Interlude: New America
Ephraim Ben Raphael
Banned
Interlude: New America
“Ladies, gentlemen, and all others in the Allied Lunar Mandate and in Lunar orbit.
You have done the impossible.
Systems and stockpiles intended to last for two years have been made to last for more than four. The tireless efforts of our scientists, engineers, technicians, operators, and support staff- both civilian and military- have enabled us to increase our production of food and essential materials by more than half, and the efficiency of our recycling by more than a quarter. I have just spoken to the AIS-1184 team, and they confirm that the relocation of both their ship’s systems, and those systems originally intended for the Mars base, is proceeding ahead of schedule. It will be a while before they are operating at full capacity, and we still face a long journey of hardship, hunger, and sacrifice ahead of us.
Nevertheless, we have achieved a victory. The Allied Lunar Mandate is on track for full self-sufficiency by the middle of 1986.
We are here. We are not going away.
I know that this is not the victory that any of us hoped for. The victory we hoped for was of the Alliance over the Pact, of Democracy over Tyranny, of Freedom over Slavery, of the Final Triumph of Humanity over a Vision that reduces human beings to nothing more than insect-like castes valued solely for their labor.
Know that this victory is no less inevitable today than it was four years ago.
The Snakes have proclaimed that the Alliance for Democracy is beaten and the Final Society has come to rule the world for all eternity. The truth is that the Alliance for Democracy can never be beaten, not as long as you and I stand firm. The truth is that what the Snakes call the Final War is still being waged. The truth is that as long as any person can look into the night sky and see the Moon, still free and still fighting, still proclaiming our defiance to the universe, the Snakes can never rest easy in their beds.
The truth is that the Battle of the Tannhäuser Gate was not the end, or even the beginning of the end.
It is only the end of the beginning.
Our primary duty was to co-ordinate the fight against the enemy and authorize continued counterstrikes in the event that the Allied leadership on Earth was incapable of doing so- we have discharged that duty to the best of our ability. Now it falls to us to discharge our secondary duty; maintaining continuity of government for the Alliance and keeping the cause of Democracy alive even if the worst should come to pass.
In consultation with the civilian and military authorities of the Allied Lunar Mandate, I have decided that we cannot properly discharge our secondary duty as an autocracy or a military government. If we are to be beacon of hope for the oppressed peoples of the Earth, a constant reminder of what liberty and democracy look like, then we have no alternative but to do everything in our power to live up to those ideals.
To that end, acting in my authority as the highest-ranking Allied official still alive, active, and free, and wielding the full power of the General Assembly, I have determined that the Allied Lunar Mandate will be reorganized into the Republic of Selene- a country with the full rights and responsibilities of any other member of the Alliance for Democracy- and that elections will be held six months from today for a president and council to govern our new nation. As the responsibility of supervising these elections falls to my office I will not stand in any race, nor will I endorse any candidate or party. Once the new leadership has taken office, I will remain available to serve at their pleasure.
Our candidates, their arguments, the process of our election, and the results will all be broadcast to the Earth below us, so that anyone with a ham radio can get a reminder of what democracy look like in action. The Snakes will not be able to pretend that we do not exist, or that they defeated us.
I know that there are many who would argue that an election at this time represents a luxury we cannot afford, that an emergency government under myself or some other is necessary during this period of crisis. That “strong” and “decisive” leadership is essential to our survival and that this is somehow incompatible with democratic governance.
These are the same arguments that authoritarians have made throughout human history and I would argue that now more than ever, with liberty in peril on Earth, we cannot afford to do anything other than to nurture freedom to the ultimate limits of our ability.
I have here a Provisional Constitution for the Republic of Selene put together Dr. Emiliano Stein, Dr. Henry Rojas, Commander Timm Schlesinger, and Director Urvasi Ganapuli. As voters you will have a chance to reject or approve it when you cast your ballots- if you reject it then the new government will be required to draft a different constitution to replace it. Everyone will have access to an electronic version on the net, but just in case a few of us don’t get around to looking it over on their own- I don’t need to remind you how busy we all are- I want to at least read the preamble now.
We, the people of Selene, having resolved to constitute the Allied Lunar Mandate into a sovereign democratic Republic of Selene and to secure to all of its citizens:
Liberty- of thought, expression, belief, faith, and worship
Equality- of status and opportunity
Fraternity- assuring the dignity of the individual and the unity of the nation
Justice- social, economic and political…”- Chief of Lunar Operations Annette Dufour, February 8, 1985
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