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unmerged(106433)

Second Lieutenant
Jul 4, 2008
177
0
"The measure of a man stands or falls with what he leaves behind".
Heather Dale

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Maurice Pope looked up from the pile of newspapers bought off of the US State Department. The Syndicalists relied on the newspaper for many, many things. A good syndicalist paper was a mix of the current ideological thinking of their leadership, the myriad complaints from below, the way the new society tried to hector people into complying with whatever the objective of the month was. This month, the craze was disjointed nature of the various Syndicalist movements. Pope had just started an editorial by Georges Valois explaining the need for a more united society to deal with the threats of Germany and the residual Nationalist sympathizers. The Prime Minister was impatiently looking down at him.

"Why did you cross out my line about "We must help those who can't help themselves"? Isn't that the whole reason why we exist as a state? Why we took in the hundreds of thousands of refugees?"

"And I've said this before, that kind of vague statement can mean all sorts of things. You are a politician and getting the citizens to trust you to mean whatever they want is your job. But my job is to predict the Syndicalist response and they will use that as a hook to argue that some council of unions or whatever needs to divy up the economy. It sounds caring and in keeping with your motto but the consequences are too undesirable to tolerate."

"Providing a basic minimum to survive is the only way we can avoid Syndicalism..."

"We've been over that before too, people do not become Syndicalists because they are poor, hungry, or tired. We've all been there. What makes the difference is the assumption that the means of production belong to those who use it instead of those who sacrificed to get it. You are arguing that the wealth of everybody in the country is the responsibility of the government. That is the path to Socialism. If you don't like my answer, you can run it by Dandurand if you like but his answer will be more emphatic than mine."

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"Mr. Jones. Mr. Jones! Over here!"

The voice came from one of the Canadian professors in the University. J.C McLennan was the head of the physics department and the gate-keeper to any research funds. Reginal V. Jones was a senior grad student in the University of Toronto Physics Dept. for years but with little funding or papers to show for it. In the spirit of Canadian exasperation with the flood of British refugees, Canadian professors had a reputation for denying research grants to any but the most connected British students. Because of that, Jones had virtually nothing to show for his four years at the university and even less chance at getting into research once he would leave the University. The only reasons why a senior professor like prof. McLennan were either very good or very bad. Jones was not an optimist.

"Jones, I've just read your draft paper on the self-replicating waves plaguing microphones. That's very good work; it's even worthy of getting published as a main paper. Why haven't I seen your name on the list of presentations?"

"Sir, I never got funding for my proposal to measure radio-bounceback over long distances. The committee said it was too costly and too uncertain. We can't actually prove anything without some models and the committee won't release any more than 2,000 pounds."

"That's right, the funding from Ottowa is only for industrial techniques and military applications. I'm sure there's some way detecting planes at a distance can be useful to the military. Hold on for a couple months and we'll see if we can't get you the emitting tower."

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"ADM Parry, how do you like the new carrier?"

"Very well your grace, it is good to have some modern equipment. So much of what we have is from before the Great War and is falling apart. The CORNWALL can't even make five knots under anything less than perfect weather. When we hear about the Syndicalists adding another two carriers, we just don't know what we can do. If I may be so bold, our enemies are across the water, why are we activating the reserves instead of building more ships?"

"This doesn't leave this room, understood?"

"Sire, Yes."

"We have intelligence that the CSA may be more violent than usual. It isn't just rhetoric anymore. We were notified that Norman Thomas was getting training manuals and arms from the Union and the Commune. He's going a lot further than is needed to defend against Long's goons. He might be heading to disrupt the elections or he might be planning to turn them on us. I'm not about to lose another country."

-----Cast of Characters-----
V.R. Jones
An as yet unsuccessful graduate student at the University of Toronto. He believes that war is inevitable not just between the Syndicalists and the remains of the Entente but also between the Syndicalists and the increasing fractured Mitteleuropa.

Mary O'Shea
A woman who left Canada with the fishing fleet. Her husband sacrificed his ticket for her sake. Despite that, she is a staunch Syndicalist and is working for the Union of Britain as a spy.

Maurice Pope
Despite having been passed over for the post of Intelligence chief, his political insights are highly valued withing the Canadian government.

William Hardy
A senior functionary in the Canadian intelligence apparatus; he is something of an odd-job man for tasks requiring a senior hand but which cannot be undertaken in too much scrutiny.

Prime Minister MacKenzie King
The PM of Canada elected on a wave of popular Canadian irritation with their long-staying British "guests". He accepts the need to fight Syndicalism whenever and wherever it is found but loves needling the British. For him (as many Canadians), victory over Syndicalism would be worth it just to get the British out of Canada. The rise of Syndicalism is forcing King to re-evaluate what he things the purpose of society and government should be.

ADM Parry
The Admiral in charge of the Canadian Carrier Fleet. He is most aware of the weakness of the Canadian military in the face of the superior industries of the Union of Britain and the Commune of France. He believes the main focus of Canadian efforts should be control of the North Atlantic.
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Welcome to my first AAR. It is in DH 1.03r2 with the Kaiserreich 1.4beta mod. I've only played Canada once and that was in the Kaiserreich mode for HOI2. I'm not actually Canadian so please forgive any absurdities. I'm only comfortable with US military ranks so I'll try to work that in. One thing I'm wondering, should I include links to the source material I'm using for realism so that people can correct me?

I'll try to post pretty frequently (about every two days).

Also, on a technical matter, how do I make the images bigger?
 
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A Canadian KR AAR! I will be following with great interest.

And starting with militia spam? I am kinda surprised, Canada does not have alot of manpower, so you may want to go with the smaller, but more elite type of army path.
 
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"So what made you call me at three in the morning? I've got the speech at the house of lords yet this morning."

"Remember when the Germans grabbed our colonies, invaded China, and created a bunch of duchies in Russia? There was only so much the Germans could loot or steal from the Africans or Chinese. Their investors were far too optimistic about the income Germany would get from such rackets and they've suddenly realized how badly they miscalculated. Everything built on the assumption of German loot is in doubt."

"Hah, the Krauts had it coming but I'm not sure what we can do about it now. I suppose our limited trade kind of insulates us so we don't have too much to worry about."

"It gets more worrying though. Germany and the Italian Federation are the main bulwarks against Syndicalism in Europe. Germany still has a large army but the Pope doesn't. If the Germans decide to ignore the Communes aggression, the Pope won't have the forces to hold out. I'm not sorry to see the Germans lose but it seems to tip the balance of power towards the Syndicalists IF the Germans choose to ignore the outside world."

"That's most definitely not good. We barely have the forces to protect Canada and the Nationalists certainly don't have anything near enough to help the Pope. This might be a good way to bring him into the Entente though."

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"Sir, this came straight over the US wire service. It's the Commune's election results."

"Thank you Hardy. Hmmm. Except for an officer centered military candidate, the Sorelians have won virtually all seats. At least it isn't the Valois gang."

"If I may ask, how are the Sorelians any better, they even deny that any laws are legitimate. Valois acknowledges some need for order in organization."

"Valois is a very canny, very desperate, and very grandiose man whose charisma can drive a country to some new path. When that path is to re-make the world in the image of some 19th century commune overseen by what any sane person would describe as a prison guard, the only right response is to thank God he didn't get into power. Sorelians are not quite bafoons but their thuggish ways are unlikely to make the Commune the same degree of threat as anyone as sophisticated as Valois might."

"Do you seriously think Valois could defeat the Germans after the last War?"

"Defeat the Germans, no. But Valois would not need to defeat the Germans if he could just convince them that intervening would be too costly. Valois isn't stupid enough to bite off more than he can chew. The Sorelians might be. Right now, the status quo in the Commune is a thin varnish of egalite covering a lot of discontent among the farmers and rural people. The empire of Paris is still directing the country and they get their way. If they get too confident, they might even try attacking the Germans directly."

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"So what do you think of Michael Collins' speech?"

V.R. Jones let the paper fall back on the counter. He frowned, sighed, and spoke as if the effort made him wince.

"I don't like to say it but I think he's right. Hear me out. The countries most threatened by Syndicalism that stayed free are also the most religious. The Italian Federation is run by the Pope for goodness sake. Ireland was within cannon-shot of the Union and yet, the Unionists didn't want to risk facing the Irish peasants. The Russian peasants also made short work of the Syndicalists after the attacks on the Church and the Czar. Who fell worst? The practically atheist French and, sorry to say it, us."

"But what about Naples, isn't southern Italy extremely religious? Also, what did you think of the first four paragraphs when he talked about the old British rule? That's not going to win him any friends."

"Religious or superstitious. Look, I know so much of what's in the Bible can't be proved scientifically. That said, there are traditions of interpretation that scholars follow and people act on such careful beliefs. There was nothing in Naples that suggested people actually believed in Catholicism as anything more than ritual. Also, he runs a country full of Irishmen angry at US for decades. When we came over, we had a two week visa to allow us to catch a ship. If we couldn't have found a ship, we'd have been shipped back to Cardiff. I don't like it any more than you do but he's right on that subject. Without Rousseau, the Jacobins would never have been able to do what they did. There has to be a connection."

"But he can't be serious, he ordered the assassination of the Bishop of Cork."

"Collins was brutal but he was the only member of the Easter Treason to actually cause trouble. He may be a thug but he is no idiot. If he thinks forging close ties with the Catholic Church is going to protect Ireland from Syndicalism, he is probably right."

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Seriously, how do I make the embedded images bigger?
 
Good luck!


And what Battle bunny said! :)
 
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"The Chinese are doing something."

"What?"

"That's just it, we can't tell. Henry Pu Yi is announcing some new policy that we can't determine and we don't have any contacts that can tell us anything."

"Whatever it is, The Qing control a vast chunk of the world and could break the hold of the AoG or the Japanese. Aggressive is good. I don't think Pu Yi has any love for the Germans after they extorted the south from him."

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"Pope, look at this."

"What?"

"You remember agent 008, right? He was arrested by the Russian police and never came out of the station. Presumed murdered. Well, Grand Duke Kyril just accidentally admitted that the Okrahna had been re-introduced."

"That could only be a prelude to more drastic measures. The secret police were so hated that any sane man would have to think very carefully before allowing them. The stupid socialite in office is unlikely to be the real driving force for this."

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"Why are the Unionists ordering air filters for military trucks?"

"This is worse, I've got an order for 50,000 of the *&^$ things and three more just like it in the pile. The Nationalists are really not going to like this."

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I'm going to continue writing and maybe edit this string of posts later to fix the images.
 
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King sat up in his chair and rubbed his eyes.

“What? Bruce is dead? Do we know anything about it?

Maurice pope was clearly a man with little sleep. Veins under his eyes were more prominent that usual and he was moving more slowly than usual. His coughing was sounding less polite and more in tune with a man who needed a drink of water fast.

“ We don’t have any evidence his death was an assassination but Hughes is insisting he has proof. I personally don’t buy it but he nearly convinced enough people to let him take power. It was John Curtin instead who got elected.”

“I’m not familiar with him.”

“He’s famous in Australia for arguing that Syndicalism will not be stopped until its subversives have been arrested. He isn’t as bad as Hughes in thinking Syndicalists are hiding around every corner but he believes that Australia must imitate the police powers of Russia or Japan in order to stay free. He’s got a lot of people in the country thinking the same way.”

“How does this impact the Empire?”

“Curtin is strongly in favour of maintaining dominion status but might view us as insufficiently forceful to protect Australia. His speeches are paeans to Japanese power and he seems to be trying to rebuild society on that model.”

“I suppose this is a little disappointing even though I have no real reason to be. I’d like to think Canada has been an ideal country.”

“Ideal perhaps. But remember how well you like dealing with the British. Multiply that by the distance involved for Australia and you might see his perspective a little better.”

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The war office at the Admiralty was abuzz as dozens of senior officers were crowding into a map room. The lieutenant in charge looked befuddled at the attention and was sluggish and jerky with his movements. He didn’t quite stammer but his pauses were longer than normal and even in the middle of sentences. The visible frowns by dozens of admirals didn’t help his composure.

“Here, the Union fleet steamed to 100 miles south of the Azores… they launched one wave of fighters…”

“SPEAK UP, We can’t hear you in the back!”

“They launched one wave of fighters at 0630 local time and a wave of bombers at 0655. The fighters served as escorts for the bombers. The bombers divided into three groups…targeting the government house, the army barracks, and the main port…They didn’t drop bombs but leaflets instead.”

ADM Nells shoved a few people out of the way as he rose from the phone table.

“I have word from my Portuguese counterpart that their government is unable and unwilling to face up to the Syndicalist intimidation. They have passed word to the German government which has announced their decision about 20 minutes ago. They are not going to intervene. They are not going to risk a war that is only going to make their bad economy worse.”

“What about the maneuvers by Iceland? I know the Danes don’t have a fleet but are the Germans just going to sit back and watch?

“That’s exactly what they are going to do. Denmark is very optimistic about mining and drilling turning Iceland into a gold mine. The Union must have concluded that a show of force there is not going to get the Germans too angry.

A chorus of angry mutterings erupted.

“They don’t have to fight a war, just do something to make sure the Syndicalists don’t have it all their way.”

ADM Nells yelled for them to quiet down.

“Right now we need a plan. The King is on the line and has given us permission to deploy to the Azores and Ireland on the condition we don’t shoot first. The PM has agreed. We can’t move the Atlantic or Reserve Fleets, they’re just undergoing repairs. The Carrier Fleet is our best bet. Do we have everything we need?

“We’ve got the pilots racing back right now.” “I’ve got two months of rations being loaded right now.” “The ships already have charts of the region.” “I’d say we have everything.”

“Let’s go.”

Later, the PM grabbed ADM Nells.

“I realize the situation was extreme but I don’t appreciate having Canadian interests overridden like that. The carrier fleet may be under British command but still belongs to Canada. I am not going to stop you but remember you aren’t in Britain anymore, you are subject to the orders of the Canadian government. From now on, the Royal Navy and Canadian Navy are following US ranks structures. Remember, this is Canada.

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At the law offices of Riley, Anstin, and West in Chicago, a pile of newspapers covered an already cluttered desk.

“Look at this, the Chicago Tribune has the detail that the Pope has sent a personal telegram to president Garner four days before. It also adds that initially the Justice department was against shutting Coughlin down on the grounds that the press includes radio.”

“Let me see… The New York Tribune has the full decision of the Attorney General. This can’t be legal. The Supreme Court won’t allow it.”

“Maybe the real reason is that Garner and the Pope are scared of Long’s bunch of thugs. Garner doesn’t like Coughlin rabble-rousing. The Pope doesn’t like heresy.”

“Really, the Pope has never done anything about heretics before.”

“Long attracts the sort of people who hate existing authority and who have an ax to grind. Coughlin lets those people think that way and even adds a Christian gloss to it. America First would have a lot less respectability otherwise and people would have to choose between going to church as respected members of the congregation and doing so as outcasts.”

“Do you really think the minute men go to church? I never associated breaking people’s kneecaps with devotion.”

“Religion is supposed to be a big thing in the South. It might seem silly to us here in Chicago but the South is a different world. Even the poorest factory workers would gladly beat a CSA man while you have factory managers who are part of the CSA here.”

“Looks like there’s a massive outcry against the Pope and Garner in the South especially. Even a lot of people in the East and West are troubled by the apparent illegality of censoring the broadcasts. This isn’t calming the situation down any.”
 
Sadly, My efforts at taking screenshots were not always successful. That means the Death of the old king, the coronation of the new one, the goals of the country, and the new leader of the Combined Armies aren't recorded.
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Maurice Pope was in his office when he heard the news. He had just been preparing a short briefing paper to the PM about the Spanish banning the CNT-FAI when William Hardy burst in from the hallway.

"Sir, SIR!"

"WHAT! Can't you knock?"

"The King is dead."

Pope leaned back, his heart racing. When the royal family fled, the brought much of Royal Navy as well. Those who sensed they were immediate targets of the Syndicalist mobs did everything they could to get a spot. It was only the threat of governing a large minority hostile to the Syndicalist government that made the Unionists grant visas to Ireland for common people. Pope himself was Canadian and rejected the subtle bigotry of many of his fellow nationals but his mentor in the Canadian Intelligence Service had fled with much of the MI6 staff aboard the HMS Erin. If the King hadn't chosen to flee, the royalists in Britain would probably have chosen a bloodier fight than what took place. So much of what Britain, Canada, and the Empire was about was because of the now dead king.

"Farewell to the our old history."

"ATTENTION! PRESENT ARMS! ORDER ARMS!"

Thank you Sergeant Major. My loyal subjects, civilization itself is faced with two paths to take. The first is the notion that all of history is leading up to the total domination of man over his environment. That domination may be beneficial such as the construction of bridges, dams, and new types of food. The other side of that domination is more sinister. Syndicalism in based on the notion that such manners of exchange as humans have worked out through trial and error over thousands of years are not the natural evolution of the best way to do things but the unacceptable means of exploitation and division. They reject private property and with it the means people have of staying free.

The Syndicalists have sought to replace the ancient and organic traditions of our island with the fantastical imagery of the 18th Century French philosophes. As Rousseau's ideas birthed Robespierre and mass slaughter, Syndicalism cannot preserve our hard-won civilization. Just as the French Revolution's bloodshed only ended with a world consuming tyrant, Syndicalism will not stop until all parts of this earth are subject to their mad dictates. This is a struggle not just to reclaim our ancestral home and the birthplace of liberty, it is a struggle to save the world from the nihilistic lust for power that Syndicalism will birth.

Some have asked if we should wait and prepare. As much as I would love to face the Syndicalists with overwhelming force. We cannot afford the time. The Union has already sent a fleet to two locations. Germany, the great power of the continent, has chosen not to respond. We are the most aware of what Syndicalism is, how implacable it is, and we are the only ones who can face it. For this reason, we must overcome the division between Canadian and British and accept our common purpose. We must free London and Paris. Nous sommes des Canadiens, des Anglais, Des Francais unifies pour la liberte. For that reason, I have selected Sir Kenneth Stuart as the head of the Combined Armies of Canada and Britain and whom we trust can end this horrible conflict.

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"What a wonderful thing it is to have a king as we do."

"Don't get too emotional on me Hardy, look at this. We've had three reports of second line army units being sent into the Russian countryside. Dimitri Romanov looks like he's trying to be an autocrat and the rest of the world believes him. Somehow, I don't think the Russians are going to be too enthusiastic about him."

"Does that mean you want a stability assessment now?"

"Yes. I know it's the end of the fiscal quarter and the start of the SRI Congress but we don't want another nasty surprise."

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I'm now up to the point that I've played to.
 
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Mary O'Shea, a short, slightly overweight, dark-haired Irishwoman sat next to the radio with her neighbors in the poorer part of Toronto. It was unassuming by Canadian standards but was slightly unusual in that it didn't have the by now customary twin flags. Only the old Canadian flag pinned to a living room wall.

The CBC announcer's tinny voice returned to the air with the news the group was waiting to hear.

"President Zapata of Mexico had brought some measure of stability to the country after a savage civil war that lasted from 1910 to 1926. Cheap ex-military weapons and mercenaries flooded the country after the Great War and it was only his threat to kill every foreigner left on Mexican soil that ensured Zapata's supremacy in ruling Mexico. While he has been in ill-health these past few years, only now has the Council for the preservation of the Revolution made a public announcement of his successor. That man is...Vincente Lombardo Toledano, the head of the Socialist Party and the man most responsible for ensuring Zapata's industrial policies were enforced. No doubt this will lead to tension with the United States as Pancho Villa is part of the new administration and had been the subject of a US manhunt in the 1917 border operation under General Abrahms."

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"Well, it looks like sports won't be bringing the world together this year. The Syndicalists were serious about having a separate competition."

"I think they're yellow. The know they don't have the athletes to beat the Americans or Japanese."

"Sure, the competition is very stiff this year but that doesn't account for abandoning the Olympics. I think the Syndies are trying to create a new mythology. We use the Olympics to remember the Greek truce and athletes. They named it after Spartikus. They are cultivating a new, insane tradition. None of them were ever slaves."

"Oh I don't know, were some of them in debt pretty bad before the war?"

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The PM stormed into the Intelligence wing of the Administrative Services Building and into a Political Directorate Office. Maurice Pope looked up without betraying any visible signs of surprise. This was slightly unusual but the PM was known for personally seeking out an official at a whim. What that whim was became apparent when the PM plopped a slightly soggy newspaper on the desk.

"So you want to know why President Garner vetoed the bill?"
Pope leaned back and put his fingertips together.

"You were right when you said the man had no political courage whatsoever. This is just one of those cases. Many Americans have never forgotten the Indian raids and those that came to the US after them saw Indians as vagabonds going from town to town begging. A few high profile civilized Indians like Garner might change people's minds but his utter failure as a president has probably only convinced more people that Indians cannot be trusted as citizens."

"Yes, yes. I know all that. We've got the same problems with the native peoples up north. That doesn't explain the veto."

"A bunch of people (mainly in the South) launched a letter-writing campaign and staged a bunch of protests. Most of those letters were filled out by less than a hundred people according to handwriting experts but it scared a lot of people in the press and in the White House. Garner is a coward and he got the message the people didn't want Indian citizenship. This probably made him more isolated as the western states were the most favorable to it. He betrayed their political support for a chimera of opposition."

"So there's no way this man can be counted on to crack down on the CSA? It's going to be a long, long time to the election."

"And we don't know if people's passions are going to cool after the election even. American newsmen are stunned at this level of vitriol and public anger."

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Maurice Pope sat down at the table in the guest room in the Intelligence Wing. Brigadier General Henry Crerar (current head of the Secret Intelligence Service known as MI6) was pouring tea into three large cups and had a selection of pastries ready.

"Pope, I know how you love looking at the politics of economic relationships. Take a look at this. It's the minutes of a German parliamentary meeting on agriculture. I know my boys have been looking at their numbers and they all seem to be accurate about the current state of German agriculture. We can't be too sure of the future output proposed by the various ministers but you might be able to help us with that."

"Pork imports from Serbia...Ukrainian wheat prices...German land plots size... What I'm seeing is that the Germans lost a lot of men in the war, they rely on the East for cheap grain, they gave up the embargo on Serbia and found that German farmers can't produce ham as cheaply as a bunch of Balkan peasants, and that the farmers either have to give up farming and work somewhere else (virtually impossible with the stock crisis there) or get the political clout to cut off imports and raise prices. It's going to set the interests of rural people (who want high food prices) against urban people (who want low food prices). Somebody is going to suffer and now they're going to blame the government when they don't get their way."

"So there seems to be a political coalition to cut off food imports? Do you think it's going to last for a year or more?"

"Almost certainly. Why do you ask?"

"Here are the latest statistics on the Polish agricultural sector. Tell me what you think the consequences will be..."
 
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"Perhaps it is just me or is everything turning pear-shaped all at once?"

"It isn't just you. As the world was watching the International, the Syndies in Bolivia just took power. Chile won't do anything."

"At least we have some hope the Dutch aren't going to give in. They've rejected the Socialist's demands."

"Yes, yes, we don't know how much longer they can or will hold out. It is some consolation the if the Netherlands goes red, Germany WILL have to step in. They may have lost a generation but you'd think the Krauts no longer have a sense of self-preservation."
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"Hah, you're famous for being a pessimist but what do you say about this? The Soviets may have declared war on the Russian government but they are bound to lose. The Commune's rhetoric also went to far and now Germany's paying attention."

"If you want to be optimistic, fine. Remember that Russia also declared war on the Siberian Assembly. Russia is fighting a two-front war and other countries have yet to intervene. Finnish intervention especially could tip the fragile balance of the war and the Finns probably prefer grabbing Karelia while they can to fighting the Soviets and risking their men for gains that will be taken by Russia anyways. Germany's right-wing has always been rightly terrified of the Commune but the mass of German voters and officials probably are not about to risk another Great War. Whatever the Kaiser's militarism might say, Germany is too tired for another war. It won't be until 1941 that the new generation will be old enough for the military and trained for service. All the Commune needs to do is be aggressive enough to risk a war the Germans will not engage in. The Germans Won't fight. We can't fight yet. The French are lucky to be holding out as it is."

"But you forget the upcoming security bill. We are aware of the Syndicalist threat and can act."

"You are ever the optimist. Just hope the bill has enough and that it passes. We might yet win this thing if the Germans awake and don't decide to go after us."
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"This is insane, absolutely insane!"
West looked over to his law partner.

"Well, what is it?"

"Did you guys read the Tribune today?"

"No." "No."

"That God^%$&^ son of a ^%$# Reed just spoke in front of the International asking for "help" should a conflict arise and Long steal the elections."

"That's insane. I never trusted the man but I don't think he'd be so stupid as that. The FBI would have been bound to respond. Reed wouldn't tip his hand to early. That's probably the Tribune being wacko again."

"I don't think so. Remember the Ford plant shutdown? The Police tried to intervene a few times but were shot at. Reed is getting really confident and really violent. I don't think we should stay here much longer."

"That's a pretty radical move. We've only passed the bar in Illinois and we only cover corporate law, Where would we go?"

"Look, whoever wins the election, there's going to be violence. People are just too angry and can't agree on anything. We're tied to the big businesses so many people hate. We're rich, Long hates us, Reed hates us, we are easy targets. At least consider moving out a while before the election. If I'm wrong, we can go back to business as if nothing happened. If I'm right, we'll still be alive and have a chance of getting back in business."

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"Hardy, wake-up! The PM want's a global update."

"Hnggg! But the situation is Russia is changing so fast. Anything we put out is going to be irrelevant by the time we gt it much less the PM."

"I know but he'll feel better even if he can't actually do anything. Start on an easy task. Write up a short blurb on the death of Osvald Spengler."

"OK. He was a fierce critic of Syndicalism and deeply skeptical that Germany could continue unchanged as a decadent monarchy. His death means that Syndicalism's foes will no longer have his civilizational analysis for modern comparison. That doesn't actually say much to anyone outside analysis."

"Then put that. The Kaiser's men reads Spengler. His death means they will but just that less informed. I'll go work on the Siberian-Soviet Alliance. That's a real head-breaker."

"Shouldn't we be focusing on the covert Syndicalist efforts in the Latin countries? I don't think the Americans are able to confront them right now. More Syndicalists on this continent means less chance of being able to defeat them over there."
 
This wass a test to see if the new images work. It didn't.

I've decided to go with DeviantArt as the host as I am scared the 2gb free limit to photobucket would get exceeded way too quickly. Any advice on this point would be helpful. Sadly, I can't get the link (http://lipovan87.deviantart.com/art/ScreenSave35-382749292) to work in uploading the image. A photobucket experiment is on the bottom of the post.

Also, another point of annoyance. I can't seem to get a screenshot to save if there is a decision on the screen.
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"Pope, what are you going to say about Portugal and Italy?"

"I cannot say anything more than is obvious. Only Crerar knows about the actual economic impact. Any political results would be highly dependent on what the economic results are."

"Don't give me that. That they've even agreed to such a proposal by a virtual nobody is significant in of itself. I want to know who this Xavier Somelatinname is! Why does the pope and Salazaar listen to him?"

"I can't tell you anything about Mr. De Borbon-Parma. What I can tell you is that the Pope has always been leery of German economic dominance in Europe. Key members of the Papal Secretariat for Italian Administration are operating on the notion that lower trade barriers will improve all national economies participating in the economic block. While the border with Austria might seem ideal, Mr. Crerar has told me that very few published articles in Italy have favored lowering the tariff against Austria. Subtle hostility and suspicion to Austria and Germany seem to be common themes in the Federation despite the very real help they have received to stay in power."

"So why did Salazaar agree?"

"Salazaar governs a deeply Catholic country and has also done everything he could to retain political independence from foreigners. A rival non-Syndicalist block in Europe would preserve his freedom of action far more than anything Germany would provide. I assume most of Portugal relies on agricultural exports and German protectionism would be a constant worry."

"So why have we never heard of him until now?"

"I suspect Mr. Xavier is just a man who came forward with the idea the Pope was desperate to accept. If it wouldn't of been him, the Pope would have picked or created a very similar proposal. I'm not too worried by this. It preserves the Pope's freedom in Italy, gives a fallback option to German apathy, and is bound to bring hot-headed Latin passion against the Syndicalists."

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