Kalistani Major History

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Kalistani RepublicPresident Announces Preparations for Kalistani Defense
Society of Brethren denounces Action; Calls for Diplomacy
Kaliburg, Ananto District
March 16, 3986


President Smith-Bennots rallies Kalistani Citizens to the Defense of the Republic

The President of the Republic, fresh off yet another unchallenged re-election, held several rallies across Kalistan last week as she worked to bolster Kalistanis for an attack that she described as "imminent".  Reporters caught up with her at her tour's last stop in Kaliburg, where she made the following comments:

People of Ananto-  I do not need to repeat, yet again, the situation that Kalistan finds itself in.  You all know:  you see reports of Indralan provocation nightly on the news.  We cannot deny that they are growing bolder by the day.  We have very specific intelligence that an Indralan attack is imminent.  And so it is incumbent, upon all of us, to meet this attack, when it finally happens, with resolve and dedication.  Kalistan's independence and sovereignty is not so easily taken from us. The Indralans must not succeed with their belligerent foreign policy, not towards Kalistan, not towards any nation on the planet.

You must understand the precarious situation that Kalistan is in-  Indrala aims to bring the entire east coast of Selaya under their dominance.  They aim at northern countries like Mikuni and Trigunia.  They are in league with the murderers of our former President, Vanuku, and between the two empires, their will permit no resistance.  This is why Kalistan MUST take the position we have taken.  We are the last road block between Indrala and world domination.  Kalistan is a small nation-  We certainly do not match Indrala on the seas.  While we could achieve parity with Indrala on defense of our homeland, we do not have the resources to conduct a successful war of attrition against Indrala.  We must crush their will to fight from the outset, or we will be doomed.

Kalistan is not a unique country.  If Kalistan is wiped off the face of the planet, few will miss us.  We may be the number one producer and exporter of mind altering substances in the world, but most countries revile us for this.  We may be the home to the Society of the Brethren, but few acknowledge our peculiar sect's existence.  Kalistan is not a major world power and have sworn off nuclear, biological and chemical weaponry, we have a middling economy which allows us self-sufficiency, but also we rely on exports for a significant portion of our national economy.  But Kalistan is worth fighting for.  Because this is our home.  This land, the land of our ancestors, the land of our children, this land is ours, and we are not going to give it up without a Fight.

I call on ALL Kalistanis to do their part.  Do not let them take what is yours.  Stand up to the Dragon.  I will be there with you, I will be there with Kalistan.  We stand as one.

The President's words were received with silence.  When she was done speaking, the crowd erupted chanting the President's alternymic "Bennots! Bennots! Bennots!"

And thus, the President's cult of Personality, already troubling to some in Kalistan, continued to grow.

Not all Kalistanis were so taken by the President's words.  Many of the President's erstwhile supporters, who were also members of the Society of the Brethren, launched an official protest movement in the Capital.  The protesters, who numbered several thousands declared that they were concerned that the President was abandoning diplomacy.  Said Clerk Tallin Milgrim,

"We understand the President's move toward the defense of the Nation.  The President is under a different set of pressures than we are, and we believe that her actions are the actions of her conscience.  But we, as Brethren, oppose all war.  We oppose the offensive maneuvers of Indrala, because they threaten the lives of Kalistanis and Indralans alike.  We hold our President in the Light, hoping and praying, that she will find a peaceful solution to the troubles our nation faces.  War is not the failure of diplomacy:  it is the failure of imagination.  And if the President fails in this key test, many Brethren will withdraw their support for her in favor of another candidate who will pursue peace, under all conditions."

Members of the Society of Brethren in Kaliburg sit-down for Peace Yesterday in coordination with a Brethren called General Strike

The Protest was part of a Brethren-called a general strike and sit-down Protest outside the National Assembly in Kaliburg.  More than 35,000 Brethren showed up and held the largest Meeting for Worship in Kalistan's history, in the streets of the capital.  The President joined the Protest, and did not speak out of the Silence, though other Brethren did take the opportunity to address their support for Peace and their calls for diplomacy to the President.