Certainly a more technically accurate angle, Mr. Lanate. There are, however, components of this that appear to suggest the Sang Do are failing to fulfill their mandate to the people in question. I’ll admit to being an outsider on this, and so should likely defer on cultural matters to those more familiar with Federal practice, but something chafes here.
I’ll resist further comment until I consult with legal.
Devara Biotech will continue to stay on ground. And I am considering hiring someone to guard my staff there.
Stuff sovereignty, its about people’s lives.
I can probably spare some of the marines who where sent to me to assist with S&R in Rens now that the immediate situation is winding down, if you require it.
Adding armed personnel can escalate the situation.
I am aware of that, but I will not risk the lives of my staff. But as I mentioned, I am considering it, and I would gladly let the Federation be in charge of the security.
You don’t see the irony of a Matari (and Caldari aligned organisations) ignoring the cultural sensitivities of the Jin-Mei in order to impose Gallente notions of human rights?
Yes, but this is for the sake of charity and saving and helping lives. And not in the “give them God’s love” kind of way, which is bull. I mean in the sense that people need food, need medicine, need supplies, and asked for this, and we are giving it to them out of compassion.
In fact I see it as no different as me ignoring the “cultural sensitivities” of the Amarr when I break into their space to free slaves.
Interesting perspective. Which other cultures do you think inferior to your world view?
I am ashamed to admit I have only just heard about the plight my Jin Mei brothers and sisters are facing.
You seem to be covered on the supplies front but me and my associates in ‘Ah yes Reapers’ will be lending what assistance we can. In a few hours we will move 3 Nestors to Lirsautton VI to assist in relief efforts and provide security.
We will also be moving our science division over to help in any way they can along with a detachment of marines.
I would like all interested parties to note that these ships and marines are purely to protect our staff and in no way are meant to be a show of force. All of my staff are licensed and are legally allowed to operate in Federation space.
Cultures that thrive on victimizing others or are centered around beliefs that spit in the face of the sanctity of life.
Off the top of my head: The Amarr, the Khanid, the Sani Sabik, Sansha’s Nation, basically all pirate factions. And capsuleers, to be perfectly honest. At least the silent majority of them that give no thought to the lives affected by their actions or the crews who perish on their ships.
Naturally, exceptions exist in all these cultures. Or permit me to put it another way: I believe that it is more important to care for our fellow Humans then to respect the cultural sensitivities of other empires. If their sensitivities result in the suffering or death of other sentients, then it is better to violate their sensitivities and save the people then to respect them and damn someone.
And any culture that forces you into that choice as a matter of course is not worth respecting.
In response to the current ultimatum made by the Jin-mei nation, UNF-A at this time plans to utilize these two weeks to prepare materials transfer to the Adonis Foundation, including all medical materials and staple goods currently in UNF-A’s possession supplied by all who have contributed thus far.
As some materials and goods are hosted by Arataka Research Consortium, we cannot directly control how some of these goods reach Adonis, but I would advise @Makoto_Priano to omit the religious texts, including Pax Amarria, provided by SFRIM, politely, as they were not part of the aid that had originally been requested.
During these two weeks, UNF-A will be pursuing potential other options as well.
As my associate stated yesterday, ARC has not wanted to place itself as a gatekeeper instead of a facilitator for aid submitted through us, in whatever form. To that end, we’ve taken a policy that it is the Aidonis Foundation’s role to determine what is or is not appropriate to provide as aid to the population in question. No aid will be transferred without first verifying that the items are appropriate.
After all, while I personally consider religious material or herbal remedies suboptimal inclusions, it may be that the Aidonis Foundation might identify some small subset of the population that follows the Imperial Rite, or some small subset that might refuse conventional medical care in favor of traditional care, even that which might be foreign. It is not ARC’s place to make that determination, save as directed by an appropriate authority.
I will say that we’ll begin an internal dialogue on providing ‘culturally appropriate’ or ‘culturally agnostic’ aid in the future, to limit situations where local sensibilities might be offended.
Insofar as the legal matters are concerned, consultations with legal continue. Given that ARC currently has legal action on-going both in the Federation and State, it may simply be that this is outside our present capacity without expanding our counsel’s office.
That would certainly help ARC’s reputation improve.
Ms. Vuld; I will admit. I checked the math. About .000000007% of the aid, by volume, is religious material. It’s two copies of Pax Amarria and a single set of ritual texts, with something like 376,000 cubic meters of other aid supplies towering over it.
While I understand, appreciate, and honestly agree with the sentiments of those who believe it inappropriate, it still amuses me that it’s made a central point by others.
Of course, it’s important to be beyond reproach, hence the internal discussion.
Now now, I did not ever make it a “central point”, though I shall confess the addition irked me on an instinctive level. What can I say? Zealot instincts are hard to suppress.
Without knowing precisely how much of these religious goods ARC would normally distribute otherwise, however, I simply provided the commentary that I feel that providing “culturally appropriate” aid would greatly enhance ARC’s reputation if it is not already doing so.
Fair on all points.
As promised Ah yes Reapers and myself have deployed 3 Nestors to assist. Due to the diplomacy currently playing out, the marines have not been deployed in order not to escalate the situation further.
Instead a shipment of Livestock and soil have been transported in order to help ensure the survival of the colony. These will be sent to Lauralite as I believe she is in a better position then myself to distribute the aid to the right people.
@Lauralite_Anne_Brezia I hope UNF-A will continue treating the civilians during these next two weeks. Can you confirm this is so?
Yes Ms.Vakaria, that I can confirm, we will be continuing treatment while preparations are made and options considered.
SFRIM wishes to issue a clarification on its position regarding the ‘distribution of religious material’:
First, we will state simply that missionary activity is legal in the Federation, and the Amarr faith is one of many faiths practiced by the citizens of the Federation. If the local government were to specifically ask us not to engage in missionary activity in their jurisdiction, we would politely comply, however, barring that, as our faith is what drives us to aid others, we will provide religious material to any who wish it along with our efforts to spread God’s Light by our deeds. We have no desire to ‘shove’ these materials in people’s faces, nor force anyone to convert or even listen to receive our aid. We simply make it available, and let others know that it is our faith that calls us to aid others.
Given the demographics of Lirsautton VI, I am uncertain if there are any followers of the Amarr faith present living on the planet, but as the Amarr faith is not insignificant one in the Federation, it is possible, and we would like to be prepared to minister to any on the planet who desire it. I am given to understand the religious persecution is rather frowned on in the Federation.
Finally, I wish to reiterate that the Pax Amarria (or ‘Promise of the Amarr’) is not a religious text, at least no more than any other writing by an Amarr Emperor. It does contain Emperor Heideran’s musings on the faith, and he describes his belief that the Amarr faith could be a powerful force for peace, but, aside from being his memoirs, it is first and foremost a call to peace and cooperation. It is a book in which he describes the day that Federation President Aidonis Elabon approached him with the idea of founding CONCORD as “the most blessed day of my worldly existence.” It is a book in which he speaks, very frankly, about the challenges faced in convincing the Empire to enter into treaties that would restrict their ability to take slaves or make war upon the Minmatar. It is a book in which he speaks very canidly about his feelings, including his fear that he would be rejected by the Amarr people for making peace.
Yes. He speaks of his belief that it is the Amarr faith that has the promise to unite all peoples in peace. But it is, above all, a book about his dream of peace, his desire for wounds and hatreds between all people to be healed, for an end to war, for all people to work together. Some have even taken his words as calling for the end of slavery. It is Heideran’s dream of peace that was responsible for him being awarded the Aidonis Statue by the very foundation that is also assisting with aid efforts. If such a book is not appropriate to give with aid efforts, that it might inspire hope in a better world, I do not know what is.
Lord Garion Avarr
Praefect, SFRIM
