Post by kingplatypus on Dec 12, 2019 0:13:23 GMT -5
Spiritus Roundup
By King Platypus
The past few months in Spiritus have been delightfully chaotic and surprisingly active, with a fair share of ups and downs. October brought us the feared and unavoidable Z-Day, where Spiritus had another business-as-usual success in quelling the undead hordes. Our own TimS will have a look at an interesting piece of Spiritus history dealing with Z-Day later in this issue.
Apart from the game-wide Halloween event, Spiritus has also (obviously) launched a newspaper! I sincerely hope that that fact does not surprise anyone reading this. The Root Issue, after weeks of planning, a naming poll, public fervor that reached nigh-apathetic levels, and time for the writers to write and the editors to edit, is being released for the first time. This first issue includes the following articles from the following talented authors, and me:By King Platypus
The past few months in Spiritus have been delightfully chaotic and surprisingly active, with a fair share of ups and downs. October brought us the feared and unavoidable Z-Day, where Spiritus had another business-as-usual success in quelling the undead hordes. Our own TimS will have a look at an interesting piece of Spiritus history dealing with Z-Day later in this issue.
TimS: Spiritus Flashback
Rogamark: Faces of Spiritus
Salaxalans: Book Review
King Platypus: Spiritus Roundup, and Featured Foreigner (spoiler alert: only sort of a foreigner)
In other, more important news, Spiritus is in the middle of one of the most hotly contested elections in a fair few moons. With 8 hats in the ring for the 5-seat legislature, campaigning and stakes are at the highest I’ve seen in my time in Spiritus. A debate is currently being held on the forums, and voting will continue for five more days (from the time of this writing). The Delegate position is also being contested, with incumbent Rogamark being challenged by newcomer beantime.
Looking ahead, Spiritus may be in for the most active legislative session since… well, since the last time we had a legislature I suppose. I’m just guessing. Additionally, I have more to come in the next few weeks, in a more Executive manner. Speaking of, Chief Executive elections will be next up on the electioning calendar, and here’s hoping it’s as active as this election cycle.
Thanks to everyone who made this edition of the Root Issue possible, thanks to everyone who reads this, and please enjoy!
Spiritus Flashback
By TimothySnyder
A little over a month ago, Spiritus successfully fended off a terrible zombie plague for the eighth Z-day in a row. In celebration, I want to take a look back at an issue that arose during the fourth Z-day and by doing so take a little peak at what Spiritus was like all those years ago. Flashback harp plays The end of October 2015 was much like the October we just experienced: the proud nations of Spiritus working hard to cure the zombies. Salaxalans at the time was the delegate leading these efforts and Rogamark was in the middle of his second term as President. As is usual for a Z-day in Spiritus, a warning was distributed to all nations that if they took any action towards the zombies aside from trying to cure them they would be kicked from the region for the duration of the event. Our story begins with one nation who decided to ignore this warning and instead worked to kill the zombies instead. Like every other nation who did not follow the warning this nation, named UshiYashaII (“Ushi”), was kicked from the region by Salaxalans and could not re-enter for the duration of the event due to the borders being closed. Unlike every other nation, however, Ushi had applied and gained citizenship in Spiritus before Z-day had begun. Being a citizen in Spiritus gives a person certain rights and privileges, and back in 2015 the Constitution gave every citizen the right to manage their nation as desired, the right to due process, and most notably the right to not be “ejected and banned” from the region “without a fair, speedy and public trial.” Ushi was let back into the region at the conclusion of the event when the border reopened, but nonetheless on October 31st. Ushi sued the Government of Spiritus and Salaxalans specifically in the Supreme Court of Spiritus.
Let’s take a step back for a moment to examine how the government of Spiritus was different in 2015. These days we have an elected Chief Executive and Delegate, as well as an elected regional legislature. Back then, however, our government had three branches, similar to the three branches of the US government. The executive branch was led by a President (Rogamark) who appointed the Delegate (Salaxalans). There was also a legislature, called the Regional Assembly, and a Supreme Court called, fittingly enough, the Supreme Court which was made up of a Chief Justice (Wuufu) and two Associate Justices (Sovreignry and Libertarian Librarians). On November 1st the Court began Civil Case #005: Citizen UshiYashaII v. Government of Spiritus and the Chief Justice, following the procedure of the Court, appointed Libertarian Librarians (“LibLib”) as the Presiding Justice who would run the case. Ushi represented himself and Salaxalans choose Rogamark himself and another member of the Government named Guy to represent him and the Government as a whole. Ushi’s argument was split into three parts, based on the three rights mentioned above: 1. The Constitution allowed a citizen to manage their nation “as desired” and choosing how to fight the zombies was part of managing their nation. 2. The Constitution forbid the ejection of Citizens without a trial, and he was kicked from the region without any kind of trial. 3. And finally, the Constitution gives every Citizen the right to due process. To put it simply, since Ushi was kicked from the region without being able to argue against being kicked out his due process rights were violated.
Since Ushi was let back in after the Z-day ended, the Court would not need to order the Government to let him back in. Nonetheless Ushi proceeded with the lawsuit in the hopes of having the Court prevent the Government from ever being able to eject a citizen in this way again. The government then responded with its own argument. In short, it argued that all of these rights were created for the normal, day-to-day running of the region and not a completely unusual and short-term special event. Z-day in fact was not even a thing when the Constitution was first written. The government must have special leeway to deal with these special events outside of the normal scope of the game. In addition, Salaxalans warned Ushi several times that they would be ejected from the region if they continued killing zombies, and gave him ample opportunity to change. Ushi countered by saying that Spiritus was special in that it was a region of laws that stood by those laws, no matter how inconvenient those laws were during an emergency. Ignoring those laws during an emergency or because it’s convenient would simply be letting the ends justify the means. The government finished by pointing out that the Constitution only specifically banned the government from ejecting and banning a nation, here the nation was only ejected and prevented from coming back in because of the closed border feature available only during Z-day.
After deliberating, LibLib announced the opinion of the Court on December 5th. The Justices had found in favor of the Government in that Ushi was not both ejected and banned, however the Justices found that the Government could not eject a citizen such as Ushi because of their choice during Z-day because that choice does count as managing one’s nation “as desired.” The Court agreed with Ushi that the rights taken from the Constitution can not be suspended just because of a special situation, and that by ejecting Ushi without any sort of formal process Salaxalans had violated Ushi’s right to due process. The Court then ordered Salaxalans to publicly acknowledge the Constitutional violation.
This opinion seems to only have been shared by LibLib and Wuufu, as Sovreignry posted a dissenting opinion the next day, saying that this was an actual zombie apocalypse which in real life would certainly lead to a response from a government outside of what was allowed by the constitution. Further, there simply isn’t time for any sort of full formal hearing during Z-day, so due process requirements would be satisfied by the repeated warnings given to Ushi before the ejection.
The case did not end there, however. On January 25th the Government appealed the decision. This was after a series of unique procedural events occurred. First, Sovreignry was re-appointed by President Rogamark to the Court in December. This led Rogamark to withdraw from further representing Salaxalans in the case, since if he remained it could be viewed as improper (when reminded that he did this Rogamark remarked: “Wait, I was really that ethical?”). After that, LibLib resigned from the Court, forcing Rogamark to appoint Tim (Spiritus’ Founder) as what was referred to as a Temporary Hearing Officer to act as the third Justice for this case. Guy, as the sole representative for Salaxalans now, made several more points: namely, that NationStates itself does not view Z-day as being part of its normal gameplay or following the normal rules so why should Spiritus? In addition, there was no explicit mentioning of Z-day in the Constitution but that was because the Constitution and the rights specifically at issue in this case were written without Z-day in mind. Just because an explicit exception for Z-day isn’t in the Constitution that does not mean the Constitution’s rights automatically apply. Ushi did not offer any further response, so the Court proceeded right to deliberations.
On March 8th, 2016, the Court, through Justice Sovreignry, announced the result of the appeal: they reversed their previous decision and found fully in favor of the Government. The Court reasoned that Ushi’s actions were directly impacting others in the region, and so Ushi was not merely managing his own nation, and while due process needs to be followed efficiency cannot be sacrificed in an emergency to allow for a full hearing. Not long after this the Regional Assembly passed, and the Citizens of Spiritus ratified, an amendment to the Constitution that explicitly created an exception to citizenship rights during an event like Z-day, and now under the current Constitution there are no rights like these in the Constitution at all. But nonetheless this case is an interesting look at one of the few Supreme Court cases in the history of Spiritus that went through the whole process, and it provides a snapshot of Spiritus history.
Faces of Spiritus
By Rogamark
Welcome to our feature “Faces of Spiritus”, where we plan to put a spotlight on one member of our community who we don’t know everything about already! This time Rogamark, under 40, has sharpened his savage quill and sat down with A CBC BROADCAST. The Canadian gentleman, whose primary nation is Capital Canada, has been with us since September 2018, and we talked with him about his hopes, dreams, and expectations, about the deep love Canadians hold for Americans, his work, and of course Spiritus.
The interview parts were lightly edited/rearranged for readability and clarity.
CBC: Dreams: I want to be able to do the sort of WW2 battlegrounds tour in Europe again, and then maybe head to Korea to do that tour as well (pretty lame dream I know).
Hopes: I hope that at some stage the US gov will revise TACOM and stop scrapping of rare vehicles.
Expectations: Uhhhhhhhhm I expect to get back into motorsport sometime soon which might be fun.
[TACOM is the United States Army Tank-automotive and Armaments Command, which plays a major role in development, acquisition, and maintenance of Army ground vehicles]
Roga: I didn’t actually expect to get an answer to that [chuckles]. What it's like to grow up in a country where the soil is permanently frozen?
CBC: Living in Canada is alot like living in America. If America was basically all Maine. Although to be fair, I really like the skiing in Quebec and I try and make a trip of it every year.
Roga: Is there anything in particular you want people to know about you?
CBC: As lame as it sounds "I dunno. I guess I'm not a very interesting person to interview.
Roga: I know you like especially Cold War era military stuff, and motorsports, and you play hockey. What else do you do with your spare time?
CBC: I mostly watch motorsport, then play some video games, and read books.
Roga: Favorite game, favorite book?
CBC: Right now it would be Insurgency and my favorite book would be All Quiet on the Western Front.
Roga: Remarque?
CBC: Yeah it's one of the few books that moved me to a tear.
[All Quiet on the Western Front, by German veteran Erich Maria Remarque, is a 1929 novel widely acclaimed as a powerful narration of the extreme hardships and the mental and physical duress of soldiers during WW1, as well as their troubles adjusting to civilian life after returning home. Banned under the Nazi regime, it is now required reading in most German schools]
Roga: I know you work at the Canadian War Museum, and I assume that hasn't changed? What is it that you do there?
[The Canadian War Museum, located in Ottawa, Ontario, is what it says on the tin. According to its website, it covers Canada’s entire military history, from the Colonial Era to present-day international deployments]
CBC: It’s a really weird job that I do. Lately I've been doing more of locating new things for and keeping care of the archives, but I'm supposed to be walking around the LeBreton gallery and answering various questions. Mostly from Americans who call any gun a "machine gun" and compare every tank to a M4.
[The LeBreton gallery features tanks and airplane and other large pieces of military technology; that explains the strong interest in things that drive (or fly) and shoot]
Roga: You mentioned how fond Canadians in general are of Americans. Why is that?
CBC: Because overseas we're always being referred to as Americans and as such we are associated to the "less flattering" characteristics of them. It's more poking fun than an actual dislike but still.
Roga: Ever been outside the country yourself?
CBC: Several times to our neighbors down south, although I have been to the UK and Europe a while back.
Roga: The UK and Europe, Mr. Farage is grateful that you observe proper distinctions [laughs]. Where in Europe have you been?
CBC: France and Germany mostly, although I did go to Switzerland for a ski run or two.
Roga: On business or leisure? France and Germany have done their fair share of warfare, after all...
CBC: UK for business, although France and Germany for leisure trips, mostly sightseeing.
Roga: Parlez-vous français, monsieur?
CBC: Une petit montant.
Roga: One petty mountain [nods].
CBC: Don't know if that's correct. I meant to say "A little amount".
Roga: Me neither. How did you end up in Spiritus? Recruitment telegram?
CBC: Yes. I was getting bored of being spammed all the time by them so I decided to drop in and test this out.
Roga: And what made you stay?
CBC: You actually. Well, not just you. But of the 3 other ones I visited this one had the most "lively" community. Plus the other groups were tryharding.
Roga: Thank you for your time.
Angel Mage by Garth Nix
Reviewed by Salaxalans
A fantasy novel by Garth Nix, who seems to have a limitless ability to create fascinating new worlds, Angel Mage is a book where you never quite know the goal of the person driving events until the end - but it’s fascinating and entertaining getting there. The book starts off with the destruction of the kingdom of Ystara by some sort of plague that makes some people bleed ash and others turn into beastlings that kill everyone around them, and the plague apparently has something to do with Liliath, the Maid of Ellanda, who led the only refugees from Ystara to the neighboring kingdom of Sarance. After this brief introduction we fast-forward over a century to Liliath waking up in a tomb, ready to set her plot into motion. Those who fled Ystara now bleed ash or turn into a beastling when angelic magic is used on them, causing them to be outcasts from society who are called Refusers. Liliath quickly gains their allegiance when some of them realize who she is, as her return has been prophesied since Ystara fell. Liliath is particularly interested in four natives of Sarance, for unknown reasons. From this point the book alternately follows the four, whose paths become intertwined, and Liliath behind the scenes.
The four Sarancians each have interesting stories of their own, and seeing what they get up to and how Liliath subtly moves them around by way of having Refusers nearby is fun to read. However, it is difficult to tell what exactly Liliath is trying to accomplish, and as the book goes on this becomes more noticeable. I enjoyed reading events as they happened, and there were certainly clues as to her intentions, but even upon figuring out what her short-term plans were it was still hard to make out the long-term plan. She has one, of course, and it is revealed eventually, but given that she is a viewpoint character frequently throughout the book, not just some enemy off in the distance as antagonists can frequently be, it seems odd that it takes so long to find out her goals. I enjoyed reading about the rivalries and interactions between the different factions in the Queen’s court and military branches; there were a lot of moving parts that were interesting to see in motion.
In short, the world was creative and interesting to learn about, the characters were likeable, and the story was well-written and kept up a good pace. This was a great book I would recommend to any fans of fantasy or Garth Nix.
Featured Foreigners
An interview of Diplomat and Spiritus citizen Louisistan
King Platypus: Hello, and thanks for agreeing to share a little about yourself and your home region today. For any of our readers that may not know, what is your home region?
Louisistan: My home region is 10000 Islands. It's been around this game since forever (founded at some point in 2003, I think). I've been a member since 2014, which automatically makes me feel old now.
KP: Before we go any further, I want to ask a clarifying question. I've been calling 10000 Islands "XKI" for a while now, but I also frequently see it referred to as 10KI. The difference seems trivial, but what abbreviation are the cool kids using?
L: I'll ask them when they get back from underage smoking. No seriously, both are acceptable. I think 10ki was in use first. When I joined most people used XKI, but there seems to be a resurgence of the usage of 10ki. So there may be an ebb and flow to those.
KP:I see, I see. So, what led you to join XKI in the first place?
L: When I came back from CTE in 2014 I wanted to join a region (I hadn't paid much attention to those, prior to my 2013 CTE). And I stumbled across a thread on the NS forums where Blaatschapen (then a Moderator) was looking for a new region. Ananke posted on behalf of 10000 Islands and I seem to have found those arguments convincing.
KP: And you've obviously found it to your liking, as it's been around 5 years now. What is it that makes XKI so special to you, to call it home for so long?
L: Oh well, it's a lot of things. Obviously I've found the local spam board on the offsite forums to my liking. There's also TITO, our defender military. But most of all it was the people. I've found so many kind-hearted friendly people there. And as a community we try to take care of each other. Plus, theres always something to do. Between TITO, recruitment, regional government, diplomatic postings and so forth there's something to do for everyone.
KP: Sounds like a fantastic place, and my impressions have been extremely positive in my visits. My next question is, what's your role there? Are you something of a somebody?
L: I've held multiple roles over time. Right now, I am the Mayor of Shelter's Taco Island, which makes me the Moderator of our spam and games board called "Shelter's Taco Island". Over the years Taco Island has created a bit of lore for some casual, spammy RPish threads which take place there. According to that, the Mayor is a highly corrupt person susceptible to bribery and will levy taxes for just about anything. I also hold a position of paramount importance: I am 10ki's Emissary to Spiritus. Other than that, I'm still an active member of TITO (a TITO Knight Master Commander, in fact). In the past I've served as Senator multiple times, I was our 28th Delegate and I've served twice as TITO's Executive Officer and twice as a TITO Tactical Officer. I'm sure I'm forgetting something or other.
So yes, possibly I'm something of a somebody. But really, that for other's to judge.
KP: Wow, suddenly I feel underaccomplished. To wrap things up: given your time here, what are your thoughts on Spiritus and how it compares to XKI?
L: Spiritus is a bit more relaxed and casual. 10ki is a large community and in some ways it's driven by an enormous sense of duty. The large community has an enormous workload. So everyone seems to be super busy with running things. Spiritans also have a sense of duty, of course, but the approach is just more casual. Like 10ki, Spiritus has an accomplished defender history. I fondly remember some joint operations between TITO and SDF. Maybe one day we shall join each other in battle again? ;-) There is one definite similarity between the regions: The incredibly friendly people who form the community. Both communities are just full of so many nice people. There is a place for both 10ki and Spiritus in my heart
KP: Thanks for your time and perspective Louisistan! Here's to many more years of Spiritus/XKI cooperation and friendship!
L: And thank you for the opportunity to represent 10ki to my fellow Spiritans :-)
Thanks to our readers, and a reminder that we are always looking for new writers and features, so if you have any suggestions please get in touch with me via TG or Discord. Additionally, any comments or criticisms on the paper are more than welcome, as this is very much a work in progress. Thanks again, Spiritus forever.
-KP, editor