Michael McBride

"Except this administration is no different from the others, sir. They immediately reformed the federal government based on the previous United States administrations. They immediately declared their intent to reunify the original fifty states. No matter if they claimed they would approach this peacefully or not, they made a threat on the sovereignty of every nation who has land in the former continental United States. That includes all of my nation's territory, sir, and all of yours as well. A threat on our sovereignty is not something that has, or ever will be, taken lightly. Whatever they say their intentions are now, one's first intentions are always the purest, the one's that are really in one's heart. They want our land, no matter how they try and hide it now. Such a threat on our border is unacceptable." Thomas leaned back again, his eyes narrowing at Oscar. "Further, we have seen no reports of insurgent elements within the United States. We think that the United States is making these reports up in an effort to keep their military forces artifically high. We feel they are planning to attack."

Thomas merely chuckled slightly, turning to Valcoste. "See what I mean? Ignorant, and mindless, idiots. To correct a few problems with their statement, if I may," Thomas paused and looked at Oscar, "take some notes, you may learn something. First, my title is not self-appointed. I was appointed Emperor by the previous Emperor, as was he by the Emperor before. There is no self-appointment here. Secondly, it is not our self-assigned role to watch over North America. For almost a decade this continent was in chaos, with the single stabilizing force being the Empire. If we are seen as a caretaker by a great many nations, not only on the continent, but abroad as well, it is because we have [i]earned[/i] that title, not because we assigned it to ourselves. We did our duty to hold a continent in turmoil together. I guess the American pigs would have rather had us let it fly apart. Yes, of course we have ruled North America with an iron fist. Which is why we have allowed so many nations other than our own to spring up around this vast continent." Thomas rolled his eyes. "Finally, we do not demand your destruction because of a title. We demand your destruction because you apply to the same dim-witted, land-hungry, war-mongering, failed policies of the previous three incarnations of the United States of America. The United States is a plague, a pox upon North America. And it shall never be allowed to return again on my watch."

Thomas looked at the Texan for a moment before responding. "There is a deeper issue here. Pravus Ingruo, in every incarnation, has fought against the United States of America. This is the fourth incarnation of a failed nation. The Federation of Pravus Ingruo single-handedly destroyed the second incarnation. The Empire of Pravus Ingruo and New England destroyed the third incarnation. Many of our citizens had lived under that incompetent, ineffective regime. We will not allow another incarnation to exist right next to our border without doing all we can to make sure it is destroyed." Thomas leaned back. "This is not something a treaty or restrictions can fix. This is something that only the destruction of one nation or the other can fix."

"If you wished to apologize for your Congress' incompetence, Mr. McArthur, that could have been done with another letter. Speak what you wished to speak with us about, or I'll call my pilot and tell him not to even let the plane cool down." Thomas fixed the man with a steely glare. Behind him, Dr. Church's gaze was far more analytical, but just as intense. While also head of R&D for the Empire along with being Thomas' most trusted adviser, Dr. Church was also an aficionado of killing people, or, more specifically, ways to kill people. He had come up with 3,452 ways to kill a person using only his bare hands or common everyday objects alone. [i]Lunge forward. Grab index finger. Bend backwards. Finger broken. Twist wrist 63 degrees to the left. Wrist shattered. Bend up upwards at a 90 degree angle. Broken finger still held. Lunge forward again. Broken finger through left eyeball. Death. Total time: 5 seconds. Number 478.[/i]

[quote name='Shadowsage' timestamp='1308720530' post='2738245'] "Will this treaty interfere with any American nations, including non-signatories who are attempting to expand? I would prefer to allow non-signatories to war with each-other if they so desire. However, should any foreign influences attempt to interfere with a side, then I would support military action." [/quote] "Should two nations, let's say the USA and Midwest Republic, go to war, then the Organization would have a choice. If the Executive Council voted unanimously to intervene and stop the fighting, the Organization could do that. Without the unanimous vote, however, the Organization as a whole could not take action. That would not prevent individual Signers from doing so, obviously. Your assertion about foreign powers is correct."

[quote name='Yawoo' timestamp='1308676031' post='2737409'] "Once the bold parts seen below are removed the Republic of Texas will be overjoyed to sign." [/quote] "The parts have been changed to be grammatically correct." [quote name='JEDCJT' timestamp='1308681302' post='2737510'] "Apart from what Mr. Croix have bolded, the Holy Empire of Ursalia will be pleased to sign this. Shall we submit our signatures now, or wait until the other delegates have submitted their suggestions?" [/quote] "We would suggest waiting until all changes are made, just in case something comes up that you do not agree with." [quote name='New Frontier' timestamp='1308692912' post='2737761'] "Use of this Organization to initiate aggressive military action outside of the American continents is prohibited." "We would suggest that such a prohibition be changed to include the option for each individual member to use this as a cassus belli for war overseas, should they so choose." [/quote] "I am not sure what you mean. If you are talking about warring foreign nations overseas due to actions in America, that exception is already covered extensively in the document. A purely aggressive action outside the Americas is not allowed by this document. Period."

Thomas nodded. "My assistants have been revising the original as talks have progressed, so that we do not have to go over things twice. They should be here in a few minutes with the most up-to-date revision so we may start hashing out the finer points with the language and such." A few minutes later, an assistant came out and distributed a copy of the revised treaty to everyone present. It read: [quote]The American Treaty Organization I. Preamble We, the undersigned (henceforth known as the Signers), do come together on this day, June the 21st, year 20XX, to sign on to the American Treaty Organization (henceforth known as the Organization). We the Signers come to proclaim loudly and in one voice that the American powers once again stand united across continents. We the Signers come together to say that the Americas were a victim of colonization for too long, and it shall not happen again. We the Signers come together to say that American affairs will be dealt with by Americans, not dictated by foreign powers. II. American Sovereignty We, the Signers, believe that America should be for Americans. The Signers pledge to do everything in their collective diplomatic and military power to prevent any further expansion into the Americas by foreign powers. We, the Signers, also pledge to prevent any future foreign territorial foothold from forming in the Americas, save for military bases agreed on by treaty partners on an undersigned’s sovereign territory. III. Signatory Sovereignty The Signers of this treaty agree to respect the sovereignty of the other Signers. IV. Organization Executive Council Each Signer shall submit one Representative to sit on the Executive Council of the Organization. These Representatives will make decisions for the Organization on behalf of the Signers. V. Signatory Intelligence Sharing The Signers agree to share any and all intelligence pertaining to the future safety and security of the American continents. Failure to do so can be used as grounds for removal from the Organization. VI. Mutual Defense Should any Signer’s American territory be attacked, either by another American or foreign nation, the other Signers agree to aid the aforementioned nation by any means necessary, including diplomatic, military, and through the use of MAD policies. VII. Military Action Should a Signer wish to use the bloc for aggressive military action, they must bring have their Representative bring the proposal before the other Executive Council of the Organization. Aggressive military actions on the American continents must be approved by a unanimous vote of the Executive Council. Use of this Organization to initiate aggressive military action outside of the American continents is prohibited. VIII. Superiority Clause Signers to the Organization agree that in matters regarding an attack by a foreign nation on American soil, or an attempt by an existing foreign power in America to expand, this Organization will hold superiority over any other treaty Signers hold. This Clause will not apply to actions taken outside of the American continents or aggressive military action taken by the Organization.* IX. Adding New Signers New Signers may be added only with a unanimous approval vote by the Executive Council. This is to ensure that all Signers of the Organization are comfortable defending and being defended by any new Signers. X. Leaving the Organization A Signer, at any time, may leave the Organization by notifying the Executive Council of their intent. A Signer will then have one week before their membership in the Organization is null and void. A Signer may also be ejected from the Organization at any time by a unanimous vote by the Executive Council, excluding the vote of the Signer up for ejection. *Aggressive military action is defined as action taken by the Organization with no previous provocation. Attacking foreign power trying to establish a foothold in the American continents or a foreign power trying to expand their current land holdings in America are not considered aggressive military actions and will fall under Sections II, VI, and VIII. We, the undersigned, do hereby accept and pledge to uphold the tenants of the Organization as long as we are Signers: [/quote]

Thomas acknoledged both Croix and Lalonde before turning back and speaking directly to Vigneault. "To assuage your fears, I would not be opposed to a Superiority Clause in any treaty provided," Thomas paused to make sure his point sank in, "provided that the superiority clause would ONLY kick in for American affairs. For example, should the Chinese attempt to gain more land, then this treaty would override our treaty with them. However, if we were involved in a war outside of American helping the Chinese, and a treaty partner here ended up on the other side of that war, this treaty would not override our treaty with the Chinese. Likewise if a member of this treaty decided to attack the Chinese in America when no expansion had been done or attacked the Chinese mainland, this treaty would not override our treaty with the UFE." He leaned back in his chair. "Do my examples make sense?"

Searching Google, the closest comparable impact that I found was the 2 ton impact of LCROSS onto the moon back in 2009. Estimates on crater size from that were 20-25 meters (60-75 feet) across to 5 miles across. Even if we go on the lower end of estimates, that's still a decently devastating impact crater, especially on troop morale. EDIT: Found depth: 13 feet.

[quote name='Executive Minister' timestamp='1308626053' post='2736457'] Someone refute this and i'll make her RP more damages. [/quote] Can't look up stuff to refute this at the moment (I'm at work), however, the rods weighed two tons each (way more than 150kg) and had rockets on the back for semi-guidance. Just a note.

Thomas looked at Vigneault as the man's emotions started to rise. He fixed him with a cool, steely glare, one perfected from years of pilot training and dogfights. "You doubt my word, sir? They. Won't. I have my assurances from the Chinese. I have had relations with them perhaps longer than anyone else in this room. August Imperator Jia has given me no reason not to trust him. They will not acquire more land because they have told me they will not. They will not acquire more land because I am telling you they will not. And they certainly won't be acquiring more land before this conference is over and a joint American protectorate proposal can be made to them." Thomas' voice was low, level, but equally passionate. Doubting his word and that of his allies was something taken as a personal insult, and Thomas was not a man who liked to be insulted.

"It is certainly a proposal we can put forward. However, we must be prepared for rejection as the Chinese have grown and prospered the area over a number of years."

[quote name='Yawoo' timestamp='1308580256' post='2735833'] "If that is the case, then would the Chinese be open to transferring their Alaskan territory - the part not annexed - to this bloc for safe keeping?" [/quote] "That would be something that the bloc, if it is formed, would have to take up with the Chinese after our formation. To do so earlier would be premature."

[quote name='Yawoo' timestamp='1308578851' post='2735818'] "My dear Friend, the question remains how will our bloc members deal with allied nations who are currently on American soil? What happens if your friends in the U.F.E. decide to annex more Alaskan territory? Which comes first, long standing treaties or American nations? Surely you can see my hesitation in supporting a large bloc when so many American nations are tied closely with non-Americans" [/quote] Thomas smiled slowly. "What happens if they decide to gobble up more territory, Mr. Croix? Nothing. Because they won't. You have my word that the Chinese will not advance farther into Alaska than they already have."

[b]***Classified***[/b] With the delay in the Korean announcement and the speed at which the rods were falling, there was very little time for the Imperial Missile Corp. to realize that they have made a grave mistake. While there was no true way to stop the rods, the Empire had built in fail safes to lesson damage should the rods be fired on friendly targets. First, target coordinates were transmitted to Austria and the UFE, urging immediate evacuation. The Empire hoped that no resources were in the area. After all, they had been targeting old Korean positions. Unless the Chinese and Austrians kept their military in the exact same spots, damage from that should be minimal. Still, to further minimize damage, controllers turned off one side of the engines propelling the rods ever faster downward. This caused a list, creating more friction. This friction superheated the rods in the atmosphere, giving them the impression of shooting stars. This friction was many times higher than normal due to a larger surface area of the rod being hit by the heat. After that, the engines turned off completely. One parachute deployed, opened for a few seconds, and then was ripped away. But it had slowed the rods enough that a second parachute was able to significantly slow the projectiles. But the heat would soon eat away at the cords holding the chutes to the rods. Finally, small thermite cores in each rod were activated, beginning to eat through the rod, hopefully softening the blow below. They had done all they could. A second message was sent to both the UFE and Austria informing them of these actions and offering immediate compensation for any lives lost or infrastructure destroyed. The Imperial CyberWarfare Corps had a better time of it, analyzing satellite photos and hacking into Korean mainframes to deduce the locations of Korean nuclear missile silos and nuclear reactors. Through a complicated process including backtracking massive power drains and hot spots away from civilian areas, the hackers were able to determine their locations. With this information in hand, it was transmitted to every nation currently engaged against the Koreans for use of strategic bombing runs and missile strikes.

Emperor Thomas Atkinson-Asgeirsson and Dr. Leonard L. Church would each travel down to Dallas. Although, neither figured the meeting was going to be particularly productive.

The Emperor nodded to King Enrique with a warm smile before turning to listen to the Texan, Ursalian, and Holy American ambassadors speak. Though Thomas was slightly shocked by the bluntness with which Croix made his request, he guessed he shouldn't have been surprised. This was the Americas, the catalyst that had groomed politicians like Tom Dobbs and Michael Harland. Politicians who pulled no punches and were not afraid of insulting others to make a point. After the banter back and forth, the young Emperor spoke up again. "The Empire supports whatever decision the Holy American Empire makes with its sovereign territory and would be happy to serve as an unbiased monitor for any elections that take place in Cuba. I'm sure my election officials would see it a great hardship to be transferred to such a beautiful place." A light laugh from Thomas followed before turning to Croix. "I must disagree with you, sir, on your assertion that this bloc would be hollow due to our close ties with the United Federation of the East. As I said before, it is not my intention to have this bloc pursue a "cleansing" if you will to turn our continents into "America for Americans". My father fought for that. Michael Harland fought for that. Tom Dobbs fought for that. The Tahoeans fought for that. And it never worked. It always ended with a compromising of principles, a weakening of resolve, and, in the end, a fracturing of the alliance. So I say why start down that path all over again? Why not say this time around, let's aim to prevent further expansion into the America's, rather than drive what is currently out completely. I believe that we can achieve the goals put forward here preliminarilly, by halting foreign expansion and keeping the continents stable. By doing so, we can grow our own power while the Europeans and Asians squabble. And we can ensure the safety and prosperity of our people and our continent for generations to come."

[quote name='Kankou' timestamp='1308533236' post='2735250'] Not exactly. Back in the conflict with Malatose, I used the same methods and had a much higher hit rate. There has never been any sort of rule concerning how many you shoot down, as long as it's reasonable. I think I'll stick with the 7 missiles shot. Also, wouldn't WMD be under the SDI rule? That's how I remember things. [/quote] Ah, no, sorry. If you have 5 IG missile defenses, you shoot down roughly 50% of the missiles tossed at you. Those are the rules. You don't get to pick an arbitrary number. It's been connected to IG missile defenses for YEARS (as it was back when I was PI the first time in Florida). And SDI ONLY works with nuclear missiles. It's always been that way.

[quote name='Kankou' timestamp='1308532798' post='2735238'] Not to argue and such, but http://forums.cybernations.net/index.php?showtopic=102836&view=findpost&p=2735212 Given that I have the SDI, five missile defense, and used a nuke, I think that 5 missiles a bit too low. Something about 70% shot down? [/quote] 1) SDI only works for nuclear weapons, not non-nuclear weapons. 2) IG missile defense % = % of IC missiles shot down. How it's always been. Take it up with the GMs if you don't like it. *shrugs*

[quote name='Kankou' timestamp='1308530831' post='2735196'] A nuclear missile was launched at the incoming PI weapons, exploding over the north part the East Korea Sea (Sea of Japan). The EMP was such that no land territories would be affected while striking the PI weapons, and the fallout would only raise the radiation slightly. OOC: Just a short form, I'll get this written properly in a separate thread, with exact effects not bomb. [/quote] OOC: Just a note for when this is written up properly, five missiles will be knocked out of the sky due to you having 5 IG missile defenses (leading to half gone). The other 5, or 25 rods, will continue on to their targets.

[quote name='Sargun' timestamp='1308530248' post='2735177'] If you fired seven off day one and had a WRC, I think you'd have 15 on day 2. I believe the regeneration is flat. could be wrong though, but it seems stupid that if you fire off 19 you'd have 20 the next day but if you fire off 20 you only have 1 or 2 [/quote] Sorry, I had meant WRC with HNMS. Forgot to post that. We're both thinking along the same line though.

Requesting two spy rolls on Korea to discover the location of nuclear missile silos and nuclear reactors. Gracias. [img]http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v650/That_Bum/kankouspy.png[/img]

No, you are idiots. You failed to use my proper name. Not a title, a proper name, one given to me by my parents. If you cannot even have the decency to address a man by his proper name, you are completely unfit for politics. My name is Thomas Atkinson-Asgeirsson, not Thomas Asgeirsson you filthy uneducated pigs. How dare you insult my father in such a way. Further, both Texas and Ursalia offered to host the meeting, though neither had responded after we said we would accept either place. Seeing as such, you still need permission, and are therefore offering to hold a summit in a country without even having permission from said country. Once you stop sniveling like school children and actually HAVE permission from a country, with a definite date and time and place, to hold talks, then you may contact us again. Any correspondence beforehand will be burned as if it never existed. Signed, [img]http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v650/That_Bum/thomasatkinsonasgeirsson.png[/img]

[b]***Classified***[/b] The Empire acknowledged the Ursalian requests and granted permission for deployment of Ursalian assets to IMB:CP should they prove necessary.

Not sure what you mean by "daily reload" for nukes, but the policy is (as far as I remember) 20 (or 25 with HNMS) able to be fired off at once, only able to reload one or two a day (if you have WRC or not). So if you fired off seven day one, and had a WRC, you'd have 20 on day 2 and so on. Fire off all 20 (or 25), next day you only have 1 (or 2). Troops: 444,376 Tanks: 4,444 plus undisclosed number of APCs, IFVs, artillery, etc. Aircraft: (70 squadrons total) .5 squadrons Surgical Bombers 1.5 squadrons AC-130s 36 squadrons Air Superiority Fighters 24 squadrons of Fighter-Bombers 6 squadrons of Ground Fighters 2 squadrons of Heavy Bombers Undisclosed number of helicopters Naval: Merchant Marine only Strategic: 50 Nuclear: Full My missiles have already been launched. Also don't know how much of my military will be participating. 10,000 Marines at least as they are being picked up by the Athenians.