NationStates Jolt Archive

OOC: Since I've been drawing a lot of IC flak for my President's infamous "I don't give a fuck" statement, I thought it'd be best to relieve APOC of some of the thread clutter and let you nice folks take pot shots at my Prez here.

IC:
Oval Office
Presidential Mansion
Hudson
2000 Hours

President Preston was seated at his desk, dressed to the nines in a three piece suit and tie. This was a unique event in Prestonian history; never had a live video forum taken place on such a large scale. The conference was being broadcast via PBG News to every nation in Gholgoth, and simulcast via satellite to the nations of APOC. Literally billions were watching this crucial moment in the Preston Administration. At the cameraman's signal, Preston shuffled some papers and began speaking.

Ladies and Gentlemen of Prestonia and the world, thank you for tuning in. I have elected to do this broadcast in order to dispel some of the rumors swirling about my nation and personal conduct. As many are aware, I have been a constant target for many an APOC nation's media stemming from an obscene comment I made in a speech two weeks ago. Those who have tuned in expecting an apology or retraction will be sorely disappointed, as I harbor no intentions of going back on my word.

However, I do believe this conference is both necessary and proper in the face of a media war which grows uglier by the day. Far too often bitter words can lead to war, and as a lifetime man of peace, I wish to do everything in my power to avert the tragedy of a world war. This is the reason I called this conference. In my humble opinion, the sooner our leaders can sit down at one table and simply talk peacefully, the closer we will be toward the ultimate goal of both our alliances: peace. This video conference is a baby-step in the right direction.

And so, without further ado, I will now begin accepting questions.

The reuters reporter jumped up at the moment the questions were announced, to ask first.

"Mister President! Mister President! What is the Prestonian response to the stationing of nuclear weapons in the Questarian base? What is Prestonia going to do about these bases?"

bump for some replies.

Preston smiled briefly, glad that the conference had not gone directly to slamming him.

"In these uncertain times, I can see the motivation of the Questarian Empire to extend their nuclear arm to all corners of the world. However, I do not in any sense condone the basing of foreign nuclear weapons on soil leased from Prestonia. As a man of peace I will exhaust every possible peaceful route to disarmament of the weapons of mass destruction based on Prestonia. In my opinion the Questarians need to realize that basing nuclear weapons on land they only own for ten more years, in the heart of Gholgoth no less, is not a wise move and is bound to create some waves internationally. While I do not wish to create these waves, I have sent King Alexander II an invitation to Hudson to discuss a scaling back of offensive armaments. The ball is in his court."

A Clandonian man from the Clandonian Broadcasting Corporation stuck his hand up after the Questerians question had been asked.

"Mr President. What is the reason to completely switch sides, you have moved away from some of the most democratic and free nations to side with a region which is well known for tyranny and fascism? And also, you understand the reason that the Anglosphere countries have based un-conventional weapons because of the threat of assault on these sovereign bases by Ghologth or NATO forces."

Well, it looks like we're getting somewhere, Preston thought to himself as he cleared his throat and began speaking.

"Thank you for your question, but I must first take some time to congratulate His Majesty the King of Clandonia. I hear he just recently learned to read," Preston said with a chuckle.

'But in all seriousness, I feel that the switch was long in coming. My son, who proclaimed himself King, was not doing the will of the people in joining the RGL and allying Prestonia with two nations renowned only for their imperialism and greed. When the Prestonian National Party retook power for the Republic, I was determined to bring Prestonia into line with nations who stood committed to stopping the spread of imperialism. In Gholgoth I found these nations, and with the blessing of Senate Prestonia was admitted."

"As was previously stated, neither Prestonia nor her allies in Gholgoth and NATO harbor any intention of attacking these bases unless it becomes the only means of resolving the current issue."

"I shall conclude by stating that if you define APOC nations as the free world I believe you need to take a closer look. Imperialism, genocide, and segregation do not equal freedom and have no place within modern civilization. While I will freely admit Gholgoth is not the shining example of human rights, I believe on the whole the brotherhood of Gholgoth is far more free and open with regard to international policy than Clandonia and APOC are ever capable of being."

"Henry Walthingham for the Commonwealth Morning Post. Mr President,

It has been reported in Novacom media that mass graves have been discovered in Prestonia. Is this true, and if so who does your government believe is the culprit?"

Preston sighed, knowing this question would eventually come up. All right, this is the crucial one, he thought as he began speaking.

"I can state that at approximately 3:25 P.M. local time, a Novan geology team working with United Mining Incorporated outside of Venice unearthed what appeared to be a human skull. Upon further digging, a mass grave was discovered, though current body count is unknown. It is uncertain exactly how long the bodies have been there, as decomposition is heavy. Therefore, we cannot release any more information until local forensics personnel have concluded their autopsy. At this time no groups have been implicated in the genocide."

A friendly reporter from Whyatican Media Nation threw a softball question to the Prestonian President;

"Mr. President, what do you think about Gothic efforts to secure war-torn areas in the South?"

Relieved at the break in tension, Preston proceeded to answer the question.

"I am eternally greatful to my allies in Gholgoth for helping in the rebuilding efforts. With time and the gracious outpouring of material and humanitarian aid, I believe that it will not be long before Prestonia again stands united."

A reporter for the Gantrickburgh Herald stood to ask the Prestonian his question. "Kelvin Wainwright, Kampferian AP. You stated previously that the formation of the monarchy was against the will of your citizens. If this is true, then why did the majority of the nation celebrate the coming of the monarchy and why is there still a large number that rejects the Republic's right to rule in such a manner that allied assisstance is needed in their, how shall I phrase it, 'suppression?'"

A single Northfordian Journalist in the back row decided to also project his question.

"Jonas Helmsbury, Northfordian Herald", he said, maneuvering his Dictaphone.

"Many people within Northford view Central Prestonia as one of the possible sources of the increasingly fragile and Dangerous situation for the Freight industry inside Continentia. Given this recent change in the situation, is the Prestonian Government still willing to aid Northfordian investigators in finding the route of this subversive activity?"

Figuring that this was the portion of the festivities where politeness was damned, the McPsychovillian reporter decided to weigh in. "Mattias Bjorkstrom, London Sun-Times. Given your track record of infidelity, why are we supposed to believe that this marriage will stick?" In the pause that followed, you could almost hear the crickets before the reporter riffled through his notebook pages. "Sorry, wrong question. Given your history with Automagfreek and your own military heritage, how long do you think it will be before somebody throws the first stone and we see an all-out nuclear war between APOC and NATO?"

The Vetakan Journalist had been watching the proceedings with a sense of boredom. She smiled and made notes regarding the answers to the various questions posed to the Prestonian President, eventually she grew tired of shorthand, so she raised her hand and spoke sweetly:

"Mister President Sir, Elizabeth Cortez for the Joint Vetakan Media Network. What is you and your governments position on potentially staging the Spark for a World Wide Conflict? Furthermore you say the lease on the Bases ends in 10 years, Mister President is it the belief of your Government that the agreement will be met and indeed the bases will cease to operate and thus be returned to Prestonian Control?"

With the increasingly hostile questions to the President, the Whyatican reporter lobbed another softball at the President, so he could safely ignore the rest of the questions.

"Mr. President, there are rumors that your government is going to attempt to buy the leases on the bases back from the Praetonians. Can you confirm this?"

The Whyaticans weren't the only friendly people to send reporters, the Skyians had too, although she had remained quiet until she received a message from work. She lobbed a fairly easy, but not obviously easy at the besieged president.

"Mr. President, you're probably not aware of this, but the Armed Capitalist Republic of The Silver Sky has just announced it's resignation from NATO to take a more neutral path, do you think this shows a weakening in NATO, or is it just a nation moving to a better path for itself?"

A reporter for the Gantrickburgh Herald stood to ask the Prestonian his question. "Kelvin Wainwright, Kampferian AP. You stated previously that the formation of the monarchy was against the will of your citizens. If this is true, then why did the majority of the nation celebrate the coming of the monarchy and why is there still a large number that rejects the Republic's right to rule in such a manner that allied assisstance is needed in their, how shall I phrase it, 'suppression?'"

"The situation is complicated. At the time there was a small but vocal contingent of senators, military personnel, and intelligentsia who believed that restoring the Kingdom of antiquity would bring about a restored feeling of patriotism and pride in the populace; a sort of "Prestonian Renaissance" if you will. However, once it became apparent the manner of King my son was and the extents to which he was willing to go to further his own end, the people who had previously supported the monarchy rejected it, as they felt they were not getting what they had paid for. As for the situation in the south, several of these cities were given preferential treatment in the distribution of funds by the King, as they were historic centers of culture. Now that the republic is back, they're afraid that their funds will disappear. This fear is, naturally, unfounded."

A single Northfordian Journalist in the back row decided to also project his question.

"Jonas Helmsbury, Northfordian Herald", he said, maneuvering his Dictaphone.

"Many people within Northford view Central Prestonia as one of the possible sources of the increasingly fragile and Dangerous situation for the Freight industry inside Continentia. Given this recent change in the situation, is the Prestonian Government still willing to aid Northfordian investigators in finding the route of this subversive activity?"

"I can assure you that Prestonia has never and will never condone or support piracy. Since 1714, the penalty for that particular crime has been death by hanging. I assure you that my administration will do everything in it's power to track down those responsible for attacks on innocent vessels and have them dealt with in the manner befitting their kind."

Figuring that this was the portion of the festivities where politeness was damned, the McPsychovillian reporter decided to weigh in. "Mattias Bjorkstrom, London Sun-Times. Given your track record of infidelity, why are we supposed to believe that this marriage will stick?" In the pause that followed, you could almost hear the crickets before the reporter riffled through his notebook pages. "Sorry, wrong question. Given your history with Automagfreek and your own military heritage, how long do you think it will be before somebody throws the first stone and we see an all-out nuclear war between APOC and NATO?"

Preston raised an eyebrow in surprise before the right question was fielded.
"Though I was a general in the Prestonian Republic Army, I can state with confidence that in my advanced age I am a man of peace. I will do everything necessary and proper to secure lasting peace between APOC and Gholgoth. That, my dear journalist, is the reason behind this conference. If however war is unavoidable, we in Prestonia will fight to the last to keep our homeland and our allies free. In short, my friends are close and my enemies closer."

The Whyaticans weren't the only friendly people to send reporters, the Skyians had too, although she had remained quiet until she received a message from work. She lobbed a fairly easy, but not obviously easy at the besieged president.

"Mr. President, you're probably not aware of this, but the Armed Capitalist Republic of The Silver Sky has just announced it's resignation from NATO to take a more neutral path, do you think this shows a weakening in NATO, or is it just a nation moving to a better path for itself?"

"NATO will never be weak as long as nations such as Automagfreek and Aequatio are members. In my opinion, the Armed Capitalist Republic's withdrawal was simply a nation pursuing it's own path in the world, as all nations must. If I may I would like to take this opportunity to assure President Maddox that Prestonia will always stand by her nation, and to congratulate her on her recent marriage to President Atal Amner of No Endorse."