[1678] Parliamentary Campaign Thread

[Recks]

Freedom: True and False.
A Talk with Atanasio Paredes
(Aldurian National Alliance)
Day 1

Atanasio Paredes, at the invitation of the ANA on-campus student group at the largest national university, arrives to deliver a rally speech at the university. Paredes is met by a number of protesters upon his arrival on-campus, but is surrounded by security. The turnout is better than anticipated, leaving many supporters having to listen to the event from an overflow facility instead of in the arena where Paredes had arranged to speak. The speech is carried nationwide via social media video-sharing and live-streaming services, and many smaller gatherings are organized by the grassroots to tune in.

Good evening! It is an honor to be here on campus of the largest university in Alduria - and it is a pleasure to be here surrounded by so many dedicated Aldurian patriots. See, as I was making my way to this arena, there were a number of unpatriotic, unkempt, and un-Aldurian people trying to deny you this wonderful opportunity to get involved in the political arena. Talk about a commitment to freedom of speech: these hooligans decided they would try to shout me down. Let me be clear: they can try to shout me down, but they'll have to shout all of you down with me!

We're not going to let that happen, friends. Together, we will overcome their hatred. United, we will defeat their narrowminded pursuits. With one voice, we will put an end to their selfish hedonism. You know, since I was last on campus the attitude of the libertines and the radical cancel culture has only gotten worse. And here I thought the people on the opposite side of the aisle were too afraid of being triggered to leave their safe-space, or their comfort bubble.

Well, my goal here today is not only to rally support for our great candidates, candidates who you will all be able to vote for this election cycle. No, my goal goes beyond that. I would like to talk to you all about an issue that is near and dear to my heart, and which will certainly come up time and time again during this campaign. The issue I'm going to talk to you about is freedom. Now, you might say: "You aren't going soft on us, are you, Atanasio?" To which I will heartily reply "Not in a million years!" But what I am talking about is something really important, something that has academic value for you and for your school lives, but more importantly for our civic lives.

There are three definitions of freedom that I would like to explore with you today - and I'll save the proper definition for the end here. First, we have a sense of libertine freedom, the very ideas that the LDP preach and espouse. Under this ideology, freedom, or as they'd inaccurately call it, liberty, means the ability to do whatever the heck you want to do, consequences be darned. If you want to use hard drugs, go for it - they would say. If you want to violate the centuries-old norms of our faiths, you do you - they would say. If you want to pursue profits over people, more power to you - they would say.

This is clearly the wrong approach - it literally leads to death and destruction. Because the libertine worldview, if we reduce it to its core, is inherently atomistic. What is the value of the nation, if the individual is always right? What is the value of other lives, when you are your own supreme being? And what is the value of our culture, if you just want to do what feels good? It should be clear to you by now that this extremism - and don't be fooled by the so-called pragmatic wing of the LDP because they're all deep-down extremists - is wrong. We don't live solitary lives, but we live socially and in a specific time and place, or in other words a cultural setting.

This leads me to the second alternative: a socialist alternative of freedom. This ideology is rooted not in the freedom of the individual to do whatever he wants to do, but in the freedom of a single class of people: the proletariat, as they'd call themselves. Socialist class-struggles undermine unity, they seek to lower everyone to a single standard - and that standard is inevitably the standard of the lowest-common denominator.

Socialist freedom means entitlements, but it also means leveling. Now, the working class has a right to overthrow the state, to dismantle the cultural values that we hold dear as oppressive bourgeois nonsense. Well: to these socialists of the DFL, many of whom are screaming outside here today, my message is simple. We will not tolerate your assault on the institutions that make Alduria great, that give this glorious nation its firm foundation in the world.

You can argue among yourselves which of these ideas is closer to the mark, but they both still fall significantly short of true freedom.

True freedom, as I understand it and as we lay out in the Aldurian National Alliance's platform, is the freedom of the people, which is embodied through and by the freedom of the nation. First and foremost, the ANA conception of freedom involves a strong national defense, a readiness to sacrifice for the nationstate, and yes, it involves service over self. This is how you may truly liberate yourself: not by building up your ego and inflating your sense of self-worth. That is what bullies do, that is what narcissists do, and ultimately that is what failures do. Instead, to experience freedom, it involves putting the common good ahead of your own good. It means fighting in the culture wars and it means fighting in the war against the West Baatharz terrorists.

Beyond national defense, however, freedom also comes from cultural expression. It means building up our commonalities, and allowing them to unite us. Diversity is not strength, it is weakness. When you are on the field of battle, you want to know that your brothers-in-arms, your comrades, are there to take the bullet for you - and in politics, it is no different. That is what freedom means - the liberation that comes with knowing you have a place in society.

I know that I have just waxed philosophically for quite a bit, but I believe first, you are all smart enough to understand this vital distinction between freedom: true and false. Second, I believe that it is fundamental for our worldview that you are prepared to defend our beliefs as a nation. These beliefs form our identity - not what bathroom you try to use or who you pretend to love. A common set of values shape who we are - not what class you were born into or how much money you earn. We are all Aldurians: and you know what?

I'm running alongside hundreds of candidates to put Alduria first - today, tomorrow, and forever unto the ages of ages. We need your support - the establishment and the mainstream are trying to push us out of the picture. But from this audience here, I know that we are a force to be reckoned with: a force that will overcome the naysayers, the screaming protesters, and cancel culture. Thank you and may you live in the freedom that only Alduria can provide! Thank you!

[Alfonso Velez]

VELEZ VISIT TO TUDELA HOSPITAL, TULEDA, ST. IGNACE

 

It's a pleasure to be here today at such a fantastic state of the art hospital in the Republic. I'm proud of the high quality level of care that our citizens are able to access in the Republic, and we are fortunate to have so many hard working doctors, nurses, and support personnel to make sure that all citizens and visitors to our great Republic get access to quality healthcare. If re-elected, a L&D Government will continue to support our hospitals and medical professionals in their critical work through policies that encourage medical innovators to come to our Republic to not only create high quality jobs, but also to ensure that this Republic is the primary benefit of medical technologies to help our citizens. Our excellent health care system is predicated on providing freedoms--freedoms to patients to manage their healthcare and make decisions that best fit them--freedom of innovators to innovate without unnecessary Government interference--and freedom for patients to choose insurance coverage that best meets their needs.

A critical priority of the next L&D Government will be to ensure that every citizen is able to find the insurance coverage that best fits their needs and to ensure that all Aldurians have access to high-quality healthcare. We will introduce legislation to provide tax credits to help families with low incomes afford the care they need while leaving the choice of what care bets fits their needs to them. We will also ensure that our insurance industries are properly regulated in a way that ensures that the patient is always first while also not stifling innovation. We will ensure that no citizen can ever be denied coverage or treatment based on a pre-existing condition. We'll also make sure that families can set aside tax-free savings for healthcare expenses such as for co-pays, medical equipment, medications, etc.

A key difference between our vision for healthcare and those of the ANA and DFL parties is that we will keep the decisions on how to manage your healthcare in your hands. The other parties advocate for varying levels of Government control over your healthcare. I, for one, believe that you know better than bureaucrats in Punta Santiago about what your healthcare needs are. I believe that you know what sort of insurance coverage you want, and you know what doctors you want to see, what hospitals you want to visit, what clinics you trust. Our plan will make healthcare more affordable to all without sacrificing the liberties that we all cherish. Only our party has a sustainable vision to ensure that you can choose how to manage your health in an affordable way.

I look forward to introducing the changes that we need to see to make our healthcare system even better and to ensure that all Aldurians have access to high quality services like here at Tudela Hospital and maintain control of their healthcare needs.

[Alfonso Velez]

L&D Billboards/Non-Video Ads (Day 2):
 

The ad that appears has the logo for L&D at the bottom half that is blank and instead of the Statue of Liberty at the side, an Aldurian flag is visible.

[Recks]

Protecting Alduria's Borders, Growing Our Frontiers
Corrada del Rio, Mondego Speech by Atanasio Paredes
(Aldurian National Alliance)
Day 2
 

Atanasio Paredes, parliamentary leader of the Aldurian National Alliance, traveled to his home city of Corrada del Rio, in Mondego, to give a speech on his plans for military leadership. The site is significant, as it was near the site of a West Baatharzi terrorist attack against Aldurian troops and civilians. Paredes drew a large crowd, being in his home state, and the speech was offered to be broadcast by local media and carried over social media live-streaming platforms.

Good evening, Corrada del Rio. It is a pleasure to be here in the city I am proud to call my home. It is always nice to be surrounded by close friends, family, and supporters who I've known for many a year. And, of course, it is an honor to be here with so many servicemen who put their lives on the line for us on a daily basis.

Tonight, I would like to talk with you all about the ongoing crisis on our border facing our nation and what my party, the Aldurian National Alliance, will do to put a definitive end to international threats and the specter of terror. This is undeniably the most important issue facing Aldurian leaders, and it is why I am here today: to make a big, bold stand for the security of the Aldurian people.

Any elected official must consider the preservation of the Aldurian state and the protection of the Aldurian people as his or her first obligation. And what happened here under the current government's watch has made something quite clear: the libertarians don't take security seriously! While the rich and their political puppets can hide away in their private bomb-shelters, flee to other countries on their private yachts, what can we regular Aldurians do but hope and pray for a safer future.

Well, my friends, now the time has come that we can take preemptive action by voting for a party - the only party - that will keep Alduria safe and put Alduria first: and of course, that party is the National Alliance! Our opponents might be willing to cede ground to the enemy, treat them with kids-gloves and so-called human rights. But we aren't fighting humans, we are fighting dangerous monsters that, given the opportunity, would kill every man, woman, and child who lives in our great nation.

Why should we grant these cowardly terrorists any reprieve? Why should we hide behind so-called human rights when lives are on the line? This has been the great dereliction of duty that the current libertarian government has presided over. If they were held accountable for the lives that were lost by court martial, I can tell you this: Alfonso Velez would be stripped of his rank and title, he would be flogged, and yes - his cowardly desertion of our people would probably call for capital punishment!

They have let our people down - and this is the greatest tragedy of the past few years. Now, Velez' LDP will come here and tout their funding of the military. But do you know what funds the military and security sectors? Taxes, the very same thing that the LDP is promising to cut in their election manifesto. They can't have it both ways: either you cut taxes and eliminate the military's readiness, or you ask the wealthy like Alfonso Velez to pay a bit more to protect people like you and me! Little wonder Alfonso would want to cut tax: he stands to profit while the Aldurian people stand to lose their lives.

But you know what? Security doesn't stop with our military. It takes the construction of a serious surveillance apparatus to spy on our enemies, to infiltrate their networks, and to take out their leaders. Where does LDP stand? "Civil liberties," they cry out. Well, my friends, what good are civil liberties to the dead? What kind of life do you lead when you're afraid of the next bombing raid, unable to sleep in case the alarms go off around your town?

Protection doesn't stop with the security state, either. No, we also need to get a firm control over who is entering Alduria and what their motivations are. While the morally-bankrupt LDP and the far-left DFL both promise open immigration - anyone can come, regardless of their intentions - we in the Aldurian National Alliance believe that the nation has a right to turn terrorists, slouches, and other undesirables who would harm our culture and our civilization away from our shore. This isn't radical - this is what any and all sane nations do!

Defense doesn't end with a sound immigration policy, though. We need to seriously re-evaluate the level of infrastructure and investment that we put into frontier communities. This is another issue area where the LDP and DFL are in lock-step: they both promise private development of the frontiers. I disagree, because we all know that our national pride, our national identity, and our national security is being held by these settlements. We must give the settlers the tools they need to keep themselves safe, because when they are safe, Alduria is safe.

Friends, you will hear a lot of platitudes from other politicians. They'll accuse me of fear-mongering and they'll allege use of scare tactics. But the truth we face today is a scary one, especially if we allow the same soft leadership to persist at the top, and make no mistake: the cowardly Alfonso Velez is at the top of this inept government. The Aldurian National Alliance can change that, but we need your support, your contributions, and most importantly, we need your vote.

Let Alduria flourish! Let's put Alduria first! And may Alduria stand forever! Thank you!

[Alfonso Velez]

L&D Ad Day 3:

Dark music and black and white images play as various pictures depicting anti-Democratic activities by various police states in other parts of the globe with Paredes' voice from yesterday's speech in audio:

Narrator: What does Paredes think about liberty and human rights? Let's hear for him.

Paredes voice (on clip): "What good are civil liberties..."

Paredes voice (on clip): "Why should we hide behind so-called human rights..."

Parades Voice (on clip): "It takes the construction of a serious surveillance apparatus..."

Narrator: If Paredes and Belmont win and the ANA establishes the police state it promises, how will they treat people who disagree with them?

Pictures are now replaced by Paredes himself on camera at yesterday's rally with him saying the remarks without any editing:

Paredes (on clip): If they were held accountable for the lives that were lost by court martial, I can tell you this: Alfonso Velez would be stripped of his rank and title, he would be flogged, and yes - his cowardly desertion of our people would probably call for capital punishment!

Narrator: Fight for Alduria's liberty. Fight against the police state. Oppose the extremism of Paredes, Belmont, and the ANA. Vote for L&D--the only party fighting hard for your liberties and opposing the ANA's vision of a police state. Your rights depend on it!

[Alfonso Velez]

VELEZ VENTURES PRESS CONFERENCE

Velez appears at his podium with the logo of Velez Ventures featuring prominently behind him

Good Afternoon Ladies and Gentlemen,

I am honoured to announced that Velez Industries is heading the call from the next President of Alduria, Secretary Seydlitz about the need to make Election Day a holiday of the Republic. Now unfortunately the Liberty & Democracy party doesn't hold the Presidency yet so we can't issue an official Presidential proclamation--but what we can do is call upon businesses all across this great Republic to provide Election Day as a paid day off for their employees or, at the very least, allow their employees to come to work late or leave work early to go vote.

I'm a man who likes to put my money where my mouth is. That's why I'm pleased to announce that Velez Ventures will follow Secretary Seydlitz's clarion call by giving every non-emergency employee of Velez Ventures and all of the businesses we own, operate, or have a controlling interest in a paid vacation day on election day! For the very small numbers of employees who must remain to operate essential services, we will ensure that they have at least 4 hours off on election day and will be able to use the remaining 4 hours in another day to spend time with their families. 

I call upon all employers throughout our great Republic to follow our next President, Secretary Sydlitz's call and allow your workers a day of rest so that they can do their duty and go vote! I've done my part--now it's time for my fellow job creators all throughout our great Republic to do theirs!

[Alfonso Velez]

L&D Ad Day 4:

Instrumental music sounding like "Amazing Grace" plays in the background as the faces of various different Aldurian citizens flash across the screen. They clearly come from all sorts of nations around Micras.

The screen flashes between several citizens of different ethnic/national origin 

Citizen 1: I believe in Aldurian values

Citizen 2: I believe in Aldurian values

Citizen 3: I believe in Aldurian values

Citizen 4: I believe in Aldurian values

Citizen 5: I believe in Aldurian values

Citizen 1: I believe in the value of hard work and fair pay

Citizen 2: I believe in helping my fellow citizens in need

Citizen 3: I believe in protecting our civil liberties and the rights of all citizens to make choices for themselves

Citizen 4: I believe in the right to privacy

Citizen 5: I believe in access to affordable healthcare and making decisions for myself when it comes to my health

All 5 speaking citizens appear in front of a much larger group of around 100 citizens of various ethnicity

All: We believe in Aldurian values

Citizen 1: Closing our borders go against our Aldurian values

Citizen 2: Spreading rhetoric of hate and division goes against our Aldurian values

Citizen 3: Creating a police state goes against our Aldurian values

Citizen 4: Locking up our political opponents goes against our Aldurian values

Citizen 5: Discriminating against people based on the race, gender, national origin, or sexual orientation goes against our Aldurian values

All: We stand against those who stand against our Aldurian values.

Citizen 1: I'm an immigrant who now employs 5,000 workers

Citizen 2: I'm an immigrant who now serves as priest of a parish of 600 people

Citizen 3: I'm an immigrant who now serves as city councilwoman who fights hard for the people of Susa

Citizen 4: I'm an immigrant who now serves in the Aldurian Navy protecting my fellow citizens daily

Citizen 5: I'm an immigrant who now serves as a professor, training the next generation of Alduria

All: We are all Alduria.

Citizen 1: When you go to the polls, stand against those parties that stand against Aldurian values.

Citizen 2: Who would have stood against our right to become Aldurians

Citizen 3: Who would take away the grace to thrive and contribute to Alduria

Citizen 4: Who would prevent all of the contributions that we make to our Republic

Citizen 5: Who spread fear and division in their speech and actions

All: We stand together. Stand with us.

The commercial ends as the camera pans out so that all 100 or so people are visible as the L&D logo appears overhead.

[Alfonso Velez]

 

L&D Billboards/Non-Video Ads (Day 4):

upload

The above image appears on posters, billboards, handouts, and internet banner ads. Vote L&D is printed in the middle of the image with the party logo.

[Alfonso Velez]

Final election rally in Fontainebleau, Napoléon

Friends, over the past many days it has been a pleasure to talk with you all about the issues facing our great Republic. We’ve traveled through many of the great cities of our Republic bearing the torch of liberty. This election has illuminated a great many truths. Above all else this election has made clear that only the Liberty & Democracy party can stand up to protect our rights. The right to make our own choices without unnecessary Government interference. The right to make an honest day’s pay for an honest day’s work. The right to come to our great Republic to make a better life for ourselves and our children and, through our labours, make our great Republic even stronger. The right to marry who we love. The right to let our business remain our business and to have our privacy protected. These, and so many rights, are key to a free society.

I admire the ANA for their honesty. They have made no effort to hide their goal of creating a police state that will enforce their ideas of what is right and incarcerate--and even put to death--people who might oppose them. They seek to break the bonds that we have forged as people of many cultures and many different beliefs--but I say to them you will not break us! What we have forged together no person or party can destroy, so long as we remain united in resolute opposition to these idealogues who stand against the great spirit of our Republic. It is an important reminder, however, that we must be forever vigilant in protecting our liberties--not just from external threats, but internal ones too. The fight for liberty is more often than not fought and won at the ballot box rather than the battlefield. Therefore, I urge all of you and all the citizens of this great Republic to do your duty to protect your liberties by voting at the ballot box and mustering your friends, family, and neighbors to do the same!

In this campaign we have shown how we will continue to deliver for the Aldurian people and build on our successes these past 5 years. We will continue investing in our military and national defense to ensure that our liberty is protected against all threats. We will take action to reign in healthcare costs, better regulate the insurance markets, and ensure that you maintain control over your healthcare rather than surrendering that control to bureaucrats in Punta Santiago as the DFL suggests. We will continue to build on the economic successes that this L&D Government has lead and will support small business owners and remove unnecessary red tape that prevents these businesses from succeeding.

We will continue to reject the hatred peddled by the ANA and EDP against hard-working immigrants to our country and will encourage immigrants from all walks of life to come to these shores and contribute meaningfully to our society. We will never forget that we are a nation of immigrants, and the L&D party will do everything in our power to protect the Law of the Graces which has brought this Republic so much grace in return! We will invest in sustainable infrastructure which will create jobs and stimulate economic growth. We will continue to engage with our allies in trade deals that are good for Alduria and good for our allies throughout Micras. We will continue to work hard to make Alduria the best place in Micras to raise a family and run a business--a place where everyone is welcome and where anyone can achieve the dreams that they set out to achieve.

Before I close I want to speak directly to those voters who are not registered L&D party members and who may not agree with everything that we stand for, but are rightly worried about the extremism of the far-right ANA or the far-left DFL and feel that they are without a political home. I encourage you all to take a look at what we have to offer. I encourage you to look at our platform. I encourage you to consider the strength and stability that our Government has brought over the past 5 years. I know and respect that we may not agree on every issue--but I urge you to consider the need to protect Liberty & Democracy in our great Republic. There is always a home for you here in the L&D party even if you do not agree with us on every issue. We are a collection of individuals of a myriad of different backgrounds and beliefs who don’t always agree on things. While we may not agree on everything, we do all agree that we must protect our Republic’s liberty and democratic values against all who would oppose that--no matter if those attacks come from the right or the left--so I hope that you will join us in our cause and stand up to those who would stand against these values by supporting us at the ballot box. 

My friends, as this campaign draws to a close, let us make sure that we all do our part to ensure that everyone goes to the polls. Ask your friends, family, and neighbors if they need a ride to the polls. Employers, provide your workers with a paid day off or, at the very least, provide them with some paid leave at the beginning or end of the day to ensure that they can make it to the polls. Above all else--please vote! Don’t take anything for granted. Don’t look at the polls and think to yourself that this election is a sure victory for Liberty & Democracy. Only with your vote can we protect our Liberty & Democracy from the forces on the far-right and far-left that would seek to erode them. Vote like your liberty depends on it. Vote for the Liberty & Democracy party. Thank you all, and may God bless you and may God bless our great Republic!