Declaration of Independence of the Republic of Talossa

The Declaration of Independence of the Republic of Talossa (orginally known as Proclamation of Independence) was posted on Wittenberg X on the 1st of June 2004/XXV at 13:00 TST (post #12423) together with a Letter of Explanation by Michael Pope (post #12424) and it's Provisional Constitution.

Declaration of Independence

The new Proclamation of Independence of Talossa.

In Unity, hereby dedicated and signed 1 June 2004
The unanimous Declaration of the Provisional Government of the Republic of Talossa,

Whereas in the history of the sovereign nationette of Talossa we have long endured the foibles of our royal family, from quirky ancient histories to multiple miniature "revolutions", through Gloria Estefan revivals and street­naming, one thing has gone long untouched, unseen, unspoken: the King is incapable of allowing true alternate opinions from forming and taking shape within Talossa's borders, both physical and electronic. It is the right of Talossans everywhere to keep and preserve their peace, their liberty, their freedom, and, as such, we Talossans hereby stand together as one, united in our assertion that Talossa is a great community, much greater than the sum of its parts; a community wrought not by one man, but by all Talossans everywhere, throughout her history; a community that will survive on the blood, sweat, and tears of her people for­ever.

When we cast a glance upon our beloved nationette, where fair freedom we have long enjoyed, sorrow fills our hearts to behold her struggling under the heavy load of oppression and tyranny. But when we extend our sight a little farther, and view the iron hand that is lifted against us, behold it is our King; he who, by his oath and station, is bound to support and defend us in the quiet enjoyment of all our glorious rights as free Talossans. We Talossans hereby declare that we are a free people and a free community and, above all, a free nation dedicated to Talossan ideals through actual freedom, not a form of bound and restricted freedom maintained by a tyrant. We cry 'Tyrant!', for the king has acted most unjust in his own manner, seeking to harm those with whom he is in disagreement.

In the pursuit of a singular agenda to drive out all who oppose him in any strong fashion, the King has, especially recently, decided to circumvent every law and tradition Talossa has ever had concerning the safety and welfare of Talossan citizens.

A few years ago, the question of independence from the monarchy would have put us into a surprise, and, we apprehend, would have been treated with the utmost contempt. We then looked on ourselves happy in being subjects of the king of Talossa. We have always looked upon it as our duty, as well as our interest to defend and support the honour of the crown of Talossa, and we have always done it, counting ourselves happy when in the strictest union and connection with our monarchy. However, in all provinces, existing by compact, protection and allegiance are reciprocal; the latter being only due in consequence of the former. The history of the present king of Talossa is a history of repeated injuries and usurpations, all having in direct object the establishment of an absolute tyranny over these provinces. To prove this, let facts be submitted to a candid world.

Whereas, Robert Rouergue, King of Talossa, in violation of the principles of the Talossan Organic Law, and of the laws of justice and humanity, has, by an accumulation of oppression unparalleled in our history, excluded the inhabitants of Wittenberg from his protection;

• He has investigated the pasts of various individuals, both citizen and prospective;
• He has accused citizens not only of committing crimes in Talossa, but of committing crimes outside Talossa, including violent crimes and he has offered no evidence to prove such crimes, but seeks to tarnish any reputation each Talossan has earned on their own;
• He has sought to drive citizens out of Talossa;
• He has sought the passage of bills of attainder, specifically targeting Talossans;
• He has instilled a horrid sense of suspicion amongst the Talossan citizens;
• He has refused his assent to laws, the most wholesome and necessary for the public good;
• He has conspired to work against other parties while laying accusations of conspiracy against these parties;
• He has refused to appoint a prime minister until installing his own long after the prescribed legal deadline and he has refused to follow the law of the land by announcing the continuation of the incumbent;
• He has obstructed the administration of justice, by refusing his appointment of valid justices;
• He has sought a means by which he may circumvent the proper election laws;
• He has cast aspersions at the characters of democratically elected leaders;
• He has inexorably determined upon the ruin of our liberties;
• He has conspired to oust legitimately placed officials of state;
• He has acted in a manner of inconsistency, claiming illegality of actions he has previously supported;
• He has been complicit in sedition, and did overthrow a legitimate government;
• He has rescinded on promises of appointment to position for citizens;
• He has sought to remove the citizenship of Talossans through every means, including those means extra­Talossan;
• He has committed to the fraud of an electorate by casting illegal votes in the name of others;
• He has sought to harm the binds of friendship between Talossans by scheming to create allegiance to him and his station against all others;
• He has offered only puppets of state in the stead of popularly elected officials;
• He has accused many Talossans of crimes of treason, declaring that we are not Talossan, but traitorous;
• He has made himself unavailable to the officers and affairs of state;
• He has sought to re­write Talossan history by laying claims of illegality and impropriety where none existed;
• He has vowed never to offer reconciliation or to assent to such reconciliations;
• He has threatened the welfare of Talossan citizens, upon the arrival of certain citizens to these shores;
• He has exacerbated our calamities, by declaring that he will show us no mercy until he has reduced us;

A monarch whose character is thus marked by every act which may define a tyrant is unfit to be the ruler of a free people. We have sought to end all hostility through civil and determined means, through legal redress, and through simple dialogue, and all avenues before us have been trampled thin with the hostility that has been shown by the crown. He has blatantly refused to co­operate with any Talossan who does not support his agenda of hatred.

As a result of the actions of the king, we are obliged, by necessity, and it becomes our highest duty, to use every means, with which we have been furnished, in support of our invaluable rights and privileges; to oppose that power which is exerted only for our destruction.

Be it enacted by the authority of the people that Robert Rouergue is hereby deposed from the kingly office within this government and absolutely divested of all its rights, powers, and prerogatives; and that he and his descendants and all persons claiming by or through him, and all other purposes whatsoever shall be and for­ever remain incapable of the same; and that the said office shall henceforth cease and nevermore either in name or substance be re­established within this Republic.

We the delegates of the people of Talossa do declare that the King of Talossa has violated his inherent compact with this people, and that they owe no more allegiance to him. The measures still pursued against Talossa leave no room to expect such an interposition from motives of goodness and affection. King Robert the First has manifested deliberate enmity towards us and, under the character of a parent, persists in behaving as a tyrant, and so we renounce allegiance not to Talossa but to him, personally, forever.

We declare the right of the people of Talossa to the ownership of Talossa, and to the unfettered control of Talossan destinies, to be sovereign and indefeasible. The long usurpation of that right by a corrupt monarchy has not extinguished the right, nor can it ever be extinguished except by the destruction of the Talossan people. In every generation the Talossan people have asserted their right to national freedom and sovereignty. Standing on that fundamental right and again asserting it in the face of the world, we hereby proclaim the Talossan Republic as a Sovereign Independent State, and we pledge our lives and the lives of our comrades­in­arms to the cause of its freedom, of its welfare, and of its exaltation among the nations.

We, therefore, the representatives of the free provinces of Talossa, in general agreement, assembled, appealing to the will of the people for the rectitude of our intentions, do, in the name, and by the authority of the good people of these provinces, being Maritiimi­Maxhestic, Cézembre, Maricopa, and Florenciâ, solemnly publish and declare, that this free Talossa is and of right ought to be a free and independent state; that it is absolved from all allegiance to the crown, and that all political connection between it and the House of Rouergue, is and ought to be totally dissolved; and that as a free and independent state, it may establish a free government, devoid of monarchist trappings, devoid of feudal relationships, devoid of tyranny. And for the support of this declaration, we mutually pledge to each other our time, our effort, and our dedication.

Signed by the representatives of the Provisional Government of the Republic of Talossa,

• Michael Pope
• Christopher C Gruber
• Andrew Lowry
• Jeffrey Ragsdale
• Andrea Thompson
• Lisa Skovalia
• Gregory Tisher
• Gjermund Higraff
• Jeremiah P Griffin
• Uglhán Cruceatúl
• Matthias Muth

Letter of Explanation

We, the people of Talossa, have grown weary of what the Kingdom has become recently. We all feel Talossan in our hearts, and love our nationette, but we do NOT love what it has become, and what it promises to continue as, under the rule of King Robert I.

For the past several months, we have been under constant fire for not turning our heads and allowing the King to run roughshod over the rights of our fellow citizens. Since the "Halloween scandal" a persistent stream of vitriolic fire has been aimed at anyone associating at first with the GCP, and then eventually with Chris Gruber. The GCP decision not to back the MN after the last election is what set this fire ablaze. All of this stems from a royal defeat in the political arena.

While Gruber has repeatedly apologized for certain nasty comments he made in the heat of the political battle, and while he stayed silent from January to April, the King has maintained a negative campaign of hate that has simmered since last December. In his desperation to achieve political support for his public shunning, he funded a private investigation of Mr. Gruber's personal life - a shocking violation of the privacy of a fellow citizen, and an unprecedented abuse of royal power. A man's room is not his castle, not if he opposes King Robert of Talossa. And the King has promised to use this tactic in future on other opponents.

The King has violated a pledge he made to stay out of partisan politics by campaigning feverishly for the Black Hand Party. His campaign has been one of bald-faced lies as he sought support from less-active citizens whose main source of information on doings in the RT was he himself. We know, for example, that he told Paola Cleri that under the election rules she would have to make a long-distance international call to the Secretary of State - when he knew full well that the rules compelled the Secretary of State to make the call - at his own expense. And while the King conspired to violate his promise and aid one party over another, he made baseless accusations toward the opposition parties of conspiracy and fraud.

The King has made no effort to extend an olive branch to factions other than his own. He has clearly demarcated a line between those who support him (who he calls Loyal Talossans) and those who oppose him politically. This is inconsistent with the democratic principles on which Talossa is founded and in which we all believe. And this is a very bad portent for the future for anyone not currently in the King's good graces.

It is clear that the King will not keep agreements he has made. It is clear that the King will lie when it advances his agenda. And It is clear that for the past half-year that King Robert has done nothing to build this nation, but rather has done everything in his power to drive certain individuals out of Talossa, heedless of the fact that his actions have caused renunciations from devout citizens, destroyed long term friendships which are the core of this country, and infringed on the personal lives of its citizenry in a way that goes far below the lowest common denominator ever imagined.

We are tired of the hate and its source is with one person.

We are tired of King Robert the Worst

We, the concerned people of Talossa, are hereby founding the Republic of Talossa, where we can pursue the vision of a democratic nationette, the vision shared by all Talossans but frustrated by the King. In founding this Republic, we do not want to exclude any of our fellow citizens, with whom we are tied with bonds of shared nationality and honor. We extend an invitation to any current or past Talossans to leave the King and join with your fellow Talossans in the Republic, where we can carry on the great work of nation building without all the hate and vitriol we have been suffering under. This Republic will be a place where our democratic principles will come to fruition, to build a nationette we can all be proud of.

We hope you will join us.

Sincerely,

Michael Pope, on behalf of the Republic of Talossa