Bicentennial #patria200 an underwhelming dud

In 2018 Patria celebrated 200 years of being the best country we never had!

As 2018 comes to a close, Patria's bicentennial celebrations - known by the hashtag #patria200 - have been condemned as an underwhelming dud that failed to generate much enthusiasm within Patria and in the greater micro-world. This was due in part to the celebrations of Patria's founding in 1818 being mostly locally focused, rather than a huge Patria-wide party or Micro-world's Fair. There are more than enough fingers to point for Patria's bicentennial failing to live up to the hype. A general feeling of "you get what you pay for" as Patria's 50th Congress (2014-2018) appropriated only token funding for the celebrations, while precinct and local governments attempted to take up the slack. The Ministry of Transportation came under fire for failing to celebrate the centennial of the Castoropolis Metro (Patria's first subway/metro/tube, opened in 1918) as well as for failing to offer a distinctive bicentennial license plate, though motorists in Patria can choose from three graphic plates, as well as a non-graphic base. The Patria Mint made little effort to place special issue bicentennial coins into circulation; one and two Patrienish Rupee pocket change featuring only the "1818-2018" double date. Patria Post produced a number of commemorative stamps, but most of them seemed like regular issues that added only the #patria200 hashtag.

Of course, no one expected a celebration on the scale of the United States bicentennial in 1976 or Canada's centennial in 1967. The celebrations were about as low-key and underwhelming as #Canada150 - the celebration of Canada's 150th anniversary as a Dominion of the Commonwealth (Canadians rarely use the term "independence") in 2017.

Nonetheless, there were a few highlights and happy times in Patria in 2018:

• The election of 2018 saw Bernie Sanders-style democratic socialism win a plurality of seats in the Fifty-First Congress. The election campaign proved to be a hard fight against the forces of right-wing populism and fear-mongering about an evil communist bogeyman, but in the end voters in Patria chose left-wing populism, the Social Democrats, combined with the Amrita Party and the other spiritual parties. On Inauguration Day, June 30, a stirring (if not extra long) Inaugural Address was delivered and to show that even socialists can look rich for one night, a traditional Inaugural Ball was held.
• After more than a century of failed efforts, Patria officially recognized the tenrec as its national animal symbol.
• The Patrienish Rupee held its value as arguably the most stable micro-national currency.
• Only a few weeks ago, Cook Islands became the second real-world macro-national country, after Samoa, to sign the MAPS (Marine Arctic Peace Sanctuary) treaty. Since its ratification of the treaty in 2016, Patria has lobbied hard for the establishment of MAPS as an effective step to cool our planet and keep our oceans alive.

As we leave 2018, you will find below the last of Patria Post's series of bicentennial stamps, along with Patria's traditional Christmas stamp issue.

Patria Post rolls out #Patria200 issues

Although snail-mail and the hobby of stamp collecting are declining as much in the micro-world as in real-life countries, Patria Post is not waiting for the calendar to flip to 2018 in order to get into Patria's bicentennial spirit. Several new stamp issues were released today containing the #Patria200 hashtag.

Note that most Patria Post issues are non-denominated "forever" stamps. The "1" is not a denomination of one Patrienish Rupee but represents the rate for a standard first class letter even as postal rates increase year after year. The current rate in Patria for a first class letter weighing up to 30 grams is RsPat. 27, but Patria Post will likely ask Congress for yet another rate hike in 2018.

Patria Post also re-issued in "forever" format an old definitive (regular issue) depicting Sri Sarada Devi.

#Patriavotes2018 - the race for the 51st Congress

As the Fourth and final Session of the Fiftieth Congress (4·L 2017-18) is well underway, Patria is hitting the Fifty First Congress campaign trail along with the 2018 bicentennial celebration (see above for Patria Post's first bicentennial stamp issue). Here in a nutshell is what you need to know for Patria’s upcoming election:

Election Day: April 21, 2018 (Third Saturday in April). April 14 in Fredonia. Advance polls in other Precincts beginning on or about April 12, 2018.

Inauguration Day: June 30, 2018

What’s at stake: 333 seats in Patria’s 51^st Congress (LI Con. Pat.), elections for Precinct legislatures and local city, county or demi-precinct councils in some of Patria’s 13 Precincts and the Federal District of Castoropolis (FDC). There is also an upper house in Patria, like the US and Canadian Senate or UK House of Lords, but its members are selected by the Precinct legislatures, not by direct popular vote.

How members of Congress are elected: Mixed-member proportional representation (MMP). As in Israel, lists of candidates are prepared by each party and seats are awarded in proportion to the percentage of votes received in each precinct. One-third of the seats (111) are filled by local candidates winning a plurality in their electoral district or riding. MMP, as in Germany, New Zealand and many other countries, is an idea whose time has come in Canada but will likely never happen thanks to Justin Trudeau’s broken 2015 campaign promise of electoral reform.

Congressional apportionment per precinct:

Caesarea – 61 seats

Federal District of Castoropolis – 38

Nova Columbia – 36

Lazuria – 27

Centralia – 25

Aeolia – 24

Arboria – 21

Antioch – 19

Ambrosia – 17

Canardiere – 16

Mauretania – 15

Pottsylvania – 13

Haldimania – 12

Fredonia – 9

Term of office: Four year term ending June 30, 2022.

Vote counting: paper ballots counted by hand. No hanging chads. This ain’t Florida 2000!

Follow on Twitter @Patriavotes2018 – a Twitter account devoted exclusively to the 2018 election campaign. Non-election tweets from Patria will be found @Patria1818, which you should also follow if you’re not already. Hashtags: #PatriaVotes2018 and #51stCongress, along with the #Patria200 hashtag for Patria’s bicentennial in 2018.

Following is some basic background information on Patria’s many and varied political parties. Numbers in [ ]’s indicate the number of seats held in the 50^th Congress.

Amrita Party [68]

“Embracing Patria”, “Love and serve”, established in 2001 as a party for Amma’s devotees with Amma as House leader in Congress, where she represents the Precinct of Arboria. Generally liberal-progressive, reflecting the political views of the vast majority of Amma’s western devotees in the macro-world (notwithstanding that conservatives and even supporters of Donald Trump go for Amma’s darshan too!). Merged briefly with the SRM (see below) in 2006 and is rumored to be merging with the Social Democrats (q.v.) for 2018.

Among the highlights of the Amrita Party's achievements since 2002:

• Inclusion of Amma's teachings and bhajans (devotional songs) in the curriculum of many of Patria's elementary schools.
• Opening of a branch of the Amrita Institute of Medical Sciences (AIMS) hospital in Patria.
• Establishment of a campus of the Amrita University in Patria.
• Establishment of a permanent Amma ashram in Patria, in Karunanagar, Caesarea, easily accessible via the Caesarea Coast Line of the Castoropolis and Caesarea Railways (CCR).
• Addition of Amrita Television to all basic cable TV services in Patria.

Standard disclaimer: The Amrita Party of Patria exists only in the unrecognized country ("micronation") known as the Inner Realm of Patria (Antarbhumi Ramrajya) and has no connection whatsoever with the MA Center, Mata Amritanandamayi Math, Amma Canada, or any actual Amma-related organization in any recognized country of the world.

SRM (Swadeshi Ramrajya Movement) [55]

“Bring the jobs home” “Make Patria great again” Small-c conservative Hindu nationalist, economic protectionist, social conservatives (e.g. pushing “modest dress” for women), Patria First. Inspired by and quite similar to Narendra Modi’s Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) in India. Originally known as the Spiritual Regeneration Movement, the SRM has its origins in the 1960s hippie counterculture heyday but didn’t become a mainstream party until Patria’s 1989-90 Dharmic Revolution. After the 2006 election, Amma’s devotees merged the SRM into the Amrita Party. But by 2010 the SRM-Amrita coalition fell apart as economic conservative remnants of the old SRM bolted from Amrita (in large measure as a result of the 2008-09 economic meltdown), took a turn to the right and revived the SRM with the initials standing for something new.

 

Chakra Party [59]

“No gurus, just right”, “transformation not transcendence” yoga/new age liberal. Another party that has its roots in the 1960s hippie era but didn’t become established until Patria’s Dharmic Revolution, led by hippies and new-agers who never really left the 60s. Secular party for the “spiritual but not religious” (SBNR) folks – mostly westerners who grew up with Judaism or Christianity – who do yoga and practice some kind of Eastern-based spirituality but steer clear of the H-word (i.e. Hinduism) or who do not identify as devotees of Amma.

National Union [26]

“Obedience and respect for authority”, “where a man belongs”, “testosterone in your balls, NU on your ballot”, the macho, populist, blue lives matter (“there’s no such thing as a bad cop”), law and order National Union has its roots dating from the mid-19^th century as a small-c conservative party. National Unionists once dominated Patria in the 1950s and 60s as a bland, centrist party like Ontario’s Bill Davis-era Tories. They should have died of irrelevance post-Dharmic Revolution, but since the 1990s the NU recast itself to become the leader in the men’s rights movement, thumbed its nose at soft-on-crime liberals and has pushed every right wing law and order issue, e.g. bringing back public executions, broken windows policing and even racial profiling for public safety. Always seems to punch above its weight, even if violent crime is not a serious issue in Patria.

Jungle Party [28]

“Have a take, don’t suck”, inspired by Jim Rome, a leading US sports talk radio personality who is heard in Patria as well as in the US and Canada on the CBS Sports network. The typical Jungle party voter is an unemployed or minimally employed 30-something male living in his parents’ basement, playing online games and with no girlfriend to speak of. But the party has apparently drawn men who might otherwise vote National Union.

Social Democrats [49]

“Go forward!” “Progress with a purpose”, old-line social democratic party from the macro-world, based on Canada’s NDP and currently inspired by Bernie Sanders and Jeremy Corbyn. A well-established workers’ progressive labor party since the 1930s, Social Democrats enjoyed a surge of popularity in 2014 and can likely expect to grow even more in 2018, riding the coat-tails (or Union-made in USA suit) of Bernie Sanders. Despite being an old-left democratic socialist party, the SD has little tolerance for politically correct busybody do-gooders, vegan moral high-grounders, social justice warriors, Israel as an apartheid state, so-called Cultural Marxism, “micro-aggressions”, “safe spaces”, the let’s-hate-Whitey common leftist belief that only White people – particularly White heterosexual males – can be racist, and snuffing out free speech (i.e. discussion of unpopular or conservative views) on college campuses. Closely aligned with the Amrita Party and rumoured to be merging with it as Campaign 2018 begins.

Green Party [13]

“Bikes not cars” Macro-world party that has found a foothold in Patria, particularly following Patria’s unofficial endorsement of the US Green Party’s candidate Jill Stein in the 2016 presidential election. Like the Green Parties of Canada, the U.S. and Europe, the Greens of Patria appear to be leftist, progressive, bike-riding, Birkenstock-wearing, tree-hugging environmentalists. But Patria’s Greenies have been outed as economic conservatives and even Ayn Rand-style free-enterprise capitalists disguised as politically correct left-wingers and moral high-grounders.

Libertarian Party [7]

Another party from the macro-world, trotting out the usual “less government, more freedom” mantra. The Libertarian party of Patria, like Libertarian Parties in the United States and Canada, is conservative on economic issues but very liberal on "free choice" issues such as legalization of drugs or abortion. There really is not much need for a Libertarian party in Patria, since Patria has become quite libertarian since the 1990s - decriminalizing drugs for all practical purposes, no restrictions on abortion, and strongly free-speech (in Patria, there are no laws criminalizing the propagation of hate speech such as Holocaust denial).

Fringe groups, one-issue parties, assorted nutbars [28]

A number of micro-parties or fringe parties such as the Chastity Party, Family Values Party, Lilith Party and Freedom Party get in thanks to no votes being wasted under proportional representation. Some of these fringe parties are one-trick ponies focusing on a single penny-ante issue, such as raising the drinking age to 25 or banning public displays of affection, and hold only a single seat in Congress.

It is possible, indeed quite likely, that at least one new party will come into existence during the 2018 campaign in the “fringe/nutbar” category above. The new party could even come out of nowhere to win more than one or two seats.

Third Session wraps for summer recess, Campaign 2018 is underway!

The Third Session of Patria's 50th Congress (3·L 2016-17) adjourned today for the summer recess. The traditional Annual Message summarizing the activities and achievements of Patria over the course of the academic/congressional year (as well as a de facto launch of the 51st Congress election campaign and Patria's bicentennial celebration in 2018) was delivered by the Speaker Pro Tem. The Fourth Session (4·L 2017-18) will convene on September 18. Transcript of the Annual Message to Congress follows.

Bhagavan Kripalu manelo sharane. Aavi ubho chun huñ to tava charane. Divine Compassionate One, my refuge, I have come to stand forever at your feet. As the Third Session of the Fiftieth Congress began, so it ends: with salutations and prostrations at the Divine Mother’s lotus feet. With Her blessings, the Fiftieth Congressus Patriaë has served three quarters of its term of office.

As per tradition, the final act of Congress prior to the summer recess is the ratification of Patria’s fiscal 2018 budget. Once again to the dismay of Republicans in the US and National Unionists here in Patria, this budget contains appropriate funding for health care, infrastructure improvements such as power grids and sanitation systems, which in some parts of Castoropolis within walking distance of the Capitol still date from the 1890s, public transit as the Castoropolis Metro celebrates its centenary as the capital’s subway system, education from grade school to university and specialized technical training, restoration of temples, shrines and other heritage public buildings, as well as the various social programs that conservatives of all stripes dread, but that nonetheless help make Patria a better place to be than the United States under Donald Trump.

As we know, Patria takes no position on macronational affairs such as Justin Trudeau’s broken promise of electoral reform that would have put an end to first-past-the-post in Canada and the election of Donald Trump as President of the United States. Nonetheless, let it be stated once again that Patria had never officially endorsed either Bernie Sanders or Hillary Clinton and would not have preferred that Ms. Clinton – an evil, amoral one-percent plutocrat if ever there was one – had been elected to succeed Barack Obama. Mr. Trump’s election and the embarrassment, bluster, lies and deception that have ensued since his inauguration on January 20 are issues for the American people to deal with. Patria is merely a bystander, unrecognized by Rex Tillerson’s US State Department anyway. 

On the first day of this session last September, Patria ratified the Marine Arctic Peace Sanctuary or MAPS treaty, intended to designate all ocean waters north of the Arctic Circle as a marine protected area free from natural resource exploitation, commercialization and military activity. MAPS is perhaps the best chance to protect one of the planet's most fragile ecosystems. It is Patria's goal that real-world macro-national governments such as Canada, the United Kingdom and even the United States will ratify MAPS in the near future. 

On February 13, Patria celebrated World Radio Day: a day that not only recognizes the value of radio in our daily life but serves as a call to preserve century-old terrestrial hertzian-wave broadcasting as an indispensible means of communication, particularly in times of war, revolution or natural disaster. In such times, it will be your battery or solar-powered radio – not your smartphone or tablet – that will serve as your essential source of news and information, beyond the reach of censors and impervious to power outages or collapse of the cyber-infrastructure. While lamenting the demise of international shortwave broadcasters, such as Radio Australia, which went dark at the end of January, Patria is committed to keeping AM or medium wave on the air as a vital piece of the broadcasting spectrum, providing full service and relevant made-in-Patria news, sports, entertainment and public affairs programming for all Patria. 

In the one year remaining in the 50^th Congress term of office, nationalism, populism, rejection of the elites and the plutocracy, as well as Patria First economic protectionism are far from taboo topics, particularly when advocated by the dissident left or alt-left. The streets and public squares, the halls of Congress, as well as the print and broadcast media in Patria will continue to serve as forums for non-violent dissident voices and unpopular or politically incorrect opinions. While remaining firmly committed to liberal social democracy, or democratic socialism such as propounded by Bernie Sanders and Jeremy Corbyn, Patria will not cave in to the politically correct thought police and cultural Marxists that proliferate among the mainstream or orthodox left. Patria was founded two centuries ago on the principles of constitutionally protected free speech, free thought, open debate, mature inquiry and peaceful protest. Cowardly attacks and assaults against anyone, motivated by a person’s race, religion, sexual orientation, political views or any other factors, will be vigorously prosecuted and dealt with to the full extent of the law. But the fear that anyone can be harmed by thoughts, arguments, historical monuments or even song lyrics is laughable. The Inner Realm is not a safe space to hide from so-called micro-aggressions and it is not a place for overly sensitive, easily-offended, thin-skinned snowflakes, particularly on college campuses. 

On the other side of this summer recess: the campaign for the Fifty-first Congress – election day is April 21, 2018 – and Patria’s bicentennial celebrations. How Patria’s bicentennial – using the hashtag #Patria200 – will be celebrated over the course of 2018 remains to be seen and will likely evolve spontaneously with little or no official government planning or funding of so-called bicentennial projects. There will certainly be no micronational World’s Fair on the scale of Expo 67 and no visits from iconic macronational heads of state such as Haile “Lion of Judah” Selassie and Charles “Vive le Québec libre” de Gaulle, who were eager to be seen with Canada’s then-Prime Minister Lester Pearson half a century ago. No flotillas of tall ships as on the Fourth of July 1976. But know this: Patria will not be rocking a catchy kiddie-focused song to celebrate the bicentennial such as Canada sang for its centennial in 1967. Rather than “Ca-na-da” or “Ontari-ari-ari-o” [Ontario’s centennial song, “A Place to Stand”], Patria will celebrate two hundred years as a united federation by making a joyful noise unto the Lord, coming before His presence – and of course, Her presence – with bhajans, kirtan and the chanting of mantras. From Om Namah Shivaya to Hari Bol and Jai Ambe, and of course Om Namo Bhagavate Vasudevaya, Patria will sing the praises of the Devis and Devas, as well as the Kripalu lineage, whose blessings have allowed this Inner Realm to grow and thrive since 1818. 

As per unwritten tradition, the closing of the Third Session marks the unofficial start of the election campaign for the new Congress. As the race for the Fifty First Congress gathers steam during the Fourth Session, Twitter will once again be the primary means of campaigning by all of Patria’s parties. In the months leading up to Election Day next April, you can follow the campaign @Patriavotes2018. 

For those souls who have passed out of physical body during this session, such as those murdered by evil Islamic State cowards in London and Manchester, England, let us say lokah samastah sukhino bhavantu. Let us make a pledge to meet in September and seal it with Amma’s kisses. Om Sri Gurubhyo Namah. Hari Om.

Under the power vested in me by the Constitution of Patria, I declare closed the Third Session of the Fiftieth Congress, and call this Congress to re-assemble here on Monday, 18 September 2017, to open the Fourth Session of the Fiftieth Congress.

#unitebylight for one of Patria's bicentennial projects

One of Patria's bicentennial projects for 2018 is the establishment of the Marine Arctic Peace Sanctuary (MAPS). The MAPS treaty, which Patria ratified on the first day of the Third Session of the 50th Congress, is perhaps the best chance to protect one of the planet's most fragile ecosystems. It is Patria's goal that real-world macro-national governments will ratify the MAPS treaty in the near future (and perhaps even President Obama will do so before the Donald knocks on the Oval Office door shortly after 12 noon Eastern time on Jan. 20, 2017) so that MAPS will become a reality by the end of 2018.

Honorary citizen of Patria Parvati Devi has dedicated all her time and all her musical, written and yoga products to MAPS. To that end, Parvati has launched the "Unite by Light" campaign in order to get millions of petition signatures and raise the funds we need to build global public demand for MAPS. It is fun and easy! All you do is:

• Sign the MAPS petition at http://parvati.org (and optionally donate, no obligation)
• Create a short video of yourself lighting a peace candle, while nominating three people who will do the same and spread the word (suggested script at parvati.org)
• Share your video on social media (e.g. Facebook, Twitter) using the hashtags #unitebylight #signMAPS

Parvati says "it takes a village to raise a child. Right now MAPS is growing and needs loving care from each one of us so that we can protect the planet now and for future generations".

Between Patriot's Day and Patria Day

Patria's bicentennial is coming! What are you doing for 2018?

The ten weeks between Patriot's Day (third Monday in April) and Patria Day (June 30, Patria's birthday in 1818, celebrated as both Independence and Inauguration Day) are a special time in Patria. Every fourth year, in a World Cup year (e.g. 2010, 2014, 2018) Patria elects a new Congressus Patriaë on Patriot's Day weekend and the new Congress takes office on June 30. But even in non-election mid-term years such as 2016, when there is no lame-duck session of an administration counting down the days in office and attempting to cement its legacy or seek its crown-jewel achievement, there is nonetheless still a flurry of activity at the Capitol in Castoropolis - a "race to the gavel", until the day in late June when Patria's fiscal 2017 budget is ratified, the annual Message to Congress is delivered, and the Speaker of the House whacks his or her gavel to adjourn the Second Session of the 50th Congress for the northern hemisphere summer recess.

Citizens of Patria are enjoined to devote these two and a half months, as spring takes root and winter is gone and hopefully forgotten, to reinforcing and recommitting to one's sadhana (spiritual practices such as yoga, mantra recitation and meditation), self-care and seeking out gentle, nurturing daily activities that are vital, rooted and expansive (or that bring about feelings of same). One such activity is getting the blessings of both Amma Amritanandamayi and Amma Karunamayi during their summer tours, and doing seva in preparation for and during the Divine Mother's retreats and public programs.

With Patria's bicentennial celebration less than two years away, this is also a time to consider and begin planning a special project or "scratch off the bucket list" event for 2018.

Finally, for the Jungle Party and Jim Rome's loyal army of Clones in Patria who listen on PMBC-1152, this is the season for the Smack-Off, an annual competition in which select listeners are invited to provide their best “Smack Talk.” The contest is a way to recognize the best callers to the show, as well as a means of determining the best caller of the year. Smack Off XXII will be held on Canada Day, July 1.

One year in office: 50th Congress adjourns for summer recess

The First Session of Patria's 50th Congress (1·L 2014-15) adjourned today, following ratification of Patria's fiscal 2016 budget. The traditional Annual Message to Congress was delivered as the last function of Congress immediately prior to the Speaker of the House banging the gavel and blowing the vuvuzela to declare the House adjourned for the northern hemisphere summer:

Om anavadyangyai namah. Salutations to the Divine Mother whose body is worthy of worship. With the Divine Mother’s blessings, the 50^th Congressus Patriaë has come to the end of its first year in office. This session ends as it began – at the lotus feet of Amma Sri Karunamayi. As the Speaker of the House, Amma Karunamayi has kept peace and order on the floor of Congress. As a sadguru, her teachings have been an inspiration on the path of Sanatan Dharma. As an incarnation of Mother Saraswati, her spoken words and songs have brought life and light to the soul of all Patria even as Stephen Harper’s henchmen or Canadian border security authorities, possibly acting on orders from Canada’s spy service, apparently turned her away as she was about to bless her Toronto children. Jai Karunamayi!

In keeping with Patria’s traditions and congressional protocol, the last act of the First Session just moments ago was the ratification of Patria’s fiscal 2016 budget. It is thus duly noted that over the course of this session, Patria’s economy has improved to some extent. By pure statistics alone, the unemployment rate has fallen even if the jobs that have been created are less than ideal: short-term, contract positions or joblets that only throw those who accept such positions back on the unemployment rolls in short order, while the so-called permanent positions are mostly sub-entry level, minimum wage and with little job security or possibility for advancement. To state the obvious, we are still very short of the full recovery that was promised in the election campaign of one year ago. But as we know, over the course of a quarter century since the Dharmic Revolution, Patria is committed to offering its citizens more than simply “recovery” or subsistence-level dead-end jobs, while cutting “waste” or “gravy” in order to appease the bean counters, elites and plutocrats. This is why the austerity of the 49^th Congress, presumably in response to the global economic downturn that began in 2008-09, proved to be such a failed policy. As Amma recently said, “if the economic advancement of a nation fails to ensure well-being and happiness to its citizens, it should be assumed that there is a serious flaw in the process”. Whether a superpower like the United States, an emerging power like India, or an unrecognized micro-state like Patria, a nation’s growth should be measured in more than the numbers of its gross domestic product. To quote the Amrita Party leader again, “money alone cannot ensure happiness, which needs ethics and cultural values. Otherwise, it would be like putting makeup on a dead body”.

Along with the trillion-rupee economic stimuli, funding for social programs and the other components of a compassionate, progressive realm, the budget ratified today also includes appropriations for the celebration of “Ramrajyavarsham 200”, Patria’s bicentennial celebrations in 2018. On this day, one of the official bicentennial logos for the local and national celebrations has been released (and is viewable above).

As the 2014 election campaign sent the message that Patria would no longer be a safe place for social conservatives, Patria has indeed turned away from Rush Limbaugh, Ann Coulter, Pat Buchanan and other mostly imported-from-America voices that would have taken Patria back to the 1950s rather than into the second decade of the twenty-first century. The tired war horses and hoary talking points of the social conservatives, such as opposition to same-sex marriage or advocating modest dress for women, are fading from Patria’s public squares and AM radio airwaves. Those who continue to push for restricted access to abortion, marriage only between a man and a woman, or abstinence-only sex education in grade school will prove to be on the wrong side of history, in Patria at least.

As the social conservatives were in retreat in 2014-15, the law and order conservatives have also become increasingly irrelevant over the course of this session. Nothwithstanding the National Union’s unrelenting push for mass incarceration, longer prison sentences, three-strikes-you’re-out mandatory life sentences for repeat offenders and a return to the death penalty, resistance is growing in Patria to the US-style prison industrial complex, also known as the “new Jim Crow”, filling cell blocks with mostly non-white males who – in America at least – become a permanent underclass, denied the right to vote and often virtually unemployable long after their release from prison. This session has taken action to ensure that privately operated for-profit prisons, whose bottom line is a steady supply of small fry caught in the failed war on drugs, must not proliferate in Patria.

Along with banning private prisons, Patria has said no to the literal definition of a police state – a state with a visible police presence on the street, where the police forces of major cities and even suburbs constitute an unaccountable above-the-law armed force equipped with more deadly firepower than the real Army. Wearing a badge and carrying a gun do not make police officers above the laws they are tasked to enforce. The police must not become a privileged elite corps or gang of bullies accountable only to themselves. No one in Patria – and certainly not in America – should be naive enough to believe that “if you are not breaking the law you have nothing to fear from the police”, or that simply having white skin will protect them from being falsely arrested, jailed without charges, bullied, beaten or even killed in cold blood by rogue police officers.

Even as Congress adjourns, the Jungle Party caucus awaits its most anticipated day of the year: the 2015 Smack-Off. Much of Patria will tune in to the Jim Rome show tomorrow, in Castoropolis on PMBC AM 1152, or will listen via Jungle Insider, to find out if Mike in Indy and Chael Sonnen can defend their shared king of smack title and take home the winner-take-all $5000 cash prize, and if not, whether the new Smack-Off champion will be a previous Smack-Off winner such as Brad in Corona, a sitting member of the Jungle Party caucus or a potential representative in the election of 2018.

And so the time has come; let us make a pledge to meet in September. As is traditional, this session is adjourned with a brief prayer, and a moment of silent reflection for those who have lost their lives during the course of this session as a result of war, terrorist acts, disasters or senseless violence, from Nepal to Charleston, South Carolina:

Lokah samasthah sukhino bhavantu.

Asato ma sad gamaya

Tamaso ma jyotir gamaya

Mrityor ma amritam gamaya. 

Hari Om.  Shanti, Shanti, Shanti.

Under the power vested in me by the Constitution of Patria, I declare closed the First Session of the 50^th Congress, and call this Congress to re-assemble here on Monday, 21 September 2015, to open the Second Session of the 50^th Congress.