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During one of the many introductory sequences of the now defunct eNPR radio show there is a soundbite of Israel Stevens (at least I think it is him) stating his views on how to inspire the player base of this game. To paraphrase: “There are two ways to inspire the players of eRepublik: give them something to rally around, or give them something to rally against”. For a long time here in the eUSA we had a strong domestic threat and a strong foreign enemy. Serbia and their PTO operatives colluding with a traitor in our midst kept us very focused on a common enemy. We had something/someone to rally against so we banded together and rallied around ATO efforts.







The PTO has been broken for close to two years now. Over the last year our foreign policy has gradually taken us to a geopolitical position that largely insulates us against Serbia. We will likely never be friends with or share an MPP with Serbia, but our similar MPP stacks pretty much preclude direct hostilities. As such we tend to ignore one another. Without a strong enemy domestic or foreign our commonality has frayed. Various Parties, groups, MUs, and individuals all eye one another with disgust, disdain, derision, and distrust. Sad experience has taught me what can happen to strong communities when factionalization takes hold.








It has always been easier in my view to be against something rather than for something. It is common to see shouts and comments that disagree with the status quo, business as usual, the same old same old, etc. Often I will ask the commenter what they disagree with, why , and what they would want done in lieu of current practice. Sometimes the people I ask this ignore my question or think I am attacking them. In reality I really am genuinely curious to see things from their perspective. My hope is to see what people are FOR rather than against. It is easy to say you are against crime, domestic violence, discrimination, racism, drugs, animal cruelty etc. It is much harder to be FOR something as that requires a plan of action, taking a stance, risking failure and/or unexpected results.






"When the War of the Hundred Years ended, a man rode from one nation into another without end from the Blight to the Sea of Storms. Now we can ride through wilderness claimed by no nation for almost the whole of the land. We in the Borderlands have our battle with the Blight to keep us strong, and whole. Perhaps they did not have what they needed to keep them strong. You say they failed, Builder? Yes, they failed, and what nation standing whole today will fail tomorrow? We are being swept away, humankind. Swept away like flotsam on a flood. How long until there is nothing left but the Borderlands? How long before we, too, go under, and there is nothing left but Trollocs and Myrddraal all the way to the Sea of Storms?" ( Ingtar Shinowa The Great Hunt, Chapter 10)

‘Only the waning might of Gondor stands now between him and a march in power along the coasts into the North; and if he comes, assailing the White Towers and the Havens, hereafter the Elves may have no escape from the lengthening shadows of Middle-earth.’
'Long yet will that march be delayed,’ said Boromir. 'Gondor wanes, you say. But Gondor stands, and even the end of its strength is still very strong.’
J.R.R. Tolkien, “The Council of Elrond”, The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring. Boromir

The above quotes are from Book 2 of the Wheel of Time series and of course Lord of the Rings. The Wheel of Time is likely my favorite set of books. Fiction is rife with stories of nations lamenting their former glory yet fighting on. Recently while researching the origins of Unity, I read a quote from then President Israel Stevens in September/October of 2012. He makes reference to the population of the eUSA dipping below 12k citizens. Today we are just a shade under 3k citizens which is a slight rebound from where we were a month ago. Of course we always see a spike in numbers and activity during the summer.

Many former players have walked away from this game. Fewer players are joining up and staying. Yet we grind on. I believe the core of what is left are mostly comprised of those who have put too much into their eNation, Party, MUs, and community to walk away now. I believe that we who are still here are the inner mettle that refuses to break even in the face of the gross incompetence of Plato and his ilk. Everyday that we login to this broken down game we show our defiance. We refuse to abandon our investment in the communities we are a part of. I firmly believe that we are still capable of doing great things, if we are directed properly.






Not quite a year ago (September 5th 2014) I was elected President of these eUnited States. My goal was to use a domestic heavy platform to attempt injecting life into our then slowly decreasing community. What followed was a Thailand Airstrike on New York on September 11th. An act that still angers me when I think about it. During this airstrike the eCuban government whom we had a valid rental agreement with opted to betray us and actively directed damage to the RW in Cuba that was opened as a damage drain. After the airstrike was deflected I went to Congress with a request for a Natural Enemy declaration on Cuba with the intent of an indefinite wipe. Which we did with extreme prejudice. Less than a month later Argentina initiated into Mexico prompting a substantial operation in terms of effort and expense to defend our brothers to the south.


In short my plans to focus heavily on butter were thwarted by the need for guns. When my 60 days as President were up I was more than a little relieved. CP is very similar to parenting a young chil😛 round the clock hours with lots of responsibility combined with a tired but definite sense of accomplishment and import of the task in dealing with unexpected crises. I thought to myself and told many friends here in the days, weeks, and months following my terms: I am glad I did it, but I never see myself doing that again. Here’s the problem with never..... It’s a long time.







During my time here I have seen many candidates run on a theme of unification, building bridges, healing divides, bringing people together, etc. I have also seen that those who run on such a platform, but have little in the way of tangible plans to offer in that arena do not enjoy the Q&A sessions hosted by the various Parties or the comments on their articles. I do not claim to have the magical panacea to fix the ills of our community. However, I do have a few plans that I will immediately share. Firstly a member of each top 6 Party will either be in my Cabinet or have access to the executive boards/IRC channels. While I am frequently dismayed by the gridlock factions and rivalries frequently cause in making real change in the Legislature, every major group in our nation will have representation in the Executive. The objective is for everyone to take ownership in the governing of the eUSA. Second, I will have fresh faces in some key places. The intent is this will expand our pool of proven talent and viable CP candidates down the road. Last but definitely not least……







eNPR will return. Derphoof has volunteered as tribute to host our national radio show. Too many once sacrosanct programs have fallen by the wayside as manpower has waned. Which I suspect in a vicious cycle just accelerates the rate at which people have walked away from this game. Until once proud institutions lie forgotten and decayed. It bothers me that eNPR has become one such program. So it is that we will at least for the duration of a Tyler Bubblar administration revive this once revered tradition of the eUSA. We may have forgotten eNPR and so many other once beloved activities, but they remember us.






I know many might be thinking something along the lines of: “oh great another recycled oldfag trying to relive their glory days/cling to power,” to that I can only tell you that I have already accomplished more than I ever hoped or imagined I would. This is not about my ego or heaping more honors upon myself. I genuinely believe that I have something beneficial to offer our nation at this time. I have other plans and goals that I will get into in future articles. For now I would just like to add the following: I am Tyler Bubblar and I would like to apply for the position of Country President of the eUnited States of America!