Socialist Republic of Cotter Menaceland
Socialist Republic of Cotter Menaceland Respublik Socialista Coner Matencelænd (Cotter Menace) Socialisma Respubliko de Cotter Menaceland (Esperanto) | |
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  Flag
 Coat of arms
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| Motto: "Forever Free, Never Under Tyranny!" | |
| Anthem: Arise, ye people! National march: March of the People | |
| Capital | Federal District of Četqua |
| Largest city | Četqua |
| Official languages | English, Cotter Menace, Esperanto |
| Government | Socialist Presidential Republic |
| Roy Jackson | |
• Vice President | Connor Hetner |
• Speaker of the National Assembly | Joe Terronez |
| Legislature | Federal Parliament of Cotter Menaceland |
| Independence from the United States of America | |
• Founded | 18 January 2022 |
• Declaration of Independence | 3 April 2022 |
| Area | |
• Total | 0.000179 km2 (6.9×10−5 sq mi) |
• Water (%) | 6.5% |
| Population | |
• 2024 (March) estimate | 54 |
| Currency | (Since October 2022) Excelsioran-Libertasian Mark, United States Dollar, (formerly) Vacka (CMV) |
| Time zone | UTC-6 (Central Time Zone) |
| Driving side | right |
| Calling code | +1 |
| Internet TLD | .cm (planned) .us (de facto) |
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The Socialist Republic of Cotter Menaceland, also known as Cotter Menaceland, is a self-declared sovereign state or micronation that borders the U.S. state of Iowa. It was founded on January 18th, 2022 but declared independence on April 3rd, 2022. It holds a lot of influence on the micronational community in its vicinity. It's composed of 3 "provinces" which are semi-autonomous republics, 3 "territories", and 1 "Federal District", which is the capital. It's moderately active and had 2 delegates that attended MicroCon 2023.
Etymology
The name "Cotter Menaceland" is A Priori or meaning the name is not derived from anything else; from the former. It's not exactly known how it came to be but it's suspected it was randomly formed by President Connor Hetner. The first part, "Cotter", is likely derived from the name "Connor", but it's not apparent.
History
Prehistory
The idea of Cotter Menaceland came to be in the fall of 2021. Connor Hetner and Joe Terronez designated a small piece of land in Connor Hetner's backyard as "Cotter Menaceland." Though, this was not the true start of the nation. Connor Hetner set up plastic PVC pipes and a rotting post from their house's stairs as border markers. From this, Connor Hetner started to refer to himself as the "President" of Cotter Menaceland. Under this title, Connor Hetner started to carry out the actions which led up to the official creation of Cotter Menaceland. He issued a passport to Joe Terronez as well as recruiting his brothers as citizens and allowed them into the army.
After recently becoming involved in the wider Discord micronational community, he decided to create a Discord server for Cotter Menaceland. On January 18th, 2022, Connor Hetner created the provisional government of the "Republic of Cotter Menaceland." Some of the first citizens were ones coming from Georgienstine or Excelsior. Some of the most influential founders were Ben Olson, Nicolas Caiazzo, and Emerson Lee. Soon after the provisional government's founding, Connor Hetner founded the Democratic Socialist Party of Cotter Menaceland with it being the first political party. Connor Hetner believed in holding a democratic election, so after the founding, he held an election with him as the only candidate. He was elected president and sworn in by Nicolas Caiazzo.
A month later, the name was changed from the "Republic of Cotter Menaceland" to the "Socialist Republic of Cotter Menaceland." The flag was also changed from the No-Star Flag to the Fire-Star Flag. This was a controversial decision but popular amongst the current citizens at the time.
Two months later, on April 3rd, 2022, Connor Hetner officially declared the Socialist Republic of Cotter Menaceland independent. He read a speech to the current citizens and then went on to sign a document officially stating their Declaration of Independence.
2022 Summer Invasion
In the Summer of 2022, Connor Hetner's brothers, Zeke and Jeremy Johns illegally invaded the border. This insurrection was not sudden, a buildup of teasing to illegally cross and damage items in the nation was the main cause. At the time, Joe Terronez and Connor Hetner were present to try and stop them as they crossed over. "They damaged the border markers and shouted vulgar language," Connor Hetner reported. Eventually, Joe Terronez and Connor Hetner calmed them down and stopped the insurrection. Later, Jeremy and Zeke Johns were given the title "Enemy of the State", but this was soon revoked in a contract that would remove it. Due to the possible imminent threat of Cotter Menacelandian security, Connor Hetner reluctantly granted Jeremy and Zeke Johns citizenship.
Annexation of Berlburg
In likely May or June 2022, Connor Hetner and Joe Terronez sought to acquire a small patch of unnamed land West of Četqua—the original strip of land known as "Cotter Menaceland"—to be used for military drills and tests. With a stick and dirt brought from Četqua, they marched to this piece of land and planted the dirt on the ground. Then, they stuck the stick in the ground and announced their claim over the land. At the time, this land was an unnamed and unorganized territory of Cotter Menaceland. After the official annexation and claim over the land, they announced it to the discord server. This territory would soon be known as "Berlburg", after Nicolas Caiazzo recommended that name based on its appearance.
Berlburg would become an official province—like the others—with the creation of the Province Act.
Annexation of Brooksine
In the early summer of 2022, Connor Hetner visited the house of Ethan Morash to visit his upcoming micronation "Morashea." On the visit, Connor Hetner saw a gorge with a stream running through it. Connor Hetner and Ethan Morash scouted it out and decided to claim it as a joint territory of Morashea and Cotter Menaceland. Even though this was declared, it didn't go through. Cotter Menaceland assumed full control eventually admitting it as a province of Cotter Menaceland. Morashea hasn't cared about this that much but wished to have some control over the territory.
With the Province Act and naming of the provinces by Nicolas Wiedemann, this territory became known as Brooksine.
Creation of the Province Act and Admission of the "First Three" Provinces
Before the Province Act, Section 1 Article 2 of the Constitution of the Socialist Republic of Cotter Menaceland stated, "Our nation may be organized into semi-autonomous provinces still under federal law of the Socialist Republic of Cotter Menaceland." While before the Province Act there were De facto provinces, but they weren't under law until the Province Act. On [Insert Date], Connor Hetner introduced the Province Act to the Federal Parliament of Cotter Menaceland. This act planned to establish the De facto "provinces" of Četqua, Berlburg, and Brooksine as true provinces. As well as establishing them it also truly defined their main territories. The act was passed and ratified the same day officially making the Provinces of Cotter Menaceland.
Četqua-Berlburg Incident
Roy Jackson's Presidency and Rising Tensions
National holidays
The following is a list of national holidays in Cotter Menaceland.
- Independence day (April 3)
- Workers' Day (May 1)
- National cleanup day (June 9)
- National Flag Day (July 3)
Recognized holidays
The following is a list of holidays the Government of Cotter Menaceland recognizes, but does not guarantee government proceedings to halt.
- Yume Fustal (October 18-24)
- Christmas (December 25)
- Yule (Date Varies)
Administrative Divisions
Provinces
Provinces are the most common federative division in Cotter Menaceland. Currently, there are three provinces: the People's Province of Brooksine, the Democratic Province of Berlburg, and the Province of Četqua. Each province is semi-autonomous from the federal government but still bound by federal law.
| Name | Flag | Emblem | Capital | Administrator | Government | Population | Representatives | Location |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Province of Četqua | N/A | N/A | Četqua | Vacant | Parliamentary Republic | 5 | N/A | Bettendorf, Iowa |
| Democratic Province of Berlburg | N/A | N/A | None | Vacant | Parliamentary Republic | 2 | N/A | Bettendorf, Iowa |
| People's Province of Brooksine |  |
N/A | None | Vacant | Socialist Republic with a parliament | 2 | N/A | Bettendorf, Iowa |
Federal Districts
A federal district is defined as a territory fully controlled by the federal government of Cotter Menaceland. Currently, the only federal district is located in Četqua. This federal district serves as the capital.
| Name | Flag | Emblem | Administrator | Government | Population | Location |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Federal District of Četqua | N/A | N/A | Roy Jackson, President of Cotter Menaceland | Democratic Socialist Presidential Parliamentary Republic | 11 | Bettendorf, Iowa |
De Facto Military Districts
In times of war or instability, a small part of the Southern end of the Province of Berlburg becomes a De facto Military district. This is not written into law, but would likely be the plan if there was war or instability.
Federative Autonomies
Territories
Territories are defined as land that's either federally controlled or has some sovereignty over itself without semi-autonomy like provinces. Territories are not yet admitted as provinces and do not have as many governing rights. Currently, there are 3 territories: Matence Crater, Western Unorganized Territory, and Eastern Unorganized Territory.
| Name | Flag | Emblem | Administrator | Government | Population | Location |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Matence Crater Territory | N/A | N/A | Roy Jackson, President of Cotter Menaceland | Democratic Socialist Presidential Parliamentary Republic | 0 | Flagstaff, Arizona |
| Western Unorganized Territory | N/A | N/A | Roy Jackson, President of Cotter Menaceland | Democratic Socialist Presidential Parliamentary Republic | 0 | Bettendorf, Iowa |
| Eastern Unorganized Territory | N/A | N/A | Roy Jackson, President of Cotter Menaceland | Democratic Socialist Presidential Parliamentary Republic | 0 | Bettendorf, Iowa |
Civil and Military Awards
| Ribbon or Medal | Name | Description | Number awarded |
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Scout Medal (SM) | Awarded to an individual who found the two stones on Flag Day | 2 |
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Order of the Matence Cross (OMC) | Awarded to Cotter Menace citizens or foreign heads of state that contributed significantly to the nation of Cotter Menaceland. | 5 |
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Founders' Medal (FM) | Awarded to citizens of Cotter Menaceland who helped in its foundation; second most prestigious award. | 6 |
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People's Medal of Cotter Menaceland (PM) | Awarded to citizens of Cotter Menaceland who contributed in a very significant way to its betterment and progression. | 2 |