teleSH

[San Huberto]

Good evening and welcome to teleSH,
For those of you joining us for our first global broadcast, welcome and thank you for your support. We hope this will be the first of many evenings you will spend enjoying our program, so please allow us to introduce ourselves. We are teleSH (pronounced tele-ese-hache), headquartered in San Huberto City and sponsored by the government of San Huberto. We've recently launched with the goal of delivering honest news from this corner of the world, a truthful take on domestic happenings in San Huberto, regional events in northeastern Cotf Aranye, and stories from even farther away, we'll be detailing them all as they unfold. So with introductions out of the way, let's begin with tonight's coverage:

A proposal, leaked by an anonymous source within the Constitutional Assembly, detailing possible legislative reforms has been gathering attention across the nation. The document, lacking any signature or other signs that could identify the author, suggests a system not entirely dissimilar to that of the current Constitutional Assembly. The plan calls for each of San Huberto's 12 Counties to be allocated at least 30 Representatives each in the new legislature, elections to this body would occur annually and a 2/3rds majority would be required to pass any bill. Once seated, one of the 12 Counties would be chosen by lot, and this Legislature's Head selected, by ballot, from the Representatives of this County. The Head of this body would retain their voting seat, preside over the legislature, as well as be charge with the creation of a cabinet. The following year, the County from which the previous head was chosen will be excluded from the lot, and this process of elimination would continue until all Counties have had a Representative serve in this role. The public reception to this plan has been mixed, while some have reacted positively to the many and frequent elections, others have concerns about the efficacy of the system. This is the first information to reach the public since the body began meeting on New Year's Day, following elections in September in which the Distributist Party won a majority. Tlatelolco López, former Director of the Bureau of Refugees, Indians, and Confiscated and Abandoned Lands, and lifelong member of the Distributist Party, was selected, with his party's majority, as Chairman of the Assembly. Mr. López declined to comment on the matter of leaks within the body or on the document specifically, simply stating that "the mission of the Assembly is to form a new government... there will be many plans put forward before one is decided upon"
     
2 fishing trawlers in the Rodinian Sea crashed earlier today, in what's being described by authorities as a deliberate attempt by one ship to ram the other. The entire crew, about a dozen men, have been taken into custody for further questioning while formal charges are prepared. While the names of the vessels, that of their crews, and possible motivations have not been released to the public, many are speculating that the poor state of the nation's fishing industry is to blame. With pollution and over-fishing within San Huberto's territorial waters, competition over the dwindling fish population that reside within them is driving commercial fishermen further from San Huberto's shores and has lead to disputes in the past, most notably in 2018 when a crew set fire to a rival boat while it was docked one night. Some fishermen are seeking government financial support to aid in transitioning to fishing greater amounts and at greater distances in international waters, along with some sympathetic members of the Constitutional Assembly calling for expanded territorial waters to be claimed and enshrined in the nation's new constitution.

[San Huberto]

Good evening and welcome back to teleSH,

More information today from the Constitutional Assembly, where debate has turned recently onto the symbols of state. Specifically, sources are claiming a committee is being assembled with the task of approving a new national flag. The nation has been without an official flag for several decades now, the current interim national flag being a variation of the previous national flag, used from 1936-1962, with the prominent Falangist symbol being replaced by the logo of the Distributist Party. Many within the Distributist Party are unhappy with the current flag's likeness to that of the Falangist flag and seek approve a completely unrelated design. The Falangist Party, for once, agreed with their chief rivals at the Assembly, no doubt seeking to remove an overt symbol of Distributistism from the national flag. Other parties present at the Assembly, as well as many members of the public interviewed, were unhappy at this seemingly superficial detour, with one Constitutional Democrat bemoaning that "we are designing a flag for a government that doesn't yet exist."

teleSH would like to turn the question over to its viewers: What do you think of the current flag debate? http://www.strawpoll.me/19642633

(Weapons confiscated by police)

Earlier today, Federal Police conducted a raid on a house in the indigenous settlement of Mowich-haws. The house and its occupants had apparently been under observation for some time, before officers arrested the men during what is being referred to as an "illegal transfer of firearms and munitions". Locals willing to cooperate with the police informed them of the transaction ahead of time, noting that suspicious individuals had begun coming and going frequently from the previously abandoned home. No shots were fired and the suspects surrendered peacefully to law enforcement. Several firearms were seized from the property and the suspects, all of which are believed to be illegal. The weapons are currently being inspected for serial numbers and/or any identifying marks. The identity and number of suspects arrested have not been released.

This raid falls as indigenous observation of the 34th anniversary of the "Battle of Pil-Lapie", a confrontation between police and armed protesters referring to themselves as the “Indo-hubertano Movement”, reaches its halfway point. The standoff lasted over 2 months in early 1986 and is a subject of annual memorial within the indigenous community. 16 law enforcement officers were killed during the exchanges of gunfire that were so common during the standoff. Casualties among the armed protesters are unknown, with estimates ranging between 2 dozen to over 200, and accusations of torture and extrajudicial killings leveled at Federal Police by indigenous leaders.   

Though not the first seizure of weapons this year, based on photographs from the scene it does appear to be the largest single seizure, prompting some to speculate that certain individuals may be more interested in retribution than reconciliation.

[San Huberto]

National Symbols Settled

Good evening and welcome back to teleSH,
The public design competition to present a proposal for a new national flag has officially ended. The contest was won by 2‬1-year old undergraduate art student Lin-Manuel Gómez, from Aguaslentos. The flag features the traditional tricolor of San Huberto stretched across the lower half, as an emerging sun rises from the background, illustrating the country’s transition from its past to its bright future. The tricolor will maintain its traditional meanings: blue representing the waters that shelter San Huberto on three sides, white representing peace, and the red representing sacrifice for the patria. The sun also highlights the nation’s Ardian roots, with its design being intentionally reminiscent of the sun featured prominently on the flag of Nueva Ardia, another Hispanic nation which emerged out of the former Ardian Empire.

Continuing on the topic of symbols of state, the popular tune “Venceremos” (We Shall Prevail) has been elevated to the position of San Huberto’s national anthem. The song was already well-known as a patriotic tune, used as a marching song by the Defense Forces, and commonly parodied by political parties for use on the campaign trail. A standardized version, devoid of references to specific political parties or positions, will now proudly be played as the national air.

Spoiler: show

Many commentators, exhausted of the political gridlock that has been displayed by the Assembly, have expressed hope that these smaller agreements may foreshadow a breakthrough in the bitter deadlock, expecting larger compromises in the near future.

[San Huberto]

Good evening and welcome back to teleSH,
An explosive device was detonated today in the small town of Llermo in the County of San Simón. The device had been located in the mailbox outside of the mayor's residence, shaking nearby homes and sending shrapnel, consisting of ball bearings, nails, and the remains of the mailbox, through the air. Naturally, it is presumed that the mayor was the intended target of this terroristic act, the bomb appearing to be set to go off when the receptacle was opened. Only a single victim has been reported, but with life-threatening injuries, the device gravely wounding the postal worker who had the misfortune to open the mailbox during his daily route. A group calling themselves the "Indigenous Front" (Spanish: Frente Indigenista) have seemingly claimed responsibility for the attack through a post circulating around social media, but this has yet to be confirmed by authorities. This violent incident has sent a shock throughout the town and outlying areas, known by locals to be quite tranquil.

Local reservists were some of the first to respond to the scene, retrieving equipment from the local armory and beginning a sweep of the area. Several young men were detained by the group but later released following complaints from local law enforcement and the larger community. The men reported having received verbal threats and harassment from the reservists, decrying their actions as vigilantism. The reservists in question in-turn defended their actions, categorizing them as necessary for the security of the town, noting that the men arrested had been spotted fleeing the scene, but local law enforcement have yet to make any arrests from either group.

The mayor had elicited the ire of his indigenous constituents, who compromise over a third of the population of the rural hamlet, when last week a video surfaced of the mayor, who appears to be inebriated at a local eatery, making disparaging comments about the town's indigenous inhabitants, referring to them as "lazy" and "backwards". He has since apologized again for his inappropriate remarks, but has reiterated his refusal to resign from his post.

[San Huberto]

Good evening and welcome back to teleSH,
A Pride Parade set to take place in San Huberto City was preemptively halted and dispersed by police. The event, planned over social media, was intended to begin around noon at Presidio Plaza, the center of the city, with stops and speeches planned at both the Capital and Saint Hubert's Cathedral, seat of the Archbishop of San Huberto, before ending in the early afternoon. Several thousand people had indicated an interest in attending the march, but law enforcement had become aware of the un-permitted march and had arrived earlier at the set gathering place, turning would-be attendees away. Plans for the event quickly fell through as word spread through online channels of law enforcement's response, and police presence prevented the crowd from growing larger than a few hundred individuals. Police likewise became aware of the parade over social media and feeling that the event "had the potential to disturb public peace" as well as "molest political and religious activities" chose to take "preemptive action to ensure the public tranquility." About 3 dozen people were taken into custody for "disorderly conduct", after regrouping several blocks away and attempting to continue the march, prompting complaints from homosexual and civil rights advocacy groups.

The agency's press office defended the actions of its officers, releasing a statement which read in part, "Officers involved dispersing an illegal gathering today acted both within the law and civility to ensure the general public remained undisturbed by unlawful activities. Moreover, the Nation's 1962 Constitution, which will remain in effect until such a time that a new is drafted and approved by the Constitutional Assembly, expressly forbids political parties formed on a "religious, linguistic, racial, sex, corporatist or regional basis". By organizing a political event with a clear political agenda, the planners and participants of this march, even if not formally existing as a political party, were effectively operating as such, and were therefore subject to the same restrictions as all other political organizations."

Same-Sex marriage has never been recognized by any government of San Huberto, though homosexuality was decriminalized briefly in 1936, before being revoked by the subsequent Falangist dictatorship, and has remained decriminalized since 1962.
The break up of the march has sparked discussion throughout San Huberto, from social media to the Constitutional Assembly. With Saint Hubert's Cathedral being a planned stop for the marchers, even the Archdiocese of San Huberto has weighed in on the issue:

To Our Venerable Bishops, and all other Local Ordinaries who are at Peace and in Communion with the Apostolic See, and to the Clergy and Faithful of all of San Huberto, and to all Men of Good Will.

The month of June, for the Catholic faithful, is a time of great import and reflection, as we contemplate the mystery and wonderful mercy of the divine. It is during this month that special attention is given to contemplating Jesus Christ's divine love for humanity.

In other parts of Mundus during June, there are those who participate in very different observations. As Catholics, we strive to follow the example of God's annointed, who has compassion for all mankind, but we must also recognize that these activities are anathema to our Catholic values.

Our Church teaches us that homosexual acts are contrary to the natural law. They close the sexual act to the gift of life. They do not proceed from a genuine affective and sexual complementarity. Under no circumstances can they be approved.

Even at the most superficial level do these events encourage behavior contrary to Catholic values. Indeed Superbia, Pride, is the original and most perilous of sins. It was pride that lead to Lucifer's downfall, the most luminous of angels cast out from God's Kingdom, beyond the reach of His love. Pride led man to build the Tower of Babel, in mockery of our Lord, and for this foul sacrilege, man was punished, his singular tongue divided into an innumerable variety.

Rejection, however, must not give way to hate. The number of men and women who have deep-seated homosexual tendencies is not negligible. This inclination, which is objectively disordered, constitutes for most of them a trial. Therefore, these individuals, who believe themselves to be homosexuals, must be accepted with respect, compassion, and sensitivity. Every sign of unjust discrimination in their regard should be avoided, but we equally must not mistake forgiveness or acceptance for reverence. These behaviors are perversions and not inborn conditions. Not an inherent state, but a sin, and a grave sin it is indeed. Those afflicted with such unnatural urges can and should, aided with the support and prayers of all our faithful, gradually and resolutely approach Christian perfection. Tradition has always declared that homosexual acts are intrinsically disordered, that they are contrary to the natural law, and therefore sinful. For to commit a crime against the natural world is a sin against ourselves and a sin against God. To raise sin as a cause for celebration, to have it approved by our temporal institutions, would make every believer complicit in the act.

With the Pentecost on the 31st of the previous month, we ended May by celebrating the descent of the Holy Spirit upon the followers of Christ and awaited with great anticipation as the arrival of June, the month of Sacratissimum Cor Iesu, the Most Sacred Heart of Jesus, descended upon us all. The month of June is holy in its entirety, as well as containing many sacred days within it. As we near the Feast of the Most Sacred Heart of Jesus, which is, in this year of our Lord 2020, on June 19th, we are reminded of God's boundless and passionate love for mankind. The Sunday immediately following is Father's Day, another important celebration in our community, where family and fatherhood are celebrated, and where it is common for children to honor not only their temporal fathers, but their spiritual fathers, their parochial priests, as well. 

Let us gather in spirit and remember the words of William of Saint-Thierry as we progress through this Holy month:

"Lord my God, give me some of your bread, for I groan as a poor man among your poor, in the race of men, in the family of your Christ. I seek your face, Lord; I search for your face, Lord, hungering and thirsting for your justice in the contemplation of your face. Grant that I be filled with your truth, not with the fantasies of my heart lest I regress and fall into my own emptiness by rejecting your truth. I perceive clearly how many delusions the human heart can produce. And what is my heart but a human heart? But this I ask of you, God of my heart, that none of these delusions cling to me in place of the real truth; but let the light of your truth come to me from that source from which the breath of Christ's truth is bestowed upon me, although I am cast far from the sight of your eyes and am trying to return from afar by the way which you have prepared for us through the humanity of your only-begotten Son."

- The Most Reverend, Metropolitan Archbishop Ciro