Desert District
Desert District | |
|---|---|
 Flag
 Coat of arms
| |
| Motto: No matter the time, no matter the place, Desert District shall live on! | |
 Map of Desert District's Location Within North America | |
| Capital | Ryanlandia |
| Largest city | Kassinovia |
| Official languages | English, Spanish |
| Demonym(s) | Desert Districtee |
| Government | Republic |
• First Secretary | James Bornstein |
| Legislature | Legislative Body |
| Establishment | 10 June 2020 |
| Population | |
• Census | 8 |
| Currency | USD (De facto), Olig (De jure) |
| Time zone | PST: UTC-7 PDT: UTC-8 |
| Internet TLD | .info (De facto) .dd (Proposed) |
Desert District (dəˈzərt ˈdistrikt), often incorrectly referred to as The Desert District, is a self-proclaimed sovereign state, more commonly referred to as a micronation. Contained entirely within Southern California, it was founded on 10 June 2020 amid the COVID-19 pandemic. Desert District is a republic with democratic features, with both the Head of State and Head of Government being the First Secretary, a position that is currently filled by First Secretary James Bornstein CSA. Its legislative branch is a 7 seat chamber known as the Legislative Body. Its capital city is Ryanlandia, and its largest city is Kassinovia.
Desert District has numerous unofficial predecessors, most of which are former, smaller, and less professsional nations lead by the current First Secretary. This began with Ryanlandia, whose successor is Desert District's capital city, the Democratic Republic of This Table, the Democratic Republic of Liberecostan, and finally the Holy Empire of Formositas, which was with the Treaty of Formositas a nation declared as the spiritual predecessor to the Empire of Kodrolia, due to it possessing shared land claims, as well as the fact that Kodrolia's Emperor Elder served as Formositas's Prime Minister, while James Bornstein served as its President. Kodrolia and Desert District have since had close diplomatic relations. These nations tended to be unprofessional and immature, albeit being relatively active with working governments, judicial systems, and diverse and unique cultures. Said cultures of these nations have greatly influenced the culture of Desert District and has lead to the naming of numerous cities within Desert District.
Desert District became an observer in the Cupertino Alliance on 10 October 2020, and became a full member on 28 October 2020, until it's expulsion on 21 October 2023; and also became an observer in Grand Unified Micronational on 25 March 2021. Desert District aditionally became a member of the Constantia Pact on 31 January 2021, and became a founding member of the United Defense and Cooperation Treaty Community on 9 March 2021.
Konstitucio
The Konstitucio (Constitution) of Desert District is a document that encompasses the main ideas of James Bornstein and Lee Bastino when they set out to found Desert District. It establishes a legal system, legislative system, and the powers of the executive. It contains most of the legal articles for Desert District.
Drafting began on 9 June 2020, a day prior to the official founding of Desert District. As there were no legal systems in place, Desert District was in a temporary government shutdown from its founding until the finalization of the Konstitucio.
It was eventually finalized on 5 August 2020 and the government immediately re-opened, and a joint statement from then-First Secretary Bastino and then-Legislative Body member James Bornstein was made announcing this development.[1]
Etymology
Desert District is primarily located notably in a desert, in fact, a completely empty portion of the desert. However, there are also several pieces of inhabited land that makes up Desert District. First Secretary chose this land to be the first territory claim in order to have a blank slate, in this case, a completely bare piece of land. As it is a small piece of land, he chose to only call it a District as opposed to a Republic or Federation.
Kassinovia, the capital city, was named as a tribute to a friend of First Secretary James Bornstein, Legislative Body Rep., Kassinove. Additionally, Kassinovia was the capital of one of Desert District's unofficial predecessors, the Holy Empire of Formositas. Ryanlandia, the largest city, was named as a tribute to another friend of First Secretary, Ryan, and is also a tribute to the former nation in which Ryan served as General Secretary and First Secretary Bornstein served as Augustus Secretary.
Jameson Heights, established by former First Secretary Bastino, was named as a tribute to the the founder of Desert District, James Bornstein.
History
Founding
Desert District was founded on 10 June 2020 by First Secretary James Bornstein. The founding occurred amid nationwide protests against police brutality, an issue he viewed as a widespread problem in the surrounding United States of America. He became extremely disappointed in the direction his nation had begun going. He founded Desert District alongside former First Secretary Lee Bastino, Legislative Body Rep. Kassinove, and now-Treasury Secretary Elder, who also serves as the Emperor of the Empire of Kodrolia.
2020
On 22 June 2020, First Secretary Bornstein announced that he supported the Black Lives Matter movement and condemned the racism and police system of the bordering United States. He also declared his intent to run for re-election in that statement from the First Secretary’s Office.[2]
On 25 June 2020, First Secretary Bornstein announced in an executive order that the government was completely shut down until the major Konstitucio revisions were complete. These meant trials were delayed, and the Legislative Body could not vote. The response was generally positive among government officials.[3]
In June 2020, First Secretary Bornstein announced via executive order that until 31 July 2020, “face masks must cover the mouth and nose at all times” and specified that this could be extended depending on the length of the COVID-19 pandemic. It was a response to the bordering the US county that borders Desert District had its highest amount of new cases of the virus the day prior to the signing of the executive order.[4] It became invalid following the ratification of the Konstitucio.
2021
2021 saw increased development for Desert District, such as daily cabinet meetings from Monday-Friday, which amid the COVID-19 pandemic take place outdoors, with both face masks and social distancing being used. This helped establish Desert District's mostly ceremonial but significant economic takeoff.
Numerous diplomatic treaties, with nations like the Empire of Kodrolia, were signed and several diplomatic meetings both in-person and virtual took place.
First Secretary
First Secretary James Bornstein was an anonymous individual who is the first and current First Secretary (Head of State) of Desert District. Although he doesn’t live in the nation at this time, he lives relatively near and has stated he hopes to live there in the future.
Since his interest in micronationalism began in 2016, he had longed to create one on the land that is now known as Desert District.
On 28 June 2020, First Secretary Lee Bastino was elected First Secretary by a wide margin, likely to due to her predecessor's endorsement, following Bornstein’s resignation due to personal reasons. After Bastino opted not to run again, Bornstein again was elected First Secretary and has served in the position since.
Military
A military was established in September 2020, with just five members with three Privates, one Corporal, and one Colonel. Trainings occur twice weekly in-person on Tuesdays and Thursdays with the Colonel leading with assistance from the Corporal when necessary.[5]
In 2021, a joint military base with the Empire of Kodrolia was established, and the bi-weekly trainings were then moved to this location, where Desert District troops performed trainings alongside Kodrolian troops.
Geography
Climate
Desert District’s climate is notoriously hot and is one of the hottest known micronations. In summer, the weather often reaches over 120 Fahrenheit. It is a desert, hence the name Desert District. In winter, it averages around 72 Fahrenheit.[6] Rain is a rare event and is often celebrated by the people of Desert District. Coyotes are commonly found in Desert District and have been declared the national animal due to this.
Location
Desert District's claims are all in the Palm Springs, California area. The culture as such is generally influenced by the unique culture of this area, such as vast LGBTQ+ Pride, Mexican food and culture, and more.
Culture
Politics
Though the Konstitucio is written from a leftist perspective, the nation has a wide variety of political beliefs and 5 political parties, with the Democratic Socialist Coalition being the ruling and largest party, led by James Bornstein, which promotes, "Universal Healthcare, Climate Change Awareness, etc."[7]
The Legislative Body has often made concessions to the leftist branch of the Body. It even gave a majority vote on the Economy Act of 2020, a landmark decision introduced by Bornstein, the First Secretary and Legislative Body Representative for the city of Kassinovia that establishes a currency and directs the "workers to own the means of production".[8]
Food and Drink
Cooking at the home is generally viewed as superior to restaurants in Desert District. Beef is the most commonly consumed protein, and green beans are the most commonly consumed vegetable.
Coffee is most often viewed as the best drink. This is due First Secretary Bornstein’s love of coffee. Coffee is even grown in Desert District.
Religion
Religion is very varied in Desert District. While the initial and incumbent First Secretary Bornstein, identifies as an agnostic atheist and as Jewish, many other religions are present.
Desert District is a secular nation, however, therefore the government has no official religion.
National Holidays
While these holidays are not officially legislated, the government is not in session on the following days with the exceptions of significant emergencies.
| Date | Name of the event | Description |
|---|---|---|
| 1 January | New Year's Day | First day of the Gregorian new year |
| 2 April (2022, varies by year) | First Day of Ramadan | First day of the Islamic holy month of Ramadan |
| 19 May | El-Shabazz Day | Birthday of the late Malcolm "X" El-Shabbaz |
| 11 June | Founding Day | Commemoration of the founding of Desert District |
| 19 June | Juneteenth | Commemoration of the freeing of slaves in Galveston, Texas |
| 23 June | Nooriza Day | Birthday of Legislative Body Rep. Nooriz |
| 1 September | Election Day | Annual Desert District Election Day |
| 8 September | Sanders Day | Birthday of US Senator Bernard "Bernie" Sanders |
| 14 October | Floyd Day | Birthday of the late George Floyd |
| 18-26 December (2022, varies by year) | First and Final Nights of Hannukah | Jewish festival commemorating the re-dedication of the Second Temple in Jerusalem |
| 25 December | Christmas | Annual festival commemorating the birth of Jesus Christ |
References
- ↑ Statement on Konstitucio's Completion Retrieved 9 March 2021
- ↑ Statement from First Secretary Retrieved 9 March 2021
- ↑ Statement on Government Shutdown Retrieved 9 March 2021
- ↑ COVID-19 Executive Order (Invalidated Later) Retrieved 9 March 2021
- ↑ Statement on Establishment of Military Retrieved 9 March 2021
- ↑ Average Weather Retrieved 9 March 2021
- ↑ Economy Act of 2020 Retrieved 9 March 2021
- ↑ Statement from Treasury Department Retrieved 9 March 2021