The four "southwestern" states had all willingly joined the Confederacy's first stab at freedom back in 1861. These days, things weren't so clear cut.
The DSA had occupied Nevada at the start of the war, it's National Guard "federalized" under the command of the DS President.
Jim Reid, the Nevada governor, as well as the state's two senators and three congressmen had fled to Mobile following his state's occupation, and had every intention of declaring the state for the Confederacy like the governors of occupied Virginia, Kentucky, Missouri, Kansas, Arkansas, Tennessee, and North Carolina had done. The only thing that stopped him, and the governor of un-occupied Arizona Dennis Kyle from officially throwing their support behind the CSSD was the reluctance of the governors of Baja and Mexico, Antonio Núñez and Ernesto Calderón respectively. During the 1861 war white men had dominated the governments of those two states, and they eagerly went the south's way.
Now though, both states had Latino governors. Even though Latinos were treated better then blacks back in the 1861 Confederacy it seemed like the Latinos were opposing this new CSSD more then the blacks were.
So was the state of affairs when the governors of these four states met in secret in Los Angeles, the state capital of Baja. Núñez and Calderón were willing to let the pro-Confederacy governors of Arizona and Nevada attempt to convince them that joining the CSSD was in the best interest of the American Latino population. Considering the geography and demographics of the four states, they all were more or less bound to each other in terms of allegiance. If just one decided to stay in the DSA the other three were more or less bound to that decision.
Antonio Núñez sat at the head of the table. Even if this meeting was being held in secret, proper protocol was still followed, and the governor of the host state sat at the head of the table.
Núñez looked like your typical male lead in a Latin American soap opera. His teeth were white beyond the point nature intended them to be and his jet black hair was slicked back with so much gel it was in danger of forming a single helmet-like head peace.
To his right sat Ernesto Calderón. Calderón seemed as different from Núñez as was possible while still staying Latin. He was in his early sixties, and his face showed a lifetime of living in the desert. His hair was also almost all gone with the exception of a few grey hairs here and there.
Across from Calderón, to Núñez's left, was Dennis Kyl from Arizona. Kyle didn't look the part of a southwestern governor. He always wore a three-piece suite, despite the heat, and lacked any defining rugged features. He wasn't big by any means, fat or muscular. He was a tall, lengthy fellow, standing 6'5". He was probably the last person anyone would have figured to be a Confederate supporter. He was the intellectual type, and if you listened to the Progressive Party in the DS intellectuals didn't support the Confederate movement. Yet there he was, a Princeton educated Arizonan who would have joined the Progressive Party had Fremont not annoyed the living piss out of him, and he wanted to throw his state's lot in with the Confederacy.
Opposite Antonio Núñez, at the other end of the table, was James "Jim" Reid, the governor of the occupied state of Nevada. He was the only governor in exile in Mobile who hadn't officially declared his state's support for the Confederacy. He was hoping he could go back after all of this and tell the boys in the Confederate Congress he had remedied that situation.
Jim Reid looked like he could have been a Texan. He was a burly man, who given the choice would wear a vest over a sports jacket. He also wore a white cowboy hat everywhere he went. That hat was either washed every night or he had a closet full of them, because the thing never looked dirty.
"We understand the desire of both of your states to join the Confederate States of Dixie" Núñez began.
"You two wish to follow the leads your states took during the first war between the states. I also understands that..."
"If you understand then just secede and we can all move on with our business!" Reid remarked.
"Jim, lets do this right" Kyl said, hoping the Nevadian wouldn't scare off the governors of Baja and Mexico.
"We understand that you have some reservations when it comes to joining the CSSD. It's our hope we can persuade you your fears are unfounded."
"The Confederacy, it doesn't have the best history in inter-racial matters" Calderón piped in.
"For fuck's sake" Reid burst out, "we treated you guys pretty good during the last war didn't we?"
"For the love of all that's Holy Jim, please don't do that again" Kyl interjected.
Reid wanted to curse out Kyle right there, but he realized he needed the Arizonan's tact to pull this off.
"I understand your concerns gentleman" Kyl continued.
"But lets all be honest with each other. Since Consul Anderson appeared on FXX and the subsequent support of the Commonwealth of Inglo-Scotia the black population in the southern states has shifted in favour of the Confederacy. If any sect of the population was justified in a suspicion of the CSSD it's the blacks. If they're willing to support it this time around all you fears should be relieved. In fact I head that LP Crofts back in Inglo-Scotia has promised support only if an Equal Rights amendment is added to the CSSD constitution."
"You want an even better reason to join the Confederacy?" Reid asked.
"Please Jim" Kyl protested.
"No, everyone here needs to listen up" Reid barked.
"Look," he continued, focusing on Calderón and Núñez, "you folk, you're a family orientated bunch, right?"
"Yes..." Núñez answered.
"The family is a very important part of Latino culture."
"There you go!" Reid went on.
"Look, you can stay in Fremont's DSA and let the Progressive Party push abortion on your daughters, let them force gay marriage down your throats that undermine your sense of family, and let a government appointed bureaucrat tell you how you can raise you child.
Hell, you might as well throw away any sense you people have of racial identity and autonomy. Fremont and the Progressive Party blab about racial distinction bein' a bad thing. You want to go that way, fine, but you can just kiss everything that's unique about your culture away, because that's the Progressive aim. Make everyone the same, remove the colour that makes all of our cultures unique.
You don't believe me? They're already doin' it to the whites. You think they'll stop with us? No, we're just first on the chopping block because we're the majority.
Hell, they're already tryin' to tell the blacks which of their music is and isn't ok to listen to. Now mind you I can't stand rap, but I'm not black. Let 'em listen to whatever the Hell they want, that's what I say. And that's the Confederate way, damn it.
You'll be next, no question about it.
One by one the aspects that make your culture your own will get labelled 'not politically correct.'
That's if you stay in the DSA.
Join the CSD, a country that's bein' built by people of strong family values, and run by people who say the government has no business tellin' you how you define yourself, so long as your a Confederate first and foremost."
Reid took his seat and took a huge breath, his face red and his eyes still as large as saucers.
Núñez leaned into Calderón, and the two spoke softly in Spanish. Both Kyl and Reid picked out the terms "Los Estados confederados" and "Los Estados democráticos."
Núñez looked up again.
"It is our consensus that the CSD will provide the best option for our states" he announced.
A huge grin appeared on the face of Jim Reid.
"Glad to hear it, I think ya'll find it to your liking. I'll declare Nevada for the Confederacy as soon as I get back to Mobile. I take it you'll fallow afterwards Dennis."
"You've got it Jim" Kyl responded.
"We will declare ourselves afterwards" Calderón assured him.
------------------------------------------------------------------------
24 hours latter
The FXX camera were on in the back of the makeshift senate chamber in Mobile.
Governor James Reid stood before the crowd, which represented a joint meeting of both chambers. He was flanked by the two senators of Nevada to his right and the three congressmen to his left.
"Now I know ya'll have been waiting for me to make this announcement" he began,
"but there were a few issues that needed to be straightened out. Well that's all water under the bridge. I officially declare the State of Nevada its own sovereign and independent state, joined with likewise sovereign states in the Confederate States of Sovereign Dixie."
Stephen Regan, the Confederate Secretary of Education, was the cabinet member who was delegated to stay out of the joint session in the event a disaster befell the session. He nodded with approval as he watched Reid swing Nevada into the Confederate camp, even if it was currently occupied.
Minutes later a secret service guard handed him a file.
"What's this?" he asked.
"The reaction to governor Reid's speech sir" the guard informed him.
"Mexico declared before Arizona did? I have to say I'm surprised. I thought they might hang us out to dry."
"And Baja declared just moments ago sir. We officially have a Pacific coast."
