Re: [BNW] population statistics

["Malcolm Knight" <malcolm.knight1@virgin.net>]

From: Ewan <e.chilton@bcftcs.ac.uk>

> I dont know, ther have been successfull terrorist movents that have used
> assination or sabotage without loosing the public sympathy

Like who? Find us some examples.

> are you sure, I bet there is more that 30k FBI agents.

    Absolutely. There are approximately 11,400 field agents and over 16,400
other employees. That's less than 30,000 usually.

> say that 1/6 of the total are defiance 500 defiance 4 factions 125
militant
> defiants in the city.

    I think you over estimate the level of organization the Defiance posses.
I kind of envisioned them banding into a lot smaller groups. If they band
together at all.

> Now they are porbably going to be the more powerfull/
> trained in weapons deltas so lets have strike teams/terrorist cells of 5
(a
> bit smal perhapse but this would be your average group of PC's) thats 25
> cells in the city that actualy do violent stuff

    And what do they do? Remember you have the largest standing army in the
world patrolling the streets as part of their duties. That's going to make
the Defiance really popular when they start blowing away army patrols,
especially if the BNW US has some form of national service. That would mean
that a radical Defiance "strike for freedom" that kills some family's little
Timmy is not going to make that family think the Defiance is nice when they
do something like that. I can see people singing "No Surrender" already. The
only reason I can think of that you would get "Loyalist" anti-defiance
terrorists is because know body knows who Defiance are. Oh, except for that
publicly available Delta register. Opps. Hey, is this starting to sound like
the main theme of the X-men to anyone else?

> >     Humm....might be an idea to read the Rifts Coalition War Campaign
for
> > hints on how to run a police state and get away with it.
>
> you see I just cant imagine the benevolent police state that some people
on
> the mailing list say the BNW is like. If an offical isnt responsible to th
e
> public then they can abuse their powers with impunity in many ways just
look
> at the EU commity, cold war russia or and of the small dictator ships
around
> the world. I was thinking of a macarthy era 'dark skies' type
> govenment/society most people are content in thier conformity but they pay
> the price in civil liberties and the represion of free speach/ideas

    I forgot to mention the historical police state you could use as a
template for BNW. 1930's-1940's Nazi Germany. They had a minority to
oppress, and I'm pretty sure that Hitler managed to change the law so he was
Chancellor for life. Remember, Hitler was legally and democratically
elected, and was also incredibly popular. He also did some of the most
astoundingly illegal and immoral things as leader of his country. I seem to
remember him prattling on about foreign threats as well (before the invasion
of France, that is), whipping his people into nationalistic frenzies. And
BNW US has the Red Menace and height of cold war paranoia to help enforce
the idea that the Federal Government needs to maintain marshal law and
strict controls on all Delta's to ensure that your children don't end up
speaking Russian as a first language.
    I disagree with Ewan that officials would no longer be responsible to
the public though. I just think that when it comes to Delta's or Communism,
no one, even public servants, will want to show signs of sympathies. It
could ruin their carriers, lose the respect of their friends and family,
even place them under investigation by local authorities, or persecution by
local "good citizens".

    Malcolm.