Aerican Empire
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The Aerican Empire is a micronation, a nation and/or state which is unrecognised by the established states of the world. Founded in 1987, the Aerican Empire has at times been one of the most influential and one of the most infamous to exist. The Empire's modern purpose for existence is summed up in its mission statement: "The Empire exists to facilitate the evolution of a society wherein the Empire itself is no longer necessary."
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[edit] National Data
The Aerican Empire is a loose collection of politically-interconnected colonies scattered across the world, each of which consists of a small plot of land which makes the tongue-in-cheek claim of having separated from the state which once controlled it to become a part of the Empire. The current lands of the Empire include Chompsville and Psyche (areas of Australia), Earth (the Imperial capital and the site of the Aerican Embassy to Everything Else, in Montreal, Canada), Mars Colony (approximately one mile of the surface of the planet Mars, Northern Plutopia (the Northern half of the planet Pluto), The Pasture (located somewhere in the American midwest), and Verden (an entirely fictional planet).
As with most micronations, the Empire's population has fluctuated wildly with time, ranging from single digits to nearly six hundred people. In December 2006, the Empire's population rose above 100 for the first time since 2002.
[edit] History
The Aerican Empire was founded on 8 May 1987 by a group of five-year old friends, led by Eric Lis, the current emperor. Records no longer exist to indicate what the purpose of creating the Empire was. The first ten years of the Empire's history were filled with mock wars, including "battles" with rival nations founded by classmates. During this period, the Empire was almost wholly fictional, incorporating a vast (and non-existent) galaxy of planets.
As the founders of the Empire grew, the goals and ideals of the Empire matured. By high school, the Empire slowly abandoned most fictional elements and worked towards becoming a political entity rather than a hobby. The prompt for this change was the growth and increasing accessibility of the Internet, through which the founders discovered other nations similar to their own. In 1997, the Empire created a modest web-presence and began attracting citizens from worldwide.
[edit] Government
The Aerican Empire is a parliamentary democracy. The primary elected body is known as the Senate, and is composed of fifteen individuals, two representatives from each area of the Empire as well as the head of state, the Emperor. This Senate serves as both the executive and legislative arm of the government. A President of the Senate moderates voting and discussion. The current President is Randy Walker. Senate elections are held every four years, with the next elections being in December 2009.
Overseeing the Senate is the Emperor, the elected head of state. Within the Empire, "Emperor" is a title rather than an accurate description, and the Emperor holds few powers beyond a single vote in the Senate and a second Senate vote in case of a deadlocked vote. The current Emperor is Eric Lis, a Canadian psychologist and one of the Empire's founders. The Emperor serves a life term.
Advising the Emperor is a cabinet known as the Inner Council. This Council consists of the Emperor and a group of appointed advisors, typically heads of various government ministries. The Council acts to ensure that the Emperor is informed about all aspects of the Empire, and Inner Council members serve their term as long as the Emperor that appointed them is still in office.
The Judicial branch of government consists solely of the Aerican Empire Supreme Court. Justices are up for reelection every two years. The court's four justices are next up for reelection in January 2008.
While not technically part of the government, the Empire additionally boasts a Figurehead Royal Family, which has no official powers. It consists of a King, Queen, Princess, Prince, and Court Wizard, as well as three members of the Royal Court. The King, Queen, Princess and Prince each select a knight protector, and it is common for additional knights to serve the court as a whole. Members of the Royal Family are elected by the people for life.
[edit] Culture
The culture of the Aerican Empire has grown from the starting principle that it attracted individuals with strong senses of humour and a love of science fiction, fantasy, and games. As a result, modern Imperial culture is filled with references to Star Wars and the Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy and other such institutions. Annually, the Empire holds story-writing contests, role-playing and wargaming days, and such events as the Dog-Biscuit Appreciation Day Scavenger Hunt.
Side by side with the Empire has grown a modest religion, Silinism, the worship of the Great Penguin. Although created for primarily humour purposes, the last decade has seen earnest converts to the faith, which now numbers roughly thirty practitioners worldwide. It is the primary teaching of this church that humour is holy and that living a good life means learning to laugh at the universe and share laughter with others.
As is appropriate for a body such as the Aerican Empire, the calendar is composed primarily of "gag" holidays. Nationally recognized holidays (and "niftydays") within the Empire include 2 January Procrastinator's Day, 27 February *Oops* Day, 19 March What the Heck is That Day, 14 April Tempting Fate Day, 25 May Towel Day, 28 August Significant Historical Events Day, and 26 October Topin Wagglegammon, The Niftiest Day of the Year.
Possibly the single most widespread cultural activity within the Empire is gaming, particularly role-playing games and wargaming. The Aerican Empire's official gaming club (AEGIS) is associated with seven universities worldwide and has sponsored/funded/supported an annual gaming day on December 29th since 2003. AEGIS has funded the creation of several Aerican Empire-themed Warhammer 40K armies which have competed nationally in tournaments.
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[edit] Legitimacy
As with any micronation, the legitimacy of the Empire as a nation and/or state is debatable, particularly due to the Empire's self-acknowledged ridiculous claims. While the Empire has always steadfastly maintained that it is a real nation with the goal of eventual international recognition, the people who make up the Empire understand the difficulty with this. The Empire would have a better chance of obtaining international recognition if "silly" elements were abandoned, but without these elements, it would no longer be the Empire. As such, the legitimacy of the Empire as a serious and "real" nation will no doubt remain contentious.
[edit] See also
[edit] References
- The Aerican Empire
- O'Driscoll,F: Ils ne siègent pas à l'ONU, ISBN 2-87867-251-8
- Ryan, J: Micronations: The Lonely Planet Guide to Self-Proclaimed Nations, ISBN 1-74104-730-7
- The New York Times: The New York Times, 25 May 2000, "Utopian Rulers, and Spoofs, Stake Out Territory Online". Reprinted in Haaretz, The Age, The Houston Chronicle (requires free registration, and the Sydney Morning Herald.
- Context Magazine: Context Magazine, April-May 2001, "Altered States".
- The Boston Phoenix: The Boston Phoenix, October 2000, "States of Mind".
- Le Soleil, Quebec City: Le Soleil, 18 January 2001, "Vive Eric 1er, empereur virtuel!".
- Público: Público, 16 January 2000, "ESPECIAL DOMINGO: Paises virtualmente (in)correctos".
- CBC Daybreak: Daybreak, 13 July 2006, "The Aerican Empire: Interview With Eric Lis". Montreal: CBC Radio.
- The Montreal Mirror: The Montreal Mirror, 17 August 2006, "The little empire that could".
