Martian Separatism

**Martian separatism** is a political stance or ideology in the United States. Martian separatists support Martian independence for all states and territories operated by the United States. This ideology is at the forefront of the Martian Civil War

## Background

Martian separatism is a political stance held by many on the planet of mars. The ideology states that Mars, being a different planet separated from Terra by over one hundred forty million miles, should be its own independent nation. This stance is strongly opposed by politicians and the general public on Terra and Luna, due to mars being a beneficial resource and monetary asset to the capitol.

### The People

The vast majority of the people of mars support the ideology. With the strongest holdout of supporters being in the Commonwealth of Ares. Those who support this ideology to the point of taking up arms call themselves the, *Sons of Ares.* However, if you ask people from the Commonwealth of Hellas and Tharsis of their stance on it you will get conflicting answers. In the Capital of Hellas Point many will say the separatists are nothing more than deranged cultists with illusion of grandeur. With polls from Tharsis returning a 50-50 split in support of separatism it has proven to be a hot and divided topic.

## Militarism

### *The Sons of Ares*

Founded in 2048, the *Sons of Ares* are a dominant political faction in the Commonwealth of Ares. The *Sons of Ares* do not believe in many political policies other than ;Martian isolationism, gun rights, and equal treatment of everyone. Elections on mars are a very hot topic, the *Sons of Ares* are a faction gaining more steam in Hellas, causing controversy. However, with corruption rampant in the capital of Hellas Point, the officials in power keep anyone who is not loyal to the current government from gaining political positions outside of Ares and the east of Tharsis. With this fact becoming more evident by the day, more and more people are declaring their allegiance to Ares and picking up arms. In response to this the governments of Hellas and Tharsis, along with the United States government, contracted ION Security to keep the peace. Along with that the Commonwealths of Hellas and Tharsis founded the *Mars Defense Force*. However, instead of instilling peace it triggered a arms race.

### The Arms Race

The founding of the *Mars Defense Force*, and calling in of ION contractors caused a panic in the Commonwealth of Ares and a few states in the Commonwealth of Tharsis. Within the Commonwealth and these states enlistment in the *Sons of Ares* spiked three fold. This caused a self feeding cycle of the Government conscripting more citizens to the *Mars Defense Force*, causing the *Sons of Ares* to react and more people enlisting with them. With numbers ramping up and up and the tensions increasing by the day laying a metaphorical **fuse**.

### The fuse is lit

During a July 4th (2213) parade in Dover, Delaware, a member of the *Sons of Ares* stabbed governor Andrew Tanaka 3 times before being shot by Delaware State Troopers. Tanaka died of his wounds just two days after. This caused the tensions in Tharsis to explode with widespread guerilla combat Centered around the Loyalist state of Muhlenberg and the separatist state of Arcadia. The government of Tharsis deployed their share of the *Mars Defense Force* and ION soldiers to the area to combat guerilla fighters. Meanwhile to the west there was a fierce standoff between the Hellas share of the Defense Force and the *Sons of Ares*, with them acting as a de facto state army for the Commonwealth of Ares. Thus, the Martian Civil War began.

## Politics of Martian Separatism

### Federal and International Involvement

Incumbent President Abigail Saylor made a brief statement after the assassination of Governor Tanaka, reassuring citizens that the assassin would be found swiftly and brought to justice. Saylor also made clear the next day that the United States government would not get involved in the Martian conflict. "The United States does not negotiate with terrorists, and I have full confidence in the commonwealth governments to swiftly eradicated this conflict without excessive bloodshed," she said in an interview on CNN. Unfortunately her statements, throughout the conflict have not helped, as her approval ratings have dropped from the high 60s to the mid 40s.

As for international politics, most Martian countries decided to stay neutral in the conflict. During the most recent meeting of the Mars U.N., The Martian U.N. Ambassador of Elysium stated that this was a conflict that the United States had to solve on their own.

### Political supporters of Martian Separatism

Although Martian Separatism is strongly opposed by politicians on the federal and commonwealth level, there are several supporters of Martian Independence who are serving in political office.

#### U.S. Rep. Carson Garcia (R-Opportunity)

U.S. Congressman Carson Garcia is a hardcore conservative from the state of Opportunity. He is a staunch critic of President Saylor, and is known for his passionate speeches filled conspiracy theories on the house floor. Garcia has no ties to the *Sons of Ares*, however, when Democrats introduced a resolution to condemn the domestic terrorism committed by the organization, Garcia called everyone who voted for it "a cowardly disgrace to the United States of America and to the people of Mars." He recently created a Super PAC whose goal is to elect Martian Separatists to state, commonwealth, and federal offices across Terra and Mars. Garcia has been reprimanded several times for using profanity in speeches on the house floor as well as insulting members of Congress and the executive branch. Democrats have passed a resolution to strip him of his committees and are currently gathering votes to expel him from Congress.

#### Governor Zella McClanahan (R-Lincoln)

Zella McClanahan is the incumebent governor of the deep Republican state of Lincoln and a known supporter of the *Sons of Ares.* McClanahan has several family members (including her two sons and nephew) who are members of the militant organization. McClanahan has called Saylor "a pathetic excuse of a commander in chief" and has personally requested federal troops to help the *Sons of Ares*. She is also actively encouraging the state legislature to vote to secede the Union. She is a co-founder of the Martians for Independence Leauge (MIL), a political group that supports and spreads the ideas of Martian Separatism. The MIL holds several has several conventions a year, and has personally invited members of the *Sons of Ares* to speak at many of these conventions. She is known for berating and sometimes even blackmailing politicians and journalists she does not agree with. McClanahan is currently under fire for a recent stock trade and embezzlement scandal. She is currently under investigations for twelve articles of impeachment.

#### U.S. Rep. Dolores Hockstedler (R-Bradbury)

U.S. Congresswoman Dolores Hockstedler was elected as a moderate Democrats in the conservative state of Bradbury. However, after the Dryhorn Massacre, she criticized the President's ineffectiveness on the issue and switched parties on the house floor. Hockstedler soon voiced her support of a free Mars, pointing out that "Martian states have been doing just without the intervention of the federal government for quite some time now." She is not supportive of the war, but believes that their independence should be achieved through a diplomatic basis. She did however speak at the most recent MIL convention, and she has not condemned the actions of the *Sons of Ares.*