Nation/Amigard

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Government

The Constitution of Amigard that was formally adopted on June 3, 2014 defines the various branches of government and limits their respective authority

Amigard is a theocracy under the direction of the Roman Catholic Church. The nation is lead by a Cardinal who is elected by the Council of Bishops and approved by the Pope in Rome. The Cardinal is elected for a life term to the office and can only be removed by a unanimous vote of no confidence by the Council of Bishops, a 75% vote of no confidence from the general population (a two thirds majority vote of no confidence by the Parliament is necessary to call for a general vote of no confidence) or by excommunication from the Church.

The Cardinal holds a great deal of authority within Amigards borders, and while he will often seek the approval of the Council of Bishops when making decisions on foreign or domestic policy, it is not required that he do so. Both the Bishops Council and Parliament may override or otherwise veto a decision made by the Cardinal under some circumstances described below. Neither council may override the cardinal when he is making an emergency decision that directly affects the wellbeing of the state assuming that failure to make an immediate decision would place the welfare of the Theocracy in imminent danger.

Government Heirarchy

While the Cardinal is responsible for the overall governance of the Theocracy in its entirety, the Theocracy is divided into more manageable geographic and political subdivisions. Currently there are nine Dioceses similar in form and function to a State or Province, but which are governed by a bishop who is elected by popular vote from among a list of candidates and approved by the Cardinal. Each Diocese is further divided into various Parishes (counties) that are governed by priests that have been appointed by the Diocesan bishop. Finally the most basic government is that of the local or municipal government which may be governed by a mayor, a town/city council or a combination of the two depending on the particular form adopted by the community. The local/municipal government is the highest governmental leadership position (aside from Parliament) that can be filled by someone who is not an ordained member of the priesthood.

Parish-Local Level

A parish will generally include several local governments/cities and is governed by a Catholic priest who has been appointed by the Diocesan Bishop.

The Parish Priest is ultimately responsible for the spiritual and temporal welfare of all Amigard citizens within his jurisdiction and answers to the Diocesan Bishop. Each Parish also has a council made up of citizens of the parish and the number of members varies depending on the population of the Parish but is never less than seven members. The Parish Council is meant to be advisory in nature although the recommendations of the council are forwarded to the Diocesan Bishop as well and Parish Priests that consistently disregard the council are often reprimanded by the Bishop. Any adult citizen that is a resident of the Parish may sit on the Parish Council.

Diocese Level

A Diocese is made up of various Parishes and its geographic boundaries are determined by the Cardinal in Amigard City. A Diocese is run by a bishop of the Roman Catholic Church who has been elected by popular vote from among a pool of candidates and who has been approved by the Cardinal.

Bishops generally enjoy near absolute authority within their own Diocese though they are limited by the Amigard Constitution as well as the Cardinal who maintains the authority to override any decision made by the Bishop. A diocese will also include a Diocesan Council that is comprised of representatives from each Parish throughout the diocese although the Bishop determines the size of the council. The council is responsible for drafting new legislation and reviewing or altering existing legislation however it is the Bishop that ultimately chooses to adopt or reject the legislations created by the council.

However, like the Parish Council, the recommendations of the Diocesan Council are forwarded to the Cardinal’s office for review and most Bishops are wise not to alienate the council lest the council press the Cardinal for a review of the Bishop’s performance. Generally speaking Bishops are elected for life unless the Cardinal requires a new election which he is likely to do if the Diocesan Council is consistently unsatisfied with the Bishop’s performance.

The Council of Bishops: The council consists of nine bishops, one for each diocese within the nation. The council advises the Cardinal on matters both foreign and domestic and is granted some legislative powers. The council may create and adopt laws with a majority vote of its members and the approval of the Cardinal. Legislation presented by Parliament must first pass through the Bishops Council with a majority vote before it is sent to the Cardinal for approval. The Bishops Council may also override a decision made by the Cardinal with a two-thirds majority vote. The Council generally meets twice annually (usually once in January and again in June) to discuss matter of importance unless an emergency meeting is called by the Cardinal or one of its members.

Parliament

Amigard Parliament acts as the nations primary legislative body and meets regularly. Parliament is made up of representatives elected from the various Dioceses. The Parliament includes a number of representatives based on the overall population of the Diocese and are elected by majority vote. The Parliament has the power to draft legislation which is then passed on to the Bishops Council. If passed by the Bishops Council it is forwarded to the Cardinal who then decides whether to sign the bill into law. Parliament is also given the power to veto legislation drafted by the Bishops Council or the Cardinal with a two thirds majority vote.

All adult citizens of the Theocracy with no felony convictions and who have completed the Citizens Basic Combat Training requirement may run for election to Parliament. Currently there are 106 representatives in Parliament.

  • Iraq Diocese: 30
  • Syria Diocese: 22
  • Jordan Diocese: 6
  • Kuwait Diocese: 2
  • Lebanon Diocese: 4
  • Kingdom of Israel: 10
  • Northern Saudi Arabia: 10
  • Southern Saudi Arabia: 8
  • Eastern Saudi Arabia: 10
  • Oman: 4

Parliamentary Parties of Amigard

There are currently 106 members of the Amigard Parliament, with only four not being unaffiliated with a party.

Amigard Catholic Nationalist Party (ANCP)

There are currently 37 members of the ANCP in Parliament

The ANCP Espouse national identity based on a strong affiliation, and adherence to, the Catholic faith and its guiding principles. The ACNP encourages laws and economic policies that favor the Catholic Church while discouraging other faiths with the extreme members of the party supporting laws and policies that would outlaw the practice of any faith outside of communion with the Catholic Church, and would adopt Canon Law as Amigard Law. Party members lean toward a more socialist economic policy in which the government has more direct control and regulation of production and trade in order to further encourage the formation and growth of Catholic businesses.

This party favors a strong, well-funded, and technologically advanced military in order to secure and expand Amigard borders with the goal of making the Theocracy a global power and to expand and spread the Catholic faith throughout the world. The party discourages political, economic, and cultural alliances or exchanges with foreign powers whose dominant faith is anything other than Roman Catholic. The ACNP has a particular distaste for the Theocracy’s involvement and friendly relations with the Empire of Layarteb on account of its dominant pagan population.

Amigard Progressive Party (APP)

there are currently 18 members of Parliament that belong to the APP

Members of this party tend toward supporting government programs and further social and political reforms. The APP generally supports greater regulation and government oversight of production and corporations to alleviate what they perceive to be exploitation by Amigard corporations of its citizenry. The APP Favors social programs and reforms over a strong, well-funded military and advocate a largely isolationist foreign policy limited mostly to trade agreements.

Republican Reform Party (RPP)

There are currently 33 members of the RPP in Parliament

The RPP Desires greater representation of citizens in government and tend toward supporting reforms that lean toward a more secular government with increased checks and balances. Most members support a capitalist/free market economy with little government regulation/control. Members of the RRP seek to reform the government as much as possible away from the current theocratic model and more toward a constitutional republic model of government.

Theocratic Puritan Party (TPP)

There are currently 14 members of the TPP in Parliament

Members of the TPP believe that recent shifts toward democracy/representation by citizens has weakened the government and they advocate a return to a purely theocratic style of government in which the Cardinal and Diocesan Bishops hold supreme authority over the governance of the Theocracy. TPP members seek to eliminate or greatly diminish the parliament and its current authority.

Government Ministries

The Amigard government utilizes various ministries to assist the Cardinal in effectively running the country

  • Education: Dalia Cantrell
  • Defense: General Aamil Malik
  • Intelligence: Bishop Arthur Mensk
  • Foreign Affairs: Bishop John Gardner
  • Economy: Sister Aalimah Farah
  • Environment: Michael Smith
  • Interior: Daniel Griffin

The Kingdom of Isreal

Judicial System

Amigards judicial system is known as the Office of the Inquisition and is headed by the chief inquisitor who is appointed by the Cardinal. The bishop of each diocese appoints their own head inquisitor to oversee the diocesan courts while the Chief Inquisitor oversees the Supreme Court that handles appeals from the diocesan courts. Amigard also has an Advocates office that acts as a public defender’s office as well as an Accuser’s office which acts in the same way as a district attorney. In many ways the system works much like the real world American system of justice with the exception that, in place of a jury made up of citizens; cases are overseen by the Head inquisitor of the diocese or one of his representatives and are decided by a panel of three trained “judges.”

Amigard is a Theocracy ultimately governed by the Roman Catholic Church, but its people are not necessarily subject to Canon Law as one might expect. The Amigard Constitution actually prohibits criminal prosecution of a citizen using Canon Law or violation of a religious doctrine. For a citizen to be prosecuted they must be charged with a violation of Amigard Law. The wording of some statutes may closely resemble various religious doctrines or Canon Law, but when violated the citizen is charged with a violation of statute and not Canon Law or Church Doctrine per se.

The Amigard justice system operates under three levels of severity when dealing with criminal acts: Felonies, Misdemeanors, and Petty Offenses. There are six classes of felonies (class 1 felony being the most severe and class 6 felony being the least severe), three classes of misdemeanors, and two classes of petty offenses.

Amigard maintains many laws one might find in a real world nation (laws against murder, robbery, rape, theft, etc) but also includes some unique laws. The following is a brief overview of some of those laws (although it does not cover all of Amigard law):

  • It is a class 1 misdemeanor to willfully, wantonly, or recklessly desecrate any religious symbol, statue, or religious item. However, it is a class 4 felony to willfully or wantonly desecrate the most Holy Eucharist and a class 3 misdemeanor to desecrate the Most Holy Eucharist through criminal negligence.
  • It is a class 2 petty offense for a man to refuse to remove thier hat in church. Granted this law has not been charged in many years as it rarely comes up.
  • Obstructing a priest in the performance of his duties through threat of violence or physical obstacle carries a similar penalty to obstructing a peace officer which is a class 2 misdemeanor.
  • Adultery is a class 1 misdemeanor in Amigard and is punishable by imprisonment for six to eighteen months, a fine of five hundred Hosts to five thousand hosts, or any combination of fines and imprisonment and may include useful public service.
  • Wearing clothing that is deemed to be "grossly immoral by public standards" is a class 1 petty offense punishable by a fine of up to, but not exceeding, 200 Hosts, 24hrs of community service, or a combination of fine and community service.
  • "Neglect of Family" is a crime with varying degrees of severity depending on the act or omission of the individual. Failing to pay child support after having an illegitimate child or after separation with ones spouse is a class 6 Felony, for example.

Amigard Case Law

The Amigard legal system often relies heavily on case law, particularly in dealing with elements of the law that have a tendency to be vague such as the concept of clothing being "grossly immoral." Case law also tends to dictate the Theocracy's view on certian individual rights since there is no "Bill of Rights" or equivilant. As such judges are required to interpret laws in light of the Catechism of the Catholic Church and the Code of Canon Law and this is most often accomplished based on cases that have been previously decided.

People V. Thompson

This case involved a young lady named Erica Thompson who was detained by police in Mosul for wearing clothing that was considered “grossly immoral.” Ms. Thompson was an eighteen year old female college student that was out for a “night on the town” and was wearing a blouse that officers determined showed an inappropriate amount of cleavage given the fact that the young lady was well endowed in the chest area. Police also pointed out that Ms. Thompsons skirt was very short and had it been raised only an inch or so more would have exposed part of the young lady’s lower buttocks.

Ms. Thompson was taken to the police station where she was issued a summons, forced to change into different clothing, and then was released. Ms. Thompson was acquitted of the charges during trial by a vote of two to one. The trial court found that the clothing, though perhaps may not be seen by some as appropriate, had not exposed any more skin than someone wearing a two piece bikini. Cleavage by itself is not “grossly immoral” and though the skirt was short, it did not expose the buttocks or the genital area. The ruling would later be referred to as the “bikini rule” when referencing whether a particular clothing or style of dress was in fact grossly immoral.

The court did point out, however, that clothing by itself should not be the only variable taken into account when determining what is “grossly immoral.” The court stated that officers should take into account the totality of the circumstances including location, community standards, and the intent of an individual among other things. In this case Ms. Thompson was in the downtown area of the city late at night where there were various clubs and bars present that catered to adults, and the court determined that the young lady’s clothing was not necessarily grossly immoral within the context of the area and the time of day. However, had Ms. Thompson worn such clothing to church or to a family oriented event there may have been grounds for a conviction.

The court further determined that the investigating officer did not err in his decision to issue a summons and agreed that probable cause existed to bring charges against Ms. Thompson even though there was insufficient evidence to convict. The court also supported the officer’s detention of Ms. Thompson as well as the officer forcing her to change into more appropriate attire noting that the circumstances surrounding Ms. Thompson at the time of her arrest (location, time of day, and surrounding activity) could be raised as an affirmative defense to the charge, but that the officer was within his rights to require Ms. Thompson to change her attire as he was acting in good faith and in the interest of public order and decency.

People V. Timmons

it was determined that police need only reasonable suspicion to not only detain an individual they believe has committed or is about to commit a crime, but also to conduct a search of the individual as well as any closed or locked containers on their person or within their immediate reach.

People V. Smith

Officers are not required to advise suspects of their rights to remain silent and to the right for a court appointed advocate prior to questioning. Smith was arrested in Kuwait City for suspected drug trafficking and was taken to the local police station where he was questioned by detectives. Detectives never advised Smith that he had the right to remain silent, or that he had the right to court appointed counsel. After a five hour interrogation Smith eventually confessed to transporting various illegal drugs from Saudi Arabia to Kuwait and surrounding areas.

Smith’s advocate filed a motion to suppress the confession based on the fact that Smtih was not advised of his rights prior to questioning while in custody. Prior case law had already established that suspects need not be advised of their rights when not in custody, but the concept of advising a suspect prior to questioning when in custody had not been addressed by the courts.

The courts initially agreed to suppress the statements but the decision was overturned on appeal by the Chief Inquisitors Office. The appeal actually went all the way to the Chief Inquisitor himself who made the decision based on the following:

1.) Within the Amigard educational system there is a mandate requiring all citizens undergo at least one semester prior to attaining the age of eighteen that deals with “preparation for citizenship” and part of this education includes a review of a citizen’s rights and responsibilities under Amigard law which specifically addresses the citizens rights to counsel and to their right against self incrimination. The mandate requires that the class be conducted no earlier than High School. Smith, at age 26, had taken the course during his junior year of High School and the Inquisitor felt it reasonable to expect Mr. Smith would therefore be aware of his rights, including his right to counsel and to remain silent.

2.) There was no indication that officers used means that were unreasonably coercive in obtaining the confession

3.) There was nothing to indicate Mr. Smiths mental capacity was such that he was incapable of understanding his rights.

4.) The length of the interrogation was not deemed to be excessive under the circumstances.

5.) Officers did not indicate to Mr. Smith that remaining silent or invoking his right to counsel would result in more severe punishment or additional charges.

The ruling ultimately meant that officers were not expected to remind citizens of their rights under Amigard law each time a person was questioned in connection to a crime, whether that person was in custody or not. Amigard citizens are informed of their rights prior to reaching adulthood and are held responsible for knowing what those rights are. Though in-custody interrogations are inevitably somewhat coercive in nature this does not destroy a persons understanding of their rights under law. The use of unreasonable coercion to obtain a confession is a separate issue that can, and often does, result in suppression of statements.

The ruling did not, however, address whether suspects under the age of eighteen need to be advised of their rights prior to questioning by police, which was eventually addressed in another case.

Ryland V. Diocese of Syria

In this civil suit the court upheld the requirement that police must have a search warrant based on probable cause and which is signed by a judge in order to enter into a citizen’s home without consent barring exigent circumstances. A government agency that violates this rule can be held civilly liable. While police are given a great deal of discretion in dealing with citizens at large in the public arena, this discretion is much more limited when a private residence is involved.

People V. Manchester

Though only reasonable suspicion is required to detain an individual for further questioning and to search said person when that person is in a public place, probable cause is still required to make an arrest and to file criminal charges.

Amigard Law Enforcement

Law Enforcement in Amigard is supervised nationally and administered locally. There are three law enforcement academies that train new law enforcement personnel to national standards. Upon successfully completing the twenty two week long national academy officers are certified to provide law enforcement services anywhere in throughout the Theocracy although each Diocese generally has a its own unique set of laws and standards that officers are required to adhere to and officers generally attend a field training program with their local agency that can last anywhere from twelve to sixteen weeks.

Geography, Statistics, and Demographics

Area

  • Total: 3,237,675 sq km
  • Land: 3,233,964 sq km
  • Water: 3,711 sq km
  • Coastline: 7,032 km

Maritime Claims: 12 nm

Terrain and Climate

  • Climate varies slightly throughout the area but generally consists of dry hot summers with short cool winters. The northern mountainous regions along the Iranian and Turkish borders experience cold winters with occasionally heavy snows that melt in the early spring, sometimes causing extensive flooding in southern Amigard.
  • The terrain consists mostly of broad plains with mountainous regions in the north along the Turkish border.

Demographics Population: Approximately 130,850,000

  • Male: 49%
  • Female: 51%

Ethnic

  • Arab: 60%
  • European: 30%
  • Jewish: 9%
  • Other: 1%

Religion

  • Catholic: 55%
  • Muslim: 33%
  • Jewish: 8%
  • Protestant: 1%
  • Others: 2%

Economy and Natural Resources

Culture

Military

The Amigard Military

Amigard military equipment is based off of the RL American military and utilizes many of the same weapons platforms. The main battle tank is the M1A2 Abrams and Amigard infantry carry the Mini-14 rifle. The Air Force utilizes a number of fighter and bomber aircraft but is partial to the F-16 and F-22 fighters for air superiority and the A-10 Tank Killer for close ground support. The B-52 Bomber tends to be the primary long range bomber.

The army is by far the largest branch of the Amigard military followed by the Air Force and then the Navy. Currently Amigard maintains a peacetime military strength of approximately 1% of the population. However, military service is semi-mandatory among all those over the age of 18 (all must attend basic combat training or risk losing various privileges) and each citizen remains on inactive ready reserve until the age of 55. Thus Amigard is capable of doubling the size of its military fairly quickly during wartime to approximately 2% of the population and when in desperate need may increase its size to over 5% although the economy would be unable to support such a large military for any significant length of time.

Currently the Amigard Army makes up the bulk of the military numbering around 654,250 personnel. The Amigard Navy consists of 327,125 personnel with an additional 65,425 dedicated to the Marines and the Amigard Air Force contains approximately 261,700 personnel between combat and support roles.

Army

Soldiers.jpg

Amigard currently maintains three active armies each made up of three to four Corp ranging from 20,000 to 40,000 soldiers. Corp are further divided into Divisions which are categorized by type including: Infantry, Mechanized Infantry, Armor, Airborne (includes Air Assault). Each division is constructed so as to act independently and includes support elements such as signal, air defense, engineers, etc. as well as special forces units and psyops.

  • Primary Battle Tank: M1A2 Abrams (Designated the M1A2 Abraham MBT but Abrams is short form)
  • Armored Personnel Carrier: Boniface Fighting Vehicle Armor Divisions generally consist of 3 to 4 Brigades of 320-316 Tanks each while Mechanized Infantry Divisions generally consist of 3 to 4 Brigades of 205-215 APC's each.
  • Anti-Aircraft: Avenger and Patriotsystems
  • Primary Infantry Rifle: Mini-14 AC-556 Variant

The Army of Saint Michael

This army is headquartered in Amigard City and is generally seen as Amigard's primary army fulfilling both defensive and offensive roles. Currently its elements are spread throughout the nation although the majority are in the Iraq area. The Army of Saint Michael consists of five corp and has a total complement of 200,000 personnel

  • I CORP
    • 1st Infantry Division
    • 1st Mechanized Infantry Division
    • 1st Cavalry Division
  • II CORP
    • 2nd Infantry Division
    • 3rd Infantry Division
    • 4th Infantry Division
    • 1st Airborne Division
  • III CORP
    • 4th Infantry Division
    • 5th Infantry Division
    • 2nd Armor Division
    • 2nd Airborne Division
  • IV Corp
    • 12th Infantry Division
    • 13th Infantry Division
    • 14th Infantry Division
    • 1st Mountain Division
  • V Corp
    • 15th Infantry Division
    • 16th Infantry Division
    • 2nd Cavalry Division
    • 4th Mechanized Infantry Division

Air Force

F22.jpg


The Amigard Air Force consists of several Wings that are divided into specific squadron types (Bomber, Fighter, and Support squadrons). A fighter squadron will generally consist of 24 fighters while a bomber squadron usually contains around 8 to 12 large bombers and may include an additional 12 Attack aircraft such as the A-10. Support squadrons include refueling planes, cargo planes and transport aircraft such as the C-130 as well as aircraft designed for electronic warfare or recon.

Navy

Nimitz2.jpg


The Theocracy of Amigard currently fields two fleets, one based in Kuwait City, Kuwait and the other in Beirut, Lebanon. Each fleet consists of task forces that are designated by their primary role and/or core vessels and includes support vessels required to maintain the fleet. Each fleet maintains a minimal number of active task forces with a significant "moth balled" group of ships that may be called into service relatively quickly.

Task forces are broken down into three distinct "rings": Core, Escort, and Picket rings. The Core generally consists of one to four "mission" ships that are tasked with fulfilling the primary role of the task force. The ships in the escort ring are tasked with providing close to mid range protection for the core ships intercepting enemy ships and aircraft that attempt to engage the core ships. The picket rings primary responsibility is to provide reconnaissance to the task force and usually consist of vessels equipped with significant radar and sonar capabilities in order to detect approaching surface and submerged vessels and other threats to the fleet. The picket ring may engage enemy targets in skirmishes or probing attacks and fall in with the escort ring if needed.

The Amigard Navy is moderately funded as the Army and Air Force tend to enjoy greater funding and attention from the government. As a result the navy currently fields only two aircraft carriers, a Kitty Hawk class carrier in Beirut, Lebanon and a Nimitz class carrier in Kuwait City, which tend to make up the center of any Amigard naval task forces deployed. At present the Amigard Navy is primarily defensive in nature and its fleets rarely venture out from The Mediterranean or the Persian Gulf.

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