The National Gazette (Official Publication of the Game Engine)

[Former Senator Haslam2020]

Rest in pepperoni

[Unconditional Surrender Truman]

VOL. VIII | ISSUE 5
FOREIGN AFFAIRS
- BULLETINS -

NORTH KOREAN CIVIL WAR
Air Battle Rages Over Manchuria, As Beijing Holds On To Sinuiju

A ferocious effort by the Beijing forces at Sinuiju to break the Allied lines besieging the city was forced to halt its advance despite initial success Saturday, starved in its infancy for want of desperately needed supplies and reinforcements kept from them by the Allied air blockade of the Yalu River. Casualties numbered more than 14,000 at the end of nineteen hours before Allied reserves were able to stem the course of the assault, many hundred lost in the first hours before the Allied were able to present an effective defense. Caught totally off guard, the Allies were left no alternative but to divert divisions from a planned assault on the city's defenses, effectively preventing maneuvers that might have caused the capture of the city or the loss of the Beijing army.

North of the Yalu, the Allied air campaign in Manchuria enjoyed marginal success, partially crippling the Anshan air field, while suffering only minimal casualties of their own. To the east, Japanese forces advancing south from Rason took Puryong, and with it control of the Hambuk Road, while the Allied Second Army pressed further into the Hamgyong Mountains, taking Pujon and preparing for a general campaign to capture Hyesan, the largest city in Loyalist-held Korea, and the administrative capital of the Loyalist regime.

. . .

OWEN SMITH MINISTRY
Parliament Grants Second Referendum on Scottish Nationhood

A promised second referendum on Scottish independence received the assent of the House of Commons on Friday, in the first test of Owen Smith's Labour ministry and the post-Brexit order in Britain. Carried on a party-line vote, with the opposition Conservatives voting against and nationalist parties from Scotland and Wales joining Labour MPs to approve the measure, the bill provides for the referendum to take place September 6, almost exactly four years after the last referendum narrowly failed to produce a majority for independence. Former Prime Minister Kenneth Clarke has vocally criticized the bill as a "needless disruption" that "does little good for the United Kingdom in its present form, and threatens a world of harm if it is successful." Smith has described the right of the people of Scotland to be consulted on the terms of their relationship with the rest of the United Kingdom after the Brexit deal, which took effect in May, while advising a 'no' vote in the referendum.

[Unconditional Surrender Truman]

VOL. VIII | ISSUE 5
DOMESTIC AFFAIRS

A.C.L.O. Under Fire For Comments on Kenobi Censure

The Atlasian Coalition of Labor Occupations was sharply criticized by labor organizers and representatives of the AFL–CIO for their comments regarding the proposed censure of Delegate Ben Kenobi, described by critics as a bizarre tribute to one of the labor movement's most prominent foes. Responding to a motion on the floor of the Chamber of Delegates censuring Kenobi for unparliamentary behavior, the ACLO released a statement defending Kenobi, praising him for "always [being] there supporting working families" and sharply criticizing the Chamber for what it described as "bickering, vendettas, or toddler feuds." Within minutes of its release, the statement had drawn a firestorm of opposition from labor organizers, eventually drawing replies from the AFL–CIO and the Atlasian Revolutionary Workers' Party, and anti-electoral leftist group. In their statement, the AFL–CIO strongly rebuked the ACLO's defense of Kenobi, calling the description of him as a friend of working families "comical" and questioning why "an organization which claims to support the interests of working Atlasians would go so far out of their way to praise a vocal opponent of workers' rights and unions, and one of the loudest supporters of the right to work for less." While some defended the ACLO's comments, including several Texan chapters of the International Brotherhood of Teamsters, the response from most quarters was overwhelmingly negative, as comments by ARWP activists decrying the ACLO as "class traitors" flooded the organization's Twitter feed.

[Unconditional Surrender Truman]

VOL. IX | ISSUE 1
FOREIGN AFFAIRS

NORTH KOREAN CIVIL WAR
Sinuiju Falls, Beijing Forces Collapse

After weeks of rugged resistance, driven to the breaking point by an effective Allied blockade on land and in the air, plagued by bitter divisions between the Loyalist commanders and their Chinese allies, the lines of the Beijing Pact forces defending Sinuiju broke and shattered hours ago, the remnants of the People's Liberation Army expeditionary force racing for the Yalu, as the Second and Third Divisions of the People's Republican Army pressed forward to occupy the city. The ultimate success of the siege was anticipated for more than a week in the Allied camp, encouraged by reports that the defending forces were on the brink of starvation, and lacked sufficient strength or ammunition to launch an effective counterassault. According to one anonymous source, the overall Allied commander at Sinuiju received word that the PLA intended to quit the city thirty-six hours ago, and agreed to allow the Chinese forces to escape across the Yalu provided the PLA would make no effort to save their Loyalist allies or prevent the capture of Sinuiju by the PRK; officers of the Allied high command refused to confirm or deny the rumor.

With Allied forces in the Hamgyong Mountains mustering for a general assault against the provisional Loyalist capital at Hyesan, the defeat of Loyalist Korea appears imminent.

[Unconditional Surrender Truman]

VOL. IX | ISSUE 2
DOMESTIC AFFAIRS

Mississippi School Districts Remove Civil War from Curriculum

News that several Mississippi public school districts will no longer require middle and high school history teachers to address the American Civil War met with controversy Friday as students prepare to head back to school for the 2018-19 academic year. The decision was announced following complaints last spring that the districts' history curriculum was "disrespectful of Southern heritage," in light of new course guides introduced for the previous academic year which included a unit on "Slavery and Slave Life in Antebellum Mississippi" and required students to read selections from the Mississippi Ordinance of Secession.

The battle over history education in Mississippi has been underway for more than two years, and received a rush of attention following the riots in Charlottesville, Virginia in 2017, which initially led several school districts in Mississippi and across the South to rewrite their curriculum requirements. Textbooks promoting the 'Lost Cause' mythology or omitting references to slavery among the causes of the war (sometimes using euphemisms like "workers" and "plantation labor" to avoid using the word 'slave' or 'slavery') were replaced by new guidelines designed to highlight the lives of slaves and explicitly identifying the national debate over slavery as precipitous to secession. While some activists complained these changes did not go far enough (in one district, students were assigned to complete a paper entitled "Robert E. Lee: Model American"), the loudest protests came from those who argued the changes reflect "a direct and deliberate insult to Southern heritage and the history of the Confederacy," prompting several districts to amend the new standards and, in some cases, omit any mention of the Civil War entirely from their history curriculums.

While school board members said the latest changes to the curriculum were designed to "allow teachers to make an informed decision, based on the needs and backgrounds of their students, on how to address this sensitive period in our history," outraged parents on both sides of the debate described what they saw as an attempt to whitewash history. The state's governor and superintendent of education were unavailable for comment.

[tmthforu94]

As Southern Governor, I was just informed of this story and was never asked for comment. I will be releasing a statement shortly.

Edit: My official statement

[Unconditional Surrender Truman]

As Southern Governor, I was just informed of this story and was never asked for comment. I will be releasing a statement shortly.

"State governor" as in the Governor of Mississippi, not yourself. Per the precedent established by Kalwejt after the reset, state governments still exist as NPCs—I wrote an article about the SC legislature earlier this year.

Your official response is noted and appreciated.

[tmthforu94]

As Southern Governor, I was just informed of this story and was never asked for comment. I will be releasing a statement shortly.

"State governor" as in the Governor of Mississippi, not yourself. Per the precedent established by Kalwejt after the reset, state governments still exist as NPCs—I wrote an article about the SC legislature earlier this year.

Your official response is noted and appreciated.

Great, thank you!!! I appreciate spotlight on domestic issues and will act on them when possible!

[Southern Senator North Carolina Yankee]

Theoretically though, the regional government should be able to override the state government in this case via legislation.

[Unconditional Surrender Truman]

VOL. IX | ISSUE 3
FOREIGN AFFAIRS

NORTH KOREAN CIVIL WAR
Hyesan Surrenders

Hyesan has been liberated, and the last remaining Loyalist army has surrendered to the Allies; Kim Jong Nam has quit the country, believed to have escaped across the Yalu River in the early hours of the morning; and the People's Republic of Korea is now in total possession of North Korea; this according to a bulletin reported to the Allied High Command as of 3:30 this afternoon. After sporadic fighting on the evening of the 27th, outgunned and outnumbered, the Loyalist divisions surrendered unconditionally to the Allies, who entered Hyesan without resistance this afternoon. Prime Minister Choe Ryong Hae is expected to address the nation on television this evening as the provisional government looks toward a transition to peacetime society.

TIMELINE

August 26		12:00 pm		Kim Jong Nam and ministers of the Loyalist government abandon the provisional capital. Allied reinforcements begin to arrive from the west amidst sporadic fighting between Allied and Loyalist forces forty miles southwest of the city.
August 27		6:00 pm		Commanders of the Beijing forces at Hyesan conclude defense of the city is impossible, and advise surrender to the overall Loyalist commander. Officers of the People's Liberation Army begin their evacuation across the Yalu River, leaving their Loyalist allies to their fate.
August 28		5:30 am		Sporadic fighting between Allied and Loyalist forces ten miles southwest of the city.
		8:00 am		Independently, several Loyalist units attempt to surrender to the Allies.
		8:10 am		Within minutes, the overall Loyalist commander orders his divisions to stand down and offers to surrender the city unconditionally to the Allied Armies on behalf of the DPRK.
		10:15 am		As the surrender is concluded, units of the First People's Republican Army  Division move forward to occupy the city.
		11:05 am		The advance guard of the First Division arrives at city center and raises the ensign of the PRK above what had been the cabinet office of the Loyalist regime. Another unit of the First Division raises a second flag above the residence that is believed to have housed Kim Jong Nam.
		2:00 pm		The remaining Allied forces arrive in the city.

[Unconditional Surrender Truman]

VOL. IX | ISSUE 4
FOREIGN AFFAIRS

NORTH KOREAN CIVIL WAR
An Uneasy Calm, and an Apparent End to War

Twenty-four hours after the People's Republic of Korea arrived in Hyesan and the last Loyalist army in Korea surrendered to the Allies, the long civil war in North Korea appears to have given way at last to the silent, shell-shocked refrain of peace. While sporadic fighting between Allied artillery and Loyalist guerillas continues in the Hamgyong Mountains, as does the occasional Allied air raid over Manchuria, the PRK are now in effective possession of the whole of the country: and after months of bitter fighting and untold thousands of lives lost, the People's Republic of China seems unwilling, at least for the moment, to attempt once more to wrest it from them. Rumors and scraps of news were heard from every corner of the country; what appeared to be true, that Kim Jong Nam and several of his closest advisors have fled into exile in Cambodia, that President Xi of China has ordered the People's Liberation Army to cease offensive operations against the Allies and assume defensive positions in Manchuria, and the remaining Chinese ships of war have been called into port, formed the basis for an uneasy ceasefire between the belligerents as Korea and the rest of Asia looks to the future.

In a televised address to the nation Tuesday night, Prime Minister Choe Ryong Hae outlined the first phase of a transitional period during which North Korea will seek to rebuild its economy, establish new political institutions, and repair the damage wrought by two wars and months of political instability. With the support of the Cabinet and the Allied High Command, Choe will remain as interim prime minister for the immediate future, overseeing the transmittance of humanitarian aid to the war-torn northern provinces and the continuation and expansion of efforts to rebuild the country's infrastructure, greatly damaged by the long months of war. In early October, elections for the Supreme People's Assembly will take place across the nation to choose deputies who will draft a new, democratic constitution for North Korea. The National Provisional Government will meanwhile pursue economic reforms to open North Korea to world markets and increase youth employment and domestic growth.

Much will surely depend on the outcome of anticipated negotiations with China, who while beaten remains a looming threat to the long-term survival of the PRK. As of this morning, Beijing has made no move to formally recognize the PRK, leading some to predict a Taiwan-like existence for the new North Korean government if no agreement is reached. While Choe has indicated a willingness to meet with Chinese officials to discuss peace and recognition of his government, some Allied officials, including allegedly Shinzo Abe of Japan, would prefer no treaty to an agreement which restores Chinese dominance over North Korea or recognizes Chinese claims to the South and East China seas. Furthermore, some within the National Provisional Government are reluctant to make concessions to China, and prefer a robust military alliance with the West to reinstatement of the treaty negotiated after the Second Korean War, which ultimately collapsed in the face of the November 2017 coup d'état. Whether Atlasia will side with the hardliners or seek to compromise with China may well prove decisive in the weeks and months to come.

[Unconditional Surrender Truman]

VOL. IX | ISSUE 4
FOREIGN AFFAIRS

VENEZUELA CRISIS
Padrino Removed in Palace Coup as Observers Unearth Evidence of Mass Killings

General Vladimir Padrino-Lopez, who since June had ruled Venezuela as head of a military junta, was taken into custody in the early hours of this morning and is now being held at an undisclosed location, according to a statement released by the Armed Forces. The coup appears to have proceeded with the support of a majority of the General Staff, who had reportedly grown to distrust Padrino as in recent weeks the general grew increasingly erratic and paranoid, and allegedly ordered the execution of his top lieutenant for unspecified crimes. According to their statement, the leaders of the coup will invite civilian political and business leaders, including several Chavez loyalists, to form a Transitional Council to govern the country until new elections may be held. There is no word of whether the new junta plans to release political prisoners taken during Padrino's reign, or of the fate of former President Nicolás Maduro.

Meanwhile, independent journalists and human rights observers report evidence of mass killings carried out in the last two months which appear to have targeted opposition figures and political rivals of General Padrino. It is not yet known how many may have been killed, or on whose orders, though several anonymous sources claim to have carried out the killings on Padrino's orders, or in his name.

[Lumine]

At last, good news. Here's hoping we don't make the same mistake twice and cave to China yet again.

[Unconditional Surrender Truman]

VOL. X | ISSUE 1
DOMESTIC AFFAIRS

Demonstrators in Fremont Protest Carbon Tax Cut

Environmental activists, climate scientists, and members of the Fremont Green Alliance called on parliament to defeat bills recently proposed by the first minister to sharply reduce the tax on carbon emissions and roll back penalties on high-emission automobiles, even as General Motors announced plans to locate a new plant in the Bismarck, North Dakota in light of the new legislation. The demonstrators condemned the first minister and members of Parliament for what they say amounts to a multi-million dollar tax cut for the fossil fuel industry, saying the budget surplus could be better spent on a reduction in the income tax for working class families or on new environmental initiatives to further curb emissions and promote green energy in the region.

The bill in question would lower the existing regional carbon tax from $20 a barrel to $4 a barrel, while a second proposal would reduce penalties on cars emitting more than 200 grams of CO₂ per mile —while also increasing the subsidy for green vehicles, in some cases doubling the existing subsidy. While the changes were praised by some economists and policy analysts, who argue the current rates are excessive and hamper economic growth, conservative pundits were quick to criticize the increases to the green vehicle subsidy, claiming these measures will create a deficit out of a surplus and further penalize auto manufacturers in the region.

[Unconditional Surrender Truman]

VOL. X | ISSUE 1
DOMESTIC AFFAIRS

Governor's Initiative Credited for Drop in Raccoon Populations

A marked reduction in the number of wild raccoons living in densely-populated urban areas is attributed to a sustained effort by the Southern governor's office to address the so-called 'armageddon' of ring-tailed bandits across large swaths of the South. Concern for the potential threat to public health posed by the rise in raccoon populations had gained regional attention following a rabies outbreak in the Kansas City greater metropolitan area that led to the deaths of three people and several dozen dogs. The governor was praised both by conservation groups and animal control departments across the South for devising a humane response to the epidemic, though some citizens expressed disappointment that the governor did not sponsor the effort to create "Regional Kill a Raccoon Day." The governor was likewise praised by conservationists for his efforts to promote tourism to regional parks and his advocacy for the new Department of Wildlife, Parks, and Tourism.

[GM Team Member and Senator WB]

VOL. X | ISSUE 1
DOMESTIC AFFAIRS

Demonstrators in Fremont Protest Carbon Tax Cut

Environmental activists, climate scientists, and members of the Fremont Green Alliance called on parliament to defeat bills recently proposed by the first minister to sharply reduce the tax on carbon emissions and roll back penalties on high-emission automobiles, even as General Motors announced plans to locate a new plant in the Bismarck, North Dakota in light of the new legislation. The demonstrators condemned the first minister and members of Parliament for what they say amounts to a multi-million dollar tax cut for the fossil fuel industry, saying the budget surplus could be better spent on a reduction in the income tax for working class families or on new environmental initiatives to further curb emissions and promote green energy in the region.

The bill in question would lower the existing regional carbon tax from $20 a barrel to $4 a barrel, while a second proposal would reduce penalties on cars emitting more than 200 grams of CO₂ per mile —while also increasing the subsidy for green vehicles, in some cases doubling the existing subsidy. While the changes were praised by some economists and policy analysts, who argue the current rates are excessive and hamper economic growth, conservative pundits were quick to criticize the increases to the green vehicle subsidy, claiming these measures will create a deficit out of a surplus and further penalize auto manufacturers in the region.

Crosses name off of list

Huh? Oh no i'm not doing anything...

[Unconditional Surrender Truman]

VOL. X | ISSUE 2
FOREIGN AFFAIRS

OWEN SMITH MINISTRY
Sturgeon Resigns After 'No' Vote in Scottish Referendum

Member of the Scottish Parliament Nicola Sturgeon formally quit her offices as first minister and leader of the Scottish National Party at noon local time this afternoon, following the resounding defeat of the independence campaign in last week's referendum. Sturgeon and the SNP had sought a second referendum on Scottish nationhood following the narrow failure of the 2014 plebiscite and the subsequent vote to leave the European Union, which a majority of Scots opposed; an agreement with then-Deputy Prime Minister Owen Smith, who now holds the top job following Labour's victory in the 2018 general election, promised a second referendum to determine Scotland's status within or without the United Kingdom following Britain's formal exit from the EU, which took place earlier this year.

The 55–45% defeat of the independence option appeared to mark the decline of nationalist politics in the constituent kingdoms of the UK, which surged in the aftermath of the 2016 'Brexit' vote as alarmed leftists in Scotland and Wales sought any alternative that would avoid a hard split with the European bloc. Last Thursday's results seem to indicate that the Hammond–Barnier treaty, negotiated in May by the Kenneth Clarke ministry, has assuaged the fears of many Remain voters, who were reluctant to give up its protections for an uncertain future outside the UK.

Sturgeon has been provisionally succeeded by John Ramsay Swinney as interim first minister of Scotland, pending an emergency leadership election within the SNP.

[Unconditional Surrender Truman]

VOL. X | ISSUE 3
FOREIGN AFFAIRS

Experts Warn of Financial Collapse in China's Decline

Individuals with the International Economic Council and the Harvard School of Economics have expressed growing concern in recent weeks that an unstable state of affairs in East Asia in the wake of the North Korean Civil War is laying the groundwork for a financial crisis of global proportions, as China grows increasingly isolated and her government remains seemingly unable to devise a coherent response to her present predicament. China's economy has suffered startling losses beginning in the last months of the war, with Allied warships blockading her largest ports and global markets skeptical of the strength of her currency since the loss of Anju. The rising economic panic, furthermore, has inspired political instability in Hong Kong and Macau, where protests against Beijing have intensified since August.

While some experts warn that a Chinese collapse would bear grave portents for the global economy at large, others contend that the Western powers are equipped to withstand the effects of a minor meltdown, and may even benefit in the long run, as markets and investors redirect capital from China to Japan, Atlasia, and the Koreas. Others still deny the likelihood of a major financial collapse, arguing the fundamentals of the Chinese economy remain strong in spite of political and diplomatic setbacks and that warnings of an impending meltdown amount to little more than baseless fearmongering.

[tmthforu94]

https://twitter.com/SouthernAtlasia/status/1044360787748417537

[Unconditional Surrender Truman]

VOL. X | ISSUE 4
DOMESTIC AFFAIRS

Anti-Tax Protests Catch Fire Ahead of Local Elections

A grassroots movement calling for a sharp reduction in the regional income tax has taken center stage in the approaching state and local elections in Fremont, as an odd coalition of activists, supporters of devolution, and insurgent candidates for state legislature and the governorships of five states denounce a policy of "tripple-taxation" which they claim bodes ill tidings for the region's economy in the coming fiscal year. At the heart of the protesters' grievances is the reality that while the Commonwealth of Fremont collected more than $800 Billion in revenue last year, most essential services are funded at the state level by state-levied taxes —meaning taxes paid to the regional government are in addition to state, federal, and local taxes. While other regions have committed part of their annual revenue to funding essential services such as education and health care, allowing the states to reduce or eliminate many state-level taxes, in Fremont the states retain full responsibility for these services, and state taxes remain therefore unchanged.

While anti-tax organizers criticize the current state of affairs, many are reluctant to support increasing regional spending, instead calling on the first minister and members of Parliament to pass dramatic reductions to the region's tax code —including the elimination of the income tax and harsh cuts to regional corporate and excise taxes. Divided in their politics, many describe themselves as political independents opposed to both major parties, while others say they will support the Centre Party's candidates in November's local elections. Still others support various third parties: The anti-tax candidates for governor in California and Colorado are running under the Conservative Party banner, while in Alaska the anti-tax ticket is fielded by the Alaska Independence Party. In Oregon and Wyoming, anti-tax candidates are mounting independent campaigns for the governorship that have gained ground against the Fianna Frémont and Centre candidates in some polls.

While the federal Constitution ultimately endows the regions with legislative supremacy over the states, a victory for the anti-tax forces in the fall elections could frustrate the ministry of whoever is elected first minister next month as they attempt to implement their agenda. Because the states retain control over most essential services, including law enforcement, their ability to pressure the government for tax reductions is potentially vast. Yet while politically explosive, anti-tax sentiment is by no means universal; the strident anti-region tone of some of the protesters has inspired others to call for the regional assumption of essential services. These "progressive regionalists" have attacked the anti-tax movement as divisive and harmful to regional unity, arguing assumption is necessary to preserve Fremont's unique culture and social values.

[Unconditional Surrender Truman]

VOL. X | ISSUE 4
DOMESTIC AFFAIRS

Rail Workers Threaten Strike as Wages Fail to Rise

Representatives of the United Transportation Union and the Brotherhood of Locomotive Engineers and Trainmen have threatened a general strike of Lincoln railway workers after what they describe as the "persistent failure" of the state-managed high-speed rail administration, LincolnRail, to comply with minimum wage legislation passed by the Lincoln Assembly earlier this year. The controversy stems from disagreements between the railway workers and the Lincoln Wages Commission (LWC), which was established in March 2018 to implement the Lincoln Fair Wages Act. That law mandated the regional minimum wage be calculated according to the cost of living in each of several ranges established by the LWC, with the minimum wage varying according to the calculated living wage in the range where the work was performed. Because the region's high speed rail network traverses hundreds of ranges between which the cost of living can vary dramatically, the LWC in May 2018 declared the railways outside their jurisdiction. As a result, railway workers employed by LincolnRail continue to earn the federal minim wage of $10.00 per hour, even as wages in the rest of the transportation industry have risen in recent months.

To prevent a strike, the railway workers are demanding an increase in wages to $15.00 per hour and two weeks paid vacation, and have set a deadline of October 13 for a response from the regional authorities.

[tmthforu94]

GM office, do you have a timeframe of when the South will get a report on the Southern Tax Relief Act?

Link to bill: https://uselectionatlas.org/FORUM/index.php?topic=301415.0

[tmthforu94]

Whats a boy gotta do to get some attention around here? Flash my abs?

[P. Clodius Pulcher did nothing wrong]

Whats a boy gotta do to get some attention around here? Flash my abs?

Yes

[tmthforu94]

Whats a boy gotta do to get some attention around here? Flash my abs?

Yes

ok will send to hoes