Sunday, December 15, 2002
Morovia Telegraph Purchased by Royal House Publications!
Bill Bekkenhuis, President and CEO of Royal House Publications, one of the most highly regarded publishing ventures since its establishment in, um, well, earlier today, has announced that Royal House has purchased The Morovian Telegraph.
"With our Briesk Freethought Books Division publishing philosophical and religious content and our Bergen Books Division publishing fiction, acquiring a quality newspaper to cover the micronational political scene will help Royal House diversify its business while maintaining its signature focus on micronationalism."
Bill Bekkenhuis, Editor-in-Chief of the Telegraph, says he believes his job is secure for now.
From RHP's Home Page at http://www.geocities.com/royalhousepublications/
[Editor's Note: Link is dead. On (or about) December 22, 2002, His Majesty was called away Morovia appointing the editor, Bill Bekkenhuis, as Lord Regent in His Majesty's stead. During the Second Regency period, The Morovian Telegraph because inactive and the web site went away. His Majesty returned to the Kingdom in late October, early November of 2003.]]
Six Suggested Principles for Morovian Constitutional Reform
Principle One: Sovereignty resides in the people of Morovia.
Morovia IS the entirety of the people of Morovia over time and not merely the active incumbents of any particular moment.
Principle Two: Despite her beginning as a face-to-face nation, Morovia largely functions as an on-line micronation and this reality must be reflected in its legal system.
This implies that Morovia needs to realistically distinguish between (and even advantage) those citizens who are active in her contemporary and largely on-line life over those who are not online or are no longer active - WITHOUT relieving the non-active citizenry of their basic rights as citizens.
This also implies that besides the political checks and balances necessitated by Principle Five, a secondary set of checks and balances must deal with the specific character of largely on-line micronationalism with its multiple logons, 24 X 7 availability, erratic participation, implicit opportunity for multiculturalism, etc.
Specifically, the ideal of political separation of powers must yield to the realistic necessity for one branch of the government to assume the duties of another branch should that other branch fall inactive - either in part or in whole on the one hand and either temporarily or permanently on the other.
Principle Three: The people of Morovia vest their sovereignty in the Crown.
To paraphrase the movie, Excalibur, The Crown and the People are One.
Principle Four: The Crown delegates significant responsibility and authority to run the government to a Cabinet, a Royal Assembly and a Judiciary.
The Cabinet advises the Crown and implements the Crown's policies. The Royal Assembly represents the will of the people to the government and attempts to institutionalize that will, according to their best judgment, in law. The judiciary settles disputes between people and ensures that all laws passed by the Royal Assembly and the Crown (through Royal Assent and Royal Decree) are consistent with the People's Constitution.
The Constitution must balance the need for a strong Crown with the need for the Crown to remain above the political fray as well as the need for the government to remain functional in the temporary absence or inactivity of the Crown.
Principle Five: The scope, powers, interests and perspectives of each Morovian person (i.e., as 'person' is defined by law) must be checked and kept in balance with the other legal entities.
Crown, Cabinet, Royal Assembly, Judiciary and the Incumbent Citizenry all have their own scope of decision-making, the entire system must be designed with checks and balances such that no temporary faction can exploit or manipulate the government against the enduring interests of the Morovian people.
Principle Six: How these principles are negotiated between persons and lived out in day-to-day Morovian life is codified in the People's Constitution, to which every person in Morovia is bound.
[Editor: Again, this is unsigned, but I believe I (Bill Bekkenhuis) wrote this.]
The Royal Assembly Strikes Back (Finally!)
For a moment, it really looked like it might all just go away.
With the exodus from Morovia to Hanover, the current lethargy afflicting Morovia appeared to distend into deep coma, with first Mr. Gresham and then Mr. Anderson both resigning from the Royal Assembly for sound reasons - the one medical, the other political.
But rising again from its own ashes, like an good Morovian political institution might do, the Royal Assembly got back up off the mat and began punching back.
First, the Hon. David Oatney moved legislation, the Special Election of 2002 Act, to replace Mr. Gresham in the Assembly. The bill passed and has been sent to the Crown.
The second noteworthy event was that the Hon. Bill Bekkenhuis moved legislation to revise the Royal Communication and Emergency Succession Act, allowing the Cabinet and Assembly to take responsibility for specific issues should the Crown prove unable to respond to requests for communication on their status. This legislation has also been passed and been sent to the Crown.
Three encouraging things then happened in rapid succession.
First, General Foong stated that he had been in contact with the Crown and that His Majesty was open to at least certain types of reforms. Encouraged by this, Mr. Bekkenhuis requested unanimous consent to resolve the Royal Assembly into a Committee of the Whole. This Committee, chaired by Mr. David Oatney with Gen. Foong serving in an Ex Officio capacity, will propose revisions to the Constitution. Lastly, and completely unexpected, the Hon. Christopher Anderson presented himself to the Assembly, being sworn in and taking immediate action to second the motion for unanimous consent. Captain Anderson vowed to participate in the Assembly to the extent allowed by his medical situation.
As always, we are left haning. [Correction: "hanging" - Editor]
Will His Majesty sign the two submitted bills - or at least veto them - or will the Royal Silence merely become more profound? Is it possible for the Royal Assembly to craft, with the little more than one month remaining in its term, to pass constitutional reform that will be acceptable to both people and Crown, especially at this busy time of year?
One thing is certain. Morovia will endure so long as His Majesty holds the board and at least some are too stubborn to leave. But her government may not endure with her. If Morovia does not solve the problem of reliable and dependable participation by all government officials, we may yet see Morovia move from a constitutional to an absolute monarchy as she loses her ability to field the constitutionally mandated positions.
[Editor - Original article unsigned. I think I (Bill Bekkenhuis) wrote this.]
Tuesday, December 10, 2002
Dawn Over Hanover
The Kingdom of Hanover, an absolute monarchy transitioning into a constitutional monarchy, emerged onto the micronational scene last week.
Founded by a core group of Morovian émigrés, a number of distinguished micronationalists have joined the endeavor. As multiple citizenships are allowed by both Morovia and Hanover, significant "cross pollination" between the two realms is expected.
The basic 'Order of Battle' includes His Majesty King James I (a.k.a. James Cardinal Murphy), the Rt. Hon. Robert Gresham, Prime MInister and the Hon. Thomas Cutterham, Minister of State.
ezBoard forums for the realm have been set up at http://pub75.ezboard.com/bthekingdomofhanover62111 as well as a web site at http://www.geocities.com/kingdomofhanover/index.html .
The current focus of the endeavor is the crafting and ratification of a Constitution. That project is being shepherded by the Constitutional Committee (Rt. Hon. Robert P. Gresham, Chairman; Hon. Thomas G. Cutterham, Mr. Ciaron Broeck)) which operates under the auspices of the Royal Nationhood Commission (Hon. Thomas G. Cutterham, President; Hon. Michael Phyle; Mr. Zachary Dussault, Esq.).
Reaction in Morovia has been mixed.
The People's Representative, The Hon. David Oatney AM, CM of the Conservative Party has taken a dim view of the move.
In a recent statement to the Salon, Mr. Oatney said
"I am committed to Morovia. I believe Morovia is in a down period now and it will survive it. I am not going to contribute further to the pervading pessimism of the hour by joining in the exodus to Hanover in the name of setting up some sort of revivalist government, a new Morovia, there...rather than seek revival elsewhere, and bemoaning the lack of it here, start contributing to it here. Certain ones who fled to Hanover and complain about the lack of activity in Morovia were asked to run for elected office here and refused...Rather than beating the horse to death, try bringing the horse back to health."
The Speaker of the Royal Assembly, The Hon. Bill Bekkenhuis AM, CM of the Progressive Reform Party, has been more supportive of the endeavor, going so far as to become a citizen of Hanover and to assume a minor, non-governmental role on Hanover's ezBoard.
Per Mr. Bekkenhuis,
"the same Constitution that vests all executive power in the King and allows no constitutional reform without his blessing [b]also[/b] allows a group of like-minded citizens to migrate and start a new micronation while maintaining their citizenship and government position (if any) within Morovia.
...
"And if people are that unhappy with Morovia (as they seem to be) and if people are wandering away from the simulation (as they seem to be), maybe it is in Morovia's long-term best interest to encourage them to drift in the same direction."
However the project is evaluated from a Morovian point of view, the Morovian influence on the project is evident wherever one looks, whether it be Hanover's form of government or its apparent renunciation of micronational war.
And while the question remains as to whether Hanover will one day be able to boast the same six year tenure time as the nation of its forbears, the question also remains as to whether Morovia itself will live to see the dawn of year seven.
Bill Bekkenhuis
Special Correspondent,
The Morovian Telegraph
Telegraph Front Page
Some have left Morovia completely. Some have kept a presence in both camps.
And things suddenly become very interesting indeed.
And The Morovian Telegraph will be there to cover it all.
HM King James I has graciously accepted The Telegraph's request to open a desk in their capitol, Bergen, and so you can anticipate reports from reporters on the ground in micronationalism's newest micronation.
Monday, December 02, 2002
Cardinal Murphy Leaves Morovia, Founds Kingdom of Hanover
Cardinal Murphy Leaves Morovia, Founds Kingdom of Hanover
I depart these shores now for another life which yearns to be born. I extend my hand to each of you, hoping you will grasp it and sail away with me. Should you find yourself unable to grasp my hand, pledge at least that you will come to visit from time-to-time so that we may keep our friendships alive.
With these last words I take my leave of you and of this Morovia, hoping one day to be reunited with all of you.
James Cardinal Murphy
The Salon
Kingdom of Morovia
12/03/2002
J R
Marchmain Palace
WHEREAS we require that the laws and official institutions of our realm be established without undue delay,
We, James, by the grace of God King of Hanover, do hereby create and establish the Royal Nationhood Commission to be chaired by ourselves and to be comprised of all whom we judge fit to appoint.
JAMES I
King of Hanover
Signed this third day of December,
The Year of Our Lord 2002
HM King James I
The Throne Room
Kingdom of Hanover
12/03/2002
With these two simple posts, James Murphy severs official ties to Morovia and births a new micronation, The Kingdom of Hamover (Home Page http://www.geocities.com/kingdomofhanover/index.html , Forums http://pub75.ezboard.com/bthekingdomofhanover62111 )
He is apparently assisted in this new endeavor by
As we begin to build a new micronation, let us call to mind the reasons we have embarked upon this project in the first place. Many of us here gathered will have migrated from our beloved home, Morovia, because the institutions of her government had failed and her life and culture sadly faded on account of it.
It is our obligation and our duty, now, to create an efficient system of government, based upon the traditional (yet contemporary) norms of constitutional monarchy. This is the system to which we have grown accustomed and which we desire to preserve.
Let us examine the ways in which our nation can hold fast to the traditions which we have received while at the same time keeping an eye on the future with success and prosperity as our common goal.
http://pub75.ezboard.com/fthekingdomofhanover62111frm23.showMessage?topicID=1.topic
Morovia's Government Unravels
Morovia's Government Unravels
Looking at Assembly, Cabinet and King, the current operation of the Morovian government seems problematic at best.
First, the election for Royal Assembly was uncontested - itself a worrisome sign. Five people ran for five slots. The official Royal Assembly election results were posted on October 22, 2002. On November 8, 2002, His Majesty King Vincent III began swearing in the five representatives (the last, I believe, that he has posted to the board) and by November 12, 2002 four of the five new Royal Assembly representatives were sworn - Captain Christopher Anderson mysteriously having gone missing. Between November 12th and November 20th, the outgoing Speaker, the Hon. David Oatney, convened the Assembly and called for nominations for Speaker. The poll for Speaker began November 20th and concluded November 26th with the Hon. Bill Bekkenhuis elected Speaker. The election for People's Representative began on November 26th and concluded - after the resignation of the Hon. Robert Gresham from the Assembly - on December 1st.
Thus, election results were posted on October 22nd and the Assembly - at three-fifths strength - is ready to begin work some five or so weeks later on December 1st.
The attrition within the Cabinet has also been calamitous.
On October 25th Lord Marc Lanson publicly announced he was leaving saying, "A few months ago I tendered my resignation at Minister of Defense to His Majesty, and received no reply...". On November 3rd, the Hon. Thomas Cutterham resigned as Minister of Information and on November 26th James Cardinal Murphy resigned his position as Minister of Foreign Affairs.
As far as issues dependent on His Majesty's positive engagement with Morovia, a number of things seem either to be slipping through the cracks or, if the delay is deliberate, the King has not been communicating his reasons for delay to the nation.
Specifically, the treaty with the MSE has been negotiated at the cost of many hours of Cardinal Murphy's time over the past five months or more - and its status is still unknown. At least two citizen-candidates are in limbo. According to the Cardinal, "Bishop Cicatello applied some months ago. His application was approved but he never received his decree making him a citizen. Jeff Nowak applied over a month ago and emailed the palace. He has yet to receive a response from anyone." The Privacy Bill passed at the end of the last assembly has apparently died due to a lack of Royal Assent at the end of the legally mandated two week period.
It seems that government in Morovia is becoming profoundly dysfunctional and that our leadership is being leeched away to other commitments. And unless the root cause of that malady is discovered and the bleeding stopped, Morovia stands to become (at best) a nation of no consequence or (at worst) a laughing stock in the micronational community.
Bill Bekkenhuis
Correspondent, The Morovian Telegraph
The Lord Protector of Puritania Claims an Empire
IN BRIEF
Jullian Starr has laid claims to an empire on Puritania’s behalf,
Fierce opposition exists in Puritania
The Lord Protector has defied the will of Parliament
MORE DETAILED
Recently Jullian Starr, Lord Protector of the Commonwealth of Puritania, claimed sovereignty over Tymaria and Lyrica.
When confronted by the participants of Puritania Mr Starr said
"1. I am the founding father of Tymaria and not those Apollonians that have made it so dormant.
2. Lyrica is a province of my nation of Interland."
The debate that followed can be viewed here http://pub46.ezboard.com/fpuritaniafrm2.showMessage?topicID=35.topic
Shortly after, a participants bill was proposed in Tynwald, Puritanias ‘free for all’ Parliament. This bill ‘The abandonment of Empire Act 2002’ called for any claims to be relinquished and it removed the powers of the Lord Protector to incorporate new territories into Puritania.
This controversial legislation was eventually passed with much gerrymandering on both sides. http://pub46.ezboard.com/fpuritaniafrm5.showMessage?topicID=8.topic
Soon it became apparent that nothing had been done to meet the terms of the legislation, and Jullian Starr had annexed, the debatably Baracodan or Menelmacaran, province of Freenesia. Jullian also passed the ‘Act of Union’ which circumvented the disburdenment of Empire act claiming that it had been enacted before the abandonment of empire act and it made all provinces an integral part of Puritania, thus no empire existed to disband.
http://pub46.ezboard.com/fpuritaniafrm5.showMessage?topicID=9.topic
Currently legislation is before Tynwald to veto this latest act by the Lord Protector and finally offload a morally burdensome and unwanted empire.
http://pub46.ezboard.com/fpuritaniafrm2.showMessage?topicID=43.topic
Also before Tynwald is the ‘Provincial Freedom act’, that circumvents the ‘Acts of Union’ and calls for the empire to be removed.
http://pub46.ezboard.com/fpuritaniafrm2.showMessage?topicID=44.topic
POINTS TO NOTE
The previous debate surrounding Freenesia in Puritania
Puritanias neutral status
The current court elections that see dissident Prince Kieran face imperialist Chris E Toke.
The fact that Puritania has abandoned citizenship. Anyone who rocks up may participate, to the full extent. That means voting, proposing legislation etc. The measure in place to prevent corruption of this system is that if any secret ballot drastically exceeds in votes the number of people who have posted more than twice, then the ballot is invalid and a new non-secret vote called.
I hope you find this information useful
Prince Kieran
Self Proclaimed Royalty
THE LAVAON FOUNDATION
Founded by Prince Kieran, Self Proclaimed Royalty, the Lavalon Foundation is a Leftist, Liberatarian, Green grouping broardly involved in micronationalism.
Every one is invited to participate, our forums are open to all. www.LavalonForums.tk or for more general info www.Lavalon.tk
MSN 8 helps ELIMINATE E-MAIL VIRUSES. Get 2 months FREE*.
Sunday, December 01, 2002
An Apolitical Morovia
An Apolitical Morovia
Micronationalism, some claims, is all about politics. There are many micronations without a functioning economy; without a judicial system; without a religion; without a purpose. But has there been a micronation that is not very concerned about politics, or has any micronation where most of its citizens choose not to participate in politics? Welcome to Morovia - the apolitical micronation.
In the previous elections, Morovians shunned partisanship and run as independent candidates. This election sees politics, as a whole, not having a place in the heart of the Morovians at all. In the run-up to the recent elections, there was almost no need for campaigning from the various candidates, as there were only 5 of them with 5 seats to fight for. What happened to the rest of the active Morovians?
Outgoing People's Representative, Lord Marc Lanson, issued an apology for, in his opinion, not fulfilling the duties of his office and that he will not seek for re-election. He had since expressed interests in bartending at the Fort St. George. Outgoing speaker Zachary Dussault also did not seek for re-election and partnered Robert Gresham in opening a law firm instead.
Outgoing assemblyman Bill Bekkenhuis, who was probably the most active assemblyman in the previous term, decided to retire from active politics and concentrate on running the Morovian Telegraph before turning against his own words yet again. His Eminence James Cardinal Murphy is busy with the church, Thomas Cutterham just resigned as Minister of Information and is expected to unveil his plans soon, and General Steven Foong was never interested in politics. Robert Kee decided to become an Election Commissioner instead of running for the election himself. Peter Mills is enjoying being a private citizen and showed no sign of increasing his activity to assume more responsibilities.
Will Morovian political scene rejuvenates or will politics be considered yet another unnecessary accessory? Will it take another crisis before Morovians reconsider taking up the people's cause or will Morovia leads the way in micronationalism to renounce politics the way she led the renunciation of micronational war?
[Editor - I suspect I, Bill Bekkenhuis, wrote this.]
Telegraph Front Page
Well, here we go again.
The King is inactive. Robert Gresham has resigned. The Cabinet is tattered shreds of its former self and the Royal Assembly sucks wind to maintain a quorum.
Just another day in the paradise we call... The Kingdom of Morovia.
There is hope, of course.
For one thing, we appear to be blessed with a military that prefers a leaderless and inactive civilian government to a military coup.
And David Oatney, Bob Kee, Steven Foong, Tom Cutterham and myself are merely the most visible of the Morovians who lurk the deserted streets and alleys of what once was a bustling Kingdom - too stubborn or too stupid to migrate, quit or rebel. I'm sure that those who have left may have not gone far.
But to retain those we've lost and to attract new life to the Kingdom we must act and act decisively.
And for that we look to the citizens, the newly-elected People's Representative... and the King.
Look to the Telegraph to keep you up to date on all this.
With this issue, we change our format. The Telegraph will be updated on a continual basis, with older articles rotating off the Current Issue page into the Archives.
Those who are interested in submitting content, please contact myself at bekkenhuis@fast.net or the other editors of the paper: Tom Cutterham, Micronational News; Steven Foong, Morovian News; and David Oatney, our Opinion editor.
A happy and safe holiday to all!
Bill Bekkenhuis
Editor-in-Chief
The Morovian Telegraph
