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MostGloriousLeader

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On behalf of the people of the Maritime Republic, Queen Katherine congratulates President David Bronson on his reelection. J Andres looks forward to continued relations with the American Commonwealth, strengthened by the reelection of their effective President.

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  • 1 month later...

Referendum Results
Referendums held to determine the future of the states of Ohio and Kentucky have been completed and both have strongly resulted in favor of statehood.  The petitions from both states has been approved by Congress and the President and will take effect immediately.
 

Ohio
Statehood: 91.1%
Independence: 1.9%
Protectorate: 7.0%


Kentucky
Statehood: 83.8%
Independence: 4.1
Protectorate: 12.1%


Local government institutions and services have been mostly restored to both states, with the rest to be completed soon.  Elections for elected officials will take place when the next national election comes around.  It has also been announced that until the elections the military will be maintaining a strong presence in both states to provide stability in the region in light of other events occurring in the Midwest.

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Pan Am Resurrected

Today the Hershey Company has announced the relaunch of the Pan American Airways as a subsidiary corporation with headquarters in New York City.  Formed from scratch, Pan Am represents the latest and largest expansion of the Hershey conglomerate to date, entirely privately funded by the Hershey Corporation.  It has been confirmed that the new airline will be running both domestic and international flights for passengers and cargo with 150 aircraft of varying types.  Economic analysts see this as the Hershey Corporation's attempt to muscle into the airline industry and most predict that it will be successful operation.

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Classified
 
To: American Commonwealth Foreign Ministry
From: Lady Hanobel of the Southern Provinces, Minister of the Exterior of the Faraway Realm

 
To whomever it concerns,
 
Given the recent events, the Royal Faraway Armed Forces has noticed a lack in capabilities that is no longer acceptable. Thus, our military has made plans for extensive modernisation of our inventory, introducing new assets to make up for the gaps that became painfully obvious in the Madison affair.
 
While, however this is ours to deal with, I write you today, in order to ask whether the American Commonwealth would be interested in establishing a joint development program for certain equipment, as one could argue that joining efforts would not only reduce the financial burden on both of us (compared to two individual programs), but also increase the pool of creative minds and it could help foster the relations between our countries.
 
Of course, such a program only makes sense in areas that we both see need for improvement in, as the needs of our armed forces may be very different. Thus, for starters, our Ministry of War has considered multiple requests, though for now, the development of a new light attack helicopter has been deemed the most promising. While maybe not too breathtaking a project, it could serve as a first testbed for new technologies in this area of military equipment.
 
In addition, the Royal Faraway Navy has asked me to forward an offer to you, about the construction of war ships for our forces. As a trusted neighbour, we would ike to ask whether shipyards within the American Commonwealth are willing to enter contracts for an order of 5 capital ships, which we, given our geographical situation, cannot build ourselves. The Faraway Realm of course will negotiate a price with the shipyards, but this letter for now seeks mostly to probe for interest in such an offer.
 
With regards,
Hanobel

 

A crude outline of design criteria would be sent too, to allow the Commonwealth military to form its own opinion on the idea.

 

OOC: Outline includes what we talked about yesterday. Thought I'd throw in a ship building offer too, though I can outsource that also elsewhere.

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Classified Response

To: Lady Hanobel of the Southern Provinces, Minister of the Exterior of the Faraway Realm
From: American Commonwealth State Department

 

Lady Hanobel,

 

Consulting with the Joint Chiefs of Staff and weapons procurements officials we have concluded that it would be beneficial to establish a joint program to develop a new light attack helicopter in terms of both cost and capabilities and are interested in such a venture.  Representatives from General Dynamics and Hershey Defense have been notified about the project and will begin work with your contractors.  Initial funding has also been provided through the National Defense Procurement System.

 

As for the matter of shipbuilding, our shipyards are fairly busy with our own orders but Heshey Defense is willing to take the order you requested pending their cost analysis of the designs.

 

 

-Secretary of State

Christopher McNutt,

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Today a referendum was held in Jamaica to determine the future of the island by its inhabitants. 
 

Referendum Results
Territory: 39.2%

Statehood: 38.7%

Independence: 22.1%

 

The majority of the island favored remaining within the Commonwealth in some capacity, with territorial status winning over statehood by a very slim margin of less than one percent.  As a result Congress has approved the inclusion of Jamaica as a territory of the Commonwealth.  In this capacity they are more or less a state in almost all but name.  All inhabitants will be granted citizenship and receive the protections and services of the federal government.  Jamaica itself is sovereign territory of the Commonwealth.  The primary difference is that, as a territory, Jamaica can only send an observer to congress rather than actual representatives.  The issue of statehood will be raised again in another referendum in a decade or whenever the local government petitions Congress for statehood.

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Intense Cleanup Underway

The fallout resulting from the former PSSA's use of nuclear weapons along the border with the Commonwealth was not as bad as it could have been due to the use of airburst detonations.  Nonetheless the damage was done.  A massive decontamination effort was underway involving tens of thousands of soldiers and personnel.  It would take weeks to clean up most of the contamination and weeks still to rebuild the heavily damaged infrastructure.  In the meantime travel across the former border was still possible through alternate untouched routes but a priority was given to rebuilding the interstates destroyed in the attack.

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Bronson Resigns!

Today President Bronson has announced that he will resign from the office of the president due to health reasons stating that "It is my regret that I have let down my fellow citizens and my country but due to recent health complications I will be unable to conduct the responsibilities of the presidency and attempts to rectify these issues will take a long time and I cannot justify remaining in office while being incapacitated for that length of time".  When asked if he would return to the presidency after recovering he said "It could be a possibility but right now thats looking a little too far ahead for me".  While no problems with his health have been publicly confirmed, unnamed sources inside the White House have claimed that President Bronson has not been well since the PSSA war started.  Many medical professionals speculate that stress induced sickness is a high possibility, although there are many others, with an unnamed White House staff member claiming the president had actually collapsed and required medical attention recently not too long after the war ended.  Vice President Charlie Nelson will be sworn in as the president within the hour to serve out the rest of the term. 

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Decontamination efforts are almost complete now along the former Commonwealth-PSSA border clearing the fallout and contamination resulting from the detonation of several nuclear weapons.  A large monument and garden were erected near the now being rebuilt section of I-95 over the area the nuclear weapon detonated.  It was also the site of President Bronson's last official action in the office of the president as he attended a large ceremony commemorating the monument and those who died in the nuclear attack.  He also presented the medal of honor to the families of two servicemen and spoke on behalf of the nation and armed forces.  "After the nuclear assault on I-95 Master Sergeant Todd Brown repeatedly ran through highly radioactive areas to retrieve over a dozen wounded comrades with utter disregard for his own life despite the fact that portions of his suit were burned away, and requiring medical attention, and kept this up until finally collapsing from radiation poisoning.  Lieutenant Colonel Harry Melbourne was flying his F-35 in support of ground troops when he noticed a nearby nuclear missile in flight.  Not only did he raise the warning, helping save countless lives, but he pursued the missile without orders and without regard for his own life in an attempt to bring it down and was killed when it detonated.  These men's extraordinary heroism and devotion to duty are in keeping with the highest traditions of military service and reflect great credit on him,his unit, and the military of the American Commonwealth".

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Extensive flooding has become an issue along the Ohio and Mississippi Rivers due to extremely abnormal amounts of rainfall in the last several days resulting in the mandatory evacuation of several thousand people and a massive effort by multiple states and the federal government to work to contain it.  Emergency services personnel and civilian volunteers have erected temporary levees and barriers in an effort to stem advance of the flood waters with a large amount of success.  While the rainfall has stopped it is estimated it would be at least several more days until the flood waters will subside.  Even then it is estimated that a fairly considerable amount of damage has been done and the need to rebuild will be great.

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"As one of our friends in the Atlantic Community, the American Commonwealth will receive whatever aid we can provide to your nation, with seventy-five million Rand in humanitarian supplies and post-disaster clean-up/repair funds now promised for you. Additionally, 2 Brigade, of the 1st South African Infantry Division, which has been posted in the Commonwealth for some time now for joint training purposes, has been tasked to assist you in any way possible. Additional resources are at your disposal should you have need for them, all you must do is ask."

 

Lawrence Tenerife

Foreign Minister

South African Foreign Service

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"As one of our friends in the Atlantic Community, the American Commonwealth will receive whatever aid we can provide to your nation, with seventy-five million Rand in humanitarian supplies and post-disaster clean-up/repair funds now promised for you. Additionally, 2 Brigade, of the 1st South African Infantry Division, which has been posted in the Commonwealth for some time now for joint training purposes, has been tasked to assist you in any way possible. Additional resources are at your disposal should you have need for them, all you must do is ask."

 

Lawrence Tenerife

Foreign Minister

South African Foreign Service

 

We thank our friends in South Africa for their offer of assistance.  This is a positive sign of the growing friendship between our two nations.  We hope to be able to repay your kindness and generosity.

 

-American Commonwealth State Department

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Federal Firearms Act of 20XX

Today, in the wake of several high profile shootings that have taken place at schools and other public institutions in the last several weeks, Congress narrowly passed a new and comprehensive gun control statute to unify and replace the several existing federal statutes as well as state gun control laws as part of a outlined plan to increase public safety.  The main provisions are the complete ban on automatic weapons and the institution of new and more rigorous prerequisite qualifications for gun ownership and concealed carry.  Gun owners must now re-qualify for their weapons permits yearly, which includes safety course refreshers as well as an annual mental health examination.  A background check will also be required before the purchase of weapons or ammunition as well as limiting the amount of weapons and ammunition able to be purchased by an individual person at any given time.  Permit costs and a small sales tax levied on the sale of weapons and ammunition will be used to provide these services to the public.  All weapons must also be registered to a national database operated by the federal government.  Concealed carry is still permitted in most circumstances but ultimately has been left up to the states as part of a compromise to pass the bill, although a complete ban on concealed weapons was retained for government and public institutions and property as well as areas administered by the federal government.  The Gun-owners Association of Youths and Students, an outspoken gun rights advocate group for students and young adults has partnered with the Firearms Association Against Gun-control, the nation's premier gun advocacy group, to bring a lawsuit against the federal government and the new law.

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Kennedy Space Center

160162main_115launch.jpg

Shuttle Ascension lifting off

Today at 11:30 am, the American Commonwealth National Space Agency successfully launched its first manned space mission into low earth orbit at the Kennedy Space Center in Florida.  Crewed by astronauts Bob Anderson, Steve Bergin, Martin Aguilar and Amy Scriber; the shuttle Ascension will orbit the earth for three days before returning to earth.  Marking the beginning of the Commonwealth's manned space program, it has been confirmed that plans are already underway to create a manned space station in orbit as well as a new and improved version of the shuttle to improve payload capabilities.  Another high priority program that is currently underway is the launch of a manned lunar mission which is slated to be launched in the next several months.

Edited by MostGloriousLeader
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With national elections looming on the horizon, President Charles Nelson has announced that despite being eligible for re-election due to the fact that he succeeded former President Bronson during his term as vice president, he will not be running for re-election and would be retiring after his term expires.  The resulting lack of notable candidates in the national spotlight has sent nearly all parties scrambling to find a suitable presidential candidate before the campaign season begins.  Political analysts have claimed that both the congressional and presidential elections will be much closer than past elections due to the recent expansion of the Commonwealth with many states traditionally held to be conservative.  Most have claimed that it will probably be the most contentious election in the Commonwealth's history to date.

Edited by MostGloriousLeader
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Today the National Space Agency has announced the successful conclusion of a manned lunar orbit mission, representing another major milestone in the American Commonwealth's space program.  The mission orbited the moon a half dozen times surveying potential landing sites and providing a rehearsal for the upcoming planned moon landing mission, which will use the same four astronauts.  Space Agency officials have said that the manned moon mission was set to begin in two weeks.

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Today stock markets experienced massive losses due to the sudden failures of several major financial institutions, including JP Morgan Chase, Fannie Mae, Citigroup, AIG, Freddie Mac, and Bank of America among the most well known and caused by the sudden burst of a housing and credit bubble.  Most analysts have agreed that the current financial crisis is the most serious the Commonwealth has faced yet, with many projecting it to be the start of a major recession.  Over the course of a single day of trading stock markets have lost nearly 20% of their value with the decline still ongoing.  President Nelson has called upon congress to return from campaigning for the upcoming elections to act swiftly to alleviate the crisis.

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In spite of emergency measures taken by the federal government, the economic crisis has worsened, with unemployment rising to 11% and the stock market still in decline.  President Nelson has announced that in response, the government would be taking more drastic measures, including forming a stimulus package, bailing out and nationalizing major financial institutions and budget cuts to keep the spending deficit in line with acceptable figures.  With elections a little over a month away, most main political parties have begun to paint responsibility for the crisis on their opponents and economic experts fear factionalism will stifle an effective response to the crisis.

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Pure Lands would begin to steadily direct it's sovereign wealth funds from its oil revenues to begin making significant investments across a variety of critical sectors while announcing subsidize for heating oil to the poor in the north east.

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After days of debate and negotiations, Congress passed the National Economic Recovery and Growth Act, earmarking over $900 billion for programs to act as a stopgap measure and catalyst for recovery for the ongoing economic crisis.  These programs include expanded government work programs, infrastructure investment, the government purchase and take over of major failing companies, essential consumer goods subsidies and tax cuts.  The stock markets made a slight rebound when news of the stimulus bill's passage was announced but economic analysts have cautioned against expectations of a rapid recovery, with many saying it would be months, perhaps even years before full recovery could be achieved. 

 

In respect to foreign investment and economic activity in the Commonwealth, such activity was usually encouraged but obstructed by law for companies and industries deemed critical to national security, including utilities companies, defense contractors, major banks and financial institutions and other essential industries.  While foreign investment was still acceptable, foreign investors would never be allowed to purchase more than a minor stake in such companies.

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Numerous referendums were held throughout the American Commonwealth administered protectorates to allow the people a chance for self determination and to choose their future.  The results were varied throughout.  Several canadian provinces opting to form their own independent nations while at the same time Acadia, New Brunswick, Prince Edward Island and Nova Scotia opted to join the Commonwealth as states, the organization of which remains to be determined.  Referendums in Greenland and Cuba also so those regions join the Commonwealth, although the former has voted to remain a territory rather than a state for the time being.  The majority of mexicans have voted to retain their protectorate status in the hopes of being able to form their own government down the road.  The American Commonwealth has announced that it will maintain administration of protectorate zones until the local population has decided such actions are no longer needed and form their own governments.

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  • 4 weeks later...

Drug Bust Topples Crime Syndicate

Immigrant%20Raid.jpg?ve=1

ICE Agents conducting a raid at a warehouse in Portland, Oregon

 

Immigrations and Customs Enforcement agents and local law enforcement raided an local warehouse in Portland, Oregon this morning in a raid intended to seize a shipment of the dangerous drug known as krokodil.  While the raid did seize the intended drugs it also uncovered something more.  The warehouse was the central hub of an illegal "Male Order" human trafficking operation originating from Siberian Marscuria where hundreds of men were imprisoned.  Young Marscurian men were lured in with the promises of a better life and the prospect of being with a woman who wasn't Marscurian, only to be sold into sexual slavery to middle aged upper class housewives who are neglected by their husbands. 

 

More important was the discovery of documents and intelligence that allowed law enforcement officials to arrest dozens of clients as well as the kingpin of the operation less than an hour later.  Pittsburgh police raided a downtown penthouse and took the suspect into custody.  The woman, who has only been identified by her first name Sarah, was also found with another woman, Eva, who was also arrested and is purported to be her Austrian lover and business partner A search of the premises led to the finding of a Marscurian in a storage space converted into a sex dungeon.  The Marscurian, who simply called himself 'Melech', was life flighted to a local hospital where he remains in critical condition.  "Man, I feel bad for the kid" said Pittsburgh Police Captain Aaron Lafferty.  "They should compensate him with citizenship or something because from what it looks like he had it really rough.  The stuff they did to the poor guy makes Buffalo Bill look like a pansy" he said as he supervised other officers walking out with a stream of feathery and laced boxes, one with a ball gag hanging off the side and what appeared to be electric cattle-prods and branding irons sticking out.

 

Officials say that efforts are being made to contact the victim's families through all available channels and that they will be cared for in the meantime.  They are currently receiving medical treatment through local hospitals at a temporary detainment center and have all been offered psychological counseling in the matter.  Local charities and aid organizations have also offered various services to the victims and it has been confirmed that Sarah McLachland is attempting to raise awareness on the Marscurian sex slavery issue by making a public service announcement featuring very sad music and Melech, the Marscurian rescued in Pittsburgh as part of the "Marscurians are People Too" human rights campaign.

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