Re: ATTN Jon T: Free CalTex Government and Society?

At 21:17 15/07/98 -0600, you wrote:
>'Allo, 'allo, 'allo....
>
>	I've had a hankering' to compose my own little piece of GZG
fiction. 
>I'm thinking of setting it in the Free CalTex and in order to do the
>universe justice, I need to have a little background.	Sure, we all
know
>that the FC/T succeeded from the NAC with just a minor confrontation. 
>However, I'd like to know just what kind of society and government they
>have?	What kind of politics does it have? How is it's military set up?

>Nothing fancy, just the basics.
>-- 
>Later,
>Mark A. Siefert

Mark,
	I guess someone had to be doing this. I've only met one Texan
and one REAL
(born there) Califorian. I was not impressed with either. Oh well here
goes.
	 I'm thinking that the Free Cal-Tex is a pretty loose knit
confederation
of groups each controlling (dominating) and area on the two planets that
Cal-Tex has. All these enclaves would be pretty indapendently minded and
prehaps a bit much so for their own good. (see the Confederates in the
Civil War for a model. They really restricted the power of their
preseident.) Undoubtly a democrarcy but with the more Cal areas allowing
everyone to vote and the more Tex areas only allowing those that own a
certain area on land freehold being able to vote. 
	Population density would be pretty mixed. Some small areas would
be highly
urbanised whilst large tracts would be largely unsettled or
agricultural.
It could well be that the NAC allowed succession because the food
produced
by Cal-Tex actually feeds a large portion of it's earth based
population.
You'd see a real "us and them" attitude between the urbanites and the
bushies. the bushies (cowboys, backwoodsmen, hillbillies, rednecks,....)
would see the cityslickers as being soft and wishy-washy while the
urbanites see the bushies as uncooth and backward (they probably call
the
bushies "backwardsmen"). Companies and Coperations would have major
influence in the urban areas but none at all elsewhere. "I jes dont
trust'dem carpet baggers!" I also reckon that while Cal-Tex has official
only 2 planets that it actually has a lot of small start up colonies
scattered about which were publicly encouraged, corperate funded or
entirely independent. Cal-Tex probably relies on NAC protection of these
colonies but wont admit it and has ships show the flag at them from time
to
time.
	Yes eveyone who wanted to would carry any gun they wanted in
public. (Go
to Israel and you'll see what I mean.) I imagine they would be a lot of
alternate lifstyle groups scattered throughout the Republic that were
into
non-violence and enviromentalism which would make confrontations with
the
backwardsmen interesting if not down right bloody. You'd probably also
get
Enviro-terroists that blow up bulldozers with the drivers chained to
them,
as opposed to just chaining themselves to the bulldozer. All in all a
rather violent lot when angry but a very low crime rate.
	The Republic's total military strength would be small but well
equipped,
trained and highly motivated. Leadership might be a problem. The
military
would be more of an area by area thing (state by state) of which
sections
were "loaned" to the central authority. The only regulars would be
senior
officers with all others being militia. I'd imagine that each state
would
keep its own militia by conscription with a service period of 3-5 years.
People would then stay on in the militia until they were 55 say. On the
whole I think Cal-Texers (people who work in petrol stations? :) ) would
distrust any large standing military as well as seeing it as being
inefficent and a waste of resources. Platoons, companys, ships and
perhaps
even battlions would elect their own officers with regulars filling the
higher command roles. As all forces are being drawn from the various
states
then there will be major political wrangles over the command of a fleet
or
army. Serving in the military as a regular is seen as a last resort of
desperate no hopers or a waste of talent. Some regular officers would be
very good, others whoeful. Junior levels would be much better but often
unable or unwilling to follow higher command or work with units of a
different state. When defending their homes I wouldn't want to face
them.
Very bad news.
	Finally, and I'm not sure why, I imagine that there would a
significant
and influencial Indian minority with their own enclaves. Some groups
might
be trying to live entirely tradition lifestyles while others being fully
part of society but keeping a unique cultural hertiage alive. They might
also have a large impact on Cal-Tex culture, if there can be an all
embracing one for such a diverse lot, with people being generally far
more
aware of Indian legends, myths and symbolism. This would most likely be
the
case if the original settlers of the worlds were Indian to start with.
	Well that is some ideas. I'll duck now just in case I've upset
someone,
particular a Texan with a gun :)

	Tony.
	twilko@ozemail.com.au