The Broken Republic

[CookieDamage]

Directorate of Intelligence - New Tiberias, Virginia

April 30, 2019 -

Operation Golden Dragon was all anybody was talking about at the Directorate. Anyone that was left at leasr. Most of the lower staff was missing, starved, jailed, or relocated to another location. Most of the offices were eerily empty, and there was a sense of apocalypse amongst the remaining spies and analysts.

One room was relatively full, and that was Meeting Room 1096-B. Soundproofed and surrounded with armored walls and an armored door. Inside was Matthew Bing, Daniel Hartley, and several other high ranking clandestine officers. They were huddled around two manila folders, one which read OPERATION RED DRAGON and another OPERATION GOLDEN DRAGON.

"They're deceiving us. We should have known in November." Bing said.

"Of course we should have known, you foolish pig." Hartley said in return. "You really failed us, you moron." He spat, his voice feeling like venom dripping from the fanged mouth of a viper.

"Which one is the deceptive invasion? Do we have any inkling of a thought of the real one?" An officer asked.

Bing stayed silent, glaring at his boss, before returning to the matter. He looked down at the Golden Dragon folder. "Probably Golden Dragon. Landing on the shores of Columbia is daring, but if they want to strike fast and destroy us, they'd hope to strike as in our heart."

"And what of Red Dragon, will they not try to invade Miami or Charleston?"

"I now believe that Red Dragon is a deception. It's not going to happen." Bing said.

"I need your absolute confidence." Hartley said. "You must know now."

Bing hesitated, and looked at both folder again. "Golden Dragon. We must prepare for Golden Dragon."

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BREAKING: AMERICAN FLEETS MOBILIZE OFF VIRGINIA BEACH

May 12, 2019

We have just received word that the Christian Republican navy has mobilized its Marian, Paulian, and Trinity fleets off of the coast of Virginia Beach and surrounding areas of the Atlantic ocean. It is unknown if this is related to the growing reports of civil disturbance in the country.

Last year saw several emergency exercises held by the Christian Republican navy and airforce in the Atlantic ocean. This year has seen an increase of exercises, but military experts say this mobilization is not an exercise, but an actual emergency preparation for some sort of conflict. The nature of such a conflict is not known to BBC at the time.

Military expert and former Admiral Xavier MacClare speaks on the breaking news.

"This is highly unusual, and even with the previous exercises we have seen in past months,
 this is something that is not usual and something that is very indicative of an impending invasion. I don't know who they are defending from, but the formation of the fleets suggests a defense of the Potomac against an invading fleet."

Prime Minister Harriet Harman has spoken on the developing story.

"I am watching this mobilization very closely. It is of utmost importance and a very serious matter."

This is a developing story.

[CookieDamage]

New York City - Morning of May 13, 2018

A young woman, of middling social status, woke up nauseous. It was today, or never. As she came to, she heard yelling and marching outside her Midtown apartment. Her husband was gone, killed in Pittsburgh as he fought to steal food for the city's starved residents. It was only her now, and she wanted to destroy. Still, she brushed her teeth and washed her face, performing the same daily rituals she had been accustomed to. Rituals a revolution couldn't break. In the kitchen, she drank a single, strong shot of contraband vodka. On the kitchen counter was her special ID. "Former Catholic. CLASS C." She scowled at the ID and threw it across the room.

She put on her black jacket, black jeans, and black mask, given to her by revolutionaries days ago during the marches in the Bronx. The revolutionary who gave the items to her was shot moments after her, an image seared into her eyes, an image always visible when she closes them. The young woman then walked out of her shabby apartment and onto the chaotic street in Midtown. Several burning cars were lining the streets as gunfire could be heard from every side.

Hundreds were on her street alone. Throughout the city, she could have guessed there were millions marching on the street. However, it was no longer a march, but a revolution. The peace evaporated as soon as Hawthorne laughed in the face of possible reforms and an opening up of society. It evaporated when hundreds were killed in Pittsburgh, thousands in Los Angeles, and thousands in Tijuana. He destroyed them, so they will destroy his theocracy. People marched in the street, tearing up CRA flags and burning the remains. The young woman watched happily as one of the flags burned. Red and white stripes, with a single golden cross in the middle and central black star within that cross. All in flames. As the thousands of people marched towards city hall, they intersected with another massive group, where they then confronted a squad of heavily armed CRA peacekeepers.

The young woman looked at the peacekeepers proudly wearing their black Kevlar vests dazzled with golden crosses, firing indiscriminately in the crowd. Lots of people died in those few minutes of sustained firing, but a Molotov cocktail disoriented the gunmen, and soon they were overwhelmed by a flurry of revolutionaries. The gunmen were torn apart. Arms ripped from torsos, heads ripped from necks. It was a mess of gore and blood, but from that vile filth was a sense of direct justice, a justice nearly eighty years in the making. Laws failed the people, and laws made them miserable and oppressed. Revolution was the only suitable, moral, and realistic option.

Soon, it began to rain, and then it began raining heavily, but that did not stop the people. They eventually reached the Governor's Palace in Lower Manhattan. They marched in and defenestrated a surrendering secretary, who ran away after recovering from his fall. Inside the Palace, the Governor's office staff committed suicide by ingesting some pills circulated amongst them. The governor himself was captured before he could kill himself, and the revolutionaries tied a noose around his neck, broke a window on the fifth floor, and threw him out.

The city was won. As the young woman looked at the dangling Governor's corpse, a sense of shock and disgust fell over her a she saw his pathetic corpse slam into the brick facade of his palace, but soon a sense of energy and happiness soon replaced that feeling. As she began laughing at the sight of her tormentors being finally rid of this world, she looked up at the sound of rushing jets. A squadron of fighter jets zoomed over the city, soon separating in a fascinating pattern. After a few moments, the sounds of large explosions could be heard.

[CookieDamage]

Thank you to everyone for the kind words and positive reception!

A few notes:

- Yes, the United States GiE, along with Brazil and Portugal, utilized a complex misinformation campaign to fool the Christian Republic into believing there were different invasions on different parts of the Atlantic Coast.

As we know so far -

Red Dragon - Amphibious invasion of Charleston and Miami (deceptive)

Golden Dragon - Naval invasion of the Potomac and amphibious invasion of Columbia (deceptive)

Indigo Dragon - Amphibious invasion of Boston and New York, massive bombing campaign of Columbia (real invasion)

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As for the name of New York City, I feel like stylistically it would have been wise to keep some names so audiences can easily identify some cities without having to consult earlier notes on name changes.

New York City = same

Miami = same

Los Angeles = same

Tijuana = same

Washington, D.C. = Columbia

Langley = New Tiberias

Pittsburgh = New Bethlehem

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WAR DECLARED ON THE CHRISTIAN REPUBLIC

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WESTERN WORLD RALLIES AGAINST CRA

May 13, 2019 -

After a stunning surprise attack on New York City, Boston, and Columbia, much of the Western world has declared war on the Christian Republic. Argentina, Australia, Brazil, Canada, France, Germany, Italy, Mexico, Portugal, Spain, the U.K., and the United States have all formally drafted declarations of war and enabled their legislatures to authorize usage of force against the CRA.

This sudden war is reportedly the result of years of diplomacy between American expats and European governments, especially under the DeLauro and Cameron governments. According to anonymous reports, an operation known as Indigo Dragon, which included the invasion of New York and Boston, had been in the works since the beginning of 2017. Parallels have already been drawn to D-Day 1944, where British and Australian forces stormed the Nazi-controlled French coast prior to French liberation.

Occurring concurrently is a protracted rebellion, or what seems to be a revolution, occurring in the Northeast, Midwest, and Western sections of the CRA. While rumors suggest United States intelligence organs fomented revolution, it is also likely that a severe famine and oppressive President has only made the revolt more inevitable.

This is a developing and highly volatile story. President Madalina Hutschler will speak at 12:45 PM today and address the nation.

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Manassas Park, Virginia

Early Morning of May 14, 2019

Matthew Bing felt the wind gently brush up against his raw, beaten skin. He couldn't really see much ahead of him, as his eyes were very swollen. But he could hear very well, and all that filled the night air was the sound of distant bombs exploding, sirens, and crackling fires.

It was over. Not for the Christian Republic, not yet at least, but for Bing. Everyone relied on wrong information, and now people were dead and rotting in bombed streets. He was sure the invaders would float into the Potomac and be sunk like the pathetic pretenders they were. But he was wrong. They never appeared near the Potomac, nor did they fly over Miami or Charleston. Instead, radar picked up a flurry of fighter jets over New York and Boston, and soon, New York City fell to revolutionaries. Then, nearly simultaneously, men in black Kevlar with emblazoned golden crosses burst into Bing's house in Arlington, seized his wife and two sons, and seized Bing as well. They first punched him repeatedly, as he was quite resistant. Soon, however, as Bing heard the bombs drop on Columbia, he knew it was over for him. He let them put him in the black van and cart him to his death.

Now he was in Manassas Park, standing in a deserted golf course. It's been deserted for months, pillaged by revolutionaries as the Christian Republic slowly lost control. Now, it was a make shift execution center. A scaffold was erected at a relatively flat part of the course, made of several cinder blocks and recycled metal sheets stacked up. Several disheveled men stood around the scaffold, with three men atop of it.

An armed guard jammed his rifle into Bing's back, shoving him forward. Bing coughed and spat up blood, and looked at the blood splatter on the overgrown grass. He then looked up at his three executioners, one of which decorated in golden robes and a black frock. He held a bible and was flipping pages to an appropriate passage for executions. Another was a villainous figure, clad in black and red, with pale white skin and sunken blue eyes. His black hair matched his black cloak, as well as the black hilt of his sword.

Bing stepped onto the metal platform and faced his executioners. The remaining of them was in military uniform, and withdrew a torn sheet from his pocket.

"Matthew Bing, charged with failing to protect the Christian Republic of America, failing to protect the Holy Revolution, failing to protect the Blessed Lands, for failing his oath to God, and for gross incompetence and de-facto espionage, will be executed for his crimes and judged before God for his mortal failings. Signed, President Hawthorne." The military executioner said. "Does the accused and convicted have any last words?"

"No." Bing said, his face crinkling as tears began welling up. He preferred to be among his thoughts before he died. Seeing executions before, and many times applauding them, he knew the routine. Bing got down on his knees and kept his arms close to his torso. He bent his neck downwards, to expose as much of it as he could. Then, he began seeing images from his life, as is said to occur before death. However, Bing's life was sad, and was dedicated to nothing more than adding to the misery of others. The sword swung cleanly through his neck, cutting straight through tough skin, bone, and sinewy flesh.  His head rolled across the slick metal platform and onto the messy grass turf.

[CookieDamage]

I've driven past that golf course!! (assuming you didn't just make up a golf course in Manassas)

I just zoomed in on Manassas Park and spotted the first golf course that was visible on google maps. General's Ridge?

[CookieDamage]

Allied Mobile Command Center - Bermuda

May 14, 2019 -

Melinda Wallace, feeling the sense of victory wash over her, saw the clock strike 4:36 AM.

"Team Alpha is closing in on McGuire-Holy Cross AFB. Fourteen seconds till primary strike." A man at a computer screen said. In front of Wallace was a large screen, taken from the cameras attached to a squadron of Brazilian fighter jets. The cameras filmed a dark stretch of South Jersey flatlands, with the lights of small towns and occasional burning cars penetrating the wall of black. Soon, the glow of an air force base filled up the screen, followed by several bright explosions as the Brazilian jets dropped bombs on the base.

"Team Alpha has completed the primary strike." Another voice rang out. "Ten seconds till secondary strike. One minute and thirteen seconds till landing." She said. Wallace watched as the base was once more lit up by a flurry of explosions. Planes were kept out of the bombing range, as they would be important loot once the base is cleared of Christian Republican forces. Several soldiers fled the burning barracks. They looked like scared ants with flashlights.

The Brazilian squadron landed on an empty stretch of the runway and unloaded their own soldiers, who immediately opened fire on their enemies. It was all over within a few minutes, with the remaining enemy forces fleeing, dying, or burning alive. One by one, Brazilian soldiers commandeered the remaining Christian Republican jets on the runway and flew them away. The base was left to burn until it was a smoldering ruin.

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New York City - Morning of May 14, 2019

Richard Rosado finally reached the City Hall after nearly forty minutes. The streets were simply too packed with people to make fast travel possible. There was an infectious happiness and relief in the streets of New York. Rosado embraced it as he walked with people reveling, celebrating, and laughing. CRA flags were torn up and flown instead were pride flags, Brazilian flags, and the banned American flags. It felt unreal. Not that the CRA was gone from New York, but that it only took one day. Rosado walked with a sense of dreaminess, as if it wasn't real. He barely noticed the small minority of people leaving the city: CRA sympathizers who were exiled and refused to live in a realm they weren't in command of. Oh well, Ricardo thought, screw them and may they rot in Hell.

He stopped as he got to City Hall and looked upon the stone steps at an array of people standing there. He recognized a familiar face. Linda Garland. She was still wearing the same black uniform as she did yesterday when she marched with the revolutionaries. Rosado noticed she was wearing her special Catholic ID card. He also noticed she took a sharpie to it and defiled it. He smiled. He shredded his own card. Now he wished he hadn't, so he could do something creative with it like Linda did.

Richard's attention was then brought to a speaker, standing on the steps. He was a tall, grand revolutionary with a stapled piece of paper in his hands. He began speaking as the masses of people quieted down.

"It is a new, sunny day today, citizens. The masters have been banished and our chains have been lifted." He began. Thunderous applause and cheering followed. "We have seen it to it that the future is ours and will be taken from them by force."

Rosado smiled widely as the man continued speaking. It wasn't a particularly well-crafted speech, but none of that mattered. The most important bits were soon coming.

"And we, the citizens, proclaim the Christian Republic banished from  New York City. We proclaim them banished from New Jersey and Massachusetts, from Pennsylvania down to Florida, and from Virginia to the coasts of California. As they have taken from us, we will take from them. As they have taken our souls for their profits, we will take our souls back and render onto them our vengeance without mercy." More applause. "And, with the power of the citizenry and New Revolution by my side, I formally invite our steadfast supporters in the exiled government, including our socialist sister-in-power Suza Cameron, to lead us into glory and an age of liberation." And from that followed the biggest applause yet, even prompting Rosado to scream in joy and exhausted relief.

[CookieDamage]

Current Status of the War on the Christian Republic - May 25, 2019

Red represents areas where revolutionaries have overthrown the government. Yellow represents areas of unknown status, or where there is armed conflict. Green represents areas where the CRA has abandoned control over. Gold represents areas where the CRA maintains control.

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MEXICO INVADES BAJA CALIFORNIA PENINSULA

June 1, 2019 -

The Mexican military has invaded the CRA-occupied chunk of the Baja California Peninsula. The Christian Republic initially invaded the peninsula in the Spring of 2005 and occupied the entire peninsula until the Mexican army pushed them back to the border between Baja California and Baja California del Sur in July of 2005. The CRA has occupied it as a territory since July 2005.

Since around late April of 2019, the peninsula had fallen under the control of revolutionaries and Mexican nationalists. As the CRA continues to fall apart after an allied invasion led by Brazil, the U.K,  and France crippled the central government, Mexico invaded the peninsula with the goal of liberating the territory and freeing Tijuana from oppressive governance.

The sitting Mexican President, Ricardo Anaya Cortés, has delivered remarks, stating that "(I)t was a long overdue invasion that will free our Mexican brothers and sisters from a totalitarian government. It was the only choice I had." He says. Former Presidents Vicente Fox and Enrique Peña Nieto have applauded the invasion.

This is a developing story.

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Valdosta, Dixie - June 1, 2019

President Michael James Hawthorne took off his jacket in his makeshift office at the Valdosta City Hall. Several secretaries and clergymen rushed around the room.

"Can someone get Father Wilton on the phone? Where on earth is he?" Hawthorne said as he read reports of revolutionaries expanding into the Atlanta suburbs. "This is a disaster. I can't believe this is happening!"

"Father Wilton is unreachable. He is reportedly in Oklahoma City." A secretary said.

"How on earth did he get there? He's supposed to stay with me!" Hawthorne asked. The secretary did not immediately respond. "Woman! Answer me when I speak to you!" He shouted.

The secretary jumped and began speaking "He was flown sometime this morning, sir, he claimed he was visiting family in Nablus Court."

"My god, he's rebelling against me too." Hawthorne said, rubbing his brow and sitting back down. "Get me Father Howard-Reading."

"He's missing, sir."

"What?"

"We cannot locate him. It is possible he has flown to another location as well."

"Dear lord in heaven, what about the Vice-President?"

"He is an en route to Valdosta."

"At least someone is loyal to me." Hawthorne said. "Hell awaits the Fathers."

Hawthorne then turned on the TV situated in his office. It was set on state-controlled media, but the signal was fuzzy and the information totally unreliable. Hawthorne switched to the CBC, broadcasting from Canada.

"And, Michelle, it looks like Allied and Canadian forces have repelled the final CRA forces stationed in London. It looks like they won the battle." A man's voice said, speaking over helicopter footage of London, Ontario being swept by the Canadian military.

"Wow, John, a twenty-year occupation is finally coming to an end. Do we have any idea of what the people on the ground are like? How they are reacting?" A woman's voice said.

Hawthorne shut the TV off and threw the remote at a fancy vase by the door. The golden vase shattered into several jagged, ugly pieces.

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Quick question: you use real people's photos for some of the characters (e.g. John Thune for President Hawthorne, Hillary Clinton for Melinda Wallace, etc.). Are those people the same as OTL just with different names, or do Melinda Wallace and Hillary Clinton (well probably Hillary Rodham, I can't imagine she met Bill in the CRA) and John Thune and Michael Hawthorne all coexist in the same universe, or something else? One of those nagging, unimportant questions I've had.

I just use them as placeholders, and since I want to give them some sort of character. HRC as we know her was either never born or lived an uneventful life. Melinda Wallace is her own person and looks like HRC.

But since it's such a radically different TL, most people born >1945 were probably not born or were born to refugee families. Bernie Sanders is someone who probably had to flee.

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Does (or did) Fred Phelps ever hold a position in the CRA?

Weren't the Phelpses civil rights lawyers? that would clash with the segregationists and racists of the CRA. However in other regards, their blatan homophobia and anti-semitism and probable islamophobia would be perfect in this state.

I'm really liking this TL! Bad news for the CRA that they've already abandoned the Mississippi, looks like (or I hope) they'll be able to be taken care of piecemeal.

Black revolutionaries overthrew the CRA along the Mississippi, along with a minority of poor whites. Most whites in the South were the favored citizens of the CRA, so they are the most loyal.

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Yes we’ll rally round the flag, boys,
We’ll rally once again,
Shouting the battle cry of freedom!
We will rally from the cities,
We’ll gather from the plains,
Shouting the battle cry of freedom!
The Union forever!
Hurrah, boys, hurrah!
Down with old Hawthorne and up with Cameron!
And we’ll fill our vacant ranks with a million rebels more,
Shouting the battle cry of freedom!
The Union forever!
Hurrah, boys, hurrah!
Down with old Hawthorne and up with Cameron!
And we’ll rally round the flag, boys,
Yes we’ll rally once again,
Shouting the battle cry of freedom!
The Union forever!
Hurrah, boys, hurrah!
Down with old Hawthorne and up with Cameron!
And we’ll rally round the flag, boys,
Yes we’ll rally once again,
Shouting the battle cry of freedom!

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Ascalon, Dakota - Afternoon of July 12, 2019

The day was sweltering. Summer in the Plains got worse every year. Father Wilton had fled to Ascalon, Dakota (formerly Omaha, Nebraska) as he saw the central government collapse. Now, he was on the verge of creating a new one.

Father Wilton prepared his remarks, giving them a once-over before walking into the library. In the library, a crude camera was set up, attended by clergymen and technicians. Wilton sat down in front of the camera and before a bookcase. He turned around and made sure the bookcase was stocked with blatant and very visible Christian texts. The Bible? Obviously present. Luther's Theses? Next to the Bible. The Treachery of Catholicism? There. The Nature of Jews? There.

Wilton exhaled and set his sights on the little red dot on the camera. It began blinking as the cameraman motioned for Wilton to begin speaking.

"Good afternoon, America. My name is Father Joseph Lance Gregory Wilton. Some of you may know who I am, but I gather many of you don't.

I was born in 1947, in good ol' Jericho, when it was known as Nashville, as it was named by secularists and idolaters. When I was born, the Holy Revolution was beginning to take this country by storm, and awaken the great Christ-fearing souls in our land. I don't remember much from that time, but I do remember the erection of great cathedrals and the demolition of so many monuments to filth and sin. It was a great time. It was an American time.

Now look where we are. Invaded by pretenders. Falsifiers. Frauds. Jews. All of the sad ilk and their enablers have come upon our sacred land and pillaged our cities and villages. And what is "President" Hawthorne doing? Nothing. He's a pansy. A liar. A coward. He is failing our nation, our revolution, and he's failing you, the people.

I'm speaking today to remind everyone what our country was, and what destiny has for our country's future. It is God's destiny, not mine, nor Hawthorne's, nor the sinners'. God's. Our nation is a holy one, and I am humbly chosen by our lord to lead it from this point forward. Hawthorne, once a great Christian and moral leader, has let his demons lead him astray. I, with the aid of Jesus, our Lord, will never wander from my path.

As I sit here now, I proclaim the Holy Republic of America. With its capital in great Ascalon, this new Republic will stay true to theocracy and holy order. I will make sure of it."

Allied Command Center - Winnipeg, Canada - Same time

Six military intelligence officers sat around a control panel. A TV, playing Wilton's address live, was in front of them. Several of the officers were typing on keyboards and punching in various commands. Gradually they all stopped and looked at their commanding officer, who stood at the front of the room.

"Okay," He started. He was a member of Brazilian intelligence. "Cut it."

Allied Mobile Command Center - Bermuda

The TV was on, set to BBC. A laptop near Melinda Wallace was tuned into state-run media. Wilton was speaking with an increasingly angry and passionate tone.

"And when I lead us back towards Jesus, and the end days tick closer to us, we will know we are the saved ones. We will know our Republic is blessed, unlike the fouled Republic of Hawthorne. I know - "

And then the TV was off.

Wallace burst into a laughing fit, followed closely by her colleagues and lower officers.

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Going backwards in time

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Newark Airport - Early Morning of July 4, 2019

Suza Cameron slowly descended the airplane stairs onto the tarmac. She stood for a few seconds on the final step before taking the final plunge. Her feet hit the tarmac. They hit American land, of which she has not set foot on since 1976. Cameron immediately got down on her hands and knees and kissed the cold, hard tarmac. It was homecoming at last, long-awaited, long-overdue, and long-desired.

The ride from Newark to Manhattan was more of a procession. It took about four hours to complete, and mostly consisted of Cameron greeting a wide array of revolutionaries, starving citizens, cheerful workers, and a general body of people who snapped under misery and overthrew their suzerains. Cameron saw every one of their faces, and despite never seeing any of them before, she knew she was home.

She and her team, heavily guarded to protect her from a stray CRA sympathizer or armed zealot, eventually arrived to her designated speaking podium at New York City Hall at around 8:45 AM.

"From the bottom of my heart, I say this with outstretched arms," Cameron began, spreading her arms, "we have returned home!" The applause was thunderous. There must have been thousands packed before her. "Welcome to a New America!"

"I am America, and so are all of you! No longer are we a nation of hate, of misery, of killing, nor of starvation. We are a nation born anew, a nation born today that will reconquer our destiny from the evildoers and bigoted hatemongers who wrestled control of it seventy years ago! We all belong here, and we're going to defeat Hawthorne and his theocrats on the battlefield if they don't accept our right to survive, thrive, and exist!"

Cameron raised her fist into the air. "I proclaim here and now, in New York City, and on Independence Day itself of Twenty-Nineteen, at 8:50 AM, that the United States is re-established." Applause, deafening in its ferocity. "As I can see, and as you can feel, we are an oppressed people, an emaciated people, a people of mistreated workers, laborers and slaves, a people smashed under the hard boot of an Orwellian state, a people arrested by those who dare call themselves Christian and wear golden crosses on their uniforms of hate and monstrosity." Cameron continued. "We're gathered her today to proclaim our reversal of such an arrangement. We will no longer suffer under tyranny. We will no longer starve as the theocrats and aristocrats dine well on medium-rare steak cutlets with mashed potatoes and hearty salads. The food and wealth belong to us, not to be controlled by the few. The prizes of our economy and property of our homes must no longer be held by the tyrants. This government must no longer be stocked with medieval men, who want black people in chains, women bare-feet and pregnant, Jews dead, and LGBTQ citizens hanged in public. They are evil, my citizens. Evil is not manifested commonly amongst humanity, but when it is, it is manifested horribly and harshly.

However, after nearly eighty years, we see that evil will always be contrasted by goodness, by human kindness, by love." She said, emphasizing 'love' so much that her voice cracked. "Love of our neighbors, of our friends, or our people, regardless of their skin color, gender, social status, and who they want to be with." She said. "Isn't that the Christian way?"

"My citizens, I ask that you all embark on this journey with me. It will be a long, hard journey, I can assure you. It's not a re-election campaign. It's not a campaign to unite us and our oppressors and find common ground. These men have no perception of common ground. It's either their Hitler-fantasy government, or nothing." She said, prompting booes, hisses, and moans of fear and terror. "No, we must abandon foolish ideas of centrism and reconciliation with people like that. Now, we are not a violent stock of citizens. We do not wish death upon others. We do not want to kill and feel the psychological punishments of ending another human being's life. War is Hell." She said. "But, so is tyranny. So is an extremist ultra-Christian realm which practices segregation, state anti-Semitism, state terror, and is a violator of our most sacred international human rights laws." She claimed.

"When we saw the horrors of the Holocaust in 1945, we said to ourselves, 'Never Again!'. But when we saw our Nation collapse before our eyes, as the men we thought we defeated in World War II take control of America and impose their Neo-Naziism, Nativism, and Fascism on our country, we realized very quickly that we failed our goal of 'Never Again'. Well folks, as long as I'm alive, we won't fail again!" Cameron shouted, putting both clenched fists into the air.

"We will strike them and disintegrate the Christian Republic of America. We will abolish the new manifestation of slavery, and we will free our citizens from Virginia to Missouri, and from Michigan to California. No municipality unreleased from the jaws of hate, no county unliberated from the control of fascists, no state unshackled from chains. And most importantly, most dear to all of us, no human throughout this land will be unfreed!" She said.

"My citizens, from all walks of life, you are united by your love for one another! I am united with you, because I love what you all stand for. You overthrew the suzerains of New York and proclaimed the destiny that was stolen from you is back in your hands. I love that passion for humanity, and it is that passion that will lead us to victory in the dark days ahead. Please mind the cliche!" Cameron said to a round of laughter.

"Please, citizens of the United States, accept me as your new humble President, and together, with every citizen by citizens' side, let us defeat the Christian Republic and reclaim our future!"

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CRA flags were torn up and flown instead were pride flags, Brazilian flags, and the banned American flags.

YES. Got chills.

Hawthorne then turned on the TV situated in his office. It was set on state-controlled media, but the signal was fuzzy and the information totally unreliable. Hawthorne switched to the CBC, broadcasting from Canada.

Does (or did) Fred Phelps ever hold a position in the CRA?

Weren't the Phelpses civil rights lawyers? that would clash with the segregationists and racists of the CRA. However in other regards, their blatan homophobia and anti-semitism and probable islamophobia would be perfect in this state.

Hm, imo Phelps is such an evil man that there is no way him being a civil right lawyer actually meant that he was principled on this subject. I think that in this universe, he'd be a very enthusiastic CRA supporter who'd take an important role in the government.

As I sit here now, I proclaim the Holy Republic of America. With its capital in great Ascalon, this new Republic will stay true to theocracy and holy order. I will make sure of it."

Lmao. Sorry, Ascalon is just such a boring and borderline bad city in Israel that I find it funny to read this
Also, a question- could you explain the roles of the two Fathers in the government? Are they like Cabinet secretaries?

Thanks for the questions!

Yeah Ascalon is a boring city, but the theocrats in control of renaming cities probably had a huge boner for renaming any city they could to something in the Levant. Considering they were also Nativists shut-ins, don't expect them to know jack about contemporary Israeli society.

And yeah, about Phelps, that does make sense. He would be an ardent CRA sympathizer. He would definitely occupy an important role, like a top propagandist or church official. I don't believe the Westboro Baptist Church would have any point in existing, since the CRA is the Westboro Baptist Church but also in control of America. I'm assuming his family make up the national CRA choir.

"Also, a question- could you explain the roles of the two Fathers in the government? Are they like Cabinet secretaries?"

Good question. No, they aren't any official member of the government, but they are official clergymen and high-ranking men of the church in America. And since it's a theocracy, they are institutionally tied with the state. Since it's also a corrupt country, they are given loads of unofficial power and influence over civil affairs.

I guess their roles would have been advising Hawthorne on religious and social policy, reaping state benefits, and generally appearing before cameras to peddle their ideologies.

[CookieDamage]

Winter Haven, Dixie - Afternoon of July 14, 2019

Vice President, now styling himself as President, Max Derry,
stood in the damp heat and looked at several reports in his hand. He was surrounded by a garden of caladiums and vibrant, red roses. The sky was a peaceful blue interrupted with puffy white clouds. Enemy forces were closing in on Columbia hard, and revolutionaries within the city were butchering the military stationed there.

A secretary interrupted Derry. "Sir, Hawthorne has called again. He's offering you the Vice Presidency back if you surrender immediately."

"Tell Hawthorne to shove it. He's a dead man walking." Derry said.

"Yes, sir." The secretary said, walking back into the city hall.

Derry resumed looking at his reports. Enemy forces, under Brazilian and U.S. forces, have already taken a slew of cities. New York, New Bethlehem, Richmond, Philadelphia, Chicago, and now Columbia itself? Madness, Derry thought. He focused on the Brazilians in the report. Jungle coons, he again thought, a scowl forming on his lips.

Another secretary entered. "Mr. President, The Mayor of Tampa is on the line in your office, should I patch him through to the garden phone?" He asked.

"Yes, Phillip. Please." Derry responded. He set down the papers on a glass table and walked over to the phone situated on a wooden bench. Derry picked up the phone.

"Hello, Mayor Wilkinson?"

"Max Derry?" The voice said.

"Yes? Mr. Mayor?" Derry responded and paused for a brief moment. Then, a great pain shot through his body as if he were hit by a brick and his vision went black. Blood splattered all over the caladiums and roses. He could no longer hear, and his vision became white. Derry was still alive, and could feel warm liquid running down his ears and down his forehead. His vision came to. The blue sky was tinted red, as were the clouds. It's as if he were wearing rose-tinted glasses. Derry had trouble blinking, and he barely noticed his left side twitching.

The new secretary, Phillip, appeared before him, standing over his twitching body. He had a blank stare at first, but began grimacing as he continued looking at Derry's pathetic body. Max Derry began crying tears of blood, and reached out to Phillip. Phillip took out a pistol and shot Derry between the eyes.

[CookieDamage]

Winter Haven, Dixie - Afternoon of July 14, 2019

In the minutes following blowing Derry's brains out, "Phillip" had quickly left the Winter Haven City Hall. Deborah, a denigrated secretary, helped him leave, showing him a secret exit. Phillip stripped his clothes in a desolate alley way and put on a janitorial uniform, fake moustache, blue contacts, and a wig. Sirens began wailing as he was already at his extraction point.

He pulled out his phone and punched in the special number.

"Carlos." The voice said.

"Sim." Carlos replied. "Derry é morto."

"Perfeito. Onde está voce?"

"O ponto de extração." Carlos said. He looked out the window, onto the street. No police, no military, no cars. He really did get away without a hint of detection.

"Bem. Extração está iminente."

[CookieDamage]

COLUMBIA TAKEN BY U.S. FORCES

Allied forces have proclaimed victory today, July 30, in taking the city of Columbia from the Christian Republic. The battle commenced on May 29, shortly after the Allied invasion of New York and Boston. Since about May 19, the city was under siege of revolutionaries and rebels, with President Hawthorne and his government fleeing on May 28.

With this proclamation of victory, most of Virginia is under allied occupation, adding to Allied-controlled states. As of July 30, Allied forces control New York, New England, and Erie. They are expected to win the sieges of Toledo and Lansing by the end of the Summer.

Meanwhile, a combination of Californian, Allied, and Mexican forces have succeeded in taking the California coast, as well as Las Vegas, Tuscon, and Phoenix. California is expected to join the United States via proclamation on December 1.

[CookieDamage]

Current State of the War

August 18, 2019

GREEN represents territory occupied by Allied forces and revolutionaries.

GRAY represents territory occupied by the Christian Republic.

BLUE represents independent Alaska and Hawaii.

Shades of red represent areas of conflict. PINK represents areas where the Allied forces have occupied much of the territory. RED represents areas where the Allied forces and Christian Republic control roughly equal amounts of territory. MAROON represents areas where the Christian Republic have occupied much of the territory.

[CookieDamage]

Wow why am I so inspired seeing the liberation of Washington in a fake universe that I don't live in. Must mean you're a talented write, cookiedamage

Thank you! Hurrah!

[CookieDamage]

I just tried thinking of what my family would've done in such a circumstance, before I remembered that the earliest family member of mine to live in the U.S. was in the 1950s. So I never existed thanks to the CRA... my parents met after immigrating here. How did Cuba fare during the 20th century with the CRA next door?

Well, in this timeline's 21st century, Cuba is a democracy, although it still had a troubled past. It was a U.S. client state until the U.S. collapsed in the 1950s. Without support of US interests, Cuban landownders, and the American/Cuban sugar cane industry, Bautista was never able to mount a coup. The 1940 constitution remained intact and was amended sparingly over the next seventy-nine years. Communists never gained much support due to the country emerging as a stable democracy into the 1960s and 1970s, but socialists, social dems, and left-wingers did.