Presidential Address of 22 August 2020

The Second Republic of Sovermia
Sovermjei Dvimo-Republika
4 Government Circle, Gelnopolja
Sovermia

Greetings, Sovermians and other friends of our nation. As the first president of our Second Republic, I welcome you, even as you have welcomed me to this new era for Sovermia. Our transitional government deserves commendation for bringing us to this point in our history smoothly and without undue disruption to the nation. The considered changes now ratified and part of our Constitution, along with our grateful recognition of all that has stood the test of our first two decades and that remains part of the character of Sovermia and its people, will help secure a bright and thriving future the next two decades and beyond — if we embrace the heritage we have received and continue to hold it in our hearts as the branding of experience and wisdom.

Sunset from the west window of the Embassy

We note with sympathy and respect the formal dissolution of the Principality of Hutt River on 3 August 2020. As one of the first and most visible micronations of modern times, the Principality helped to shape perceptions of micronational goals and identity. May we learn as well from this transition to take careful thought for our own micronational futures, and support rather than disparage our fellow micronationalists and their endeavors. Can we — will we — guide by example?

As I write this, a late August rain is ending. Lakes and ponds are still low, but our gardens and orchards ripen towards fullness. May our best be yet to come, through our efforts and love for our land and its people.

Presidential Address of 21 July 2020

The Second Republic of Sovermia
Sovermjei Dvimo-Republika
4 Government Circle, Gelnopolja
Sovermia

Greetings, fellow citizens of Sovermia. I speak to you on this third Tuesday of July looking out from Government Circle at the hydrangeas pictured here and on the home page of Sovermia Online. Beyond our borders in America, the covid-19 virus continues to spread because of the delayed, ill-informed, politicized and inconsistent policies of the American government. We can hope that promising signs of change, however late in coming, will evolve into more sound policy, and help save lives. Within Sovermia the strict quarantine begun on 9 March continues in effect.

In less than three weeks Sovermia celebrates its 21st year of existence. In America this age is termed adult, but even young Sovermians know that maturity does not automatically arrive with the passing of a given number of years.

It is right and fitting in this time when our discrimination and critical thinking are more needful than ever that I read from LMA, a book many citizens know and love and study with dedication:

With each phase of culture in history, the locks upon our consciousness have changed their form or expression, but in essence remain the same. Certain locks are contrived from willed patterns of suppression, control, propaganda, sexual stereotyping, religious dogma; these combine with and reinforce the old familiar locks restraining individual awareness; laziness, greed, self-interest, and, most pernicious of all, willful ignorance. This last negative quality is the most difficult of all to transform into a positive; if we truly will ourselves to be ignorant, and most of us do in ways ranging from the most trivial to the most appallingly irresponsible and culpable, then the transformation comes only through bitter experience. It may seem to be hardship imposed from without, almost at random, but … tradition suggests that it flows from our own deepest levels of energy, which, denied valid expression by the locks upon our consciousness, find an outlet through exterior cause and effect (LMA, pgs. 20-21).

In this useful admonition we may discern anew the wisdom of our Constitution and its authors in exhorting us to continue learning and to master a variety of means of transformation. May our dedication to the vows of citizenship see us through these challenging times!

Presidential Address of 16 June 2020

The Second Republic of Sovermia
Sovermjei Dvimo-Republika
4 Government Circle, Gelnopolja
Sovermia

ornithogalum umbellatum

Sugumnei, Soverjmanas! Welcome indeed, fellow Sovermians! I am speaking to you from the Embassy of the Second Republic, looking out over the pink and red rhododendrons that edge the western lawn outside the Embassy. The common weed Star of Bethlehem (ornithogalum spp) also graces our lawns, which we leave unmowed until we can harvest the wild strawberries that also grow there.

And in many ways these homely botanical details mirror life in Sovermia. So many things grace our lives that we may overlook if we do not take care to fulfill our covenant and Constitution. For it will always be incumbent on us, as we have agreed, to “maintain vigilance toward all government, so that its actions reflect our will, and so that we do not forfeit freedom through negligence” (Article 2:6).

So far we have largely avoided the ruinous divisiveness and destructive ignorance that now plague the United States. Our larger neighbor, once a democracy, stands in grave danger of forfeiting a signal strength — a robust ability to rein in its worst human impulses and encourage its best. For the second agreement undergirding our sovereignty is this: to “seek out wisdom and knowledge, striving to avoid ignorance and folly as excuses for our failings” (Article 2:2). For ignorance and folly now run riot through the thoughts and actions of the leadership, both political and moral, of our once-great neighbor. It is as if too many Americans do not comprehend our third understanding, that “By living in community … where we hope to benefit is a guide to where we likewise have obligations to help to preserve others’ corresponding benefits” (Article 2:1). Forsake that noble obligation, and what remains of nationhood, community, or human solidarity?

In closing, we may hope that the words of our own anthem ring true for the United States as well — that the dawn, a new one, “delays its coming merely”.

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Presidential Address of 15 May 2020

The Second Republic of Sovermia
Dvimei Sovermjo-Republika
4 Government Circle, Gelnopolja
Sovermia

Sumona, Soverjmanas! Greetings, fellow Sovermians. As I look out from the Embassy on Government Circle here in Sovermia, I can see our mountain ash coming into leaf. Today the air is warm with all the promise that May can bring. One of the challenges we face as spring opens into summer is that our delight in the burgeoning natural world may urge us to relax our vigilance in the face of Covid-19.

Most of you have been following media on all sides of the American political divide, as well as useful perspectives of the foreign press. Because of your desire to stay well-informed, you are as prepared as anyone for the weeks and months and years to come. You know about the scientific information currently available, its limits, and its varied reception by different sectors of America. More than any other nation, Sovermia is deeply engaged for obvious reasons in the still-developing pandemic affecting the United States. We can be grateful to reside in a region where political leadership has made generally prudent policy for Vermont and thus for our immediate borders, as well as the greater northeast region of the United States. Whatever we think of the extra-national and regional responses to the virus, what will matter most going forward are the proven simple measures that greatly reduce risk of both infection and transmission: washing hands regularly, wearing masks, and avoiding clusters of other people.

We need to be prepared for the “long haul” — the dolgei somva that Sovermians know well. I want to commend and celebrate the Sovermian spirit of mutual aid and caring you have already shown each other. Together we shall burnish our national reputation by demonstrating in our actions, not just in words, the Dvei Ortas, the Two Principles that have long guided Sovermians. Sovermja Dolgaivei!

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