Humans for Humanity

It can be tempting for some people to dismiss the Friends of Humanity and Humans First as some sort of cheap knock off of the Klu Klux Klan or any number of similar hate groups. The rhetoric and argument structure is not entirely dissimilar, but considerably more focused. Succumbing to that temptation however would be a mistake. Humans First has a powerful propaganda arm in Friends of Humanity, and both organizations make use of the same tactics that Saul Alinsky proposes in his 12 Rules for Radicals, and they do so with considerable efficiency and efficacy. The Friends of Humanity, and their Humans First paramilitary branch, don't care what race a vampire is, or whether a werewolf is a Jew or a Muslim. They don't care about gender identity or homo/hetero- sexuality in the supernatural. Their entire argument derives from the fact that supernatural beings have capacities beyond human normal, beyond nature, and that if power corrupts, how much more likely are supernatural creatures to be corrupt and have hostile intentions?

At first glance it may seem that support for the organization would be limited to extremists, racist bigots, the veritable 'basket of deplorables', but where it concerns supernatural creatures you are talking about individuals which can be, and sometimes are, incredibly dangerous to both society and to individuals. Humans First makes a number of different arguments about the supernatural such as:

• Humanity Should Not Be a Consumable Resource - Given that vampires feed off of human blood, it stands to reason that vampires would view humanity in the same way that humanity views cattle. Humans are not now, nor should they ever be regarded as a food source. If cannibalism is morally wrong, then so is feeding vampires who were once human. In addition since the bulk of the supernatural world stems directly from humanity itself, these 'offshoots' are at best parasites, and at worst direct challengers for human mastery of the planet.


• Danger of the Supernatural - If violent and dangerous humans are removed from society and locked away, how much more worthy of removal from society are those that can actually bend and subvert minds, put their hands through solid walls, and throw cars? Since incarceration does not generally rehabilitate criminals, a more permanent solution is required.


• Assurance of Government - With creatures that can make people see what they want or mentally dominate and command humans, how can the People be assured that their government, local or federal, is free of subversive manipulation? How can it be sure that the judges that ruled in Addison v. Clarke were in their right minds when they decided the case? What about the laws and judgments since? There is enough corruption in the government through lobbyists, PACs, and simple abuse of power and wealth. Once supernatural creatures are introduced into that equation things can spiral out of control easily and it's hard enough to ensure our politicians remain answerable to the public without additional interference.


• Creation & Evolution - Regardless of the existence of a Supreme Creator or the reality of Evolution, two simple facts arise. First, Mother Nature does not evolve her creatures with a weakness like vampires have to sunlight. Some animals might be conditioned or have evolved to live forever in the dark, but can you name any animal that burns in the merest touch of sunlight? Second, if there is a Supreme Creator, then clearly It desires, or at least does not oppose, the existence of such creatures, but still considers them anathema, made evident by the effectiveness of Holy Water and Religious Tools against them, as well as the inability to bear sunlight.


• A Supernatural Virus - The fact that there is no other 'supernatural' virus found anywhere in the world that creates the sort of physiological, spiritual, and psychological changes that Lycanthropy does should be of not only concern but of relief. Nature does not do things in "one shot tests" but, even as the various strains of lycanthropy suggest, works in groups and subtle changes within those groups. Just as we have a seemingly endless variety of flu strains, and the prevalence of the Common Cold, we should see evidence of other diseases that have similar effects, perhaps lesser or mitigated than full blown lycanthropy. Where are they? Where are the other diseases that grant supernatural powers? This very virus is, and creates, something unnatural by making its victims supernatural.

Fear and Its Power

Although Friends of Humanity does play on the fears of the public, it does not do so capriciously. Rather, it raises some legitimate questions and concerns that a number of people have similarly observed, even if they do not have the strength to say it aloud. The Friends of Humanity give such doubters a place where they can find an ideological safe harbor and a forum to be heard. The organization acknowledges that in some cases, neither vampires nor lycanthropes chose their infection or conversion, and have expressed sympathy for those who had this altered state pushed on to them. The Friends of Humanity never sanction violence at all and have publically dismissed members which have, as well as alerted authorities to the criminal nature. This has, despite their rhetoric, given them a fairly good reputation with the average Joe and Jane.

The paramilitary arm however, Humans First, while known in some circles as being an appendage to, or an arm of the Friends of Humanity, is not typically associated with the Friends of Humanity. The paramilitary arm exists to hit targets that think themselves safe from being hit, to fight back against the supernatural monsters that inhabit the world, and most importantly as a standing force that can move into action once the current laws are repealed. They will use extreme levels of force and violence to achieve their ends. Their only guiding principle is that civilians should not be harmed.

Membership

Members of the Friends of Humanity are drawn from all walks of life, from all socioeconomic classes, of all creeds, religions, colors, and sexualities. They do not discriminate on any of those criteria. All are gathered together over their mutual concern over the influence, power, and capabilities of the supernatural. There are Republicans and Democrats and Independents that are members, and there are members that serve as nurses and EMTs, police officers and soldiers, doctors, lawyers. It is one of the most egalitarian organizations in the world, provided you are not a supernatural creature. The Friends run a charity which funds victims of supernatural violence, lawsuits against various state and federal agencies and entities, and which it uses to help offer relief to victims of natural disasters.

Members of Humans First tend to be recruited from within the Friends of Humanity, and are generally die hard believers in the organization’s purpose. These are the angry souls who desire action instead of talk, force instead of persuasion. Despite this inclination towards violence, the men and women which come into Humans First are trained thoroughly and those that are impulsive, mentally unstable, or deranged are discarded from the program and never seen again.

Magic and Psychics

The Friends of Humanity are slightly more tolerant of Magi that might be expected provided that the magic-user doesn’t consort with vampires or lycanthropes and uses their magic for benign purposes. They are tentatively using a few Magi who desired to lend a hand to the fight. Right now, the organization's official stance is that while magic uses supernatural energy for supernatural ends, there are more pressing concerns and the use of magic can be addressed later.

Where psychics are considered, the organization is divided, with roughly half of the organization believing that psychic powers are something like an evolutionary response to the supernatural: a weapon for humans against their inhuman adversaries. The other believes they are a temptation to be avoided and addressed in the same way as magic users. Right now, there are several psychics employed by both arms of the organization that are generally viewed positively.

Training Soldiers

Some people might be tempted to view supporters or the soldiers of Friends of Humanity and Humans First as inbred rednecks. And maybe they were as such at one point. But, no longer. With the recruitment of several former, retired, and active military personnel, the organization began training its soldiers as soldiers. While numbers remain small, the organization can usually manage to already have or can put one of its Avenger teams into any major city within about 24 hours. The organization runs several training camps around the country and while it isn't cranking out soldiers with the efficacy of the US Armed Forces, the quality of its soldiers has risen to the level where their tactical abilities rival most citiy SWAT teams.

Avenger teams have excellent quality gear, mass produced, and prefer to buy American where possible, but also have ties to various arms dealers around the globe. The intelligence community has often been bewildered by this organization which remains superbly funded without engaging in any normal cash-generating criminal enterprises, and without an apparent source.