oh dear,
Gone are the days of logical debate.
It appears so, Muh Roads.
I'm going to put the PUPPET Amendment to vote tomorrow. In the meantime, I'll leave the text of the bill here for y'all to look at.
Where can I find that?
Under my nation's factbooks, but I'm currently editing it. I'll post the text here in a bit.
I've edited a few bits here and there and renamed the PUPPET Amendment the House of Representatives Reform Act.
Post self-deleted by Pevvania.
Section I
Purpose of this amendment.
To reform the House of Representatives to prevent vote inflation within the legislative process, to streamline the legislative process, to encourage efficiency and to create a fairer legislative system.
Section II
Provisions.
Citizens must declare their membership in the House of Representatives to an Executive before participating in legislative activities.
The passage of amendments may henceforth require the vote of two thirds of the House, or through the other means described in the Constitution.
Representatives of the House may only be allocated one vote each for a piece of legislation, and may not use any other puppet nations to artificially inflate the number of votes for or against a piece of legislation.
Puppets may only be used in the case of standing in for an absent legislator.
A puppet of another nation within Libertatem already a member of the Board may not also become a member of the Board.
Section III
Enforcement.
If a legislator is found to have violated Section II of this amendment, disbarment from one of the, or both, chambers of the legislature may be invoked by a simple majority vote in the Board of Directors. Disbarment may only be repealed via executive order.
Section IV
Clauses to be amended.
Article I
Section II
Subsection I
The House of Representatives shall consist of any number of nations who volunteer to either the Delegate or the Founder.
Article IV
Section I
Subsection III
The House of Representatives may seek an amendment with 2/3 of the House.
Authored by [nation=short]Pevvania[/nation].
As an envoy of Apartheid South Africa, I have been sent here to inquire about the unilateral decision to close embassies. Speaking personally, I have found that similar reasoning behind the closure of embassies has been flawed and was largely due to misunderstandings which needed resolving. As what inter-regional relations we do maintain are important to us, I merely want the basic run-down on the dissolution of further ties.
Kindly bear with me and remember that as responsible WA delegate I do have my own community to answer to. Many thanks!
Do please ask any questions you wish about our logic, ideology, or apartheid. You want to see an ignorant, discriminatory, white minority-supremacist? Look at me and think again; I'm clearly no simpleminded Nazi bigot. If so, hit me with your worst. Let's have an intelligent discussion. It's what I'm here for.
Then welcome.
Perhaps I am far more ignorant than I think I am on the topic of Apartheid history, but I can think of no reason why why a group of people would choose to liken their image to that of the minority regime in question. I understand that it was a period of relatively stable conditions for a portion of the population, but the same could be said for hitler's Germany. (Not that the two are really comparable)
Libertatem has changed a lot in the past week!
Why is there no chairman of the board?
Suidwes, perhaps I spoke too soon. I have an idea of what it means to support the pre-Mandela South Africa, and that it probably goes beyond merely the oppression of the black majority. But quite frankly, the links and embassies you share with various fascist regions are raising eyebrows with our more moderate partners. We've worked hard to cleanse our region of nearly all links to an ideology we ashamedly once tolerated, and while I'm not insinuating that it's similar to yours, the ties you have to certain regions are just too suspicious for our comfort.
I'd be happy to discuss apartheid and your ideals with you, although I'm doing some charity work early tomorrow morning and should get some rest before then.
One more thing: you have a communist in your region who despises what he refers to as 'right-wing dictators'. We've tried to contact your founder about it but we have not received a reply.
Snab, I've let the Board members know that they need to convene to elect a Chairman.
Also, Abaretta wants to join your party. Is this ok with you?
I welcome him to the Libertarian Party!
Pevvania: Could you be so kind as to name some of your moderate partners who have a problem with our regional ties? This seems to be a belated and poor way to find out about an existing problem. If they have an issue with our embassies, they ought to have contacted myself or our founder directly.
More to the point, give me a list of the regions we are discussing. I'll be more than pleased to TG you with specific explanations (and one concerning the obvious spy as well).
Lack There Of: "Relatively stable"? That's putting it mildly. If you can think of "no reason why why a group of people would choose to liken their image to that of the minority regime in question", my friend, you don't understand South Africa or our region. But that's fine. Here's a list of interesting facts to get you started.
Study from Lexington University, USA, published 1986 by Professor Jed Smock (Director of Campus Ministry) details 'oppression' under the 'minority regime':
"When we arrived at the Carlton Hotel in Johannesburg we began to look for the notorious apartheid. There was no apartheid in our smart hotel - everything was integrated. Nor was there any apartheid in the smart restaurants we went to; there were people of all races eating there, and we were served by both black and white waiters....in the modern department stores and shops all races were served with the same readiness. We found the same thing in all the other cities we visited. When we went to the bank to change our money, there were both blacks and whites behind the counter. In the bookstores we looked in vain for a book in which apartheid was defended. There were indeed plenty of books on the subject, but they were all negative. Every English-language periodical in the country condemned the vestiges of apartheid."
1. No segregation in many hotels.
2. In shops and department stores all races were served with the same readiness.
3. Whites and blacks alike worked in the same prestigious occupations.
4. In every book shop most publications on the subject did not defend apartheid in any way.
5. Blacks administer their own townships and residential areas.
6. Nonwhites have a voice in provincial governments, especially in Natal (where whites are actually represented in the minority position)
7. There were integrated Regional Service Councils.
8. There was a multiracial National Council.
9. Central business areas were open to entrepreneurs of all races.
10. Immigration laws are the same for everybody, regardless of ethnicity
11. Blacks in white areas had South African citizenship.
12. Blacks are paid up to four times as much in RSA as they are anywhere else in Africa.
13. There were more black women in executive positions than anywhere else in Africa.
14. More black doctors were being trained than anywhere else in Africa.
15. The black middle class is bigger and more significant than anywhere else in Africa.
16. Black South Africans own more cars than the entire population of the Soviet Union.
17. Housing is freely available to 92% of the black population.
18. RSA wishes to spend a thousand million rands from 1986 to 1990 improving underdeveloped black areas.
Copied from our RMB in response to a condemnation issued by Antifa:
"The thing is, guys, apartheid is racism. And racism is baaaaaaad. As bad as fascism, in fact."
Very well. The old South Africa was apparently evil. So evil, in fact, its inexcusable crimes against humanity are comparable to those committed by the Fourth Reich.
Let us examine the problems with this bold proclamation. The Communists have apparently made the mistake of allowing themselves to be brainwashed by their own propaganda, which states explicitly that our black people under apartheid were oppressed because they were majority, the rule of the Boer was unjustly discriminatory, etc.
First off, no devout Communist has actually understood the polyethnic representation of South Africa. There is no black majority, but nine completely distinct indigenous peoples split up in 757 tribes, each constituting a minority.
Like the European states, the black peoples of South Africa lived in their own traditional territories, each apart from the others and their differences were heightened by ancient tribal enmities, which used to lead to bloody wars. Even under apartheid this was quite evident; as recently as 1986 inter-tribal clashes between Zulus and Pondos forced the police to restore order, and this was only after a hundred people were killed. Big mining companies with black employees used to send them underground only in groups belonging to the same tribe; murders and manslaughters between the miners of different tribes continue to present day.
Apartheids solution to bring peace and sanity to violent intertribal hostility was to create separate government or organisations for each people, complying with wishes of prominent blacks themselves and granting them home rule within traditional boundaries. These homelands had a higher income per head than many members of the United Nations, yet were not afforded any measure of recognition outside RSA and Israel.
The complexity and uniqueness of apartheid only reflects the multiracial structure of South Africa. It was not comprehensible to many statesmen at apartheids inception how a position of government could be maintained with equal representation for an electorate which covered such a staggering spectrum of colours and cultures, including the inhabitants of South West Africa (Namibia).
Now, how did RSA fare under this system? We can assume, budding idealists, that the country degenerated into a terrible racist dictatorship, where our black people were horribly exploited and left to starve while white bourgeois ate off gold plates?
Wrong.
Between 1962 and 1972, the United Nations spent 298 million USD aiding underdeveloped nations. In that same period South Africa spent 558 million USD on the development of its black people. During the 1970s, blacks owned 360,000 automobiles, more than the rest of independent Africa put together. While in most sub-saharan African nations the average earnings were less than R100 a month, the average income per head in South Africa was R352. Between 1975 and 1985, the income for black workers rose by approximately 28 %, compared with the 5% for white workers. A black South African living under apartheid could undergo heart-valve operations in Pretoria hospitals for one US dollar, while a black American in the same circumstances would have to pay fifteen thousand US dollars for the same operation.
From 1970 to 1988, the domestic budget for black education rose by nearly thirty per cent a yearthe greatest increase shown by any South African government department. From 1955 to 1985, the number of black students attending school rose from 35,000 to over a million. The percentage of children attending school in RSA stood at a solid 65 per cent by the 1980s, bypassing Egypt (the previous record holder), which stood at 64 per cent. Fifteen new classrooms a day were built on average for black pupils under apartheid, and by 1988 71% of our indigenous peoples were literate, compared with the 47% in Kenya and 38% in Egypt.
For every ten years under apartheid from the 1970s onwards, the proportion of successful black businessmen in total commercial life rose by ten per cent.
The South African infant mortality rate by the time white rule ended outstripped three of the six total regions into which the WHO divides Earth, and among blacks it was 31% lower than anywhere else on the Dark Continent.
In 1979, Apartheid South Africa produced more than 50% of the total electricity power, 50% of all motor vehicles, 74% of the total electrified railways, 66% of the steel, 40% of African cement, 25% of the total gross national product, and 45% of the telephones on the continent. Also, seventy per cent of the educated black youths and four out of five of trained black doctors in Southern Africa lived in RSA.
Apartheid South Africa produced more energy than Italy, as much raw steel as France, more grain than Canada, more wool than the USA, more wine than Greece, and more fish than the UK. South African firms could work nuclear industries, build advanced computers, construct Mach 2 jet fighters, export spare motor parts to hundreds of nations around the globe, and manage the largest munitions factory in the world.
More facts to clear up common misconceptions about apartheid:
Was South Africa under apartheid a police state?
No, for every thousand people in apartheid-era RSA there were 14 policemen. The same figures for the UK, Israel, New York, and Moscow at the time were 22, 35, 43, and 10, respectively. Over half the South African policemen were nonwhites.
Did South Africa under apartheid pay starvation wages to its black slaves?
In 1974, our black people were earning an average of 127 USD a month. In 1988, a black person in a Johannesburg factory needed to work 363 hours to buy the latest colour television set available, and 38 minutes for 38 ml of vegetable oil.
Didnt South Africa under apartheid experience severe racial tensions?
As of 1988, race relations on average between blacks and whites in RSA were better than those in the UK and many parts of the US.
Did South Africa under apartheid detain thousands of political prisoners at any one time?
In 1983, there were 127 political detainees in RSA, some under house arrest and others in custody. In Northern Ireland at the time there were 1500 political detainees under the same conditions and category.
Did South Africa under apartheid have freedom of the press?
There were more legal anti-government daily newspapers in apartheid-era RSA than in all of the rest of Southern Africa put together.
Did South Africa under apartheid remove all the black citizens to 13% of the country?
During apartheid, 70% of RSA was uninhabited, mostly arid and mountainous regions. Of the remaining 30%, 10% can be cultivated under normal conditions. As of 1988, 48% of this cultivable soil was enclosed within the black homelands and/or tribal reserves.
Were the apartheid-era homelands desolate, barren, places?
The largest platinum deposits in southern Africa were included in black homelands. A citizen of Lebowa, when faced with the question whether the white government had dumped his people in a worthless region, stated: No, that isnt true. Weve got everything here but diamonds and oil. Weve got all the other minerals. As for agriculture, we have very rich parts of South Africa, with good rainfall, good soil. I think our stockbreeding is the best, and our wheat and maize potential is pretty high. People who say weve been dumped in dry and barren regions cant be talking about us; they must be thinking about somebody else. (Source: Deutschland magazine, #3/83)
Was anti-terrorist legislation in South Africa under apartheid a violation of human rights?
RSAs apartheid-era anti-terrorist laws are surprisingly similar to the Prevention of Terrorism Act in the UK, passed in 1974. West Germanys anti-terrorist legislation at the time were actually harsher.
This anti-terrorist legislation in RSA caused it to have a lower rate of terrorist incidents. In 1982, for example, there were 39 cases of terrorism (mostly committed and planned by the ANC Communists), compared to the 112 in France, 219 in Northern Ireland, and 51 in the United States.
Were blacks kept stupid and ignorant under apartheid?
No, most certainly not. Over six million black children went to school in 1987 alone in RSA. 1800 new classrooms were built for their use in secondary schools alone the previous year. The expense on black education rose from R143 million to R1115 million between 1977 and 1987.
Did South Africa under apartheid deploy the security forces in townships to terrorise the blacks?
The military and police were dispatched into black townships to stop a campaign of terrorism by politically-motivated gangs of criminals. What information do we have to back this claim up? Black citizens actually welcomed white soldiers into one township, saying, Why do you come only now? It was high time; we were at the end of our tether. (Source: The Aida Parker Newsletter #44) In many townships, sentries posted were offered warm coffee and snacks by grateful black civilians. (Source: The Citizen, March 1987) An interview with Aida Parker, Johannesburg journalist, in 1985 with ordinary black people on the streets of Sebokeng revealed that they as a community had actually petitioned for greater police protection, because they had had enough of being intimidated by the likes of the ANC.
The following links should help clear up - if it isn't already obvious - why we are anti-Mandela and anti-ANC:
http://lounge.moviecodec.com/politics/1-in-6-south-africans-want-to-bring-back-apartheid-121751/
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/uknews/1462042/Democracy-It-was-better-under-apartheid-says-Helen-Suzman.html
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/8711089.stm
http://www.timeslive.co.za/thetimes/2012/08/31/malema-apartheid-was-better
But now we're looking past the cold facts and figures, you're likely staring me in the face, and asking, "But why apartheid? Wasn't it still an injustice"?
Yes. Apartheid South Africa wasn't a utopia. There were many things wrong with the society; I actually have relatives and acquaintances who were exiled, detained, and persecuted by the government then. But that doesn't mean that South Africans deserved what they got to replace it. Our founder sums it up very well in the following statement:
Read your RMB and must say, I simply cannot ingest the amount of ignorance displayed. Simply because we have the term "apartheid" in the region name is absolutely no excuse for claiming that we are bigots or racists. For the record: I consider myself a Christian, as does most of our community. I reprinted the letter in question on my own message board not to "attack blacks", as claimed, but simply because what has happened to South Africa since 1995 is inexcusable.
You've no doubt heard of Desmond Tutu, Nelson Mandela, and the evils of "racist apartheid". I have never claimed to endorse apartheid as an ideology, nor have I ever explicitly stated that I wished it would return to my country. However, something you should know is this: under apartheid, South Africans of all races had schools, a low crime rate, adequate clothing, running water, and food on the table. Apartheid was replaced, and since then this is what we have to live with: a failing education system, corruption everywhere, the world's highest murder rate outside a conflict zone, breakdown of basic infrastructure, and people - including whites - starving for the first time in every province.
Do you know what I have to live with? Under apartheid, we could leave our cars and homes unlocked. I remember sleeping with my window open every night back in 1987. Today - I live in a cage with a gun and a dog. Because the new government cannot maintain decent standards of electricity, my power is knocked out every other month. Then criminals try to break into my house because the alarms have been deactivated. Somebody smashes my windshield to get my car radio. At my workplace, some bandits simply marched in brandishing military-grade weapons and removed all of our computer equipment. The police are absolutely useless. They don't have the money to repair their own vehicles, much less fight criminals efficiently. And all the apartheid-era police kommandants were kicked out a few years ago simply for being white, to be replaced by party hacks. South Africa's police chief (which serving as head of Interpol) was charged with massive counts of corruption shortly afterwards.
During apartheid, the police solved 90% of crimes involving conspiracy against the state and destruction of property. Today, that figure is almost nonexistent. Our hospitals have gone to hell because people have stolen all the equipment (even the bed linens) and looted the funds. I must now go to a private physician with my complaints because Jo-burg General is so disgusting.
It's too late for South Africa to ever say "bring back apartheid". However, my region cannot defend the present state of affairs - we are not afraid to admit that the old SA was better than this tragic mess. But as the letter states, I am indeed sorry that my Boer ancestors were intelligent enough to come to this beautiful country and bring Christianity to the people in addition to building schools, churches, clinics, cities, railroads, airports, etc. They were God-fearing French Protestants, fleeing persecution of their faith and filled with a deep conviction to come bearing the light of the world to Darkest Africa.
Have you read our WFE? Ever wondered what this poem meant?
If the land had prospered, created jobs and grown strong,
We would have to concede, that the battle had been wrong.
Now we know for what we fought was just and right,
'Cause the people are in such a terrible plight.
According to Desmond Tutu and the Truth and Reconciliation Commission, 14,000 people were killed in political violence in South Africa between 1948 and Nelson Mandela's election in 1994-95. Of those, the apartheid 'regime' was responsible only for 600. I'm not joking. These figures are the ANC's own and freely available from any public archive over here.
Guys, since the ANC took power that figure has increased to 350,000. Again, ANC's own estimate. Look me in the eye and tell me Southern Africa's experiment with multiracialism was a success. I dare you. Do you realise what this means? The political violence, the turmoil, the gap between rich and poor which has actually tripled since us wicked Boers were kicked out of office? What would happen if 350,000 people were killed in America? It would be a bloody national crisis. But this is the reality all of us in my region have to live with every day. Every day. Can you blame us for being bitter?
For those of you Yanks here who consider yourself "conservative Christians" - does the ANC sound Christian to you? During apartheid, abortion, topless shows, gambling, pornography, and homosexuality were banned. Legislative sessions always opened with prayer. Liquor stores and cinemas closed on Sundays so people could attend church. One of Mandela's first acts in office was to abolish prayer on any forum of government. Gambling, abortion, topless shows, pornography, and the like were immediately legalised. That's fine; we could have lived with that. Then he started pulling the police's teeth. As mentioned in our founder's post above, all the white police kommandants were replaced by black ones. Some of those chaps couldn't even read or write. They were poorly trained and easily corrupted by the power suddenly dumped in their laps. A crime wave blew up in our faces. During apartheid, South Africa was the only country on the continent where the crime rate was decreasing. Today, it is the most violent nation outside a conflict zone. Johannesburg is the murder and aggravated rape capital of the world. RSA's healthcare system, second to none in Africa, was the next to go. Did you know that the apartheid regime pulled off the first successful heart surgery? They fired the people who gave the world its first successful heart surgery, and replaced them with 'party hacks' who scored single-digit marks on their final-level chemistry exams.
South Africa didn't just decline when apartheid went down. It was a good country flushed down the toilet.
All in the past twenty years. I can remember visiting Durban as a child and playing in the clean, empty, streets by myself. How often do you see that today? Any child trying to play in the streets would quickly get hit by a stray AK-47 round or a car speeding through the red lights because stopping means getting hijacked by the gangs that now terrorise the city.
"Apartheid South Africa" is now a name we adopt as a method of political protest against the ANC. It's an eye-catching name, taken by those of us who can still remember apartheid and know it isn't the lie that is being taught in textbooks today. We seek to educate: apartheid was flawed yes, and as a philosophy it did not succeed, but it wasn't hell on Earth. Mandela was not a saint, but a communist terrorist. The ANC is a far worse alternative to the Nats and needs to go.
On that second point, some of you may want to read this about Mr. Mandela. When he was imprisoned, it wasn't for peaceful protest; it was because the man had tens of thousands of Russian explosives and was planning on taking hundreds of innocent civilians with him:
http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1255245/posts
Post self-deleted by Pevvania.
Alright, Suidwes, you've convinced me. I wasn't sure whether you guys supported apartheid as an ideology or simply the state of the country under apartheid. This is clear to me now.
BOARD MEMBERS - who wants to run for Chairman?
Anyone there?
My deepest apologies Suidwes, it is apparent my outside knowledge on the RSA and the current South African regime was lacking and biased. The information you have provided is perspective changing and eye opening. I hope our two regions can work together to broaden our views.
Indeed, Lack there of.
The Board's duties will officially start next Monday. Voting will begin on the House of Representatives Reform Act that day. By then a Chairman of the Board must be elected, and Islands and Acranea must register with a party, or no party if that's what you want.
I would like to thank the good people of Libertatem for receiving me in such a courteous manner - you can be assured we will reciprocate in the event of another dilemma. Our doors are always open. Goodbye, and baie dankie hoor!
I want to run for Chairman of the Board, registered as independent.
See ya round, Suidwes. I'm glad we got a better perspective on you now.
Board Members, put yourselves forward as the Chairman if you want to fill that position. Right now we've got one vote for Islands, from Islands.
(You can vote on the RMB or TG me the vote.)
I apologize for the delay in electing a chairman. We had some nominations going between us via telegram (before Islands was on the board) with plans to have the position filled by Monday. However, if you'd prefer we vote on here or relay them to you, that's how we'll do it.
Perhaps a private vote would be better. TG me.
Is there anyone currently keeping records for this region? I'm sure there are plenty of us interested in knowing how far back Libertatem goes. If nothing else, we should track a history of delegates and I'd personally like to know who besides Snabagag has received a Medal of Freedom.
Abaretta, many of us have a few factbooks detailing quite a bit of Libertan history. What you can't find there you can find on the forums and through the RMB, but it'd take a while to trawl through that. You can also find a pretty interesting piece on the origins and purpose of Libertatem here (http://www.nationstates.net/nation=liberosia/detail=factbook/id=124716).
I'll give you a brief run-down of the region's history: it started as a breakaway faction of an old region known as CSA who wished to fight communism. This was initially its sole purpose, but as morale and enthusiasm died down, passions for creating a republic with democratic ideals strengthened by a constitution increased. Today, this region's army is less than a shell of its former self, with only a handful of us conducting any military operations.
As for events that have occurred since then: brief diplomatic crisis with The Federal Islands, resurgence of the military and subsequent foreign conquests, various campaigns for legislative reform, gradual exodus of many older nations, alliance with UCR, name change to War on Tyranny, decay, rebirth... Can't think of much else.
And as for other recipients of the Founder's Medal of Freedom, the first one was [nation=short]Conservative Idealism[/nation], probably the most important nation to the inception and growth of this region, alongside Snabagag and Liberosia. Unfortunately, though, he moved on during the exodus.
And as for the Delegates: a fella named Tundrania was the region's first Delegate, but he ceased to exist a long time ago. He held the position on and off for a total of 27 days. He was succeeded by The Lone Star, who was fairly active back in the day. He served just for two days. After him came, of course, [nation=short]Snabagag[/nation], who served for a year and thirty days. I am this region's fourth Delegate.
Thanks for reminding me about these, Abaretta, I've been meaning to compile some kind of a regional history in the forums for a while.
[B]Chairman of the Board![/B]
Well, Board members, it's time to elect a Chairman. Humpheria and Islands have put themselves up as candidates and have cast their votes for themselves. Anyone else can throw their hat in the ring, if you want. The candidate with most votes wins. Voting ends on Monday.
Telegram your votes for Chairman to me, Board members.
Just as a point of clarification so everyone is on the same page: Is the election for chairmen held just by the board members or by the region as a whole?
Just the Board members.
I apologize for the inactivity today fellow board members, I have been replacing an engine all day. Anyways, my vote has been cast. Please disregard my last telegram.
Thanks.
I hope you had an "enjoyable" time replacing that engine. Did it work out all right?
Not quite done yet. Its on a 1998 buick.. so its front wheel drive.. rather irritating really.
Post self-deleted by Humpheria.
Well, I hope it all works out.
Automotive problems are the worst. Professional mechanics have my complete respect.
Board Chairman election is moving along nicely. I've received 4 out of a possible 5 votes.
I'm gonna be slowly revamping the forum in the next few weeks, making it a nicer place to visit, post on and generally do other stuff. I'll post the link to a post I'm writing in a minute.
On another subject: what are your opinions on social issues like marriage, drugs and prostitution?
Marriage: Highest institution that can legally marry a couple is a state court, so it should be left to them to decide what happens.
Drugs: You wanna kill yourself with these things? Fine, just don't kill anyone else while you're high.
Prostitution: Just go grab yourself protection and go inside somewhere where people going about their daily lives won't see things.
Assembled with Dot's Region Saver.
Written by Refuge Isle.