On Saying No

The two holidays which we'll be celebrating this week originate from entirely different eras of our history, but are united in theme, purpose, and direction.

When we look at the event of Independence, we look at the South Pacific making a decision for itself, despite having been controlled by a foreign power, about its direction. When ordered to take down the flag of the Coalition, LadyRebelz clearly asserted the right of the South Pacific to its own form of government, according to the traditions and laws of its own choosing.

The Declaration of Independence of the South Pacific was incredibly simple: "No."

No to the Atlantic Central Command. No to flying the flag of a foreign power or letting a foreign power dictate how to run our region. No to anything but freedom.

The decision by LadyRebelz to say "No" is the very same decision that makes us a defender region. While our first priority will always be the sovereignty of the Coalition itself, for the same reason that LadyRebelz said "No" to the demand from the Atlantic Central Command to take down the flag of the Coalition, we say "No" to the continual encroachment of raiders into the sovereignty, self-determination, and free play of other regions.

When raiders say that you have to earn the right to self-determination, we say "No." All regions should have the right to thrive in their own community, of the members of their choosing, with the security systems of their choosing, and without meeting arbitrary standards set for them by outside forces.

When raiders say a region deserves to be raided if it cannot recruit enough WA nations for itself, we say "No." A region doesn't have to prove its utility quantitatively to external powers to be worthy of self-determination, it need only be a glimmer in the eye of a player who calls it home.

When raiders say a raid is actually somehow good because it generates activity, we say "No." Activity is not something for raiders and external powers to validate, it exists for the good of the community itself. What the community of a region, the people who care about that region, think is valuable is what matters.

When raiders say "well that region is just a puppet dump" or "that region is an embassy collector" so it can be raided, we say "No." Every region should get to choose who they interact with and how, even if that does not meet the standards of raiders.

When raiders say "we've only temporary displaced the Delegate because they approved a proposal", we say "No." Raiders do not get to determine how regions express their votes or who their leaders are, no matter how temporary that determination is.

The South Pacific fights for the right to self-determination of other nations and regions. In our ideal vision, every nation can select a region, those regions can select their laws, they can choose their activities, etc. How they do those things is what they choose, according to the institutions they desire, and with the company they prefer. We provide the military and political might so that those regions have the ability to say "No" to foreign interference, intimidation, and arbitrary dictates about the standards they must meet to keep their community. We refuse to allow innocent regions to be paved over as part of the "foreign policy objectives" or "fun" of foreign powers.

Instead, every day when we wake up and defend, we simply say "No".

Just as LadyRebelz did in 2003.