Roach-Busters
05-12-2004, 06:48
Since the beginning, the Egg Nog-Loving Empire of Roach-Busters had taken great pride in its cultural diversity. Like Rhodesia prior to the seizure of power by racist, megalomaniacal Marxist thug Robert Mugabe, RB's races all coexisted harmoniously and worked together to strive for a prosperous, peaceful, and progressive future. RB valued its diversity as much as it valued its international prestige, strong military, and robust economy; maybe even more so.
However, two groups in RB that had never been able to adapt to each other were the conservatives and the liberals. Both sides were notorious throughout the years for embarking on massive smear campaigns directed against each other, as well as harassment, intimidation, and outright violence. Fortunately, due to RB's well-trained police force (in addition to its new secret police force) these skirmishes were always suppressed quickly with minimal (if any) loss of life.
However, many liberals believed they were not being treated fairly by RB's right-wing government. Even though Generalissimo J.L. had re-legalized the RB Communist Party, released all communists from detention camps and rehabilitated them, and now enjoyed healthy and cordial relations with many Red-oriented nations the world over, the situation between himself and the Reds was tense, to say the least.
Many nations- such as the United States of America and South Africa- had previously adopted policies which forcibly separated groups based upon race. RB had never done such a thing and, God willing, never would. Generalissimo J.L., a man with an Asian wife, many black, Hispanic, and Asian friends, and a multicultural cabinet, detested racism as profoundly as he did Marxism-Leninism. He was a staunch believer in equality to all, regardless of race, religion, sexual orientation, gender, or physical/mental condition. However, racism had never existed in RB, so there was no reason to adopt racial segregation. Prejudice between conservatives and liberals, on the other hand, had existed since the first European and Asian explorers stepped foot upon the small archipelago that is now RB. Certain influential members of the RB government- without J.L.'s knowledge (he rarely left the palace and had little or no contact with ordinary citizens) or consent (they had never asked)- began a radical segregation program.
It started out with Operation Relocation. Liberals were peacefully deported to new homelands where they would be required to live. They were financially reimbursed upon leaving their old homes, and were immediately provided well-paying jobs by the government. Soon, schools, restaurants, and stores were either 'conservatives only,' 'liberals only,' or divided into two sections, one for either political ideology.
Traveling between liberal areas and conservative areas was legal but strictly supervised. It was mandatory for liberals to carry identification cards, special government-issued passes, etc., whenever they left the house. They could worship whichever deity they preferred, choose how their children would be educated, select any job their heart desired, and enjoyed all the same rights as conservatives. Alas, there were a few exceptions. Liberals could not form their own political parties, boycott, go on strike, or vote. Inter-political marriage was illegal. Liberals could not travel in more than groups of two, and were always to be accompanied by at least one conservative 'guardian,' to ensure that liberals "did not dissent, instigate, contemplate, or aggravate," as one secret police chief put it. RB had a strongly federal system, so state and local governments had many rights which were protected from the central government. However, many began to abuse these rights and take them to the extreme. The media were not allowed to report on these new laws. Government, military, and police officials were to say nothing to J.L. Unbeknownst to J.L., his nation was becoming the political equivalent of apartheid South Africa.
To be continued...
However, two groups in RB that had never been able to adapt to each other were the conservatives and the liberals. Both sides were notorious throughout the years for embarking on massive smear campaigns directed against each other, as well as harassment, intimidation, and outright violence. Fortunately, due to RB's well-trained police force (in addition to its new secret police force) these skirmishes were always suppressed quickly with minimal (if any) loss of life.
However, many liberals believed they were not being treated fairly by RB's right-wing government. Even though Generalissimo J.L. had re-legalized the RB Communist Party, released all communists from detention camps and rehabilitated them, and now enjoyed healthy and cordial relations with many Red-oriented nations the world over, the situation between himself and the Reds was tense, to say the least.
Many nations- such as the United States of America and South Africa- had previously adopted policies which forcibly separated groups based upon race. RB had never done such a thing and, God willing, never would. Generalissimo J.L., a man with an Asian wife, many black, Hispanic, and Asian friends, and a multicultural cabinet, detested racism as profoundly as he did Marxism-Leninism. He was a staunch believer in equality to all, regardless of race, religion, sexual orientation, gender, or physical/mental condition. However, racism had never existed in RB, so there was no reason to adopt racial segregation. Prejudice between conservatives and liberals, on the other hand, had existed since the first European and Asian explorers stepped foot upon the small archipelago that is now RB. Certain influential members of the RB government- without J.L.'s knowledge (he rarely left the palace and had little or no contact with ordinary citizens) or consent (they had never asked)- began a radical segregation program.
It started out with Operation Relocation. Liberals were peacefully deported to new homelands where they would be required to live. They were financially reimbursed upon leaving their old homes, and were immediately provided well-paying jobs by the government. Soon, schools, restaurants, and stores were either 'conservatives only,' 'liberals only,' or divided into two sections, one for either political ideology.
Traveling between liberal areas and conservative areas was legal but strictly supervised. It was mandatory for liberals to carry identification cards, special government-issued passes, etc., whenever they left the house. They could worship whichever deity they preferred, choose how their children would be educated, select any job their heart desired, and enjoyed all the same rights as conservatives. Alas, there were a few exceptions. Liberals could not form their own political parties, boycott, go on strike, or vote. Inter-political marriage was illegal. Liberals could not travel in more than groups of two, and were always to be accompanied by at least one conservative 'guardian,' to ensure that liberals "did not dissent, instigate, contemplate, or aggravate," as one secret police chief put it. RB had a strongly federal system, so state and local governments had many rights which were protected from the central government. However, many began to abuse these rights and take them to the extreme. The media were not allowed to report on these new laws. Government, military, and police officials were to say nothing to J.L. Unbeknownst to J.L., his nation was becoming the political equivalent of apartheid South Africa.
To be continued...