Office of Harry S Truman

[cinyc]

19 February 2020

Thank-you all for your kind words of support!

With mere hours before us until the election begins, I am pleased to note the ratification of the Democracy Is Not for Sale Amendment —unanimously —by both houses of Congress. Having written this amendment late in the last year, I can hardly urge its adoption too strongly. While select reactionaries have made known their intent to defeat this initiative, I have too much faith in the good sense of the Atlasian people to expect but that they will ignore these mal actors and vote to end the dictatorship of the dollar this weekend.

Forward!

Harry S Truman, first minister

The idea that anyone who opposes your poorly drafted Constitutional Amendment is a “mal actor” hardens my opposition to it. 1) The amendment is a bad idea that potentially harms my right to free speech, but not politicians, like yourself. 2) It’s poorly drafted, and probably wouldn’t achieve that constitutionally - you’ve amended the wrong provision of the Atlasian Constitution to do what you intended to do. That’s only silver lining behind this cloud.

Vote no.

[cg41386]

Endorsed

[Unconditional Surrender Truman]

Not sure where this weird idea that the ability of corporations and wealthy individuals to bribe politicians has anything to do with the freedom of speech. Every Atlasian will have the same right to express their opinion after ratification as they did before. If not being able to buy elections disproportionately effects one side's competitive advantage, and I'm not saying it does, it is hardly my fault.

As a self-identified grammar Nazi, I resent your implication that my amendment represents anything but the highest standards of the Modern Language Association and the National Society for Diction And Prose. We'll see you in court!

[Unconditional Surrender Truman]

COMMONWEALTH OF FRÉMONT
JANUARY 2020 FEDERAL REFERENDUM
OFFICIAL BALLOT

1. This election will last for exactly 72 hours beginning at 12:00 am (Eastern Daylight Time) Friday, February 21 and ending at 12:00 am Monday, February 24. All ballots cast outside this period will be counted invalid.

2. You are eligible to vote in this election if you (a) have registered with the federal Census Bureau as a voter of one of the states or external territories of this Region; (b) have not had your voting rights stripped as the result of deregistration or court order; and (c) meet all other requirements set forth in Article V of the Constitution of the Commonwealth of Frémont and federal law.

3. You are permitted, but not advised, to edit your ballot within 20 minutes of posting it in this thread. Editing your ballot more than 20 minutes after posting it in this voting booth will cause it to be counted invalid.

4. You are permitted to write your ballot in a language other than English, provided you use only Latin characters (A, B, C, ...) and Arabic numerals (1, 2, 3, ...) to spell out the names of candidates for office and list all candidates or options that appear on this official sample ballot.

5. Please check over your ballot thoroughly before you click "Post". You have no excuse for casting a ballot which contains errors or does not accurately reflect your preferences. Failure to correct errors in your ballot may result in its disqualification.

FOR SENATE (CLASS I)
ONE (1) to be elected.
[   ] Scott of Wyoming
Meadowlark Party - Labor Party - Federalist Party
[   ] Write-in:
FOR FIRST MINISTER
ONE (1) to be elected.
[   ] Harry S Truman of North Dakota
Fianna Frémont - Labor Party - Atlasian Future Party
[   ] Write-in:
FOR PARLIAMENT
FOUR (4) members to be elected.
[   ] AustralianSwingVoter of Washington
Meadowlark Party - Federalist Party
[   ] Ishan of Guam
Unaffiliated - Labor Party
[   ] Koopa Da Quick of Iowa
Frémont Trans Rights Party - Peace Party
[   ] Meepcheese16 (Oregon Blue Dog) of Oregon
Meadowlark Party - Labor Party
[   ] Write-in:
BALLOT MEASURE 1
Question: Should the Democracy Is Not For Sale Amendment to the federal constitution be ratified?
Text: [You can read the amendment here.]
[   ] Yes
[   ] No
[   ] Abstain

[cinyc]

Not sure where this weird idea that the ability of corporations and wealthy individuals to bribe politicians has anything to do with the freedom of speech. Every Atlasian will have the same right to express their opinion after ratification as they did before. If not being able to buy elections disproportionately effects one side's competitive advantage, and I'm not saying it does, it is hardly my fault.

As a self-identified grammar Nazi, I resent your implication that my amendment represents anything but the highest standards of the Modern Language Association and the National Society for Diction And Prose. We'll see you in court!

Well, the amendment needs to pass and Congress needs to pass a law before I can take you to court.

Depending on that law, every Atlasian will NOT have the same right to express their opinion as before. I might not be able band together with my neighbors - rich or otherwise - to run TV ads against the government. I may not be able to run a newspaper that is critical of the government. That puts me in a worse position than I am today.

[Lumine]

I am First Minister Truman,
I rule the Commonwealth like a roman
Soon I will be President
Pericles power will soon go away
I will be your Shah one day
I will command all of you
Your kids will be in Fianna Fremont
Your kids will be in Fianna Fremont

Fremont Über Alles
Fremont Über Alles
Über Alles Fremont
Über Alles Fremont

West coast fascists will control you
Hundred percent unionist
You will vote for the master race
He’ll always get 100% percent
Close your eyes, can’t happen here
Unconditional surrender is near
Truman won’t come back, you say
Don’t run or you will pay
Don’t run or you will pay

Fremont Über Alles
Fremont Über Alles
Über Alles Fremont
Über Alles Fremont

Now it is twenty twenty one
Knock knock, time has run out
It’s the Fremonter secret police
They have come for your right-wing niece
Come quietly to the ranch
You will fight for this Thousand Year Reich
Don’t you worry, it’s for a cause
Keeping Fremont from total collapse
Die on labor-made poison gas
Too late, you can’t back out now
You will croak, you little Fed
When you mess with Emperor Truman
When you mess with Emperor Truman

Fremont Über Alles
Fremont Über Alles
Über Alles Fremont
Über Alles Fremont

(Congratulations on another term!)

[Unconditional Surrender Truman]

24 February 2020

Thank-you, Frémont!

There is a great deal that I want to say to you before the sweet release of sleep steals over me, but above all is the sense of tremendous gratitude that I feel to once again be the unanimous choice of my neighbors to lead our commonwealth into the bright future of a new decade.

There has never been a better time to be a Frémonter. The Fifteenth Parliament will face unprecedented opportunities to increase the prosperity of every citizen, at every level of society. As your first minister, I pledge to you now that I will spare nothing and no-one in our relentless pursuit of the ideal that every man, woman, and child in this region is deserving of nothing more or less than a level start and a fair shake; our unshakeable commitment to the equality of all people before their government and their Creator. As long as I have breath to breathe and words to speak, I will dedicate every power of this office to this vision of the free West: one where neither class nor creed, race nor point of origin stands between a citizen and the full enjoyment of their liberty.

We rejoice to find the friends of the people triumphant at every level of government, at the ratification by the unanimous vote of the regions of the great Democracy Amendment to the constitution, and as we mourn the loss of those among our number who fell short of their hopes, take comfort in the knowledge that no defeat in permanent so long as the people remain in command of their government.

Gloria Frémontis! Gloria populis!

Harry S Truman, first minister (again)

[PSOL]

🥳

[Unconditional Surrender Truman]

26 February 2020

The fifteenth sitting of parliament begins today! A hearty welcome to our new members, and welcome back to our returning MFPs. Our first order of business will be to elect a speaker, after which we can wrap up the last few articles left over from the Fourteenth Parliament and get down to legislating.

Gloria Frémontis!

Harry S Truman, first minister

[S019]

Congratulations on you victory!

[Unconditional Surrender Truman]

5 March 2020

This government and the Commonwealth of Frémont stand behind Donald McHenry in his fight against the corrupt and deeply disturbing practices at Cargill, Incorporated. Scare tactics such as these are the reason I signed the NO SLAPP Act last year. On behalf of parliament, I thank Mr. McHenry for his courageous defense of the freedom of speech and high ethical standards in business in the face of the legal intimidation of Cargill's corporate stooges.

Gloria Frémontis!

Harry S Truman, first minister

[Unconditional Surrender Truman]

11 March 2020

Ladies and gentlemen, we have reached a turning point.

The debate on affirmative action in parliament has drawn the attention of the public and the press, and with good reason: not only the region we have, but the commonwealth we hope to be are tied up in the fate of this measure. We have waged war on behalf of equal rights and equal opportunity —and while disagreement on this issue runs deep, we are all united in aspiring to a more equitable society: one where our citizens are judged, "not by the color of their skin, but by the content of their character." To borrow a line from a more recent tribute to our founding values, revolution is messy; but full of faith in the wisdom of the people of the West, I have no doubt this region and this parliament are equal to the task at hand.

Tonight, after many hours' conversation, I can announce that we have reached an accommodation. Not a compromise —for no principle has been here sacrificed —but a plot of common ground upon which left, right, and center have all agreed to lay the foundation for a new era of the ages.

At the heart of the late debate has been the essential and heretofore unchallenged reality: only so many seats in our universities exist for a far greater number of applicants. The question of how to most fairly award these seats to aspiring scholars is the rock which all our efforts have thus far failed to move. From mutual recognition of this obstacle was born our proposal: we will not admit someone. We will admit everyone.

In the coming days, a bill will be introduced in parliament with the combined support of myself, the honorable member from Oregon, and his colleague the honorable member from Washington, to reform higher education in Frémont on the following basis.

1. Bring all public and private colleges and universities under the umbrella of a Frémont Higher Education Service 2. Automatically admit all students scoring 1200+ on the SAT to university 3. Admit the rest to community college, with the option to level up after two years 4. Establish a consistent standard for academic excellence at all institutions of higher learning 5. Reform tuition and room and board to establish a sliding scale based on payee income

There is much that must be done —much that may change, and many questions on which the members may differ —before this proposal will be ready to implement. The above plan serves as a blueprint to direct parliament's efforts going forward as we seek to build a system that supports everyone, without regard for race, class, or nation of origin.

Critics will charge that it is too bold, that its changes are too massive, that it upsets too greatly the prevailing order of things. I accept the charge; I concede the motive. We embark, not to repair the engine of disease and corruption, but to replace it. We take up the banner, as our forefathers did so many centuries before, in the believe that happiness never comes to those who would buy it cheaply; with trust for each other's motives; and with firm reliance in the promise upon which this nation rests —that we are not to be ruled by kings or generals or benevolent patricians, but to be "a republic... if you can keep it."

Gloria Frémontis! Gloria occidenti!

Harry S Truman, first minister

[Unconditional Surrender Truman]

I, Harry S Truman, acting in accordance with the advice of the World Health Organization, global, and federal health officials, by the authority vested in me as first minister of Fremont by the constitution and laws thereof, declare a state of emergency to be in effect in the states of Alaska, Arizona, Atlasian Samoa, California, Colorado, Guam, Hawai'i, Idaho, Iowa, Minnesota, Montana, Nebraska, Nevada, New Mexico, North Dakota, the Northern Mariana Islands, Oregon, South Dakota, Utah, Washington, and Wyoming.

(1) All schools and universities are suspended.
(2) All non-essential state and regional employees are furloughed with pay.
(3) Public gatherings of more than two-hundred (200) people are prohibited.
(4) Citizens are encouraged in the strongest possible terms to delay or forgo interstate travel.
(5) All state and regional parks and museums are closed.
(6) Businesses are strongly encouraged to conduct operations remotely if at all possible.
(7) The Ministry of Health and Human Services is authorized to take all action necessary and proper to contain and combat the pandemic.

[Unconditional Surrender Truman]

14 March 2020

We are now being told that the Southern imperator has conspired with the enemies of freedom to raise the flag of traitors and slaveocrats above Topeka. On behalf of the free people of Kansas, I demand "Governor" Judas Westcariot immediately repeal this despicable and insane order. This gross insult to the sovereignty of the West will not go unanswered; we will not rest until the banner of Liberty flies over every town and city in the West!

Harry S Truman, first minister

[Unconditional Surrender Truman]

In recognition of the proud history and heritage of the Western state of Kansas, January 29 will henceforward be celebrated as John Brown Day.

[Unconditional Surrender Truman]

22 March 2020

Now that Virginia has led us up out of Egypt, and delivered us from Pharaoh and his drowned chariots, a few deluded souls, fearful in their exile, have proposed to raise a golden calf, and worship at the alter of Talkasia. May all honest and Dave-fearing men recoil at this hideous sacrilege. I have spent the better part of five years in service to this republic and written many of its basic laws. I would remind our delegates in Nyman, that it is Atlasia to whom Frémonters have pledged allegiance, and Atlasia alone to whom she will submit. We will see Nyman reduced to rubble, and our great republican edifice set ablaze like so much kindling, before we concede this abominable demonym. Mark me, friends: we will have Atlasia now, Atlasia tomorrow, Atlasia forever!

Ave nomini veritati!

Harry S Truman, first minister

[Unconditional Surrender Truman]

I, Harry S Truman, in accordance with the advice of the medical community in light of the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, direct all residents of Frémont to remain at home for the residue of the state of emergency now in effect throughout this commonwealth. Until otherwise ordered, Frémonters should leave their place of residence only to procure food and other necessary supplies, as required by their employers, or to seek necessary or emergency medical aid.

Furthermore, I advise all public and private employers to furlough their employees with pay for the residue of the state of emergency —excepting hospitals and emergency clinics, dentists, emergency services, groceries, pharmacies, and other essential services —and to make arrangements for their employees to work from home if possible.

All residents of Frémont are directed to forgo elective medical procedures for the residue of the state of emergency.

The practice of hoarding medical supplies by individuals is condemned, and those possessed of a surplus of masks or like articles are directed to donate these to a hospital or clinic, or to sell them at the original price of purchase.

[Unconditional Surrender Truman]

If you would not be forgotten, as soon as you are dead and rotten, either write things worth the reading, or do things worth the writing.

[Unconditional Surrender Truman]

6 April 2020

It is done.

In this hour of darkness, in this age of consternation and doubt, the people have delivered a crystalline mandate for the cause of liberty and brotherhood in the communion of the free West. The day of the oppressor is over, and the dawn brings the heralds of a new era, lit by the sun whose rays shine with special favor on the lands beyond the Mississippi.

Eastern meddlers who have long claimed dominion over our states, and who will not now give up the yoke of empire, will as like begin a campaign of defamation against our character —indeed, it is already underway. It is necessary, therefore, to clarify some points that honest patriots may not fear for the sanctity and supremacy of the Union.

We intend no violence against our vanquished occupiers, nor against the constitution. While it stands, it is the supreme law of the republic, and no act of any regional legislature may overthrow it. Those who would auger from this symbolic resolve an illegal or aggressive conclusion, suppose in our parliament more power than the law allows it to bear. If it is their wish to confer such power, we will humbly accept it; but for the present, I do not believe it so possessed, and commit myself to progress only by legal, democratic, and constitutional means. With that in mind, I protest this resolution to be wholly constitutional, in that it attempts no act, but only makes a plea for justice: and it is acts, and not thoughts, which may be condemned by the courts of this republic.

To the Kansans living in exile in Frémont, and those who yet remain in that state, I welcome you to the loving embrace of the commonwealth. There is no law which may forbid our brotherhood and mutual hope for the future, and no army which may hold back the spirit of Kansas that yearns for freedom even as unimaginative or disingenuous foes struggle in vain to hold back its inevitable advance.

There is further cause to rejoice, for the bells which ring in the freedom of Kansas, toll as well for the recognition, now in the constitution of Atlasia, of the right expressed in our Declaration of Independence nigh two hundred forty-four years ago; that inalienable inheritance of the sons and daughters of man, endowed by their Creator, the precursor to all liberty, which is life itself. In spite of the hilarious mental gymnastics of those who sought to oppose this measure while protesting for the very principles on which it is built (those who, even now, maintain furiously that there is no constitutional right to live —only to kill), this amendment to the federal constitution —which I had the high honor to author and place before the House —is ratified with the effusive support of majorities in two regions and a strong minority in the third. For this glorious victory, we may thank not only our firm friends on the left, by whose votes alone the measure was carried in the lower house, but also our honorable allies on the right, who did not allow ideology or weakness to withhold them from the natural conclusion of their conscience. We may well rejoice that our republic is governed by men and women of such caliber, on behalf of an enlightened people who will let neither party nor prejudice turn them from the defense of their liberty.

And last, but only ordinally, I may congratulate the honorable member from Oregon on his introduction of the bipartisan college bill which was the subject of my address of the eleventh ultimate. Even in the midst of this crisis, we may look to the future of higher education in this region with well-earned optimism for the fruit this grand bargain may bear.

Gloria Frémontis!

Harry S Truman, first minister

[Unconditional Surrender Truman]

20 April 2020

Congratulations to all the winners this weekend: to our new (and old) senators, our renewed Peace and Labor majority in the People's House, and especially to the incoming governor of the Southern Region. I look forward to a revived era of peace and good fellowship between our peoples, and bright days ahead for freedom-loving Atlasians everywhere.

Gloria Populi!
Harry S Truman, first minister

[Unconditional Surrender Truman]

16 May 2020

I am pleased to have signed, just moments ago, the Frémont Higher Education Reform Act —a comprehensive restructuring of our university system that will put to rest the grievances that many (myself among them) have long raised against college admissions in this country. While Congress was unable to form a consensus on this issue some months ago, by bringing together the best hearts and brightest minds of the left, right, and center, we in Frémont have resolved the thorny question of affirmative action once and for all without compromising either our commitment to social justice or our faith in egalitarian democracy.

The law now adopted will establish a uniform, rigorous, and universal program of higher education in Frémont, open to all and all alike. We have purged corruption and favoritism from the admissions process; we have ensured the solvency of our schools without placing undue burden on the poorest of our students; we have expunged the tyranny of third-party testing and replaced it with fair and objective standards of assessment. Before all, we have provided a place for every Frémonter in our schools while maintaining high standards for academic achievement across the board.

I am proud to have had this opportunity to change higher education for the better, and proud of the tenacious commitment of our members of parliament to this process. While it does not show from the debate on this bill, the proposal we have enacted was the work of countless hours and many long conversations between myself and the members from Oregon and Washington; this act could not have passed without their support, and it is a testament to our parliamentary system that all parties were able to come together to make this vision a reality. As we anticipate the election of new members to the Sixteenth Parliament, I am confident this spirit of bipartisan collaboration will serve them and the people of Frémont well in the weeks and months to come.

Gloria Frémontis!

Harry S Truman, first minister

[Unconditional Surrender Truman]

25 May 2020

Gloria Frémontis!

In this day of national trial, in this hour of courageous hope, the people of Frémont cry out with one voice from the badlands of Dakota to the sea-blue waters of Hawai'i, chanting the anthem of their ancestors: lex populusque patriae regem, —Frémont, Frémont über alles.

I accept the mandate of the people —the largest and most effusive for any candidate in the history of our commonwealth —to lead them through the dark and difficult times to come. Through such domains no man may walk alone; and I welcome the company of the brave hearts whom the people of Frémont, in their infinite wisdom, and ignoring the advice of foreign saboteurs, have enrolled to speak for them in their parliament. I congratulate the victorious, and console the defeated; for while our cause remains the progress of this people in the eyes of gods and men, there is no defeat, no victory, but which honors them and does justice to all and all alike.

My government —the seventh which I will have the honor to form at the behest of the people —will dedicate itself to the enormous task of regional renewal amidst the bitter reality of global pandemic. We will maintain our commitment to the safety and health of our most vulnerable citizens; we will adopt new measures to aid not only business and industry, but those at every level of society; and we will do this, without fear of the dangers which lay in wait, full of expectation that from our darkest hours is born the seed of greatness. We will continue our reforms in education, labor, and the environment. We will, at all times and in all places, advance the cause of the people —of all of the people —and seek by our policies to multiply their freedoms and raise their standard of living, in spite of the best efforts of their oppressors, whether they be the unelected minions of the monied interests or the emissaries of a watchful surveillance state.

We seek, neither to destroy what is old nor to repair what is decrepit, but to build new cities on ancient foundations; to renew the glory of the republic, the Union, and the commonwealth; to serve faithfully the people and the spirit of the free West.

Tomorrow we return to Denver, and the work begins.

Solidarity Forever!

Harry S Truman, first minister

[PSOL]

May Truman be an eternal force in Fremont:

[Unconditional Surrender Truman]

I, Harry S Truman, by the authority vested in me as first minister (a) order the immediate suspension of Derek Chauvin and Tou Thao from the Minneapolis Police Department; (b) order their immediate arrest and detention; (c) direct the Ministry of Justice to bring charges of manslaughter, excessive use of force, and gross misconduct against the aforesaid.

[Unconditional Surrender Truman]

I, Harry S Truman, by the authority vested in me as first minister (a) order the immediate suspension of Derek Chauvin and Tou Thao from the Minneapolis Police Department; (b) order their immediate arrest and detention; (c) direct the Ministry of Justice to bring charges of manslaughter, excessive use of force, and gross misconduct against the aforesaid.

This has been retconned. Well done, team!