Guns n Whiskey
- Text for the below article was taken in part from the Encyclopedia HotRodia, 18th Edition, which was published by the HotRodia Publishing Corporation. These articles contain information that was current at the time of writing. For information on the past events in HotRodia, see the History of HotRodia.
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| Flag of Guns n Whiskey | |
| Motto: "Weapons aren't bad, they're just tools to kill people" | |
| Map Location | |
| Region | Texas |
|---|---|
| Capital | Margaritaville |
| Official Language(s) | Spanish, Texan |
| Leader | none |
| Population | 6.5 Billion+ |
| Currency | small fee |
| NS Sunset XML | |
Contents
Government
The nation of Guns n Whiskey is a nation located in the region of Wysteria that strongly supports freedom, especially economic freedom and personal freedom. The government is not allowed anywhere near the boardroom or the bedroom, and political freedoms are only limited in the sense that elections are infrequent.
As was mentioned, elections in Guns n Whiskey are held only infrequently and only for very powerful positions; the other officials are hired the same way everyone else is hired for a job. Thus the populace takes great care in electing leaders because they know they will be stuck with them for a while, but they don't have to worry about the lower positions because those officials are hired based on their qualifications much as they would for a job at a corporation.
International Involvement
The Protectorate is moderately active in international affairs in its current region, Wysteria. The Protectorate is a founding member of an international and largely intraregional organization called the Wysterian Union, helped write portions of its charter, and put forward several of its citizens to serve their country in the Union, some of them as Senators, others as head of individual Union ministries. Prior to the being a member of the WU, the Protectorate was a member of South Wysterian Economic Community, but left the organization when it became clear that the organization was falling apart.
History
Below is a short summation of the history of the Paternalistic Protectorate.
Origins
The state of Guns n Whiskey was formed by a group of political refugees from all around The World. They were mostly conservatives who had been under extreme political pressure from the mostly very liberal populations of their countries of birth. Many of them came from states that were members of the U.N. during the time when that organization was beginning to grow much more liberal and enforcing its views in a manner quite unpalatable to the conservative factions. These conservatives were strong proponents of freedom, but did not think that government should be giving everyone help. Many of them viewed government aid as a tool to weaken a populace by coddling them until they were too weak to do anything for themselves, thereby strengthening the government's power over the people. For the founders of Guns n Whiskey, big government was anathema.
The Reign of Prosperity
In the beginning, Guns and Whiskey was a country of unbridled consumerism and commercialism, and the government adopted a laissez-faire policy in regards to the economy. Thus, the people prospered and produced. The government focused on maintaining a strong military and a top-notch criminal justice system, punishing all those who violated the property rights of others. Under the prosperous and just circumstances of the time, many people grew complacent and much too fond of "doing things the way they've always been done." Most of the populace began demanding that the government step in punish those crazies who went against the grain of the culture by preaching that "peace and love crap" and suggesting things like giving the "oppressed" homosexuals reparations to make up for their maltreatment by rest of the populace. The government eventually gave in to the demands of the creeping social conservative movement that abhorred deviance and decided that homosexuals would be only allowed to exercise the freedom necessary for survival. So began the long descent of the country into being a giant parental government.
Historical Hypocrisy
As the government began doing more and growing more, the people began to trust the the government because it seemed to do things so well. They decided that since the government was so good at solving social problems, it could probably help make the economy better too. Fortunately, the government did not interfere with the economy, they simply took a little more tax money from the people and said they were doing good things for the economy while they were actually funneling it into starting a huge public education system that would make the people even more dependent on the government. Luckily, the public education system did improve the economy, especially in the areas of technological innovation and counseling services. Oddly enough, nobody noticed it when the demand for counseling services suddenly rose with the advent of the new public schooling systems. After several decades, the government was omnipresent and had introduced new measures to hand out government aid to such people as those had been victimized by the food producers' letting them buy high-calorie meals and others whose parents had skimped on their trust fund.
Culture
The people of Guns n Whiskey are largely peaceful and law-abiding, but are quite willing to defend themselves or attack others in situations where they see it as appropriate to do so. Property rights are strictly enforced by both the individual citizens and the government, and the ownership of property and investment in one's community are seen as paramount. Many of the Protectorate's citizens are morally conservative compared to the majority of other nations in Wysteria, but believe strongly in individual liberty and would not think of forcing their morals on others where it is inappropriate. The Protectorate has a wide array of religious options to choose from, and while many citizens do not believe in religious concepts, aproximately 70% do believe in such things. There are no overwhelmingly popular religions, and most religions have no more than 100 million adherents. The languages most often spoken by citizens are Spanish and Texan English, but many other languages have found their way into common usage in certain parts of the nation where immigrants have created ethnic enclaves.
Military
Because of the voluntary military service and generally peaceful conditions, Guns n Whiskey has a relatively small but well-equipped military force. Many of the armaments and vehicles used by the Guns n Whiskey Army, Navy, and Air Force were purchased from Guns Incorporated, but a quite a few were purchased from other vendors in the nations of Samaru and The Grendels. The Protectorate has a surprisingly large amount of nuclear weapons for use as a deterrent.
Economy
The Protectorate has a free market economy and has consistently advocated and promoted freer trade in the region of Wysteria. The Proectorate entered into a free trade agreement with The Grendels and worked through the Wysterian Union Ministry of Trade & Commerce to create the Partnership for Prosperity, a programme in which individual nations could engage in freer trade with the Wysterian Union.
The economy of Guns n Whiskey has always remained strong throughout the cultural and political changes it has undergone. At one time, the Protectorate was consistently ranked in the top ten nations in terms of economic strength in Wysteria, and to this day retains high rankings that are not in the top ten. The largest industries in the nation are Mining, Manufacturing, and Gambling.
Corporate Entities
Whiskey Inc.
This corporation is a powerful institution that has a wide range of beverage products including beers, liquors, and wines. They also have an incredible distribution network that spans several regions such as Texas, Louisiana, and Wysteria. Their most famous products are Whiskey-Cola and Highland Kentucky Moonshine, a potent brew that has been known to have fatal results when ingested by persons who are unable to hold their liquor properly.
Guns Inc.
This corporation has long dominated the Arms Manufacturing sector in the nation by gobbling up its competitors or running them out of business. The CEO of the company, Shewt Imup, has promoted the technological innovations and shrewd business practices that have led to this powerhouse corporation's stellar success rate.
