The Dern Report: The Great Squirrel is officially embraced!

[Capsavian Hopewell]

The Great Squirrel is officially embraced! His Holy City of Hoofport, Aidern 1570 AD After generations of grassroots organizing and active conversion efforts, the Church of the Great Squirrel has gained majority votes in the Dernish High Council.  Their first act was to establish The Great Squirrel as the national religious figure, thus making it the state religion. The move was accepted by Taoist organizations with reluctant acceptance as being an inevitable outcome.  The two faiths have managed to exist with peaceful and even mutually-beneficial aims.  The Taoist minority still holds a significant portion of Dernish citizens' beliefs, and government-sponsored efforts at sending missionaries over to the Heretical Continent are, at least for now, not going to be ceased. The Dernish High Council is slated to next focus on increasing the military budget, which Great Squirrel political action committees have long derided as being "pathetically minimalist in comparison to our much stronger neighbors".  In lieu of the shift in political and religious beliefs taking place at home, and a culturally-aggressive neighbor to the north, the consensus has arrived:  Aidern must pursue more active roles in enlightening those cities of the world which lack His word. "The Scots have been hesitant in accepting His Word," said FennBullsquirrel, Minister of Evangelism in the new government.  "It's up to us to show them the error of their ways, and they know respect only in a strong arm and a loud voice.  We have been too silent for too long as they turn their backs on the walnut groves," he added. Vali Capsavian Hopewell urged caution in the new power brokers of Dernport regarding their rhetoric, lest it be seen as antagonistic.  "We have yet to produce even a single gunpowder weapon, and the Scots are well advanced.  Besides that, they have been respectful neighbors and remain our top trading partner." Among the excessively hyperactive platform of new laws the High Council plans to push forward while the momentum of public opinion backs them include: --> Rearming and expanding the Dernish Expeditionary Force with the nation's first firearms. --> Commissioning at least two warships for the Dernish Naval Force, in response to reports of raider vessels in the nearby high seas. --> Priority sponsoring of faith missions to the Heretic Continent and Scotland. --> Reforestation of lands, particularly with oak and walnut groves. --> New leash laws for cats and other predators, as part of an expansion upon the already-existing Squirrel Preservation Act, which made any intentional harm to squirrels a capital offense. The High Council is also expected to urge Vali Hopewell to approach the international community in establishing laws similar to the Squirrel Preservation Act in foreign nations.  Said FennBullsquirrel, "We cannot, as a people, rest comfortably in our nut-lined nests while squirrels of the world are starving and living as second-class citizens, or in many cases not as citizens at all."

[Munro]

This is sad news, Vali.  Your people have strayed from The Path.  Your Great Squirrel is a false god and your people will never know true enlightenment.  

Worse yet, your recent relaxation of censorship across Aidern is having a serious impact on the traditional way of life in the border towns around Loch Ness, which have been flooded with Dernish newspapers and other foreign material espousing the way of the Great Squirrel and the glory of Dernish cultural achievements.  By some estimates the number of such publications has literally doubled overnight.  This has compounded the already conspicuous state sponsorship of the many cultural buildings in the Dernish cities along our borders, and is now beginning to have a serious impact on Scottish cultural values and traditional way of life in these areas.

Vali, I must warn you, Scotland is a democracy and public opinion matters.  I count myself as a long time friend and ally of Aidern, but there are those in Scottish politics who espouse a more 'traditional' approach to our immediate neighbours, and who would love to replace me at the head of Scottish parliament, if they could only gain enough support amongst the voting public to challenge our majority in parliament.  Given Scotland's military superiority, we both know they would not find it hard to make the case for more direct intervention.  Please, I must ask you to desist from any further state investment in cultural buildings and projects along our border.

Also, to help undo some of the damage done here, can I ask Aidern to formally join our anti-slavery coallition?  As you are no doubt aware, the anti-slavery movement has been gaining significant traction amongst the Scottish voting public recently, not least since the election to the Scottish cabinet of William McWilberforce - the outspoken critic of human trafficking and author of the current Anti-Slavery bill which is making its way through parliament right now.  Official state backing by Aidern of this initiative would do much to restore Scottish public confidence in the Derno-Scottish alliance.

Will you consider it?

Prime Minister Munro

[Capsavian Hopewell]

Prime Minister Munro,

Well, I have to first state that the press has (once again) used my quote out of context.  They have gotten increasingly bad with misrepresenting my views, ever since I began granting the people more freedom and they in turn urged the lifting of most media censorship.

We of course view Scotland as our most important neighbor and longtime ally.  I have limited control over The Church of the Great Squirrel, beyond veto powers and a few key budgetary controls. 

That said, I still exert a good degree of influence over the High Council, and will assure you that we will join Scotland in antislavery legislation.  With the rise of the present government, bondage of squirrels and humans alike have been outlawed, and the bill William McWilberforce reads similarly to what FennBullsquirrel's amendments to the Squirrel Preservation Act does.  I am sure if Scotland agrees to expand squirrel liberties within the umbrella of anti-slavery protection that your country already possesses for human rights, we can find solidly common ground.

I will speak to the religious community regarding their media and missionary efforts in Scotland.  I do not think we can cease completely, but perhaps take a more measured, reasonable approach in the evangelizing enlightenment efforts.  I would like to point out, however, that your coastal cities in the west and east both continue to mingle their own political views across the border to our fledgling border towns.  Without gunpowder arms in our military at present, we have to hope you will not view our political views as threatening, and will limit your military buildup in those areas as a gesture of goodwill.

Vali Hopewell

[Munro]

We don't object to state-sanctioned missions evangelizing the word of the Great Squirrel in our cities.  It is the construction of religious and other cultural buildings in your border cities that is causing distress to many in the voting public, who bemoan the impact it is having on impressionable youth in these areas.  With the adoption of Free Speech in your nation, the situation is looking increasingly fragile.  While we attempt to stabilize the situation and perform a more detailed review of the areas most at risk, we ask that you refrain from constructing any additional cultural buildings in these areas which could contribute to any further destabilization of the status quo in these areas.  Please.

As for the anti-slavery coalition, we are glad to hear that we can count on Aidern for support when needed.  Following some heated and productive debate in parliament, the Anti-Slavery Act (aka the McWillberforce Act of 1580) looks certain to pass, with some minor changes.  We should discuss the implications for Aidern of the final legislation once the final details are known.

Regards,

Prime Minister Munro

[Capsavian Hopewell]

Esteemed Prime Minister,

Alas, the irony is this:  the cries for suspension of government censorship of media and allowance for free speech of Dernish citizens were a direct result of Scottish freedoms of the same!  When Scotland showed the world--very publicly, I might add--the wonders of an open discourse and debate, and advertised it mere miles from the Dernish border in the form of that very large, plaid-draped statue, it incited the imaginations of my people.  They began to witness how wondrous an open society can be to their liberties, and that caused considerable unrest amongst the border towns in particular. 

Many of our youth, in fact, migrated from Aidern to Scotland, in pursuit of the Great Scottish Dream.  Each of our border settlements saw significant population declines even until recently.

So it was, we had little choice but to bow to the will of the people, or face the dire consequences of continued restraint of their liberties. 

I think from this perspective, you may appreciate that balance in fact has returned to the regional border towns straddling the Chisel Mountains and Wrought River which bisect our shared boundaries.

Vali Hopewell

[r_rolo1]

It is sad to see a governement that makes all its citizens slaves by taking of them all the land think that countries where some can avoid to be slaves has to be criticized and even invaded ( oh, probably that state wants more slaves... ). It is even sadder to see a country with suposed Free speech being governed by a religious congregation, and to join forces with the first quoted state. It should had been expected, given the jealousy that the Squirrel followers have of the Islamic shrine and the fact that Babylon never had acepted any religion as oficial, including the Squirrel faith, but that doesn't make it less sad....

Well, Babylon already faced worst crises. Atleast this time we have warning, unlike the sneak attack of millcc that was avoided in extremis. But the babylonians would definitely prefer that things would be called by its true name instead of pretending to be concerned with their well being....

Ricardo

Ruler of the land between rivers

[Capsavian Hopewell]

Ricardo, Neighbor,

The Church of the Great Squirrel does not wish to impose their beliefs upon any nation as an official religion.  They merely wish to enlighten the citizens of the international community to the plight of the squirrel, the value of nuts, and the path we each must take to reach the Great Forest of afterlife.

We certainly will not force our beliefs upon anyone.  But we hope you and your people will be receptive to what He has to say.

Vali Hopewell

[r_rolo1]

This world has seen what religiously-driven governements can do to themselves and to their neighbours more than once. Remember the Matriarch?

We have been good friends of the Dernish so far, so we would prefer to avoid to see something like what happened in the old days in our continent or what is happening in the other continent right now, that can't be described in a better way than a cruzade of the Founders vs the hereticals to the Path and their allies. That was always the central premisse of the Babylonian governement about religion and governement relationship.

Now your position in backing Munro in his supposed anti-slavery cruzade is strange. The great Squirrel has issues with a country where some are slaves, but has no issue with a country where all are slaves and even backs him? I prefer to not think that the great Squirrel is a unfair god and that someone misunderstood ( in propose or not ) his position on this issue , but at first sight that is exactly what it seems....

Ricardo

Ruler of the land between rivers

[da_Vinci]

Leonardo musing on reports that someone has dredged up the history of the Matriarch ...

"The Babylonians can't seriously think that Yourcenae, Campeche, or Rohan were religiously driven governments, can they?" Leonardo says to himself.

"No, the fall of the Matriarch was the result of her own treachery ... the sneak attack on Rohan at the dawn of time, and the ambush of Singlis of Ilium in neutral territory.  And her refusal to surrender two cites for peace.  Religion had nothing to do with it."

[r_rolo1]

To Leonardo ( OOC: that sig is way outdated ) :

No, I never even implied that the coalition that drove the Matriarch governement out of this land was religiously driven. What I was trying to say ( and I should had been clearer ... or something was lost in translation ) is that , for all the effects, the Matriarch governement was a Theocratic governement with the Matriarch as god. If you don't believe me, you can check the now widely distributed papers of their governement....

My point is that mixing governement and religon is a dangerous affair. Like you said to me when you were wandering in babylonian lands, there was a very old saying in your land: Rent Ceasaris quod est Ceasaris.....

Ricardo

Ruler of the land between rivers

[da_Vinci]

To Leonardo ( OOC: that sig is way outdated ) :

OOC: If I change it, then the original Yourcenaean posts will look odd.  And who says I am not currently serving Agamemnoff?

Now, if there was to pick among sigs, then I could accomodate the change.

dV