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* ClarkKenting: When he travels in the South, Rumford counts on local-style clothes, glasses and suppressing his Maine accent to avoid being recognized.
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* DeliberateValuesDissonance: While many of the villains are simply greedy and corrupt hypocrites, the Landwehr and the Azanians both have reasonably coherent ideologies, though they still look alien and "evil" to Rumford and his allies. The former follow a version of [[{{Ubermensch}} Nietzschean philosophy]] that idealizes strength, will, heroism and racial purity (in opposition to borgeouis, Christian values), whereas the latter are transhumanist separatist feminists trying to build a [[ComicBook/WonderWoman Themyscira]]-like society.
* DeliveryGuyInfiltration: When the secessionist commandos attack the Federal air force base early in the story, one of the devices they use is a beer truck with faked credentials to get some operatives past the outer security grid.
* DeliveryGuyInfiltration: When the secessionist commandos attack the Federal air force base early in the story, one of the devices they use is a beer truck with faked credentials to get some operatives past the outer security grid.
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* EnemyMine: The patriarchal Mexicans ally with the LadyLand Azania, because both states hate and fear their common enemy, the Confederation, more than each other.
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* FullCircleRevolution: Averted in Victoria itself, but present in the New Confederacy, where the transition to independence is less of a clean sweep. The same old politicians, officials and generals by and large manage to retain power under the new flag, with the result that the Confederacy remains almost as corrupt as the United States used to be. So it needs ''another'' revolution, assisted by Rumford, before it can finally shake off the remnants of the old regime.
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* MakeAnExampleOfThem: After capturing the Numero Uno Division with the promise of sparing their lives, Rumford [[LoopholeAbuse sidesteps]] this promise by turning the soldiers over to the communities they brutalized marching North, and they are all hanged to a man. Later, after lynchings become codified, Rumford muses that the examples of a few hangings and a few gallows in each town guarantee their use will be relatively rare.
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* MexicoCalledTheyWantTexasBack:
** As America declines and the regime comes to depend more on minorities to support its corrupt rule, President Warner eventually agrees with Mexican nationalist leaders to establish a condominium over Texas, Arizona and Newmex. This backfires, however, as the locals strike back, and end up destroying most of the Mexican army in the ensuing war. The resultant power vacuum then allows the [[ReligionOfEvil Aztecs]] to seize power in Mexico itself.
** The civil war in California sees that state split. The Hispanic-dominated southern part is apparently annexed by the Mexicans, whereas the north becomes Azania.
** As America declines and the regime comes to depend more on minorities to support its corrupt rule, President Warner eventually agrees with Mexican nationalist leaders to establish a condominium over Texas, Arizona and Newmex. This backfires, however, as the locals strike back, and end up destroying most of the Mexican army in the ensuing war. The resultant power vacuum then allows the [[ReligionOfEvil Aztecs]] to seize power in Mexico itself.
** The civil war in California sees that state split. The Hispanic-dominated southern part is apparently annexed by the Mexicans, whereas the north becomes Azania.
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* {{Nepotism}}: A rare benevolent example. When Colonel McMoster [=McMoster=] disobeys orders and attempts to intervene against the gangster armies ravaging New Orleans, the politically correct masterminds want him cashiered. But he is allowed to remain in command of his unit because his wife is related to the First Lady.
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* NoNonsenseNemesis: General Wesley, Chairman of the Joint Chiefs, who, unlike most of the Federal Government leaders, does not seem to care very much about political correctness, and more about crushing the rebels. When the regime begins falling to pieces after its botched final offensive, the President and Cabinet are killed in a supposed lone-wolf terrorist strike, whereupon Wesley proclaims a [[RepressiveButEfficient no-holds-barred]] military dictatorship and attempts to salvage the situation. By then it is too little, too late, however.
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* VoiceOfTheResistance: During the Civil War, the regime and its corrupt backers control the mainstream media, but the Christian Marines are able to get their side of the story out through the Internet and (sometimes) [[ReverseMole undercover sympathizers]] inside the PropagandaMachine who slip news past the censors.
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* BlatantLies: Played straight by the villains, who lie endlessly in their propaganda. Averted by the heroes; they have their own spin doctors, but make sure to tell the people the truth. Rumford points out that this is really the ''smart'' as well as the honorable thing to do: Lies backfire when they are found out, whereas a ''true'' propaganda is invulnerable.
-->The first rule of good propaganda is to make sure the facts are accurate.
-->The first rule of good propaganda is to make sure the facts are accurate.
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* RageAgainstTheLegalSystem: Rumford, who comes to recognize the corrupt legal ''apparat'' in the dystopian future United States as the literal enemy of the people. Realizing this is a major turning point in his life.
-->This wasn't law, I realized, this was war. The Legal Services lawyers, the liberal judges who gave them the rulings they wanted, their buddies in the ACLU, they were just enemy units of different types.
-->This wasn't law, I realized, this was war. The Legal Services lawyers, the liberal judges who gave them the rulings they wanted, their buddies in the ACLU, they were just enemy units of different types.
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* RisingEmpire: Several of the American successor states, after the downfall of the old regime, as everyone scrambles to first secure their own borders and then take up the mantle of the United States as dominant power on the continent. Though most are weeded out before long in the ensuing struggles. Toward the end of the story, the only two real challengers remaining are the Confederation and Azania, with other, more minor powers appearing to align with either.
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* SlutShaming: ''Heroic'' example, since the Confederation believes in strict morals. They actively champion pre-1950s social values (some hardliners prefer pre-''[[EvilReactionary 1850s]]''), and have very strict policies in place against prostitutes, wanton women and other sexual deviants.
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* VelvetRevolution: While the Civil War itself is often extremely brutal, it ends with a whimper rather than a bang, as the Federal Government largely ceases to work after being forced to abandon Washington. General Wesley and his hard-core cadre excepted, most of their remaining loyalists either desert or flee to the New Confederacy, rather than making a last stand.
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* WhiteGuilt: President Warner, who feels that he can't stand up to Ms. Mowukuu's plan of action against the Confederation because doing so would be racist.
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* ThePardon: When the Deep Green militants rebel and their uprising is put down, Kraft reprieves the captives from execution and instead just exiles them from the Confederation. In order to justify this, he argues that while they are traitors, they are less malicious than merely misguided.
-->"Because they erred, they had to pay a price, and they did. The price was banishment. Had we set their lives as the price, we would have gone too far. It is useful to remind ourselves that we are all fools on occasion."
-->"Because they erred, they had to pay a price, and they did. The price was banishment. Had we set their lives as the price, we would have gone too far. It is useful to remind ourselves that we are all fools on occasion."
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* BigShutUp: Rumford gives one to the woman representing the Resistance Council in the Cascadia Arc for wasting his time.
* BreadAndCircuses: America in the years before the collapse. As long as the food stamps continue to flow and TV keeps running, the ApatheticCitizens remain somnolent. When the government runs out of borrowed money to pay for the show, however, chaos ensues. Rumford and Kraft ensure that this can never happen again by eliminating all welfare handouts in the Confederation.
* BreadAndCircuses: America in the years before the collapse. As long as the food stamps continue to flow and TV keeps running, the ApatheticCitizens remain somnolent. When the government runs out of borrowed money to pay for the show, however, chaos ensues. Rumford and Kraft ensure that this can never happen again by eliminating all welfare handouts in the Confederation.
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* EnigmaticMinion: General Wesley. Was he responsible for the death of almost the whole Administration in a very [[FalseFlagOperation weird-looking]] terrorist attack, or was he really its last major loyal supporter? Is he a mere power-hungry tyrant, or just a [[MyCountryRightOrWrong stolid patriot]] who blindly keeps fighting for national unity long after everyone else realizes it is dead and buried for good?
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* HeadInTheSandManagement: President Yancey and the other Neo-Confederate leaders, who refuse to accept the seriousness of the situation and deal forcefully with the Commune when they launch their bid for power. Luckily, Rumford and his allies in the Confederate military have the moral courage "moral courage" to [[NukeEm do "do what needs to be done]].done"]].
** Also the Federal Government, which deals with armed revolt by passing harsh anti-smoking laws and condemning the rebels for their racial insensitivity.
** Also the Federal Government, which deals with armed revolt by passing harsh anti-smoking laws and condemning the rebels for their racial insensitivity.
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* EasyEvangelism: To an almost mad absurd degree. Police are easily converted by the Christian Marines and feed them intelligence. All good and right-thinking people embrace Retroculture without hesitation. The mass votes for Kraft or military intervention never ever go the wrong way. May be partially justified by the groundswell of discontent with the Federal Government and its ridiculous ''politically correct'' laws.
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* OminousLatinChanting: When purging slaughtering the liberal intellectuals at Dartmouth, a choir is brought in to chant [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZDFFHaz9GsY Dies Irae]].
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* UrbanRuins: The ultimate fates of Washington DC, New York City, New Orleans, Atlanta (the center at least) are to be reduced to rubble as a result of CivilWar.
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* UrbanRuins: The ultimate fates of Washington DC, New York City, New Orleans, Atlanta (the center at least) are to be reduced to rubble as a result of CivilWar.
CivilWar and following conflicts.
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* HumbleHero: Rumford lets President Yancey and General Laclede take the public credit for the crushing of the Commune, even though he planned and prompted it.
* HumbleHero: Rumford lets President Yancey and General Laclede take the public credit for the crushing of the Commune, even though he planned and prompted it.
* HumbleHero: Rumford lets President Yancey and General Laclede take the public credit for the crushing of the Commune, even though he planned and prompted it.
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* RockBeatsLaser: Older tech is ''always'' better, because Retroculture. Spar torpedoes can easily sink modern warships, old WWII short-wave radar is fantastic at spotting high-tech stealth bombers. T-34s are more reliable and easily repaired than modern tanks, though at least there it's acknowledged they'll want to avoid any pitched battles with newer armor. The only computers in Victoria are those their EW specialists use to hack and confound the enemy, so their electronic security is absolute.
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* ConfusionFu: Fourth Generation Warfare heavily incorporates this. The basic idea is to do what the enemy ''doesn't'' expect, and/or can't defend himself against.
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* SmashTheSymbol: The Azanian capital at Berkeley is burned, bulldozed and salted by the Victorians, symbolizing the complete destruction of this state and all it represented.
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* AsLongAsThereIsOneMan: Bill Kraft's epic speech to the effect that [[KaiserReich Prussia]] will never die, so long as men fight for her.
-->"We were wiped off the map in 1947, but Prussia is more than a place. As Hegel understood, it is also an ideal. Prussians still exist, and so does the Prussian Army, a bit of it anyway. Now, it's fighting again, here, for what it always fought for: for our old culture, against barbarism. Someday, we will win."
-->"We were wiped off the map in 1947, but Prussia is more than a place. As Hegel understood, it is also an ideal. Prussians still exist, and so does the Prussian Army, a bit of it anyway. Now, it's fighting again, here, for what it always fought for: for our old culture, against barbarism. Someday, we will win."
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* MarriedToTheJob: Invoked by Rumford at one point, who is then giving all his time and effort to his service as the Confederation military command's chief of staff.
* MildlyMilitary: Intentionally invoked by Rumford when he organizes the General Staff, as he wants a flexible and dynamic military command rather than a rigidly hierarchical assembly of martinets.
* MildlyMilitary: Intentionally invoked by Rumford when he organizes the General Staff, as he wants a flexible and dynamic military command rather than a rigidly hierarchical assembly of martinets.
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* PunchClockVillain: The regular Army's rank-and-file during the downfall, who are fighting only for their paycheck. Most of them actually sympathize with the Christian Marines' ideals, they just have their families to think of in a collapsing society.
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* RuthlessModernPirates: The Aztecs, Neo-Barbary States and the Orcs of Philadelphia all provide examples of this. The Northern Confederation's naval forces are [[PayEvilUntoEvil equally ruthless]] in suppressing them.
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* SemperFi: Most of the main characters are ex-Marines, and the militia they form (the Christian Marines) is themed on the Corps' good sides. William Kraft is not a Marine originally, but accepted as an honorary Marine for his activities in the civil war.
* SleepingTheirWayToTheTop: Rumford's contempt for the Pentagon early in the story includes the observation that, to use a euphemism, promotion there depends less on professional qualifications than on other qualities, and the willingness to employ them. In the context he says it, this may be hyperbole for [[ProfessionalButtKisser sycophancy and yes-manship]] or a literally intended complaint against women and homosexuals in the military, of whom he certainly does not think very highly at other points.
* SleepingTheirWayToTheTop: Rumford's contempt for the Pentagon early in the story includes the observation that, to use a euphemism, promotion there depends less on professional qualifications than on other qualities, and the willingness to employ them. In the context he says it, this may be hyperbole for [[ProfessionalButtKisser sycophancy and yes-manship]] or a literally intended complaint against women and homosexuals in the military, of whom he certainly does not think very highly at other points.
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* TyrantTakesTheHelm: Subverted. After the death of the President, Vice President and most of the cabinet and leading legislators in a suspicious-looking terrorist attack, General Wesley attempts to suspend the civil government and impose a military dictatorship, in order to finally deal with the secessionists. However, his troops desert him, and instead the Christian Marines take over. Ultimately, old United States of America and federal Government ceased to exist.
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* GeniusBookClub: Rumford contantly engages with the cultural and philosophical treasures of the West, from Plato, Aristotle and Xenophon to John Boyd.
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* HerrDoktor: Professor Sanft, from whom Rumford first learns about the Cultural Marxist conspiracy.
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* VigilanteMan: Rumford and the original Christian Marines early in the story, striking back against the criminals and corrupt officials who are preying on their neighborhoods.
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* AMillionIsAStatistic: When dealing with the Nazis, Rumford doesn't consider the Jewish holocaust as important as some people would, since all great nations in history have caused large genocides, and the Nazi one was pretty small compared to those their archenemies the DirtyCommies did, anyway. He's more upset by the totalitarian nature of Nazism as such, their fanaticism about their ideology and the power of the state to control the people through police and propaganda. Well, that and that they [[ArsonMurderAndJaywalking like color TV]].
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* DefensiveFeintTrap: the primary defensive tactic of the Christian Marines is not to hold their borders, but draw the enemy in and ambush them. This works to great effect at the Battle of Seabasticook, and later (on a strategic scale) against the Numero Uno Division.
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* OutsideTheBoxTactic: the strength of Fourth Generation War. Rumford is able to sink modern warships with spar torpedoes, and arrests a bombing campaign by kidnapping pilots and holding them hostage. The outdated military of the US is utterly helpless against these tactics. During Muslim invasion of Boston, Christian Marines destroyed nearby airport, making hostile airplanes easy targets for militia during and after landing attempts.
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* DivideAndConquer: the The primary strategy of the Northern Confederation is to stand back and let the enemy collapse under their own multicultural differences and incompetence. Aided by the odd quiet military intervention.
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* KaiserReich: Despite being the governor of Maine, Bill Kraft considers himself a subject of Imperial Prussia. He has the full uniform with a pickelhaube, and follows the orders of his Kaiser, the last of the House of Hoenzoller.
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* KaiserReich: Despite being the governor of Maine, Bill Kraft considers himself a subject of Imperial Prussia. He has the full uniform with a pickelhaube, and follows the orders of his Kaiser, the last of the House of Hoenzoller.Hoenzollern.
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* WhoNamesTheirKidDude: Snidely Hokem, the liberal Governor of Maine. Also the Honorable Kateesha Mowukuu, Secretary of Defense
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* NukeThem: Ultimate fate of Atlanta, seat of New South, who previously got taken over by African-American Commune. ALSO [[TakeThat fate of CNN HQ, with Jane Fonda included. ]]
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* NukeThem: NukeEm: Ultimate fate of Atlanta, seat of New liberal-governed-New South, who previously got taken over by African-American Commune. ALSO [[TakeThat fate of CNN HQ, with Jane Fonda included. ]]
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* NukeThem: Ultimate fate of Atlanta, seat of New South, who previously got taken over by African-American Commune. ALSO [[TakeThat fate of CNN HQ, with Jane Fonda included. ]]
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** In return, NC army units destroy bridges of Washington DC, capture federal pilots from nearby airport; successfully support states of Maryland and Virginia trying to separate from federal government, thus completely isolating Washington DC and making it unsustainable for Federals.
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** In return, NC army units destroy destroyed bridges of between Washington DC, capture DC and Virginia, captured federal pilots from nearby airport; destroyed planes on nearby airfield by mortars, successfully support supported states of Maryland and Virginia trying in their attempts to separate from federal government, thus completely isolating Washington DC and making it unsustainable for Federals.Federals. This ultimately leads to federal evacuation of Government from Washington DC to Harrisburg, Pensylvania, making them easy target of Kamikaze-style assassination.
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* CavalryBetrayal: fate of liberal!Cascadia Resistance leaders at hands of Rumford and Japanese.
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* CavalryBetrayal: ultimate fate of liberal!Cascadia Resistance leaders at hands of Rumford and Japanese.Japanese, much to joy of ordinary Cascadia Resistance members.
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* ReasonYouSuckSpeech: Kraft to liberal intellectuals at Dartmouth, [[spoiler:just before massacre]].
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* CapitalOffensive: Federals trying (unsuccessfully) to capture Augusta, capital of Northern Confederacy. In return, NC army units destroy bridges of Washington DC, capture federal pilots from nearby airport; successfully support states of Maryland and Virginia trying to separate from federal government, thus completely isolating Washington DC and making it unsustainable for Federals.
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* CapitalOffensive: Federals trying (unsuccessfully) to capture Augusta, capital of Northern Confederacy. Confederacy.
** In return, NC army units destroy bridges of Washington DC, capture federal pilots from nearby airport; successfully support states of Maryland and Virginia trying to separate from federal government, thus completely isolating Washington DC and making it unsustainable for Federals.
** In return, NC army units destroy bridges of Washington DC, capture federal pilots from nearby airport; successfully support states of Maryland and Virginia trying to separate from federal government, thus completely isolating Washington DC and making it unsustainable for Federals.
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** Kraft's massacre of intellectuals at Dartmouth for teachings that go against his ideology is televised to all the Northern Confederacy.
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** Kraft's massacre of Cultural Marxist intellectuals at Dartmouth for teachings that go against his ideology is televised to all the Northern Confederacy.
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* WhosLaughingNow: Third World's countries (that suffered military interventions and coups by USA, because of federal insisting that every other country conform to Washingtons notions of democratic government ) and China, Imperial Russia, Japanese Empire have this reaction to USA falling intor military dictatorship by General Wesley, and its inevitable dissolution.
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* WhosLaughingNow: WhosLaughingNow / TheDogBitesBack : Third World's countries (that suffered military interventions and coups by USA, because of federal insisting that every other country conform to Washingtons notions of democratic government ) and China, Imperial Russia, Japanese Empire have this reaction to USA falling intor into military dictatorship by General Wesley, and its inevitable dissolution.
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Changed line(s) 53 (click to see context) from:
* CapitalOffensive: Federals trying (unsuccessfully) to capture Augusta, capital of Northern Confederacy. In return, NC army units destroy bridges of Washington DC, capture federal pilota, support Maryland and Virginia trying to separate from federal government, thus isolating Washington DC completely and making it unsustainable.
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* CapitalOffensive: Federals trying (unsuccessfully) to capture Augusta, capital of Northern Confederacy. In return, NC army units destroy bridges of Washington DC, capture federal pilota, pilots from nearby airport; successfully support states of Maryland and Virginia trying to separate from federal government, thus completely isolating Washington DC completely and making it unsustainable.unsustainable for Federals.
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* TakeThat: To all the forces of 'Cultural Marxism.' Activist judges, liberal media, CNN, liberal academia, environmentalists, feminists, modernists, LGBTQ, atheists, Muslims, Blacks, Jane Fonda and more!
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* TakeThat: To all the forces of 'Cultural Marxism.' Marxism' Activist judges, liberal media, CNN, liberal academia, environmentalists, feminists, modernists, LGBTQ, atheists, Muslims, Blacks, Afrocentrists, Jane Fonda and more!
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* TurbulentPriest: The Reverend Ebenezer Smith is a KnightTemplar who eventually starts a bloody revolution when the government refuses to effectively prosecute the criminals who prey on his congregation in Newark. Purge of gangs and Theocracy in Newark were starting point of the SecondAmericanCivilWar, with DividedStatesOfAmerica as its result.
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* TurbulentPriest: The Reverend Ebenezer Smith is a KnightTemplar who eventually starts a bloody revolution when the government refuses to effectively prosecute the criminals who prey on his congregation in Newark. Purge of gangs and Theocracy in Newark were starting point of the SecondAmericanCivilWar, with DividedStatesOfAmerica and FallenStatesOfAmerica as its result.
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-->Destruction of the presidential helicopter carying USA President Warner, Vice-President Mowukuu, senior cabinet members and the majority leaders from the House and Senate from Washington DC to Harrisburg, Pensylvania by kamikaze pilot Mr. Montgomery Blair (of Clinton, Marylandpilot,) in name of "Leaderless Resistance".
-->This eventually led USA into [[TheDictator military dictatorship ]] [[HoistByHisOwnPetard and ultimately to its dissolution ]] , thanks to UN veto on General Wesley's dictatorship of USA and its membership, mostly by China and Japan, with Russian influence.
-->This eventually led USA into [[TheDictator military dictatorship ]] [[HoistByHisOwnPetard and ultimately to its dissolution ]] , thanks to UN veto on General Wesley's dictatorship of USA and its membership, mostly by China and Japan, with Russian influence.
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