Townsville Tribune Extract 10 FEB 1989

The following are newspaper articles taken from the Townsville Tribune on the date of 10 FEB 1989. The newspaper articles are selected based on relevance to Project Powerpuff and B-47, B-48 and B-49.


(This article is found on the front page, with a picture of the current pope, John Paul II, standing behind a grand podium, giving a speech.)

CATHOLIC POPE DECLARES THE THREE 'NOT DIVINE'

In a widely publicized statement yesterday, Catholic Pope John Paul II reveals the Catholic church's stance on Townsville's The Three, also known as The Angels of Justice, to a massive crowd of tens of thousands. As the pope and the Vatican Council deliberated on their decision when it comes to the status of The Three - Blossom, Bubbles, and Buttercup - the Christian community was in upheaval ever since their appearance.

Drama ensued when churches battled with each other for their voices to be heard - with some believing that they were angels from God, while others proclaiming them to be the works of the Devil himself. Within the Catholic sphere, the advent of The Three and their rise to fame ever since stopping a terrorist attack at the Morbucks Industries Research Laboratory had resulted in some within the Catholic denomination jumping the gun and declaring them to be divine, resulting in their excommunication. They have gone on to form Catholic cults, creating what appears to be a new denomination of Catholic or Christian faith, now thousands strong.

It was amid this crisis of faith that the pope finally makes his announcement that The Three are not divine in any way - that they are not a new 'trinity', or angels, or representations of God himself. Neither are they manifestations of the Devil or demons. They are to be considered worldly creatures, though whether they are humans possessing souls or merely animals, flesh made animate and given intelligence by the ways of man, is a matter best left to the schools of theological debate.

Critics of the Catholic faith contend that Pope John Paul II's decision is steeped just as much in politics as it is in faith. Had the pope announced that The Angels of Justice were divine, they would have looked bad as they had excommunicated thousands for making the same conclusions. Had the pope announced The Angels of Justice to be literal incarnates of evil, it would mean advocating resistance or even hostility against them and the USDO. Thus, their declaration that Blossom, Bubbles, and Buttercup are worldly is the most tactful decision - a most worldly decision.

The pope denies politics to be a factor in his decision when interviewed in a press conference following his address, stating that it is grounded in the Bible and voice of God.


(This newspaper article is found in the politics section of Townsville Tribue, page 8)

TOWNSVILLE POLICE OFFICIALLY REVEALS NEW LAW ENFORCEMENT UNIT

The Townsville Police Department has officially pulled the veils off of a newly formed branch of Townsville's primary law enforcement service. In a press conference yesterday, Commissioner Davis reveals that planning for the new law enforcement unit had started ever since the Highway 13 Incident perpetrated by Blossom, Bubbles, and Buttercup of The Three. When questioned if it is a unit created to rival the USDO and even combat The Three, Commissioner Davis denies such a claim, stating that the TPD and USDO are in a close partnership to fight crime in Townsville, and that the TPD now fully trusts Blossom, Bubbles, and Buttercup to assist them in doing the same.

The new TPD unit is called the STARS - the Superiority Tactics and Response Squad. While similar to the existing SWAT units, the STARS units are supposedly organized to be the elite of elites, modeled after the military, with some of the new recruits drafted directly from the various branches of the military, in addition to select members from the existing SWAT units and the cream of the crop from the investigative branches and patrol officers. Commissioner Davis states that they will be responsible for preventing and thwarting high profile terrorist attacks, as well as attacks made by enhanced individuals, also known as bioweapons, fielded by terrorist groups. As such, they will be heavily armed, again mirroring that of military units.

While their numbers are few at the moment, at around 50 members spread over 4 squads, evenly but thinly distributed throughout the city, they are projected to grow in strength over the course of the years after they leave their current trial stage.

When questioned as to what his involvement with the TPD's expansion is, Mayor Wilford has stated during the press conference that such a move would not have gone forward without his approval and admits that he has indeed signed the bill to introduce STARS into the local law enforcement scene.

'STARS will not be misused under my watch - we are not heading towards the dystopia of a police state and neither will our beloved Angels of Justice be subjected to their tactics,' Mayor Wilford stated in the previous day's mayoral press conference.


(The following is a lifestyle piece found on page 15 of the Townsville Tribune.)

CITIZENS OF TOWNSVILLE WANTS THE THREE RENAMED

In a poll conducted by Townsville News Network, it comes as no surprise in this day and age that the citizens of Townsville generally wishes to rename 'The Three'. This, however, is a general opinion. Out of roughly 1000 citizens polled, 59.5% wants them renamed, 27.9% do not want them renamed while 13.1% are unsure.

There are many reasons given for renaming The Three, with the top reason (34% of positive respondents) being a pride for the young 'superheroes', as some have started referring to them as. The second top reason (21% of respondents) given is in the veins of respecting the fallen in the early days of The Three and coming to terms with the past. Unsurprisingly, the third top reason (19%) is purely aesthetics – they do not like the current name.

In reality, however, one does not simply rename The Three. On official capacity, only the USDO possess the rights to amend their names. According to official sources, they do not even have a team name for Blossom, Bubbles, and Buttercup. Through the Freedom of Information Act, it is also revealed that they are usually referred to by the codenames B-47, B-49 and B-48 internally, and they were derived from an enigmatic project titled 'Project Powerpuff', of which no hard information has been released to the public yet. As such 'Subjects of Project Powerpuff' is what amounts to their current team name.

Even if official channels are bypassed by the court of public opinion, the citizenry will be too divided to force a change from the already established names. The news media, including this newspaper, will also have no reason nor justification to change the girls' names - the news media reports the news, and does not create it.

And finally: Would Blossom, Bubbles and Buttercup take well to being called something else? Would it be ethical to force a name on Townsville's newest guardians?

These philosophical questions, however, did not stop the most creative and brightest of Townsvillans from coming up with their own names for The Three, below are some of the more popular ones collected from various sources:

The Angels of Justice (3000+ supporters. Source: Church of The New Trinity. Rationale: Religious Conviction.)

The Whoop-Ass Girls (1000+ supporters. Source: Townsville Harlem Corner. Rationale: Aesthetics.)

SWAT Girls (700+ supporters. Source: Townsville Police Department Precinct 11. Rationale: Function.)

The Dynamite Girls (500+ supporters. Source: Townsville Youth Development Center. Rationale: Aesthetics.)

The Powerpuff Girls (500+ supporters. Source: Townsville Union of Journalists. Rationale: Aesthetics, Association with Project Powerpuff and USDO.)

Tough Cookies (300+ supporters. Source: Hells Angels Motorcycle Club, Townsville Charter. Rationale: Aesthetics.)

The Hard Candies (300+ supporters. Source: Townsville Gentlemen's Club. Rationale: Aesthetics.)

The Powerpunk Girls (300+ supporters. Source: Hard Rock Café Rock Club. Rationale: Aesthetics.)

Little Power Girls (150+ supporters. Source: Townsville National Guards, 5th Infantry Company. Rationale: Aesthetics.)

The Space Marine Munchkins (150+ supporters. Source: Townsville National Guards, 6th Infantry Company. Rationale: Aesthetics.)

The Ultraviolets (150+ supporters. Source: Townsville National Guards, 7th Infantry Company. Rationale: Aesthetics.)

The Rowdyruff Girls (100+ supporters. Source: Townsville Farmer's Union. Rationale: Criticism.)

Sugarstar Sweets (80+ supporters. Source: Mommy Margaret's Bakery. Rationale: Commercial.)

At the end of the day, only the USDO is capable of naming the city's newest defenders and carrying out the will of the people - as a federal agency should. Will one of these names ever emerge as the dominant collective noun for Blossom, Bubbles, and Buttercup? It appears that 'Angels of Justice' has been well-introduced to the vernacular of Townsville, beyond the confines of the new Catholic cults' church walls, but only time will tell what form their official team name will take, or if it will remain as the ugly and unwieldy 'Subjects of Project Powerpuff'.


(This news article is found on page 2 of the Townsville Tribune, main news)

THE THREE BREAKS UP CHILD TRAFFICKING RING IN THE STRIP

11 pm, 9 February. As the working week approaches its twilight, The Strip is abuzz as usual with entertainment and activity unabated all year round. Men and women gallivant on the streets, picking up other men and women and going into bars, strip clubs, casinos, and hotels.

As the sooty jewel of Townsville, The Strip has been the center of controversy in every arena of debate and action. For every election there is, there is always talk about Mayor Wilford's inability to rein back on The Strip, and there is always a counter-argument that it is better that The Strip exists in one place than every part of Townsville. A not-insignificant amount of wealth flows through The Strip, whether it be tourist dollars or local - it is said to be the second or third most profitable district in the city, depending on who is asking. It is a place where parents would warn children to stay away from, and yet at the same time are places some parents would go to.

It is also a place where the Townsville Police Department is known to look the other way every other second, where the vice cops respond only to the worst breaches of human decency. It is also something the USDO decided to change, and where The Three was involved yesterday.

Eyewitness accounts had filtered into the Townsville Tribune offices even before our journalists could interview the cops involved. Hundreds of undercover police officers descended on four buildings: The Blue Moon, Gold Pole Strip Club, Backside B2B, and Your Inqueery Hotel.

Two of The Three, Blossom and Buttercup, were seen at the front entrance of Backside B2B before they swiftly charged in.

'Bubbles was breaching the building from another entrance,' Detective Jack Wednesday, one of a few rising stars of the TPD, hero cop and known protector of children, asserted when questioned about why the third of The Three was missing. No eyewitness accounts could verify his statement, though it is possible that she was not seen due to the speed of her flight, and possibly stealth tactics.

The operation was conducted all in the name of saving 5 children, who the detective claimed was a tip-off from an informant. He also claimed that the disproportionate number of participants in the operation is not indicative of the size of the child trafficking ring they were raiding, and is merely an attempt to initiate more police officers into the worthy pursuit of saving children from the clutches of Townsville's vilest criminals. 'It is a training exercise in tandem with a real operation,' he added.

'In any case, we've broken the back of Townsville's bigger child trafficking rings - they'll be running scared after what we've pulled in The Strip. With the city's Angels of Justice on the case, they'd better run really fast, because they're going to catch up with them fast,' Detective Jack Wednesday had gone on further to claim when interviewed. 'They will need time to regroup and rethink their strategy, and in the meantime, we'll be hunting them down. Townsville's children are safe once more, thanks to The Three.'

While the heroics and justified heavy-handedness of hero cop Jack Wednesday have certainly not gone unnoticed, one cannot help but smell some fish among the less salty beverages of The Strip. While no doubt brimming with bravado and masculinity, Detective Jack Wednesday's previous exploits were resource-light even when his police chief had expressed that he had availed his entire precinct's resources to him whenever available. He was described to be a highly intelligent and resourceful investigator and crime buster. Thus, that he would throw an entire army of plainclothes policemen, and even The Three on top of it no less, 'just' to rescue 5 children and arrest no one on the crime scene seems suspicious per se.

Unfortunately, Blossom, Bubbles, and Buttercup could not be reached for an interview. They were seen leaving the scene in a police vehicle shortly after the cessation of the police raid, with Bubbles oddly shrouded in a trench coat. Detective Jack Wednesday declined to comment when asked about this development.


(This piece is found in the Crimewatch section of the Townsville Tribune, page 24, which focuses on monitoring trends and statistics in crime and related facts as opposed to reporting on specific incidents of crime as the Main News section does.)

CRIME IN TOWNSVILLE ON THE UPSURGE - LAW ENFORCEMENT QUESTIONABLE

With the entry of the USDO and their now-famous The Three, also known as The Angels of Justice in some circles, crime had seemingly been crippled, and the perpetrators' unlawful activities on the way to the history books. January saw a 60% drop in major crime activities and 55% in minor offenses. However, as a quarter of February comes to a close, sources inside and outside the TPD indicates that half of those gains are now lost.

There are even experts claiming that the statistics might even have been falsified or inaccurate - though these experts are in the minority. The majority of experts within the TPD, USDO, government administration, and academic circles believe that the statistics did not account for 'potential crime', with much of the criminal underground in hiding and at large. With organized crime in Townsville considered the most sophisticated and well-organized in the entire United States of America, it is not out of the realm of possibility that a 'cease-fire' and 'retreat' had been called by the leaders of the underworld - mainly the Lombardi dons - after the major victory scored by the USDO and The Three in the Battle at Morbucks Industries Research Labs.

Now, it appears that the 'cease-fire' and 'retreat' instruction has been rescinded. While the USDO and TPD have been responding with equal opposing force, many have called into question the limitations of the law enforcement agencies operating in Townsville, and whether it will just be another long, bloody and ineffectual campaign against crime on top of the last two decades of terror and moral decay.

The TPD bore the brunt of criticisms, as numerous sources claim the police to be more corrupt than honest. While a few hundred arrests have been made by internal affairs over January and the first week of February, these are believed by experts to merely be a token gesture made by high-ranking corrupt officials, a diversionary tactic to keep the current status quo going. It is believed that the number of police, justice, and government officials on the payroll of any one or more criminal enterprises in Townsville nearly outnumbers the honest, or has already outnumbered them - the measurement of this metric is often hindered by numerous factors.

The USDO, although considered largely upright and incorruptible, has been criticized for their use of heavy-handed and unsuitable tactics in their war against crime. Previously an agency focusing mainly on cutting-edge technology for the betterment of the United State's military and law enforcement, as well as subterfuge, their switch to a more military-oriented mindset is seen as inefficient and overkill in a law enforcement scenario. Massive amounts of resources are often deployed to combat proportionately small groups of belligerent criminals. There are rumors that they are using illegal methods in their war against crime as well, such as torture, unlawful imprisonment and summary executions on both criminals and their own operatives.

The Three, or The Angels of Justice, comprising of Blossom, Bubbles, and Buttercup, are widely regarded as a failure by most experts despite the limited success they have seen in arresting criminals, shutting down criminal enterprises and suppressing crime. Most critics point to their USDO-reported age of 5-6 years as a hot button for debate, for numerous reasons. The wide number of problems attributed to The Three's age and experience are cited as major factors resulting in the failure of certain operations, as well as putting a ceiling on the degree of success in more fruitful operations. The potential of their 'enhanced abilities', including the 'infrared beam' and 'sonic scream' or even the more 'mundane' enhanced physical performance, are thus wasted where it would have done many times the level of good in adult law enforcers. The most pressing of all is The Three's inability to rescue hostages alive and intact - something that even the 'traditional' SWAT team could do better with conventional weapons and tactics based on statistics. This is not to mention that the reality of employing little children in hard law enforcement is a huge problem in and of itself, and the USDO statement that they are 'not children' and 'not human' does little to stymie the tide of criticisms pointing out this fact.

However, there is hope yet - the very fact that this article could be printed where previously shorter token articles were made to assuage the public is a victory in and of itself. The rest of the United States is awakening to cheer Townsville on - the FBI, ATF, and DEA are now rumored to make a return to Townsville in the coming months after their disastrous attempts at assisting with law enforcement in the city in the past, joining the beleaguered TPD, USDO and Angels of Justice in the war against crime.