Fighting words, General Soter, in more ways than one.
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To be fair, what General Soter has said is that āwe must join the fight to preserve the peaceā which is more than a little bit ambiguous on whether the Federation should wage or prevent war.
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Quit flirting with Soter, Kim.
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Iāll ask everyone to please not be distracted by childish attempts by foreign capsuleers to derail the discussion. The best way to defeat these troll posts is to focus on the real problems faced by the people of our Federated Union every day.
For those citizens who live within the Federal Defense Cordon in Placid and Essence, many still face the very real threat of State Protectorate forces intervening to deny them the basic liberty of participating in an open and honest election. They have done it before, and they will do it again if allowed the chance. That is why Gallente Militia forces are fighting every day to liberate these systems from State Protectorate occupation, and defend against their incursions.
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Whoop dee do da.
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Now thereās a prime example of the carefully reasoned political discourse and detailed, scintillating economic and cultural analysis that has characterised the Roden era. I donāt think there is any coming back from that devastating critique, General.
One just has to marvel at the universal franchise.
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Iāll vote for you. But I have a condition.
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Mumps?
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Citizenship for Diana Kim.
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Excuse me WHAT?!
What better way to destroy the Federation than from within?
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We are soldiers, not terrorists.
They have attacked us. They invaded our space. And they will pay for this. The Federation must be destroyed because they are threat to peace, threat ot good working citizens of the State and State property. We didnāt want this war, but we will fight it. And unlike gallenteans, we will fight it HONORABLY, and we will defeat them in honorable combat. Because we are better!
Glory to the State!
General Soter,
Having had time to let your statement sink in, hereās a more considered response.
The word cloud I made perhaps helps distil one message out of your rambling speech, which is the Federation must fight for freedom of information. I wonder whether you would agree. But it seems to me your grievances with CONCORD, the Roden administration, the Federal Intelligence Office, and even the Senate, all share this theme. Perhaps it is time that the fog of the Second Gallente-Caldari war be lifted from Federation affairs.
You already indicate that, as President, you intend to reform the working of the Federal Defence Union. Interestingly, your charge that FDU agents are corrupt, incompetent, and reward profiteers that undermine the militia effort in the warzone, is the same underlying complaint that has precipitated events in the Amarr/Minmatar warzone. So, it would be interesting to know more about how you intend to address this problem both internally within the Federation and externally within CONCORD, perhaps with a reform of the EMWPA.
It doesnāt seem to me that you wish to disempower CONCORD as Mentas Blaque would do, but to reform it. Clarification on this point would also be welcome.
On diplomatic matters, you mention relations with the Caldari State. The main grievance that I think we all share is State meddling in occupied space. This occupation even led to the disenfranchisement of voters in a previous Federal election. The push by the Gallente Militias to liberate Federation space in time for the election was not mentioned as part of your speech but by your campaign manager General Vero. It is a welcome effort.
Which brings us to Intaki. The situation on Intaki Prime is still confusing, with many open questions about the involvement of the Lai Dai Corporation in planet-side politics, and a climate of civic unrest that is thankfully on the way to resolution with the announcement of talks for disarmament and amnesty of independent militias. Once the political situation on the Intaki homeworld stabilises it may be time for the relationship between Intaki and the Federation to be reformulated. You have sparred on this topic with Bataav En Gravonere of the Intaki Prosperity Initiative recently in these very forums. It would be interesting to see you develop your position on that.
And, remaining on Intaki affairs, you make no mention of relations between the Federation and the Syndicate. At the moment the Federation keeps a ban on settlement of moons and planets in the region, the only holdover from the age of the U-nats. While this ban is not enforced, the lingering threat of Federal Navy reprisals does have a chilling effect on what would otherwise be a legitimate aspiration of Syndicate residents to develop their worlds.
Further, the resumption of large-scale enslavement by the Amarr empire in Minmatar space is an issue that should touch us all deeply, as it is a violation of the most basic human rights that we in the Federation claim to hold not only dear but also universally applicable. But of course involvement of the Federation in the Amarr/Minmatar warzone would be a move with far-reaching implications. You should clarify whether you would intend this involvement to be humanitarian, diplomatic, or military.
Finally, peace with the Triglavians is a lofty goal, for the sake not just of the Federation but of the whole cluster. However, Iām not sure itās so realistic that it should feature so prominently in your platform.
I look forward to seeing you develop these and other themes in the coming months of campaigning for the Presidency, and hopefully beyond that regardless of the outcome of the election.
P.S. Unlike others here Iām not jumping to offering or denying my support or my vote. Itās early days yet, but thank you for throwing your beret in the ring.
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In response to the the words on Triglavian Invasions, I would like to consider they are not indeed āattacks on all nationsā in primary intent, despite what things may seem on the surface.
These are a Liminal Proving, in the exact words of the Collective; flow-direction is being proved, and the Triglavians are testing us āaugmented foreign Narodnyaā to determine whether we may properly join them in some way.
Indeed, if they stand directly in opposition to the Drifters, would it not be prudent for the nations of New Eden to make attempts at diplomacy? Certainly, the Drifters have inflicted far graver damages - including the presumed bio-harvesting of countless missing innocents during the blackout, and the assassination of a HEAD OF STATE - while the Collective has been observed to be gathering intelligence more than anything, despite aggressive methods of doing so. Even so, some sympathize with Drifters.
Diplomacy is certainly my highest hope on every front; freedom of information comes right alongside it.
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Mlle Vynneve,
Thank you for your carefully considered response. I think you are quite right that the distilled gist of the campaign is to promote greater freedom of information in the Federation. Especially information crucial to confronting the emerging threats from Precursor civilizations.
Iāll let General Soter speak to the bulk of your post when he is able to do so, but I would like to clarify one issue that has come up already.
āPeace with the Triglaviansā is not an accurate description of the diplomatic policy that General Soter intends to pursue, at least not at this stage. Rather, our policy will be one of forceful pragmatism. Where the Triglavians threaten Federation territory, we will respond with force to defend ourselves. It is clear that even among themselves, the Triglavians respect victory in combat in order to reach consensus. However, it may also be possible to find opportunities to cooperate with the Triglavians to achieve goals that are mutually beneficial. Under a Soter administration, we will explore those opportunities.
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I look forward to your candidacy and those that take the field against you. Let the great game began.
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While Iām open at any candidacy Iām wondering how far this one is legal. Iām not entirely into the intricacies of laws concerning the candidates running for presidency but I think that an active duty military canāt be elected President. Simple separation of powers.
Of course a former military can run for presidency. That would mean for you, if youāre still active, that you would have first to resign from your position in the ranks of the Gallente Militia even if youāre doing any good job there. Donāt take it personaly, itās just a concern about respect of the laws and the protection of the Gallente citizens.
It would be greatly appreciated if a lawyer or a member of the Senate could enlight us on this point.
If itās a valid one then welcome and good luck to you.
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Militia groups arenāt viewed as active military, as they arenāt truly beholden to the government the way the military proper is.
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I was kind of afraid of this kind of answerā¦ They are military but they arenātā¦ they have all the Federation hierarchy but they arenāt a part of themā¦
So, is he a civlian or a military ? Civilian with military powers ? In any case to me this is worst than being a true military (at least a true military isnāt ambiguous) and even more dangerous for the Federation. Still would need to be highly checked by Senate.
Militia pilots are essentially mercenaries. They arenāt part of any branch of government. The Emergency Militia War Powers Act already regulates their powers, at least in theory.
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