First Comintern Conference:IC [Cornellian Empire ONLY]

[Morskova]

Sign Ups

After the various party registrations had occurred from around the world The Morskovans had started to prepare for the First Conference of the Comintern. The meeting of the mass number of Communist, Socialists, and other leftist parties from around the former Cornellian Empire. Deciding the hold the Conference in the Capital city of Kholmgrad home to 12 million people was the largest city in the Democratic Republic. During this time of year the snow had started to melt and soon the short Morskovan summer would befall the land only to be quickly swallowed up by the cruel harsh winter. But the foreigners were in luck, while it would still be cold for some of the representatives from warmer nations, with it being only around 13 degrees Celsius (55 F) in the city on this day, it could have always been worse weather.

But as this was good weather the people of the city were active. A Street fair had been set up with people selling their goods as well as major state distributors advertising their products. Beers and Vodka as well as food and live music were prevalent and everyone was in good spirits. This was a chance to show the other people of the world that Socialism worked in Morskova, and more importantly that it could work in their countries as well. This worked out well for the Morskovan Communist Party as well. It was a good propaganda tool even if they were not the cause of it. Good weather and good spirits if Morskova had ever hoped to look good to the world this would be the day to do it.

But the festivities did not end there. It had been decided that the First Comintern Conference was to be held in the Volkskammer or Peoples Chamber which was the capital building of DRM and the home of the Socialist Assembly. A former Palace of one of the Morskovan Kings. It was a beautiful grand building large and stood in the center of Kholmgrad. Having been refitted it still held onto its old majestic beauty but with a new twist. Pictures of the revolutionaries and paintings of battles from the war. Red flags as well as the flags of Morskova decorated the former palace. In the Grand hall the reception for the conference had been planned to take place. With flags of the respective delegate countries hanging from the ceiling alongside party banners. The room was filled with people foreigners and Morskovans. The Morskovans could easily be spotted though. Either dressed in plain suits and dress clothes or military uniforms (which many were) all of them had darkened grey armbands with the Morskovan star in the center showing membership in the communist party. Other's had two white horizontal lines at the top and bottom of the armband and one running through the middle to show that they were high ranking officials.

While the representatives and the natives mingled above in a secluded room sat the President Vladimir Zolnerowich. Zolnerowich was the first President of the Democratic Republic and the first Head Secretary of the Communist Party of Morskova. The man was a legend to the Morskovans and to others a nightmare. Being the father of the revolution and the country. A native Rusko, President Zolnerowich found himself in the majority of the population but in Morskova that mattered very little. As long as spoke Russian or German and were a Communist life in Morskova was bliss. That is what Vladimir and his party had set out to do and by the opinions of many of the Morskovan natives this is what they had achieved.

Across from him was Johann Kaufmann. The Commissar (Governors) of the Socialist State of Pruski another key individual in Morskovan politics and as it seemed Zolnerowich's successor. A Nordlander of the Lutheran Faith he was popular with the people and tried to follow the examples and ideals led by Zolnerowich. A long with them in the room were the other Commissars of the Socialist States. Together these men ran the party and the country. They were without a doubt the most powerful men in Morskova.

Looking at his watch Commissar Kaufmann turned to the President. "Sir the Conference should start soon, should we not be going?" the Nordlander Commissar was then greeted by a smile from the President as he looked up from his desk. "Go, talk to them I will set it up, trust me." The President then turned to look at the other Commissars "That goes for all of you. Show these foreigners what we have accomplished here." As ordered the Commissar's left to go downstairs. The Conference would start soon, and then everything would be decided.

[Hittanryan]

Juan Bardem felt like he'd been here before. A vanguard party was telling the people they already knew what was best for them, and that elections were not necessary. The state-run enterprises were inefficient, ironic imitations of private industry, which the Party claimed to run fairly in the name of the people. In an attempt to remedy the problems of their command economy, the Party was legalizing limited private enterprise. The standard of living for the average worker back home was higher, despite Adiron's Liberals allowing the bourgeoisie to amass untold wealth on their backs. If he didn't know better, he could swear he'd gone back in time to the end of the Cold War.

Though the Cold War hadn't ended well, Bardem stuck to his core conviction that a vanguard party must come to power for socialism to take hold, and that the revolution must come about as a natural evolution of history, that is to say, with widespread popular support. His writings on the subject back in the 1980s gained him a good deal of respect from the SDP: "A Vanguard must never fail to speak for the people, or it resorts to Stalinism to enforce its will. That way lies ruin, for the party and the people." He was increasingly convinced, however, that his own party back in Adiron would never be the vanguard he envisioned. United Workers put ideology over political strategy, with constant bickering that persisted even through election seasons. The other two United Workers Assemblymen didn't even share Bardem's views; Wurtz was a democratic socialist that rejected centralism and all revolutionary rhetoric in favor of reformism, while Shamir was a Stalinist nutter who chased away more votes than he received. By now, Bardem felt...tired.

He was also increasingly sick of being referred to as "the statist" by his younger, hopelessly naive companion. 'Statist? As opposed to what, exactly? There's no state in Arcologia, look how that turned out,' he thought to himself when he heard that label for the first time. In Bardem's estimation, Julia Xi and her young colleagues spent a lot of time loudly proclaiming cures which were worse than the disease, despite the fact that they grew up under the same protections they vowed to destroy. 'First do no harm,' Bardem had futilely cautioned them.

Julia's interpretation of Morskova was much less nuanced than Bardem's. Indeed, it was basically the same critique she gave of every country with a functioning government: "statist." Morskova's revolution barely made it halfway to real communism, they only banned most private industry and they still had an overbearing government turning the people into sheeple. The workers here still didn't own their means of production, and these meetings had gone too long without representation by the only true communists: the anarcho-syndicalists. The old man had tried to lecture her on protocol; who did Bardem think he was anyway, her dad? The etiquette he described was clearly just a way of suppressing their views.

The two Adirans did not enter the room together. Bardem was first, setting his briefcase on the table and organizing a few notes. When satisfied, he removed his business coat and searched for a place to hang it, now clad in a dark blue suit with no tie. Julia came in later, cell phone in hand and apparently trying to send a text message. Under her coat she was wearing a white blouse, blue skirt and black tights.

[Hostillia]

The three Hostillian gentlemen were not what one would call intimidating, they were not the large and powerful men who one would suspect capable of causing the statist establishment to quake with a mere speech, they were not the men who one would expect to rouse a populace to revolution via fiery debate, certainly none would predict that these men would jump upon a table to spew the poisons of the bourgeois and the glories of communism. The three Hostillian gentlemen seemed no credit to the Revolution. They were short, the tallest among them standing at 170 centimeters the others two standing a full 15 centimeters below him, the center of the three was perhaps the shortest though the different between himself and the comrade to his left was so minute it could have simply been based in shoe choice- however, it was very apparent that despite his short nature, both men looked up to him.

Dong Shi Hong was the would-be father of the revolution if such a revolution ever managed to reach the Middle Kingdom, he had been the first to see the stagnant and corrupted nature which hung like an impossibly thick smog over the entirety of the country, blocking out the sun. He had been the first to suggest that perhaps Confucian standards were not the only standards. He had been the first to say that change was necessary and that peasants were people. And he had been the first the government had attempted to strike down. Had it not been for his elderly warrior-priest of a friend in Shangmai he would certainly have never managed escape from the clutches of the established order. He did not strike anyone as the predictable enemy of the state, he was young, attractive enough, wearing a homespun suit done in the traditional style of Asia, and his associates were identical garb.

The three men made their way over to the most immediately available seats before they began to prepare themselves for the meeting, Hong had brought with him a brush and scroll so that he could record rhetoric from the assembly and even had a few speeches of his own, mostly his historical deliveries that he had also brought along, on the off chance that the small man from the backwards and far off nation was asked to speak. This place was not Hong’s ideal communist utopia, so modern and brimming with technology and traits of the modernist world beyond the mountainous borders of the Middle Kingdom- they seemed far too focused on the plight of the proletariat, that strange and foreign class of factory workers and producers which Hong believed to be the very embodiment of the modern world. It was apparent that these people did not understand that it was the farm, not the factory that brought a nation prosperity- factories encouraged competition internationally and international competition both favored and encouraged capitalism. Hong did not believe that the Communists needed to be at odds with the Capitalists, he did not even necessarily hold sacred the concept that all Communists should be Comrades in Arms- eventually, he hoped to see a beautiful future where every family lived and worked on enough land to feed themselves and share with any in need. Borders could be closed, the world could progress, and Hostillia could enjoy the benefits of Agrarian Communism. The greatest threat that Hostillia faced to this dream and to general stability and progression was not from abroad, but from within- their own backwards beliefs and terrible cultural quirks which empowered the landlord and crushed the inherent rights of the farmer- one day this would be corrected. One day the peasants would arise! Hong did not need to led them, it was destiny- but certainly he hoped to live long enough at least to watch them.

As the three men settled in their seats, they discussed their expectations for the meeting in hushed whispers and waited eagerly for the First Cornellian Comintern to begin.

[Morskova]

After a few moments the Morskovan delegates could be seen taking their seats. They stood out, the dark green military uniforms that most had on as well as the armbands that every single one wore. The Morskovans occupied a total of six seats. Each of the Commissars or leaders of the Socialist States took up five seats as well as President Zolnerowich. The Morskovans, as hosts of the Conference sat at the front table facing the foreign representatives. After a few more minutes and quick side talks in either Russian or German from the six men at the front of the chamber the President of the Democratic Republic of Morskova simply tapped the microphone in front of him making a slight echo sound throughout the room. Making sure all eyes were on him he demonstrated as he reached into a compartment on the desk and pulled out ablack ear piece. Putting it in his right ear then turning the showing the button on the outer side glowing green after he pressed it. The device was a Bluetooth like piece that was connected with various translators who were in a back room.

After having made sure the vast majority of the representatives had the device working and in place the President pulled the microphone stand closer. “Well now that we can all hopefully understand each other, I President Vladimir Zolnerowich on behalf all of Morskova would like to Welcome you to our home as well as to thank you for participating in the First Comintern Conference to be held in the former Cornellian Empire.” The older man said speaking Russian with a warm smile on his face. The majority of the Morskovans were the opposite of their weather, warm and welcoming, and the President would be damned sure to give that impression in front of the ‘world’. “If you are having any problems with your headsets or translators please press the button on the base of your microphone and an assistant will arrive to help you. “

“Now first order of business to get the formalities out of the way a quick roll call starting from the far left with the delegation from Adiron . Just a quick introduction of your name and party will do then we can fully start with the conference.”

[New Edom]

The city seemed cold, clean, remote and powerful to Claudia Blood, and she felt in her bones that she would not achieve what she hoped to here, but she had to try, she felt, anyway. She had a tablet and was prepared to quote from it. The Anarchist movement abroad was only achieving one thing of late: terrorism. It had yet to achieve control of an area to demonstrate its values. Money had been thrown at the problem, as well as volunteers from Arthurista, Bulgislavia, Anathaat and other nations, and yet they had, for lack of genuine international backing from nations friendly to the Cause, failed against the military forces of New Edom, Nalaya, Adiron, Rome, and Etovakiva. The Boy General had outfoxed them in Gloria Regis, closing off the only route for transport of materiel and manpower that they had. With the airports having much stricter control over travel, that made it even worse. So she was a trifle bitter about communists.

To look at Claudia Blood from a distance one would see a young woman with black hair, glasses, dressed in a fairly normal feminine style. This was part of her guise; up close you saw the lines around her mouth and eyes, premature perhaps from stress and bitterness. Exile for years, under sentence of death in her homeland, she lived as a wanderer, going to places that were hostile to capitalism but saw Anarchism as a mentally handicapped little sibling. This conference might be her only chance, yet what she saw dismayed her. There were a mere handful of foreign delegates, while the Morskovans were dominating everything. With a sinking feeling she glanced around her as she took her seat with a few of her comrades. Morskova--how could they act against their own interest, which would be likely to simply remain aloof within the Region while cultivating foreign communist groups and trying to gain more votes and influence abroad? With so many nations totalitarian, monarchist, fascist (Deadora, Shrailleeni Empire, the Late Roman Empire, Tartarus, Gavinium Magnus, Arbites Imperium, her own native land of New Edom, Nalaya,Lazodiria ancient primitive Hostillia, Jedoria, Urdnotia, Nordkrusen, Molicova having fallen to a military coup, that left a handful of fat cat democracies--Adiron, Wielkilas, Grossprussia, The Common Empire, Free Garza--which were hardly going to be hotbeds of raging communism. As long as these nations could still afford to hold out both carrot and stick, the cause, she feared, was doomed.

The only really weak links in the chain were New Edom--if only foreigners realized how fragile her nation was!--and Molicova. But foreign communists seemed so complacent, so caught up in procedure and productivity; they were basically, in her bitter thoughts, little different from the capitalists they pretended to hate. Nevertheless she waited for the introductions and to hear what they all had to say. Maybe she could at least get some more funding and keep the fight going a bit longer...

[Hittanryan]

Bardem spoke three languages, English, Spanish, and German. He could get by in very simple conversational Russian, but he knew he'd need the translator to get through the actual conference. As he affixed the earpiece, he wondered where the Morskovans got them; they looked familiar but lacked any sort of identifiable brand name. "Juan Bardem, Adiran United Workers' Party," he said into his desk's microphone.

Julia had a more difficult time. As the Morskovans welcomed their guests, she was still trying to send a text message. She thought she'd be able to use her smartphone the whole time while the statists were talking and just end up with roaming charges, but the damned phone wouldn't get a signal at all. When she finally started listening, she realized she couldn't understand a word her host was saying. 'Why isn't it in English?' she thought, annoyed, especially now that her phone was dead. She didn't like how the Morskovans were prominently positioned in the room either, as though they were the "leaders." What happened to equality?

Looking around, she was eventually able to work out what the earpieces did, but she missed the roll call. After a brief, tense pause of other delegations presumably looking at her expectantly (a pause which Bardem allowed to go on just long enough to let the girl know she'd screwed up), Bardem whispered "Name and party." Julia gave him a look before announcing without using the microphone, "Julia Xi, Adiran United Workers Party."

[Hostillia]

Hong looked at the small device in a sense of bewilderment, even while living in the democratic island chain across the waves from Hostillia, he had elected not to embrace the modern technology less he forget his roots as a worker, and so the startling and dazzling display of technology here was somewhat breathtaking and, he held in a small laugh at the fact that while the others easily plopped their strange devices in their ears, he had to take time to examine it, for fear that it might electrocute him. Satisfied that he would not be shocked, he delicately placed the thing in his ear, only to have his heart skip a beat when a voice suddenly thundered out of it in the native tongue. These people certainly had thought of everything, little translation ear things? How ingenious. Of course, it was also worrying, such technology such marvel, it seemed to detract from the ideal small farming communities he envisioned dotting the landscape as the people worked and farmed together and brought peace to the world, a long way off and lofty sure, but it could be done. He hoped these people hadn’t brought him here to declare war on the capitalists; he wasn’t a particularly violent man if it could be avoided, and it could always be avoided.

Hong eventually settled himself, seeing that both his associates seemed comfortable with the device, after a moment of thinking he came to the conclusion that the words he was hearing in his ear was the same as the words being spoken up there and that was also a clever invention. A universal translator! Waiting, he listened to the introduction from the man, his eyes seemed to be lacking that spark of youth and life that his partner still had brightly in her own eyes, he believed that many in Hostillia would refer to the spark as ‘ignorance’ but even the ignorant could be supporters of the Revolution. While the other delegates seemed to share a smile and perhaps even a laugh at the young girl’s pause, he made no response other than a reassuring nod and a kind smile, at least she was committed. Eventually he realized that it was his party’s time to speak, and so he looked to the others to determine who would speak up first, just because he was the First Among Equals and Visionary of the Revolution did not mean that he had to speak for the entire party, that was not equal nor communistic. However, the Hostillian culture ran deep and they were committed to him as their elder.

“Greetings comrades,” he said, giving a pause before his associates assured him it was being translated and they could understand him, “my name is Dong Shi Hong of the Hostillian National Peasantry Association, I would like to thank our hosts for inviting us and I look forward to this exchange of ideas. Long Live the People.”

“Do Ling,” spoke a taller thin man, his eyes alive with the people around him and his moustache attracting looks for being grown in a fashion which died out with a particularly nasty man back in 1945, but it was still popular in the Middle Kingdom, “Long Live the People, and the National Peasantry Association.” He then looked to the third member of the group for his contribution, he was of average size, plump and had beady eyes which he kept mostly at his feet, realizing he was also to speak he thumbed around as his fingers fell over one another and he moved, clumsily, forward enough to speak into the microphone.

“Hai Da, National Peasantry Association,” he said in his gruff voice, so quietly and quickly that the other two native speakers had a difficult time understanding him. His piece said, Hai returned his gaze to his shoes and continued fumbling with his fingers.

[New Edom]

"I think someone behind me farted," whispered Claudia Blood to one of her companions. "No, wait, it's the smell of self satisfied statist stalinists lording it over everyone. Roll call..."

"Relax, it's just procedure. We do procedure. Don't get on your high horse," he warned her.

Claudia Blood had just needed to vent, how stupid did he think she was? Oh wait--he thought she was a hot head. But she'd learned a lot since her trial and that idiotic escape attempt her ex boyfriend had tried. She checked out the Hostillians...poor bastards, labouring under the thumb of tribal despots...the Adirans...smug university socialist chick with hands as soft as her ass no doubt...and a weary intellectual type, battering in futility at the well fed establishment of his country. She saw Adiron as a stepping stone of capitalism in the region, an eminence grise that was only held in check by being surrounded by fascist lunatics.

So much opportunity to deal some blows, and she doubted so much that these Morskovans were capable of it, but she had been surprised before. "Claudia Blood, Anarcho-Syndicalist Party of New Edom...in exile. I have been elected spokesperson by my comrades." she clenched a fist. "Long live liberty! Long live Anarcho-Syndicalism!" and then sat down. Her companions held back their smiles--that Claudia, always making waves! La Passionara of Bara Province. And they needed some laughs, damn it. Things were pretty grim.

[Morskova]

As the introductions the Morskovans were paying close attention. They hadn’t had any real serious dealings with any other nations other than their southern ‘brother’ nation the Kingdom of Nordkreusen and all of those had been met with half a sword drawn and militaries mobilized on the borders. So for them even though these people did not represent the governments of their respected nations it was a chance for them to pry and see where Communism was strongest, and as well where they could extend their influence.
They had done their homework, the Adiran United Workers' Party was similar to the Morskovan Communist Party in sense that it was more or less just a mix of leftist with far different views. The Hostillian National Peasantry Association was what the Morskovans referred to as the ‘old breed’. While respected Agrarian Communism had never been a popular ideology in the more industrial focused northern nation. Then there was The Anarchist Collective of New Edom. The Morskovans viewed Anarchism much like others viewed Communism, idealistic but not possible. But they were invited all the same for two reasons, one the Morskovans were curious to learn more about the situation in New Edom and if it was worth their involvement. Of the representatives that were invited certain ones had already been marked as special interest characters.
One of them had made already made herself known quite publically with her cry for Anarcho-Syndicalism, which had been met with a few whispers from the Morskovans watching, it had for certain gotten their attention.

After the introductions were over President Zolnerowich moved the mic closer to him. “Thank you once more for attending. Hopefully together here today we can all gain a better of each other and our respective parties, and help ourselves move onto creating the Socialist Utopian world that we all strive for.” He then paused before starting again this time though in a slightly graver tone of a man who had been kept worried and from sleep over something.

“Today in this age we, all of us Communists, Socialists, Anarchists, and all Leftists are being looked down upon and threatened once more. The established orders are afraid of us, deeming us all radicals and dangerous, they are on the warpath it seems or gearing up for it and we must prepare ourselves for this struggle and we must win my friends. Despite our difference we are all similar in one thing and that our goal is to make a better world for the people, all people, and we must do what we have to, in order to achieve this goal. “The Morskovan Presidents eyes seemed colder, one might mistake this for anger but those who knew him could see it was pure determination and conviction.

“Now, as many of you know one of the main reason of this meeting was for you all to come here and see Morskova, and at the same time for us to see and meet you. So for now we would like to invite the Representatives of New Edom to discuss with all of us the situation in their country from their viewpoint. “ With that he gestured towards the delegates before stepping away from the central stand and making his way back up to the empty seat between the Commissars.

(Sorry that this took so long, and for throwing you on the spot Edom, but I felt that your issue in your country is very strong attention grabber right now)

[New Edom]

"Comrade Chairman," said Claudia Blood, "Thank you for giving me the opportuity to speak." she took a deep breath. This was now or never. "Over the last year, Communism of all kinds in New Edom has been on the run. The closest we have to a viable Communist Party is the very provincially oriented Communist Party of Gloria Regis and its union with the Feminist Socialist Collective, which governs the Protectorate, but very much hand in glove with the fascist military government. They feel that they have no choice, and so any sympathies to furthering the Revolution of the Proletariat is curtailed by that. That is our only real haven, and to be honest, they only control about 23% of the hearts and minds of the people thanks to voter apathy. They are not permitted to genuinely be able to defend themselves or have an army, navy or air force--the fascists of the "Boy General" control all of that. And so this is our declaration, our manifesto, our voice of the people." She cleared her throat, gathered her papers, and read out loud:

What We Want
or a Manifesto of Freedom for the People of New Edom

We, the Anarchist Collectives of New Edom, are engaged in a war for freedom in the nation of New Edom, oppressed by an oligarchy of religious, aristocratic, militaristic, and international corporate lackeys. Our people are crushed by poverty and forced to serve the state in whatever way it chooses to manifest itself. There is no true democratic representation of the people.

We ask for recognition of our struggle. The Government of New Edom has committed the following CRIMES AGAINST HUMANITY.

1. It has committed acts of genocide against the Elwe people of the Provinces of Raith Immel and Teman.

2. It has under the pretext of protecting the nation banned the Feminist Party, arrested thousands of women and men supporting it, and either forcibly deported them, put them to hard labour or murdered them under the pretext of the law. The so called "New Reformed Feminist Party" are made up of lackeys supporting General Pahath-Moab.

3. It has waged war against Anarchists and Socialists, jailing them without trial, raiding their homes, censoring their words, and forcibly exiled, tortured and killed them.

4. It has forcibly removed people from their homes in order to build factories, corporate run farms, mines, oil and logging industry properties as well as resorts and other places of business. The displaced persons have been forced to work for a pittance or starve.

5. It has maintained control over the sexuality of the people of the country; LGBT people are oppressed, forced to hide any expression of their sexuality lest they be arrested or even killed; women are forced into arranged marriages.

6. Religious militias and religious judges enforce religious laws (including penalties up to death for adultery and blasphemy) through the Morality Act, which the government sanctions. In the city of Glasstower, people have been forced to be stripped naked without plea or recognition of age or health for 'security reasons' by these people.

1. Anarchists are opposed to authority and hierarchy. All persons must be considered as equals. No-one has the right to coerce or expect obedience from others except where necessary to protect the equal rights of others. Because of this, we want ONLY a government that is directly chosen by the PEOPLE of New Edom.

2. Anarchists are opposed to patriarchy. As a coercive set of social relations based on gender hierarchy, patriarchy oppresses and silences women in ways that we are as yet not even fully conscious. Patriarchal structures must be destroyed wherever they are recognized. The Allied States of New Edom has DESTROYED ALL FEMINIST POLITICAL REPRESENTATION! Women are oppressed in New Edom! Tokenism in politics and in the military does not take away the fact that women are treated as second class citizens!

3. Anarchists are not opposed to organization. Anarchy is about organization. It is about co-operation amongst equals, free of oppressive power relations. Often a lack of organization allows oppression to go unnoticed and merely offers the "liberty" of the strong to take advantage of the weaker. We must organize to prevent this. We are opposed, however, to types of organization which are based on authority and hierarchy or which involve the unnecessary regimentation and subordination of individuals or which strangle individual creativity. We are implacably opposed to the centralization of power.

4. Anarchists believe in the necessity of *direct democracy*. Where disagreements exist amongst persons which cannot be resolved co-operatively, the will of the majority must be respected. Consensus decisions are always the ideal but when a consensus cannot be reached then democratic procedures must be employed. Considering peoples as equals requires this. Representative and Parliamentary democracy are frauds which separate the government from the people, deny us control over our own lives and encourage apathy amongst the citizenry. Real democracy places power in the hands of the people by making all decisions at the lowest possible level by voting in workplace and community councils.

Anarchists seek the destruction of the State. The State, a government which holds itself to be separate from and above the people, is always an oppressor. It has its own interests: its natural form is a bureaucracy and the military, the police and the security forces are its weapons. "Control" of the state is an illusion which corrupts all revolutionaries. We will not be free while the State exists.

5. Anarchists seek an end to private property. Our needs chain us as much as our enemies. "Liberty" without the means to exercise it is a hollow fraud. We are not free to do that which we cannot do because others deny us the resources. The capitalists' monopoly of the means of production, their control of society's wealth, enslaves us to them as surely as would a gun held to our heads. The division of the political from the economic is a bourgeois myth. True social equality requires equal access to the means of production. For this reason all anarchists are socialists (though not all socialists are anarchists).

6. Anarchists believe in the need for a total Revolution. There is no aspect of the existing evils, Capitalism, Patriarchy and the State, that we can afford to leave intact if we seek to build a world free of oppression. Like cancers these structures will reappear and destroy freedom if they are not sought out where- ever they are manifest and destroyed utterly and simultaneously. Because our goals are radical, involving the total overthrow of the existing order, we cannot hope to accomplish them by reformist means within that order.

7. Anarchists deny the distinction between ends and means. Liberation and revolution are our activities not our ends. For this reason we will never be able to achieve freedom through authoritarian methods or destroy the State by seizing control of it.

8. Anarchists follow no leaders. No-one can lead us to take responsibility for our own lives. Only we can liberate ourselves. The only "leadership" we recognize is by example.

9. Anarchists believe in a brighter future. We envisage a future free of oppression, of people living in community and in control of their own lives. We see a society governing itself though workplace and community councils, making decisions at the lowest possible level and cooperating and organizing together. We believe in a society where "economic" decisions about production and distribution which affect all of us are made democratically rather than left in the hands of a privileged and unelected few. Free of the destructive imperatives of capitalism, we will be able to live in harmony with the environment, use technology to our own advantage rather than our bosses and escape from the threat of war derived by the needs of Capital and State to extend their influence. We will build our own future.

10. We call for the Monarchy to abdicate all but symbolic and traditional authority, to help in gradually easing the transition peacefully. If they will not, we prefer that they abdicate entirely and leave the country. We do not hold Queen Mara responsible for decisions her ancestors or parents made, but we do require her to take responsibility for her own position.

11. We call for the Imperial Family of Bratoslovoukia to no longer have asylum in New Edom.

12. We call for the military forces of New Edom to be disbanded to be reformed under a government of the people.

13. We call for nationalization of all corporate and business property in New Edom, to be organized by the People of New Edom.

14. We call for all ecclesiastic authority save for on a purely spiritual basis to be ended; all religious judges to step down, all religious schools to continue only under the supervision of the People, and if need be, to be disbanded.

15. We call for the so called Interim Government to step down, for General Pahath-Moab to resign from the position which he seized by unlawful coup d'etat.

16. We call for a return to New Edom of exiled feminists, socialists and communists.

She paused and cleared her throat, and said, without notes,
"As an example of the ETC religious militia in Bara Province's actions, a schoolteacher named Eslpeth Ketcham was publicly stripped and given nothing but her boots, socks and hat to wear because of ETC religious fanaticism, simply because she was on her way to work teaching children in a small village in Bara Province to do math and science. Following this, her clothing as well as all her books were confiscated. She is currently under suspicion along with village officials and may be subject to Accusation (arraignment before a magistrate) and trial in Glasstower--the most tyrannical city in New Edom--for no crime other than to attempt to provide education to the poor.

Elder Brothers Eidolon and Fromm, ruling the End Times Church (or ETC) militia in Glasstower have enforced the Compulsory Nudity Act upon the district and force men and women alike to bare all in the name of religious terror. They regularly confiscate books, including any books on biology, physics, chemistry, sociology and psychology, any religious works that are not Christian, and arrest people on the mere suspicion of having Anarchist sympathies. Political freedom is dead in Bara Province.

How long must the Edomite people suffer the religious and aristocratic oppression they are subjected to? We know that there are people standing with us in solidarity, we know who you were, but we now appeal to you: condemn New Edom's tyranny! Investigate the actions of this religious militia used as a force for terror against the citizenry.

Remember these words!

Christianity is most admirably adapted to the training of slaves, to the perpetuation of a slave society; in short, to the very conditions confronting us to-day.... The rulers of the earth have realized long ago what potent poison inheres in the Christian religion. That is the reason they foster it; that is why they leave nothing undone to instill it into the blood of the people. They know only too well that the subtleness of the Christian teachings is a more powerful protection against rebellion and discontent than the club or the gun.

--EMMA GOLDMAN

Our freedom fighters are dying in Bara Province even now--and while some from foreign nations--Bulgislavia, Daiwa and Freeland, Arthurista--sent volunteers to help, our numbers are few, and the fascists have many allies who have come to protect their trade and their own tyranny over the people. So I now say to you, those who stand for the right to be a free human being--continue to stand with us in solidarity! Do not be silent!" with that, she sat down, almost shaking with passion. Her companions patted her on the back, with grim smiles awaiting any response.

[United Valik]

Stavros snickered when he heard Claudia Blood rattle off the stupid, immature, impractical agenda of the Anarchists, who were in his mind putting the cart before the horse. The State couldn't wither away until there was no more danger that capitalism could return. That would come, but hardly overnight. Dismantle the state too soon, and the capitalists would be back, sure as the day.

However, his main concern was not Blood's own case against New Edom, though he publicly sympathized with her for polemical reasons. It was rather that he hated to see the Maoist regime in Damoclea being ignored and not aided at all. While Maoism wasn't perfect, it wasn't far removed from Stalinism and could be pushed in the right direction. He was livid that no one had intervened to support Damoclea against New Edom.

"Comrades, let me add to Comrade Blood's list of infamous crimes against the proletariat this! That the Allied States of New Edom are presently aligned with the Imperium of Arbites Materia and the Archonate of Lyscania against the Soviet Popular Republic of Damoclea, a nation which stood with the Anarchists in their time of need and is now paying for it by means of an Edomite capitalist crusade! Comrades, this must not be allowed to stand! Comrades, stand with Damoclea..."

With that, he took off his shoes and banged each of them on his desk, causing Paulina Adamski, the People's Party leader, to shake her head and want to facepalm. She knew well that the Damocleans were nothing but crazed Maoist thugs who committed numerous crimes and atrocities against their own people as well as others.

More to the point, however, was the news she watched on television that morning, which caused her to laugh.

"Comrade Stavros, that is now a moot point. I have watched a TV news update this morning on Morskovan TV that says that General Demas of the Damoclean People's Army, their chief of staff, no less, has surrendered the last, mobile, operational forces of the Communist regime there to the forces of New Edom. What say you to that?"

Anton Stavros nearly had a stroke right then, but still managed to recover, before tearing out his hair in clumps and rushing to the men's room to vomit....such as a sickening display of public gloating, and for what, the capitalist pigs in New Edom? Why would Adamski side with them, when she had backed the Gloria Regian Reds in the past?"