Right to Life News: Statement on LCN Relations

[Drasnia]

You people have no right to tell a Woman what do do with her body.
If she cannot support a child, she can get an abortion
If she cannot raise a child at the time,
Or the baby has a severe genetic disease,
Or it hurts to live for the baby,
The mother needs to be able to make the decision if she should have the baby.

Abortion is a right. Not a drug.

say what now? This is Gameplay, not General. I could give you non-religious reasons for being against most abortions, but that would be threadjacking. Now, back to RTL, even as someone raised by a very religious family in a religious area, I still believe that anti-discrimination laws ought to be passed. Firstly, I highly doubt many LGBT people would go to your region (But please correct me if I'm wrong), and secondly, why should it matter in an online game?

[Orostan]

You people have no right to tell a Woman what do do with her body.
If she cannot support a child, she can get an abortion
If she cannot raise a child at the time,
Or the baby has a severe genetic disease,
Or it hurts to live for the baby,
The mother needs to be able to make the decision if she should have the baby.

Abortion is a right. Not a drug.

say what now? This is Gameplay, not General. I could give you non-religious reasons for being against most abortions, but that would be threadjacking. Now, back to RTL, even as someone raised by a very religious family in a religious area, I still believe that anti-discrimination laws ought to be passed. Firstly, I highly doubt many LGBT people would go to your region (But please correct me if I'm wrong), and secondly, why should it matter in an online game?

Because are talking about a real thing.

[Phydios]

Many members of RTL appear to love using the nasty phrase "religious freedom" as a right. They should call it as it is which is the right to religious discrimination. Religious freedom to me should be about the right to practice your faith, not discriminating against minorities. Although I think we forget the region is called Right to Life and not Right to Human Decency or Right to Freedom.

Certainly it goes beyond simply this vote. I just read a thread where people praised Scalia's stance against "sodomy". In another thread, members discussed how the Canadian political parties stood on homosexuality and how approving of such rights was a major turnoff for them. In neither thread was there a single dissenting voice. Evidently the bigotry runs far deeper than simply a failed vote. Such regions should expect to be criticized.

Definition of "discrimination" from Merriam-Webster: ": the practice of unfairly treating a person or group of people differently from other people or groups of people"
Definition of "bigot" from Merriam-Webster: "a person who strongly and unfairly dislikes other people, ideas, etc.; a bigoted person, especially: a person who hates or refuses to accept the members of a particular group (such as a racial or religious group)"

Conclusion: Bigotry and discrimination has everything to do with one's opinion of people, not one's opinion of behavior.

Now, I believe I have mentioned multiple times how RTL does have a significant group of citizens who are not socially conservative, and that we are building alliances with regions that are not socially conservative. But I suppose the concept of a (mainly) socially conservative region that is accepting of all people is too inconvenient to be acknowledged. Either that or you can't understand how one can love or accept someone while believing their behavior is wrong, which is also quite likely. Yes, many of us believe some behaviors are wrong. No, that does not mean we hate anyone. We've even been polite to the occasional pro-abortion nation that comes through, provided that they're looking for a debate and not a reaction.

Many members of RTL appear to love using the nasty phrase "religious freedom" as a right. They should call it as it is which is the right to religious discrimination. Religious freedom to me should be about the right to practice your faith, not discriminating against minorities.

And what if practicing one's faith involves believing that some behaviors are wrong and refusing to endorse them? Some religions, like Judaism, Christianity, and Islam, don't subscribe to the wishy-washy "find your own truth" rhetoric. If I own a bakery and a homosexual couple wants a wedding cake, practicing my faith means saying, "Sorry, I'm a devout Christian and cannot violate my beliefs by making this cake. There are thousands of other bakeries, including local ones, that will be happy to serve you."

[Christian Democrats]

Can we cut out the bakery example and use an actual NS example instead?

Actual argument made during the Prop 1 debate

The Thomas Aquinas Society (TAS) is an interest group in Right to Life -- a club of many of the region's Catholic members, a club that has purchased (with regional currency) its own subforum in the regional marketplace. TAS's organizer, Ovybia, argued that Prop 1 was objectionable because it might be used to force him to admit Protestants and people who endorse the LGBT movement to TAS.

There are two issues here: (1) whether Ovybia's interpretation of Prop 1 was reasonable, and (2) whether it is acceptable for Ovybia to reject people who are Protestants or who endorse the LGBT movement. I won't address point (1) because Prop 1 didn't pass and because the regional judiciary never got to interpret it. As far as point (2) goes, however, Ovybia's views are not clearly objectionable. Inclusion and exclusion, after all, are elements of freedom of association. Under the region's current anti-discrimination law, Ovybia could not deny a person membership in TAS because of race; but he could deny membership based on religion or sexual orientation.

I'm not saying if Ovybia is right or wrong, but the right of exclusion that RTL currently allows him is no different from the right of exclusion that NS affords to regional founders or the right of exclusion that ZB affords to board administrators. If somebody wanted to set up a Scientologist-only, gay-only, or Italian-only region on NS, he would be free to do so, provided that he doesn't bully anyone. Prop 1 was not an anti-bullying bill. RTL already outlaws aggression. Prop 1 was an attempt by some RTL residents to supplement NS rules and ZB terms.

[Phydios]

Can we cut out the bakery example and use an actual NS example instead?

Gladly. I was only using it for lack of a better example, but of course an actual argument directly related to this matter would be much better. Thank you for this post.

[Ever-Wandering Souls]

If I own a diner and a negro man wants to eat at my counter, practicing my faith means saying, "Sorry, I'm a devout Klansman and cannot violate my beliefs by serving him. There are thousands of other diners, including local ones, that will be happy to serve you."

If I own a bakery and a woman wants a wedding cake, practicing my faith means saying, "Sorry, I don't believe women can handle money or make purchases and cannot violate my beliefs by making this cake. There are thousands of other bakeries, including local ones, that will be happy to serve you."

....now, see, you make it about race or sex or age or disability, and it's illegal,, regardless of your beliefs. Religious freedom ends when it begins to infringe on the rights of others, and it's only a matter of time before the highest courts or legislatures redefine/add gender and sexual orientation to that coverage.

[Phydios]

If I own a diner and a negro man wants to eat at my counter, practicing my faith means saying, "Sorry, I'm a devout Klansman and cannot violate my beliefs by serving him. There are thousands of other diners, including local ones, that will be happy to serve you."

If I own a bakery and a woman wants a wedding cake, practicing my faith means saying, "Sorry, I don't believe women can handle money or make purchases and cannot violate my beliefs by making this cake. There are thousands of other bakeries, including local ones, that will be happy to serve you."

....now, see, you make it about race or sex or age or disability, and it's illegal,, regardless of your beliefs. Religious freedom ends when it begins to infringe on the rights of others, and it's only a matter of time before the highest courts or legislatures redefine/add gender and sexual orientation to that coverage.

Federal law prohibits racial or sexual discrimination. Real law that went through the proper legislative process, rather than being dictated by nine unelected judges. But you are certainly correct in that eventually Christians will be forced to choose between their faith and their business. Some already have faced that pressure, and it isn't going to get any better.

[Christian Democrats]

If I own a diner and a negro man wants to eat at my counter, practicing my faith means saying, "Sorry, I'm a devout Klansman and cannot violate my beliefs by serving him. There are thousands of other diners, including local ones, that will be happy to serve you."

If I own a bakery and a woman wants a wedding cake, practicing my faith means saying, "Sorry, I don't believe women can handle money or make purchases and cannot violate my beliefs by making this cake. There are thousands of other bakeries, including local ones, that will be happy to serve you."

1. Not NS examples.
2. RTL law bans racial and sex discrimination.

....now, see, you make it about race or sex or age or disability, and it's illegal,, regardless of your beliefs.

It's illegal regardless of your beliefs because people have voted to make it illegal regardless of your beliefs. In RTL, the people voted against an expansive anti-discrimination law because they didn't feel that it was necessary and because they were concerned that it would undermine the region's bill of rights, which guarantees the freedoms of conscience, religion, expression, association, and contract among other rights.

Religious freedom ends when it begins to infringe on the rights of others

Let me get this straight: Scott violates Sandford's rights if Scott does not serve Sandford?

and it's only a matter of time before the highest courts or legislatures redefine/add

Right to Life's Senate has decided not to redefine/add to the region's anti-discrimination law, so a petition was started to bypass the Senate. The petition received enough signatures, and a regionwide referendum was held. Likewise, the citizens decided not to redefine/add to the region's anti-discrimination law, a law that is already stricter than NS rules, ZB terms, and the laws of most other regions.

The RTL-bashing is mind-boggling. "RTL's laws are stricter than my region's laws, but RTL's laws are not strict enough, so RTL is bigoted."

[Ever-Wandering Souls]

The point was that the only difference is the source of the belief set you're claiming and what group you're singling out as a result of it.

The law is begging to bother me far less than the comments of your members.

Employment Division v. Smith. Laws that interfere with a religious practice but that don't target a specific religion are not discriminating against that religion- the apply uniformly.

The "laws" in my region are "you respect others, don't bad-mouth entire groups of people, and know where to draw the line between what you think and the actions you take, or I put you in time out and tell you that you're making other members uncomfortable, so shape up or get out." Don't need laws to say that. Or to take another example from current events, that you don't insult allies or let in undesirable folks.

[Christian Democrats]

The point was that the only difference is the source of the belief set you're claiming and what group you're singling out as a result of it.

I assume that you're using the generic you. Also, why does "the source of the belief set" matter?

[Ambrella]

Out of curiosity, is RTL focused solely on abortion, or issues like euthanasia and the death penalty as well?

[Christian Democrats]

Out of curiosity, is RTL focused solely on abortion, or issues like euthanasia and the death penalty as well?

Abortion only.

To be a Right to Life citizen, you must be against socioeconomic abortions (about 90% of abortions). It is permissible for individual citizens to acquiesce to induced abortions in cases of maternal life, maternal health, rape, incest, or serious fetal abnormalities (about 10% of abortions).

We haven't polled region members on other life issues in a while. In late 2014, we found the following:

• 78.6% of residents oppose assisted suicide;
• 71.4% of residents oppose capital punishment.

[Railana]

Laws that interfere with a religious practice but that don't target a specific religion are not discriminating against that religion- the apply uniformly.

You're taking a very narrow view of "religious practice". Religious belief usually entails accepting an entire worldview and moral philosophy, not merely attending a religious ceremony once or twice a week. Any law that prevents an individual from acting in accordance with that worldview and moral philosophy is indeed targeted against that religion. Of course, such targeting may be justified, but let's call it what it is, shall we?

[Almonaster Nuevo]

I disagree.

Freedom of religion allows you to believe what you like, but not necessarily to act on that belief. If you believe that assassinating the head of state is a religious duty then no reasonable state will allow you to actually do so. Many (e.g. the USA) will not allow you to even discuss the matter.

[Christian Democrats]

I disagree.

Freedom of religion allows you to believe what you like, but not necessarily to act on that belief.

In that case, religious liberty is pointless. If your definition of the freedom of religion is correct, then it would not be inconsistent with religious freedom for the state to compel people to attend church or to donate money to religious charities. Likewise, the state could forbid people from attending church or from donating money to religious charities. Why? The state isn't controlling beliefs; it's controlling acts. The government could force you to go to church on Sundays and Wednesdays, but it couldn't force you to believe the sermons. On your view, it wouldn't be violating your religious freedom.

If you believe that assassinating the head of state is a religious duty then no reasonable state will allow you to actually do so.

Of course. Nobody thinks that religious liberty is an absolute. The argument is that religious liberty should "raise the bar" for the government. When someone makes an honest claim that his religious freedom has been violated, the state should offer a persuasive justification for its infringement. "We're infringing on Pat's pro-assassination beliefs because we have a strong interest in protecting human life."

[Pro-Life]

RIGHT TO LIFE NEWSLETTER



Published June 30, 2016
Regional Main Page | Offsite Regional Forums

Senate Expands to Five Members (By Ovybia)



After an off-and-on debate spanning several months, the number of Right to Life senators, which was previously three (including the president), was increased to five (including the president and a vice president) by an amendment to the regional constitution. Opponents of the change, most notably Founder Culture of Life (Christian Democrats), argued that there were not yet enough candidates running in regional elections to justify an increase to a five-seat Senate. Proponents of the reform contended that a change in the Senate's size was appropriate for better representation of the region's increasingly large citizenry. The Senate passed the constitutional amendment 3-0 on May 1, and it was signed shortly thereafter by Culture of Life. It took effect on June 4, at the conclusion of Right to Life's June election.

CFP Retains Senate Majority (By Culture of Life)



Right to Life, on June 1-4, held an election for four seats in its Senate, an increase from two seats in the February senatorial election. The final seat in the Senate of Right to Life is held ex officio by the RCS, the region's president and a member of the center-right Conservative Federalist Party (CFP). Incumbent Senator Imperii Ecclesia (CFP) ran for reelection while Senator Cocles (Life Party) stepped down from her seat. Early challengers for the Senate were Ardaxia (independent), New Missouri (Libertarian Party), Stellonia (Life Party), and United Massachusetts (Liberals for Life Coalition). Due to concerns that the field of candidates was weak, former presidents Aawia (CFP) and Phydios (CFP) threw their hats into the ring at the last minute. Single non-transferable voting was used, and 50% of citizens turned out. The results were as follows:

Imperii Ecclesia (Conservative Federalist) -- 21.05% (elected)
United Massachusetts (Liberals for Life) -- 21.05% (elected)
New Missouri (Libertarian) -- 21.05% (elected)
Phydios (Conservative Federalist) -- 15.79% (elected)
Stellonia (Life Party) -- 10.53%
Aawia (Conservative Federalist) -- 0.00%
Ardaxia (independent) -- 0.00%
Invalid ballots -- 10.53%

Following the Founder's certification of the results, Stellonia voiced his displeasure with the region's electoral system, calling it unrepresentative. He protested the exclusion of his Life Party (right-wing) from the Senate and said that it was unfair that the Conservative Federalists controlled a majority of seats (the RCS, Imperii Ecclesia, and Phydios) with the support of only two-fifths of (valid) voters. Defenders of the status quo countered that a party that garners the backing of only one-tenth of the electorate does not deserve and should not feel entitled to representation in the regional legislature.

President RCS, after the election, appointed New Missouri to serve as vice president. In accordance with recent reforms of the regional constitution, presidential elections (April, August, and December) will select two senators: the president and the vice president. Senatorial elections (February, June, and October) will select three senators (three "regular" seats). Both sorts of elections will continue to employ single non-transferable voting, unless a new constitutional amendment is passed. Efforts by some citizens to restore a three-member Senate (a presidential seat and two "regular" seats) are unlikely to succeed.

SCOTUS Hands Down Pro-Abortion Decision (By Culture of Life)



The U.S. Supreme Court, on June 27, delivered a 5-3 opinion in Whole Woman's Health v. Hellerstedt, striking down a Texas law designed to put an end to unsafe abortions. Members of Right to Life immediately voiced their strong disapproval. "Well just another reason to get a conservative president, to appoint conservative justices," said the RCS, Right to Life's president. "So sad," another citizen commented on the regional message board. "We need a pro-lifer (preferably a pro-life liberal) on the Supreme Court." This week's decision in favor of the abortion industry and its lobbyists is the end of a three-year legal battle to improve women's health and cultivate respect for unborn life in the State of Texas.

Texas' law required abortion clinics to follow the same health and safety standards as other outpatient surgical centers, and it mandated that abortionists maintain admitting privileges at nearby hospitals to which they could send mothers or their children in cases of botched procedures. In enacting its law, Texas relied on the longstanding presupposition that the Supreme Court tolerates such reasonable regulations. After all, in Roe v. Wade (1973) (which invented the so-called "right to abortion" in the United States), the majority of justices said, "Examples of permissible state regulation in this area are requirements as to the qualifications of the person who is to perform the abortion; as to the licensure of that person; as to the facility in which the procedure is to be performed, that is, whether it must be a hospital or may be a clinic or some other place of less-than-hospital status; as to the licensing of the facility; and the like."

The present-day Supreme Court, however, is taking its abortion jurisprudence in a more extreme direction. In the recent decision, Justice Stephen Breyer, writing for the majority, opined that Texas' law imposed an "undue burden" on women of reproductive age by holding abortion providers to requirements that were "not necessary." Too many abortion clinics in Texas have been closing their doors, the Court held, because of supposedly obstructive regulations, such as basic sanitary procedures. Justice Breyer, for instance, ruled that it violates the Fourteenth Amendment's Due Process Clause for state legislatures to require abortion clinics, like other medical clinics, to have "scrub facilities" and "soiled utility and sterilization rooms" because the "natural opening" of a woman "is itself not sterile."

Justice Samuel Alito authored the main dissent. He called the majority opinion "indefensible" and predicted that it ultimately "will undermine public confidence in the Court as a fair and neutral arbiter." Justice Alito asserted that Texas, in the aftermath of the 2013 trial and conviction of abortionist Kermit Gosnell for three murders and one manslaughter, had more than enough reason to enact new laws cracking down on the poorly regulated abortion industry. Recent closures of Texas abortion clinics, he observed, had less to do with the challenged Texas law and more to do with more rigorous protocol for administering abortifacients, withdrawal of taxpayer funds from abortion providers, declining national demand for abortions, and physician retirement. Justice Alito also said that the evidence showed that no more than 5.1% of women in Texas, an acceptable number, would be seriously inconvenienced in procuring abortions as a result of the state's health and safety regulations.

A separate, more strongly worded dissenting opinion was written by Justice Clarence Thomas, who accused the Supreme Court of threatening "the promise of a judiciary bound by the rule of law" and of "radically" rewriting its own abortion precedents to fit the justices' personal views. Recognizing that deference is ordinarily given to the states in regulation of the medical profession, Justice Thomas harshly criticized the majority for usurping democratic legislative authority by appointing itself "'the country's ex officio medical board.'" The Court has reached a point, he argued, where "nothing but empty words separates our constitutional decisions from judicial fiat." Based on their own partisan biases, the justices, he said, arbitrarily give "preferential treatment" and "special protection" to rights of their own creation, such as abortion and same-sex marriage, "while disfavoring many of the rights actually enumerated in the Constitution," including free speech and racial neutrality. (In specific, he repeated his criticism of a recent decision that allows public universities to use racial and ethnic preferences in admissions.) In the penultimate section of his dissent, Justice Thomas suggested, "The Court should abandon the pretense that anything other than policy preferences underlies its balancing of constitutional rights and interests in any given case."

Now that a majority of the Supreme Court has chosen to start uprooting all abortion laws that are "not necessary," even if they are reasonable, it is not clear how state governments that are committed to upholding human dignity will proceed. "This is a very bad blow to my home state," one Right to Life citizen lamented. "Texas has been fighting this one for so long." "Children are a gift from God!" exclaimed another resident of the region. "I'm not just pro-life because of the Bible; [abortion is] also just morally wrong." Following the U.S. presidential election in November, Hillary Clinton or Donald Trump, in all likelihood, will make an appointment to the Supreme Court to fill the seat vacated by pro-life Justice Antonin Scalia, who passed away in February. Mrs. Clinton and Mr. Trump, in the past, have both expressed support for legalized abortion; however, Mr. Trump says that he has changed his stance on the propriety of the procedure and now identifies as mostly pro-life. In the United States alone, 1.06 million children are aborted every year (Guttmacher Institute 2016).

June Economic Report (By Aawia)



Aawia is the Director of the Bank of Right to Life. He originally prepared this report on the status of the region's central bank for the Senate, which conducts a mandatory economic review every six months.

When writing this review, I want to do two things: one, I want to be completely honest about how things are doing and what I think the future for the bank looks like. Two, I want to get across a sense of hope, especially considering the future of the bank. I want the region to know that I used to be sympathetic to the voices saying that the bank should be disbanded, but being bank director has changed my perspective. Through my time as bank director I've begun to see a potential in players being able to exchange services for a regional currency.

However, there are some issues. This year, we have experienced more of the same in regards to inactivity. We see the bulk of activity happening around required events: for example, when CoL charges ‎₤50 for an advertising spot during campaign season, we see an influx of activity. Our issue is how to expand activity. Right now, our biggest hope is the implementation of business competitions, which would award no-interest loans to the best ideas. Also, once we have the Bank Officer program in place, the plan is to give them the power to award loans. I know there are good ideas for businesses in the minds of the citizens of Right to Life; we just need to get them out and get people acting on them. Another resource I'd like to see used more is the purchase of private sub-forums; potential fixes I may look into, working with CoL, is lowering the cost of purchasing a sub-forum or an advertisement campaign as to the benefits.

Finally, the state of the currency in the bank. We started the year off with ‎₤2650 and now have ‎₤4936. This has put the bank in a very healthy position, and it has allowed the increase of government wages and the alleviation of pressure so the bank can have proper discussion on the issues at hand. At the end of the summer, I will most likely do another clean-up of old bank accounts.

I think that the regional bank's greatest hope lies in getting the citizens of Right to Life to put their ideas into action. Or working on more events which can utilize the bank until such a time as those ideas come up. Once we get region members thinking about the bank more often, more ideas, I'm sure, can come to light. We have a very bright region, and I believe in our ability for entrepreneurship.

Pro-Life International Grows (By United Massachusetts)



Pro-Life International (PLI), a multi-regional alliance to protect life on the world stage, has grown and prospered due to active recruitment efforts. PLI recently welcomed a new region, the League of Conservative Nations (TLCN). With a unanimous vote of the representatives of current PLI member regions, TLCN was admitted. The region TLCN has lately since seen a huge spike in membership, going from 9 members when the region was admitted to over 50 nations today. Other applications from the Christian Republic, the Traditional Catholic Empire, and the Conservative Christians are pending votes on membership, while negotiations are under way. Right to Life's Foreign Minister and PLI Representative United Massachusetts has expressed excitement about PLI's growth, calling the acceptance of TCLN "a great step forward."

If your region is interested in joining PLI, or just helping out, please send a telegram to First Secretary Aawia (Right to Life) or Second Secretary Frustrated Franciscans (Catholic). They are happy to work to help new regions join and are pleased to help your region stand up for the cause of life.

Interest Group GOAL Opens (By Ovybia)



The Governmental Openness and Accountability League (GOAL) is the latest interest group to open in Right to Life's diverse community. GOAL was founded by former Senator Stellonia, and its mission is to lobby "to make the government of Right to Life accountable to the people." It states that this can be accomplished by (1) requiring all governmental agencies to meet in publicly viewable forums, (2) switching the region's voting system to proportional representation, (3) electing regional ministers as opposed to letting the president appoint them, (4) and improving and utilizing the region's public petitions process.

[Pro-Life]

RIGHT TO LIFE NEWSLETTER



Published July 31, 2016
Regional Main Page | Offsite Regional Forums

RTL and TAS Ratify Treaty (By New Dolgaria)



Right to Life and the Allied States recently ratified a treaty aimed at strengthening their friendship. The treaty requires each region to remain in contact with the other via ambassadors on a monthly basis. It also arranges for an official state visit to each region at least once every six months. Visiting officials may address the other region's legislature on the issues of the day and any developments in their own region.

The treaty was the result of roughly two weeks of negotiation. The Senate of Right to Life passed the treaty on June 21 with all five senators voting in favor. The Senate of the Allied States, on June 22, ratified the treaty on a 3-2 vote with one senator abstaining and three not present. A month later, there was a formal signing ceremony in which the Allied States' Chancellor and Secretary of State and Right to Life's Founder, President, and Minister of Foreign Affairs participated.

TVP: Texasa vs. Predator (By The RCS)



Predator, or the Update Tool, was a script used by military gameplayers to calculate regions' update times. Earlier this year, the NationStates moderators determined that it was illegal and deleted the raider region DEN for its use. On May 31, Texasa, a Right to Life citizen and former DEN member, became involved in the Predator scandal when he confessed to having the script on his computer. As a consequence, he was temporarily banned from the World Assembly and had his main nation deleted.

Afterwards, Texasa attempted to withdraw his confession, pleading innocence as well as ignorance of the details of Predator. Many prominent military gameplayers, including several other former DEN members, immediately rushed to Texasa's defense. Gest II, for example, called the punishment of Texasa "a miscarriage of justice" and commented that "there is no way this guy is guilty."

Following an extended inquiry by the Right to Life government, Texasa, with the assistance of fellow regional citizens, filed an appeal. Considering the merits of the appeal and in light of numerous comments refuting Texasa's earlier confession, the NationStates moderators lifted their punishment on July 1. Moderator Sedgistan wrote, "Texasa finally managed to submit a coherent appeal a few days ago; this has been granted - his WA ban has been removed, and his main nation can be restored."

U.S. Young Adults Reject Abortion (By Culture of Life)



A new survey conducted by the University of Chicago and the Associated Press finds that most young adults (ages 18-30) in the United States reject the so-called "right to abortion." Only 45% of American young adults hold the opinion that abortion is "a matter of personal choice." On the other hand, 49% affirm the principle that the law should protect children by limiting abortion to rare circumstances.

Pro-life young people, however, disagree about the particulars of an abortion ban. The average respondent to the survey said that abortions should be permitted "only after the need for the abortion has been clearly established," especially referring to cases when maternal life is endangered or after the crime of rape or incest. In the United States, such extreme cases account for less than one-tenth of abortion procedures.

The survey also shows that Hispanic and African-American young adults are stronger supporters of the right to life than their peers. Whites (non-Hispanic) slightly favor greater legal protections for unborn children, and Asian Americans are the only racial/ethnic group who fail to recognize prenatal rights.

Residents of Right to Life greeted news of the survey with enthusiasm. A large majority of region members are adolescents or young adults themselves, and most live in the United States. (Players from six countries on four continents voted in the region's June election.) Since its establishment, Right to Life has embraced a "big tent" model. Regional law defines the pro-life position as opposition to induced abortion while allowing individual citizens to tolerate exceptions for maternal health, rape, incest, and severe fetal defects.

The University of Chicago and Associated Press's survey can be viewed here (see Question 30):

http://genforwardsurvey.com/assets/uploads/2016/07/GenForward-June-2016-Toplines-1.pdf

[Gradea]

Very good to see that Texasa got off his WA ban. Looks like the mods have some sense of justice after all.

[Lord Ravenclaw]

Very good to see that Texasa got off his WA ban. Looks like the mods have some sense of justice after all.

Ignoring the fact that Sedge strongly encouraged Texasa to appeal...

[Pro-Life]

RIGHT TO LIFE NEWSLETTER



Published December 31, 2016
Regional Main Page | Offsite Regional Forums

Regional Politics Synopsis (By Culture of Life)



Since Right to Life's last newsletter on July 31, there have been three regional elections and one constitutional amendment.

At the beginning of August, the RCS was reelected president (WA delegate) for a second four-month term. He ran as a member of the Conservative Federalist Party and received 75% of the vote, defeating two independent candidates. There was 52% turnout among the region's WA members.

As school restarted for many citizens, activity in Right to Life (the News Bureau included) fell sharply. The Senate subsequently voted 4-1 to reduce its own size from five members (the president + four senators) to three members (the president + two senators), reversing a constitutional amendment that it had passed in May, during an extraordinary spike in the region's political activity.

The October senatorial election was rather quiet as three candidates ran for two seats (under single non-transferable voting). Former President Phydios (Conservative Federalist) and the Roman Catholic Federation (Conservative Federalist) each won 43% of the vote and handily defeated the CSNA (Independent), who won only 14%. There was 45% turnout among the region's citizens, many of whom abstained due to the limited number of options.

In late November and early December, regional activity began to pick up again as former citizens, including Dallas Unit 9, Saint Peter, and United Massachusetts, returned to the region. The RCS (Conservative Federalist) announced that he would not seek a third term as president. Two veterans of regional politics, Former Senator New Missouri (Libertarian) and Former Senator and Foreign Minister Stellonia (Independent), ran to replace him. Including spoiled ballots, turnout for the December presidential election topped 50% in a hard-fought contest. Stellonia shot out of the gate with an early lead on the first day of voting. Then, New Missouri made a comeback during the second and third days, ultimately winning 50% of the vote to Stellonia's 36%. New Missouri ran under the banner "Experience, Values, Change" and pledged to revitalize the region, especially its army.

New Missouri's victory is a major accomplishment and could signal the start of a "realignment" in the region's party system. During the past five years, the center-right, largely secular Conservative Federalist Party has controlled the presidency and WA delegacy of Right to Life for all but two terms (247 days). Shortly after New Missouri won, his Libertarian Party, on December 17, merged into the newly established and rapidly growing Reactionary Traditionalist Front, which touts an anti-communist, pro-military platform and seeks to challenge the historically dominant Conservative Federalists.

Texasa, Treason, and Plot (By Dallas Unit 9)



Texasa had already been convicted of chronic spamming and also unofficially warned for other obnoxious behavior. On September 5, he outdid himself when he carelessly used his limited moderation powers to combine all of the threads in Right to Life's subforum for parliamentary roleplay into a single megathread. To prevent similar misconduct in the future, Culture of Life (Christian Democrats) (the region's founder and its root administrator) made the executive decision permanently to revoke Texasa's moderation privileges and to ban him from the offsite forums for a week.

Texasa took issue with these penalties and sued in the Justice Court. After a laborious trial, Justice of the Peace New Dolgaria, on September 24, ruled against Texasa. Founder Culture of Life, wrote New Dolgaria, "is given the ultimate say on forum management by the Constitution. What he did was entirely in line with his prescribed duties."

Enraged by the regional court's decision, Texasa made attempts to hack into the nation accounts Culture of Life and Christian Democrats. Consequently, the NationStates moderators, also considering previous infractions, terminated all of Texasa's nations and, subsequently, declared him delete-on-sight (DOS). Right to Life's common law holds that DOS players must be permanently banned from the offsite forums and have their assets seized; this was promptly carried out.

Texasa displayed incredibly poor judgement on multiple occasions, abused the powers with which he had been trusted, and instead of reforming his behavior after multiple warnings and second chances, tried to use illegal methods to gain control of Right to Life out of malice. Fortunately, he was unsuccessful and suffered the negative consequences of his actions.

All Aboard the Trump Train, or Not? (By The RCS)



Like many regions throughout NationStates, Right to Life saw the 2016 U.S. presidential election at the forefront of conversation in October and early November. The all-anticipated election night arrived with region members, especially Americans, on both sides of the political aisle anxiously awaiting the results. To the surprise of many, the underdog, Donald Trump, won in the Electoral College.

This stunning upset of Hillary Clinton was welcomed by many players in Right to Life, who believe that Trump, as a political newcomer and experienced businessman, will get the United States back on the right track. New Missouri, a Trump supporter, exclaimed, "I think Trump is right for America because he is an outsider, look at what politicians have done in the last 8 years. I think Trump can clean up Washington and Drain the Swamp!"

Not everyone in Right to Life was thrilled with the Trump victory. When reached for comment, New Dolgaria, the leader of the region's Liberals for Life Coalition, said, "Well, I think everyone knows [Trump] said some really disgusting things on the campaign and generally behaved very immaturely, and he appealed to various forms of bigotry. Since the election, he's continued to behave immaturely and has lined up people with questionable qualifications, murky histories, and shadowy motives for his cabinet - a far cry from 'draining the swamp.' At the same time, he seems to be backing off the promises he made to his base during his campaign (such as the infamous 'wall'), showing how little he actually cares about what he said to get votes. He's even called his supporters 'crazy' and 'vicious.'"

For better or worse, Trump will be America's next president. The fact that he has often avoided the issue of unborn rights or made contradictory comments is worrying. In an interview in 1999, Trump said that he was "pro-choice in every respect" and that a President Trump administration would not work to criminalize partial-birth abortions. More recently, he has said that he'll stop taxpayer funding for Planned Parenthood (the United States' largest abortion provider) and that he'll appoint federal judges who will overturn the notorious Roe v. Wade decision, thus returning the abortion question to elected state legislators.

[United Massachusetts]

RIGHT TO LIFE NEWSLETTER
Speaking Up. Defending Life.

February 2016
Regional Main Page | Offsite Regional Forums

Clumsy but Successful Mission (By Culture of Life)




In celebration of its fifth anniversary, the Right to Life Army (RTLA) performed a false-flag operation in the Union of Proletarian States (UPS) during the last week of December and first week of January. The mission got off to a rocky start when an unexpectedly early update split RTLA forces in half as they were jumping into the region. The mission's commander, Dallas Unit 9, was a few seconds late and failed to seize the delegacy. The soldiers, however, decided to stay in the region to wait and see whether they'd be ejected. They weren't ejected and, therefore, took control of UPS 12 hours later (at the minor update).

Assisted by post-update reinforcements from the League of Conservative Nations Armed Forces (LCNAF), RTLA soldiers pretended to be Trotskyists and denounced UPS's Stalinist, anti-Semitic government, claiming that the region would be redeemed for true socialism and equality. In particular, RTLA troops condemned pro-Holocaust comments made by a regional officer and ordered the closure of UPS's embassy with Skinheads. When less than 12 hours remained until the embassy's closure, Dallas Unit 9 tagged the region and resigned from the World Assembly. As the RTLA and LCNAF withdrew from UPS, the United Soviet Socialist Fleet (USSF) retook the region, falsely boasting that it had liberated it. USSF restored the native government but not the Skinheads embassy.

After the mission, Dallas Unit 9 was promoted to colonel. She's the first RTLA member to reach the rank since Prussia -- a former president of Right to Life and a former delegate and general in the East Pacific.[hr]
Right to Life Senate Elections (By United Massachusetts)

After a long and hard fought campaign amongst five Senatorial Candidates: United Massachusetts (Liberals for Life), Roman Catholic Federation (Reactionary Traditionalist Front), Texoma (Conservative Federalists), the RCS (Conservative Federalists), and Stellonia (Independent), Right to Life voters went to the polls on February 1-4 to elect their two new Senators. The Roman Catholic Federation, running a campaign based off morality in government and firm anti-communism, was re-elected to another term with 43.75% of the vote. United Massachusetts, who ran for Senate on a platform of economic stimulus, anti-discrimination, and foreign outreach, was also elected with 43.75% of voters backing him. The RCS and Stellonia each withdrew during voting and endorsed United Massachusetts, most likely giving him just enough support to become elected.Throughout campaigning, major issues emerged, some of the largest being the role of religion in the region, its anti-discrimination policy, and the creation of a public library. Each candidate raised important points, and the efforts of all of them are to be lauded.

In terms of Right to Life's political makeup, the Roman Catholic Federation's re-election assured the continued dominance of the Reactionary Traditionalist Front over government, as the party controls a majority of the Senate, including President New Missouri. It also signifies the potential revitalization of Right to Life's smallest party, the Liberals for Life Coalition, led by New Dolgaria. Perhaps the most interesting takeaway is that Right to Life's oldest political party, the Conservative Federalist Party, is, for the first time since 2013, shut out of the Senate and the Presidency.
[hr]
Right to Life Reflects on Economy; Tries to Find Solutions (By United Massachusetts)


As mandated by RTL Code §9.19, the regional Senate is required to, in cooperation with the Bank Director, review the status of the regional economy every June and December. As such, the regional Founder, Culture of Life (Christian Democrats), opened a discussion thread for citizens to share their ideas for how to improve the economy.
Right to Life's economy has indeed stagnated as of late, with fewer corporations being opened and most activity relating to governmental policy. However, many interesting ideas were floated around, such as the creation of an Economic Stimulus Board. Originally, proposed by Dallas Unit 9, a political libertarian, the proposal would creation an economic board responsible for spending Bank funds to create economic activities through raffles. Through the discussion, the Founder made quite the interesting point, claiming that Right to Life has a primarily socialist economy. In a post, he said that "regardless of our real-world economic views, we should just go ahead and acknowledge that Right to Life basically has a socialist economy. There aren't many private businesses; the government is responsible for the vast majority of economic activity."
Meanwhile, the region's more progressive members have proposed a legislation to establish a regional minimum wage, in an attempt to bring an end to months of discussion about the issue. The bill's proponent, United Massachusetts, has repeatedly called for a minimum wage in the past, claiming it would increase work incentive, circulate more money into the stagnant economy, and perhaps make it easier for workers to found businesses. However, past attempts to establish a minimum wage not gained enough traction to pass, primarily out of fear over the costs. The region would be, under the proposal, mandated to pay all workers ₤10 every month. In order to pay for this, some have proposed a tax (though this is not in the petition), an idea vehemently opposed by the majority of citizens.
Some citizens, such as Stellonia, have called for decreasing the costs to found corporations, claiming that said reductions would encourage entrepreneurship, enable more citizens to found companies. However, some fear that said changes would reduce the Bank's incomes and result in a Bank crisis.
There have also been some citizens, primarily Phydios, who have called in the past for the destruction of the regional economy entirely. They claim that the chronic problems the economy has been experiencing cannot be fixed, and that citizens have shown themselves to have little interest in the institution. These arguments have been responded to with a message of economic optimism, as many citizens believe that "quantitative easing", of sorts, will boost activity.
Regardless, Right to Life will be having serious conversations about its economic activity in the future. The citizens have some hard choices to make, but once they do this, the economy will find itself back on track.
[hr]
The Times They Are A Changin' (By United Massachusetts)


Right to Life has seen a massive change in the general makeup of the citizenry, with many formerly active citizens leaving, and many new nations coming to make their homes in Right to Life.
Toward the end of last summer, many, including myself, left NationStates, and as such, Right to Life. Our best guess is that these nations either were preparing for scholarly commitment or just decided it was time to move on. These nations, most notably, Texoma, United Massachusettss, Imperii Ecclesia, and Ovybia, were some of the most active citizens, in both WA advocacy, regional government, and general discussion. During this time, Texasa was banned for treason, for reasons which can be found in the previous iteration of this newsletter.
While these nations left, many former regional prodigies and active citizens came back to Right to Life, including Dallas Unit 9 and The Patrimony of Saint Peter. Furthermore, Texoma and United Massachusetts rejoined Right to Life, revitalizing an inactive Regional Message Board. Sure enough, with the most left-wing member of Right to Life (myself) back in the region, as well as arguably its most right-wing member, Saint Peter, political debate began rising up again. However, citing the influence of so-called "Cultural Marxists" in the region, Saint Peter left to The League of Conservative Nations. His contributions to our region will be deeply missed, and we hope he continues to cooperate with us through Pro-Life International, our international pact for pro-life regions.
Finally, many new nations have made a name for themselves recently, which is truly exciting. They've brought a new vitality to the region, and are the reason I remain incredibly optimistic about the future of Right to Life.

Update: Saint Peter has returned! Huzzah!
[hr]

Right to Life Removed from CAIN's Blacklist in a 17-1 Vote (By United Massachusetts)

Right to Life was removed from The CAIN's (The Coalition Against the Ideology of Nazism) blacklist of "Nazi Collaborator" regions by a 17-1 vote. The only vote to keep Right to Life on the blacklist was The Red Fleet, NationStates' largest leftist military group.
Right to Life, along with multiple other regions, was removed for the fact that its embassies with regions in question existed both as "outreach embassies", which Right to Life uses to spread the pro-life message across the world.
Despite a lack of evidence of Right to Life's supposed cooperation with Nazi regions, our Founder's (Christian Democrats) condemnation of Nazism on CAIN's thread, as well as our regional law (which forbids Nazi parties), The Red Fleet, led by Caelapes, continued to make false claims about Right to Life's foreign policy. In the aftermath of the debate, in which Culture of Life(Christian Democrats) clarified Right to Life's embassy policy, it was found out that Right to Life was on the "unraidable target list" of The Red Fleet, which our Founder described in an RMB post as their "top secret hit list."
The Red Fleet, which has often been hailed as the anti-fascist force of NationStates, has targeted the innocent, mainstream regions of New Republica, Slavija, Libertarians, and Yerfilag. It's no surprise that Right to Life is in the crosshairs of the militant left as well, despite clear global agreement, even among CAIN member regions, that Right to Life has never been sympathetic with fascism.
[hr]

[Pro-Life]

RIGHT TO LIFE NEWSLETTER
Speaking Up. Defending Life.



Published June 30, 2017
Regional Main Page | Offsite Regional Forums

A Note from United Massachusetts, Director of News

As I'm sure you've noticed, we haven't been too active lately. We apologize for any inconvenience this may have caused. We had a long stretch: finals for students, a leave of absence by our Founder, and a general decline in governmental activity. However, I'm proud to say that we're back up and running, providing you the news you need to know and keeping you up-to-date on the Right to Life region and the worldwide movement to abolish abortion. In case you missed it, we published a semi-official newsletter on March 18, 2017: http://w11.zetaboards.com/NS_Right_to_Life/single/?p=10066557&t=8914497

Record-Setting Spring Lifts Spirits (By United Massachusetts)



This winter, Right to Life suffered an unfortunate population loss as, for the first time in two years, it fell out of the top 100 regions. At one point, it dropped as low as 122 nations; however, this did not dishearten citizens, who thereafter witnessed a stunning springtime boom. In May, Right to Life shattered its 2015 population record of 169 nations and soared to a new record of 193 nations, becoming the 64th largest region in the world.

Right to Life's population has since declined as many players leave for summer vacation or other real-world activities. Endorsements for the President/Delegate, New Missouri, have increased to nearly 40. Despite what some people, especially in the World Assembly, would have you think, the movement for life on NationStates remains strong and vibrant.

June 2017 Senatorial Election (By United Massachusetts)



The race for the 19th Senate was one of the most thrilling elections in Right to Life history. Saint Peter (Reactionary Traditionalist Front), United Massachusetts (Liberals for Life Coalition), the RCS (Conservative Federalist Party), the Roman Catholic Federation (Reactionary Traditionalist Front), and Stellonia (independent) ran for two seats; and issues such as constitutional reform, Pro-Life International, regional wages, anti-communism, and anti-discrimination dominated the campaign.

Incumbent Senator United Massachusetts' low numbers on the first day of voting (out of three days) forced him to withdraw from the race. Seeking to keep the incumbent Senator Roman Catholic Federation from succeeding in his own reelection bid, United Massachusetts endorsed the RCS and Stellonia based on their pledges to consider United Massachusetts' proposals for expanding the region's policy against private discrimination (which currently covers race, ethnicity, nationality, and sex) and for increasing wages and salaries for governmental employees.

Each citizen was permitted to vote for one candidate. The RCS and Stellonia were both elected with seven votes apiece. Failing to defend his senatorial seat, the Roman Catholic Federation was third place with five votes. Following the election, an exit tally showed that Stellonia swept the Liberal vote and that the RCS secured his Conservative Federalist base. The Roman Catholic Federation won majority support from his own Reactionary Traditionalist Front, the most right-wing party in Right to Life.

The June election resulted in a hung Senate with President New Missouri (Reactionary Traditionalist Front) (ex officio senator), Senator and Former President RCS (Conservative Federalist Party), and Senator Stellonia (independent) filling the three seats. Notably, Stellonia is only the second person in Right to Life history (the first person was Wugafarian) to win election to the Senate while being an open atheist. In the past, Stellonia won election to the Senate before he "came out" as atheist.

United Empire of Islam Joins PLI (By United Massachusetts)



Pro-Life International (PLI) recently welcomed the United Empire of Islam as its newest and first Islamic member with PLI representatives voting unanimously in favor. The United Empire of Islam joins the regions Catholic, the Coalition of Catholic States, the International Republican Union, the League of Christian Nations, Right to Life, and the League of Conservative Nations in the alliance.

Far too often, people associate the pro-life movement with the Christian religion, mischaracterizing opposition to abortion as a purely theological or merely sectarian stance. However, Christianity is not the only faith that affirms the inherent value of unborn life -- or non-faith, counting numerous pro-life atheists and agnostics. In the Quran, God commands humanity to "not kill your children for fear of poverty. We provide for them and for you. Indeed, their killing is ever a great sin" (Quran 17.31).

Founder Decrees New Holiday (By Culture of Life)



Founder Culture of Life (Christian Democrats) has added the International Day of the Unborn Child (March 25) to the official list of regional holidays and days of remembrance. Distributist Republics first mentioned the holiday on the regional message board, prompting the creation of a regionwide poll. The poll showed that 36 residents (95%) wanted the Founder to add the holiday and that only two residents (5%) were opposed.

The International Day of the Unborn Child was started in the real world by St. John Paul (pictured above). A number of pro-life nations have officially observed it, including Argentina, Chile, Costa Rica, the Dominican Republic, El Salvador, Guatemala, Nicaragua, Paraguay, Peru, and the Philippines.

Subversive Organizations Act Becomes Law (By United Massachusetts)



Following a leak of the Red Fleet's clandestine plans to overthrow the Right to Life government, acknowledged by communist totalitarian board member Caelapes, the 18th Senate of Right to Life took sweeping action, passing the Subversive Organizations Act. The new legislation requires Right to Life citizens who have connections to subversive organizations -- only the Red Fleet at this time -- to register with the regional government in a program overseen by the Right to Life Army.

An important provision in the new law specifies that regions and groups that are associates or allies of subversive organizations are to be held blameless for the actions of subversive organizations. This provision was included, in large part, as a reaction against the CAIN model. (In the past, the so-called Coalition Against the Ideology of Nazism, a multi-regional alliance, has infamously blacklisted and defamed regions with the loosest of ties to far-right politics as "Nazi collaborators.")

In the Subversive Organizations Act, the Senate decided not to include a proposed ban on the display of subversive-organization flags. United Massachusetts, then a senator, argued that such a prohibition would infringe too heavily on the right to free expression and that it would be alarmingly similar to the red flag law struck down in the real world by the United States Supreme Court in Stromberg v. California (1931).

Real World: Lucky Number Nine? (By The RCS)



After the death of the conservative intellectual Antonin Scalia in February 2016, the Supreme Court of the United States was left with only eight of nine justices. Seeing an opportunity to push the Supreme Court to the left, then President Barack Obama nominated Judge Merrick Garland to fill the vacancy. This nomination came in the middle of 2016; but the Republican-controlled Senate refused to hold a vote on Garland, upholding the custom ("the Biden Rule"), created by Obama's own vice president, that justices are not to be appointed during presidential election years.

Donald Trump succeeded Obama as president in January and subsequently nominated Dr. Neil Gorsuch. Judge Gorsuch is a graduate of Columbia, Harvard, and Oxford universities. The Republican Senate confirmed Gorsuch in April, filling the seat vacated by Scalia more than a year after his death.

Gorsuch's appointment to the Supreme Court came with some jubilation on both sides of the aisle in Right to Life, thanks to his presumptive position on the constitutional issue of unborn life. New Dolgaria, the leader of Right to Life's Liberals for Life Coalition, commented: "As far as conservative judges go, I don't see anything particularly wrong with him. One of Trump's saner appointments."

For the right-leaning nations of Right to Life, the appointment came with much praise. Former President Phydios of the Conservative Federalist Party had this to say on the appointment: "In an age where the Supreme Court is given more legislative power than Congress, Justice Gorsuch is a wonderful man to have on it. I fully trust him to protect states' rights, fight against judicial overreach, and interpret the Constitution according to the original intent of its authors. He is a worthy replacement for Justice Scalia."

Only time will tell if Justice Gorsuch is the true, pro-life conservative who many think he is or if he will turn out to be a more centrist justice, such as Anthony Kennedy, who has endorsed legalized but regulated abortion. In early cases, Gorsuch has gravitated toward Justice Clarence Thomas, who is generally considered by the press and many legal experts to be the Supreme Court's most right-wing member.

Contests in the Lifemarket (By Culture of Life)



Two contests were held in the regional marketplace, or Lifemarket, in June.

In the first contest, five Right to Life citizens placed bets on the outcome of the United Kingdom general election. The RCS won the 30-lifemark jackpot. Two days before the election, he predicted that the Conservative Party would win 320 seats and form a coalition or minority government. In reality, the Conservatives won 318 of 650 seats, barely keeping Prime Minister Theresa May in power.

The second contest was to predict the outcome of the NBA Finals in the United States. Four citizens entered, and the Imperial States of Maryland won the jackpot of 48 lifemarks. He correctly predicted that the Golden State Warriors would defeat the Cleveland Cavaliers in game five of the best-of-seven series.

Adopted in August 2014, the lifemark is the official currency of Right to Life. At present, more than 7500 lifemarks are in circulation with each new citizen receiving 100 lifemarks from the Bank of Right to Life upon applying for them. Lifemarks can be used to purchase private goods and services as well as certain public services, and they are often used for wagers in the Lifemarket.

[Cormactopia Prime]

Real life politics aside, it's pretty remarkable to me how reasonable and level-headed your region was in dealing with an attempt to overthrow your government. Many gameplay regions would have declared war or taken some similarly drastic measure.

[Christian Democrats]

Real life politics aside, it's pretty remarkable to me how reasonable and level-headed your region was in dealing with an attempt to overthrow your government. Many gameplay regions would have declared war or taken some similarly drastic measure.

It wasn't at the "attempt stage" yet. TRF plotted to overthrow RTL but ultimately decided that it would be too difficult, marking RTL as an "unraidable target."

Some Reactionary Traditionalists, especially the Patrimony of Saint Peter, called for a declaration of war; but the senators felt, by and large, that the threat of TRF was too remote for such drastic action. Instead, they chose to enact a law to be a preventative against any future schemes that might advance past the "planning stage."

The RTL Code now requires citizens involved with subversive organizations to register privately with the government, and it authorizes regional agencies to tell citizens about the law when they're applying for jobs. If a person is aware of the law (e.g., someone told him about it in a job application), if he fails to register in a timely manner (three days), and if these facts are proven, he automatically loses regional citizenship. The Subversive Organizations Act is, therefore, broader than the region's common law on treason because it makes failure to register a crime (easy to prove), whereas treason requires actual action against the government (more difficult to prove).

[Caelapes]

Real life politics aside, it's pretty remarkable to me how reasonable and level-headed your region was in dealing with an attempt to overthrow your government. Many gameplay regions would have declared war or taken some similarly drastic measure.

It wasn't at the "attempt stage" yet. TRF plotted to overthrow RTL but ultimately decided that it would be too difficult, marking RTL as an "unraidable target."

Some Reactionary Traditionalists, especially the Patrimony of Saint Peter, called for a declaration of war; but the senators felt, by and large, that the threat of TRF was too remote for such drastic action. Instead, they chose to enact a law to be a preventative against any future schemes that might advance past the "planning stage."

The RTL Code now requires citizens involved with subversive organizations to register privately with the government, and it authorizes regional agencies to tell citizens about the law when they're applying for jobs. If a person is aware of the law (e.g., someone told him about it in a job application), if he fails to register in a timely manner (three days), and if these facts are proven, he automatically loses regional citizenship. The Subversive Organizations Act is, therefore, broader than the region's common law on treason because it makes failure to register a crime (easy to prove), whereas treason requires actual action against the government (more difficult to prove).

lmao

it wasn't at the "attempt stage" or at any stage. we never had any plans to do anything to RTL because it's got a non-exec delegate. we never thought about "overthrowing your government" because we aren't coupers, we're raiders.