Afterword
by Hugh James Latimer
In the early 1600s, a group of religious dissenters fled the volatile political environment in England, seeking refuge in Holland. Holding similar Calvinist beliefs to the Puritans, they managed to gain the religious freedom they so desperately desired. However, they did not wish to lose their English cultural identity. The group of Separatists arranged with investors who were sympathetic to their beliefs to establish a colony in North America. Their journey to the new world was fraught with dangers, and they eventually had to remove one of their two ships from service, consolidating passengers and crew on board the Mayflower. Initially, the trip across the Atlantic went smoothly, but then they met with strong winds and storms and the Mayflower itself was blown off their intended course and damaged.
Arriving in the Cape Cod area on November 9, 1620, they initially tried to sail to their intended destination, but unable to do so, they returned to what is known today as Provincetown Harbor. Not having a patent in place to deal with the area where they landed and, having a mixed passenger list of congregation members as well as others who were part of the investor’s agreements, they took upon themselves to create an agreement whereby they could live in harmony with each other. The end result of that agreement was the Mayflower Compact -- a document that, unknown to these early settlers, would have a tremendous impact upon the world for centuries to come.
This Compact was so well conceived that in 1638 the colony of Connecticut used it as a basis for the Fundamental Orders of Connecticut, which was later modified into the Connecticut State Constitution. Even more important, so profound were the concepts hammered out in that simple agreement that this same document was used as the basis for the Constitution of the United States of America.
In Land of Promise, James Wesley, Rawles has recreated the excitement, adventure, and danger of forging a fledgling nation from the raw materials rejected by others, a nation dedicated to the Christian libertarian principles required for man to have the freedom to worship God in our societies. In our modern day, we have truly conquered all of the land, and there is literally no place left to explore that is habitable or that our technology will allow us to make habitable. Where could a new nation be created without an overwhelming response from the nation losing the land? Rawles neatly orchestrates a solution not too different from some scenarios that we see playing out in the world scene today, but on a grander scale. Like the Pilgrims of Plymouth know, organizing the investors, the infrastructure, the protection, and even the occupants is a herculean task.
The concept of virtual citizenship is introduced, reminding me of the young Christian church under Roman persecution, where individuals lived among the people of Rome yet held a citizenship defined not by a God-hating government but by brotherly love and an agreement with each other to put self-interests aside for the benefit of the kingdom. Could such a concept really work today? Rawles has begun laying the foundation needed to test just such an ideal. I feel the excitement building already. From such small beginnings can come great things. It has happened before.
(Hugh James Latimer is the pen name of SurvivalBlog’s Managing Editor. His pen name was chosen to honor Hugh Latimer (1487-1555). He has three college degrees (in Engineering, Metallurgy, and Education), including one Master’s Degree. A former rocket scientist and telecommunications engineer, he also was a Technical Editor for five international technical trade journals. He and his wife have homeschooled their children. He lives in an undisclosed location in the Western United States.)
Author’s Closing Note:
I have several more novels planned for the Counter-Caliphate Chronicles series. The next one is titled Piece of Resistance. Lord willing, it will be released in November of 2016.
This novel series is fictional, but I pray that some key elements of Land of Promise will become reality. The modern world does indeed have a need for one or more dedicated Christian refugee nations. As I sat down to write this, a well-orchestrated ISIS mass murder of 300 Yazidis in Iraq was in the headlines, as well as the first ISIS-inspired terror incident in North America. The latter was an attempted attack on a Mohammed cartoon-drawing contest in Texas. The two ISIS wannabes were dispatched by a 60-year-old Garland, Texas, police officer toting a Glock .45 pistol. This was a fine example of how good marksmanship and guts can overcome better-armed and more numerous opponents. I can predict with certainty that there will be more ISIS murders, and there will be more widespread enslavement to come. Given their history, most likely these events will be on an increasingly spectacular scale.
The Ilemi Triangle is not unique. There are several other disputed or poorly-claimed territories -- some of them tiny -- where a nation or micro-nation could be established and then issue passports to Christian refugees.
By coincidence, just as I was finishing this novel manuscript, there came news of the declaration of a new micro-nation called Liberland, in a seven square kilometer disputed patch of land between Croatia and Serbia, on the west bank of the Danube River. The originator of the nation was a recent college graduate named Vít Jedlička. He simply thought up the nation, occupied it, and declared it, without first consulting the governments of the two contiguous nations. What will become of Liberland remains to be seen, but I wish Vít Jedlička the best in his endeavor.
One of the largest regions of the planet with longstanding border disputes is called Zomia. This is a geographical term coined in 2002 by historian Willem van Schendel of the University of Amsterdam that refers to the large highland massif of mainland Southeast Asia that has historically been beyond the control of governments based in the population centers of the lowlands. Zomia is said to encompass 2.5 million square kilometers, and at least 200,000 square kilometers of that is in contested border regions. Most of these disputed lands could be described as “bandit country” that is essentially unpoliced and uncontrolled. It is conceivable that a breakaway nation could be carved out of some of this contested land.
Another disputed territory is the village of Brezovica pri Metliki. According to one source, this is a village “located in the southeastern part of Slovenia, about 50 km air distance from Zagreb, Croatia. Brezovica Žumberačka is a Croatian exclave that is surrounded by the Slovenian village. It is confirmed by both Croatian and Slovenian cadaster maps, although boundary lines slightly differ.”
Then there is Prevlaka, which Wikipedia describes as “…a small peninsula in southern Croatia, near the border with Montenegro, at the entrance to the Bay of Kotor on the eastern Adriatic coast. Because of its strategic location in the southern Adriatic, in the aftermath of the Yugoslav breakup, the peninsula became subject to a territorial dispute between Croatia and Yugoslavia, a federal state that included Montenegro. The territory has functioned in a provisional regime since 2002.”
One fairly large piece of terra nullius is the Hala’ib Triangle in the Bir Tawil region, on the border between Egypt and Sudan. It is essentially uninhabited. But with two Muslim neighbors, this would be a poor candidate for a new Christian micro-nation.
There is also the possibility of the establishment of a sovereign seastead (a man-made island) micro-nation that could issue passports to large numbers of refugees, even if it could not physically house them.
But regardless of where a Christian homeland might be formed, the overriding concern is when such a nation might be formed. There is urgency for such a declaration, since Christian persecution is on the rise worldwide.
I am confident that I will be immediately vilified for the publication of this novel. The words “How dare he?” will quickly come to many lips -- and not just those of Muslims. Many of the naysayers will surely be members of organizations that call themselves Christian churches, but are in fact so grossly doctrinally astray that they are not worthy of the name, and in fact are leading their members to the gates of Hell. I cannot warn you in any more forceful words than those that come from the Bible itself:
“And I heard another voice fro
m heaven, saying, Come out of her, my people, that ye be not partakers of her sins, and that ye receive not of her plagues.” -- Revelation 18:4 (KJV) May the spirit of Christ be with you!
James Wesley, Rawles
The Rawles Ranch
May, 2015
Acknowledgments
This novel is sincerely dedicated to the memory of British abolitionist William Wilberforce. I must remind my readers that the despicable evil of slavery still exists in the world, and if God so wills it, then we will see it abolished in our lifetimes.
I dedicate this also to Robert W. Ash, Pastor J.D. Farag, Randel Everett (President of the 21st Century Wilberforce Initiative), David French, Bernard Haykel, Chuck Holton, Daniel Pipes, Phil “Unphiltered” Robertson, Joel Rosenberg, Jay Sekulow, Jordan Sekulow, Walid Shoebat, Brain Steidle, Bill Whittle, and Former Congressman Frank Wolf. You gentlemen are watchmen on the wall, and I commend you.
Special thanks also to those who provided significant background information or whose lives or writings inspired some passages or character elements: Finn Aagard (RIP), Maurice Amutabi, Ann Barnhardt, Kyle Bass, Shahbaz Bhatti (RIP), Simon Black (of SovereignMan.com), Francis Bok, Angus Buchan, Cathy Buckle, Gerald Bull (RIP), Bill Buppert and all of the members of the ZeroGov Forum, Yigal Carmon and the staff of the Middle East Media Research Institute (MEMRI), Jacob Damkani and TrumpetOfSalvation.org, the employees of Davis Caves, Elmari, Conor Fitzgerald, Professor Bernard Freamon, Mortarman Gary G., Pamela Geller, Robert Guest, Os Guinness (The author of Renaissance: The Power of the Gospel However Dark the Times), Greg Gutfeld, Dr. Peter Hammond, the slain staff of Charlie Hebdo magazine (may they all RIP, Hashtag: #JeSuisCharlie), the late Charlton Heston, Derek Hurt, IanMor (from The FALFiles), Raymond Ibrahim, Chantell Ilbury, Aymenn Jawad Al-Tamimi, Vít Jedlička, Dr. James Kisia (Executive Director of the ICHA and Deputy Secretary General of the Kenya Red Cross), President Uhuru Kenyatta, Hugh Latimer, Joseph Lagu, John and Cordelia McKenzie, John (“Jack”) McVicar Malloch (RIP), Deborah Martin of The Access Coalition Project, Yasha Matzon (of WhatACountry.com), President Salva Kiir Mayardit, Dr. Nene Mburu, Stewart McGill of Urban Krav Maga, Nico M., Molly Norris (still living in hiding), the staff of Northwest Territorial Mint, Boston T. Party, Judy Pex, Melanie Phillips (author of The World Turned Upside Down), Dr. John Piper, Donald Robert Rawles (my father, RIP), Cope Reynolds and his crew at Southwest Shooting Authority, Brendi Richards, Dave Ridley, Glen Roberts and TheReligionofPeace.com, Murray Rothbard (RIP), Jason Roussos (of EthiopianRiftValleySafaris.com), Avijit Roy (RIP), Professor James C. Scott (the author of The Art of Not Being Governed: An Anarchist History or Upland Southeast Asia), “Songmai” Rynier, the members of The Seasteading Institute, Ellis H. Skolfield, the members of The Sovereign Society, Jonathan Spyer, Mat Stein, Don Stephens of GreenerShelter.org, Edwin S. Strauss, Clem Sunter, the missionary Teasdale family (of The Master’s Mission), Peter Thiel, Brad Thor, A.E. van Vogt (RIP), Michael Z. Williamson, and Cody Wilson.
Special thanks also to my literary agent Robert Gottlieb of Trident Media Group. He has tirelessly represented me to publishers and movie producers for many years, and his insights on military history in formulating this novel series were invaluable. -- James Wesley, Rawles
Appendix A
The classes of Citizenship and limitations on Non-Citizens are summarized in the following table:
Note: Any child born to at least one Ilemi Citizen parent will immediately be considered an Ilemi Citizen, regardless of their place of birth. But their Class of Citizenship will be determined at age 17, depending on whether or not they own land and whether or not they reside in the country.
Glossary
Note: Some of the following terms and acronyms are predictive of possible future developments or are purely fictional. Those are marked “Fictional.” Also note that a few of the definitions have been included as Share-Alike fair use, courtesy of Wikipedia. Those definitions are marked “WP”.)
10/22: A semiautomatic .22 rimfire rifle made by Ruger.
Ten Hectare Ghosts: Wealthy people from around the world, predominantly Class G Citizen Christians, who bought land in the Ilemi Republic with no intention of moving there except in the event of a future crisis. (Fictional.)
1911: See M1911.
3-12: The markings of the Thirdist flag. The 3-12 numbers stand for the 3rd Way of the 12th Imam. (Fictional.) See also: Thirdist.
4WD: Four Wheel Drive.
5 Pillars: See: Five Pillars.
5 Solas: See Five Solas.
5 Ws: See: Five Ws
9/11: The terrorist attacks of September 11, 2001.
AAA: Depending on context, American Automobile Association or Anti-Aircraft Artillery.
Abd: Arabic for slave.
ACP: Automatic Colt Pistol.
ACU: Army Combat Uniform. The U.S. Army’s predominantly gray “digital” pattern camouflage uniform that replaced the woodland pattern BDU. It was issued from 2004 to 2014. It was replaced by the OCP Multicam uniform. See also: BDU and OCP.
ADA: Air Defense Artillery.
ADB: African Development Bank.
Ad matai?: The Hebrew question: “Until when?”
Adhan: The Islamic call to worship (Salat), recited by the muezzin at five prescribed times of the day. (WP.) See also: Salat, Imam, and Muezzin.
AE: Eretz Ayalon (“The Land Ayalon” [Institute]). The headstamp used on 9mm pistol/SMG ammunition produced by the Ayalon Institute from 1945 to 1948.
AFB: Air Force Base.
AFCYBER: Air Force Cyber Command.
AG3: The Norwegian military version of the HK G3 battle rifle.
AGL: Above Ground Level.
AI: Artificial Intelligence.
AISE: Agenzia Informazioni e Sicurezza Esterna, Italian for “External Intelligence and Security Agency”, Italy’s external intelligence agency.
AIT: Advanced Individual Training. Ilemi branch-specific courses ranging from three to nine months each, in Infantry, Artillery, Armor, Aviation, Intelligence, Medical Service, etc.. AIT follows Basic Combat Training (BCT).
AK: Automat Kalashnikov. The gas-operated weapons family invented by Mikhail Timofeyevitch Kalashnikov, a Red Army sergeant. AKs are known for their robustness and were made in huge numbers, so that they are ubiquitous in much of Asia and the Third World. The best of the Kalashnikov variants are the Valmets that were made in Finland, the Galils that were made in Israel, and the R4s that are made in South Africa.
AK-47: The early generation Kalashnikov carbine with a milled receiver that shoots the intermediate 7.62×39mm cartridge. See also: AKM.
AK-74: The later generation AK carbine that shoots the 5.45×39mm cartridge.
Alia or Aliyah: Hebrew for “to go up,” meaning for someone to immigrate to Israel. Usually spoken, “He made alia…” See also: Yoridah and Yoridim.
Al-Sabi: A female slave, under Islamic law.
AKM: Avtomat Kalashnikova Modernizirovanniy. The later generation 7.62×39 AK with a stamped receiver.
ALS: Automated Landing System.
Al-Shabab: A Somali Islamic terrorist group, also active in Kenya.
AM: Amplitude Modulation.
Ammo: Slang for ammunition.
AMT Society: A professional society for Avionics Maintenance Technicians.
AMV: Armored Military Vehicle.
ANC: African National Congress.
AO: Area of Operations.
AP: Armor Piercing.
APC: Armored Personnel Carrier.
A&P: Airframe and powerplant.
API: Armor Piercing Incendiary.
APIT: Armor Piercing Incendiary Tracer.
AR: Automatic Rifle. This is the generic term for semiauto variants of the Armalite family of rifles designed by Eugene Stoner (AR-10, AR-15, AR-180, etc.)
AR-7: The .22 LR semiautomatic survival rifle designed by Eugene Stoner. It weighs just two pounds. Still in production, it has been made by several American makers since the 1960s.
AR-10: The 7.62mm NATO predecessor of the M16 rifle, designed by Eugene Stoner. Early AR-10s, mainly Portuguese, Sudanese, and Cuban contract, from the late 1950s and early 1960s, not to be confused with the present-day semiautomatic-only “AR-10” rifles that are more closely interchangeable with parts from the smaller caliber AR-15 and M4. See also: AR, AR-15, and LAR-8.
AR-15: The semiautomatic civilian variants of the U.S. Army M16 rifle. See also: M4.
Arend: Afrikaans for raptor, e.g.,awk, eagle, or falcon.
Arkān al-Islām: See: Five Pillars.
ARSA: Aeronautical Repair Station Association.
ASAP: As Soon As Possible.
ASG: Abu Sayyaf Group
ATC: Air Traffic Control.
ATF: See BATFE.
Ath-Thàlith: See Thirdist.
ATV: All-Terrain Vehicle.
AUG: See Steyr AUG.
AUS-Steyr: See Steyr AUG.
AV: Contraction for Aviation (military branch).
AVGAS or avgas: Aviation Gasoline. The most commonly used aviation gasoline is hundred-octane, low-lead (100LL).
Avionics: Aviation electronics. The generic term that includes radios, radars, transponders, navigation equipment, etc., aboard aircraft or in their corresponding ground elements.
AVIM: Aviation Intermediate Maintenance.
AVUM: Aviation Unit Maintenance.
AWOL: Absent WithOut Leave.
Badger: The South African variant of the Finnish Patria AMV 8-wheel APC, equipped with an underfloor armour package from Land Mobility Technologies (LMT) and Denel Land Systems’ Modular Combat Turret (MCT). Offered in five sub-variants: standard infantry carrier, a command car, fire support variant, mortar carrier, and a tank hunter. The standard infantry carrier variant seats up to ten troops.
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