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A Little Background

A few weeks ago I was lurking on Rizon. It’s something I do a lot. Browse the web while sitting on Rizon. Its fun for me, helps me stay in touch with friends, and can lead to interesting conversations. One such conversation popped up. A few friends of mine were in a party called the “Republican” party. Now this is a party that has been in and out of the media for over a year. It has been PTOed, rePTOed, and PTOed again. It has been attached to certain Hutt of the Italian variety in the past. It carried real life politics into eRepublik.

These friends of mine were trying to decide how to spice things up, how to make the game more fun, and how to save their party. They knew the Republican Party had a limited draw, no real game function, and a sordid history. As usual I watched the conversation for a bit before jumping in and giving my two cents. Little did I know what I was about to say would actually take root with them.

I told them to reform the party. Give up on the Republican aspect and instead focus on what brought them together in the first place. One thing that all of these friends had in common was their love for the military aspect of eRepublik. Many of them had done politics and business owners, but their real true love was our military. So I told them to focus on that. And they liked it.





A Little DP

They liked it immediately. Seriously, it was probably the fastest change I’ve ever seen a political party take. And their interests and enthusiasm roped me in with it.

We had a core belief – that the eUSA’s defense was and should be our top priority. We all agreed on that. What we needed next was a name. This search resulted in a hilariously time consuming debate. Name recommendations ranged from “Military Party” to “Anti-French Party”. Of course none of these things would due. We were not going to be based off of military membership alone and most (if not all) of us liked French fries and French toast. We needed something that showed our love of the military but also our belief that you didn’t have to be in the military to be a part of the party.

Once again I put forth an idea without really thinking about it. Defense. One word. One idea. One party. We all want the best for the eUSA. Most of us realize that our military is a strong reason we exist and succeed at this game. Fewer realize that our military exists because of hard work and dedication not only by its members but by the common citizen.

Defense. A strong word to represent a strong feeling. We knew that the military is what brought us together. We knew that recent eRepublik changes made the military more able to represent itself politically. We knew that the military and certain factions of our country have a hard time communicating. What could be better than to give them a platform to be heard, to listen, and to dedicate themselves too?

Thus the United States Defense Party was born. Now remember, I said I shot the idea out without really thinking about it. It took all of 5 seconds for some observant participant to notice what the abbreviations would be. USDP. Of course we all laughed at this. But the name stuck. Defense was a good word for what we believed in.

And really… who doesn’t like a little DP anyway?





A Little Information

This party is brand new. I’ve heard the criticism already about “the military party thing has been tried in the past”. Your right, it has. But the USDP isn’t a military party. It is a defense party. You do not have to be involved in our military to be in this party. What you do have to have though is a strong set of beliefs that are common to ours:

1. Stable Democracy: We support free, fair and open elections for congress, Party Presidency and Country President. Active and clean competition boosts activity, entertainment and fun. eRepublik is a game, it needs to be played.

2. Soldiers In Congress: We support soldiers getting into congress. In fact, our primary target crowd of personnel to select to run for congress is from the eUS Military. Once we reach Top 5, we will make it our goal to have a qualified candidate in every state.

3. Competitive Economics: We support the consistent monitoring of our economy and its growth and health by studying the effects the new changes will have on the economy and working to build a tax plan and government involvement based on maintaining ourselves as a national power.

4. Civilian-Military Cooperation: By no means do you have to be in the military to be in this party. Some of our leaders are civilians, some are members of EZC. As a civilian, you are just as important to this country as a solider through paying of taxes, fighting in the battles as directed by the Department of Defense, and involvement in the political realm.

I’ve heard the early criticism. People are afraid that the military is trying to “PTO” this country. That is false. This is not a military party. This is a Defense party. Military members are not required to join this party, nor is the party only open to military personal. This party is here to help give the military a platform, but it is also serves to strengthen the bonds between the general public and the military, support our nation’s strong democratic ties, and encourage a healthy economical strategy.

Yesterday I was asked a very good question: “I’m not in the military, why should I join?”. I asked a question in return: “Are you tired of the same BS, tired of people putting their party before the nation, and tired of party politics that have nothing to do with the game?”. I quick “yes” confirmed my belief. Ok, so it was three questions in one. Still relevant. People want something new. They want something that relates to them and to the game. They want strength, unity, and dedication. That is what we stand for.

If you are interested please check out our IRC room (#USDP), our forum (http://usdp.prophpbb.com/), and our eRepublik Party Page (http://www.erepublik.com/en/party/u-s-defense-party-2721/1). You do not have to join to ask questions. Heck, you don’t have to join to help. Just keep an open mind, ask questions, and enjoy the ride. We can’t ask for anything else.

Joshua Hoss



P.S. - We do have a sense of humor. Obviously.