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NETENCARTA - The Internetwork Knowledge Database of the Common Man Original development by Redmond Computing Collective, Redmond, CWC The Allegheny Riots, also known as the Allegheny Uprising or the Last Straw Riots, were a series of riots and civil disturbances that took place in the Allegheny Valley region around the North American city of Pittsburgh between March 29, 1972, when Pittsburgh Pirates right fielder Roberto Clemente was shot by an unidentified gunman, and July 4, 1972, when the Allegheny Valley Defense Authority was officially founded by members and organizations of Pittsburgh’s three major sports teams, the baseball Pirates, gridiron football Pittsburgh Steelers, and ice hockey Pittsburgh Penguins. Fighting and ongoing unrest from the Allegheny Riots would actively continue until early 1973, and the overall conflict and instability caused by it continues today as of 1986. The Allegheny Riots are considered by a majority of modern historians to be the “breaking point” event that led to the collapse of the United States of America. == Background == === The American Wars === The United States of America by 1972 had been in a state of near-constant war since the mid-1960s. Firstly involved in the undeclared Vietnam War to attempt to “contain the spread of communism”, the USA would then commit military forces in France in 1968 to attempt to resolve the French Civil War in favor of the de Gaulle government, to the point of dropping a nuclear bomb on a revolting French division mustering in the commune of Abbeville. These conflicts, and the United States’ bloody-handed methods of trying to contain them, would spill over in 1969 into the Great Revolutionary War, a worldwide conflict with the Comintern defense pact, which would continue for another three years. While hideously destructive and expensive in terms of life lost, the United States’ position in the war was compromised from the start by many of its predicted allies, especially the European nations of Great Britain, France, Italy, and West Germany, leaving its alliance or being destroyed or paralyzed due to civil unrest. As a result, the United States was forced to attempt to fight the war almost by itself, an extremely taxing endeavor. === The Home Front in Pittsburgh === This was not helped by its own civil unrest. The USA’s years of unpopular war and mistreatment of its own population had led to frequent protests, demonstrations, strike actions, and even riots. Attempts by the police and military to control them were themselves hampered by the overtaxed state of both, particularly the military, which was coming to pieces due to the strain of Vietnam and France. These situations were exacerbated as the stress of the Great Revolutionary War and the collapse of the international trade system meant that the USA was deprived of a number of resources crucial to its mid-century economic boom, resulting in rationing, shortages, and economic downturn. The decline of civil manufacturing led to significant job losses and a further rise in protests and unrest as a result, particularly as the Agnew government did next to nothing to alleviate the economic strain on the common citizenry. While the Pittsburgh area’s steel industry remained prosperous due to the demands of the war industry, the population was nevertheless exhausted by over a decade of war and the fact that this prosperity was not translating down to them. Unrest became more common as the situation worsened. === Pittsburgh Sports === Pittsburgh’s three professional sports teams were not immune to this situation, either. The Pittsburgh Steelers gridiron football team was hit the worst as the National Football League was crippled due to the sudden economic downturn, ending the 1969 season early and suspending national play after 1970 due to restrictions on national air travel. The newly-founded Pittsburgh Penguins ice hockey team was in dire financial straits, suffering from mediocre play thanks to the National Hockey League’s expansion policy favoring its “Original Six” teams, and while still popular, was staring at bankruptcy thanks to terrible seasons punctuated by the war disrupting play. The Pittsburgh Pirates baseball team was the only one of the three to be doing well, managing to maintain play throughout the period and winning the controversial 1971 season over the Baltimore Orioles despite multiple strikes and game losses, as well as the travel restrictions. The Pirates were heroes to the city of Pittsburgh, and none more so than their star right fielder, Puerto Rican Roberto Clemente. A gregarious, compassionate man, Clemente was beloved by Pittsburgh both for his talent and his contributions to the community, being a constant source of charity and mutual aid as the city’s population struggled through the privations of war. == Events == === The Primanti Brothers Riot and the Shooting of Roberto Clemente === On March 29, 1972, the Primanti Brothers sandwich shop in downtown Pittsburgh was forced to close due to an inability to source bread and tomatoes for its recipes. Besides being popular, Primanti Brothers was located in the center of a major Pittsburgh warehouse district and provided food for a large number of factory and warehouse workers, who found themselves without food at lunchtime thanks to the unexpected closure. Soon an angry crowd of workers was gathering outside of the shop, with rumor spreading that the government was hoarding bread and other foodstuffs in some of the warehouses nearby for the overseas war effort, while the people moving said food would now go hungry. By 1:15 PM, the crowd had begun to march towards the supposed food stockpiles, located around a Pennsylvania National Guard outpost in the area. In response, the local commander of the National Guard, Colonel Marcus Stanford [note 1], deployed no less than 200 fully armed National Guardsmen to protect the area and contain the crowd, which had by this point swelled to almost 2000 people and was continuing to grow. The Guardsmen deployed in front of the warehouses and set up a defensive line as the crowd approached. At this point, Pirates right fielder Roberto Clemente, along with left fielder “Pops” Stargell and catcher Manny Sanguillen, appeared on the scene. The Pirates had been conducting charity aid in a nearby neighborhood and were drawn over by the noise of the crowd. After a brief look at the situation Clemente headed out in front of the crowd, attempting to convince them to calm down – Clemente had been regularly purchasing and distributing food in the area and was a beloved local figure. According to Sanguillen, “Roberto thought there was going to be a slaughter, and went out to try to convince people to stop fighting – try and keep them from getting shot.” When Clemente had his back turned to the National Guardsmen, addressing the crowd, someone opened fire. Based on eyewitness accounts, there was no order to fire from the ground commander; the exact reasons for this shooting have never been determined, nor has the specific shooter been identified. While the possibility exists that the shooter was someone else -- a police officer, a bystander, someone with a personal grudge -- based on the angle and situation, the shooter almost certainly had to be one of the National Guardsmen at the post. Three shots hit Roberto Clemente – two in the back and one in the back of the head, killing him almost instantly. Another shot hit crane operator Bob Urlacher in the crowd, killing him, while two more workers – warehouse worker Henry Schmidt and truck driver Ernie Townsend – were injured. The sight of Clemente being gunned down immediately incited the crowd to riot. Enraged, the people rushed the National Guard post, while many of the National Guard were stunned or turned and fled. Those Guardsmen who continued to fire killed another 31 people and wounded over 50 before they were ripped apart by the mob, which pummeled any survivors senseless, imprisoning them in a nearby warehouse as they razed the entire National Guard post to the ground. The total casualties from the incident are estimated at 68 dead, 90 injured. Clemente was rushed to UPMC Mercy Hospital but was pronounced dead on arrival. === The Riots Escalate === News of Clemente’s shooting spread rapidly and stirred the entire Pittsburgh region into action against the National Guard and the government. The death of their beloved star player while attempting to keep the peace was beyond outrageous, and to many locals proved lingering fears and suspicions that the government did not care about them, and was actively willing to sacrifice them for the sake of its own agendas. Additional riots broke out across the region, sacking Pittsburgh City Hall, overrunning the Pittsburgh Police Department, and destroying every military base in the region. Multiple attempts by the Governor of Pennsylvania and the National Guard to contain the riots failed; many of the rioters had military experience from Korea and Vietnam, and had armed themselves extensively both from the armories of the police and military, as well as rioting workers turning Pittsburgh’s own weapons manufacturing plants to their own use. In addition, increasing numbers of Pennsylvania and Ohio National Guardsmen, worked to the breaking point and now faced with having to shoot their own countrymen en masse, defected from the National Guard and joined the rioters, adding significant military expertise and training to their ranks. The Agnew government provided no coherent response, with internal factions torn between whether to treat this as a full-on rebellion against the country or as a major episode of civil unrest. It was well understood in the wake of the gross mishandling of the New Afrika unrest and revolts that mishandling the situation could make it far, far worse. There was also the question of whether to use the military to settle the issue – the United States Military and the Agnew civilian government had been becoming increasingly detached from each other, issuing contradictory orders for at least two years that had become more and more difficult to resolve. Unfortunately for the Agnew government, the United States military had been drawing its own conclusions from the situation, and would soon take its own action. === The Joint Chiefs Declare Martial Law and the Collapse of the United States === On April 15, 1972, the riots were beginning to run out of steam, with any immediate targets mostly destroyed and participants beginning to think about what may come next. The Pirates had declared that they would forfeit the Opening Day game in New York against the New York Mets, instead remaining in Pittsburgh to conduct a memorial for Clemente at Forbes Field. Midway through that ceremony, at about 3:05 PM, the Joint Chiefs of Staff of the United States Military announced that they were placing the entirety of Western Pennsylvania under martial law, attempting to ship in several units of infantry along with Air Force assets to do so. This martial law declaration had not been issued by the Agnew government, and not approved by it either, marking an immediate and ultimately permanent break between the Joint Chiefs and the Agnew Presidency. It would also be the final straw that provoked the collapse of the United States. In Pittsburgh itself, the news provoked the riots to immediately flare back up, now to be organized by the unions and civic organizations of the people of Pittsburgh and the surrounding cities, going from riot to full-blown militia revolt. Their backs were now to the metaphorical wall, as it was expected that there would be street trials for “rebellion” and executions, even more mass shootings, as a means of restoring order. As it would later turn out, following the seizure of Joint Chiefs communications during the Japanese Operation Sonno Joi seizure of the American Embassy in Japan, this expectation was completely correct. By the end of April, the Pittsburgh Pirates organization would become involved in organizing the militia defense; by the end of May, all three of Pittsburgh’s major sports teams would be. The teams' coaches, players, and staff would end up coordinating group and small-unit efforts in the fighting alongside union bosses, city councilmen, and defector National Guard officers and men against a confused, ill-motivated Joint Chiefs offensive on the region, whose initial success against mostly untrained civilians was immediately undercut by mass protests and defections among the participating units. In addition, spurred by necessity and also by Clemente's example, the teams' management-level organizations would begin emergency coordination of government, utility, and social operations in the greater Pittsburgh area, becoming the nucleus of what would eventually become an independent state. Beyond Pittsburgh, however, the news of martial law caused revolts across the country, both in response to the thought of military control and to the recognition that the military was now operating without the civilian government. In some places, like St. Louis, this was unsuccessful, resulting in brutal repression and retribution. In others, like Chicago, Detroit, and New York City, it would result in the people of those cities completely throwing off United States control and forming new polities, many of whom would go on to join the Comintern. == Aftermath == The Allegheny Valley Defense Authority was formally created by the Pirates, Steelers, and Penguins on July 4, 1972, marking the end of the Allegheny Riots as the participants formally became an independent nation from the collapsing United States. The use of sports teams, unions, clubs, and other organizations would subsequently inspire other revolters’ movements across the country, most notably in the successful Revolution of the Five Boroughs that would start on the same day, which famously included all of those in its organization. The AVDA would continue to actively fight the Joint Chiefs for the rest of 1972, until the general Joint Chiefs suspension of offensives following the council’s withdrawal to Japan, and less active fighting would persist until mid-1973, lapsing into a skirmish-level stalemate that continues to this day. The AVDA, while friendly to the Comintern and possessing a number of attributes similar to explicitly socialist states across the Midwest, is not a formal member of the global alliance and has remained independent, due to its position on the United States. Pittsburgh has never lost the feeling that without the active war against the Comintern in 1969, the entire situation would never have happened, and resentment against the Comintern remains as a result, though polling suggests it has dimmed somewhat with time and increasing relations with the Comintern. The site where the National Guard post in the warehouse district stood has been cleared and turned into a memorial park; a statue of Roberto Clemente stands in the middle, flanked by polished blue granite slabs carved with the names of all those killed that day; the wounded are recorded on the obverse. The Pirates, reconstituted in 1980 for the Comintern-run Professional Baseball League, would finish construction of a new stadium at long last in 1986, nearly 80 years after the dedication of Forbes Field, and over 15 years after their new park had been supposed to open before the collapse of the country. In honor of the city’s most beloved player, it would be named Roberto Clemente Park. [Note 1]: The conduct of the excitable, reactionary Colonel Marcus Stanford would be cited as direct inspiration by Gy Waldron and Jerry Rushing for the creation of the character Captain Martin Stanborough, the hapless yes-man of a scout-tank captain who pursues the crew of Super Sam in the adventure-drama television show Sherman’s March. == Related Articles == Assassination of Martin Luther King, Jr. Assassination of Richard Nixon Formation of New Afrika Jim Crow Wars Wrigleyville Riots Free City of Chicago Detroit Commune Revolution of the Five Boroughs Five Nations of Manhattan Three-Pointed War British Revolution Redeye Flight fucked around with this message at 05:21 on Aug 2, 2022 |
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Aug 2, 2022 03:27
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None of these links seem to work, just fyi
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Aug 2, 2022 03:30
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GunnerJ posted:None of these links seem to work, just fyi Must be some sort of internetwork mismatch.
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Aug 2, 2022 03:36
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NewMars posted:Must be some sort of internetwork mismatch. Have you refilled your TNE reservoir in the house internetwork connecting generator
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Aug 2, 2022 03:42
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The following is a selection from a diplomatic cable published by the embassy of the USSR based in Beijing: After leadership reshuffle and conclusion of the recent Party Rectification Campaign, the top leadership of the Chinese Communist Party may tentatively be summarized as follows: General Secretary of the Communist Party of China - Hu Yaobang Member of the Standing Committee of the Politburo - Chen Yun Member of the Standing Committee of the Politburo - Ye Jianying Member of the Standing Committee of the Politburo - Zhao Ziyang Member of the Standing Committee of the Politburo - Nie Rongzhen Member of the Standing Committee of the Politburo - Wan Li Member of the Standing Committee of the Politburo - Ye Jianying Member of the Standing Committee of the Politburo - Li Xiannian Other Members of the Politburo (in alphabetical order, list incomplete): Chen Muhua, Deng Xiaoping, Li Desheng, Li Peng, Qiao Shi, Xu Xiangqian, Wu Xueqian, Xi Zhongxun, Yang Shangkun, Yao Yilin President of the Chinese Academy of Sciences - Qian Xuesen Director of the State Science and Technology Commission - Song Jian Minister of Foreign Affairs - Qian Qichen Head of the People's Bank of China - Chen Muhua Head of the State Planning Commission - Yu Qiuli General Secretary of the Central Military Commission - Yang Shangkun Vice-Chairs of the Central Military Commission - Deng Xiaoping, Zhao Ziyang The more experienced observer of Chinese high politics will of course note the total absence of any figure even remotely near the top leadership of the "Red Guard" faction; one can safely assume that they have all been sidelined from the top levers of power in the past few months. The old system of Red Guards running parallel institutions and parallel ministries across the countryside seems to have been shuttered in the "Restore Order from Chaos" campaign of late 1985; and the names of Red Guard institutions have been quietly removed from maps and buildings. What remains is a coalition of reformers and party old-guard, of old marshals and younger reformers; and both appear united in their belief that the People's Republic of China must continue to modernize and take a more proactive role in global affairs. The awarding of the Administrative Headquarters arcology to the Socialist Republic of Vietnam, in particular, may have served as an impetus for more immediate reforms and a more proactive foreign policy. A self-pitying nationalism may seek to blame Chinese issues on the outside world; a more strident and assertive nationalism implies that it may seek to achieve its own foreign policy goals. Kangxi fucked around with this message at 00:25 on Aug 6, 2022 |
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Aug 5, 2022 23:33
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China now on the verge of becoming a major global player, partly because "holy poo poo did they seriously snub us for the Vietnamese of all people"
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Aug 6, 2022 02:35
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Note the presence of Deng Xiaoping, who cannot be destroyed.
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Aug 6, 2022 02:51
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January 2, 1986 We begin to implement the new year's agenda.  First, plans for construction are drawn up. In Ho Chi Minh City, preliminary work begins on the great arcology complex that will house the new central headquarters of the Comintern. Around the world, work begins on maintenance facilities, training complexes, and factories to produce weapons and munitions. In addition, our engineers begin work on designing a new orbital shipyard complex, to be lofted in pieces and assembled in orbit over the course of many months.  An enormous and rapid expansion of the Interplanetary People's Army is ordered, using training facilities and bases requisitioned from Comintern members for the purpose of this expansion. While, in theory, the seven divisions will all have different training and specializations - and, indeed, the plan is to eventually equip them accordingly - at the moment, speed and efficiency are to be prioritized. The initial goal is for seven brigades, one for each of the seven future divisions. The brigades will consist of seven battalions of motorized infantry, one tank battalion, one artillery battalion, and one headquarters/support battalion. With each brigade having its own artillery, anti-air, and dedicated logistics and support units - and each battalion also having the same, albeit on a much smaller scale - each of these units will be able to operate independently if necessary. They will serve as the initial core of the new Army. The battalions are named sequentially starting with 5, as there are already 4 battalions in the People's Army. A call is put out worldwide for volunteers. Veterans with prior service - with GRW experience preferred - may apply for direct commission to NCO or officer ranks, if they pass certain screenings. This will be necessary to address a critical shortage of officers and noncoms in the tiny army.  Work begins on expanding the shipyards to accommodate the new defense plans. On the Moon, land surveys begin for a new, modern spaceport complex. There is also some debate on what to do with the old pad once the replacement facility is built, with the most popular position being to construct a museum on the site. January 5, 1986 A working group to oversee the implementation of the Ministerial Integration Act assembles, and their work begins. January 7, 1986 As part of an effort to build a shared lexicon of scientific concepts, your linguists have been communicating to the Minervans regarding the chemical building blocks of life - carbon, water, oxygen, etc. - and attempting to relate how they are used by living things on Earth. This has been followed by attempts to learn the same about the aliens. There has been some confusion regarding the latest transmissions. "As far as we can tell they have a carbon-based biochemistry and breathe...no, this has to be a mistranslation, a misunderstanding. Dinitrogen tetroxide? That's rocket fuel!" It also essentially never occurs naturally. The team is completely stumped. Fortunately, the team on the Krusenstern was equally stumped, and already requested clarification. They ask if the previous statement was correct and intentional, repeat it back, and ask for further explanation. The Minervans respond that it was the intended message, that the content is correct, but that the information is incorrect. Previous statement not true. 'YOU BRIEFLY THINK TRUE NOT TRUE'. They clarify that they actually respire 'WATER OXYGEN'. There is further confusion. Eventually someone figures it out. "Wait...I think that was...a joke? The aliens just told a joke!" January 11, 1986 The initial pioneer teams responsible for implementing the Appalachian Relief Act begin organizing, and equipment procurement for the operation gets underway. January 14, 1986 After months of testing and working-up, Project DOROTHY begins its primary mission, and TN-enhanced signals surveillance begins in earnest. January 22, 1986  The Hawaiians launch a new freighter, and immediately put it to work - but not on the Moon route. Instead, they are immediately contracted by Vietnamese state industry for an ambitious project organized under the auspices of resolution F-137, the Main and Trojan Mining Act, to establish an extraplanetary mining operation. The ship - an unusually fast and unusually long-ranged design, with correspondingly smaller cargo holds - will transport equipment and infrastructure to the target site, with another chartered Hawaiian liner transporting the crew. January 27, 1986  The AAA take possession of a new passenger liner. A rowdy party on the Ariadne asteroid-mining test site deteriorates into a brawl. Several workers are injured before it is broken up. February 8, 1986 The first SAP prefabricated housing is sold, a consignment of blocks that go to a property developer in upstate New York. February 11, 1986  One of the more controversial People's Army equipment procurement decisions is finalized, a South African design that integrates untested 'contragrav' technology based on work performed by the Joint Committee on Artificial Gravity. The Impala has shown promise, in a controlled environment, and should in theory be capable of incredible speed and high maneuverability over any terrain. There is even the possibility of a sealed variant for use in offworld operations being discussed. However, the design is expensive, and has literally never been field-tested; whether or not the new pseudogravity-based levitation technology will be durable enough to stand up to a battlefield environment, or indeed whether or not it will even work, remains an open question. 12 of the new vehicles will be assigned to each of the seven brigades being raised, organized into an independent reconnaissance company attached directly to the brigade HQ. February 17, 1986 COMPORT officially begins operations, temporarily headquartered in Panama City until the new arcology is completed. February 22, 1986 Ground is officially broken on the Moon to prepare the way for LIMIT Act construction of new industrial facilities there. The work on Earth has not even really started yet, there are many projects competing for factory time, but the sites on the Moon will be good and ready by the time the machinery and material arrives. February 26, 1986  Asteroid life is beginning to take its toll on the Ariadne volunteers. This is not unexpected, and valuable data is being collected, to be used to improve future operations. The actual mining is proceeding swimmingly, all systems functioning according to plan. Comintern academicians develop practical TN-based turret designs, and components that will be useful in large-scale coilguns. The research will have practical civilian applications in TN gears, servos, and other mechanical parts, as well as wiring and heavy-duty electronics. March 3, 1986   The Hawaiian long-range ship reaches its destination, and the Vietnamese miners establish a permanent outpost on comet 38P/Stephan–Oterma, which is currently located beyond the orbit of Saturn. This is a historic moment. Not only does it prove that the Hawaiians can operate in deep space, it also marks the beginning of real, serious, large-scale human habitation and activity outside of the Earth/Moon system. In addition, it represents the first attempt to tap into the large TNE reserves found in many of the system's periodic comets; a number of hypotheses have been put forward for how and why these TNEs are present there, and scientists are already looking forward to studying the data from this operation for answers. Most of the equipment on site will be robotic, with fewer than 500 actual humans located there. Unlike the Ariadne operation, whose mining equipment is located on a ship orbiting the asteroid, the entire Stephan-Oterma complex is constructed on and in the comet itself, a simpler and less energy-intensive but far less portable solution. March 12, 1986  A revolutionary new engine design is now ready for production. Previous TNE engine designs have all been based on conventional engines that had already existed in one form or another. Pre-TNE nuclear thermal rockets never actually entered production, but working designs did exist and had been tested, and the TNE versions weren't really substantially different from the conventional designs they were based on. These new engines are a radical departure from anything that has ever been built before. The concept behind them is not new and dates back to the 1940s. The idea was that, instead of a traditional rocket that expels propellant out of an engine bell, the 'engine' would be an enormous plate located at the rear of the spacecraft. Behind this plate - known as the 'pusher plate' - a series of small nuclear explosions would be set off, with the blasts from these detonations impacting the pusher plate and propelling the ship forward. While the idea was floating around, no such device was ever built. The new engine design uses a gallicite pusher plate, and directional explosive pellets composed mostly of refined sorium. The resulting explosions occur mostly in Trans-Newtonian space, sending 'ripples' through the TN fluid that push the spacecraft foward. Incredible speeds, even by the standards of modern NTR engines, should be attainable easily. New ideas of what makes a good spacecraft design will have to be developed to accompany these new engines. Every single spacecraft in humanity's growing fleet is instantly obsolete in the face of this new technology. This frees up a large number of labs, what exactly you're doing with those will be covered in the next update. Mister Bates fucked around with this message at 04:38 on Aug 7, 2022 |
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Aug 6, 2022 10:56
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So the Minervans seem to have very broadly similar liquid water-oxygen-carbon biochemistry and temperature tolerances to us (as well as a sense of humor, that's neat). Jeez, and they currently live on the moons of Minerva of all places, the coldest most remote place in the solar system? That can't be optimal, Minerva sucks for anything not based on liquid nitrogen chemistry. Have we asked them if they're, you know, there by choice? If they want to maybe leave? How many of them ARE there on that iceball, anyway?
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Aug 6, 2022 14:53
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Asterite34 posted:So the Minervans seem to have very broadly similar liquid water-oxygen-carbon biochemistry and temperature tolerances to us (as well as a sense of humor, that's neat). I mean, while we're on the topic of extending the Socialist Aid Program...
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Aug 6, 2022 15:41
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From the bottom of page 11 of a Honolulu newspaper: Chinese Leadership Shakeup Continues BEIJING, People's Republic of China (Asahi Shimbun) - Marshal Ye Jianying, formerly a member of the standing committee of the Politburo of the Chinese Communist Party, has announced his retirement from political life, citing advanced illness and a wish to spend time with his family. His replacement will be Deng Xiaoping, already a member of the Politburo. Deng, 82, former Minister of Finance, and member of the Central Military Commission, is a veteran of multiple military campaigns in both the Chinese Civil War and later campaigns. An expert at the University of Hawaii-Hilo cited him as the "consummate survivor", having survived waves of purges and been publicly rehabilitated twice. It is believed that Deng may be a compromise candidate between reformers, who value his ideological pragmatism; and party old-guard, who approve of his ties to the People's Liberation Army. It is uncertain how long the current balance of power will last in the Politburo, as the majority of the members in its standing committee, like Deng, are of advanced age.
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Aug 6, 2022 16:14
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Ask the Minervans if they want to join the Comintern, extend a tentacle in friendship!
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Aug 6, 2022 16:17
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Then: Comintern Now: Cominterplan Soon: Cominterstellar 
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Aug 6, 2022 16:23
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unwantedplatypus posted:Ask the Minervans if they want to join the Comintern, extend a tentacle in friendship! I'd certainly approve of having that on the table in the long run, but I'd like a better grasp of both practical concerns like how many they are, how dire their situation is, etc. as well as political concerns like ideology and wether they still consider themselves part of some larger interstellar polity.
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Aug 6, 2022 16:34
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I'm going to be honest, I don't like the way "COMINTERPLAN" sounds. I think, instead of renaming ourselves to the Communist International, we should instead rename ourselves to the Communist Interstellar. COMINSTEL, if you will.
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Aug 6, 2022 16:35
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Fivemarks posted:I'm going to be honest, I don't like the way "COMINTERPLAN" sounds. I think, instead of renaming ourselves to the Communist International, we should instead rename ourselves to the Communist Interstellar. COMINSTEL, if you will. ...but we're not actually interstellar yet
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Aug 6, 2022 16:41
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Asterite34 posted:...but we're not actually interstellar yet Yes, but we will be shortly.
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Aug 6, 2022 16:50
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Not like overly ambitious naming doesn't have a long and storied history in our movement, hell give it a five year plan and we're set
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Aug 6, 2022 16:55
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Fivemarks posted:I'm going to be honest, I don't like the way "COMINTERPLAN" sounds. I think, instead of renaming ourselves to the Communist International, we should instead rename ourselves to the Communist Interstellar. COMINSTEL, if you will. Hard no on anything similar to ComIncel
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Aug 6, 2022 17:51
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Volmarias posted:Hard no on anything similar to ComIncel
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Aug 6, 2022 19:06
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Volmarias posted:Hard no on anything similar to ComIncel Now now that's the perfect committee name for the folks trying to combat overpopulation on infrastructure limited outposts or colonies.
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Aug 6, 2022 19:14
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cominterst works with the same sort of flow as cominterp
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Aug 6, 2022 19:24
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Something something Comstar
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Aug 6, 2022 19:32
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I like ComInt honestly, and it can go from international to interplanetary to interstellar without any issues 
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Aug 6, 2022 19:36
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Why not just remove a letter? Cominter
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Aug 6, 2022 20:59
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Hardly know er'
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Aug 6, 2022 21:01
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unwantedplatypus posted:Why not just remove a letter? The most socialist candy
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Aug 6, 2022 21:43
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“Out! She’s out, comin’ down!” Joe Brown stood with his hands on his hips and watched, with a sigh, as the Pirates logo jerked free from the wall of the lobby. He knew it was for the best – hell, he’d wanted it. It’d find a place across the river, up on the wall at the new field. Forbes Field was so far past its use-by date that it was frankly insulting to stay there. Small, decrepit, worn-down by hard use, love, and decades of neglect. But standing here now, watching the workers lower it down to the floor with straps and a winch, it still hurt to see. The Pirates had been born in Forbes. All their World Series titles were won here. He’d spent twenty years on that field, watched them take down the Yankees in 1960 like a prizefighter getting clobbered, watched the United States die from its grandstand. Leaving Forbes felt like leaving the whole history of the Pirates behind. He shook his head. “God, what a sad sight that is, eh,” said a voice behind him. Brown smiled, turning around. There was no mistaking that accent. “Sure is. What’re you doing in town, eh, Killebrew?” The big Minnesotan grinned, standing up from his lean against the ticket booth, striding over and shaking the old manager’s hand. “Well, I wish it was just for sightseeing, but I can’t lie. Business is what it is. But I showed up at the right time, apparently.” Harmon Killebrew gave another look up at the logo, now almost to the floor. “New field finally done?” “Finally, aye.” Brown nodded. “Gonna be ready for Opening Day. Hell of a sight, the view of downtown is incredible.” “I bet.” Killebrew rolled his shoulders, looking around the lobby again. “Has to be better than this place. Sad as it is to see you leaving it, it was well past time to move on.” “I can’t say you’re wrong,” Brown replied, as the old manager turned, leading them out from the lobby into the main concourse. “You said business? Let’s use my old office, one last time, if they haven’t gutted it yet.” The building was ringing with the sounds of construction even as the wind howled outside – hammers, torches, drills and wrenches sang out as the ancient ballpark was being hollowed out. Killebrew looked around as they walked, climbing up the stairs to the executive offices behind the left bleachers. “What’s the plan for the building?” “Civil offices mostly. Unions, neighborhood associations, you get the idea.” Brown grunted. “Ripping out the old grandstands and walling them up for the space. Looks awful right now, should be better when it’s done. Keeping the lowest-level bleachers and the dugouts, so we can turn the playing field into a public space. Ground floor on the right wing is going to be a museum for the Pirates, keep some of that baseball money flowing into the neighborhood.” “Well, that’s kind of you to think about it.” “Only a fool wouldn’t. Forbes has been part of this neighborhood longer than I have. Longer than I’ve been alive, even. The University wanted a new hall here since that deal in the Fifties, but since a big patch of North Oakland got blown up during the last Chiefs offensive in ‘73, we convinced them to expand there instead. When they expand at all, that is.” Brown made a disgusted noise, which echoed down the hallway in the old front offices. “You know some of the business owners wanted the place torn down? Redevelop the space, they said. Ideal for apartments, stores, a vibrant new economic development–” “To revitalize the area,” Killebrew concluded, his face falling. “I guess they weren’t paying attention to what downtown Minneapolis looks like after ‘67.” “That or they were, and trying to lead me on. Bastards look at a building like this and just see dollar signs and profit margins.” Brown pushed open a door labeled HARDING PETERSON, GENERAL MANAGER. “Oh, that works.” Killebrew looked around as they walked in. The office was still mostly stripped – Peterson having set up for the move to the new field – but the workers were, apparently, using it to hold furniture from the other rooms while they worked. There was still an old desk there, and working lights, with gutted filing cabinets and dismantled office equipment stacked floor-to-ceiling along the walls. On the other side of the big frontage window, the February snow seemed to draw a curtain across the Oakland neighborhoods beyond, closing the world in. Brown flipped two chairs off the desk, sliding one to Killebrew and settling in behind it. “drat shame. Nothing looks good halfway complete, though.” “Yah.” Killebrew shut the door behind them, reducing the sound of the construction to a dull hum, and eased his huge frame into the chair. Brown leaned in on the desk. “So, you said business. I’m guessing communist business.” “You guess right, yah.” Killebrew shrugged. “They asked me to come, I don’t know why. I’m a hitting coach, not a diplomat.” “You really don’t give yourself enough credit, Harmon.” Brown smiled, businesslike. “Is this just Minnesota talking, or the whole deal?” “It seems like the whole deal.” Killebrew folded his hands, resting his elbows on his knees. “Not that anyone knows for sure, or the whole big picture. But…” he sighed. “My feeling is that there’s going to be a big attack on the US– former US, that is. The Agnew Feds, the Joint Chiefs, the parts still trying to call themselves the USA.” “Mm.” Brown nodded. “Any reason?” “A couple. The papers have been talking a lot about that kind of thing the last few years. Mostly since the North American Forum started, but ever since that whole Gladio attack.” Killebrew sighed. “That whole thing was people not wanting to stop fighting that war. Not that we ever did, we still get Exon’s Nebraska boys trying to raid and burn at the Iowa border sometimes.” Brown nodded again, glumly. “Chiefs still sneak in along the hills from Harrisburg way now and then.” “Yah. Well, you look at the papers over the last few years – the letters, the public opinion bits, you know – people are noticing it more. Even as it goes down, attention to it has gone up. And now there’s all kinds of troop movements and things going on, and that…” Killebrew looked down at the floor. “It feels like trouble.” “I getcha.” Brown sighed, leaning back in his chair. “But they sent you to talk to me, you said. Did they say why exactly?” “Well, what they SAID was, ‘to try and get the AVDA to work more closely with the Comintern members of the NAF for the sake of transportation and infrastructure planning.’” Killebrew looked up at him. “Which they are – you know they’ve been talking about running a rail line from Chicago to Pittsburgh?” Brown nodded. “For years, yeah. Couldn’t get it through Ohio and Indiana.” “Well, they got the Ohio part straightened out, apparently. They’re running it through Mansfield instead of Columbus.” He gave Brown a look. “Calling it the Broadway Plan.” “After the old Penn Railroad train?” “That’s the one.” “Makes sense…” Brown frowned. “But the Broadway Limited ran through to New York City. We took the thing to Philly games often enough, I should know.” “Exactly.” Killebrew unfolded his hands and flexed his shoulders. “Which is another one on the pile. Feels like trouble.” Brown nodded slowly. “Right. Because why pick the big name if you don’t expect to own the whole thing?” Killebrew gave a little smile. “Which, I’m sure you’re just shedding buckets of tears at the idea.” “What, at the communists using their huge armies to smash the Feds out of Harrisburg who keep burning hill farms and blowing up trucks on the east side?” Brown laughed, darkly. “Weeping, I am. So they want to run a train to Pittsburgh, or through Pittsburgh maybe. Can hardly complain about that.” Killebrew nodded. “But, they wouldn’t have roped in a man to try and sell me on just that. Let alone you.” Brown stood up, staring out the window. “They say ‘work more closely’, and what I hear is, ‘we aren’t gonna keep letting yinz sit on the fence. Pick a side.’” Killebrew sighed, but nodded again. “That’s my read on it, yeah.” Brown didn’t say anything for a long moment, and he continued. “It feels like they want to be done with the War, with the whole thing. But…” “But if there’s any pieces of the old USA kicking around unattached, that War ain’t truly over,” Brown concluded. “What, after eight years of playing nice?” He shook his head. “If you asked me in ‘68 if the communists would just smash anyone who didn’t dance to their tune, I’d have said yes in a heartbeat. After that business in Hungary and Prague, and all.” Killebrew cocked an eyebrow. “But now?” “Now I don’t know what to think. They spent a lot of time just trying to convince people they had the right idea instead of forcing it. Like they were tired of fighting about it.” He turned back from the window, sitting down behind the desk. “Hell, not that I can blame ‘em after all of that. But now this. They send the Killer himself to try and convince me to join up with their little party, or get knocked over, maybe.” Killebrew gave him a hurt look. “Joe, I didn’t say I’d come here to do any of that.” “No, ‘course not. You’d never say yes, and they know that. And maybe that ain’t what they mean either.” Brown sighed. “Maybe that’s not being fair… but I guess I ain’t inclined to be.” Killebrew sat up straight, leaning back in his own chair, looking puzzled. “Why not?” “I dunno, Harmon.” Brown gave a frustrated shrug. “Ever since the Super Bowl we’ve had a fine relationship with the Comintern for a country that refuses to be part of the club. Sports, trade, keeping us in the loop. They had no reason to do that except just being good neighbors about it.” He shook his head. “But we wouldn’t be here if it weren’t for them.” Killebrew gave him another look, and he continued. “The whole war, and all. There might still be a USA, then. They won that war, and you have to be a drat fool like Agnew not to see that, and we lost it. And I know, they fired the first shot there after we fired off in Vietnam. But if there ain’t a war to lose, then the war can’t break the country up, and then you don’t get baseball managers and football coaches and hockey players trying to build a country outta nothing.” He rubbed his hands over his scalp, through what was left of his hair. “Don’t get bread riots at Primanti Brothers, or…” “Oh.” Killebrew blinked, and Brown trailed off, staring at the old desk’s surface. For a moment there was just the rattle of construction, filtering in through the office walls and the stacked furniture. Killebrew sat, and thought. Thinking about that, about the past, about a sunny day and a smiling man from Puerto Rico who had been so excited to meet him. Thinking about being on a bench in the Hothouse down in Red Wing, and Rod Carew running in with a look on his face like he’d never seen before. About sitting in the clubhouse at the shuttered Metropolitan, as Governor Anderson came on the television with two National Guardsmen behind him and a grim look on a face not used to wearing them. And suddenly, remembering watching a man who’d been nothing but good to him, standing up on a stage looking like he was dead already, speaking to the team he’d built for the last time. Killebrew made his mind up, and tilted his head back forward. “Joe, I don’t mean to insult you, but I think you’re thinkin’ about this wrong.” Brown looked up at him, cross as hell. “What d’you mean, Harmon?” “I mean I’m thinking about what the Governor said, when Agnew suspended elections.” Killebrew waved an arm, gesturing at the snow-blinded window. “‘We have not abandoned the United States. The government has abandoned us.’ When he announced Minnesota wasn’t going to be part of the Feds anymore.” “I remember.” Brown’s frown softened a little, but he still looked cross. “Yinz went all… socialist, though.” He said it slower, more deliberately, picking the word out specifically. “Oyah. But that ain’t the point.” Killebrew looked at him, glumly. “I mean I look at that, and I think about how it got to there, and, sure, the War is part of it. But I don’t know if it’s even most of it.” He folded his hands. “When Griffith gave the team to the state in ‘77, after he got heard saying that awful stuff at the Lions Club, the Soviets didn’t make him say any of that or think it. He did that. America did.” There was a loud bang and a clatter of metal from nearby, as something cut loose from the stadium structure and punctuated Killebrew’s sentence by falling to the floor. “I don’t beat myself up over it, because I don’t go for that racist stuff, but that was our problem, America’s problem, and we couldn’t deal with it. That wasn’t going to go away, not after Dr. King was shot.” Brown folded his hands in front of his mouth, thinking. “And maybe the country wouldn’t have broken up. Maybe we could have fixed it. But… I don’t know.” Killebrew shook his head. “My point is, the Comintern didn’t do any of that. What happened with them, maybe something else does it. Maybe a big strike, or more protests, or someone else gets shot. Maybe a lot of people. By the time Roberto… died,” Killebrew winced a little, “I think it was already too far gone. It might have been too far gone for years. I’m sure not saying you can’t be upset that it was their war that pushed it all to the edge, not at all, but it doesn’t seem right to say we didn’t step over that edge on our own, or that something else wouldn’t have done the pushing.” Brown sighed, deeply, saying nothing, but clearly finding it hard to argue. There was another long silence, as muffled voices filtered into the office – workers ragging on their colleague for screwing up whatever had made that metal drop. Finally, he spoke again. “Maybe.” He shook his head. “I’m just one old man, though. You can’t convince everyone in Pittsburgh of that.” “Well, no.” Killebrew rubbed the back of his neck. “But I wasn’t thinking of them, I was just thinking of you, here and now. God knows I wish what happened with Roberto didn’t happen like that. But I can’t change things that happened, only things that will.” Brown looked back up at him, lowering his hands. “If the Comintern want us to be in their club, though, they’re gonna want us to follow their charter. That’s some big changes to make, and I ain’t like most of ‘em. Taking away people’s rights, their things, their businesses…” Killebrew flexed his arms. “I’m not a politician, Joe, I’m a hitting coach. But I don’t think their charter says that.” He settled back down. “The rights and things, anyway. Their Congress keeps putting out a whole bunch of bills about protecting those.” Brown snorted. “Pff. A Congress can put out a bill saying the moon should look like a ball of Big Chew. Painting it pink is another thing.” “But wouldn’t that be your call, though? Making sure those rights get upheld?” Brown paused, giving Killebrew a look, but clearly stuck in the thought. “It…. wouldn’t entirely be. There’s me and the other Authority Managers.” “But?” “But…. point taken.” Brown frowned, now for entirely different reasons. “Business owners would raise Cain over it.” “Heck, we still have businesses in Minnesota. Mom-’n-pop stores, restaurants, hardware co-ops, the like.” Killebrew gave him that smile again. “And I thought you hated those guys? Wanting to tear down Forbes for development?” Brown grinned darkly. “Doesn’t mean I can just ignore the bastards. You trying to make me a socialist, Harmon?” “Not what I’m here for, Joe.” Killebrew’s smile became a grin of his own. “Just saying what I know. You might talk yourself into it at this rate.” “drat well might.” Brown’s grin disappeared. “It’s still a hell of an ask. At the very least, you’d need the rest of the Managers’ Council to go along with it. Public referendum, probabl–” There was a loud knocking on the door that made them both jump, and turn. The old office door opened, and the face of a sheepish construction worker poked in. “I’m sorry, Mr. Brown, but we gotta get yinz outta here for the moment. One of the boys cut in the wrong place and dropped part of the staircase gantry he shouldn’t have. We don’t know if it’ll hold.” “You goddamn halfwits!” Brown stood up, striding angrily around the desk, gone from contemplative to outraged in half a second. Killebrew rose, following him. “Aren’t you supposed to be paid to know that poo poo?! You aren’t working on some ten-a-day warehouse in the Strip, this is Forbes goddamn Field!” The man winced, marching quickly ahead of the manager. “I know, Mr. Brown. We got no excuse, it was just an accident. It’s not structural, and we’ll fix it.” “You drat well had better!” Brown shook his head. “This thing’s been here since before your goddamn father was born!” A thought crossed his mind, and he turned to Killebrew, who was walking behind him, grinning. “Damnit. Sorry, Harmon.” “I’ve heard worse. You remember that Orioles manager, Weaver?” Killebrew whistled. “I guess we’ll just have to pick this up later?” “Yeah, I think so. Probably down at City Hall.” Brown shook his head. “I gotta go find the site foreman and give him a piece of my mind.” The construction worker stopped at the top of the stairs, which looked no different but now had heavy straps running from somewhere under the deck up to the roof joists. “C’mon, sirs. One at a time, just to be safe.” “I hear you.” Brown leaned on the balcony railing, as Killebrew started down the stairs. At the midway landing, he turned back, looking up. “Joe!” Brown nodded at him. “Yeah, Harmon?” “Just thinkin’. The Governor said we never left America, it left us.” Killebrew nodded back. “So what it means, that’s our choice. Because we’re still Americans.” “Yeah.” Brown nodded again, more slowly. “Maybe it is. See you around, Harmon.” “See you soon!” The big man turned back, descending the stairs down. Joe Brown leaned on the edge of the balcony as the construction worker watched the stairs nervously for swaying, staring up at the half-dismantled underside of the bleachers. They were stuck with this, now, and a whole lot of people had died to get them that far, keep them out of something worse. He sighed. What would they have wanted? What would Clemente have wanted them to do? Harmon Killebrew, meanwhile, felt only relief as he reached the bottom of the stairs and headed for the exit. He still didn’t feel like a diplomat, and he didn’t like the feeling that he was arguing for stakes that high. But he couldn’t shake the feeling that maybe he’d convinced one person he was right. While being seen as right had never mattered that much to Harmon Killebrew, as he walked out of Forbes Field into the snow-filled streets of Pittsburgh, he felt warmer inside than he had in months.
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Aug 6, 2022 23:25
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God even in the good timeline we cannot escape the loving scourge that is Deng.
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Aug 6, 2022 23:39
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mcclay posted:God even in the good timeline we cannot escape the loving scourge that is Deng. you can do your part to change that, you need only type words
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Aug 7, 2022 03:22
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Somehow, Deng Xiaoping has returned.
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Aug 7, 2022 03:36
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local sichuanese man, 82, has one weird trick to survive purges, party rectification campaigns, and more what THEY don't want you to know
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Aug 7, 2022 03:53
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No one has ever seen Deng and Talleyrand in the same room, coincidence??
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Aug 7, 2022 12:43
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Kangxi posted:local sichuanese man, 82, has one weird trick to survive purges, party rectification campaigns, and more Commisars Hate Him.
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Aug 7, 2022 14:26
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since there isn't a dedicated Aurora thread I'll put it here, even though most of you probably already know Aurora 2.0 patch is out! http://aurora2.pentarch.org/index.php?topic=13018.0 (this is actually the 2.0.1 .exe now) 2.0 change list http://aurora2.pentarch.org/index.php?topic=12523.0 note this isn't savegame compatible with 1.13, you have to replace the db, so it's out for this game obv. there will be more bugs discovered as people play it, so if that kind of thing frustrates you then you should probably wait a bit
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Aug 7, 2022 14:40
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unwantedplatypus posted:Ask the Minervans if they want to join the Comintern, extend a tentacle in friendship! On a related note, I'd like to see a formal declaration at some point that everything orbiting the sun is the natural property of the peoples of earth, and exploitation of those resources can only be performed under lease. The 'Minervans' might see formal diplomatic ties at some point once we can speak properly (likely asylum, from the sound of things), but they don't own Minerva - it's part of our solar system regardless of how many colonists/prisoners are shipped there. Task a committee to draw up a bill of reparations for all the sorium the Roswells stole. We're not talking passing ships skimming hydrogen, this was a permanent mining operation depriving human society of the natural resources it needs to fuel development. Perhaps a treaty prohibiting us from doing the same to pre-TNE aliens we might encounter, if that's not already covered somewhere.
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Aug 7, 2022 16:54
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Neophyte posted:since there isn't a dedicated Aurora thread I'll put it here, even though most of you probably already know Automated administration commands basically makes this the best update. Also the dark eldar
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Aug 8, 2022 03:12
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mossyfisk posted:On a related note, I'd like to see a formal declaration at some point that everything orbiting the sun is the natural property of the peoples of earth, and exploitation of those resources can only be performed under lease. The 'Minervans' might see formal diplomatic ties at some point once we can speak properly (likely asylum, from the sound of things), but they don't own Minerva - it's part of our solar system regardless of how many colonists/prisoners are shipped there. Bold plan for an organization opposed to imperialism. Sure the Minervans didn’t evolve there, but Homo Sapiens didn’t evolve anywhere but part of Africa on Earth. We of course don’t know the Minervan situation in full yet, but these people might have been here for decades or more. Some or all might have been born here. I don’t think our political dominance of most of a tiny speck closer in to the tiny sun means we get to decide whether this can be their home.
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Aug 8, 2022 05:31
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mossyfisk posted:On a related note, I'd like to see a formal declaration at some point that everything orbiting the sun is the natural property of the peoples of earth, and exploitation of those resources can only be performed under lease. The 'Minervans' might see formal diplomatic ties at some point once we can speak properly (likely asylum, from the sound of things), but they don't own Minerva - it's part of our solar system regardless of how many colonists/prisoners are shipped there. Demanding reparations from the people stuck on a rock in the middle of nowhere is certainly a take.
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Aug 8, 2022 08:18
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The bill was intended for the Roswells who stuck them on that rock.
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Aug 8, 2022 09:17
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