Office of Fmr. Governor Simfan34

[Simfan34]

BREAKING: Derrick Captured

Just minutes after the PMA finalized their threat of executing four hostages, we've received confirmation that their fugitive leader, Wayne Derrick, was arrested somewhere in North Idaho.

Derrick was stopped by a highway patrol for speeding and was quickly recognized. He surrendered instantly, although a fellow militiaman accompanying him attempted to pull a gun at the officer and was shot to death. 

What a moron, we say.

This fantastic news marks a major victory, delivered by members of our law enforcement authorities, in our fight for order and against the PMA's terrorism, but I caution all fellow Pacificans to make no mistake- this in no way means that this fight is over. We shall win, but we have not yet won, and we must all remain vigilant in our efforts. Indeed, this success considerably raises the chance of reprisals by the PMA against the Pacific, and in their desperation and wrath may not just be against the forces fighting against their terrorism but members of the civilian public- hence the need for heightened security and general vigilance.

I also intend to meet with the members of the highway patrol who captured Mr Derrick and acknowledge their exemplary service in an appropriate manner as soon as possible. Hopefully their names will be provided by the GM.

Executive Order 03-15

In light of the successful arrest of Wayne Derrick and the potential for reprisals by the People's Militia of Atlasia (PMA) against both active anti-terrorism forces and the general public, The Special Anti-Terrorism Operations Command (SAOC) and all other relevant law enforcement agencies are authorised and advised to increase the number and comprehensiveness, of the public security measures for which they already possess requisite permission, including increasing force strengths as is necessary for such measures.

Furthermore, those members the local highway patrol who arrested Mr Derrick are to be acknowledged for their exemplary service in an appropriate manner.

[Simfan34]

It would be pretty nice if we could get an appointment soon.

It would. People are being contacted.

[Simfan34]

I hereby appoint Potus2036 to fill the vacancy in the Legislative Council.

x Simfan34

[Simfan34]

I hereby sign the The Early Newborn Support Act and the Open Elections Act.

x Simfan34

[Simfan34]

I hereby sign the The Early Newborn Support Act and the Open Elections Act.

x Simfan34

Ah it looks as if I forgot to send it to your desk; I'm sorry for making you walk all the way to the Council building.

Great pieces of legislation Simfan!

Oh, I never mind going to the Capitol building, although the stairs are a bit of a hike...



(Actually, I think my offices are supposed to be in here, too)

[Simfan34]

I hereby VETO the aforementioned piece of legislation.

What is this? $100 million for a stadium in the middle of nowhere? Are you serious? Is there something I'm missing here?

[Simfan34]

I have just heard the news myself. This is a matter of public health. I will comment in detail soon.

[Simfan34]

The Government of the Pacific Region hereby charges the member Poriot with deliberately propagating a nuisance dangerous to public health in violation of the express order of regional authorities. As per Section 36-601 of the Arizona (Pacific) Revised Statute, upon the violation of this order to desist the authorities may do as follows-

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We accordingly seek injunctive relief via a criminal remedy in accordance with the laws of the region.

I am told the police are to release Poriot on bail shortly.

[Simfan34]

Let it be known that we are closely monitoring the ongoing "sovereigntist" movement, its actions, and I have been conferring with the SAOC and other relevant regional and federal authorities to ensure the maintenance of peace and order in the region. We have also launched a full investigation into the whereabouts of Speaker Turkisblau and hope to confirm his location and safety shortly. At this time, however, no special measures will be taken on a region-wide basis beyond an increased security presence as determined needed by the police and other authorities.

In the coming days I hope to give a speech outlining my policy objectives for this gubernatorial term.

[Simfan34]

I am taking a LOA for the next week due to... the exams all the college students surely are taking at this time. As a grown man and governor, I don't have any, of course, but all the... young people are and I shall travel the region to see how things are going!

Also, I wanted to make a snippet of an announcement: I pledge to get 15 bills passed in the Legislative assembly and enacted as statute in this term. After I return from my examinations I shall put forth at least 5 to move us towards this goal.

Furthermore, I will get myself fully caught up with my duties as Undersecretary of Justice for Administration and Policy by the end of the weekend following my leave of absence.

[Simfan34]

Good evening! Extending the LOA for another week.

[Simfan34]

Good evening! Extending the LOA for another week.

Nope! LOA over.

[Simfan34]

I hereby sign the Pacific Organ Donation Act 2015 into law.

I will continue deliberating on the Reinstatement of the Pacific Protection of Commerce in Arms Act.

x Simfan

[Simfan34]

I hereby veto the Reinstatement of the Pacific Protection of Commerce in Arms Act.

Having signed the Accountability for Merchants of Death Act just a few months ago, I do not feel that its provisions have managed to become obsolete within such a short time span. I stand by my signing of the Accountability for Merchants of Death Act and thus cannot support this act.

[Simfan34]

I condemn the attack on our President as a cowardly and cynical act. But I just as strongly condemn the mob attack against and lynching of his attacker as just as cynical. In a society based on the paramountcy of the rule of law, such attacks are just as grave assaults on the constitutional order as are attacks on our elected leaders.

[Simfan34]

Seeing that there is a vacancy in our region's Senate seat, and Speaker Turkisblau is presently running unopposed, I hereby appoint Turkisblau to the Pacific Senate seat.

To fill the resulting vacancy in the Legislative Council, I appoint Antonio V.

[Simfan34]

Watch this space.

[Simfan34]

Thank you. A comprehensive plan forward will be announced later today, but first let me announce that CJO Ebowed is immediately relieved of his duties and not reappointed, as per the constitution, which places the reappointment window as the 10 days following the scheduled June election on June 12. A replacement shall be announced forthwith.

Edit: added date...

[Simfan34]

He doesn't have the power to remove me from office. That belongs to The People and they alone.

[Simfan34]

I hereby sign the Fighting Unemployment Act 2015 into law.

x Simfan

[Simfan34]

No problem... now this bill surely must take a bite out of our unemployment rate.

[Simfan34]

A note found:

Boy, would I love to do something... if only I still wasn't being kept in jail on the orders of an authority wanted for treason by the federal government!

[Simfan34]

I am going to "smuggle some more messages out of prison" because I think continued silence, even if for the sake of plot continuity, does not do me any favors, nor is it helpful for the region.

Let me express my feelings on what has happened in a (hopefully comprehensible) metaphor.

Imagine a great big sailing ship (a windjammer, if you would ) with many masts and many sails, and which needs a large crew. This ship has been in the doldrums for an extended period, and with such little wind has not moved much. Much of the crew has taken off on dinghies, hoping to find ships with better fortunes. Many of the remaining crew tend to sit around all day grumbling about the captain's failures, rather than working to get out of the doldrums. As a result, the captain has become inured to this state of affairs, ignoring their griping and rarely scolding the crew for their unhelpfulness, and has become somewhat complacent himself.

None of these crew members have ever gone to the captain and offered their advice, taken their complaints out into the open, made the case that they might be better at sailing the ship than he has been, or even just tried to work harder to change things. When the ship finds itself in an unpleasant squall, however, these crew members mutiny against the captain and throw him in the ship's brig,  blaming him for the ship's predicament and lack of progress, while ignoring completely the role their own prior inaction played in the ship's present listlessness.

Now maybe this nautical metaphor is just a way of showing you all that I read The Republic sophmore year and am taking the "ship of state" analogy too far. But the point I am trying to make here is decidedly not that of Plato- that I am some philosopher-king who is alone fit to govern (though I suspect some of you imagine I would be given over to making such a claim!). Rather, it's that one person can't sail a ship on his own- he needs a crew.

Likewise, I cannot govern alone; as Oakvale said (although I think I might have been the one who came up with it), I cannot be a "one-man region". In order for any meaningful progress to be made there has to be a functional government comprising motivated or at least active participants who do more than complain and scheme on the IRC or in PMs- they can, at the very least, complain in the open. I've tried and tried again to induce more activity in the Pacific, but ultimately I cannot make people do things they are unwilling to do. They have to do those things themselves.

The "sensible" thing at such a juncture probably might be to give up and leave office, but, as the clear lack of prior electoral competition showed me, I don't possibly see whom I would even hand over office to. Even now, if I were to resign now, I don't think I would actually have anyone to resign in favour of. Again, is there some responsibility I must take for this sorry state of affairs? Absolutely. Am I doing the best job I possibly could? I honestly cannot say I am. But is my "failure to lead" the sole thing responsible for the "the horrible status quo", or even most responsible? Absolutely not, and I believe anyone saying such is being dishonest with themselves. I am still willing as ever, despite past experience, to take charge of the situation and try yet again to help steer the Pacific out of its semi-permanent doldrums. One can only lead by example if people are willing to follow.

And let me add just one more thing. It appears that the events that the would-be putschists claim as their justification- the failure to hold an election- have played out in an almost identical manner in the Midwest:

The recent months of inactivity in the Althing constitute nothing less than a crisis of epic proportions in the Most Serene Republic of the Midwest. Constitutional reform, pushed by our outgoing Governor, Gass3268, hasn't been given a line in two months by the members of the Althing, who have neglected their duty as legislators for our fair region, all the while some of them continue to be active on other parts of the site and refuse to respond to personal messages from either the Governor or Archduke Dereich.

This is unacceptable. We cannot have democracy in a society wherein the legislators refuse to show up for work and fail to bring the issues of the public up for a public debate. We risk withering on the vine in the same manner of the old Pacific if something drastic is not done to correct this imbalance.

There have not been legislative elections in the Midwest since the month of March. This includes the election of an Archduke, which was supposed to likewise happen in May following the election of Dereich in a special election in early April 2015. Therefore, it would seem that there is, at present, no legally constituted legislative authority in the Midwest.

Now I too am unwilling to see the region "withering on the vine"-- but the difference here, apparently, is that those who "neglected their duty as legislators" are the ones crying bloody murder. Identical events have taken place in two regions- but only one has fallen into "crisis". One might ask why. Hopefully this puts things into a bit more perspective than they've been getting.

Now let me stop giving one of my typically over-written speeches and go back to jail.

[Simfan34]

I hereby appoint Bacon King to the Legislative Council.

[Simfan34]

Thank you, Bacon King. You may act as Speaker on an acting basis until formally elected--I would like to see the bills I proposed see the floor, once the other people I reached out to swear in.

My "Democratic Action Plan" remains a work in progress, and its introduction is admittedly not certain-- it seems events beyond the Pacific have run ahead of things. As fundamental questions about the future of Atlasia have been raised, and broader systemic issues affecting activity are unresolved, I feel that regional reform of this kind, implemented before the larger problems have been dealt with, runs the risk of being ineffective, if not superfluous. Uncertainty at the center tends to induce paralysis down the line, and I think it best if we focused our efforts on fixing fundamentals before tackling regional concerns.

Executive Order 07-16

Bacon King is hereby appointed to serve as Director of the Office of the Recovery, as provided for in the Patriation of the Pacific Recovery Act.