NationStates Jolt Archive

Vienna Times-Tribune
Vienna, April 9th, 2009

Two days ago, Generalissimo Steven Grimmeberger suffered a heart attack, from which he is now recovering. He is expected to make a full recovery.

However, in light of his illness, Grimmeberger made the following announcement this morning.

"Friends, Citizens, the World: Two days ago, as you are aware, I suffered a heart attack, and it woke me to reality: I am getting too old to lead this nation as well as I believe you fine people deserve. Because of this, I am sorry to say that I am stepping down as your head of state, effective in two hours. I have given much consideration over the past few years as to who would be the best person to lead this fine nation into the future, and, after much discussion with many people, the result was overwhelming. I am pleased to name Andrew Filie, governor of Carnegie Province, as the new head of state of the Federation. However, I will not be completely gone: Andrew has seen fit to maintain me as Secretary of State for the Federation, so I may continue to serve this great nation. Thank you for the honor and privelage of leading you fine people!" Grimmeberger recieved a standing ovation for his speech, despite an obviously high amount of sorrow that he would not be continuing his leadership of the Federation.

As of noon today, Generalissimo Andrew Filie will be the head of state of the Federation.

Grimmeberger's resignation ends a quarter of a century of governance by Grimmeberger and his Nationalist Party. Filie is expected to continue the Nationalist regime.

Generalissimo Andrew Filie gave the first speech of his time in office today.

"Ladies and Gentlemen, as you are aware, yesterday, I was put in charge of the government of this great nation, as our beloved leader Steven Grimmeberger stepped down due to a regrettable illness." He paused, letting the words sink in.

"I am aware that my designation has come as a surprise to many. Undoubtedly, many were expecting Field Marshal Hohenzorn or Field Marshal Von Bayern as the new leader, and the only explanation I can give is that they must have suggested me as a good leader. I only hope that I can live up to the expectations of you, the citizens of the Federation, and those that saw fit to entrust all of our safety to me. I promise I will not let you down!"

"Also as you are aware, this nation is a nation in conflict. The Reds continue to obstinently cause the blood of our brave soldiers to run in the streets of our cities. In the Crimea, in Syria, and in the western marches of Chesapeake. But, I assure you, despite the fact that our government and military may appeared battered and scarred, our resolve and strength has never been greater!" There was much applause at this.

"To the Reds terrorists! You can run, but you will simply die tired! To the criminals threatening our families that make up the basis of our nation: you may try to hide your deeds, but we will find you, you cannot undermine us, and we will defeat you!" Raucous applause. "To the Northern Defesians who continue to threaten our great people: your threats to the children of the Federation abroad will not be permitted to stand! And to those exiled under the previous regime, due to unfortunate circumstances at the time: you are not forgotten, and your Fatherland, the Federation, will defend you, wherever you may be!" At this there was a standing ovation, and Filie stood back from the podium. He had made a good first impression. Strong, just like Steven said he needed.

OOC: This is open to responses, ya know?

April 11th, 2009
Vienna,

Today, Generalissimo Thomas Filie issued his first major executive directive, with the following statement:

"In light of the decision made by the Grimmeberger government in years past, when Communist and socialists were exiled from the country (otherwise facing arrest), it has been seen fit for the fiber of the Federation to offer a FULL amnesty for all those exiled or prosecuted under Executive Order #93."

Executive Order #229: Amnesty for Exiled Federals

Any former citizen or legal resident of the Fanboyist Federation of North Atlantic Territories (henceforth referred to as FFNAT) that has had citizenship, legal residency, or basic rights guarenteed under the Federal Constitution deprived or restricted under Executive Order #93 is hereby granted full pardon and amnesty. Those incarcerated or prosecuted for other crimes committed's prosecution or incarceration will stand.

Those who have had property seized under Executive Order #93 will be provided adequete compensation, should they opt to return to FFNAT and resume citizenship or legal residency. Property siezed under other orders or other grounds are excluded from this order.

Businesses, government agencies, or other employers may not use religion or ideology as criterion when hiring aforementioned citizens or legal residents.

No place of business, government agency or office may refuse sales or service to anyone based on religion or ideology.

Former citizens and legal residents (henceforth referred to as "exiles") who have settled outside the borders or legal jursidiction of FFNAT may, where the number of exiles exceeds 2,500, claim full protection for their population from the Federation, even if their community should exist within the borders of another nation-state, city-state, confederation, district, or international entity. Federal law shall be extended to such populations, in addition to local law and regulation. However, should cruel, unusual, or overtly harsh punishment or treatment ensue at the hands of another nation, action shall be required by the Federation to ensure the safety and integrity of rights of the aforementioned population.

All persons, businesses, offices, or government agencies may face charges of Obstruction of Justice, Failure to Comply with an Executive Order, Willful Ignorance of the Law, and Unjust Deprivation of Rights of a Federal Citizen, including fines no higher than IB$4,500 in the case of individuals, and no higher than IB$10,000,000 for businesses, removal from office (for government employees, officials, or officers), and/or 10 years of jail time, based on the seriousness of the offence and the number of offences committed by an individual, business, office, or other entity. Foreign entities that attempt to hinder the protection of Federal citizens are to be considered hostile, and may merit the use of the Federal Armed Forces to bring such external Federal populations into compliance with this order.

PRINCIPALITY OF VAARSHIRE
OFFICIAL GOVERNMENT COMMUNICATION

To: Generalissimo Andrew Filie

The Principality of Vaarshire congratulates you on your asencion to the leadership of your nation, and congratulates your predecessor on a sucessful reign. We wish him a speedy recovery. Furthermore, your decision to repeal "Executive Order #93" and grant amnesty to those exiled is a victory for freedom, congratulatons for that as well. According to the Vaarshire Immigration and Citizenship Commission, there is one FFNAT exile in our nation; the Vaar govermment is paying for his plane ticket home. As the leader of Vaarshire, I look forward to forming a strong and productive relationship with your nation.

Warm regards,
http://i57.photobucket.com/albums/g232/BLJ_422/johannes.png
Johannes de Vaar
Prince of Vaarshire

From the Desk of Generalissimo Andrew C. Filie;

To Prince Johannes de Vaar, Prince of Vaarshire,

I thank you for the congratulation on my asencion to power. I will also be sure to convey your well-wish to Mr. Grimmeberger.

I also thank you for the congratulations on the repealing of EO#93, though I would be lying if I said the idea was entirely mine. Mr. Grimmeberger, practical man that he is, had actually offered an amnesty earlier, during his regime, though it was not as complete as the one we recently issued. So he must also recieve some of the credit for this victory for freedom.

I would like to thank you, on behalf of the returning exiles (from all countries) for your generosity towards the exile in your nation. We would be willing to repay your government if you so wish.

As leader of the Federation, I also look foward to a strong and productive relationship between our nations. Again, many thanks.

Sincerely,
Generalissimo Andrew Charles Filie
Head of State, Fanboyist Federation of North Atlantic Territories (FFNAT)
Commander-in-Chief, Federal Armed Forces

OOC: Perhaps a meeting between leaders, Vaarshire?

OOC: I'm game.

OOC: Here, or separate thread? I'm good either way.

OOC: Being as indecisive as I am, I flipped a coin. George Washington says here.

OOC: Alright.

IC:

To Prince Johannes de Vaar, Prince of Vaarshire
From Generalissimo Andrew Filie
Re: Meeting Between leaders

I was wondering if you would be interested in a meeting between us, in order to plan how best to strengthen the ties between our nations, held here in Vienna? Please reply as soon as possible.

Thank you.

To: Generalissimo Andrew Filie
From: Prince Johannes de Vaar
Re: Re: Meeting between leaders

I would be more than happy to have a meeting with you in Vienna. I shall be taking the next flight out.

Johannes de Vaar
-----
Prince Johannes was not fond of the small Lear jet that was meant to be his personal transport. RVAF 18 was old and small, and Johannes was claustrophobic. He preferred jumbo jets, with more square footage than the Chambers of Parliament and attractive flight attendants. So he drove to the recently renamed Princess Anne International Airport and got a round-trip ticket to Vienna. Naturally, the airline had him instantly bumped up to first class. "If there is anything we can do for you, Your Majesty, please do not hesistate to ask," said the captain.

"Get this thing off the ground," said the Prince. "The Air Force will probably want to..." The sound of fighter jets landing was heard. "Escort me," the Prince muttered.

About an hour later, the Vaarshire Airways flight took off, escorted by two RVAF fighter jets. The flight was short; it was an hour-and-a-half at most. "Vienna airport control, this is Vaarshire Airways Flight 18. Requesting permission for the plane and Royal Vaar Air Force escorts to land."

The Air-Traffic Controllers at Thomas Filie Memorial International Airport responded quickly enough.

" VA Flight 18, you and your escorts are clear to land at Runway #3. Welcome to Vienna, Capital of the Federation."

The planes landed at the indicated runway. The Prince walked into the terminal, where his Commander of the Air Force caught up with him. "Sir, with all due respect, what the hell was that? Taking a commercial flight? You're lucky-"

The Prince interrupted him. "What, do you honestly think taking a commercial flight is unsafe? Tim, a good three-quarters of the world is unaware that Vaarshire exists. What danger could possibly befall me?" The Prince knocked on what he hoped was actual wood paneling on the wall.

"Well, I... it's protocol," said the Commander.

"Yes, well... at least I have some kind of flashy entrance," said the Prince. "Now I need to go find the Generalissimo..."

He needn't have worried about finding the Generalissimo. He was waiting outside the terminal. Or, actually, a few Federal Marshals were waiting. His head of security had gone ballistic when he had tried to go into the terminal himself. So, as it was, Marshal Zachary Skaulker was waiting for the Prince, inside the terminal, along with a handful of Federal Shocktroopers, for security purposes. He strode up to meet the Prince.

"Prince de Vaar? I'm Marshal Zachary Skaulker, here to escort you to the Generalissimo, who is waiting outside the terminal. He would be here inside the terminal himself, but his bodyguard Sergeant Heinrich Fuchs refused to let him in. He will be just outside, however." He began to lead the Prince out of the terminal. The General was waiting just outside.

"Prince Johannes," corrected the Prince by force of habit. "The last name's just for show. And I know all about security measures..." He cast a glance towards his Air Force commander and said to him in Dutch "Back to Vaarshire with you."

The Prince followed the Marshal to the Generalissimo.

Skaulker nodded. "Right then." And as they left the terminal, Andrew Filie was standing outside the exit, with one soldier (a burley Dane) standing at his right side, and an older man (the Secretary of State) at his left. Prince Johannes was getting to meet both Generalissimos, even if only one of them was technically in power.

Unfortunately, Filie made the same mistake Skaulker made.
"Prince Johannes de Vaar?" he asked, extending his hand. "I'm Generalissimo Andrew Filie. This," he gestured to his left, "is General Steven Grimmeberger, my predecessor. It is an honor to meet you."

Prince Johannes wasn't sure if it was wise to correct the Generalissimo. So he firmly shook his hand and said "Wonderful to meet both of you. Quite a security force you have here."

It suddenly dawned on the Prince that he, the leader of a small, nowhere nation on one island was meeting with the leader of a nation that ruled two continents. Prince Johannes felt very small all of a sudden.

OOC: Its technically not two whole continents, as any claim west of Louisiana-Missouri is sort of shakey, and the story is the same east of the Dnieper and Euphrates.

IC:
Filie looked at the body guard and two shocktroopers. Between those and a marshal, that wasn't that much. But, all the same...
"Thank you. We try to keep things safe. We slip up every now and then, but nothing serious usually lasts long," Filie said magnanimously.
Grimmeberger nodded. "We'd be interested to hear your ideas on how our nations can grow closer. Your reputation preceeds you: your nation has a very good human and civil rights record."
"Would you walk with us back to the car?" Filie asked simply.

OOC: I'm going to be off for lunch for a littlebit.

OOC: back

"Thank you, and yes," the Prince replied to both Generalissimos. "As for brining our nations together, never underestimate the embassy, I always say." The Prince paused. "Actually, I've never said that in my life. My Minister of Diplomacy likes to say it."

Filie chuckled. "But of course. I meant besides that. Cultural exchanges? Are there minorities of either of our peoples within each other's nations?"

"While I don't know off of the top of my head how many Vaar may have immigrated to your nation, I do know that at last census there were two thousand some from your nation living in Vaarshire," said the Prince. "I happened to be looking at the records earlier. And I like the idea of cultural exchanges. And trade agreements and such."

"I didn't realize there were that many of our people living within your nation. Undoubtedly, it has something to do with ol' Grimmeberger's umm...programs." He paused awkwardly. "You see, for a long time, Communists and Socialists have been persecuted within the Federation. This is largely due to the fact that our previous...umm...what's the right word...brushes with them have been rather unfriendly, including the insurgent organization that our forces are currently crushing. You see, about...say, fifteen years back, General Grimmeberger here expelled all socialists and communists from the country, on threat of incarceration. Most left, except the insurgents, who continued their work in hiding, and we are aiming to end once and for all. However, we have recently granted amnesty (as you saw in EO#229) to those who will swear an oath reaffirming citizenship or legal residency and a promise not to place ideology ahead of country. Many have already taken it, and, I must point out a technicality of the Order, technically our nationals within your borders are to be considered under our protection, if it comes to that, which I hope it never does. As for a minority of your people within our borders..." he trailed off. "I think about 110,000 people here are either Vaarshirian in origin, or can claim descent from immigrants from Vaarshire."

"Excellent. I've found those programs to be quite beneficial in building closer relations with anyone. We have established in embassy in your nation, I trust?"

OOC: For future reference, someone from Vaarshire is "Vaar".
"I bet that might explain the boost in support the Communist Party had for a few years there..." said Prince Johannes. He very much would have liked to add "And how they got enough people to take over the bloody government for six months", but he refrained. "As for an embassy, allow me to make a quick call." He pulled out his cell phone and dialed a number.

"Hello, Henrietta. Do you have a list of nations with embassies in our country? I don't have the names of the top of my head. Check to see if there is a Fanboyist Federation of North Atlantic Territories on it. No? Really? Well, we shall have to remedy that." The Prince hung up and turned to the Generalissimo. "It would seem that you don't have an embassy in Vaarshire."

"I'm deeply sorry that that was the result," said Grimmeberger, speaking for the first time in a while. "The intent was to weaken the RBPA by dispersing its membership, and I did not give much thought at the time as to what the effect would be on other nations. I mostly figured that if they were dispersed enough, they would not be a problem, especially in more liberal nations where the communists aren't as...shall we say, militant?"

As the Prince hung up, Filie frowned. "Strange, that. I would have thought we had. Well, then, that shall have to be remedied. We will set about fixing that at the earliest possible time. For that matter, I don't think you have an embassy with us, either." He chuckled. "A gross injustice we have been doing to one another!"

Prince Johannes decided he would like to avoid the topic of Communists. He pulled out his phone again, and this time texted someone. "My aide Sam got me hooked on this... text messaging," he said. "I'll let Henrietta- my Minister of Diplomacy- know that she should apply for an embassy with you. She's usually quick about it. I don't know if she has much else to do, really..." He chuckled.

Andrew chuckled. "Ah, texting. Finally, another world-leader that does it. I was beginning to wonder if I was the only one that did."
"If she would be so kind to, that would be excellent. Steven here has nothing better to do at the moment." He gestured to the Generalissimo-turned-Secretary of State, and said, "Steven, there's probably other stuff you can attend to, right?"

"Absolutely," he replied simply.

The Prince's phone vibrated. He picked it up and looked at it.

1 NEW TEXT MESSAGE
From Henrietta (+171-517-880-76235)
FFNAT accepted :]

"You've been accepted. Welcome to Vaarshire," said the Prince. "Now that that little problem is out of the way, how about that cultural exchange program you mentioned? What do you have in mind?"

"What I had in mind was mostly establishing centers or libraries in one another's major cities based on cultural education of each of our native cultures. What do you think? Any thoughts of your own about that program?"

"I was thinking about the same," said the Prince. "Or how about setting up an exchange student program? I was in one in my youth, and I loved it. Nothing teaches you more about a country than sending kids to some country they've never heard of for two weeks. And when they come back, they tell all their friends about it, and they grow up and want to be an ambassador. It's how I got into politics." The Prince looked almost nostalgic.

"That is an excellent idea, although...where would we have it? I'm afraid all schools here are public for the students in the area. And there are various parts of the Federation, with different types of people in each part. Vaarshire may be a relatively small nation, but keep in mind there are at least ten different peoples within the Federation: Northerners (American), Southerners (American), Germanics, Thracians, Slavs, Poles, Arabs, Turks, Ibero-Hispanics, and Italo-Greeks. If you really want to get into specifics, there are even more. So how would the place your exchange students go be decided?"

"Well, anywhere that speaks English would be fine for someone from Vaarshire. Though, in a way, Vaarshire is Germanic, what with the Dutch," explained the Prince.

"Fair enough. I'm afraid there's not many Dutch Germanics in the Federation. Most of them were supplanted by Danes a few hundred years ago. Something we aren't terribly proud of, you understand... Would be interesting opportunity for people in the Federation. As for English-speaking zones, in spite of Brittania being classified as 'Germanic,' English is still spoken widely, and it is widely spoken in Austro-Bavaria, Egypt, the American provinces, and in most of the Nordic provinces. Would those suit your people?"

"I'm sure they'd be just fine... maybe not Egypt though. Probably a bit too warm for someone from the North Sea," said the Prince. "And the Dutch aren't that interesting. Unless you like tulips and wooden shoes." He chuckled. "I say this, and my grandparents were born in the Netherlands."

OOC: We're going to assume for the sake of clarity that there are two Netherlands...es. One that was independent and in charge of Vaarshire from 1666 to 2008 and one that was controlled by your fine country. Gotta love NS Earth.

OOC: Of course. Gotta love anything where you can have multiple versions of the same place. Why, I'm sure there's at least 80 NS Germanies, and only three Chinas. :p

IC:
"Yeah, I think Egypt would be kind of rough... I myself am from the Pennsylvania Province of the American Provinces, and I find it pretty nasty in Egypt. Keep the business there to a minimum. And besides, I could say the same about Germans, or Austrians, or Croats (all of which, I happen to be able to claim descent from). I could find the Dutch the most fascinating people in the world, for all you know. Its all relative. Anyways, I like the exchange student idea. Well thought, Johannes."

"I do have my moments," said the Prince. "Tell me, how did a nation of... so many ethnic groups manage to come into existence?" Prince Johannes was fairly sure the answer would involve guns in some form or another, but he was curious anyway.

"Well..." Andrew began. "It involves guns. Not too many, but some." He took a deep breath.
"In 1880, Thomas Filie, who is, in fact, my grandfather, set about on diplomatic talks with the fragmented states from the old Fanboyist Empire, which had distinegrated in the early 1800's, when a pandemic killed the entire royal family. At least, we think it did. There are probably a few of them left around, keeping a low profile. So anyway, the number of seperate states and the like in the area really worried my grandfather, who was afraid infighting might break out at any moment. So, at the head of the Nationalist Army, which was all that remained of the old Imperial government and its forces, he negotiated and negotiated to coalesce Germany, Austro-Bavaria, Croatia, and Poland back into a Federation, and he repeated the process on the other side of the Atlantic. The Americas joined his Federation almost immedietely. Spain, Britain, Egypt, and the Turkish areas joined voluntarily. Denmark and Scandinavia also joined soon after. That left France, pretty much. France was one of the few places that actually was brought in with force, because, really, you can't have a sovreign country in the middle of a country. Its unsightly. So, France was invaded. Capitulated quickly." He shook his head. "Typical French. So then Ukraine and Syria had to be brought in during the Wars of Defense, during which some of our neighbors, who aren't terribly friendly, invaded us and we had to kick their sorry asses. An' that's about it, really."

OOC: "You can't have a sovereign country in the middle of a country. It's unsightly". Lol.
"The English colonized Vaarshire- they called it Farshire- in 1422. Then there were a couple of naval wars between them and the Netherlands, and they took Farshire in 1666. They named it Vaarland. 'Cause, you know, Vaar sounds more Dutch. Two a's and all. Anyway, when Napoleon rolls around and takes the Netherlands people in Vaarland organize a resistance led by someome calling himself the 'Prince'. Eventually Napoleon leaves Vaarland and the Netherlands, and the tradition of electing a Prince stuck. In 1923 the Dutch granted us autonomy- that's when we renamed it Vaarshire- and last year they granted us independence," explained the Prince. "Hm. It dawns on me now that you didn't actually ask. Oh well, a history lesson is good every once in a while."

OOC: Thank you, I try. I hope to one day post something that someone 'sig-inates'.

IC:

"That's quite all-right. I was going to ask you anyway. I thought for a moment the Vaar were telepathic," he said, chuckling. "Interesting. So your country is relatively young. Well then, that would explain why we hadn't heard of you until recently. So, was there anything else you would like to discuss? Trade? Foreign policy? Militaries? Any state secrets you might like to give me?" he asked, the last statement tinged with amusement.

"Oh, don't worry, no one's heard of us." Prince Johannes chuckled. "As for State secrets, funny you should mention that, because there's this neat little clause written in the Vaar Constitution in invisble ink..." The Prince laughed. "Some yahoos actually believe that. Anyway, I would like to discuss the possibility of a trade agreement, and perhaps a non-agression pact. You know, the usuals."

"Haha. You seen any of those shows with the conspiracy theories? Some people have proposed since he was so gifted diplomatically, that my grandfather was an alien with mind-control abilities. Haha."

"As for the trade agreement, what did you have in mind. I should probably tell you now that tariff-free isn't an option. That has always been a rule for leaders of the Federation, and part of why our home industries are so robust. No import is tariff-free. We try to be as self-sufficient as we can. But any agreement can have negligable tariffs. And as for the non-aggression pact: happily. God knows we're in enough conflicts as it is, given that the IFA (read 'GWO') seems to enjoy throwing itself into every conflict it can find."

"Ah," said the Prince. "Then we'll just have to lower tariffs to the lowest they can be. There won't be any tariffs on my end, for what it's worth. As for agression, Vaarshire isn't likely to be entering any conflicts any time soon, but it's best to be prepared, I always say." He stopped, and the noticed something the Generalissimo had said. "Did you say IFA?"

"I believe the lowest approved tariffs on any goods is .2%, which I believe is, if I'm not mistaken, pretty damn low. As for aggression, we probably don't have any reason to either want to fight your nation, or have anything to fear from it, no offense, but, as you said, best to make sure. As a matter of fact, I'd be willing to place you under our relative protection from the IFA, as, due to their increased aggressiveness in recent times, especially since our liberalization programs, towards our government has me kind of on edge, and I think we may be leaving that alliance soon."

"Ah, good. I don't have to hate you, then," said the Prince. "I believe it's unofficial ODECON policy to generally dislike IFA members. And no offense taken, Vaarshire isn't any kind of threatening unless you have a serious phobia of the colors orange and red. I'm trying to... at least make Vaarshire's military less of a joke, but I can't honestly imagine a situation in which I would need to use it." There was nothing actually wood around for what the Prince could tell, so he knocked on the wall.

"Were you involved in the Defesian crisis earlier this year? Our forces performed quite well in that, if I recall."

"As for the IFA...well, we mostly have maintained our membership for defensive purposes. As a dictatorship, most democracies instinctively dislike us, and we aren't liberal enough to merit the liking of most communistic dictators. So we are mostly stuck with moderate socialists, the few other moderate dictators like us, the more autocratic monarchs, rightist dictators, and the occasional unpretentious democracy such as yourself. None of which are particularly common. So, as a means of defense against some of the more aggressive democracies (think "we'll bring you democracy, whether your people want it or not"), we joined the IFA. The GWO has, until now, been one of our most reliable friends. Now, though, I'm not so sure."

"And I'm not so sure that people have nothing to fear from your military. Some of the most dangerous enemies one may have may come from those you would never suspect. For instance, a few months ago, I would never have thought little-old North Defese could be such an obnoxious country to deal with. If they develop themselves the right way, they could be a major threat to us. But not at the moment. Heck, you could become one, and from a political standpoint, making a non-aggression pact with you is the best way to ensure that any growth from you does not threaten us."

"Vaarshire just recently joined; we haven't been involved in anything yet. Here in Vaarshire, we value democracy, but we value a strong leadership. Hence, the people have the right and privlege to elect- and if the feel necessary, recall- their Monarch. The Vaar very much value the monarchy. In fact, I'm going to be honest, several have had a near cult follwing. When Princess Anne was killed, the nation practically shut down for a month... Which is probably how the Communists managed to take over. For half a year, at least," said the Prince. "Since then, while socially we're pretty left, the military and national security are suddenly priorities."

"Since you seem to be font of good ideas, what would you do, personnally, if you had an ally like GWO? Initially your best friend, but as your policies have drifted away from what they like, recently seeming more threatening than helpful?"

"That's sad. What happened to Princess Anne?"

"Hmmm. I would honestly try and distance myself from the ally without completey cutting off ties. Leave the alliance, but don't close the embassy. Something along those lines," said the Prince. "As for Princess Anne... Well, there was this man named Leon van Dijk. He didn't like the fact that our military was a joke- his father was laid off from the Navy and died in poverty- and he didn't like that marijuana is legal and he really didn't like same-sex marriage. He bought a gun from a black market dealer that turned out to be connected to the CEO of Vaarshire Steel who didn't like the Princess either, and one day when Princess Anne was walking to work, he shot her in the head from a window. She was... she was waving to children and all of a sudden..." The Prince choked and took a moment to compose himself. "Anyway, we caught Van Dijk and killed him."

"Thats what I was thinking, although lately I'm more and more worried they'll try and destabilize our government. We're not," he waved his hand in the air "fascist enough."

Andrew winced. "That's horrible. Simply executed? He got off easy. If someone had done the same to one of our dictators, Grimmeberger excepted, they probably would have been tortured first. And we gave up torture a while ago, simply because its expensive and ineffective as punishment and interrogation. And when I say "Grimmeberger excepted" I refer to the fact that he had his predecessor, who was a right douchebag, executed publicly. Shot. Repeatedly, just to make sure."

"No one is fascist enough for GWO," said the Prince. "Van Dijk did lose a leg, someone blew out his knee to arrest him. Execution is a big step as it is for a nation like Vaarshire. Torture would have pushed it a bit too far. But Van Dijk's execution was a very public spectacle. We put him in front of the Hall of Justice, where the Supreme Judiciary is- Anne was a High Judge before she was Princess, so we thought it would be appropriate to kill him in the favorite place of his enemy. Then they shot him exactly 55 times, one bullet for each year she lived. A statue of Anne now stands where he was executed."

"Ah, but we are less so everyday! I don't think they're terribly happy with our decision of amnesty for leftists. Hence why I'm worried. I believe we have greater military capability then them, so I'm not worried about an invasion, though it would take much too long to mobilize properly. No, what I'm worried about is any attempts they might make at cloak-and-dagger stuff to topple me and my government and "correct" us."

"Ah, I figured someone that assassinated a beloved leader like that would get some nasty punishment. Let us stop talking about such things. Dampens the spirit, and I'm sorry. I must have dredged up painful memories for you."

"Put lots of guards around your office," said the Prince. "That's about all I've got. I'm no strategist," said the Prince. "That's what my Grand Marshal is for."

"Ah well, I guess Steven was better at this sort of thing," he said referring to Grimmeberger. "He actually was a general. He was goot at this type of thing."

"Regardless...what sort of products does Vaar have to offer for trade. I know, for our part, our arms and steel industries are very strong."

"Steel? That is wonderful, seeing as how our largest steel corporation is... under investigation. We're a highly urban country, actually. 153 million people crammed onto our island, so we build lots of skyscrapers. To trade, we've got oil, plastics, electronics, and from the farms in the interior we've got wheat, potatoes, and we make ethanol from potatoes. Not as good as the kind from corn or sugar, but it works. Oh, and cheese. We make good cheese in Vaarshire," said the Prince.

"Excellent. We do produce a good amount of electronics and the like domestically, but we'd be interested to compare with the Vaar products. And our people have an affinity for cheese. We never seem able to produce enough."

"Also, we can supply concrete for your building industry, but I'm glad our steel will find a healthy overseas market."

OOC: Bump.

OOC: UnEmplOYedd BumP! Wille p0sT 4 fudz!

DEMOCRATIC STATES
of
GARMIDIA
GOVERNMENT COMMUNIQUE

To: Generalissimo Andrew Filie

Although there has been little contact between our nations, we wish to congratulate you on becoming the new leader of your nation, and wish your predecessor all the best and a fast recovery. We also welcome the decision of yours to repeal Executive Order #93. As the President of Garmidia, I hope our two nations will have more contact and we look forward to building a relationship between our two nations.

President of Garmidia

To the President of Garmidia

I thank you for your congratulations. I hope our nations do grow closer in the coming years, and that we have further contact in the future.

I shall convey your well-wishes to FM Grimmeberger.

Many thanks.

Sincerely,
Generalissimo Andrew Filie
Head of State, Fanboyist Federation of North Atlantic Territories
Commander-in-Chief, Federal Armed Forces

OOC: 0.0 Whoops. Kinda... forgot. Spring break's over and suddenly I had stuff to do.

"Well, I'm certainly glad we suddenly have a more diverse market to trade with," said the Prince. "Anything else we need to discuss?"

OOC: No biggie.

IC:

"Excellent. I think we'll also benefit from an increase in cheese imports. I'm afraid its something of a national treat, especially the bleu's produced in various areas throughout, especially Croatia and the Danish Provinces. Alas, it seems we never have quite enough. It probably didn't help that my predecessor placed a moratorium on most cheese imports, again, to bolster the domestic industry, and also because we found that a few of our former trade partners were importing cheese that had been stored improperly and had been infested with bugs and the like. Needless to say our merchants didn't appreciate being stiffed."

"Not that I can think of. Seeing as we'll have an embassy in your nation soon, we shouldn't have any problems contacting you if anything else should arise, or you us.
"However, I found myself wondering something: would you perhaps like a brief tour of our capital? I've heard tours like that are common practice during meetings between leaders. If you have things to attend to back home, I understand, though."

The Prince had several things to do. The Minister of Health wanted to talk to him about tobacco legislation, he needed to get a shortlist of his candidates for the next Director of the Vaar Broadcasting Corporation, and former MP Paul van Rijn wanted to give him some spiel about an age limit on MPs. The Prince- like most of the country- did not like Paul van Rijn. Vienna was much better than the other items on his agenda, so the Prince replied "I would love a tour."

"Excellent. There are several places we can begin: the Presidential Palace, National Square, or the Hall of Heroes. The first two are relatively self-explanatory; the Hall of Heroes is actually a misnomer: its a series of memorials in a park commemorating those who have served in the armed forces in both the Federation and during the Imperial period."

OOC: I'm off for the night.

"Shall we start at the Palace? The Royal Residence is due for renovation and the staff is bugging me for reccomendations. Perhaps I can get some ideas there," the Prince said with a chuckle.

"Absolutely. Palace is actually a bit of a misnomer. The Generalissimo only lives in a wing of it. Otherwise, the rest is high executive offices and the like. All very neo-classical, as was the style when my grandfather built it--" he paused. "You do know, my grandfather is the one who founded the Federation, right?" he asked as they began walking.