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Dateline: Friday January 20, 2023 (Day 5340)
Location: White House Press Room

In Today's Pony Express:
:1: Weekly Media Roundup
:2: War Map & Analysis
:3: An Interview: SecDef shefutzu
:4: Some Nostalgic Shit

Editor's Note: So there you have it-- Recommended Reading on Tuesdays, and Pony Express on Fridays. I hope to spice up the Friday paper, offering a bit more than just a media roundup.


Media Roundup



This newspaper will feature the best news articles being published in eAmerica from both old and new writers.

If you want your article considered for inclusion in the Pony Express Daily, PM your link to this Org.

:: Rough Rider Express by Stormin EwokJedi published twice not long ago, reporting on Congress and Asteria.
Day 5,531 Asteria and Congress News Updates - 1st Edition
Current Congressional Votes Including Blacklisting WTP Leadership

:: The taco by KingTaco may be the personal paper of an official person, but there's nothing Official about Taco Land : The KT origin story!

:: Voice of Asteria published Asteria Military Report 4 - Operation China and Russia
What’s going on beyond American Training Wars? This is the Official newspaper of our alliance.
This the the top article in the world right now.

:: Derphoof's latest edition of Miss Derp's Drunk Rants is [Queen Derpy] Broforce Coup 2: Federalist Boogaloo
President Patanok has deemed it a worthy occasion to bestow on me yet another national title. He came into my office and delivered the following message:
“Declare yourself queen and do a crazy article please”

:: Paul Proteus published a new Goodbye Blue Monday:
[FEDS][BROFORCE] Bros Being Bros (Limited time only)
"Next time I'll write something more substantial."


War Map & Analysis



I'll look for a real War Analyst to do this segment. Meanwhile, starting next week, you'll be treated to my archaic Paint skills and inept grasp of game mechanics. It'll be fun!


Interview: Minister of Defense shefutzu

Minister of Defense, or SecDef (I’ll use them interchangeably), is a Cabinet level position, charged with coordinating the nation’s fighters and battles. Diplomats and Alliances determine treaties for RWs and declare the occasional Real War, and Congress approves treaties and directs funding, but it’s the SecDefs who put boots on the ground in the right places at the right times to achieve these objectives.

Our current SecDef is shefutzu, a nice family man residing in Romania, with a career in agricultural sales. He started in eRep in 2009 and made his home as a powerful tank with Seal Team 6. After a break from this miserable game, shefutzu returned and pursued his interest in management and logistics by mentoring under then-MoD TheeDude. President Patanok basically assigned the MoD job to the guy who’s been doing it for months anyways. It’s a good thing, shows the true value in mentoring.

Real Wars happen, and the SecDef works with Commanders of the most powerful MUs in the US and among Asteria allies to handle the heavy lifting. “Check the map,” says shefutzu, “Russia’s not there.”

What’s more prevalent, though, are Training Wars. TWs serve to give all players opportunities ranging from fulfilling the minimum daily clicks to medal (and rewards!) hunting. Training Wars make everyone stronger, on the cheap, and without antagonizing an enemy. The Diplomats have worked it out so we are hosting several of these TWs here on our home ground as well as around the world. 31 Training Wars, in fact, and SecDef shefutzu manages them all. “I watch all these battles, and if one isn’t going the way it ought to I call someone and get some muscle in there to fix it.”

At the core of Defense information dissemination is a list of all our TWs, broken into two sections for “must win” and “must lose.” MoD shefutzu posts this list in-game, in the USA tab of the Shout Feed. If, after doing your MU’s Daily Order, you’re feeling froggy and itchin’ for a fight, this list will keep you on the correct side of the battle.

While the elite MUs get their orders in a top level Command Center system, most Military Units’ Daily Orders are set by that MU’s leadership according to that unit’s battlefield strength and other factors. SecDef may contact MU Commanders to have them redirect fire– change their Daily Order– as needed to meet our various and widespread battlefield needs.

As from the beginning, a lot of this miserable game is played off-game. These days most of that happens on Discord. Find the eUSA channel, and within that you’ll find the #battle-orders chat room. If a certain battle needs a bit of special attention, SecMed shefutzu will go there and volunteer a few soldiers for a mission.

There’s also Telegram.. There’s a USA general chat, and other rooms for soldiers. It’s another way SecDef shefutzu communicates with Commanders and soldiers.

And let’s not forget the Department of Defense’s Official Government Newspaper, which lists the.. And has links to.. Helps keep new players informed and involved.. And.. It hasn’t been published in 15 months.
So.. ya know.. I asked about that.

“As I post the Daily Orders several times per day on Nat Feed... the newspaper has no relevance now.”

Look, I don’t know anything about all that bruising about the head and shoulders.. I swear, he was like that when I got here. We just had a friendly little chat.. that’s all, just a friendly chat.

Presently, the Minister was in complete agreement that for a period of time new players haven’t found their way into MUs and Parties (where they’ll make friends and get guidance), and may not even know that the better half of this miserable game is played away from it.. If they do come across SecDef’s TW list post tucked away in the US tab of the Shout Feed, they’re not gonna know what that means.
While I do understand that the seasoned player really doesn’t need the DoD newspaper to know which end of the rifle to point Away, the few new citizens we do get each day need all the guidance they can get. And we all gotta do our part for new player retention.

So here’s what we’re gonna do. I’ll work with SecDef shefutzu (and hopefully some of the old media gang) to develop a plug-and-play newspaper article template that even a publishing noob can work. Watch for a relaunch of your DoD Civilian Orders newspaper.. soon.

Minister shefutzu seemed a bit tired, so I helped him into a chair. He looked alright.
Said, “Nice chat,” and let myself out.
It’s fun to make new friends.


Some Nostalgic Shit

Here's an odd bit of history for ya-- that time a guy got charged with Treason for fighting wrong, and there was a public trial!
Key to the case against SFP pioneer Lysander Spooner II was that he was not medal hunting (that would have been okay), but had philosophical reasons when he fought for the enemy in an unauthorized RW.
Justice was being selectively served, but Spooner was a loud radical and the Establishment was bound to make an example of him. Congress wanted a public trial and hanging, and I gave it to them. I served as Defense Counsel as well as Executive Producer.. The poor schlub never had a chance.



An excerpt from WHPR Day 1513 - Treason Trial and War Maps:
The official statement from The White House:
"In a kangaroo court of public opinion, Lysander Spooner II was found, by unanimous verdict by the mob audience of eNPR to be Guilty of the High Crimes of eTreason and eTerrorism, and was sentenced to A Stern Talking To as was delivered by our beloved President Oblige. As the trial ending gavel fell, pitchforks and punch were dispensed.
This falls considerably short of the originally intended predetermined verdict of Guilty As Hell and the sentence of being declared an Enemy of the State."

The trial was covered extensively in the Congress forums and was broadcast Live on Oval Office Radio eNPR, with the unruly mob staged in the #eNPR room on IRC. If there's an eNPR Archivist out there (howdy!) I'd sure like help finding that episode.


Shout this, okay..

Pony Express 5340
Relaunch Edition; SecDef Interview
https://www.erepublik.com/en/article/2763058

And don't forget to keep up with our parent newspaper, the WHPR.



Hey, Shoutouts and Thanks to Chief of Staff Melissa Rose, President Patanok, and SecMed KingTaco for putting me in this place again. Fresh bottle in the bottom drawer was a nice touch, thank you.
And Thanks, SecDef shefutzu, for being a good sport. We had a fun talk and I learned a lot. I look forward to working with you.



George Armstrong Custer, White House Press Corps Staff Writer.


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