Join the new world

I wanted to call this edition, "Once they be Giants, now they be Dragons" but it was a bit of a mouthful. Also I would have gotten sidetracked explaining "giants" in the mould of Titans and Hundred-Handers which most wouldn't have cared for as dragons simply rank higher on the cool-meter reading.

It could easily be called, "Outsiders and Insiders". As an author who has not been writing, a player who only performs a brief monthly pilgrimage to IRC, who has missed out on Congress for December, I am firmly on the outside looking in. Some others that you will see on this list are also on the outside, albeit for completely different reasons. The rest should be considered insiders, the Elite as some would brand them (they may even think of themselves that way).

There is bias, how could there not be, I have been here for too long not to have formed opinions about certain players. Regardless of what I think of them (or they of me), one thing has not changed... I have a deep attachment to the New World and I greatly enjoy talking about its players and events.

This seems to have turned into an annual list. My last effort with this saw Jacobi sit in the number one position. None could deny that he was a giant amongst Canadians and his actives phases in the New World always saw him in positions of authority and influence. Jacobi once said to me privately that he was a spent force (my words, not his although the sentiment was the same). I disagreed with him then as I firmly thought he needed but voice a desire to lead and people would follow. The truth is that I would only be right if he found a way to renew himself... he could not and so he left. First Canada and then the New World. Will we ever see him again? I wouldn't bet against it, the New World often recalls its own.

When I first wrote of the Top 10 Most Influential Canadians I went to great pains to explain that it was meant as a snapshot in time. These were the people I felt drove the business of Canada TODAY. Now, I find myself struggling with making the list only about the present. In the past year, there have been Canadians that have been extremely relevant that are not actively playing in the public eye now but whose influence can still be seen or felt.

10. Sir Arthur William Currie
Wait, wait, wait! He isn't Canadian! He is not, his latest passport shows him to be in Austria. He was once Canadian however and he had enough clout to legitimately make a run for Country President. His latest trial, SAWC is a repeat offender, just ended which makes him current. The trouble he has caused means that as much as Canadians would like to abandon the Justice system, they can't, it has a role to play and it is useful. SAWC also proved two other points and those are that 1) you can always come home and find allies and 2) those that make errors in judgement are likely to make them again with time.

9. PimpDollaz
Pimp is dedicated, blunt, inflexible, uncompromising and has a temper to rival the most hot blooded amongst us... and those are his good traits! Not many Canadians have been ostracized the way he was for a year but he never stopped being active. There is some irony that his dip in participation occurred the moment he was voted in as Speaker of Congress, arguably the most potent symbol of his reintegration into our complicated little community. Yet Pimp was effective to any project he dedicated himself to, he does direct debate when he participates. That his greatest strengths can be his greatest weakness as well only means he is a polarizing figure and an influential one at that.

8. Acacia Mason
Acacia has been Country President, he is usually considered one of the best journalist in Canada and rightfully so. I happen to believe that he has yet to reach his full potential though (!) and so I'm always an interested observer whenever I see him make another comeback. You see, Acacia Mason burns too brightly and tends to run out of fuel faster than his opponents of the time. He is the voice of Canada and a very intelligent writer and commentator. In an environment where the spoken word is used by so few, his show can be the most powerful of pulpits. I admire his constant championing of quality media and applaud each time he challenges other writers to raise the level of discourse. When he loses his voice, he may lose his spot on this roster, for now he will remain at eight.

7. Nosyt
Nosyt has made a positive contribution to Canada for a very long time now. His leadership is more of the quiet kind. By that I mean that he rarely does things with much fanfare, he never grandstands and he acts when he sees he can rather than simply talk. He is a founding member of EPIC but we could probably also call him the Spiritual Father of the Party. I have yet to see him exclude anyone from anything and he is known to be accessible and willing to help. A look at Congress archives will actually show him to be one of the better and most proficient legislators. He also has an apparent ease to seek and find quality compromise positions that allows us to move forward, whether it is as a legislative body (Congress) or as a community.

6. Wally Cleaver
Wally is a polemicist... or more colloquially, a shit-disturber. It would be easy (and a mistake) to dismiss him though. The role he plays is one he fashioned for himself, as he admitted in a recent interview. That he takes difficult, sometimes unpopular positions does not mean he isn't making a point. In fact, it is because he is constantly making points that may go against alleged public opinion that he is the most relevant. Hidden behind the sometime sardonic tone are questions that need to be asked and answers that require to be formulated. If Canada was only populated with yes-men we would achieve even less than we do. Wally Cleaver is not a yes-man although the jury is still out on whether or not he is his own man. Would it be an insult to proclaim him the honorary chair of the unofficial Troll Party? I am saying it with tongue firmly planted in cheek.

5. Treian
Treian has worked very hard in the past few months, both for himself as well as for Canada. With his recent nomination as CO of the CAF, he is now part of a select few that will have held each of the top military and civilian jobs. Make no mistake; those are difficult positions to hold, not so much because of the actions one must perform while in office but because of the psychological stress of the constant demands involved in those roles. I believe his time running for office was a frustrating one, that when it ended he concentrated on his military obligations rather than ride out into the sunset speaks very well of the man. We are all prone to some testiness (to put it charitably) and Treian is no exception to this but by and large he brings an active, cheerful disposition which makes the CAF a better outfit. As the largest military unit in Canada, that matters.

4. CFovetS
We live in a New World at war, this fact will never change. As things have involved, the importance of military execution has increased, more so even for smaller countries such as ours. CFovetS is the Minister of Defense and therefore the main point man responsible for our military relevance. He is also the main person responsible for the coordination of Canada's many and varied military units. Over the past months he has also participated actively in Congressional debates and provided timely and welcome feedback on a variety of subjects that affect us daily. Just how important is the role CFovetS is playing right now? A good ally gets timely help. We get more help right now for secondary objectives than we used to recently for primary ones and our Minister of Defense is one of the reasons why.

3. Rolo Tahmasee
Pop quiz... where would you place Rolo on this list? Some would not include him at all, others would likely have him first. I was tempted to place him first, a month ago I may well have. Rolo Tahmasee is the most polarizing figure in Canadian history, period. Multies do not account for the level of support he continues to get each and every election. The frustrating part when it comes to this individual is that he is a clever, capable player. If only that were not so and we could perhaps dismiss him once and for all. I will never like the actions he has taken in the past and the way he chose to handle things but there is one thing I do admire him for... his perseverance. And I'm not talking about some piddly little, "good for you" here... I am in genuine awe at his ability to keep going. I know nobody, and we have had multiple examples in this community, that could be held at the margins of our society for so long and still be a participant. Whatever faults he has, Rolo has never left Canada and never quit. Because of this he has many admirers, some secret others not. If he was ever to decide to truly rehabilitate (something his pride may not allow) he would be a force, even more so than today.

2. Rylde
To use his own words, I could say that Rylde "gets shit done" and everyone would understand exactly what I mean and I wouldn't need to justify his position on this list. If someone said, "Put up or shut up", Rylde could just laugh in their faces. None in Canada puts up more than him. His recent Fund is a perfect example of setting a priority, acting on it and through real leadership making it a success. He challenges us to take a position and defend it (Sweden anyone?). His record, on everything he touches, is rocky at best with cold and hot spots. Fact though... he saved TCO once upon a time and his personality gave it the spine it needed to become relevant. Fact... he created what was once one of the most powerful parties in Canada. Fact... he is more influential militarily than 99% of other Canadians and that is mostly due to the "fact" that he puts his money where his (foul) mouth is.

1. Addy Lawrence
Does he carry the legacy of Jacobi or Sperry? When he campaigned for his first successful term as Country President he said he was doing so with the intention of challenging Jacobi's record number of consecutive terms in office. Sperry was the best communicator we've had in the big chair and Addy is building an excellent track record in that department as well. So there are shades of both in this Administration which is a triumph for pragmatism. Addy has been dogmatic in some of his pronouncements and none could call him sentimental or overly concerned when dealing with historical facts as they relate to the present. His greatest ability so far has been identifying specific objectives and the men needed to achieve those goals. His State of the Union speeches reinforces this with every publication. He has not dwelled on his setbacks and he has not retreated behind a figurative golden throne when called out by the public or Congress. A nation can only reach its full potential when its leader is a doer, a builder and a visionary. Addy Lawrence is all three. Some will say he was lucky to have risen to his position at the right time but capable individuals make their own luck and shape their own narrative. Congratulations Mr President on your position at number one.

Like any list there are individuals that almost made the cut, others that probably should have. Some people hold all the puzzle pieces together but do not have a public profile, these unsung heroes are unfortunately unknown to me. I hope you have enjoyed the reading as much as I enjoyed the exercise.