Ave, Sandum Citizens!
To us, the Winter Solstice is more than just a simple natural occurence. The Winter Solstice is the most important administrative day in the State of Sandus for our People and Government. It is when Sandus compiles its information on the past season’s work, charity taxes, census information, and — for the Winter Solstice — the election of the Sôgmô. On this Winter Solstice, the Central People’s Government is making leaps and bounds in the advancement of our sovereign State. Just yesterday, the Citizens’ Communist Party of Sandus published its Year Plan; in a few days, the Sôgmô release his more specific report on what was accomplished throughout the year via a compilation of the past year’s policy projections. However, we turn now to the major matters of state important on this great day.
Referendum on the Sôgmô’s Legitimacy:
The Sôgmô has been re-elected in the national elections whose voting period began earlier this month. Of those who voted, the Sôgmô received a unanimous “legitimate” vote in supporting his reign in the next administrative year. 40% of Sandus’s population voted in the election, compared to the 60% who are inactive in Sandus and her affairs. In the next administrative year, the Sôgmô shall continue his objectives of cultural, political, and economic development under the guidance of the Party’s Year Plan. The Sôgmô shall continue his tenure as the vanguard of the State, the Philosophy, and the policies of the Central People’s Government. Under the authority of the Sôgmô, the State of Sandus shall strive for greater advances in the welfare of the Sovereign People.
Charity Taxes:
Charity taxes are a Sandus’s practice in compassion as designated by the Sandum Philosophy surrounding the belief that all sentient existence is suffering. Outsiders and foreigners to our State wrongly believe that these taxes are imposed on citizens; however, every citizen must lawfully believe in and follow the Sandum Philosophy which calls for compassion in response to the suffering of others. The Central People’s Government has required quarterly charity taxes for the past few years on the Solstices and Equinoxes — the four administrative days marking the end and beginning of the next season or quarter — and the requirements for these taxes are purposefully low. To many citizens, who are unable to donate money or volunteer time, there are other alternatives, such as FreeRice.com — a charity game begun by the United Nations’ World Food Program. In the past, Sandus has donated much money and time to causes close to the hearts of individual citizens and, in the future, we hope that more citizens will translate into more charitable capital.
As Sandum citizens are aware of, it is desire which creates the bulk of our suffering as sentient beings — therefore, the donating of money or time which we all seem to desire translates into greater gross domestic happiness (GDH, used in Sandus in lieu of GDP) for our State. This past season, fantastically, was an incredibly charitable time. Even with fewer citizens, the Sandum People have donated $124.26USD to various causes important to individual Sandum citizens. Causes include Courtney’s House, the Human Rights Campaign, Kunzang Palyul Chöling, the Communist Party USA, and a camp for children suffering muscular atrophy. Furthermore, approximately 20 hours have been donated to Human Rights Connected, an organisation concerned with compiling information on human rights organisations, laws, resources, et cetera. The past season of Autumn was an incredibly charitable time for Sandus, so let’s continue it in the new administrative year!
Important News for Autumn MMXIII (2013):
The past season was one of much activity for the State of Sandus. Here is the Autumn season in review:
At the end of September, Sandus celebrated its first Celebrate Bisexuality Day — a new Sandum day of recognition.
In Octobro (October), Kumano voted to become a socilivanço (sociliva state); Tellus Agrarian Cooperative published its first Tellus Sibyl; the Office of the Sôgmô published the MMXIII Armilustrium Musical Concert; plans were set for a CCPS Party Conference; the Sandum Nation-State celebrated the joyous and grand holiday of the Armilustrium and the Festival of Felicitas and the Fontinalia; the Sôgmô published Liturgies for the People and established the leitourgía program; Tellus Agrarian Cooperative received its new logo; the Sacra Flameno published the Ideal of Justice in the Greek nomos in Sacerdotium; the Sôgmô donated a chest binder to a Sandum-affiliated individual upon coming out as transgender; the Sôgmô published his Second Philia Advance program; the Acting-Secretary published Internationalism: Refuting “Sandum Imperialism”; Sandus celebrated Octobro as the month of breast cancer and domestic violence awareness and finished the month by celebrating the Isia, a festival dedicated to the Egyptian goddess Isis.
In Novembro (November), the Citizens’ Communist Party of Sandus held its first CCPS Party Conference, in response to a decreased population that made holding a Party Congress impractical; Sandus pioneered a group in the virtual world Second Life called Sande Amici (“Friends of Sandus”); the State of Sandus celebrated the National Day of Socialism and the Day of the Ways & Means of Revolution; the Sôgmô added a donation function to the State of Sandus Facebook page; the Sôgmô announced a Sandum delegation will be sent to the 2014 PoliNations Conference in the Free Republic of Alcatraz; Sandus celebrated the National Day of Truth; Sandus celebrated the election of Kshama Sawant as a Socialist to the city government of Seattle, Washington, USA; Sandus commemorated and mourned on Trangender Day of Remembrance, and held an academic discussion via the new Sande Amici group; the Sacra Flameno began a new tradition of putting up festive lights after the National Day of Truth, in preparation for the festivity surrounding the month of Decembro (December); the State of Sandus welcomed Kumano into sociliva citizenship as a socilivanço (sociliva state); the Sandum People took part in Stoicism Week at the end of the month; Sandus celebrated Athena’s Day; the Sôgmô published In the Defence of Our Holidays, which responded to foreign criticism about Sandus’s celebration of the National Day of Socialism; Sandus celebrated Lhabab Düchen, a Tibetan Buddhist holiday; the State celebrated Novembro as the month of Indigenous Peoples’ Heritage and History.
Finally, in Decembro (December), the Sôgmô published Foreign Affairs Addendum and Resolutions Passed and promulgated a new diplomatic policy to avoid proxy conflicts and address foreign dignitaries other than “Monsieur/Madame” when they requested it; Sandus commemorated World AIDS Day; Sandus reflected on its history with the dissolution of the Empire of New Europe; the State prepared for the Winter holidays; Sandus celebrated the rebirth of HH Penor Rinpoché of the Nyingma school of Tibetan Buddhism and mourned the passing of Revolutionary Comrade Nelson “Madiba” Mandela; the Sôgmô attended the Ninth Annual University of Maryland American Indian Powwow; the Sôgmô published and spoke about his new Liaison system; Sandus celebrated the beginning of the Halcyon Days, which end on XXXI Decembro (31 December); the Sacra Flameno made sigillaria and oscilla for this year’s Saturnalia; the Office of the Sôgmô released a celebratory Majesties Jubilee video for XXI Decembro (21 December); the Sacra Flameno published the new Sancta hymn Gratias Deae (“Thanks, Gods”); Sandus celebrated the Consualia and Opalia; Sandus celebrated the beginning of Saturnalia; and the Acting-Secretary of the Party published the CCPS’s MMXIV (2014) Year Plan.
And now we have celebrated the Winter Solstice!
Sovereign awards the Most Honourable Order of the Throne of Sandus:
Since the Summer, the Most Honourable Order of the Throne of Sandus (MHOTS) has not been awarded. However, following the CCPS Party Conference, the Sôgmô, acting in his capacity as Sovereign of the MHOTS, has decided to award the Member class of the Order to a proven friend of Sandus’s over the past year. Despite this friend initially being critical of Sandus, its foreign policy, and its politics, this foreign politician took part in the Sôgmô’s CCPS Party Conference last month (Novembro, November) and has pioneered his own politic behind the theory of Theodorism, or Communist Monarchism. Over the past year, this intermicronational politician has pioneered cultural developments for his own nation-state after the example of the Sandum Nation-State and has become a close friend of the Sôgmô and of the People. With the involvement of this head of state’s political policy behind Theodorism, the Sôgmô has been inspired to codify the dual-definition of Sandus’s “State” regime as either an elective monarchy or a republic. This individual was instrumental during the Party’s Conference on economic development when he joined with King Adam I of Überstadt, a Member of the Order, and Sebastian Bayer of Francisville.
The Sovereign of the Most Honourable Order of the Throne of Sandus hereby awards the Member class of the Order to Basileus Justinian I of the Theodorist Regional Dominion of Burnham and its Land. Congratulations!
We would like to wish all Sandum People, friends and allies of Sandus, and all peoples a wonderful and joyous Winter Solstice.
May the State of Sandus advance in the new administrative year, under the legitimate authority and reign of Sôgmô Gaius Sörgel Publicola!
— Sôgmô Sörgel
sandus.org 