The Rejected Times -- Issue XV

[Unibot]

Issue XV, February 20, 2014

Editor's Note

I wanted a longer edition this time, so I smacked our staff into shape. Unfortunately, it ran way too long for Zetaboards - so we had to cut it down. Nonetheless, I think this issue has got a bit for everyone. Enjoy!

>> OPINION

KEEPING US IN "THE DARK"
An interview with Skydip on "Repeal "Liberate NAZI EUROPE"", "Commend Abacathea" and more...

INTERVIEW | UNIBOT

Unibot sits down with Skydip over fish and chips (*crunch* *crunch**crunch*) for an exclusive interview.

You’ve got a new resolution coming up to vote. “Commend Abacathea”. Congratulations on getting in the queue – what inspired you to draft the resolution and how do you feel about its chances?

Not only would I consider myself personal friends with Abacathea, but I was astounded by his climb into notoriety in under two years time, particularly in the Security Council, which you know I’m fond of. It’s truly impressive. I don’t think anyone is disputing that Abacathea has left an impressive first impression on the WA specifically, but some would argue he’s still got a ways to go before a Commendation is truly appropriate.

I think I’ve gotten plenty of material in the current draft to warrant passage, but I don’t know if I can confidently say this will pass, definitely. If TNP decides their WA Minister is worthy, that will play a large part in the passage or non-passage, especially in the early voting. If I had to put a number value on it, with the current impressions I’m getting from approving Delegates and members of the SC, I’d put myself at 70% confidence this will pass.

Of course, the big topic on everyone’s tongue is your drafting of “Repeal “Liberate Nazi Europe””. What spurred you to do it? Was it a group decision or a personal one?

It was very much a personal decision. As you know, group mentality in my home region of Europeia is not one that gets comfy with the idea of allowing such a region to password protect themselves. But, despite the reputation I have built up for myself, I have always believed regions should have the right to self-impose a password. That, and my belief actively combating this region was the wrong way to bring about their dissolution played the largest parts in my writing.

It should be said, both of us, are not fans of Nazism. What do you believe is the correct response to Nazism in NationStates and why?

As I stated in my post-passage article, we should treat this group like we would any other group that we must put up with - don’t give them undue attention. If they raid, they raid, and should be treated as such - but that’s no big deal in the grand scheme of things. But to launch game-wide campaigns is just stirring the pot and agitating the hive, as it were. Active military actions will be met with active resistance, which will only bolster resolve and numbers of the group on the defensive.

How has the response been in Europeia about your involvement in this project?

To my surprise, rather mild. I don’t give enough credit to those members which supported my Repeal even when my anonymity was still intact. During the time when it was unknown that Elias Greyjoy, prospective Europeian Senator and long-time member of the Cabinet, was writing this repeal, I received a fair amount of vitriol. Post the repeal and my revelation, however, those in opposition to the idea have been fairly silent, for whatever reason.

Nazi Europe is currently moving to Nazi Europea – is this a setback for the Anti-Nazi campaign or is this ultimately a positive move?

I don’t think adding an “a” to the end of their regional title is much of anything. Perhaps getting away from a region with such a marred past will allow them to carry out their activities in more seclusion. I don’t know, but I hope this doesn’t come with a renewed vigor to combat the region.

Alright, enough talking about Nazis. I hear you’re recruiting for new members for a “Times” of your own. What’s your vision for the Europeian Times?

I’m not ashamed to say I want to produce something along the lines of The Rejected Realms Times - a larger, more diverse paper that is able to cover more than just Gameplay, the Security Council, and Europeia. Ideally, I’d like to feature columnists from both sides of the military gameplay spectrum, as well as a pan-regional viewpoint, which is something I don’t think Europeia sees enough of.

The Foreign Cultivation Act 2014 just passed in the Europeian Senate. You’re a Senator there, of course – what are your thoughts on the legislation and its future?

It’s a fantastic building block to President Anumia’s plan for both Europeia and the up and coming regions of the world, no doubt. I’m privileged to be in the inner circle of the project as an Architect that will be assisting these new regions in any way I can, and I think there’s a lot going on behind the scenes that the Gameplay crowd in particular are not privy to, as of yet. This is not some grand imperialist scheme to rake in 20-40 nations once we complete our “annex” or what have you. The President genuinely wants to spread the things that Europeia excels at - be it military gameplay, WA affairs, or law-writing - to regions that may not have such resources, and I’m excited to be a part of that vision.

Any chance of another run for Europeian president? You’ve run on some pretty bold ideas before, if my memory serves me correct, a “Eurosphere” idea once and even a UDL treaty – if you were considering making a run, I’d be curious to hear if you’re kicking around any new ideas for Europeia?

It’s always in the back of my mind. I’m always keen to the Grand Admiral position, and the way the current GA Cerian Quilor has rebuilt the roster is nothing short of impressive. I took my loss against President Anumia in his previous term as a pretty hard reminder that I may not be there yet in terms of President material, but, to answer directly, yes, I will be running sometime in the future, if not the upcoming term. As far as platform ideas go, I’d still like to see more cooperation with groups like the UDL in operations that would not fly in the face of our current sovereign treaties. For being an independent military group, we focus very heavily on one side.

Finally, what do you think about "Condemn SkyDip"?

I honestly thought I would have a red badge before a blue one from the beginning, so I can’t say I’m surprised by the attempt. I would be lying if I said the appealing of being the first simultaneously Commended and Condemned nation didn’t excite me, but in my Security Council opinion, the draft needs some beefing up as of now.

Thanks so much for the interview, Skydip. Good luck on running the “other” Times! If you have any final comments for our readers, you’ve got the floor.

I’d like to thank Unibot and The Rejected Realms Times for the interview. Truly a pleasure and I’m honored.

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Living under Occupation
Sixteen Days in Anarchy: The Native's Story

OPINION | YORIZ

Sixteen days ago, Anarchy was invaded by The Black Riders. This was a well organised action by The Black Riders, a so-called "stealth" operation, since the invader, "Duck-Boss" had been residing in the region for quite some time.

As usual in our founderless region, all WA member-nations give and receive endorsements with no obligations to endorse a certain nation or the current WA Delegate. At the time of the invasion, Nova Castlemilk was our WA Delegate.

From Day One, natives of Anarchy have been resisting the occupation and asked for help from known defenders. Most of the natives see the occupation as "griefing" and some of us live in fear of destruction of our founderless home.

Irritated natives turned to "puppet-spamming" for retaliation, which ultimately led to the deletion of one of our native nations (Anarcho-Canadian Empire)

As stated before: most of the natives in Anarchy see the actions by The Black Riders, in occupying our region, as acts of griefing.

Actions that have the primary aim of annoying or upsetting natives of Anarchy, include:

• Renaming his nation to 'The Fluffy Fascist Ducks of Duck-Boss' when becoming WA-Delegate. Duck-Boss has been an inhabitant of Anarchy for some time and he/she knows for sure that natives of Anarchy find two things annoying or upsetting: fascists and capitalists (see lively discussions on the RMB on these topics).
• Suppressing all native posts on the Regional Message Board.
• Banning natives of Anarchy, such as Magnox.
• Flaming and spamming on the Regional Message Board.
• Continuing to hold a grasp on Anarchy for an extended period of time (14 days and counting).

This is about intimidation. The next thing, I believe they are aiming for is to become strong enough to destroy and refound the region. In which case we would have to make a long march to the World Assembly and propose a WA Liberation. I personally have found these events very annoying and upsetting.

There is a right in the game for invaders and invading regions. However, there should be a right too, for founderless regions to just be left alone by invaders. There is no way in which we can defend ourselves against a well organised invader organisation such as The Black Riders. This is consistent with our region's theme: Anarchy.

Of course, all of the above, is considered by the moderators as permissible and within the game rules, as well as part of gameplay. Invaders just invade for having fun, regardless of whether victims of their invasions find this upsetting.

Actually, I believe some invaders get part of fun out of that. One of the invaders in Anarchy made this much clear:

• "I never said raiding is harmless, but for the record it doesn't bother me that it does do harm"
• "I like raiding because personally, I find it fun. It is a challenge and requires preparation, organisation, communication, commitment and timing. That's about it. Does that make me a horrible person to some people? The better question would be do I care? No doubt and not in the slightest".
• "The simple fact is this; if you are founderless you are vulnerable and you can easily fix that. I'd have thought you guys would have worked that out by now".

The pathology of invaders aside, Anarchy is by definition a heterarchical region. The absence of ideology is our joy and a reason for us to reside in the region. I find our region under occupation by an ideological driven force very annoying. These are acts of griefing, even when moderators neglect our right to call this out as griefing. In my opinion, the situation is perverse. The moderators seem to be the ones that define what we experience as "griefing", yet I am not alone in my feelings in regards to this ongoing occupation.

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>> INTERNATIONAL NEWS

St Abbaddon invaded

COMMENTARY | FRATTASTAN

Until days ago a quiet and medium-sized founderless region sat undisturbed. A region so ancient it predates the introduction of Founders, St Abbaddon fell last Sunday to an invading coalition led by the Brotherhood of Malice and has been under occupation since then.

Neither the early defence (led by TITO, RRA, EPSA and UDL), nor the liberation attempt twelve hours later succeeded.

The operation has been presented by the Brotherhood as a standard invasion, meant to close the existing in-game embassy with The United Defenders League and to poke fun at one of the natives, Topid (a veteran defender and pioneer of the Security Council), who had removed the region's password the week before.

In spite of this justification, a substantial number of reinforcements – totalling nearly 50 endorsements at the time of writing – comes from regions angered by Topid's recent public leak of invasion plans against Nazi Europe, of which he had been accidentally informed by The South Pacific's Minister of Army.

The personal character of the invasion caused a shortly-lived escalation when Topid launched an unendorsement campaign against The South Pacific, one of the regions supporting the raid.

The response has been criticised harshly by the invaders, who viciously argued that Topid was breaking his own ethical code and didn't care about native communities, that undermining TSP's government was a dishonourable action or, even, that any retaliatory actions had "absolutely no justification" on grounds that St Abbaddon had been left "woefully unprotected".

For the moment, the occupation powers have shown no open intent to grief the region, which would require a considerable amount of time and influence, but there have been persistent fears that it will happen, with rumours indicating that some of the groups involved - Osiris, particularly - may go for that path. It may be too early to tell. Just a few hours ago, "Topid" was ejected and banned.

In the meantime, Hawkswind, oldest native of St Abbaddon, after lamenting the disruption caused by this and past raids, commented: "I can understand why the mechanic is still there, and why raiding happens. But, in all honesty, it has seriously made me consider just walking away."

Hawkswind has been playing the game since 2002.

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Foreign Cultivation Act passes in Europeia
Rumors of Euro-imperialism abroad

COMMENTARY | TRR NEWS


The Senate ends its session – 5-0 for the Foreign Cultivation Act

The Foreign Cultivation Act passed in Europeia, 5-0. With the bill already signed by President Anumia, its passage in the Senate marks the Act’s official ratification. The Foreign Cultivation Act is the centerpiece of Anumia’s Great Architecture Project.

The Foreign Cultivation Act establishes a new kind of Europeian international agreement, a “Construction Partnership Agreement” – which serves as a partnership between Europeia and its partner region, where Europeia is to help “cultivate” other regions abroad. These agreements are to be oversee by the Council of Cultivation, while prohibited from mandating offensive military action or any “legal conveyance” of authority or control over the partner region by Europeia.

While popular in Europeia, the decision has seen criticism internationally, seen as another case of Euro-imperialism by some commentators.

“According to the proponents, they will imbibe republican ideals and principles to these regions, help them develop their government, laws etc and all that good stuff,” says Cartelsia, “ They deny its imperialism. Wow. Isn't that great. But this comes against a backdrop of a foreign objective where they support bullies like the new inquisition and their friends to conquer founderless and helpless regions, usually small ones, vulnerable targets”.

Glen-Rhodes also took to the Official Forums to debate the Great Architecture Project.

“The tenets of the project are in line with modern conceptions of imperialism,” says Glen-Rhodes, “Europeia is offering their superior knowledge and skills to shape participating regions into what Europeia believes is the exemplary region in NationStates, and in return Europeia expects to gain many things from doing that (including more members for its military force). The Great Architecture Project isn't just seeking to create growth, but rather to create growth in the right direction, in a way that upholds Europeian principles and extends them to nascent developing communities. It's completely self-interested, despite whatever positive externalities it creates”.

President Anumia denied these claims, pointing to the various legal limitations of the Great Architecture Project and the Foreign Cultivation Act to defend them against claims of Euro-imperialism.

Europeian values? I think I speak for The Rejected Realms when I say: sign us up! Or not.

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"Article Nine” Controversy Continues…

COMMENTARY | UNIBOT


Civil unrest in The South Pacific awaits Chief Justice's decision

The drama in The South Pacific continues today, as dissidents mourn over the deteriorating political situation in The South Pacific. At the centerpiece of concerns of dissidents is the power, influence and partisanship of the admins (Hileville and Belschaft, in particular), the outsourcing of the justice system, the evasion of The Charter and the mounting tension and intolerance directed at defender-leaning members in The South Pacific. The “blue and black” flies on the southern banks, tattered and blackened. Tanks continue to roll down the Downtown Central in regular patrols, while internal leaflets are distributed through Hileville by its “SPINN” media, telling citizens to stay inside and reject defenderism. They’re not calling it a “civil war”, but it feels every bit like it.

I was contacted the other day by a notable member of The South Pacific, not the person you would expect and was greeted with a handshake – it had been a rough few days. I had lost a home, but I had not lost a friend. I was told despite our differences, he too felt that Hileville and Belschaft held too much power and influence over The South Pacific and our justice system had been hijacked. But one clear point of contention in The South Pacific continues to enrage citizens and highlight the growing cause for concern for the status of democracy and civil rights. Article Nine (of the Code of Laws) was proposed by Belschaft as a mechanism for blocking citizenship of members of regions and organizations with which The South Pacific is at war – this would sound pretty conventional, if it did not also allow the Committee for State Security or the Cabinet to approach the Regional Assembly to ban members of any other region or organization and label them a “criminal group”. The target? Likely defenders, says one voting member of the Committee for State Security, who wished to remain anonymous.

The South Pacific now awaits the decision of the Chief Justice. Only days ago, I (Unibot) submitted a series of legal questions to the Court regarding the constitutionality of Article Nine – if the Chief Justice finds Article Nine unconstitutional, it will be struck from law, if the Chief Justice finds Article Nine constitutional, it will be saved from judicial review. The basis of the “unconstitutionality” argument is that Article Nine fails to satisfy the right to an appeal, right to be denied citizenship on reasonable grounds and the freedom of expression. Poor wording even allows Article Nine to target civil, non-violent activist movements and political parties in The South Pacific.

Geomania agreed with the complaints and continued further by arguing that Article Nine would contradict Article One of The Charter by circumventing the cabinet’s discretionary powers and contradict Article Two, by denying citizens, the right to due process of the law.

“Article Nine […] is deeply flawed and must be scrapped,” says Geomania. “This law runs roughshod over the Charter. There is a plethora of clauses of the Charter that are being violated by this law. Citing the supremacy clause of the Charter, I hope that the Judiciary agrees with me and strikes down this law”.

Belschaft, the proposal’s author, fired back at these claims of unconstitutionality in his amicus brief. He held the position that many of these interpretations of Article Nine were exaggerations or “fraudulent”.

“Emotive language is irrelevant to determinations of law,” says Belschaft, “It can be appealing, but it has no basis in the Charter”.

A decision by the Chief Justice on the constitutionality on the troublesome Article Nine is expected imminently. The Chief Justice had pledged to rule on the matter by February 17, however there has been no sign of a ruling as of yet.

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Reproductive Freedoms
Putting a timeless debate to three days of voting

COMMENTARY | THE GRIM REAPER

(This article refers to groups generally known by relatively controversial monikers. The article therefore defaults to using the moniker that the groups themselves prefer – pro-choice for individuals who support deregulating international abortion laws, and pro-life for the opposite.)

The General Assembly has long been a battlefield for the most touchy of NationStates' debates. The esteemed members of our global community can argue all they like about the merits of military action, or of the various General debates that interest them, but once the General Assembly has brought a Resolution to vote, it is a countdown to making or breaking a representative's career.

Whether or not each and every world leader takes notice of the General Assembly, flaunts their membership, or even uses 'puppets' to avoid the ire of their political allies in their miltiary actions, it is notable to remember that the General Assembly occupies an enviable space of real estate in our world - a resolution that makes it past the looming obstacle of Delegate Approvals will eventually find the spotlight of the Floor itself, the glorious arena where a proposal is finally thrown open for all of the WA member nations to decide its fate with simply an "Aye" or a "Nay".

The debate in the GA has generally been powered by specific notable GA authors. The distinction between National Sovereignty and International Federalism that is often pervasive in GA debates has more than once been proven to have no bearing on the division between 'pro-life' and 'pro-choice', with figureheads of both movements deeming this an issue that transcends the normal, brutal ideological battle-lines drawn up on the GA debate floor. On the pro-life (often referred to as 'anti-choice' by detractors) side Auralia and Christian Democrats are both well-known GA authors who have championed legislation against legalization of abortion, whilst on the pro-choice (or 'anti-life') side are the GA authors Mousebumples, and Eireann Fae. In addition, there have been many other authors who have chimed in for either side – such as the pro-choice but much more compromising Charlotte Ryberg, who takes the credit for the foundational 'On Abortion', which neither side has generally attempted to repeal. For disclosure's sake, Unibot (the editor of this paper) has been outspoken on the pro-choice side, particularly on behalf of the Eireann Fae drafts.

On Abortion has been a sticking point for the GA due to the extreme pressure on authors attempting to repeal it. On the pro-life side, members like Auralia have generally been wary of repealing On Abortion because of the resolution's breadth and general leniency on many cases of abortion. As such, their interests have, for now, been mainly to created 'blocker' resolutions, to work around On Abortion by explicitly allowing, or disallowing, practices not covered in On Abortion. Their most recent example is the Protocol on Abortion , abandoned at the recommendation of the prominent Ardchoillean representative. The Protocol on Abortion was a blocker designed to bypass On Abortion by blocking legislation on accessibility to abortion drugs and other 'supplementary acts'. However, it was quickly deemed to be outside the 'spirit' of On Abortion, and more practically, to fall afoul of On Abortion's requirements of access to abortion facilities.

On the pro-choice side, On Abortion acts in itself a blocker to stop pro-life drafts that could otherwise themselves stop further abortion-related legislation. In that sense, the seemingly meek On Abortion now finds itself complemented by a draft soon to come to vote, Reproductive Freedoms, a much more sharp, broad, and blunt attempt to end the debate once and for all. Along the lines of many of Eireann Fae's 'trigger-repeals', it attempts to build upon On Abortion by providing a second line of defense for legalization of abortion, and to extend that defense to an extent not yet seen.

For such a controversial proposal to even reach quorum is a surprise in itself, and for any proposal to make it out of the veritable peanut gallery of esoteric acronyms and shortenings seems a miracle to the casual observer. However, Eireann Fae introduced me to the world beyond the peanut gallery, by throwing me headlong into her reckoning on what is no doubt one of the most controversial proposals due to grace the Floor, and in doing so, she painted a picture more carefully crafted and skilfully mastered than any outsider can really grasp with just a tentative first reading of the resolution alone.

I attempted to speak as I am - a casual observer who views this issue just like absolutely everyone else should. As a debate that, regardless of which side I occupy, I need to come to terms with to be able to be a helpful influence to anybody in my life that should grapple with this issue in a personal stance. This is not a resolution that, at first glance, will do that - the WA is a legal institution. But, the power that is often lost in the final product is clearly brought to the forefront by Eireann Fae - in my opinion, she does an effective job of reminding us how much emotion such issues imply for those affected by them, even for those who would usually simply read what is a short resolution, and pick between "Aye" and "Nay".

May I ask you to read this not as an interview about the General Assembly, but as an interview about a General Assembly author, and just one issue that she finds to form a foundation of her personal convictions.


First things first, we'll start with the resolution itself. It is, comparatively to others on the same subject, quite ambitious. You've clearly made some attempts to avoid beating around the bush, and yourself note that it is a 'long shot'. Why did you take this step to abandon the sense of 'weasel words' that has often characterized this debate?

Eireann Fae: We believe that representatives should speak clearly about what, precisely, they represent. Intentions should not be hidden in the shadows, left to be interpreted in various ways to achieve questionable goals. We want to be as clear as possible with our intentions, and would appreciate it if others followed the same example.

The resolution is certainly quite clear, in that you've tried to cover all grounds as succinctly as possible - would you say that you've drawn any inspiration from any specific notable members either in agreement or in opposition with you in this debate?

Eireann Fae: Our regional delegate, hailing from Mousebumples, has been quite an inspiration. They are known for writing excellent legislation, particularly in medical fields. Our style of extremely careful wording and pre-emptively blocking loopholes is our own, though. Every word in every clause is carefully considered for its exacting effect - we try to be clear and concise as possible when drafting laws.

Mmm. Now - the debate on abortion legalization and restriction has been one that has been lively and pervasive in the World Assembly as long as I, personally, have followed it - even if that time has been a drop in the bucket. It does seem surprising to me that this resolution has made it to quorum, given all the attempts at blockers and contrary resolutions by your opposing lobby, characterized as both anti-choice and pro-life. That being said, have you at any point felt the act of taking part in this debate to be 'thankless'? What kept you going?

Eireann Fae: Actually, we have been pleasantly surprised at how much support we have garnered with this endeavour. We have repeatedly mentioned expectations of strong opposition, but we were *not* expecting so much support - not just in reaching quorum, which was itself a delightful surprise, but in vocal support in Telegrams and the General Assembly chamber. We do not require gratitude to pursue our mission of liberating individuals the world over, but it is certainly appreciated, just the same.

The idea of debating proposals in the General Assembly, particularly in issues as divided as this, has often been observed as supportive representatives attempting to improve the quality and scope of resolutions, not just in this topic but in many, with detractors attempting to declaw or denigrate the efforts of the author. In your opinion, have the debates you have viewed and supported on the issue of abortion ever done much to INFORM an undecided or opposing delegate's point of view? And, in the same vein, have you seen a delegate who has supported you cross the floor, or inform their views in a way contrary to your position? In other words, how much weight do you feel the GA's debates hold to change the minds of delegates?

Eireann Fae: This in particular is a rather divisive topic, to put it mildly. We are unaware of anyone actively opposed to abortion changing their minds, but we hope we have swayed the opinions of delegates that were previously undecided on the issue. It is a known fact that only an infinitesimally small number of delegates are active in the speaking chambers, but we hope to have enticed some of the silent majority to support our endeavour.

Your dedication to this issue has shown that, at least on the surface, you seem to be well suited to the art of oration. But, what first led you to believe that the GA was a body you could thrive in, and in a related manner, when did you first choose to pursue the decriminalization of abortion in the GA?

Eireann Fae: Our thanks for the compliment - we have long supported the sharing of ideas, and prefer to do so, as mentioned, with maximum clarity. It is our preference that actual laws be brief and to the point, but arguments for such laws should be made as clearly as possible, using as many words as it takes to drive the point home. Our nation was founded on making a new home for refugees; those that were oppressed in their own nations fled to our Island seeking solace, which we gave gladly. We joined the World Assembly in an effort to extend protections and freedoms of the sort we offer to more people around the world, even if they have never heard of Eireann Fae or the services we render to those needing help. With regard to the topic of abortion, we were content to let 'On Abortion' be the primary law on the subject in the WA until efforts were made to repeal the resolution, and then another effort to place artificial restrictions on the procedure. Since such issues have been raised, we felt it was our duty to extend and enhance protections for those seeking to ensure their bodily sovereignty remain their own, and not limited by their national governments.

Certainly, the GA makes an effective tool for legislating on important world issues - on creating practical, legal arguments for enforcing limitations or freedoms for the betterment of our global community. However, that limits it in a certain way - it exists to convinces delegates of the appropriateness of such laws for their nation, not to teach them to confront the issue on a personal level. This is an issue that many, many delegates and member representatives will be facing soon, now that your resolution has come to quorum. As not a representative, but as an individual who no doubt wants to promote not just legal freedom, but also a sense of development in our international culture, is there anything you want to say to those who will be coming to vote on this resolution? In other words, what would you say to a delegate in the position of the women that this legislation is intended to liberate?

Eireann Fae: We only hope that everyone can see that we only wish to grant the freedom of self-determination to individuals to do with their own bodies as they please. We stand by our national motto of 'An it harm none, do what ye will', and would like to see individuals enjoy the freedom to live as they wish, so long as they do not harm or hinder other individuals in pursuit of that freedom. To many, this seems in opposition to supporting termination of a fetus, but it is our contention that the fetus has no right to impose itself on an unwilling individual, even in pursuit of its own survival, any more than we would support a man pushing another man down while being chased by panthers to sacrifice his fellow to save himself.

Thank you, Fae. Certainly, a very enlightening interview from the perspective from one of the major players in what is currently one of the GA's great debates. Before we close the interview, is there anything you would like to say to our readers, both those involved in the GA's legislative discussion, and who may not be familiar with its debates?

Eireann Fae: We would like to encourage all to be more active in the debates, as such debate leads to more finely crafted laws to the benefit of all. 'Reproductive Freedoms' started out as 'Legalise Abortion' - a cheeky draft comprised of four lines, one of which was 'NOT CARING' about protestors. Through debate, we feel the draft has involved into something far nicer. We have never seen a perfect proposal submitted without input from various delegates. It could be argued that no proposal is perfect, but they come a lot closer with help and input from the world at large. Cooperation is key to good legislature!

Thank you Fae. I am sure that, regardless of where our readers stand on the issue, they can empathize with your quest to shed a little light on the ambitions and intentions of those delegates involved in this and other debates, and I'm sure I speak for all of them when I wish you good luck in your future endeavours, regardless of which topic they might cover.

Eireann Fae: Many thanks, and blessed be.


Not all of us will ever have to grapple with this issue - particularly the males amongst us are blessed to never directly have to confront the issue of abortion, to make what is generally accepted to be a trying and difficult issue that can change one's lifestyle. However, I feel that, even when we read the text of this resolution, we try to look at the people who are - not behind this resolution - but stand in front of it, in our own lives. Regardless of how we stand on this issue, we must remember what the General Assembly exists for. To ask us we can justify our choices in the context of regional law. In the context of national law. In the context of our friends and family. For many of our readers? In context of our own lives.

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Balder unveils a new Regional Flag

COMMENTARY | TRR STAFF

http://i.imgur.com/ACUuh77.png?1?3432[
The new regional flag was unveiled Monday

Balder Delegate, North East Somerset unveiled a new regional flag on Monday, holding up the grey and blue to a cheering crowd in Nordic Square, cigar in mouth.
The new flag matches the forum skin’s colour scheme with slate greys, blues and yellows, but the theme, in North East Somerset’s own words reflects a departure from the old flag’s Scandinavian Constitutional Monarchy “theme” towards a more of a “Viking” theme – the idea of war and fighting is captured by the Raven.

North East Somerset told Balder that the similarity between Balder and Osiris’s colour scheme is intentional.

“Osiris has a flag with a very similar colour scheme, and that is not all we share,” says North East Somerset, “I hope over the coming weeks we will be able to move closer to Osiris in the implementation of Joint schemes to the benefit of both of regions, particularly with regards to collaborating on External Affairs matters so as to utilize our limited resources to greater effect”.

So what can we expect from Balder in the coming weeks? Possibly, a more aggressive, warring Balder; one that cooperates more, diplomatically and militarily, with Osiris.

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Improving Wordiness Returns

COMMENTARY | GUY


Wordy's Back!

Following a period of absence, highly regarded defender Improving Wordiness (Wordy) has returned to NationStates. Wordy, a native of 10000 Islands, had taken an unexpected long leave of absence due to real-life constraints.

Wordy first joined 10000 Islands in December 2009, and quickly rose up the ranks of TITO, 10000 Islands' defender military. Wordy proved her natural knack for defending and command, making her ascent to the command position of Tactical Officer within only four months, alongside defending greats Anime Daisuki and Ananke. As the activity of those giants of the defender world faded away, they unknowingly - but certainly not to their eventual surprise - gave way to the next giant of defending. After many months of being the de facto TITO leader, Wordy was appointed in November 2011 to the position of Field Commander, in effect second only in command to Grub. She retained this position until her temporary withdrawal from NS.

What makes Wordy special, and particularly successful, as a defender is her unique combination of various skills. Her brilliance at spotting invasions, swiftness in deployment, and ability to train and retain troops make her a formidable opponent to any invader on the battlefield. The number of regions which are free thanks to her actions are immeasurable.

Of particular notability is Wordy's actions to preserve the freedom of the newly-created regions of Osiris, becoming its first-ever Delegate by moving in to secure the region from invader forces who were looking to capitalise on the opportunity to seize a Game-Created Region. Under her leadership, democratic elections were held in Osiris to determine its first regional government. Despite her short reign and its initial controversy, Wordy is credited with setting the stage for a stable Osiris, free of the drama that paralysed its sister region at the time, Balder. It is a recurring joke in some circles that Wordy is the best Delegate that Osiris has ever had - a joke which, like all good ones, also has an element of truth to it.

Wordy's persona is well-known to regulars on the Gameplay forum. Fesity and fierce, unrelenting on her principles. The author of these words is used to butting heads with her no less than any other, being one of the most vocal opponents of the aforementioned intervention in Osiris. (And as usual, she was right.) What many have not had the privilege to experience is Wordy as a fellow regionmate and a friend. Dedicated, hardworking, determined; but not less importantly, friendly, loyal and welcoming.

Alongside her numerous TITO decorations and awards - of which there are too many to list here - Wordy has been recognised far outside 10000 Islands for her defending prowess, being one of the most visible figures of defending in the greater world of NS gameplay. She was the first ever (and to date, only) winner of multiple Defender of the Year Award, winning it back-to-back in successive years.

TITO, 10000 Islands, and the entire defending world can rejoice at the return of one of our best. This has been an eagerly awaited day, and we are certainly all looking forward to seeing you on the battlefield again.

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New “Health” Category in the WA General Assembly

COMMENTARY | UNIBOT


World Assembly Socialism, hard at work.

The WA General Assembly has a new, “Health” category for proposals! For those who tried to decipher Ardchoille’s cryptic news post on the subject, but failed, let me explain.

Every resolution in the General Assembly has to fit a predetermined “category”, which determines the effects that the resolution will have on your nation. If you are, for example, writing a proposal regarding a human rights issue, you would categorize your resolution under the heading of “Human Rights” (presumably, these resolutions would expand upon your nation’s Civil Rights). Until now, proposals regarding healthcare, pharmaceuticals and international aid had to be squeezed into categories like “Social Justice”, “Human Rights”, “International Security” and even “Recreational Drugs” – which meant every well-meaning humanitarian resolution probably ended up turning your nation into a socialist, drug-infested bordello. We’re sorry about that.

The category’s specifics were largely the brainchild of yours truly (Unibot), since I proposed, this time last year, the creation of a “Health” category, with four subcategories. The final product maintains those four subcategories (Healthcare, Research, International Aid, Bioethics), although the original name, “Foreign Aid and Development” was changed to “International Aid” at the suggestion of Glen-Rhodes.

At the time, [violet] was not necessarily committed to the idea.

“We're definitely open to new categories,” says [violet], “if it's supported by a firm majority of WA powerbrokers. In the past, several interesting possibilities have been suggested, but I haven't implemented them because there was also had strong dissenting opinion”.

Presumably someone rolled over and croaked to achieve our current state of consensus among the World Assembly’s powerbrokers. Even now controversy in the General Assembly is stirring, since concerns have been raised that this new category may encourage authors to legislate a Universal Healthcare Scheme (damn Canucks!) and Ardchoille has warned authors that the Admins may retroactively assign the “Health” category to existing resolutions – an unprecedented move which has been accepted (even boyishly welcomed) by some and criticized by others. It really would not be The General Assembly if it was any other way.

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Traveller's Journal: Testregionia

FEATURE | WARZONE CODGER

A callback to an old feature, "Traveller's Journal" from 2004, where NS Times would review regions across NationStates. Warzone Codger visits Testregionia.


"Wake up, 're almost there" scrowled the skipper. "Where..where am I" was the first dazed thought that reached Jeffersonborg's mind as he woke up. Last night the rascal was terrorising/proselytising the denizens of The Rejected Realms, muttering things about "Reconciling with your ejector" and "Returning home". The Frattatorship wasn't pleased with that; he needs more minions to work the region and mine more endos.

"Leave? Blasphemous! TRR is all about second chances. We welcome them with open arms by making them feel no else would ever them. They must *never* learn their original homes still miss and love them."

While Frattstan was unable to evict Jeffersonborg from The Rejected Realms, he was able to 'reward' him with an scienific mission to explore the regions of the world. First stop: Testregionia.


Background

TESTREGIONIA legends say, is home of the gods - the abode of "The Hive Mind of Testlandia". Those from the Order of Violet say claim this where their goddess reveals her physical form. Many wondered if it was even real, until a month ago when every nation found thier communication interrupted by a mysterious ""How useful are polls?" broadcast. The Frattatorship, unperturbed and sensing a chance to rid of the pesky Jeffersonborg, roped him with the task of tracking the source of the signal.

Visiting Testlandia

Jeffersonborg stepped a foot on Testregionia. Unmissable was the huge mountain, riddled with radio towers and antennas, that towers overs the island. Unshieldedable too, was the crackled, shrill broadcast of "Testing. Testing. Is this thing on?" that could be heard in all directions, repeating every minute.

"It's enough to drive anyone crazy", thought Jeffersonborg.

The first resident came to us very quickly: He calls himself The New World Oceania. Put simply, he has a long a history of madness. Secret societies were his bread and better, now he claims have travelled with the "Great Administator" and *tested* sure-fire way to overthrow the Pacifics. It's inevitable, he says. He also likes to say the word *test* a lot.

He's not the the only one either.

The next resident we approached was Olvaria. "A nice young chap", Jeffersonborg marked on his notes. Right after that a receipt for an order of 100 kilograms of nitroglycerin which fell out in front of us. Yikes. "Don't worry, it's just white phosphorus", Olvaria said cheerfully. "We now just *testing* making lots of fireworks, sell them to our enemies, and let them blow up thier own citizens instead!. Mishaps just means more time for *testing* new ideas"

Mad Scientists, the lot of them!

Disappointingly, none of us saw the fabled Testlandia. The closest we got has hearing a "POP" in the distance. The residences of The Dominion of Evil Unicorn and The Commonwelath of Fivian, whom we wanted to met next, were gone. Nil. Nada.

"Destructive testing" said a strange bald man suddenly behind us, with a distinctive accent. A moment after, he was gone.

"Was th..that..Testlandia?". Before we could come back to our senses though, a strange ritual appeared before us.

"Testing" "Destructive testing" "Explosive testing" "Relatively legal testing" "Testing with the heart of a long-dead god" "We should resume testing". "Testing, Testing, Testing".

All the residents of Testregionia are coming out now, surrounding us, all chanting a variant of *testing*. "A new cannon that sprays air at enemy troops, blowing them over." exclaims one Der Schwarz Drache. "Or testing out a new mounted flamethrower!"

Testlandia seemed to have driven everyone into a *testing* frenzy, "Testing, Testing, Is this thing on??" continues to blare over and over again. The sudden disappearance of two nations was a sign. We shouldn't say here much longer...

"Fratt ain't so bad. At least he wouldn't try to perform any bizzare tests on you right Jeffersonborg?. Let's head home".

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[Tweedy]

Historically illiterate Skydope should realize that if his Nazis friends did take control, we'd all end-up in the Rejected Realms - permanently! And if NS is nothing to do with RL, why is the Nazi swastika banned in NS?

[Bhang Bhang Duc]

I've always been neutral on raider/defender.  But the more I read of some of the defender propaganda the more I want to cheer on the raiders.  They're honest, at least.

[Westwind]

Yeah, there's nothing wrong with defending if that's what you want to do.  But cluttering it with nonsensical moralistic rhetoric and demands is sickening and immature.

 

Defenders are just another kind of Imperialist. 

 

Historically illiterate Skydope should realize that if his Nazis friends did take control, we'd all end-up in the Rejected Realms - permanently! And if NS is nothing to do with RL, why is the Nazi swastika banned in NS?

 

And now they are planning on refounding Nazi Europe, so they'll be free to return to their ways of spreading nazi propaganda via raiding across NS.