Some Things a Bowl of Soup Just Can't Fix
PilotPhil
I have the evening free to do a little writing. A lot has gone on in the eUS over the last week or so, I just don’t know where to start. First I guess I will write just a little on what is at the top of almost everyone’s mind. As always, it is of course…
Delicious soup! Despite all of our differences of opinion and trolling and mud slinging at the end of the day, there is really almost nothing that a big bowl of soup can’t fix. There are, however, a few things that are going to take more than soup. Here are a few…
THE DICTATOR
We have one now in case you hadn’t heard. By a vote of 28 to 21 (with 2 abstentions) congress decided that it was better to install a dictator than to fight a hostile takeover attempt. It is arguable that this should have required an amendment to the constitution which would have required a 2/3 vote to pass. Originally that is what the Speaker of the House thought as well. After the vote came up short of the 2/3 required Mr. Speaker changed his mind in order to finish ramming it through congress.
There was an attempt to repeal the law which failed 29 to 27. That is two votes that, had it gone the other way, would have preserved our democracy. Two.
It makes me think that nearly half of this country might feel the same way. This of course is a complete guess as there was very little effort made to ask the general public what they thought before this was crammed down their throats.
THE TAKEOVER
First there was something of a half-hearted jerkoff of a takeover. I still don’t quite get it but apparently it was for the lulz. Even though it was obviously doomed to fail the government saw fit to spend almost $70,000 in COs to put down this rebellion. When the real dictator attempt came, not only did they spend the $200,000 to start it, but also an additional $750,000 in COs. For as lopsided a victory as it turned out to be that sure is a lot of money. I know that some of those that fought on the dictator side didn’t take the CO, which did save the taxpayers some dough, but obviously many did take the money. Was the pro-dictator side so worried that it might fail that they had to overpay fighters to support their side? Apparently.
There were many of us including The Black Sheep and The Bear Cavalry that decided to fight for what was right. To preserve the democracy of the eUS. We all fought on the side where the flag didn’t have a big red “X” on it. I don’t ever remember my eUS flag having a big red “X”. Some might label us traitors. We know we are patriots.
THE AFTERMATH
There are a couple threads worth reading in the eUS forums if for no other reason than to get a good laugh. One of these has a picture of me after I got an Epic Battle Hero medal in the first round of the Civil War in Division 1. That was worth two points for the patriot side! I guess those two points had the dictator side pretty scared. They must have been terrified of me after I did the same thing in round two. No wonder they decided to put up such hefty CO’s!
Here is a link to the thread if you want to see it. Discussions of severe punishments for all of us “traitors” follow. Here is a link to the original thread where the numbers were released. This is also good for a laugh.
Of course when the cost of this coup came out there was this thread. Kemal, being the martyr that he is volunteered to pay his share and then some if this discussion led to a law being passed requiring reparations… If he really wanted to take responsibility he could have simply paid the money without any conditions of a law being passed.
Who knows what now? Now we deal with this pretend democracy I suppose. We can all act like everything is alright. Perhaps we just go on as usual. Perhaps some foreign dictator wannabe will make an honest effort to take over the eUS. Perhaps someone takes that chance. And perhaps some of us that would have fought tooth and nail to protect this great nation will instead just sit on the sidelines and let it happen in the hopes that after a foreign dictator takes over we can then take our democracy back. Perhaps someone will make a proposal to censure/blacklist one of us because we decided not to fight to protect a chosen dictator. Personally I think there are a lot of us that would fight with everything they had to protect the flag without the “X”. I am not so sure about the new flag that hangs over the dictator’s mansion now.
If you would like a place where you can speak your mind and not be judged I know a place. If you would like to be somewhere that will allow you to rail on about what a hateful elitist Kemal is and still get into congress I know a place. If you seek a place where it is not only accepted but encouraged to troll Tenshibo I know a place. If you want a place to come chill, have a beer,
play some pingpong and hang with fun folks I know a place for that too. Come join us and see what we are all about.
Comments
First for soup!
The beer wench is on my team!
JOIN SFP! Activity and Idealism BABY
"True Americanism is practical idealism. Its aims, instead of being materialistic and mechanical, are idealistic to the point of being Utopian. In this way, the U.S. can provide and express ideals that strike a chord in humans everywhere - a declaration of independence on behalf of all the peoples of the world."
Voted for the soup
We're all in this soup together!
Destroy the Oligarchy!
If you would like a place where you can speak your mind and not be judged I know a place. If you would like to be somewhere that will allow you to rail on about what a hateful elitist Kemal is and still get into congress I know a place. If you seek a place where it is not only accepted but encouraged to troll Tenshibo I know a place.
No contradictions there.
If you had to look that far down the article to find a problem with it I will consider it a win. Thanks for reading it!
I have more on my mind but it may merit an article in response.
ps if I publish, then you can consider it a win. 😁
you might not???, so we would lose what?
you would lose nothing, george. phil will win the added satisfaction of impelling me to write fluffy prose.
Adding to a greater dialogue and deeper consideration of complex issues is a win for everyone, George.
Delicious soup!
\o/ SFP!
The soup was excellent, thank you....
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"Those Who Sacrifice Liberty For Security Deserve Neither."
find the author
Ben Franklin? sounds like him...
correct 😉
Destroy the dictator! URSA FI!
Soup.....!
Ursa Fi!
I have a serious question for you pilotphil:
Has our Democracy been functioning in the days since we've installed the new CP/D?
It has. No real problems so far. I just don't like how wrong it can potentially go and I firmly believe we have the resolve and the allies to stop a foreign takeover. It is what it is and as much as I can I will have to play by the new rules. At least for now.
So basically you're just talking for talking's sake? If nothing has changed, where is the issue?
LOL, multi's don't cheat, they just want to win nothing worse than those that don't cheat....
I stated my main issues just above, it has potential to go badly and I don't think it was necessary. Gnil and some others have been doing a great job of making the best accomodations they can for those of us that disagree with the dictator. Some of the establishment, however, continues to regard many of us that don't like the concept as idiots and traitors. We aren't.
Yes, but not adapting to the update has the potential to go badly
True, but I would like to have tried. I would have liked to have been the country that stood up to an attempted takeover.
Pfeiffer,... I mean, Andy; Look who is talking to hear themselves.
I am, too, but at least I'm not a hypocrite.
It might make more sense if you explain my hypocrisy.
We don't have a working congress. We are roleplaying one. It's working for some of us.
I do not think there has been a time where I would have regarded Congress as functional, regardless. I believe the problem is Democracy and that the problems of this nation are mostly centered around Congress being too powerful a body.
Everything that the dictator did was already proposed, by congress.
The post got moved and most people never saw it.
I know where you can find my proposal; if you are interested.
Hm, I guess there is two sides to a story. Not sure whats true and what isn't.
The truth is, as I see it, two competing ideas of how to act in the best interest of this nation. One, who believes that the threats to us are too great to risk allowing our politics to be potential vector of our being conqueror, and another that believes no risk is so great that it warrants the potential to undermine or abuse democracy.
Both are totally valid, as far as I am concerned, although I side with the former.
After coming back to Erepublik from 2009. I can say one thing. A lot of things have changed. Some for better some for worse.
I am pretty sure my facts are all straight, and I have't seen anyone contradict those. Now the opinions I mixed in there are certainly up for debate. I am sure if I got some of the facts wrong someone would let me know...
As much as you and I have differing views on 'The Dictator' legislation, I have to agree that the response of Congress to people actively resisting it was absurd.
It is neither right nor in the Governments own interest to respond to descent by such heavy handed means. It is certainly frustrating to see big names in the country attempting to disrupt carefully laid plans; however with as controversial a thing as this, it seems like a fair price for democracy.
It is a damned shame that the rhetoric in this nation is such that any active resistance to authority is regarded as traitorous.
You all, who preach the mechanics, are ignoring that this module allows for the people to make their voices heard mechanically and are trying to enforce roleplay in the face of those mechanics and it's absurd. If there is any hypocrisy to be had here, it is that.
I'll second your last paragraph.
Good article, voted.
Nice to see you inspired. I would love some soup.
A hot meal and an interesting conversation, I'm here to stay
[ot] need to finish the 100 friends misson, please help
" We all fought on the side where the flag didn’t have a big red “X” on it. I don’t ever remember my eUS flag having a big red “X”. Some might label us traitors. We know we are patriots."
lol this was golden