View from Benacia/Issue 59: We're Back in Business!

This imported article was originally posted at http://viewfrombenacia.blogspot.com/2005/02/issue-59-were-back-in-business.html at 02/17/05.

Well, we've been on hiatus for over a week, but we're back and feeling energized after a nice, therapeutic Valentine's Day depression!

And what a time we picked, too. Several issues erupted during the break.

Lorelei Drags Down the Good Ship Diplomacy

A land dispute began when Mik'el Tzion I, Emperor of the Atterans, claimed the region of Lorelei. As a part of Arminy, it was widely assumed that when Arminy joined Shireroth, so did Lorelei; but His Serene Imperial Highness, in his capacity as King of Transattera (a member of the Atteran Commonwealth), unilaterally incorporated the territory into his realm.

The basis of the claim rests on the Emperor's status in Arminy as King of Lorelei. Having not voted in favor of the annexation, it is argued that Lorelei was not subject to it. However, counter-claims from other Arminians argue that Mik'el Tzion was no longer King of Arminy at the time of the annexation, and that he has no legal authority to separate the region from Arminy.

Public opinion in Shireroth is typically against surrendering land under any circumstances, and considerably outcry was raised when the claim was brought to their attention. Now that the clamor has died down somewhat, reports from the Imperial government indicate that the process of sorting out the matter has begun. Transattera's application for recognition by Shireroth, currently being considered by the Ministry of the Exterior, is believed to be part of this process.

Kaiser Mors' press secretary, upon questioning by the View, said this on the matter:

"His Imperial Majesty wishes to reaffirm the friendship of Shireroth and Attera, both of whom are great nations with long and impressive histories behind them. Although he believes that, as written, the Treaty of Arminsbur3 that brought Arminy into Shireroth applies to all its territories remaining on the MCS map, he also wishes the door to negotiations to remain open.

"The Ministry of the Exterior is currently processing the application of the Kingdom of Transattera for direct relations with Shireroth, and once this is complete, Shireroth and Transattera will turn their attention to resolving their differences over the status of Lorelei." Apollo Sorrows

The ages-old argument over whether or not Shireroth is an Apollo nation reared its ugly head over the break. Discussions involving long-time proponent of the Apollo heritage Bill Dusch over the complicated and touchy nature of Shireroth's connections with the old Apollo Sector, and the proper role of Bill's Soloralist faith, have, aside from causing several annoying arguments, also started a less-than-annoying civil war.

The war began with a Decree by the Dutch of Kildare affirming Kildare's Apollo nature, the Duchy having been formed from the remnants of the Union of Apollo States. Although the identification of an individual Duchy with a particular sector is not prohibited, the Decree also referred to Shireroth as a "(formerly) Apollonian nation", which goes against the longtime policy of the Imperial government to distance itself from micronational sectors in general, and the Apollo Sector in particular.

In response to this statement, Yardistan, which has been secretly hoping for a fight ever since... er... forever, responded with a Decree by semi-Duke Gryphon Avocatio, which stated that "there is a Moose on the Moon and that we should join it. Thus, Yardistan has declares itself part of the the Lunar Sector. We will not permit any Apollo landings or missions to the Lunar sector. To distance ourselves from the Solarists, we shall call ourselves Lunatics." An invasion of Kildare by the Midget Engineer brigades commended by Moose, and a color-coordinated Florencian force under new citizen Cesare Agosto, quickly followed.

Yardistan's side was joined by the Duchy of Brookshire, whose Duke Erik issued two Decrees. The first (which was labeled #21, even though the previous one had also been 21) clearly marked off Brookshire as being free of Apollo roots, then clearly marked off the rest of Shireroth as being non-Apollo, and further aimed to "stem the tide of the curruption of Apollo and Solorist propoganda" by banning the construction of Soloralist temples within Brookshire. The other decree then expressed solidarity with Yardistan by joining the Lunar Sector, although no Brookshirian forces have yet been sent into battle. (Speculation abounds that Brookshire is instead planning to steal Florencia from its fellow Lunatic Duchy, but this is unsubstantiated.)

As the Inquisition rages throughout Brookshire, the Duke of Kildare has given his assent to a plan by Bill to construct a Temple of the Quintessences in the County of New Jasonia. However, reports of a Brookshirian force preparing to attack the Temple are beginning to flow in, and it remains to be seen how long it will stand.

On a related note, Bill has been granted citizenship, which means that no one can cop out by dismissing him as a non-Shirerithian who has no business around here. :P Suckas. Duke Gryphon of Kildare has offered to Bill the possibility of making New Jasonia a Barony, if he can convince Imperial Ombudsman Harvey to agree to reside in Kildare, which means that we may soon be seeing very interesting things there soon.

Germans vs. the Kaiser?

A plea for aid from Baron Troy of Hurmu may get Shireroth involved in its first recwar under the auspices of the Micronational ReWar Society. A dual citizen with the Republic of San Martin, of which he is President, Troy proceeded to ask for volunteers to come aid the Hispanic-themed republic, which is under attack by a set of micronations referred to as the German Republics.

The invasion occurred without apparent provocation, although documentation provided by Troy indicates that the Germans believed wrongly that comments by San Martino citizens constituted plans to invade them. Because Shireroth shares three citizens with San Martin, the Kaiser agreed to look into joining in the recwar on the Martino side. Meanwhile, representatives of the German republics came to the MiniEx forum in an attempt to dissuade Shireroth from entering the conflict.

In very latest updates, the View has found from secondhand sources that some kind of ceasefire has been declared; more on this as it unfolds.

View From Benacia Accredited by MNN

We are pleased to announce that sometime over the hiatus, MNN chose to mark the View From Benacia as an Accredited Source, placing an asterisk by its name in the MNN newsfeed. One of some eleven new or active newsblogs to be given this honor, the accreditation is used to designate high-quality sources. An article explaining accreditation criteria notes:

"To qualify as an Accredited Source, a newsblog must publish properly structured articles which contain at least one hyperlink to the original subject of each article. Sources are periodically checked for compliance, and qualify if at least two out of their three most recent articles meet the required standards." The View is proud and honored to be placed alongside such quality blogs as the Antican Herald, the Cyberian Broadcasting Cooperative, and the Tom[http://tomannindependant.blogspot.com/ �]nn Independent.