Probably because the State never considered themselves officially part of the Federation and received the news about owing alot of taxes to the Federation with much surprise.
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The Caldari megacorps maintained a presence on their homeworld, by all accounts. They knew the Caldari homeworld was involved in being one of the two founding members of the Gallente Federation. You canât seriously expect anyone to believe that they didnât make damned sure their lobbyists were in place to deal with any pesky eminent domain-style laws that might arise.
I mean, theyâre Caldari megacorps, not blindfolded mice being thrown at a food processor.
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Essentially, at least for the Caldari at the time, it was considered an act of hypocrisy on the part of the Gallente and the Federation when one looks back on history. When the VH-451 stargate was re-engineered and activated to mark the period of new extrasolar exploration and colonization, the Gallente created the ISC to undertake it which was funded by the nations on Gallentia.
The formation of the Caldari Megacorporations was a reaction, in part, to have a stake in the future colonization and thus to have the Caldari have a stake in the future. They were the only entities that were Caldari and able to do so because the efforts at regime change through revolution by the Gallente âCultural Deliverance Societyâ left Caldari nations relatively weaker by comparison.
As such, the Gallente went ahead and created colonies that naturally had strong Gallente majorities and functioned according to Gallentean cultural, social, and political norms. Five centuries later they created a supra-national entity in the Federation to bind the collective interests of Gallentean colonies under a common banner.
Caldari through the Megacorporations went ahead and created colonies that naturally had strong Caldari majorities and functioned according to Caldari cultural, social, and political norms. Yet, when five centuries later in response to the formation of the Federation it was desired to form a Caldari supra-corporate entity to bind the collective interests of Caldari colonies under a common banner it was responded to with coercion, force, and violence by the Gallente.
There is a double standard at play here on the part of the Gallente in which itâs considered that the only freedom others are to have is the freedom to choose Gallentean hegemony according to Gallente cultural and political norms.
That is the source of the continued political ire among many in the State. That we only wanted to live our own lives, according to our own history, culture and traditions, doing no different to the Gallente during the colonial era yet our desire to determine our own destiny was decried as âillegitimateâ and responded to by a century of war and conflict.
Because the only real conditions the Caldari State set to the Federation during the War of Independence was simply: recognize our right to exist and we can live in peace. Which was responded to with an unequivocal, No, on the part of the Gallente for over a century.
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Wise words and a logical, analytical approach, Gesakaarin.
It is here that I must choose my words carefully and refrain from speaking of matters that I lack knowledge or concern, for the conflict between the Federation and the State is a complex matter. However, I often feel it is necessary to draw comparisons between how both entities handle relations with each other to how they handle the situation of Intaki. To that end, Iâd like to counter to your well-worded statements: The Federation is by no means a caring entity, but rather a wholly apathetic one, in my experience. At least, until they begin to suspect secession. The Federation has - and still does - turn a blind eye to the activities of the Serpentis Cartel within Intaki space and only ever showed a vested interest when Intaki stood to gain some measure of community, however slim the definition. If youâre familiar with The Rise Incident, feel free to skip the below segment, which I have separated from this text to provide context.
When Sundari Idama stood with the Serpentis Cartel to provide our people Rise, a drug that allowed we Intaki to relive previous memories with clarity, it was only then that the Federation acted, forming a special task force to combat the activity. Even during an interview with Inspector Xavier, the foremost authority of the aforementioned special task force, the Federation betrayed a personal agenda and a staggering lack of the most basic scientific proof for their claims. Moreover, when confronted with the notion that they were operating on beliefs that had no scientific backing, they deflected and appealed to the genetics of the argument. They showed an utter disdain for even Kuvakei and the Illoren, who legitimately showed concern about the negative effects of Rise and lent their support.
The Federationâs special task force ultimately destroyed Sundari Idamaâs ship and the entirety of the Rise within it, and then immediately set their eyes on the Illoren, whom they touted as having interfered despite assisting them in the take-down. Later on, they even detained Kuvakei and the Illoren, only releasing them in exchange for their total and utter silence about the situation. The inevitable conclusion to this long-winded, shadowy example of Federation interference, was that the special task force, having completed their mission in destroying Sundari Idamaâs supply of Rise, saw Inspector Xavierâs immediate retirement and what can only be assumed as disbandment of the task force, who were never seen again. To this day, not a single non-militia Federation ship is seen in Intaki, showing an overwhelming disdain for the interests of our people.
Peculiar, that the Federation allow such flagrant activities as the Serpentis Cartel operating unimpeded for so long, and then suddenly become so keen on policing Placid of drugs that they violated the basest condition set by the Intaki Assembly upon admittance into the Federation. That condition being a desire for minimal Federation presence in the system of Intaki. Illegal narcotics still thrive in Intaki to this day, and yet the Federation is no-where to be found, despite what their tantrums may have suggested at the time of the Rise incident. While it is true that this is much to the happiness of the Intaki Assembly, one can only wonder why the Federation would betray this condition if for any other than to conduct their strong-arming against Sundari Idama before promptly â â â â â â â off. Insomuch as the sheer audacity to interfere at all, the Federation has shown to only become interested in Intaki when it suits some ulterior motive or underlying agenda surrounding a desire for total - if subtle - subjugation.
I can only assume that this was the case with the Caldari, and would even go so far as to argue that the Federation likely had no interest in the early Caldari colonies until they became anxious. More likely, the Federation turned a blind eye to the colonies - just as they always have Intaki - until the moment came that they began to have even the slightest sense that the Caldari were rallying together under different ideologies, just as the Intaki had. No, I argue that the Federation were less concerned about taxes and economic clout so much as reacting as they always have to the very notion of dissent in the ranks. The notion of economic responsibility was more likely just a convenient front.
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Except we arenât. If any of Federation fragments would show desire to join and will offer something of value as members of the State, we will consider it.
After all, donât forget, that unlike the Federation, the State doesnât oppress our members. We are the embodiment of the Independence, all our Megacorporations act jus tike small States inside bigger State, all govern their own people. In fact, there is actually no united State government at all in a traditional meaning of this word, we just have several corporations (like CBT, CEP), that do political and other works for all the Megas.
OR they donât, because that assumption alone ignores last centuries of Amarr history and one of the fundamental works on Amarr doctrines - âPax Amarriaâ. I would accept that argument from 700-year old fossil, but not from a modern and educated opponent.
Edit:
ACTUALLY! If by some weird reason the planets will start orbiting stars in opposite directions and Amarr will go backwards in time and will start invading and oppressing neighbors, and will just enslave you all, Iâll clap my hands and exclaim happily: âWELL DESERVED!â
As soon as it will stop genocide of Caldari people. What will happen with your - itâs really not my problem.
Or it acknowledges that the Amarr goals havenât changed: Everyone will either be convinced to follow the Amarr God, or forced to. Once they feel they canât convince anyone else, theyâll go right back to openly pushing the slaving operations theyâve never actually abandoned.
And while youâre clapping, theyâll be clapping you in chains, too.
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Arrendis, you do understand that âuse peaceful means of convincing people to follow X and getting prickly when people get stubbornâ is a little hard to distinguish from what the Federation gets up to, right?
And that such techniques can pretty much battle it out indefinitely without anybody necessarily deciding, âthis isnât working,â and picking up a gun?
And ⊠maybe thatâs okay?
âWeâre going to use diplomacy and persuasion to conquer all the universe in the name of thus and suchâ sounds pretty scary, sure. Itâs a little less scary if you realize, theyâre going to be at it for a long, long time.
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The gun always comes out sooner or later. Always. The wait in between gunfire thus loses quite a bit of itâs âmaybe itâs okay?â validity. Besides, âtheyâre going to be at it for a long, long timeâ is pretty much counter-indicated by their continuous and never-ending slaver raids outside their borders.
There truly is nothing that indicates there wonât be a continuation of this violent predation on other nations and people, nor that violent subjugation of other people has been anywhere close to being taken off the table. Itâs like pointing at the five most recent minutes of a psychopathâs life where they didnât violently murder someone and say this is what the future is going to look like, while the giggling lunatic is sharpening blades and muttering about âtheyâll see, theyâll all see. Oh yes.â.
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Aria, you do understand that while the Federation hasnât actually thrown entire races into open, legal slavery, Iâm just as opposed to their expansionist, dominionist crap, too, right? That Iâd prefer to see the Republic and the State aligning to tell the dominionist powers âgo sodomize yourselves with power tools in the name of God or good times, if you like, just leave us the hel aloneâ?
I donât trust them, either. Iâm grateful they saw an opportunity to use the Minmatar Rebellion as a way to weaken a strategic rival, and so supported it, but I donât for a moment believe their motivations were any more pure than doing just that: weakening a strategic rival. Thatâs all.
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At least the Empire is open about what they do. They enslave people for their crimes and they indoctrinate them for several generations into obedience.
And the Federation - it indoctrinates EVERYONE, brainwashing every single human they can get control over, make them believe that democracy is good, that freedom is good, they make them obey and behave like grey crowd, that will attack anyone on the whim of their overlords.
Unlike the Empire the Federation doesnât even admit in their brainwashing, moreover, they push their propaganda into every product they export and they try to brainwash people even outside of their territory into believing into their ideals.
Empireâs preachers look like tiny furriers in the shadow of enormous monster, preaching cult of freedom and democracy, swallowing unsuspicios victims, who were foolish enough to fall for gallentean words.
D. Kim, Strike Commander,
State Protectorate, CMC,
Caldari State
What crimes do newborns commit that they should be enslaved? And what makes you think âcitizensâ arenât indoctrinated throughout their lives as well? That thing you say about how the Federation âindoctrinates EVERYONEâ is just as true of the Empire. Thatâs what their religion is. Itâs what itâs for: to make everyone think and behave the way the power structure wants. They dress it up in a whole lot of god-nonsense, but at the end of the day, if their god exists and is even 1/100,000,000 as powerfule as they claim it to be, it could speak for itself, and not rely on this âspeaking through the Emperor/Empress and the Scripturesâ dodge.
You live in the State, Diana. Youâve seen plenty of scams and cons. Tell me honestly that âif you all behave and obey usâjust US, mind you, not anyone else who claims God says something even a little differentâyouâll be rewarded! By GOD, not by us! But you wonât get the reward until you go somewhere you canât come back from, so nobody can ever tell you if they didnât get itâ doesnât sound suspicious to you.
âGive me what I want! Youâll get a thing from someone else! And you canât verify it!â And billions if not trillions of people fall for it. Itâs like a Jita scammerâs wet dream.
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Gods and spirits Pilot you really have swallowed the Amarriansâ propaganda line havenât you?
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Well, in this case sheâs almost right. That is exactly the Federationâs modus operandi. Itâs just that their attempts at domination and cultural hegemony tends to be more palatable for civilized people, and thus feel quite a bit less threatening. It is still the same end-goal, though.
Of course, where sheâs downright wrong is the massive difference in end result, which sort of dictates the threat levels of the two. And the other difference being that the Federation is far less likely to try to come for us with force.
⊠and isnât currently sending slaver raids into our borders for that matter.
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Ms. Kim, the Amarrians might be open about the fact they practice slavery, but I donât think theyâre more up front than the Federation, The State or the Minmatar tribes are with their own particular ideologies.
Iâm sure there is indoctrination in the Federation, but I donât think itâs what you think it is. To indoctrinate your people to choose for themselves, as democracy supposedly is, seems a bit self defeating for a doctrine that is meant to control the population.
For example, when I read this statement I hear, âthey teach them that choosing their leadership and to make their own choices is how they control them.â I find this a bit contradictory and I canât parse it sensibly. Could you tell me if this is what you meant and, if not, could you state it more clearly. Thank you.
Have you grown up in a religious family, Ms. Kim? What I hear is, âAmarrian preachers are nothing compared to how the Federation spreads its ideologies.â If this is what you mean then Iâm not sure you appreciate the power that leaders of organized religion hold over their followers and respective families. The thing about the Amarrian preachers is that theyâre integrated into the very politic of the Empire. So I invite you to clarify what mean here to head me off of misrepresenting you.
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The assumption that the Federation is at all coordinated enough to subtlely indoctrinate billions with advertisement and lavish products is laughable at best. Militaristically, they are capable of great feats in small form - Operation Highlander, a prime example - but to insinuate that the Federation can convince billions of people to turn-coat to their ways through flashy colors, targeted marketing, and a counted vote, as though entirely orchestrated by men with cigars around a circular table and not by profit-driven industries without a consistent goal, is ludicrous.
Make no mistake, the Federation is astounding in their practice of apathy and neglect, such is markedly easy for even the layman to accomplish, but inferring that they have the ability to sway masses into some singular belief by imposing first world problems on them is⊠Itâs utterly hilarious. Theyâre far more culpable for the disenfranchisement of fringe worlds to prevent a fair vote in an election than they could ever be in engineering blind obedience.
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Subtlely? The Gallente market their culture all over the damned place. Thereâs no subtlety about it. Just like thereâs no smoke-filled room. Gallente culture is itself a full-court press of âour ways are best and if you donât believe it, thatâs because youâre being oppressed into not thinking for yourselvesâ.
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That would indeed be giving them too much credit, but thatâs not what weâre inferring here. Itâs quite above-board and open, rather than shadowy figures in dark rooms. Itâs what weâve seen in the Republic and what we see both inside and outside the Federationâs borders. The shadowy cloak and daggers plays are either never noticed, or when they are they are admirably surgical and small scale for big impact, but the real danger is the cultural cacophony and influence.
Culture, not faith or blatant indoctrination. You just need to have a very few nudges here and there to keep the cultural message loud and proud in the media. Holovids, music, news, just nudged a little here and there in order to maintain the overall Ideals and Views of the Federation in plain view at all times. Freedom and Liberty and Democracy and Ponies and Rainbows and Sex and Individualism and All the Good Things constantly blasting through the ether in countless little self-perpetuating doses, no matter the medium in question. Heroic vids and movies, angry music about corruption or happy pop about life and love, all over all channels, everywhere⊠with a tiny little âAll Rights Reserved, Federation inc.â implied in it all.
Thatâs the genius of it. Itâs on the face of it all a good thing, for most people. Itâs self-sustaining. You donât need to subtly implant this anywhere, itâs a snowball thatâs not going to stop growing any time soon.
⊠and it tried to roll up the Republic with it, covering that in Gallente ideals and freedom and democracy and ponies and rainbows and all that lovely stuff. All while not quite understanding that is not what we are. While not caring thatâs not what we are.
Itâs a propaganda machine without some hooded mystery figure directing it or using it with ill intent. Itâs running all by itself, and this side of the Empireâs bid to dominate New Eden with its vile shadow, itâs easily the greatest threat to our culture and nation.
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Letâs not forget that the Federation brand of propaganda merely requires a couple suggestions and memes disseminated by the elites, and the rest of the populace will propagate it by themselves. Perpetually. After that, all the elites need to do is to steer it every so slightly every so often.
Itâs like an automated factory that practically runs itself after you feed it blueprints and materials. Just need to update the blueprints and do a little maintenance here and there and it will run itself until itâs out of materials.
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All this Imperial crap is why I moved out to WH space in the first place. Itâs all rubbish, they probably have backroom agreements between themselves to not encroach beyond the laughably named âWarâ zones where multitudes die for no good reason. All the while they work together to propagate the divisive rubbish that keeps their citizens loyal to them against âthe othersâ.
Iâm happy out here thanks, and if the Drifters would like to discuss trade terms Iâm more than happy to engage.
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I think those deals are pretty well out in the open. They call it âCONCORDâ, and itâs why the warzones were specifically set up by CONCORD as perpetual capsuleer conflict arenas at the request of all four empires.
I think their terms would be somewhere along the line of âstop shooting our automated defense drones and get the frak out of our spaceâ. How to tell if youâre in Drifter space: Do Circadian Seekers show up at every ore deposit you locate in the system? Does the system host Sleeper enclaves of any sort? Youâre in their space, stealing/shooting their things.
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