SAM News Corp.

[Sam Spade]

This thread is the home of the SAM News Corportion, which owns The Daily Planet newspaper, the Caulder Consultancies Company, the SAM News Network, the Midgard Wire Services and hopefully other news institutions in the future.

This is the new GM thread for Fantasy Politics.  The Corporation will expand to cover other areas as desires arise to do so, and all citizens should check in every once in a while to keep up with events.  Politicians should obviously check in more than once in a while, because I will be dealing with repercussions of various legislation at all branches of government.

I'd like to request a sticky for this thread (John Ford or Gustaf).  I will also start a comment thread, which I would like to request to be stickied also.  This is mainly just to keep this thread clean and tidy.  If the Comment thread gets above 500 replies, I'll probably start another.

Sincerely,
Sam Spade Murdoch
President and CEO of SAM News Corp.

[Sam Spade]

Established 1921

Daily Planet Staff
Editor (From The Daily Planet Editorial Board) - Perry White
National Correspondent (News Across Atlasia) - Clark Kent
Political Correspondent (Inside the Beltway) - Dirk Armstrong
Business Correspondent (Business Beat) - Lois Lane
Regional Correspondent (Regional Roundup) - Lola Barnett
Foreign Correspondent (Around the World with Jimmy Olsen) - Jimmy Olsen
Style Correspondent - Simone D'Neige
Sports Correspondent - Steve Lombard
Muckraker (My Thoughts) - Ron Troupe

[Sam Spade]

September 5, 2005

Breaking News

Hurricane Katrina strikes New Orleans, Gulf Coast
Category 4 storm packing 135 mph winds wallops region.
By Clark Kent

BATON ROUGE-- It was the one everyone feared, it was the one that was talked about for so very long.  It was "The Big One".

And on this Sunday morning and afternoon, day before Labor Day 2005, it piled upon the Mississippi and Louisiana coasts, leaving unprecedented destruction and horror in its wake. 

On Sunday afternoon, when the storm had finally passed, New Orleans thought that it had escaped the wrath of Katrina when the storm made an unexpected move towards the east, but later on in the day this early optimism was tempered by countless reports that the city was flooding, that its levees were breached, and that the whole of New Orleans was sinking back into the water it had so desperately held back for countless years beforehand.

The Superdome roof had been partially blown off in the storm and its residents seeking the gigantic structure as a "shelter of last resort" found no shelter there as night descended on a pitch-black city, absent communication and electricity.  Rumors of looting and violence have become commonplace from the dark city and from television reports and no one really knows what is going on in New Orleans due to the terrible communication problems.

The upper coasts of Mississippi, where the storm's eye finally made true landfall and Alabama were also totally devastated by the winds, the flooding and the deadly storm surge.  Reports are still unclear as to the extent of the destruction, but everyone fears the worst and for obvious reasons.

FEMA organizers have staged resources and supplies outside the city in Baton Rouge and upper Mississippi preparing for the massive aid and search-and-rescue effort that this disaster will require.   

FEMA head chief Mike Brown said in a press conference today, "I have personally requested $10 billion dollars to aid in an operation of this magnitude and scope.  All truth be told, we have no idea in the end how much this will cost, but this money will be a start."

Southeast Regional National Guard troops have begun pouring into the Louisiana area.  Even with the Gubernatorial election of the past weekend, roughly 7,000 National Guardsmen from Texas and Louisiana have taken positions on the outskirts and within New Orleans to handle the crisis on the orders of Lieutenant Governor Q.  It is unknown at this time as to whether more troops will be needed to aid in the disaster, preparations for moving such a force would take at least 24 to 48 hours at least.

It is widely expected that the President will issue disaster declarations for Louisiana, Mississippi and Alabama and perhaps even more states as the disaster widens.  It is also widely expected that President Siege40 will release some of the strategic oil reserves, as the damaging winds of Katrina have cut off nearly 20% of the United States oil refining capacity.

Stay tuned to The Daily Planet in these upcoming days for further news on this situation.

Atlasian Economic Situation Improves Slightly
Energy prices jump, but inflation declines
By Lois Lane

NYMAN -- New economic data released on Friday shows minor improvements for the Atlasian economy and greater hope for the near future, as Secretary Supersoulty's active engagement of Treasury Department activities have produced generally positive results.  The effects of Hurricane Katrina on the Atlasian economy are still unknown, but except for this roadbump things appear to be steadily improving on most fronts.

GDP grew by 1.6% this month, bringing the yearly GDP further into positive territory.  This increase reflected the resiliency of the housing market and growth in manufacturing sectors.  Unemployment also dropped to 5.8% and job hirings were up as well.

Inflation also declined to 2.5% for September, compared to last August's 3.8% number.  Most of this rise came from soaring energy costs, as other retail and wholesale costs remained steady.  Gasoline prices only last week hit $2.46 a gallon nationwide and are expected to go higher in the coming weeks due to the outages caused by Hurricane Katrina. 

Still hope appears to be on the way for a slight relief of high energy prices as three new refineries are planning to come online in the next six months, a result of the reorganization of the National Energy Act passed under the Third Senate and President John F. Kennedy.

The DOW has remained around the level of 8,000 and 8,500 throughout the month of August, mainly due to worries about rising gas prices, but also due to the fact that many stockbrokers, traders, investors and CEOs are out enjoying their vacations in the Hamptons.

Nevertheless, the Atlasian economy appears to be on the road to recovery economically, even after a few months which made even the rosiest of investors start shaking in their boots.

Planet Corporation Buy-Out in Progress
Former Senator-turned-Media Mogul heads investment group
By Dick Armstrong

We all knew it had to end sometime, didn't we?  Much like New Orleans disappeared from the face of the map, The Daily Planet was not going to last forever.  Or will it?

Sunday afternoon reports were confirmed that the Planet Corporation, parent company of this newspaper, PBC Network, Caulder Constituencies, Midgard News Services and more than a dozen media outlets and all its remaining stock options, was to be bought for a total of $15 billion dollars by an investment group headed by former Senator Sam Spade Murdoch (legal name change)  This price was one-third of the net overall worth of the company when it went public on the NYSE in July.

Mr. Spade Murdoch, head and CEO of the recently formed SAM News Corp. promised to revitalize flagging interest in the Planet Corporation's remaining media outlets and to bring worthwhile and breaking news to Atlasia's citizens through a whole host of outlets: television, radio, Internet and print.

Mr. Spade Murdoch said publicly today that decisions have not yet been made as to the future and scope of the Daily Planet, but the Midgard News Services and the Caulder Constituencies wings of The Planet Corporation will remain intact and functioning.   The Smudge Report will return as a primary source of leaking private information.  And the PBC Network will be re-named the SAM News Network and will host a variety of news programming, hard-hitting investigative journalism and pure tabloid trash.  Plans for a Sports and Entertainment Network are also in the works in the next few months.

In the past month, The Planet Corporation had fallen our hard times, as CEO and head flunkie John Ford took time away from the paper for vacation, as well as running for Governor of the Pacific Region.  Governor Ford was eventually successful in his race for governor and resigned as CEO of the corporation, causing a major drop in the stock of the company whose growth had been enormous during his run as CEO. 

Mr. Spade Murdoch's investment group saw enormous opportunity in this downturn and preceded to inquire as to buying-out controlling interest in the corporation, an inquiry which has resulted in the completion of the long-rumored deal today.

Please, Mr. Spade Murdoch, please don't fire us from the Planet.  I have a family of five to feed and I'm afraid that I'll be out on the street if you end my...

Sorry about that digression.  More on the news of this buyout tomorrow afternoon from The Daily Planet.

[Sam Spade]

***SMUDGE REPORT***

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Rumors have been flying around all over Nyman today that Senator Ebowed is set to "come out of the closet" Tuesday and announce to his citizens of the Southeast and Atlasia that "I am a gay Atlasian".

Some private observers have told the Smudge Report that Senator Ebowed intends on making this declaration in order to further cement a spot in FEC organization as Peter Bell's new bitch, replacing former bitch True Democrat/Independent.

Other observers have told this report that former Senator/former Governor//former Attorney General/former Southeast Lottery Commissioner/former dogcatcher/one-time Presidential candidate Harry is behind these rumors and there is no truth to them at all.

Developing...[/b]

[Sam Spade]

Midgard Wire Service

MEMPHIS -- Preliminary results of the Southeast Gubernatorial election held this weekend show Governor Bono leading with a margin of victory of 5 votes to 4 votes for Jake and 3 votes for Dubya.

[Sam Spade]

September 6, 2005

Federal Government Acts Quickly to Respond to Katrina Crisis

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First Federal and Regional Assistance Pours Into Affected Areas

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By Clark Kent

BATON ROUGE -- On Labor Day Monday 2005, the day after the storm, the floods and the breaks in the levees that were talked about and rumored came to pass.

Over 80% of the city of New Orleans is underwater and the breaches in the levees appear sizable.  One large breach, along the 17th Street Canal was seen by observers in helicopters today and the Army Corps of Engineers has been dispatched to figure out a way of closing the large hole in the wall of New Orleans letting the waters of Lake Poncehtrain flow free.

At the federal level, the Senate was set to pass an emergency appropriations bill of $10 billion dollars to handle the present funding of disaster relief on Tuesday or Wednesday.  President Siege also dispatched 56,000 National Guard troops to the Gulf Coast region, a gigantic force that will take time to assemble and transport.

Some were surprised at the "hyperactive" response of the federal government to matters normally controlled by local, state and regional authorities by sending such a large mass of federal National Guard troops, but by the end of the day Monday, this was proving to be more and more needed.

Violence and looting were reported in and around the New Orleans, as the local authorities and the National Guard troops stationed there reportedly could not control roving bands of gangs from taking control of certain areas of the city, especially those which had been ravaged by floodwaters.  Residents left behind by the flood are staying inside their homes, fearful for their lives.

Meanwhile, conditions at the Superdome, the "refuge of last resort" worsened, as what few supplies were provided at the beginning of the hurricane were gone and horrific conditions were described inside by National Guard troops stationed there. 

New Orleans authorities had also been directing residents to the New Orleans Convention Center, but FEMA supplies and buses to evacuate the city had been very slow to get there and the situation inside the convention center appeared to be worsening significantly as night fell across New Orleans Monday evening.

In general, FEMA supplies and aid have been getting to some areas of New Orleans, but in many cases the lack of communication and unprecedented destruction has made such transfers extremely slow.  Many are already complaining about FEMA's lackluster response to this effort, making the actions today by the President even more necessary.  Parishes further down in Louisiana are still without contact to local, state and federal authorities.

In a bit of good news, the Atlasian Coast Guard has been working round-the-clock to save the lives of those trapped by the rapid flooding of the levees.  So far it has been estimated that the Coast Guard has save 6,000 people through this work.

The first of 5,000 National Guard troops from the Southeast Region are expected to arrive in New Orleans and the surrounding areas late Tuesday, while the main brunt of the federal forces will be in the Region by mid-Wednesday at the earliest, under the command of Lt. General Russel Honore.

One of the things that has concerned officials regarding the transfers of aid and the movement of the Atlasian Red Cross into areas affected by Hurricane Katrina is the lack of security and order.  It is expected with the masses of federal troops to arrive in by Wednesday that this  security will be restored, but it is the hope that it can occur much earlier.

Meanwhile on the Mississippi and Alabama coasts, as the floodwaters receded, unprecedented damage and destruction lay in the wake of rescuers and residents of the coastal counties of these two states.  There have already been 100 confirmed dead in Mississippi and 10 confirmed dead in Alabama due to the destruction leveled out by Hurricane Katrina.

FEMA disaster supplies and aid have been slow to get into Mississippi as well, but less so in Alabama, as the destruction seems less widespread.

Some meterologists are already talking that a 30-foot storm surge hit coastal Mississippi around Gulfport.  Such a surge would make the coastal surge associated with Hurricane Camille of 22 feet pale in comparison.

Stay tuned to The Daily Planet tomorrow for more round-the-clock coverage of Hurricane Katrina.

SAM News Corp. Head Speaks Out on Buy-Out

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Daily Planet to Remain Key New Source of Atlasia, Minor Changes Implemented

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By Lois Lane

NEW YORK -- Former Senator-turned-media mogul Sam Spade Murdoch spoke today at a press conference given to announce the buyout of The Planet Corporation by SAM News Corp.

Much of the information at this press conference has already been reported in The Daily Planet yesterday, courtesy of Dick Armstrong.

But today Mr. Spade Murdoch added some new details, including plans for the future of The Daily Planet, as well as more information concerning the new SAM News Network (SAM).

The Daily Planet, Mr. Spade Murdoch said today, will continue to provide Atlasia with up-front, over-the-top new coverage.  All of the present staff and workers with The Daily Planet will continue in their present functions and Perry White will continue on as news editor of the 84-year old paper.

But there will be some additions, subtractions and wholesale changes.  Changes include making The Daily Planet into a bi-weekly paper, with editions coming out on Sunday and Thursday of every week of the year, with articles dealing on a whole host of topics, from International to National News, Senate and Regional News, Business News, Editorials and Sports and Entertainment Coverage.

Mr. Spade Murdoch also has plans to reassign muckraker Ron Troupe to cover gossip, rumors, good looking women and various tabloid trash in a section of the newspaper called Page 6 and 3/4.

In addition, Mr. Spade Murdoch commented on the new SAM News Network, which is scheduled to start broadcasting two weeks from today.

The Network will contain various news and tabloid stars from various different networks who Mr. Spade Murdoch has brought to the SAM News Network in order to form, as he calls it, "The Most Powerful Name in News and Atlasia Too, Biatch."

Rumors of those who could appear on the SAM News Network include one-time television talk show host "Whorealdo", political talking head morons Sean Insannity and Alan Dumbes, and "Softball" host Chris "Full of Hot Air" Matthews, among others.

Mr. Spade Murdoch also said the slogan of the SAM News Network would be "We Decide and You Better Listen," which seems to set the tone that this hard-hitting and compelling news organization will strive to achieve.

[Sam Spade]

Midgard Wire Service

MEMPHIS -- Final results of the Southeast Gubernatorial election held this weekend show Governor Bono re-elected with a margin of victory of 7 votes to 5 votes for Dubya and 4 votes for Jake.

[Sam Spade]

September 7, 2005

Hurricane Katrina: Day 3

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Senate Passes $10 Billion Appropriations Bill, Situation Worsens in New Orleans

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By Clark Kent

BATON ROUGE -- 48 hours after Hurricane Katrina both good news and bad news filled the airwaves, and the specter of mass death was warned to the nation by the Mayor of New Orleans.

First, for the good news:  The Senate today quickly passed a $10 Billion dollar appropriations bill to be set aside for disaster relief and help.  Opposition to the bill was non-existant, and it passed easily with no objections or amendments.  President Siege40 has not yet signed the legislation, but will do so by Wednesday probably.

This bill also included a temporary suspension of the gas tax, a move that surprised some observers, as did the lack of a move by the President to release any of the Strategic Oil Reserve in order to counteract gas shortages. 

Shortages have occurred in certain parts of the Southeast, where the Colonial Pipeline was seeverely impacted by Katrina.  However, the pipeline is being repaired and should be running to capacity in a few days.  Oil today moved to $71.04 a barrel, and average gas prices edged above to $2.70 mark today as well, though analysts expect this to drop in the upcoming days, as more refining capacity comes back online.

The State of Texas also came up big with some good news today.  The Mayor of Houston, as well as Regional Government have talked with Louisiana authorities on moving those who are presently sheltered at the Superdome in New Orleans to the Astrodome in Houston, Texas.

Now for the bad news:  The situation today at the Superdome considerably worsened, as lack of food, running water and electricity reared its ugly head.  Assistance from the federal government was sparse and minimal and the state and local governments did just about as much.  Reports of looting, rapes and murders are still commonplace from the Superdome, as day 3 ends on this horrible catastrophe.

The situation at the New Orleans Convention Center could be described as much more terribly worse, if such a term could be used.  Children and elderly could be seen suffering without food and water and violence was reported inside the walls of the center.  Federal aid and troops were also incredibly slow in getting there, something not lost on FEMA chief Mike Brown, who was lambasted today by the various press outfits during his daily press conference. 

Violence also worsened within New Orleans itself, as local authorities seemed totally unequipped for the roving gangs terrorizing those members of the city still unfortunate enough to be there.  Federal troops seemed to also be slow in arriving, but Lt. General Russel Honore, head of the Task Force said, "We can't come no faster and I ain't BSing you either."  The first of the federal troops started arriving late Tuesday, and the bulk of the first 20,000 National Guard are expected to arrive Wednesday.

Meanwhile in Mississippi, survivors from Hurricane Katrina were also complaining about the federal response through FEMA, but less so.  Many roads were still impassable as of Tuesday and many places were still unreachable except by helicopter.  The death toll in Mississippi rose to 157 dead, officially, as of late Tuesday.  The death toll in Louisiana is unknown right now, but officials are worried that it might reach into the thousands.  Mayor Ray Nagin of New Orleans warned that the total could reach 10,000 from Louisiana alone, certainly a horrible thought if true.

The Daily Planet's 24 hour coverage of this disaster will continue this evening and for the forseeable future ahead.

Army Corps of Engineers Prepare For Massive Effort

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Three Levee Breaches To Be Repaired by Using Sandbags

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By Lois Lane

BATON ROUGE -- The Army Corps of Engineers, responsible for the massive levee and pump system that surrounds the bowl that is New Orleans, are working round-the-clock to repair the major breaches in the levee system that have caused the flooding of New Orleans.

In mind is an air-drop of countless one and one and a half-ton bags of sand over the breaches until the sandbags form a temporary hold against the water coming into New Orleans.  Then, officials can start using the pump system to pump the water slowly out of New Orleans back into Lake Ponchetrain, as they would have before the flood.

Sensing the opportunity for political influence, the Corps of Engineers have been using this instance of grave national catastrophe to press their importance to federal government in the wake of proposed cuts that would eliminate the Corps of Engineers entirely.

Chief of Engineers Carl Strock said yesterday, "We hope that Hurricane Katrina and its aftermath will give pause to the Siege administration and the Senate and their necessary desire to reduce federal expenditures by eliminating the Army Corps of Engineers.  Without such expenditures, it would undoubtedly be the case that the City of New Orleans would take many more months to be unflooded than it presently is, and the calm simple fact of the matter is that the City of New Orleans might never return to the face of this earth."

The Corps of Engineers expects it to take 3 to 4 weeks to fix the breaches in the levee system and perhaps another 3 to 4 weeks to pump the water out of the city.  CoE Strock also said Tuesday that he is hopeful that this timeplan can be speeded up as soon as the city of New Orleans is secure and his engineers can get to work on the levees.

Senate Starts Ninth Session

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Changing Character of the Senate Influences Legislation Proposed

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By Dick Armstrong

NYMAN --  The Senate began its Ninth Session on Friday with many new faces, some old faces, new ideas and some regurgitated plans in the wake of a new leadership.

First off, the Senate proceeded to immediately pass the Hurricane Katrina relief effort of $10 billion, though President Siege40 has not yet signed the legislation.  The Senate also moved quickly to elect a new PPT.  Colin Wixted was elected by unanimous vote, as Senator Gabu influential 8 months as PPT forbade him from running again as per Senate rules.

Legislation on tap for the Senate includes a bill to protect gun manufacturers from criminal lawsuits, a bill to remove the official sanction of the Pledge of Allegiance, which has infuriated various Christian and patriotic groups across Atlasia, a bill to reform Social Security by denying benefits to those who make above $75,000 and a trial bill on reforming Social Security, among other pieces of legislation.

Most of this legislation is expected to pass, except for the bill to reform Social Security by denying benefits to those who make above $75,000, which has been reported as being likely to fail.

[Sam Spade]

September 8, 2005

Hurricane Katrina: Day 4
(Atlasia's Challenge)

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20,000 Federal Troops Pour Into New Orleans, Mass Evacuation Begins

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By Clark Kent

BATON ROUGE -- 72 hours into the largest disaster that has ever hit the Republic of Atlasia, the people of this fair country may finally be seeing the glint of a possibility of light at the end of a very dark tunnel.

On Wednesday afternoon, roughly about 1:00 PM in the afternoon, National Guard troops began pouring into New Orleans, and along with them followed massive supplies of food and aid to reach those citizens who were in greatest need and suffering.  By the end of the day, there were nearly 15,000 troops in the New Orleans area, with many more expected to arrive tomorrow.

Those residents who needed the most help lay in wait at the New Orleans Convention Center.  For two whole days, they had barely gotten any of the bare essentials needed to survive.  But in the afternoon of today on Wednesday, the military arrived ready and willing to go.  Trash was piled all up around the Convention Center and people were living in the worst of situations. 

But that did not stop them from being grateful that their lives had been saved, even through the atrocious conditions that had to endure for nearly 72 hours.  In this situation, the military appeared to pick up from where local, regional and national authorities had not done their jobs and aid was distributed throughout the affected areas.

Meanwhile, the planned evacuation of those refugees at the Superdome, Convention Center and all across New Orleans began in earnest today.  It is estimated that already at this very hour, 25,000 refugees are in Texas, many housed at Houston's Astrodome and another 25,000 are residing in the city of Baton Rouge alone.  These numbers are expected to massively increase into the hundreds of thousands over the next couple of days, as residents are moved on mass out of flooded New Orleans and to higher and safer ground.

In Mississippi, the death toll has increased to 175 people.  Eleven people are known dead in Alabama.  So far Louisiana has only reported 35 dead, but these numbers are expected to increase exponentially as the days and weeks move ahead and the terrible toll of recovering bodies begins.  Nearly 1,500,000 residents are still without power at this present time.

The only questions raised on this hopeful day was one in Nyman.  President Siege40 had, by the end of Wednesday, not yet signed into law the disaster aid package so needed by workers in this region.  Emergency officials said that they had enough money left from former funding to provide relief for three more days, but after that, the delay in appropriations could really hamper efforts on the ground.

But even as the death toll rises and governmental bureaucracy hinders recovery efforts, a glimmer of hope has certainly shown upon the people of this troubled Region, a glimmer of hope that will hopefully shine large rays of light in the upcoming days ahead.

Stay tuned tomorrow to The Daily Planet for more coverage on this disaster of a lifetime.

[Sam Spade]

September 8, 2005
Late Edition

Candidates Announce Presidential Run

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Emsworth and Jake Join Field

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By Dick Armstrong

NYMAN -- On Wednesday, the Atlasian Presidential Race in October gained two candidates, adding to the candidate already there, LiberalPA and his VP pick EarlAW.  Both new candidates clearly appeal to radically different sides of the political spectrum.

Many rumors had been passing through Nyman circles in the past few days that with President Siege not running for re-election, Vice-President Emsworth would throw his hat into the proverbial ring.

Wednesday, this rumor became truth, as Emsworth announced his candidacy to a crowd in Nyman.  In his first campaign speech, he said, "I promise that, if elected, I will be an active leader, rather than a figurehead. I will not content myself with making appointments, and doing little else: on the contrary, I intend to be a full partner in the process of lawmaking and in the government."

It is unclear who VP Emsworth will pick as his running mate, though one would expect a candidate from the Independent Liberal Party or the libertarian-leaning Constitutional Union Party, in order to attract the support of Libertarians of all stripes, shades and colors.

Being chairman of the powerful Independent Liberal Party and Vice-President will certain allay the fears of those worrying about qualifications for President and will also certainly start off with a solid voter base.  Some though, fear that he represents the type of Nyman insider that this citizenry, mainly non-governmental types, may react against.

Also announcing a run for President today was Jake of the Christian Democrat Party.  Jake did not have any comments for the press on his proposed run, though it is certain he will be able to gain the votes of those with more conservative social beliefs.  One question is how his actions in the Civil War Crisis of the summer months will impact his candidacy.

In these next few weeks, as the campaign process begins and flowers, stay with The Daily Planet for full coverage of

Campaign:  Atlasia October 2005.

President Siege40 Signs Katrina Relief Bill

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Protection of Right to Bear Arms Bill Also Signed On Busy Day

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By Lois Lane

NYMAN -- After nearly 2 days of preparations, Siege40 signed into law the $10 billion Hurricane Katrina Relief Act, which provides emergency agencies with federal aid to conduct their relief and resue operations along the Gulf Coast.  FEMA officials and local and state organizations are extremely pleased with the response, as they continue with the momentous project of evacuating those still trapped in the New Orleans floodwaters.

However, with this momentous signing, there are more worries today that this $10 billion dollars might be a drop in the bucket compared to what will be needed soon to fix the disaster-torn Region.

Some experts have started to forecast that as much as $100 billion dollars might be needed in the federal aid and recovery efforts.  There are also strong warnings that Hurricane Katrina might pose a bigger threat to the economy than first thought, as it tries to recover from the rather disastrous economic reports of the summer months and the threat of Civil War.

Today, President Siege40 also signed the Protection of the Right to Bear Arms Act, which protects gun makers and manufacturers from lawsuits and liability in cases of use of such weapons.  It also provides concealed carry laws to the Nyman District, long haven to gun control advocates everywhere.

The Chairman of the Atlasian NRA and CEO of this company praised the Senate for its actions today, calling it, "...a day when the citizens of Atlasia win and those bureaucrats and lawyers who wish to sue and eventually control our right to bear arms lose bigtime..."

A spokesman for Brady Campaign To Prevent Gun Violence also spoke to the Daily Planet, saying, "Today represents another horrible day in the history of Atlasia, when more innocent children will die due to prevalence and use of guns, and now their grieving parents won't even be able to get their day in court for the crimes that those who manufacture guns have committed against their children."

Trial lawyers all across Atlasia were also reported as being very saddened today.

[Sam Spade]

*AD* (REPRINT)

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First printed March 4, 2005 here.

Want your voice heard?  Want to be published?  Want to make a name for yourself in Atlasian politics?

Then submit and Editorial to the Daily Planet Editorial Board by PMing our CEO.  Only the best editorials will be selected from the general public.  If you're a candidate for office and want to make the case for your candidacy, a government official trying to sell a policy, a public figure defending themselves from accusations of scandal, or just a citizen with something to say, PM the CEO and try to get published on Atlasia's best editorial page!

[Sam Spade]

Midgard Wire Service

MEMPHIS -- Governor Bono has appointed Lieutenant Governor Q to fill the Southeast Regional Senate seat for the rest of the term.

[Sam Spade]

September 10, 2005

Hundreds of Thousands Evacuated From New Orleans

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On Fifth Day of Storm Aftermath, Feds Take Charge And It Shows

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By Clark Kent

NYMAN -- Finally, on Thursday and Friday, nearly 96 hours after Hurricane Katrina made landfall on Louisiana, bringing death and destruction to countless households all across the Gulf Coast, hope was finally arriving.  It was arriving in the form of the Atlasian military.

After spending countless hours in a tormentuous hell, the refugees of New Orleans, clinging onto their lives in both the Superdome and the Convention Center, were finally all moved from those deep, dark places of torture and suffering into Texas, Louisiana and other surrounding states.

Nearly 15,000 of those individuals found there home in Houston, Texas' own Astrodome, where accomodations were infinitessimally times better than the horror that the experienced in New Orleans.  With the military now in charge, not only was the city of New Orleans under control, but things seemed to be running better all around.  Food, water and medical aid were getting to those who needed it, and rescue teams worked around the clock to get those residents still residing in New Orleans out of the city and to shelters in the surrounding areas.

Today, the Army Corps of Engineers was finally able to get to the levee breaches and start work on repairs to pump all the flood water out of the city.  Although some looters were still around, National Guard and federal troops kept those Engineers and the aid workers in New Orleans safe from the looters' fiendish activities.

It is estimated that there are now 45,000 National Guard troops working in and around the whole Gulf Coast.  In comparison to the first three days of this disaster, the order encompassing the city over the past couple of days has felt like a calm after a restful, tempestuous storm.

The death in Mississippi grew closer to 200 today, as officially 186 people are now confirmed dead from Hurrican Katrina.  In Louisiana, the totals were much more vague, but in the upcoming days, as the flood waters are drained, the residents are evacuated, and search teams can survey the flood damage and the body count, the death totals are sure to grow enormously.

On another note, President Siege40 announced today that he will release some of the Strategic Oil Reserve, though exact numbers are unclear at this time.  This is certain to help with some of the gas shortages that have afflicted the country these past few days.  Oil prices today finished down slightly, down 50 cents to $69.97 a barrel.  The DOW rose strongly today, however, finishing at 8221.56, up 75 points from yesterday because of anticipated growth in the aftermath of Katrina, and also on the President's announcement.

"Don't Ask Don't Tell" No More

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Gay and Civil Rights Groups Pleased, Military Groups Angered

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By Lois Lane

NYMAN -- Today, amidst the minutes, hours and days of round-the clock Katrina coverage, the last bill passed by the Eighth Senate came into effect, as Secretary of Defense Ben Meyers announced to reporters at a press conference today, that the so-called "Abolition of Discrimination in the Military Act" was now in effect for the Atlasian military.

Civil and gay rights groups, such as the PFLAG (Parents, Friends and Family of Lesbians and Gays" and the ACLU, praised the move by the Senate and the President finalized today. 

Jody Huckaby, PFLAG's executive director, said today that, "This legislation stands as a further step in the right direction towards equality in all public institutions for all individuals.  We hope this liberalization of social beliefs will soon extend to all spheres to totally protect people regardless of sexual orientation, including such laws as hate crime legislation and harassment laws." 

This bill comes on the heels of legislation proposed by and passed by the Senate and the President to eliminate marriage as a legal institution and legalize civil unions for all.  Many gay and civil rights groups were pleased with the legislation, but hoped that government would forbid religious institutions from potentially discriminating marriage rights to certain individuals.

Other groups, however, were outraged by today's announcements by the Secretary of Defense.  Chief among them were the leaders of the VFW (Veterans of Foreign Wars) and the American Legion.

Thomas L. Bock, National Commander of the American Legion, said today, "This legislation once again shows the moral decadence and decrepitude of the Siege40 administration and their general lack of understanding into how to run a military properly.  Not only will this bill weaken the Atlasian Armed Forces morale and their will to fight by bringing sexual tensions out in the open, it stands the potential to decrease recruitment numbers by encouraging those who do not wish to be in such an environment to avoid joining our military."

Some generals in the Atlasian Armed Forces were already heard privately to be voicing their displeasure at this bill and its consequences, but as for the moment, none have seemed willing to make their displeasure known out in the open.

On a more amusing note, Fred Phelps, founder of the site www.GodHatesFags.com, had a message up on his website today, saying:

"God will send hail, fire and acid rain down upon those sodomites who presently inhabit their gay orgy houses in the White House.  I happen to believe that the whole Senate and the Presidency are composed of fags, fags and more fags.  God will smite them down, down to the deepest pit of Hell, so they can sit near Satan, their Lord, for what they have done to Atlasia and to everyone within it."

Clearly, Mr. Phelps is a lunatic and is to be ignored.

[Sam Spade]

Midgard Wire Service

CRAWFORD -- Former Southeast Governor Dubya announces his intentions to run for President, making four announced candidates with the field (LiberalPA, Emsworth, Jake and Dubya), and possibly a fifth (Mr. Hobbes).

[Sam Spade]

September 12, 2005

Evacuation From New Orleans Nearly Complete

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Next Step On Mission:  Recovery and Rebuilding

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By Clark Kent

NEW ORLEANS -- Nearly one week after one of the most deadly and potentially the most costliest storms to ever hit the Atlasian coast landed, much has been done, but much is still left to be done also.

The past two days have seen an immense number of refugees leaving the city of New Orleans by plane, boat, bus or any means possible to refugee centers all across the Gulf Coast states and Atlasia.  It is estimated that there are right now, probably only 25,000 residents left in the city, who will be evacuated over the next few days.  Over 60,000 National Guard and federal troops have taken control of the city and over a certain amount of the relief operations.  Looting and various other crimes have become relatively rare.

Meanwhile, some of those who have still not gotten out of the flooded conditions continue to be airlifted to safety.  As each day passes, the waters that presently cover New Orleans are getting more and more toxic and this paper, along with all authorities urges all residents to heed the calls of evacuations and leave.

The Army Corps of Engineers have been working round-the-clock to fix the levee breaches along the canals which pump water out of New Orleans into Lake Ponchetrain.  Some officials with the engineers have been privately gripping to the press that the Siege40 administration and the Senate have ignored their calls to restore funding to the Corps.  It is unknown whether this dissatisfaction will impact the Corps' response effort; right now they seem to be on pace to repair at least one, maybe two of the levees in the next couple of days.

The Siege40 administration publicly announced the release today of 10 million barrels of oil from the Strategic Oil Reserve to aid potential shortfalls in refinery production due to Katrina.  Nearly 75% of the Colonial Pipeline, the main pipeline delivering oil to Eastern Atlasia is back up and functioning; oil producers have also said that refinery damage along the Gulf Coast is not as bad as they first anticipated.  On these notes, preliminary oil futures are trading below $68 a barrel in before-hours trading.

Also, President Siege40 announced today that he intends on touring the hardest hit areas of the Gulf Region on Monday, though the specifics as to this travel plan still remain up in the air.  He is also expected to be planning over the next few days an additional supplementary appropriations bill to cover the next stage of expenses dealing with the relief and recovery mission throughout the region, as well as rebuilding plans.

Elimination of Pledge of Allegiance Becomes Law

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Atheists, Libertarians Win Senate Battle

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By Dick Armstrong

Nearly 113 years after being written for a popular children's magazine, the President signed a law today that would make the pledge no longer officially sanctioned by the Republic of Atlasia.

Atheists and civil libertarians were at the forefront of making this law a reality, as both Senator Ebowed and Vice-President Emsworth placed it at the forefront of their legislative agenda, and with passionate debate along with some strong-arm tactics passed the legislation which only a month before seemed doomed to failure.

The pledge has an interesting history.  Originally written by socialist author and Baptist minister Francis Bellamy in 1892, the original pledge stood different than today's pledge by a few words.  It read:

I pledge allegiance to my Flag and the Republic for which it stands, one nation indivisible, with liberty and justice for all.

Later on, in 1923, the National Flag Conference changed the wording of the pledge slightly, by replacing my Flag to the Flag of the Republic of Atlasia (United States of America).  In 1942, the Republic of Atlasia officially recognized the Pledge.

Only in 1954, the Roman Catholic Knights of Columbus pushed and got passed by the Senate the words under God to be included within the pledge to differentiate the religious Republic of Atlasia (United States) from the atheistic Soviet Union.  Since then, many court cases have been fought and tried under the banner of removing the words under God from the pledge or removing the didactic nature of the Pledge, but all have failed.

That was, until Sunday.  Times have changed.

At first, VP Emsworth, the original author of the legislation, wanted to reduce the pledge to the 1923 wording, but only afterwards realized that more support existed for removal of the pledge altogether.

And so the Pledge is gone now from national sanction.

Certain citizens praised the legislation today.  Former Senator Akno21 called it a great day for Atlasia.

The ACLU called it "a victory for free-thinking citizens, for liberty and freedom within the great land of Atlasia.  No longer will any child be taught to give his or her allegiance to the country by our public schools and this is certainly welcome news to all Atlasians"

Other citizens seemed not quite as happy.  Senator Masterjedi, a constant and nagging foe of the legislation, could not be reached for comment today, but it is certain that he was not please. 

Certain religious groups were also not happy in their comments today, in addition to various patriotic and military groups.  Some of these groups were already angry with the "Abolition of Discrimination in the Military Act" and vowed to fight back, although it seems unclear how they will do so.

Questions still remain in certain areas. 

A few states, Texas being a good example, still have pledges of allegiance to the state flag sanctioned by their respective governments in effect.  No regional initiatives or legal interdictions have been filed on behalf of those pledges, so they will likely still remain in effect, though for how long is unknown.

[Sam Spade]

Daily Planet Candidate Tracker - October 2005

October 2005

President/Vice-President
Dubya (ACA-TX)/Htmldon (U-TN)
Emsworth (IL-NV)/Q (U-GA)
Jesus (JC-WA)/Lewis Trondheim (SD-NM)
Joe Republic (I-OH)/Defarge (IL-NY)
King (U-MA)/
Mike Naso (ACA-OH)/
LiberalPA (SD-PA)/Skybridge (I-MI)
Supersoulty (CD-PA)/Frodo (CD-VA)

Mideast Senate
Akno21 (SD-MD)
Masterjedi (ACA-WI)

Midwest Senate
Cheesewhiz (AMRLP-MT)
DanielX (ACA-WY)

Northeast Senate
Colin Wixted (U-PA)
Kevin (UR-PA)

Pacific Senate
Hughento (I-OR)
True Independent (U-WA)

Southeast Senate
Jake (CD-MS)
ThePrezMex (U-TX)

Northeast Governor
Keystone Phil (ACA-PA)/King (U-MA)
EarlAW (SD-NY)/Max Power (U-PA)

Southeast Governor
Bono (I-SC)
TCash101 (IL-TN)

[Sam Spade]

Midgard Wire Service

LOS ANGELES -- Lt. Governor Mr. Hobbes announces his resignation.  No reason has been given as to this turn of events.

Also, today former Governor Wildcard announced that he will not run for President in October, leaving the Constitutional Union Party still without a potential Presidential pick.

[Sam Spade]

Midgard Wire Service

NYMAN -- Reforming Social Security Act signed into law by President Siege40 today.

[Sam Spade]

Midgard Wire Services

BAGHDAD -- Nearly 200 dead, 600 wounded in 12 suicide bombings across Iraq today. 

Al-Qaida henchman Abu Musab Al-Zarqawi claims responsibility for the attacks, declaring an "all-out war" on Shiite Muslims, Iraqi troops and the provisional government. 

Iraqi government issues statement to remain calm and strong, and vows to weather the insurgent storm.

[Sam Spade]

September 15, 2005

President Siege40 Visits Battered Gulf Coast

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Promises Relief and Rebuilding of Gulf Coast Area

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By Clark Kent

NEW ORLEANS -- On Monday, nearly one week after Hurricane Katrina dealt a powerful to the Atlasian Gulf Coast, President Siege40 made a tour of the affected areas, along with Southeast Governor Bono and Mayor of New Orleans Ray Nagin.

Together, they surveyed the destruction in Mobile, Alabama, Gulfport, Mississippi and finally took an aerial tour around the flooded-out city of New Orleans.  President Siege40 remarked that the destruction was "absolutely unimaginable, terrifying to the extreme."

In other comments later in the day, Siege40 also promised continued relief and recovery efforts in the region and also said, "The city of New Orleans, along with the areas of Mississippi and Alabama will be reconstructed and rebuilt and they will come back greater than ever."

As the past couple of days have passed however, worried economists for the Treasury Department are just wondering how much it will take to rebuild New Orleans and the surrounding Gulf Coast areas.  With a budget deficit of over $400 billion already in place and budgetary caps implemented that require the deficit to be in the range of $200 billion, the added strain of the Katrina storm is expected to make further spending cuts a reality, potentially tax increases also.

Early estimates have said that it could take anywhere between $100 to $200 billion dollars from the federal government to fund rebuilding efforts along the Gulf Coast.  FEMA chief Mike Brown has already requested another $40 billion dollars to assist with the evacuation, relocation and housing efforts already and more may be needed in the upcoming weeks and months for the reconstruction of the western Gulf Coast.

In other news on the Katrina front today, the Army Corps of Engineers has hit a minor snag in the levees project.  They have been able to plug up the 17th street levee breach with sandbag drops, but have run up to more considerable problems with other levees and the sandbag breach control project.  They are expected to have the problem fixed within a couple of days, but it still might be a week before the pumps start running closer to full capacity.  As of right now, still 75% of New Orleans is still underwater.

Even as of today, people were still being rescued from their flooded out homes in New Orleans.  Those unfortunate enough to still be in the aftermath of the storm were rushed to medical facilities, checked for potential diseases and moved to evacuation shelters in other states.  As of right now, Texas has nearly 250,000 evacuees and the population of Baton Rouge has nearly doubled, to give a hint of exactly how many people have been displaced.

Over 700,000 people a still without power in the Region.  However, oil prices today fell to $65.78 a barrel, down nearly $6.00 from their height a week ago.  This should help relieve the pains of other consumers around the country in the next few days, as well as the battered Gulf Coast.

Nearly 60 Countries Donating Aid to Atlasian Government

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Qatar, United Arab Emirates Lead Totals, France Contributes Nothing

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By Jimmy Olsen

NYMAN -- Around 8 months ago, an event happened in the eastern Indian Ocean that killed nearly 250,000 people and caused billions of dollars worth of damage.  It was called the "tsunami of the ages" and the Atlasian government and people donated nearly $2 billion dollars to help in the relief, recovery and rebuilding missions of rescue workers in that area of the world.

Now, in September 2005, Atlasia has had its "tsunami", destroying hundreds of thousands of homes and businesses, leaving countless thousands dead and many more without a place to live.  Who is helping us in our time of need and who is giving to us after the many years of Atlasia being so generous with the world.

Today, the State Department released preliminary figures showing who was "naughty" and who was "nice", so to speak and for many in the Atlasian political circles, some of these names came as a shock.  Nearly $400 million dollars has been donated by nearly 50 countries, on top of the $750 million dollars already donated by Atlasian citizens and companies

Among all countries, Middle Eastern countries Qatar and the United Arab Emirates top the list, even though just a few months ago then-Secretary of State, now President Siege40 decided to impose trade and military sanctions on both nations. 

The ambassador of Qatar to Atlasia said yesterday that the excellent work and concillitory nature of current-Secretary of State WMS had helped influence their decision to give to Atlasia in this time of time.  No official from the United Arab Emirates could be reached for comment yesterday.

Among developed nations, constant friend in the War on Terror Australia led the list with nearly $25 million dollars contributed, with Germany second on the list with $5 million dollars contributed, as well as various rescue teams and water purification technicians.

Notable for the absence on the list were Great Britain and France.  Spokesmen for the British government could not be reached, however one official said that aid would be arriving, just not at this present time.

France was perhaps a more predictable absence.  The Siege40 administration and Secretary of State WMS have been harsh in their critiques of France for France's colonial actions in the Ivory Coast as well as their intrasigence in the Iraq War.  Their steadfastness in keeping partial economic and military restrictions on France has also antagonized the relationship. 

Lately, it has been rumored that French officials soon plan to implement their own military and economic restrictions against Atlasia and are looking for willing partners in the EU to join in this trade war against Atlasian interests.  Still, as of this time, nothing has developed on these fronts.

Over the next weeks, it will be interesting to see, as the State Department releases further figures, who really supports Atlasia in her time of need and who continues to hold out.

New Al-Qaeda Tape Threatens West

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Promises Death and Destruction to Godless Infidels

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By Lois Lane

On Tuesday, as Atlasia still recovers from the shock of Hurricane Katrina, a purported Al Qaeda tape was released on Al-Jazeera all across the Arab world.  In it, the group's #2 leader, Ayman al-Zawahiri, threatened Western nations still in Iraq and all across the world, especially those who have been vigilant against Muslim extremists.

This videotape comes nearly 4 years after the group's high point, the attacks on the World Trade Center and on the Pentagon.  The significance of the times was not lost on al-Zawahiri.

In the 45-minute long address, he threatened Western nations, specifically Atlasia and Australia with "terrible acts of violence" and that "their streets would fill with blood and terror".  He also referred back to the attacks on London and Madrid conducted in the past two years and said that, "Terror will be spread all over the world.  No one can escape its tortuous tenaticles or run from the power of our violence."

He also specifically threatened Coalition forces in Iraq with failure of enormous proportions and mass deaths saying that, "No infidel in Iraq and any other field in battle is safe from the power and judgment of Allah."

In a strange twist compared to normal Al-Qaeda tapes, Al-Zawahiri also referred to the liberalization of social laws presently occurring in the Atlasian government, saying "Our enemies wish to destroy the laws of Allah and wish to spread decadence and evil throughout the world.  Those in the west, especially in Atlasia, who have allowed those who sin and disobey the rules of Allah to fight in battle will most surely face defeat among the might and power of our fighters."

Al-Qaeda experts in the Defense and State Departments are attempting to figure out the true meaning of Al-Zawahiri's words, and are hoping to ascertain signals as to future attacks from these unspeakable words against the West and against Atlasia.

[Sam Spade]

Midgard Wire Service

COLLEGE PARK -- Reports on the Mideast Gubernatorial Race have totals tied at 4 apiece for 9iron and Dean, with 0 votes going to RBH.

Roughly 24 hours still remain in the contest.

[Sam Spade]

September 18, 2005

National

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Rescue and Recovery Almost Complete In Areas Affected by Katrina

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Draining, Repopulation and Rebuilding Efforts To Start Next

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By Clark Kent

NEW ORLEANS --  Two weeks after Hurricane Katrina struck the Louisiana, Mississippi and Alabama coasts, most, if not all of the rescue efforts are now completed.  What remains now is the painful recovery work, draining of the city of New Orleans and finally rebuilding of the formerly great city.

The death toll, however unfortunate, continues to rise.  Over 200 people are dead from the storm in Mississippi and thousands more are expected to be found dead in New Orleans when the flood waters are pumped out enough for the search groups to head on in.  Coast Guard and military officials are expected to make their first rounds checking for fatalities in the next couple of days.

Army Corps of Engineers workers are also trying feveriously to fix the final breaches in the levees and hope to be getting most of the pumps designed to pump water out of the city working in the next week.  Already, flood waters are down to covering 70% of the New Orleans area and the Engineers hope that they can reduce that figure to 50% in a week or two.  All told, they expect it to be another 6-8 weeks before all of the water is pumped out of the city thoroughly.

Oil continues to drop and supply lines are now coming back together to fix any shortages in gas that might have occurred over the past couple of weeks.  Offshore oil platforms are now back up to 70% of capacity and officials hope to have all platforms back up and running in a few months.

Meanwhile, the estimates of the costs necessary to fix the damage left in the wake of Katrina continue to skyrocket.  Nearly 400,000 people have been left without jobs, nearly 1,000,000 are without homes or can't get to them at all. 

The estimated costs needed to repair and rebuild the New Orleans area also continue to skyrocket.  Most experts think that it will take between $150-$200 billion dollars from the federal government, on top of the $10 billion already spent, to fully rebuild the area.  FEMA and state funds are expected to run out by the end of the month, which will necessitate another emergency appropriations bill in the Senate very soon.

In a bit of good news, evacuees housed at various shelters continue to move out of the cramped conditions, either in Louisiana or Texas, and into houses with friends, family, generous strangers or new apartments with potential job prospects.  It is widely expected that in the next few weeks, the numbers of people at these shelters will decline dramatically, easing the burden on the state and local governments that have been housing the victims.

Ever since visiting the region on Monday, President Siege40 has been rather quiet on his plans in dealing with the Gulf Coast catastrophe.  While some believe that he is just working out the finer details of the recovery, some criticism has already come from certain individuals towards his handling of the matter, most specifically from members of the African-American community, such as Jesse Jackson and the Rev. Al Sharpton, who have said that President Siege40, "seems to be out-of touch with those issues that affect the poor and downtrodden within our midst."

No comment could be reached from White House officials today.

International

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France, Spain Announce Trade Sanctions Against Atlasia

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Nations Vow To Strong Pact Against "Atlasian Snobbery"

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By Jimmy Olsen

PARIS -- In a move that has long been feared by investors, economists and businessmen, French Prime Minister Jacques Chirac announced today in a joint news conference with Prime Minister Juan Luis Rodriguez Zapatero partial economic and military trade sanctions against Atlasia for its actions against France in the past few months.

"The direct result of this action", said Prime Minister Chirac, "was the caustic snobbery of the Atlasian government and the way they have treated France and Spain with utter disdain over the past years.  The final imposition of partial economic and military sanctions by Atlasia against a friend and defender of Atlasia was the last straw in our minds."

Increased tariffs and duties will also be placed on all French and Spanish goods and services directed towards Atlasia not affected by the partial economic restrictions set in place by this agreement.  In the agreement, France and Spain also agreed to strengthen their joint military alliance in the region.

EU leaders could not be commented for response to these actions, though English, Danish and Polish dignitaries replied with a strong condemnation of the actions by the two countries.  Other European countries remained silent as well on the announcement.  On the other hand, Cuban President Fidel Castro and Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez issued strong support for the actions by the French and Spanish leaders.

It is expected that these sanctions, added to an already more antagonistic Atlasia in world affairs could potentially slow the trade of goods and services globally leading to smaller economic growth in Atlasia and potentially a worldwide recession.  Preliminary trading on the NYSE showed stocks already falling nearly 75 points in pre-dawn trading.

Of greater concern were rumors that had been passed around various journalistic and political circles that the PR of China had considered joining the French-Spanish actions, but had declined because of potential actions to be taken by the Atlasian government in the future.

Other rumors were also passed around these various circles that the PR of China was really just waiting to see how effective the French-Spanish actions would be before deciding to join.  Even more rumors said that these rumors were just rumors and that China had no intention at all of joining the pact, considering her great economic co-dependence with Atlasia.

To be sure, the Atlasian economy will be on edge this week, as the unknown effects of the reconstituting of trade tariffs, levies and potential sanctions rear their head.

Senate

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Treasury Policy Review, Regional Quarters Bill Passes Senate

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Strong Debates on CAFTA and Taiwanese Defense Act Repeal in the Week Ahead

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By Dick Armstrong

NYMAN --  This week two new pieces of legislation were passed into law and signed by President Siege40.  Two controversial bills will come before the Senate this week and debate seems intense on both fronts.

First, for the enacted legislation.  This week, the Treasury Policy Review Act was passed by the Senate and signed by the President.  Among other powers, this act gives the Secretary of the Treasury the power to draft monetary and fiscal policy (taking these powers away from the Federal Reserve) and makes the Treasury Policy Review the official policy of Atlasia.

Political observers claim this was much-needed legislation.  Although Treasury Secretary Supersoulty has already used and delegated many powers given to him by passage of this Act, this new legislation legimitatizes many of Secretary Supersoulty's past actions.  In addition, this creates a valuable framework for future Secretaries to dictate policy initiatives and changes in policy.  Many complaints had been voiced in the past about the Treasury Secretary being the only truly useless position in the whole Atlasian government.  With this Act, that will certainly change in the future.

Also enacted into law this week was the Regional Quarters Act.  This multipartisan Act instructs the National Mint to design new Regional quarters commemorating the Regions of Atlasia.  Even though the design and creation of these quarters is expected to be in the realm of $50-100 million dollars, all political sides thought it wise to pass this law and give the Regions special representation in the moneys of the land.

On the floor of the Senate this week will be debate on two giant issues of the day, enacting of CAFTA and the repeal of the Taiwanese Defense Act.  With France and Spain's moves today to enforce partial economic sanctions today on Atlasia and rumors that China might be close to joining them, Atlasian markets and investors wait with baited breath on the actions of the Senate, as these actions now seem to have more importance than ever as to whether Atlasia endorses the principles free trade or does not.

[Sam Spade]

September 27, 2005 - Midweek Edition

National
Hurricane Rita Strikes Texas/Louisiana Border

Atlasia Avoids Second Debilitating Hit on Major City

By Clark Kent

HOUSTON --  Three weeks after the monster known as Hurricane Katrina pounded New Orleans and the Mississippi and Alabama coasts, another hurricane hit these areas, if a bit further to the west.

Her name was Rita and she packed winds of 125 mph and a 15-20 foot storm surge.  Late Monday night, Hurricane Rita hit along the Texas/ Louisiana border at a point between Sabine Pass, TX and Cameron, LA.  Damage is unknown at this time, except that the oil refining centers of Port Arthur and Lake Charles are going to be heavily affected by this storm.

Fortunately, in terms of population, the Southwest Louisiana coast where most of the storm surge hit is relatively lightly populated.  This contrasts with where Rita was expected to hit earlier in the week:  the cities of Galveston and Houston Texas. 

Then, packing a walloping wind power of 175 mph and an air pressure of under 900 mb, Rita seemed destined to be the Southeast Texas coasts' worst nightmare.  She was forecasted to hit the east side of Galveston, going up Galveston Bay and creating a huge storm surge from the bay in the metropolitan Houston area.

In fear of this giant, the cities of Houston set in motion an evacuation plan which proceeded to, with great effort and much pain, evacuate nearly 2.5 million people from metropolitan area. 

However, in the next 24 hours, Rita began to move north of the weather forecasters' prediction area and also significantly weakened in strength during that time to where she landed as a shell of her former self.  Houston, the scene of the great evacuation, suffered only minor damage as a result of the storm.

Faring much worse was the city of New Orleans, still under the toll and terror of the infamous Katrina.  Although only 3-5 inches of rain was received in New Orleans from Rita, this rain hampered efforts to remove the water from the city and also to set up new barriers for the breaches of the levees within the city.

Even worse, two new breaches in the levees appeared along the Industrial Canal, which the Army Corps of Engineers worked feveriously to repair.  The rebuilding and repopulation of New Orleans now seems further away than ever.

Stay tuned to The Daily Planet for continuing round-the-clock hurricane coverage.

Business
Investors, Economists Nervous on Economy

Senate Debate on CAFTA Center Point of Fears

By Lois Lane

NEW YORK -- Mirrored by consumer confidence figures out today that show a steep drop in that Index for this month, investors, economists and various businessman are growing increasingly concerned on the state of Atlasia's economy due to a number of prevailing issues, both foreign and domestic.

Even as Hurricane Rita churned through the Gulf this week, this concern seems most pronounced over perhaps one of the lesser issues facing the Atlasian economy today. 

Over the past week, the Atlasian Senate has been furiously debating the Central American Free Trade Agreement (CAFTA) with various sides and factions growing stronger in their support and opposition to the plan.  VP Emsworth and PPT Colin Wixted have been most vocal in their support of the bill, whereas most of the strongest opposition has come from Senator Ebowed.

Although the actual economic effects are miniscule, as most of the agreement simply makes permanent trade laws already on the book , the effect upon the Atlasian economic community seems to be huge.  In the past week, in anticipation of an expected defeat to the proposal and worries over the effects of Hurricane Rita, the stock market has been very anemic, dropping nearly 400 points to fall below 8,000.

Unnamed investors on the NYSE have voiced private concerns to the Daily Planet that the increasingly anti-free trade Senate will continue to act against various free trade agreements signed in the past, such as NAFTA and present agreements with China.  These same investors have privately told the Planet that the present Senate is unknowningly trying to put the Atlasian economy at a severe disadvantage worldwide and some have privately questioned whether some elected Senators have any idea how an global economy works at all.

On the other hand, various union leaders see this Senate's vote on CAFTA as being an opportunity to finally regain control in the specter of trading relations at the government level and gains in the opportunities to end public-despised policies of outsourcing high-end manufacturing jobs overseas.

General concerns over import-export trade in Atlasia have grown since France and Spain's joint agreement to impose partial economic restrictions against Atlasia and the defeat of a bill that would have repealed the Taiwanese Defense Protection Act, a law which many investors and businessman say is slowing down trade between China and Atlasia and is hurting Atlasia's economy as a whole. 

Those who have publicly stood against China's communism and human abuse record were undoubtedly pleased by the actions of the Senate in upholding the act, as voice in the powerful words of Senators PBrunsel and Defarge.

To add to the intrigue, worried businessman and investors in Atlasia's economic markets have been talking about a rumored report out that will come out this weekend on the state of Regional budgets and tax revenues.  This report is expected to show that the elimination of the minimum wage at the national level has had a strong negative impact on sales tax receipts, which form the basis of most Atlasia's Regional tax base, especially the Southeast.

In other news, Treasury Secretary Supersoulty came out on Monday with an announcement that prime interest rates would stay the same for the upcoming two weeks. 

On Monday, new economic figures come out for the nation of Atlasia through September.  With the effects of Hurricane Rita and the overall nervousness of consumers, analysts are expecting GDP figures to remain stable for the month.

Politics
Two Centrist Candidates Announce for President

Emsworth Candidacy Weakens With Key Defection, Jake Leaves Presidential Circle

By Dick Armstrong

NYMAN --  Atlasian politics is an unpredictable game, isn't it?

Just a few weeks ago, with little competition and few credible opponents, Vice-President Emsworth and Senator Q appeared headed towards easy victory in the general election.  Looks familiar to another scenario, right?

Back in February, Chief Justice KEmperor and his running mate Alcon appeared headed to victory over a couple of no-name opponents, Lewis Trondheim and former Senator Al Realpolitik.  They were polling 60%-70% in the polls.

But then came that fateful decision, that black mark (or as others would put it, a glorious day) that rendered Supersoulty's Unwed Mothers Protection Bill unconstitutional and after that, KEmperor's support collapsed and he ended losing a tight race to Lewis Trondheim.  What happened after that election, no one still understands.

Fast forward to today, September 27, 2005. 

At one time, the Emsworth/Q ticket held nearly a 40% lead in polling data and appeared to be unchallenged by any of their opponents

Then, over the past few days, two prominent centrists have chosen to enter the race.  Former Mideast Governor Joe Republic announced on Sunday and Treasury Secretary Supersoulty announced on Monday, with a VP pick of Frodo from Virginia.  At the same time, former Southeast Magistrate Jake announced that he was going to run for Southeast Senate, instead of President, because of potential scandals to Senate candidate Ben Meyers.

So, where does this all leave us?  With a very complicated and diverse field, full of many candidates who can appeal to their base but also the center.  We no longer have the predicted blowout we once had.  The race is starting to look more and more like the election held in June 2005 and also the election held in October 2004, rather than the election of February 2005.

And in a stunning announcement today, Associate Justice and former founder of the Independent Liberal Party Peter Bell broke party ranks to endorse Joe Republic over Independent Liberal Party chairman Emsworth.

Many political observers have long speculated that the continued rightward economic drift of the Independent Liberal Party under Emsworth could eventually damage it strongly, as it would end up turning off the leftist base of many of its members, driving them to the Social Democratic Party or a new, standard leftist party.

Ever since the dissolution of the Democrat and Republican parties in Atlasia, the Constitutional Union Party has held its own as being a dominant party in Atlasian politics.  At certain times, other parties have potentially been as powerful, but weakened due to outside pressures or inactivity. 

The Farmer-Labor Party and the Atlasian Conservative Alliance are examples of two of these parties.  The Farmer-Labor Party doesn't exist any more, and the ACA, though still strong, has not shown the power it had two months ago.  For the last 2 months, it has instead been the Independent Liberal Party that has formed the counterweight to the Consitutional Union Party.  In some ways the Independent Liberal Party has tried to become the Constitutional Union Party, and that could be its undoing.

And it could all be the undoing of the Emsworth/Q candidacy.

[Sam Spade]

October 5, 2005

International
Blair Calls For End To French-American Trade Conflict

Calls Trade Sanctions "Idiotic" and "Unproductive Nuisances"

By Jimmy Olsen

LONDON --  On the eve of the second week of the Trans-Atlantic Trade War, Round 1, a shot has been fired off the bow of one country not even involved in the conflict.  That shot was fired yesterday by Great Britain's Prime Minister Tony Blair.

Speaking yesterday to a crowd of reporters outside Parliament, Mr. Blair today called on Atlasia, France and Spain to end their "childish charade of revenge and counter-revenge".  He said, "This conflict between the French, Spanish and Atlasian governments benefits no one.  It is simply idiotic, a mess of unproductive nuisances that weakens the West's resolve against greater threats to its survival."

Great Britain has remained on good terms with all three countries involved in the conflict and Tony Blair said on Wednesday that such good relations would continue into the forseeable future.

"We consider France, Spain and Atlasia to be partners in the global realm, not just in economic endeavors, but united as well against tyranny, terrorism and despots.  We will continue with our friendship between all nations and hope that these conflicts can be resolved without much senseless waste."

French President Jacques Chirac yesterday echoed Tony Blair's comments that the trade war should be concluded, but insisted that unless Atlasia withdrew her trade and military sanctions against France, France would be incapable of removing her sanctions against Atlasia.

Chirac was quoted as saying, "The French government and people respect Tony Blair deeply and recognize that this conflict between France and Atlasia benefits no one.  However, under no circumstances will we withdraw our sanctions unless there is action on the same from Atlasia."

Once again, both President Siege40 and Secretary of State WMS could not be reached for comment and both have not stated any desire to change Atlasia's position towards France even after the French embargo.

Many foreign policy analysts have privately stated that Atlasia's continued intrasigence in the developing trade war is hurting it globally on a number of fronts.

Economically, Atlasia's economy appears to be on the verge of stagnation, with growing inflation, as tomorrow's economic numbers are expected to indicate.  Also, Atlasia's unwillingness to compromise in these specific trad matters is leaving its mark with other countries, making them nervous in their own diplomatic dealings with Atlasia.

And if Tony Blair, one of Atlasia's strongest allies in the War on Terror, among other things, has harsh words for Atlasian policymakers, it could only signal a growing disdain for the rather idealistic and unrealistic policies Atlasia's present government has seemed interested in employing.

Time will only tell what happens.

Regional
Sales Tax Revenues Down, Weakening Regional Budgets

Income Tax, Property Tax Levels Remain Constant

By Dick Armstrong

MEMPHIS --  The long-rumored about numbers coming out today about Regional tax revenues have indeed appeared, and they are perhaps as worrisome as many analysts said they would be.

Regional sales tax revenues are off by nearly 3.0% compared to this month last year and have declined a remarkable 4.8% since last quarter.  Regional income tax and property tax revenues have continued on their pace from earlier this year, up 1.5% from last year's totals.

At the regional level, this has translated into millions of dollars of lost revenue, though final totals are still unknown.  These final totals should be expected around December.

The Regions hit hardest by this drop are those in which sales taxes form a vital part of state revenue.  This includes the states Southeast Region and the Northeast Region.

Here in Memphis, nervous officials are worried about a potential budget shortfall which could trigger a mass of budget cuts, tax raises or both.  Governor Bono could not be reached for comment on the situation.

What could explain this precipitous drop?  Most analysts believe that this decline in sales tax revenues is primarily due to the Supreme Court's controversial ruling two months ago in Bono v. Atlasia II that declared unconstitutional federal minimum-wage laws in Atlasia.

Wage numbers tell the story.  In the past year, wages at the top end of the scale have increased at a consistent level of roughly 2.5%, beating out inflation numbers slightly.  In the present quarter, this number has increased to 3.0% at the higher end of the scale.

At the lower end of the scale, wages dropped this quarter by nearly 3.5%, eschewing the earlier gains of previous quarters in 2005, where wages among lowest earning workers had grown by about 2.0% over the first half of the year.  For those workers who make above $15.00 an hour, the numbers have shown no change in comparison to earlier reports.

Analysts also warn that this wage gap is occuring at a dangerous time in Atlasia's economic situation, when inflation seems to be rearing its ugly head.  As prices increase, if their is a decrease in real earning power among the lower to lower middle classes, consumer confidence may drop along with consumer spending and eventually GDP will falter as well.

[Sam Spade]

Editorial
A Lot of Candidates, Not Many Worthy Ideas

By Perry White

Once again, a decision will be soon upon us, a decision that many say will impact the nation.  It probably won't, but it's nice to say it.  And it's always nice to win a popularity contest.

But that hasn't stopped the flood of ideas that many and most say will change Atlasia for the better.  Most of these ideas revolve around two basic things that people believe is wrong in Atlasia:

1.  The President doesn't have enough power.

2.  The citizenry of Atlasia doesn't have enough power.

Some of these concepts being put forth range from the ludicrous to the useless.

Presidential candidate Dubya has recently proposed giving the President the power to overturn Senate legislation by going to popular referendum.  This will certain enable Atlasia to become a true democracy, subject to the will of the mob or in this case, the Private Message.

If the Senate were of a mind to pass this legislation, it would frankly deserve what it gets (powerlessness) and so would Atlasia (rule of the mob and the Private Message).

Also recently, Presidential candidate Joe Republic has proposed that Presidents have the opportunity to introduce legislation on the Legislation Introduction Thread.  Even though this idea is not new, nor controversial, it obscures one important fact.  Is it necessary?

Most of the failure of recent Presidents has little to do with not having power to introduce legislation, it has to do with not using the power to introduce legislation.  Nothing is preventing Presidents from writing legislation and presenting it to a Senator to introduce in front of the Senate. 

A President who took an active role in presenting legislation to Senators would actually reintroduce the President into being involved with Senatorial action and influencing Senators to see their viewpoint, a concept long-lost in Atlasian politics.  The concept to leaders in most nations of the world that Presidents might actually engage in dialogue with Senators and form coalitions within the Senate could be revived also.

Giving the President the opportunity to introduce legislation would in fact do the opposite, separating the President from his legislative responsibility.  It would also weaken his power to influence legislation among Senators.

If the President is given the right to introduce legislation in front of the Senate, it will undoubtedly be the President defending his own legislation, without even the power of the vote in Senate affairs.  Contrast this with the present situation, where the President must at least have one advocate for his legislation in order to get it in front of the Senate.  Instead of just his own voice behind legislation, there would be a Senatorial voice who would defend the bill with the power of the vote.

Also, this does not address the fact is that no President since PBrunsel has actually tried to introduce legislation.  I question the simple fact that making it so that a President will not have to communicate with a Senator will make him or her more likely to write legislation.

Maybe Presidents really are that afraid of the Imperial Senate.  I really don't know.

The Presidential debates are soon and maybe we'll hear more from the candidates about how they intend the revive the Presidency or how they intend to change laws to make Atlasia better, more popular, or more user-friendly, whichever buzzword occupies the landscape at the time.

But don't let yourself be fooled by all these "worthy ideas".  Most of them will fail, most of them simply haven't been thought through clearly enough, and most of them really don't even address the problem they're supposed to address, and will probably make the problem worse.

Things move in cycles.  After the conscious lawmakers of the 6th and 7th Sessions of the Senate recognized the flaws inherent in most of Atlasia's earlier laws, recent lawmakers have seemed intent on repeating the same earlier flaws, even publicly promoting these inherent ambiguities by calling for a return to the "simpler, earlier days" of Atlasian law, a chant which has been echoed by those who never read the laws they were supporting in the first place.

These "promoters of transparency in government" will undoubtedly recognize the foolishness of their endeavors once the next Ernest or Bono comes around and points out the inherent flaws in their language and logic.  And no doubt, much time will be wasted in defending the indefensible. It always happens.

But back to the Presidential race...

I would raise the simple question to all the candidates in this contest. 

Will any Presidential candidate be active enough to actually enforce the office of President and everything that entails?

The first candidate who proves without a shadow of a doubt they will be that candidate will certainly gain my vote.