Sarzonia
08-06-2004, 20:19
WOODSTOCK (ASP) -- President Mike Sarzo hailed the hoisting of a new flag for Sarzonia above Parliament Hall as "a defining moment in the proud history of Sarzonia."
"Today, the Incorporated States of Sarzonia have a new flag that we believe represents our unique mark in the world as a people who love peace and equality," Sarzo said in a speech broadcast nationwide. "It is a day for us to be proud to be Sarzonians.
The vote to adopt a new national flag was not without controversy, however. A fierce debate erupted in Parliament and lasted for seven hours before Parliament finally approved the new flag selected by Sarzo.
"We don't believe that the flag needed to be changed," House Minority Leader Gilbert Haskell said. "We were perfectly happy with the flag we had."
"Regional laws prevented us from continuing to use the flag of Denmark as our own," House Speaker Josh Williams said, arguing in favor of the new flag. "We are happy to have a flag that fully represents Sarzonia."
The first four hours of the debate were devoted to the decision about whether or not to change the flag, then it switched to which design, as several competing designs were argued for passionately. Finally, Sarzo, who made a rare appearance in Parliament to watch the debate, argued in favor of the winning design.
"We believe the flag symbolizes Sarzonia in the fact that the 22 stars represent the states while the larger star represents the fact that the states are a part of a larger whole," Sarzo said in a rare speech that wasn't an address to Parliament. "The design we picked was a fairly simple one, but we liked the simple complexity of it."
The House voted 202-201 to approve the flag, while the Senate voted 24-22. Sarzo quickly signed the legislation to approve the new flag and then hoisted the new flag into the sky above Parliament Hall.
"Today, the Incorporated States of Sarzonia have a new flag that we believe represents our unique mark in the world as a people who love peace and equality," Sarzo said in a speech broadcast nationwide. "It is a day for us to be proud to be Sarzonians.
The vote to adopt a new national flag was not without controversy, however. A fierce debate erupted in Parliament and lasted for seven hours before Parliament finally approved the new flag selected by Sarzo.
"We don't believe that the flag needed to be changed," House Minority Leader Gilbert Haskell said. "We were perfectly happy with the flag we had."
"Regional laws prevented us from continuing to use the flag of Denmark as our own," House Speaker Josh Williams said, arguing in favor of the new flag. "We are happy to have a flag that fully represents Sarzonia."
The first four hours of the debate were devoted to the decision about whether or not to change the flag, then it switched to which design, as several competing designs were argued for passionately. Finally, Sarzo, who made a rare appearance in Parliament to watch the debate, argued in favor of the winning design.
"We believe the flag symbolizes Sarzonia in the fact that the 22 stars represent the states while the larger star represents the fact that the states are a part of a larger whole," Sarzo said in a rare speech that wasn't an address to Parliament. "The design we picked was a fairly simple one, but we liked the simple complexity of it."
The House voted 202-201 to approve the flag, while the Senate voted 24-22. Sarzo quickly signed the legislation to approve the new flag and then hoisted the new flag into the sky above Parliament Hall.