Office of Chairman TNF: Red Army takes NM, UT, ID, AZ

[TNF]

Thank you both for your support, comrades!

[TNF]

I will have a few statements out tonight after I get off of work. I apologize for the lull in campaigning this weekend. Those ten-hour days are a killer.

In the meantime, I encourage everyone to sit back on the union-made leather couches in my office and enjoy themselves with a cold union-made beer. Hey, it's the least I can do, since I'm about to have to go back down to the regular Senate offices!

[TNF]

Well this work week has been fairly brutal and so I'm going to postpone the three speeches that I have slated until tomorrow, in which case I will probably knit them into one big speech and try to connect the dots between Atlasian imperialism and police brutality. Believe me, they're more related than you might think initially. On that front, I would like to say that I completely and totally support the bill just introduced by Senator North Carolina Yankee to re-evaluate how surplus military equipment is finding it's way into police departments here at home.

I hope that he won't mind, but I want to go ahead and publicly announce that I and Senator Deus are currently collaborating on a bill to reform the criminal justice and law enforcement system from top to bottom. More details on that tomorrow in my speech on the police and on law enforcement.

Until then, I hope that everyone has a safe weekend and a good night. I know I'm going to try and catch up on some sleep, since tomorrow is one of those rare days where I'm off both days at my two jobs at the same time!

[TNF]

The People's Militia
An Alternative to the Police



Senator TNF addresses the crowd in Cheyenne, Amity

I apologize for my absence from the campaign trail over the past few days, comrades, I have been caught between the demands of two part time jobs and the demands of setting up and maintaining a new life in a new state. I thank you for your patience and I thank you all for your support, especially those of you who have endorsed me the past few days. I will spend my time today addressing something that is of vital importance in the wake of the ongoing uprising in Ferguson, Missouri.

Believe it or not, the police have not always been with us. The development of a separate body of armed men (and of late, women and persons of other gender expressions) with the sole mission of maintaining 'order' in society at large is the direct result of the emergence of class society. The police as an institution exist to maintain the rule of the bourgeoisie, or capitalist, class. They are not there to protect you. They exist to protect the rule of the bourgeoisie and to protect private property, and nothing more.

And as such, these bourgeois police officers should not be regarded as impartial moderators of class conflict in society, nor should they be respected or held up as models for which we should all aspire. The police in a bourgeois society are the first and often most visible signifier of the rule of the bourgeoisie. In Ferguson, these pigs have taken the life of an unarmed black teenager. So long as capitalism is the social system in which we live, racially motivated policing will be with us, because racism is one of the primary methods of controlling and dividing the working class.

So how should we respond? Should we call for a more 'professional' police force? Should we mandate more training for police officers, or ban police officers from being armed? There are a lot of options to consider. I believe that the most expedient and the option which provides for the best possible outcome is the idea of 'opting out' of a local police force in favor of a people's militia.

How would we do that, and just what is a 'people's militia'? A people's militia is exactly as it sounds. It is the replacement of the separate, special body of armed persons with the arming of the people and their own organizations replacing the official 'police' organization of the bourgeoisie. A law should be enacted that allows citizens to collect signatures and hold a referendum on opting out of a specific local police force in favor of self-patrol of their own communities. Drafting such a law will require technical, precise levels of detail, and as such, I am glad to say that such a work is in the works between myself and my esteemed colleague, Senator Deus.

Because at the end of the day, police reform is not a partisan issue. I view the police as the natural outgrowth of capitalism. Others may not, but they may yet be concerned with the increased power of and willingness of the police to use force. I think that I can find common ground with those voices, and I will find common ground with those voices, to make meaningful reform a priority. At times I have been a strong partisan voice, and I do not deny or wish to shirk away from my role as such. But on issues like this one, I know that we are all better off when like-minded civil libertarians of all parties help craft a solution to such a pressing issue, and that is what I will do if the good voters of the Midwest decide to return me to office in October.

[TNF]

Ask Me Anything!
Senator TNF kicks off tour of the Canadian Midwest


Senator TNF joins Canadian Midwesterners from the city of Saskatoon in the province of Magnanimity

Comrades!

I join you today from the Canadian Midwest to kick off my tour of the provinces under the jurisdiction of the Midwest regional government. I don't have a speech today so much as I plan on opening up a question and answer session with my constituents and with other concerned parties. So, there you have it -- ask me anything!

[TNF]

Where does Senator TNF stand on legislation currently in the Senate queue?
NOTE: The following listing does not include legislation proposed by Senator TNF

Police Militarization and Civil Rights Act - Support
Downsize the Debt Act - Support
Farming Freedom Act - Undecided
Youth Empowerment Act - Opposed
End Racism in Federal Contracting Act - Opposed

The so-called 'Youth Empowerment Act' is an attempt to legalize the labor of persons under the age of sixteen. It is in reality a bill to restore the ability of employers to purchase the labor of working class youth, depriving them of an adequate opportunity to develop their faculties elsewhere (especially at school) in order to lower the overall price of labor.

Likewise, the 'End Racism in Federal Contracting Act' has in actuality nothing to do with ending racism in contracting, but everything to do with undermining union wage rates and attacking the labor movement. I will not allow either of these regressive pieces of legislation to make it out of the Senate intact. You can mark my words on that.

[TNF]

September 2014 Midwest Elections Endorsements:
Midwest Archduke: I encourage all Midwestern voters to write-in a Laborite of their own choosing for first preference.
Most Serene Representatives: I wholeheartedly endorse the candidacies of my good friend and former colleague and running-mate Gass3268 and the campaign of our esteemed former Secretary of Internal Affairs, GAworth.

[TNF]

I will be seeking the Chairmanship of the Labor Party at the next Labor Party convention, presuming of course that current Chairman Adam Griffin is not seeking another term at the helm. I will explain my reasons for doing so and outline a platform on which I will be seeking that office later today.

[Mechaman]

I will be seeking the Chairmanship of the Labor Party at the next Labor Party convention, presuming of course that current Chairman Adam Griffin is not seeking another term at the helm. I will explain my reasons for doing so and outline a platform on which I will be seeking that office later today.

I fully support this decision and beg the Senator to proceed regardless of other factors.

[Sopranos Republican]

I will be seeking the Chairmanship of the Labor Party at the next Labor Party convention, presuming of course that current Chairman Adam Griffin is not seeking another term at the helm. I will explain my reasons for doing so and outline a platform on which I will be seeking that office later today.

I fully support this decision and beg the Senator to proceed regardless of other factors.

^^^^A million times this.

[TNF]

The Labor Party Leadership Contest: Why I'm Running

Today I am announcing a bid for the Chairmanship of the Labor Party. You might ask why, after all this time, I am deciding to contest this position rather than continue on in my current capacity as Vice Chairman, and I am here today to answer those questions in full.

First, allow me to provide an assessment of the current state of Atlasian politics. At present, we are mired in a period characterized by inactivity at virtually every level of government. The Senate is recovering from a politically imposed deadlock resulting from the lack of a Vice President during the last session, and under the leadership of Vice President Tyrion and President Pro Tempore Lumine, it is slowly recovering and returning to previous levels of activity. I wish I could say as much for the Regional governments. In the Regions, inactivity remains the norm. Aside from one or two regional legislatures, the regions are moribund and lack the kind of debate that characterizes the federal Senate.

As far as party politics goes, I think it is evident to nearly everyone that the current party system is in a profound state of flux. The Federalist Party has fallen into a state of near terminal decline, and will continue along that trajectory even if Lumine is elected President next month. The fact of the matter is that the Federalist Party is an army with no generals; it's promising leaders have defected to the People's Party or to the Democratic-Republicans. It is no more ideologically coherent than the past Progressive Union, and as such, it will likely face the same fate, at some point in the future. The People's Party remains, for the most part, a centrist force in Atlasian politics which doesn't seem to be growing as much as it seems to be acting as a stabilizing force for centrist liberals and others upset with the designs of the Labor Party and the Democratic-Republican Party for a more ideological politics in the Republic of Atlasia.

The Democratic-Republican Party, for its part, seems to be the up and coming party of our day and age. In spite of insurmountable odds, they have built an effective party organization with a presence in almost every Region.

With all this in mind, determining which kind of path the Labor Party takes going forward is more important than ever. I would be lying to my comrades within our party if I said that we are not in a state of intra-party crisis. The fact is that we are. We are a divided party, one that has made tactical errors in the recent past and one that is in need of not only party unity, but also a new strategy going forward.

Should I replace Adam Griffin as the Chairman of the Labor Party, I will work my hardest to rebuild the Labor Party from the bottom up. This means moving away from a party model that emphasizes the primacy of the Politburo and instead moving toward a model that emphasizes internal party democracy. I believe that the membership of the Labor Party should be more actively involved in formulating party policy and managing the day to day affairs of the party.

I fundamentally believe that the lack of internal democracy has been responsible for the decline of the Labor brand and the tactical errors made by Labor in the past few months, especially insofar as the public power bill was concerned. I take responsibility for a great deal of this as a member of the Politburo, and will make sure that the necessary reforms are implemented to make sure that rank-and-file Laborites have more of an input in the way decisions are made and carried out in their party. At the October convention, I will introduce a new version of the party by-laws that incorporates new forms of internal party democracy to help the Labor Party develop a coherent agenda that all of its members can support.

I also believe that, to remain competitive, we have to put a greater focus on outreach and recruitment efforts, and I will do so as Chairman. I will also place a greater emphasis on building Regional party organizations and taking back control of the Regions from the Atlasian right. In these efforts we must learn from those parties who have built strong organizations from scratch and emulate them as best we can. I will never categorically reject any method of party organization if it advances the goals of the Labor Party and gets Labor Party members elected to office.

At the end of the day, I want to be a candidate not of the status quo, not of the 'Old Boys' network of Labor leaders past, but a candidate with the express goal of reforming, rebuilding, and re-branding Labor in such a way as to allow us to continue on as the preeminent party of the Atlasian working class. I pledge to you that if elected Chairman of the Labor Party, I will serve no more than two consecutive terms as Chairman, and will devote myself entirely to efforts concerning the reform of the Labor Party internal structure and the capture of power by the Labor Party and its allied forces at the Regional and Federal levels.

If you have any questions for me, feel free to ask them in this thread.

[windjammer]

Endorsed

[TNF]

Endorsed

Your support is very appreciated and valued, Comrade!

[bore]

Obviously endorsed.

[DemPGH]

Absolutely endorsed. You do objectively outstanding work and I like your ideas for expanding the appeal of the party.

[TNF]

Obviously endorsed.

Absolutely endorsed. You do objectively outstanding work and I like your ideas for expanding the appeal of the party.

Thank you both for your support!

[TNF]

If my signature doesn't make it clear enough, I want to offer my total support for the Marokai Blue/Antonio V campaign for President. I started by Atlasia career shortly after the end of Marokai's Presidency, and so I can't say that I have firsthand experience working with him, but I can say that from everything I know about Marokai (and Tony) as people, they will make a great team and help spur the kind of revival Atlasia is in so desperate need of.

[TNF]

15 X 20 or FIGHT!

Comrades!

Today I would like to announce the launch of what I hope will be a significant battle over the course of the next Senate session, the 15 X 20 or FIGHT! campaign. What's the 15 X 20 or FIGHT! campaign all about? This slogan represents the necessity of both valuing labor for the contributions that it makes and ending unemployment once and for all. How do I propose that we do either of those things?

Well, the 15 part of the slogan corresponds with a support for the $15 an hour minimum wage. This was already scheduled to take effect on January 1, 2016, but was unfortunately repealed by the reactionary 61st Senate in a bid to destroy the gains of the labor movement in this country led by right-wing reactionary shua. I have already introduced a measure calling for the reimposition of this demand, the Fair Minimum Wage Act. I will continue the fight for $15 an hour while in the Senate, and hope to see the minimum wage raised above and beyond this in the future.

The 20 part of the slogan refers to the need to combat unemployment by reducing work hours. Atlasia adopted a 32 hour workweek in 2011 to great fanfare, but this has not adequately reduced the number of unemployed. Continuing the 4 day week, but adopting a 5 hour day rather than the present 8 hour day, would reduce unemployment to near non-existence. But in acknowledging this, we must also fight so that a 20 hour week would be one in which those who work 32 hours now do not suffer wage cuts as a result. Our demand must be clear: we want a 5 hour day with no loss in pay!

And of course, the 'FIGHT!' component of this slogan refers to the need to struggle toward the achievement of these goals. I shall never tire in the struggle against the capitalist despots and ask for your support in that struggle, fellow workers.

[TNF]

I am pleased to announce that the Peace and Prosperity Act was today signed into law by President DemPGH. This is the greatest shift toward a peace-oriented foreign policy in Atlasia in a very long time, as well as a measure aimed at ending duplicate spending in our armed forces. Five years from now, the Marine Corps. and the Coast Guard shall be folded into the Army and Navy respectively and troop numbers across the board shall be reduced.

Within five years, the National Guard will be the single largest segment of our armed forces, which shall be fully integrated in a single organization, the Armed Forces of the Republic of Atlasia. Citizen soldiers shall comprise the single largest section of our armed forces from here on out, an achievement of which I am very proud. I would like to thank those Senators who voted for the final bill and the President for signing it into law. This is a great day for the cause of peace.

[TNF]

I am in complete and total support of hifly15 for Secretary of External Affairs. This does not me that I agree with or condone any of the statements he has made concerning domestic political affairs, for the record. But in hifly15 I recognize a willingness in international affairs to reduce our commitments abroad and emphasize peace and dialogue between nations, not war or bloodshed. He has been entirely correct on the Israel issue and as that is an issue I am quite invested in, I am proud to support his bid.

When it comes to foreign policy, we cannot afford to alienate those who share our opposition to militarism and imperialism, even if they do not agree with us on domestic political matters. This is why I am supporting hifly15 for the position, not out of any naive misunderstanding of how he views the world or what he prioritizes in terms of domestic politics. He will make a fine Secretary of External Affairs because he will stand up to the arms manufacturers, the generals, and the Lumine-led imperialist lobby in the Senate.

[Simfan34]

[SWE]

[Senator Cris]

It's from 3 days that the civil conflict started, our region is occupied by the Pacific forces and I haven't seen any word from you. Why?

[Chancellor Tanterterg]

It's from 3 days that the civil conflict started, our region is occupied by the Pacific forces and I haven't seen any word from you. Why?

Well, it's about as close as Atlasia will ever get to combining the Pacific and the Midwest

[TNF]

It's from 3 days that the civil conflict started, our region is occupied by the Pacific forces and I haven't seen any word from you. Why?

I've been fairly busy IRL, between two 10.5 hour workdays, I didn't really have the time to comment upon the ridiculous nonsense that has transpired in the wake of DemPGH's resignation.

Nevertheless I condemn the occupation of the Midwest by Simfan's forces and likewise disavow any supposed connection between myself and those forces associated with the so-called People's Republic. Snowstalker believes that socialism can be forced from above upon the people of Atlasia, a view that I strongly disagree with and disavow. I support the efforts by President Tyrion to restore order.