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Big Brother is watching Gameplay

Trouble in Paradise: Former UDL Chief Rages Against Other Defenders

Unibot: "I don't care about defender unity."

By Cormac Somerset-Holland




SHERWOOD FOREST - The theme of this year's NS World Fair is "Friendship and Cooperation," but the event's leading organizer seems to have missed the memo. Unibot, former Chief of the Band of The United Defenders League (UDL), lashed out at the Lazarene Liberation Army (LLA), the Founderless Regions Alliance (FRA), and other defenders following this morning's major update in a dispute over which organization's IRC channel should have been used. Defenders had just completed an operation to liberate Coalition of Leftist Comrades from fascist forces occupying the region when the incident occurred. This successful liberation included the LLA, UDL, Spiritus Defense Force (SDF), The East Pacific Sovereign Army (EPSA), Texas, United Kingdom, Equilism's E-Army, and Wintreath.

While many defenders are celebrating this display of defender unity, Unibot was less than celebratory as he criticized Mahaj, current UDL Chief of the Band, for allowing UDL forces to work from the LLA's IRC channel:
 

 

<Kogvuron> LLA, UDL, WDF, SDF, UK, E-Army, EPSA, Texas <-- very nice cooperation among defender groups
<Unibot> He shouldn't have helped your power politics.
<vac> yup kog :D
<Kogvuron> hmm?
<Kogvuron> and non-defender groups too
<Unibot> This was just a political move running it in [Lazarus' military channel]
<Kogvuron> ahh...
<Kogvuron> nope
<Unibot> TITO never goes to other people's channels.

As the dispute escalated, Unibot became increasingly irate -- accusing Spiritus Founder and Vice President Tim Stark of being "anti-UDL," accusing the FRA of "trying to play their little games," and cursing at other UDL members. Several UDL members and other defenders were heavily critical, one former Merryman stating that "[c]rap like this" is the reason for failures in defender unity. "It amazes me more haven't left this org because of the crap," the former Merryman said before departing the UDL's IRC channel.

"I don't care about defender unity," the former Chief said, "I care about what's killing defenderdom." Unibot went on to praise the "isolationist plan" he ascribes to the Ten Thousand Islands Treaty Organization (TITO) as "smart" and insisted that sending UDL forces to other organizations' IRC channels "is bound to hurt the UDL in the long run." Unibot's criticism was repeatedly shut down by Chief Lieutenant Sovreignry, and The Miniluv Messenger has learned that the UDL and the LLA have ironed out any problems between the two organizations that could potentially have been caused by the explosive comments made by the UDL's former Chief of the Band.

Nonetheless, all is not well in the defender world. Responding to Unibot's allegation that he is anti-UDL, Tim Stark told The Miniluv Messenger: "I think that the allegation that I am anti-UDL is quite unfounded and based in Unibot's delusions. I respect the UDL and I respect Chief Mahaj." Returning to Unibot's behavior this morning, Stark added: "I think that his actions and outbursts in #udl are severely damaging the unity of Defender Regions, and feel that he will keep damaging them until he's muzzled."

"It's unsurprising that such a discredited individual would say these things," an anonymous LLA soldier told The Miniluv Messenger. "Frankly, I think that the LLA and defenders everywhere would love it if he retired again - this time for good." Wintermoot, the Monarch of Wintreath, candidly told The Miniluv Messenger that "Unibot's the reason most people would prefer to use the LLA channel."

Chairman Milograd of the People's Republic of Lazarus declined to comment on this story. When asked for comment, UDL Chief of the Band Mahaj personally attacked this reporter and then added: "I haven't received any messages from any other defender organizations indicating there's any worry. If there is, they should contact me. I've already talked to Kogvuron (LLA) about it and he and I have cleared everything up."

It is yet to be seen if Unibot's outburst this morning will have any further impact on the state of defender unity, or the lack thereof, but The Miniluv Messenger will bring you more as this story develops.

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I don't like to say anything bad about Unibot. I just think talking about him feeds the beast and gives reason to create drama out of Unibot being Unibot.

I'd say the closest Defenders came to Defender Unity was in '04 (Back in the days when Defaultia of Equilism created that little 'Defenders Rock' Emote). It declined from there. Even later in that year, it was fracturing.

Ah well. I see more to the picture than meets the eye. Kinda funny.

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Spiritus in Crisis: Exodus of Longtime, High Profile Citizens Continues

Charax Stark, Denth Rowan resign citizenship in Spiritus, citing the deterioration of the community due to political manipulation.

By Cormac Somerset-Holland





THE GNARLED OAK - Charax Stark, former Vice President of Spiritus, and Denth Rowan, another influential citizen, resigned their citizenship in Spiritus today, citing the deterioration of the community due to political manipulation as their reasons for doing so. This latest round of departures by longtime, high profile citizens follows earlier resignations of citizenship by former President Inric "Wintermoot" Stark in late October 2013 and former Vice President Cormac Somerset-Holland, the author of this article, in early December 2013. Wintermoot has since gone on to found his own defender region, Wintreath, of which Stark and Rowan are also citizens.

In recent months, Spiritus has been rocked by controversies and scandals that have left its community divided. Some of these controversies involved personal disputes between citizens, but others were related to Spiritus' external policy and decisions made by the region's most senior leadership. President Wuufu Vitus and former Vice President and Founder Tim Stark were caught in a scandal involving vote stacking in British Isles in December 2013. Meanwhile, Spiritus has been debating a push by the President and Founder to enroll Spiritus in the Founderless Regions Alliance (FRA). The FRA Charter was recently ratified by the elected Spiritus Regional Assembly and signed by the President, but was ruled unconstitutional by the Supreme Court of Spiritus before the President applied for FRA membership on behalf of the region. These issues factored into the recent presidential election, which saw the incumbent President and his new running mate, Toms, achieve a decisive 17-5-2 victory against the opposing tickets of Charax Stark/Butterspring and Milograd/Karputsk.

Charax Stark denied that his loss in the recent presidential election was the reason behind his decision to resign citizenship. "This is not a knee-jerk reaction to the FRA membership debacle, nor my loss of the election to Wuufu," Stark said in his resignation statement. "My issues with this region are far more substantial than post-election butthurt." Stark went on to detail his concerns that the community is deteriorating due to political manipulation by some of its citizens, acknowledging regretfully that the seeds for this deterioration were planted with a focus on external policy during his own term as Vice President under President Wintermoot. During his time in Spiritus, Charax Stark served as Regional Assembly Representative, Vice President, Minister of Defense, and Minister Without Portfolio.

Denth Rowan echoed many of the former Vice President's sentiments. Rowan, while never officially holding office in Spiritus, was nonetheless an influential member of the community, actively involved in Spiritan culture as well as the region's legislative processes and legal affairs. Both he and the former Vice President cited Tim Stark as having a significant role in the community's deterioration and an oversized role in regional politics, and were heavily critical of incumbent President Wuufu Vitus and his decision to seek another term, his first full term, as President of Spiritus.

Spiritus President Wuufu Vitus and Founder Tim Stark declined any comment. The Miniluv Messenger will bring you more when and if this story develops.
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Milestone: Equilism Celebrates Tenth Anniversary

Westwind: "And now it's been ten years. Equilism continues through good times and bad."

By Cormac Somerset-Holland





EQUILITY - Equilism kicked off its tenth anniversary celebration today, a reminder to the broader NationStates community of the longevity and success that user-created regions can enjoy. Equilism has been a pioneer region in NationStates gameplay, once a leading member region of the Alliance Defense Network (ADN) with the E-Army showcased as the third largest military in NationStates in 2004 and a military powerhouse for some time after. During the gamewide activity slump of 2006, Equilism controversially underwent The Schism in an effort to kick-start activity in the region and in NationStates more broadly even as many of their friends and allies were fading from the game. Activity has been a hallmark of the philosophy behind Equilism, its government and culture, with the region playing a leading role in defining independence as a regional philosophy and advocating a shift toward independence in the post-Influence age.

Westwind, one of the longest serving and most prominent citizens of Equilism, offered his thoughts on this milestone for Equilism in a speech to commemorate the region's ten year anniversary. "And now it's been ten years. Equilism continues through good times and bad," he said. "Always with strength in our diversity, and respect for each other. Through activity and inactivity. From Founder to Founder. From Generation to Generation." Westwind has previously served as Founder of Equilism and in many other roles and remains as root administrator of the Equilism forum, respected by regional citizens as a Father of Equilism.

"We're thrilled to have made it this far, and very proud of all of our members throughout the years who have helped us get this far," Astarial, Equilism Director of Marketing (Officer of Foreign Affairs), told The Miniluv Messenger. The region's ten year anniversary celebration features contests, games, recollections by longtime citizens, historical information, and a new regional map unveiled today and designed by Astarial. The festivities are scheduled to run from 11 January to 18 January.
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Hooray! I had no idea that Equilism was so old, nor that Westwind was capable of leaving TWP without the aid of a Zimmerframe. :P

 

*chuckles* Actually, I have a three-wheeler:

 

3wheel.jpg

 

The wheels on mine are black.  Lots of mobility with those wheels, and it even has brakes ! :P

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Malice is Helping GCRs Again?

Coup attempt is thwarted and brought to light in The North Pacific thanks to The Brotherhood of Malice

By Venico

Date of Initial Publication: 19 February 2014


 

About three hours after the last major update, Venico and Koth of The Brotherhood of Malice received a telegram from an anonymous nation. It stated that its main nation was about 150 endorsements away from McMasterdonia, TNP Delegate, and asked them if they would be interested. Venico played along in order to find out who this actually was in order to bring the information to light and to see if these claims were true.

After being added on Skype, the conversation continued and the nation revealed their true identity. It was Haafinger and Hjaalmarch. The claims were verified then as H&H was indeed 141 endorsements away from the delegate and only 34 away from the vice. This threat was serious and if it landed in the wrong hands, an operation could have caused The North Pacific a huge headache. As the conversation progressed, it was eventually uncovered that this person was claiming to be the original region crasher, Sythia.

Bringing this information to McMasterdonia, Venico chose his friends at TNP. His comment on foiling a raiding forefather was this, "I believe in raider unity. I was torn about how I should feel, selling out one of the original raiders. But I discovered the very reason I was torn was also the reason why I did the right thing. The North Pacific is currently aiding The Brotherhood of Malice in the raid of St. Abbaddon. They are our friends and brothers in arms. I cannot allow attacks on my allies, nor will I allow a threat to grow. I believe in raider unity, it's not my fault that Sythia doesn't."

In a statement given by McM, he states "Attempts to undermine the elected Government and topple the elected Delegate cannot be tolerated. It is imperative that we remain alert to preserve constitutional order in the region, and take immediate action to eliminate any threats it faces." After banning H&H, McMasterdonia was forced to rescind this ban as there was some contention over whether or not the delegate followed proper procedures. An indictment has been granted and hopefully we'll soon see a case being presented at the court.

Due to this show of good faith, The North Pacific has opened in game embassies with BoM and is opening forum embassies in the near future. Hopefully this will lead to continued military cooperation and a strong bond between the two regions. It wasn't so long ago that Malice was leading the charge in Osiris in establishing democracy and unifying the region.

Despite taking the field with malice in their hearts, it seems they might have a soft spot for GCRs there too.

Telegrams
Full Skype Chat


Apologies for the previous bad formatting on the above. For whatever reason the forum occasionally refuses to center anything in my posts.  :P

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Identity Crisis: The East Pacific Poised to Repeal Defender Act

Unibot, author of the Defender Act, joins other lawmakers in proposing legislation to repeal the controversial law.

By Cormac Somerset



THE CONFEDERATED EAST PACIFIC - Less than three weeks after passing the controversial Defender Act, the Magisterium of The Confederated East Pacific appears poised to repeal that law. Originally proposed by Magister Unibot, a prominent defender, the Defender Act defines The East Pacific as a defender region and the East Pacific Sovereign Army (EPSA) as a defender army. The law passed the Magisterium on 7 February 2014 by a vote of 7-1-1 with two Magisters not voting and was subsequently signed by Delegate Bachtendekuppen. It has since prompted much controversy within The East's regional community, including a statement by former Delegate and current Arbiter Todd McCloud, a former raider, that he was considering leaving the region.

In recent days, scrutiny of the Defender Act has intensified as an inquiry has been brought before the Conclave, The East Pacific's regional judiciary. Arbiter Jurisdictions posted an Opinion of Recommendation to the Conclave early this morning recommending that the law should be voided as unconcordant (unconstitutional) for various violations of the Concordat of The East Pacific, the regional constitution. According to The Daily Issue, two other Arbiters have also stated that they oppose the Defender Act which suggests that there may be a majority of the Conclave in favor of voiding the law as unconcordant -- though it is unclear whether all three Arbiters were prepared to void the Defender Act or had simply expressed their personal opposition.

Over the past several days, competing proposals have been introduced before the Magisterium aimed at revisiting or repealing the Defender Act. On 19 February, Magister Old Federalia proposed an amendment to the Concordat that would identify the region as a defender region in order to present the question to the entire citizenry of The East as a referendum. Magister Babiana, known elsewhere as Chasmanthe, proposed the Dichotomy Act on 22 February, which would declare The East Pacific to be "non-aligned," repeal the Defender Act, and forbid the use of certain regional tags. Magister Unibot today proposed the competing Identity Act, which claims that The East "stands for the protection of innocent regions against unjustified invasions" while also repealing the Defender Act and forbidding the same tags that would be prohibited by the rival Dichotomy Act. Magister Nalt, known elsewhere as Topid, today proposed yet another competing proposal that would simply repeal the Defender Act without forbidding the use of any regional tags or otherwise defining The East Pacific's regional identity.

It is unclear at the time of this writing which of these proposals, if any, will emerge as the Magisterium's preference, but what does seem clear is that The Confederated East Pacific is poised to repeal the Defender Act. The Miniluv Messenger will bring you more as this story develops.

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Correction: The Miniluv Messenger erred in its reporting on the difference between the Dichotomy Act and the Identity Act. Both contain the language against "unjustified invasions," but the Identity Act does not declare The East Pacific to be "non-aligned." We regret the error.

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Editor-in-Chief: Cormac Somerset
Managing Editor: Venico


April Fools? Gatesville Inc High Council Purged


High Queen Nevadar and other High Council members are ejected and banned by "Supreme Overlord" Noctaurus.

By Cormac Somerset




GATESVILLE - Less than an hour ago, Gates the great, Founder of Gatesville Inc, ejected and banned High Queen Nevadar and all but one member of the Gatesville Inc High Council from the region. Other High Council members purged from Gatesville Inc include Forum Administrator Kraut Killers, General of the Army Sudros, and Propaganda Minister Eviscerator X. The remaining member of the High Council is Noctaurus, the World Assembly Delegate of Gatesville Inc now listed in the regional World Factbook Entry as the region's "Supreme Overlord." The pre-title of Gates the great has also been changed to "The Protectorate of Noctaurus," indicating that Noctaurus now has control of the region's Founder nation.

Noctaurus has also cleared all High Council and Middle Council members from the header of the Gatesville Inc off-site forum and has posted the following statement on both the forum and Regional Message Board:
 

A new day has dawned, citizens of Gatesville. For too long have I watched as our region has floundered and fallen away from its true mission to destroy the World Assembly. Therefore, as Delegate, I have taken control of the region and will now stand as Supreme Overlord of Gatesville. With my leadership none shall stand against us!

We shall renew our fight to bring down the dastardly World Assembly without the other members of the High Council. The time is at hand to renew ourselves and prepare to repeal every resolution passed by that foul institution which seeks to reach its tendrils into every aspect of our lives.

Follow me, citizens of Gatesville, as your new and single Supreme Overlord of Gatesville. Follow Noctaurus to victory!


It is possible that the purge of the Gatesville Inc High Council is an April Fools' Day prank, but given the history of the Gatesville regional community this story is being taken seriously for the time being by The Miniluv Messenger. Gatesville, the predecessor of Gatesville Inc and original home to its regional community, was purged of all nations by Gates the god in February 2011.

More on this story as it develops. Stay tuned to this post for updates.


Tips for The Miniluv Messenger? Interested in joining our staff? Contact Cormacville.

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As a very unofficial update to the above article, because the Messenger staff hasn't had time to approach anyone for comment or further investigate, two days after April Fools' Day the Founder nation of Gatesville Inc remains under the control of Noctaurus, the High Council has not been reinstated, and the WFE has not been restored -- though the ejected and banned High Council members have been unbanned.

On Tuesday night, Nevadar noted on the Gatesville Inc RMB that Noctaurus had been in possession of the password to the Founder nation only "in case of emergency."

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