Post Archive

Region: The Confederacy of Free Nations

History

Percyton wrote:

Troublesome Truck #1: If there's anyone you should be apologizing to, it's us! Bumping us and always saying we're naughty!

Percy: Oh, well then I'm sorry trucks.

Stafford: Oh, ignore them Percy. You could give those those trucks a massage and they'd still find a way to complain about it.

Troublesome Truck #1: Of course we would, you silly electric engine! We're made of wood, so what good would a massage do us?

Troublesome Truck #2: Ha ha, yeah. Don't you have a battery to recharge, electric engine?

Troublesome Truck #1: Ooh, that's a good one.

Troublesome Truck #2: I thought it was.

Donald: Can it, ye lot! Nae a body wants tae hear yer lip!

Douglas: Jist forgit it, Donnie! Ye cannae shut up a truck forever. Those wee buggers jist keep gonnae oan an' gonnae until they bump ye aff th' rails or destroy themselves, whichever comes first.

Donald: Ah suppose, but sometimes Ah pure wish Ah coods gie those rascals what fur.

Percyton wrote:Duck: Ah yes, that. There's a story behind that. You see, 5741 wasn't my original number, and in fact, it's been so long that I don't even remember my original number. 5741 was the number of one of my brothers (I had many brothers, since us 57xx panniers were the most numerous tank engine class produced ever produced in Britain), and I was particularly close to 5741 because we were built around the same time at the same workshop (North British Locomotive Works in Glasgow). I nicknamed him Herbert, after the American president who had been inaugurated just before we were built (we had heard a radio broadcast about him while we were in the works), and he named me Montague (although the other engines later nicknamed 'Duck' because I supposedly waddled, and I started to go by that name instead). Me and no. 5741/Herbert were eventually split up, with him going to Wales, and myself going to Swindon for a brief period, then London Paddington, and finally Sodor in 1955. We still kept in contact by letter, but we never saw each other again.

Duck: When the Thin Clergyman, who you all know as the Reverend W. Awdry, visited Sodor and told me he was going to introduce me into his books, I asked him if I could be illustrated with the number 5741 in honor of Herbert, and the Thin Clergyman passed the message on to his illustrator at the time Mr. C. Reginald Dalby. In 1957, when the real no. 5741 was sadly scrapped, Sir Topham Hatt reached an agreement with the GWR for me to officially take on Herbert's number, which I wore on Sodor for many years. The TV series depicted me with the number 8 when I was introduced in 1986, and I liked that idea so much, that Sir Topham Hatt officially renumbered me as '8' not long after. I've been Sodor Railways' no. 8 engine ever since, though I'll never forget my brother whose number I wore for 30 years.

Donald: Ye waur built by North British Locomotive in Glasgee, Duck? Sae does 'at make ye a secrit Scot?

Douglas: Why didne ye tell us? We woods hae gladly welcomed ye intae our Scottish club!

Jaslandia, Penguania And Antarctica, Percyton

The Scottish Twins wrote:

Donald: Ye waur built by North British Locomotive in Glasgee, Duck? Sae does 'at make ye a secrit Scot?

Douglas: Why didne ye tell us ye? We woods hae gladly welcomed ye intae our Scottish club!

Duck: I'm flattered by the offer Donald and Douglas, but besides being built in Glasgow by a Scottish company, I'm not really a Scot. Many of the workmen who built me were from England instead of Scotland, and while I did have a Scottish accent in the begining of my life, I quickly lost it once I started working in Swindon and London. Nowadays, I consider myself to be Great Western first, though Percytonian/Sudrian is a close second.

Jaslandia, Penguania And Antarctica, The Scottish Twins

Percyton wrote:Duck: I'm flattered by the offer Donald and Douglas, but besides being built in Glasgow by a Scottish company, I'm not really a Scot. Many of the workmen who built me were from England instead of Scotland, and while I did have a Scottish accent in the begining of my life, I quickly lost it once I started working in Swindon and London. Nowadays, I consider myself to be Great Western first, though Percytonian/Sudrian is a close second.

Donald: Ye main say you're nae a Scot, Duck, but deep doon, you'll always hae 'at Scottish spirit! That's one hin' 'at ne'er leaves ye.

Douglas: Aye. Nae matter what ye call yerself, we'll always consider ye an honorary Scot! Alba gu bràth!

Donald: Alba gu bràth!

Jaslandia, Penguania And Antarctica, Percyton

Percyton wrote:Duck: Ah yes, that. There's a story behind that. You see, 5741 wasn't my original number, and in fact, it's been so long that I don't even remember my original number. 5741 was the number of one of my brothers (I had many brothers, since us 57xx panniers were the most numerous tank engine class produced ever produced in Britain), and I was particularly close to 5741 because we were built around the same time at the same workshop (North British Locomotive Works in Glasgow). I nicknamed him Herbert, after the American president who had been inaugurated just before we were built (we had heard a radio broadcast about him while we were in the works), and he named me Montague (although the other engines later nicknamed 'Duck' because I supposedly waddled, and I started to go by that name instead). Me and no. 5741/Herbert were eventually split up, with him going to Wales, and myself going to Swindon for a brief period, then London Paddington, and finally Sodor in 1955. We still kept in contact by letter, but we never saw each other again.

Duck: When the Thin Clergyman, who you all know as the Reverend W. Awdry, visited Sodor and told me he was going to introduce me into his books, I asked him if I could be illustrated with the number 5741 in honor of Herbert, and the Thin Clergyman passed the message on to his illustrator at the time Mr. C. Reginald Dalby. In 1957, when the real no. 5741 was sadly scrapped, Sir Topham Hatt reached an agreement with the GWR for me to officially take on Herbert's number, which I wore on Sodor for many years. The TV series depicted me with the number 8 when I was introduced in 1986, and I liked that idea so much, that Sir Topham Hatt officially renumbered me as '8' not long after. I've been Sodor Railways' no. 8 engine ever since, though I'll never forget my brother whose number I wore for 30 years.

Oh. That's a sad story, actually. I'm sorry about what happened to Herbert, and I'm glad you could keep his memory alive!

The Scottish Twins wrote:That's one hin' 'at ne'er leaves ye.

https://youtu.be/Wphn91U1KCE

Penguania And Antarctica, Percyton, The Scottish Twins

Jaslandia wrote:https://youtu.be/Wphn91U1KCE

Ah yes, that's a really nice song from the soundtrack of our first movie. It what originally supposed to be featured in full in the movie, and would be about the relationship between P.T. Boomer, Burnett Stone, and Tasha (Burnett Stone and Tasha would be dancing, while Boomer watches angrily, jealous that Tasha fell in love with Burnett instead of him), but that scene, and P.T. Boomer, were cut from the movie after a poor reception from the test audience. The song could still be heard faintly on Burnett's radio, but otherwise has nothing to do with the final movie. A shame really, since it's a really good song in its own right.

The Scottish Twins wrote:Donald: Ye main say you're nae a Scot, Duck, but deep doon, you'll always hae 'at Scottish spirit! That's one hin' 'at ne'er leaves ye.

Douglas: Aye. Nae matter what ye call yerself, we'll always consider ye an honorary Scot! Alba gu bràth!

Donald: Alba gu bràth!

Duck: Alba goo bra! That's how you pronounce it, right?

Jaslandia, Penguania And Antarctica, The Scottish Twins

Axeldonia wrote:Hey Nuremgard and Lex Caledonia, I got a question for ya: Would you accept Scotland being part of some sort of swiss-style brittish confederation (maybe even including ireland) with extensive autonomy and equal legal status for all the involved countries (i.e. the london parliament isn't the overall parliament of the federation)? Just something fun I hadn't thought about before.

Honestly? If you asked me this a couple of years ago I would have been all over it. An equal union between our countries would have been a great concept, devolved parliaments for all (england included, which I'm still a supporter of) and a federal Britain? Sign me up. Unlike Switzerland and its various cantons however, their union from the get go encouraged equal representation and autonomy whilst the UK was never never founded under such principles. Which means a federal/equal UK now to me is a pipe dream, the UK needs to end in my opinion and we need to go our separate ways.

To answer your question via TLDR: If it wasn't highly unlikely then sure I would be up for it. For now however, Independence is our best bet.

Nuremgard, Axeldonia

The West Country wrote:It’s Yuk boss calm your tits I’m jus trying to provoke you cus it’s funny to poke Scots

Btw Yuk please could you declare puppets so we can avoid situations like this.

Penguania And Antarctica

Lex Caledonia wrote:Honestly? If you asked me this a couple of years ago I would have been all over it. An equal union between our countries would have been a great concept, devolved parliaments for all (england included, which I'm still a supporter of) and a federal Britain? Sign me up. Unlike Switzerland and its various cantons however, their union from the get go encouraged equal representation and autonomy whilst the UK was never never founded under such principles. Which means a federal/equal UK now to me is a pipe dream, the UK needs to end in my opinion and we need to go our separate ways.

To answer your question via TLDR: If it wasn't highly unlikely then sure I would be up for it. For now however, Independence is our best bet.

England would dominate a federal UK by sheer size and population so it would never work. Independence is the only way.

Lex Caledonia wrote:Btw Yuk please could you declare puppets so we can avoid situations like this.

I have so many and they often die within weeks of being set up that it would be pretty pointless - any puppets I do plan on keeping I would always let the MoI know, but you don't realise how many simply CTE after a few weeks. Also, I thought Nurem already knew as I've been discussing with him which ones I wanna try and keep, but that's just miscommunication really.

Nuremgard, Jaslandia, Penguania And Antarctica

Percyton wrote:Good idea. I'll go tell him now. Hello, Charlie! I just wanted to say I'm sorry!

Charlie: Sorry for what, Percy?

Percy: I don't know. I'm just apologizing because it's 'Sorry Charlie Day', and you're Charlie, so...

Troublesome Truck #1: If there's anyone you should be apologizing to, it's us! Bumping us and always saying we're naughty!

Percy: Oh, well then I'm sorry trucks.

Stafford: Oh, ignore them Percy. You could give those those trucks a massage and they'd still find a way to complain about it.

Troublesome Truck #1: Of course we would, you silly electric engine! We're made of wood, so what good would a massage do us?

Troublesome Truck #2: Ha ha, yeah. Don't you have a battery to recharge, electric engine?

Troublesome Truck #1: Ooh, that's a good one.

Troublesome Truck #2: I thought it was.

West Country? That's cool! I know quite a few engines from Sodor come from the West Country and have West Country accents. There's Rex, Mike, and Bert the miniature engines. And Trevor the Traction Engine, and Salty the Dockyard Diesel. Duck also has a West Country accent (from the time when he worked around Swindon), although that's mixed with a bit of a London accent (since he worked at Paddington Station in London before coming to Sodor). I've heard good things about the West Country, and I've been wanting to visit there someday.

It's good to know one of the main selling points of my homeland is the stellar drunken sprawl that is the West Country accent. You should visit, there's some great areas and it's very rural. We have the best cider in the world too!

Nuremgard, Jaslandia, Penguania And Antarctica, Percyton

Yukona wrote:I have so many and they often die within weeks of being set up that it would be pretty pointless - any puppets I do plan on keeping I would always let the MoI know, but you don't realise how many simply CTE after a few weeks. Also, I thought Nurem already knew as I've been discussing with him which ones I wanna try and keep, but that's just miscommunication really.

Sounds like me. My pyppets are revived and CTE constantly. I have then scattered all over.

Penguania And Antarctica, The West Country

Yukona wrote:I have so many and they often die within weeks of being set up that it would be pretty pointless - any puppets I do plan on keeping I would always let the MoI know, but you don't realise how many simply CTE after a few weeks. Also, I thought Nurem already knew as I've been discussing with him which ones I wanna try and keep, but that's just miscommunication really.

Its no bother my duder. If you've got any that you like to keep a hold of just let me know.

Penguania And Antarctica, The West Country

Lex Caledonia wrote:Its no bother my duder. If you've got any that you like to keep a hold of just let me know.

My only puppet is Shazria now FYI.

Penguania And Antarctica, Lex Caledonia

I haven't had a Parliament update telegram from Continental Commonwealths in 2 days now, does anyone know if he's alright?

Ludania, Jaslandia, Penguania And Antarctica, Percyton

Nuremgard wrote:Nope. I'd still want full independence as I wouldn't trust Westminster with foreign affairs and defence. Why have that much autonomy and just leave some bits for London? Nah. Full independence all the way. But a Swiss style confederation would be a dramatic improvement and I think most Scots would be satisfied with that. It would kill off the desire for independence for a very long time, possibly forever.

Just to comment on the defense part, it's probably for the best that they keep defense even if y'all both say "screw it" to mutual foreign affairs. The Scottish GDP couldn't handle a very large or capable military. To give you the rough numbers, taking from Scotland's current GDP, Scotland's 2% defense budget would be made of 4,320,000,000 USD. This is itself nine times smaller than France's, but it gets worse since it has to be divided by three for the different branches. That gives you 1,440,000,000 USD with which to handle the affairs of each branch if you evenly split it (Which you probably wont, the navy gets a lot more money because the Navy has billion dollar ship designs) to do things.

At least one, maybe two branches would be annihilated.

Kalaron wrote:Just to comment on the defense part, it's probably for the best that they keep defense even if y'all both say "screw it" to mutual foreign affairs. The Scottish GDP couldn't handle a very large or capable military. To give you the rough numbers, taking from Scotland's current GDP, Scotland's 2% defense budget would be made of 4,320,000,000 USD. This is itself nine times smaller than France's, but it gets worse since it has to be divided by three for the different branches. That gives you 1,440,000,000 USD with which to handle the affairs of each branch if you evenly split it (Which you probably wont, the navy gets a lot more money because the Navy has billion dollar ship designs) to do things.

At least one, maybe two branches would be annihilated.

Scotland also really aren't that pro-military and the SNP is quite liberal in the defence area, I doubt it'd be any bigger than Ireland's.

The West Country wrote:Scotland also really aren't that pro-military and the SNP is quite liberal in the defence area, I doubt it'd be any bigger than Ireland's.

We'd need a decent navy to patrol the coastline though.

Axeldonia

I really do apologize for my bad behaviour on the Discord lately. I'll make sure to release my frustration at an other place. I do apologize for every person hurt, offended or affronted. I hope I'm still welcome. If not or if I'm not wanted in the chat at a certain times then don't hesitate to tell me right in the face. Thank you very much.

[spoiler=Today is April 8 and today are:]

Today is April 8 and today are:

- Buddha's Birthday or Hana Matsuri (Japan)

- Draw a Picture of a Bird Day

- Easter Sunday (Orthodox Christianity)

- International Romani Day

- National All is Ours Day (United States)

- National Dog Fighting Awareness Day (United States)

- National Empanada Day (United States)

- National Zoo Lovers Day (United States)

- Trading Cards for Grown-ups Day

[/spoiler]

[spoiler=This day in history:]

This day in history:

- 0217 – Roman Emperor Caracalla is assassinated. He is succeeded by his Praetorian Guard prefect, Marcus Opellius Macrinus.

- 0632 – King Charibert II is assassinated at Blaye (Gironde), along with his infant son Chilperic.

- 0876 – The Battle of Dayr al-'Aqul saves Baghdad from the Saffarids.

- 1093 – The new Winchester Cathedral is dedicated by Walkelin.

- 1139 – Roger II of Sicily is excommunicated.

- 1149 – Pope Eugene III takes refuge in the castle of Ptolemy II of Tusculum.

- 1232 – Mongol–Jin War: The Mongols begin their siege on Kaifeng, the capital of the Jin dynasty.

- 1271 – In Syria, sultan Baibars conquers the Krak des Chevaliers.

- 1665 – English colonial patents are granted for the establishment of the Monmouth Tract, for what would eventually become Monmouth County in northeastern New Jersey.

- 1730 – Shearith Israel, the first synagogue in New York City, is dedicated.

- 1740 – War of Jenkins' Ear: Three British ships capture the Spanish third-rate Princesa, taken into service as HMS Princess.

- 1808 – The Roman Catholic Diocese of Baltimore is promoted to an archdiocese, with the founding of the dioceses of New York, Philadelphia, Boston, and Bardstown (now Louisville) by Pope Pius VII.

- 1820 – The Venus de Milo is discovered on the Aegean island of Milos.

- 1832 – Black Hawk War: Around three-hundred United States 6th Infantry troops leave St. Louis, Missouri to fight the Sauk Native Americans.

- 1864 – American Civil War: Battle of Mansfield: Union forces are thwarted by the Confederate army at Mansfield, Louisiana.

- 1866 – Italy and Prussia ally against the Austrian Empire.

- 1886 – William Ewart Gladstone introduces the first Irish Home Rule Bill into the British House of Commons.

- 1895 – In Pollock v. Farmers' Loan & Trust Co. the Supreme Court of the United States declares unapportioned income tax to be unconstitutional.

- 1904 – The French Third Republic and the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland sign the Entente cordiale.

- 1904 – British mystic Aleister Crowley transcribes the first chapter of The Book of the Law.

- 1904 – Longacre Square in Midtown Manhattan is renamed Times Square after The New York Times.

- 1906 – Auguste Deter, the first person to be diagnosed with Alzheimer's disease, dies.

- 1908 – Harvard University votes to establish the Harvard Business School.

- 1911 – Dutch physicist Heike Kamerlingh Onnes discovers superconductivity.

- 1913 – The 17th Amendment to the United States Constitution, requiring direct election of Senators, becomes law.

- 1916 – In Corona, California, race car driver Bob Burman crashes, killing three (including himself), and badly injuring five spectators.

- 1918 – World War I: Actors Douglas Fairbanks and Charlie Chaplin sell war bonds on the streets of New York City's financial district.

- 1924 – Sharia courts are abolished in Turkey, as part of Atatürk's Reforms.

- 1929 – Indian independence movement: At the Delhi Central Assembly, Bhagat Singh and Batukeshwar Dutt throw handouts and bombs to court arrest.

- 1935 – The Works Progress Administration is formed when the Emergency Relief Appropriation Act of 1935 becomes law.

- 1942 – World War II: Siege of Leningrad: Soviet forces open a much-needed railway link to Leningrad.

- 1942 – World War II: The Japanese take Bataan in the Philippines.

- 1943 – U.S. President Franklin D. Roosevelt, in an attempt to check inflation, freezes wages and prices, prohibits workers from changing jobs unless the war effort would be aided thereby, and bars rate increases by common carriers and public utilities.

- 1943 –Otto and Elise Hampel are executed in Berlin for their anti-Nazi activities

- 1945 – World War II: After an air raid accidentally destroys a train carrying about 4,000 Nazi concentration camp internees in Prussian Hanover, the survivors are massacred by Nazis.

- 1946 – Électricité de France, the world's largest utility company, is formed as a result of the nationalisation of a number of electricity producers, transporters and distributors.

- 1950 – India and Pakistan sign the Liaquat–Nehru Pact.

- 1952 – U.S. President Harry Truman calls for the seizure of all domestic steel mills to prevent a nationwide strike.

- 1953 – Mau Mau leader Jomo Kenyatta is convicted by British Kenya's rulers.

- 1954 – A Royal Canadian Air Force Canadair Harvard collides with a Trans-Canada Airlines Canadair North Star over Moose Jaw, Saskatchewan, killing 37 people.

- 1954 – South African Airways Flight 201 A de Havilland DH.106 Comet 1 crashes into the sea during night killing 21 people.

- 1959 – A team of computer manufacturers, users, and university people led by Grace Hopper meets to discuss the creation of a new programming language that would be called COBOL.

- 1959 – The Organization of American States drafts an agreement to create the Inter-American Development Bank.

- 1960 – The Netherlands and West Germany sign an agreement to negotiate the return of German land annexed by the Dutch in return for 280 million German marks as Wiedergutmachung.

- 1961 – A large explosion on board the MV Dara in the Persian Gulf kills 238.

- 1964 – The Gemini 1 test flight is conducted.

- 1968 – BOAC Flight 712 catches fire shortly after take off. As a result of her actions in the accident, Barbara Jane Harrison is awarded a posthumous George Cross, the only GC awarded to a woman in peacetime.

- 1970 – Bahr El-Baqar primary school bombing: Israeli bombers strike an Egyptian school. Forty-six children are killed.

- 1974 – At Atlanta–Fulton County Stadium, Hank Aaron hits his 715th career home run to surpass Babe Ruth's 39-year-old record.

- 1975 – Frank Robinson manages the Cleveland Indians in his first game as major league baseball's first African American manager.

- 1987 – Los Angeles Dodgers executive Al Campanis resigns amid controversy over racially charged remarks he had made while on Nightline.

- 1992 – Retired tennis great Arthur Ashe announces that he has AIDS, acquired from blood transfusions during one of his two heart surgeries.

- 1993 – The Republic of Macedonia joins the United Nations.

- 1999 – Haryana Gana Parishad, a political party in the Indian state of Haryana, merges with the Indian National Congress.

- 2004 – War in Darfur: The Humanitarian Ceasefire Agreement is signed by the Sudanese government and two rebel groups.

- 2006 – Shedden massacre: The bodies of eight men, all shot to death, are found in a field in Shedden, Elgin County, Ontario. The murders are soon linked to the Bandidos Motorcycle Club.

- 2008 – The construction of the world's first building to integrate wind turbines is completed in Bahrain.

- 2013 – The Islamic State of Iraq enters the Syrian Civil War and begins by declaring a merger with the Al-Nusra Front under the name Islamic State of Iraq and ash-Sham

[/spoiler]

[spoiler=Famous Birthdays:]

Famous Birthdays:

- 1827 – Ramón Emeterio Betances, Puerto Rican ophthalmologist, journalist, and politician

- 1859 – Edmund Husserl, Austrian mathematician and philosopher

- 1892 – Mary Pickford, Canadian-American actress, producer, and screenwriter, co-founded United Artists

- 1911 – Emil Cioran, Romanian-French philosopher and academic

- 1911 – Melvin Calvin, American chemist and academic, Nobel Prize laureate

- 1912 – Sonja Henie, Norwegian-American figure skater and actress

- 1918 – Betty Ford, American wife of Gerald Ford, 40th First Lady of the United States

- 1929 – Jacques Brel, Belgian singer-songwriter and actor

- 1938 – Kofi Annan, Ghanaian economist and diplomat, 7th Secretary-General of the United Nations

- 1941 – Vivienne Westwood, English fashion designer

- 1949 – John Madden, English director and producer

- 1968 – Patricia Arquette, American actress and director

[/spoiler]

Quote of the day

Instead of giving a politician the keys to the city, it might be better to change the locks.

- Doug Larson (American Journalist, *1926) -

Note: Penguania_And_Antarctica assumes no responsibility or guarantee for correctness of any given information. Any recourse to courts of law is excluded.

Russkov Soviet, Jaslandia, Vista Major, Axeldonia, Percyton

Awfully quiet today, isn't it? Anybody out there?

Yukona wrote:It's good to know one of the main selling points of my homeland is the stellar drunken sprawl that is the West Country accent. You should visit, there's some great areas and it's very rural. We have the best cider in the world too!

I wouldn't say a West Country accent is a 'drunken sprawl'; depending on the person (or engine), I think it can sound kinda charming. For example, Salty's accent can be a bit rough, but Rex and Trevor's accents sound very nice if you ask me.

Salty: https://youtu.be/iN634aYg56M?t=49s

Rex: https://youtu.be/3F3ZtNYEuME?t=2m35s

Trevor: https://youtu.be/9wE-sRkPEbw?t=1m54s

And I don't have much interest in cider, since I'm a steam engine, but my Driver and Fireman might like to try it. The rest also sounds very nice; there are lots of farms and countryside along the Ffarquhar Branch Line where I work, so I'm kinda a sucker for rural areas.

Jaslandia, Penguania And Antarctica, The West Country

Penguania And Antarctica wrote:I really do apologize for my bad behaviour on the Discord lately. I'll make sure to release my frustration at an other place. I do apologize for every person hurt, offended or affronted. I hope I'm still welcome. If not or if I'm not wanted in the chat at a certain times then don't hesitate to tell me right in the face. Thank you very much.

I don't go on Discord, so I don't know what you did. But if it means anything, I completely forgive you, and I would like you to say and feel very welcomed here!

Jaslandia, Penguania And Antarctica

Percyton wrote:Awfully quiet today, isn't it? Anybody out there?

I'm here, Percy! And yes, it has been quiet for the past couple days actually. Anyway, how are you?

Percyton wrote:Trevor's

Trevor? The one who REALLY likes children?

https://youtu.be/IjfwNwyhzXQ?t=3m20s

Axeldonia, Penguania And Antarctica, Percyton

Jaslandia wrote:I'm here, Percy! And yes, it has been quiet for the past couple days actually. Anyway, how are you?

I'm good, Jas. I'm getting a bit of an early start today; there's an important order of stone that needs to go out as soon as possible, so Sir Topham Hatt asked me to go up to Anopha Quarry this morning to help Toby, Mavis, and Nia fill the order. I would have preferred to sleep in than work at a dusty quarry, but Sir Topham Hatt says if I do a good job, I can take the Vicar of Knapford's Sunday school students to the beach.

But enough about me. How are you?

Jaslandia wrote:

Trevor? The one who REALLY likes children?

https://youtu.be/IjfwNwyhzXQ?t=3m20s

You're not the first one to make that joke, Jas. But don't worry, Trevor doesn't like children in THAT way, especially since he's machine who can't feel those kind of feelings. He just likes giving rides to the children and showing them a good time.

Percy's driver: Percy, your word choice doesn't exactly make Trevor seem any better.

Percy: What do you mean?

Percy's driver: Well, you see, uh... never mind.

Jaslandia, Penguania And Antarctica

Percyton wrote:I'm good, Jas. I'm getting a bit of an early start today; there's an important order of stone that needs to go out as soon as possible, so Sir Topham Hatt asked me to go up to Anopha Quarry this morning to help Toby, Mavis, and Nia fill the order. I would have preferred to sleep in than work at a dusty quarry, but Sir Topham Hatt says if I do a good job, I can take the Vicar of Knapford's Sunday school students to the beach.

But enough about me. How are you?

You're not the first one to make that joke, Jas. But don't worry, Trevor doesn't like children in THAT way, especially since he's machine who can't feel those kind of feelings. He just likes giving rides to the children and showing them a good time.

Percy's driver: Percy, your word choice doesn't exactly make Trevor seem any better.

Percy: What do you mean?

Percy's driver: Well, you see, uh... never mind.

Well I'm glad to hear about the Sunday school train, and I hope you enjoy it! And I've been good, Percy. A bit busy with schoolwork, but I think I can handle it.

Penguania And Antarctica, Percyton

Jaslandia wrote:Well I'm glad to hear about the Sunday school train, and I hope you enjoy it! And I've been good, Percy. A bit busy with schoolwork, but I think I can handle it.

Good to hear!

Jaslandia, Penguania And Antarctica

Post self-deleted by Russkov Soviet.

Nationstates... really now? Two days after celebrating our anniversary, some terrorist nut-headed cult decides to pop a couple of pipe-bombs in Pegasus City? That's one of our most revered cities, home of the CoFN's Diplomatic Center! And the media is even going crazy... Looks like I'm gonna have to mobilize the ENTIRE Equestrian Military. I haven't done that before. My predecessor did it a few times, but that was during the Soviet Collapse and the End of the Federation. Sorry Comrades... All borders are closed and tourism is out.

Nuremgard, Jaslandia, Penguania And Antarctica, Percyton, Spanelsko

Russkov Soviet wrote:Nationstates... really now? Two days after celebrating our anniversary, some terrorist nut-headed cult decides to pop a couple of pipe-bombs in Pegasus City? That's one of our most revered cities, home of the CoFN's Diplomatic Center! And the media is even going crazy... Looks like I'm gonna have to mobilize the ENTIRE Equestrian Military. I haven't done that before. My predecessor did it a few times, but that was during the Soviet Collapse and the End of the Federation. Sorry Comrades... All borders are closed and tourism is out.

#BlameYukona

Russkov Soviet, Jaslandia, Penguania And Antarctica

I see Amber Rudd admitted that her party's cuts to the police force and other emergency/intelligence services have caused a rise in national crime, but still wont own up to the comments made in a leaked memo - denying it's even about police numbers now. Less bobbies on the beat, less people being arrested for crimes they definitely committed - I don't know about you Amber, but I think you can come out and admit that it is all about that.

Spanelsko wrote:#BlameYukona

I have no idea who you even are mate

Nuremgard, Penguania And Antarctica, Spanelsko

Yukona wrote:I see Amber Rudd admitted that her party's cuts to the police force and other emergency/intelligence services have caused a rise in national crime, but still wont own up to the comments made in a leaked memo - denying it's even about police numbers now. Less bobbies on the beat, less people being arrested for crimes they definitely committed - I don't know about you Amber, but I think you can come out and admit that it is all about that.

I have no idea who you even are mate

Tories man. They’ll take everything but the blame.

Nuremgard, Axeldonia, Penguania And Antarctica, Yukona

Lex Caledonia wrote:Tories man. They’ll take everything but the blame.

The Conservative Party - "A Strong and Stable lack of anything but crippling relative poverty and soaring crime rates for Britain"

Nuremgard, Axeldonia, Penguania And Antarctica, Lex Caledonia

Post self-deleted by Lex Caledonia.

Yukona wrote:

I have no idea who you even are mate

You don't need to know that mate.

Yukona wrote:The Conservative Party - "A Strong and Stable lack of anything but crippling relative poverty and soaring crime rates for Britain"

Tories pretend to be the party of law and order and defence yet spend their years in government cutting both the police and armed forces to the bone.

It baffles me why morons continue to vote for them.

Axeldonia

The West Country wrote:Scotland also really aren't that pro-military and the SNP is quite liberal in the defence area, I doubt it'd be any bigger than Ireland's.

Even accounting for that size, it'd be threadbare at best. Generally, over half the cost of a military is personnel, this rises when there isn't a strong service component to the military like in America. Sweden has this issue quite prominently.

Nuremgard wrote:We'd need a decent navy to patrol the coastline though.

More reason, unfortunately, to stay with Britain on Defense.

Kalaron wrote:Even accounting for that size, it'd be threadbare at best. Generally, over half the cost of a military is personnel, this rises when there isn't a strong service component to the military like in America. Sweden has this issue quite prominently.

More reason, unfortunately, to stay with Britain on Defense.

No thanks. I don't want my country's defence in the hands of warmongering Tory arseholes.

Ludania, Axeldonia

Nuremgard wrote:No thanks. I don't want my country's defence in the hands of warmongering Tory arseholes.

Then the defense is forfeit. Money is the grand determinator of what happens in defense.

Kalaron wrote:Then the defense is forfeit. Money is the grand determinator of what happens in defense.

Because an independent Scotland will have no money obviously. *eye roll*

Axeldonia

Nuremgard wrote:Because an independent Scotland will have no money obviously. *eye roll*

I already calc'd out what the money from 2% GDP is, it's nine times smaller than Frances and that's not counting the 2£ billion dollar package being delieved. This is with zero drop from leaving Britain as well.

Good Day! Hope everyone has a good day!

Song of the day: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0fAQhSRLQnM

The Chancellor's Public Schedule [I]9 April 2018

(All times Eastern. Subject to change.)

16:00 The Chancellor holds his weekly conference with the Vice Chancellor

Jaslandia, Vista Major, Penguania And Antarctica

[spoiler=Update from Parliament]Attention Citizens,

A proposed amendment to an existing bill entitled The Amendment to the Court of International Law and Justice Membership Act has been introduced to Parliament and has been moved to a debate. Please take the time to read it and provide any feedback you might have for the author. The bill may be accessed here:

http://thecoffincofn.boards.net/thread/77/amendment-court-international-law-justice

Thanks,

[nation=short]Continental Commonwealths[/nation]

Speaker of Parliament[/spoiler]

Unfallious wrote:I haven't had a Parliament update telegram from Continental Commonwealths in 2 days now, does anyone know if he's alright?

I am, but it was a rough weekend in Saskatchewan.

Jaslandia, Vista Major, Penguania And Antarctica, Mercunova

Apparently in order to be an RA at my university, I will have to attend Catholic Mass weekly.

In other words

Probably won't be an RA

Vista Major, Axeldonia, Penguania And Antarctica

Sulania wrote:Apparently in order to be an RA at my university, I will have to attend Catholic Mass weekly.

In other words

Probably won't be an RA

What's an RA??

Vista Major

Sulania wrote:Apparently in order to be an RA at my university, I will have to attend Catholic Mass weekly.

In other words

Probably won't be an RA

Even for a religious university, requiring religious service attendance for something as secular as RA seems pretty silly. I'm not sure how attending a weekly Catholic Mass would make anyone a better RA.

Vista Major, Axeldonia, Penguania And Antarctica

Penguania And Antarctica wrote:What's an RA??

Resident assistant. Basically a student who supervises and assists their peers in a college housing dorm.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Resident_assistant

Vista Major, Axeldonia, Penguania And Antarctica

Penguania And Antarctica wrote:What's an RA??

it's the snitch

he is the first to die in the riots

Jaslandia, Vista Major, Axeldonia, Penguania And Antarctica

Sulania wrote:Apparently in order to be an RA at my university, I will have to attend Catholic Mass weekly.

In other words

Probably won't be an RA

I actually got hired as an RA, but then they assigned me to the apartment dorms. I'm gonna be the youngest motherfvcker in that complex but it's free so whatever.

Jaslandia, Vista Major, Penguania And Antarctica

[spoiler=Today is April 9 and today are:]

Today is April 9 and today are:

- Anniversary of the German Invasion of Denmark (Denmark)

- Appomattox Day

- Baghdad Liberation Day (Iraqi Kurdistan)

- Bataan Day or Araw ng Kagitingan (Philippines)

- Constitution Day (Kosovo)

- Day of National Unity (Georgia)

- Day of the Finnish Language (Finland)

- Easter Monday (Orthodox)

- Feast of the Second Day of the Writing of the Book of the Law (Thelema)

- Jenkins Ear Day

- Martyr's Day (Tunisia)

- National Cherish an Antique Day (United States)

- National Chinese Almond Cookie Day (United States)

- National Former Prisoner of War Recognition Day (United States)

- National Name Yourself Day (United States)

- National Unicorn Day (United States)

- National Winston Churchill Day (United States)

- Remembrance for Haakon Sigurdsson (The Troth)

- Vimy Ridge Day (Canada)

[/spoiler]

[spoiler=This day in history:]

This day in history:

- 0190 – Dong Zhuo has his troops evacuate the capital Luoyang and burn it to the ground.

- 0475 – Byzantine Emperor Basiliscus issues a circular letter (Enkyklikon) to the bishops of his empire, supporting the Monophysite christological position.

- 0537 – Siege of Rome: The Byzantine general Belisarius receives his promised reinforcements, 1,600 cavalry, mostly of Hunnic or Slavic origin and expert bowmen. He starts, despite shortages, raids against the Gothic camps and Vitiges is forced into a stalemate.

- 1241 – Battle of Liegnitz: Mongol forces defeat the Polish and German armies.

- 1288 – Mongol invasions of Vietnam: Yuan forces are defeated by Trần forces in the Battle of Bach Dang in present-day northern Vietnam.

- 1388 – Despite being outnumbered 16 to 1, forces of the Old Swiss Confederacy are victorious over the Archduchy of Austria in the Battle of Näfels.

- 1413 – Henry V is crowned King of England.

- 1440 – Christopher of Bavaria is appointed King of Denmark.

- 1454 – The Treaty of Lodi is signed, establishing a balance of power among northern Italian city-states for almost 50 years.

- 1511 – St John's College, Cambridge, England, founded by Lady Margaret Beaufort, receives its charter.

- 1585 – The expedition organised by Sir Walter Raleigh departs England for Roanoke Island (now in North Carolina) to establish the Roanoke Colony.

- 1609 – Eighty Years' War: Spain and the Dutch Republic sign the Treaty of Antwerp to initiate twelve years of truce.

- 1609 – Philip III of Spain issues the decree of the "Expulsion of the Moriscos".

- 1682 – Robert Cavelier de La Salle discovers the mouth of the Mississippi River, claims it for France and names it Louisiana.

- 1782 – American War of Independence: Battle of the Saintes begins.

- 1860 – On his phonautograph machine, Édouard-Léon Scott de Martinville makes the oldest known recording of an audible human voice.

- 1865 – American Civil War: Robert E. Lee surrenders the Army of Northern Virginia (26,765 troops) to Ulysses S. Grant at Appomattox Courthouse, Virginia, effectively ending the war.

- 1909 – The U.S. Congress passes the Payne–Aldrich Tariff Act.

- 1914 – Mexican Revolution: One of the world's first naval/air skirmishes takes place off the coast of western Mexico.

- 1916 – World War I: The Battle of Verdun: German forces launch their third offensive of the battle.

- 1917 – World War I: The Battle of Arras: The battle begins with Canadian Corps executing a massive assault on Vimy Ridge.

- 1918 – World War I: The Battle of the Lys: The Portuguese Expeditionary Corps is crushed by the German forces during what is called the Spring Offensive on the Belgian region of Flanders.

- 1918 – The National Council of Bessarabia proclaims union with the Kingdom of Romania.

- 1937 – The Kamikaze arrives at Croydon Airport in London. It is the first Japanese-built aircraft to fly to Europe.

- 1939 – Marian Anderson sings at the Lincoln Memorial, after being denied the right to sing at the Daughters of the American Revolution's Constitution Hall.

- 1940 – World War II: Operation Weserübung: Germany invades Denmark and Norway.

- 1940 – Vidkun Quisling seizes power in Norway.

- 1942 – World War II: The Battle of Bataan/Bataan Death March: United States forces surrender on the Bataan Peninsula. The Japanese Navy launches an air raid on Trincomalee in Ceylon (Sri Lanka); Royal Navy aircraft carrier HMS Hermes and Royal Australian Navy Destroyer HMAS Vampire are sunk off the island's east coast.

- 1945 – Execution of Dietrich Bonhoeffer, anti-Nazi dissident and spy, by the Nazi regime.

- 1945 – World War II: The German pocket battleship Admiral Scheer is sunk by the Royal Air Force

- 1945 – World War II: The Battle of Königsberg, in East Prussia, ends.

- 1945 – The United States Atomic Energy Commission is formed.

- 1947 – The Glazier–Higgins–Woodward tornadoes kill 181 and injure 970 in Texas, Oklahoma, and Kansas.

- 1947 – The Journey of Reconciliation, the first interracial Freedom Ride begins through the upper South in violation of Jim Crow laws. The riders wanted enforcement of the United States Supreme Court's 1946 Irene Morgan decision that banned racial segregation in interstate travel.

- 1947 – The United Nations Security Council Resolution 22, concerning the Corfu Channel incident, is adopted.

- 1948 – Jorge Eliécer Gaitán's assassination provokes a violent riot in Bogotá (the Bogotazo), and a further ten years of violence in Colombia.

- 1948 – Fighters from the Irgun and Lehi Zionist paramilitary groups attacked Deir Yassin near Jerusalem, killing over 100.

- 1952 – Hugo Ballivián's government is overthrown by the Bolivian National Revolution, starting a period of agrarian reform, universal suffrage and the nationalization of tin mines

- 1957 – The Suez Canal in Egypt is cleared and opens to shipping.

- 1959 – Project Mercury: NASA announces the selection of the United States' first seven astronauts, whom the news media quickly dub the "Mercury Seven".

- 1960 – Dr Hendrik Verwoerd, Prime Minister of South Africa and architect of apartheid, narrowly survives an assassination attempt by a white farmer, David Pratt in Johannesburg.

- 1961 – The Pacific Electric Railway in Los Angeles, once the largest electric railway in the world, ends operations.

- 1965 – Astrodome opens. First indoor baseball game is played.

- 1967 – The first Boeing 737 (a 100 series) makes its maiden flight.

- 1969 – The first British-built Concorde 002 makes its maiden flight from Filton to RAF Fairford.

- 1975 – The first game of the Philippine Basketball Association, the second oldest professional basketball league in the world.

- 1976 – The EMD F40PH diesel locomotive enters revenue service with Amtrak.

- 1980 – The Iraqi regime of Saddam Hussein kills philosopher Muhammad Baqir al-Sadr and his sister Bint al-Huda after three days of torture.

- 1981 – The U.S. Navy nuclear submarine USS George Washington accidentally collides with the Nissho Maru, a Japanese cargo ship, sinking it.

- 1989 – Tbilisi massacre: an anti-Soviet peaceful demonstration and hunger strike in Tbilisi, demanding restoration of Georgian independence, is dispersed by the Soviet Army, resulting in 20 deaths and hundreds of injuries.

- 1991 – Georgia declares independence from the Soviet Union

- 1992 – A U.S. Federal Court finds former Panamanian dictator Manuel Noriega guilty of drug and racketeering charges. He is sentenced to 30 years in prison.

- 1999 – Kosovo War: The Battle of Košare begins.

- 2003 – Iraq War: Baghdad falls to American forces; Iraqis turn on symbols of their former leader Saddam Hussein, pulling down a grand statue of him and tearing it to pieces.

- 2005 – Charles, Prince of Wales marries Camilla Parker Bowles in a civil ceremony at Windsor's Guildhall.

- 2009 – In Tbilisi, Georgia, up to 60,000 people protest against the government of Mikheil Saakashvili.

- 2013 – A 6.1–magnitude earthquake strikes Iran killing 32 people and injuring over 850 people.

- 2013 – At least 13 people are killed and another three injured after a man goes on a spree shooting in the Serbian village of Velika Ivanča.

- 2014 – A student stabs 20 people at Franklin Regional High School in Murrysville, Pennsylvania.

- 2017 – Palm Sunday church bombings at Coptic Churches in Tanta and Alexandria take place.

[/spoiler]

[spoiler=Famous Birthdays:]

Famous Birthdays:

- 1806 – Isambard Kingdom Brunel, English engineer, designed the Clifton Suspension Bridge

- 1821 – Charles Baudelaire, French poet and critic

- 1830 – Eadweard Muybridge, English photographer and cinematographer

- 1865 – Erich Ludendorff, German general and politician

- 1898 – Paul Robeson, American singer, actor, and activist

- 1918 – Jørn Utzon, Danish architect, designed the Sydney Opera House

- 1919 – J. Presper Eckert, American engineer, invented the ENIAC

- 1926 – Hugh Hefner, American publisher, founded Playboy Enterprises

- 1932 – Carl Perkins, American singer-songwriter and guitarist

- 1933 – René Burri, Swiss photographer and journalist

- 1933 – Jean-Paul Belmondo, French actor and producer

- 1945 – Steve Gadd, American drummer and percussionist

- 1954 – Iain Duncan Smith, British soldier and politician, Secretary of State for Work and Pensions

- 1971 – Jacques Villeneuve, Canadian race car driver

- 1975 – Robbie Fowler, English footballer and manager

- 1980 – Clueso, German singer, rapper, songwriter and producer

- 1985 – Tim Bendzko, German singer-songwriter

- 1990 – Kristen Stewart, American actress

[/spoiler]

Quote of the day

Find something you're passionate about and keep tremendously interested in it.

- Julia Child (American Chef, 1912-2004) -

Note: Penguania_And_Antarctica assumes no responsibility or guarantee for correctness of any given information. Any recourse to courts of law is excluded.

Jaslandia, Vista Major, Axeldonia, Mercunova, Percyton

Jaslandia wrote:Even for a religious university, requiring religious service attendance for something as secular as RA seems pretty silly. I'm not sure how attending a weekly Catholic Mass would make anyone a better RA.

My thoughts exactly. Frankly, I shouldn't have to waste my time going to Mass when I already have my own place of worship that I go to every Sunday. Forcing me to go to Mass on campus is just not something I'm for.

Jaslandia, Axeldonia

Jaslandia wrote:Resident assistant. Basically a student who supervises and assists their peers in a college housing dorm.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Resident_assistant

Unfallious wrote:it's the snitch

he is the first to die in the riots

Ah okay. Seems odd to me but whatever.

Axeldonia

Continental Commonwealths wrote:I am, but it was a rough weekend in Saskatchewan.

I'm sure it was rough ;)

Jaslandia

Sulania wrote:My thoughts exactly. Frankly, I shouldn't have to waste my time going to Mass when I already have my own place of worship that I go to every Sunday. Forcing me to go to Mass on campus is just not something I'm for.

At least it's not Liberty University and their convocations

Alruniea, Jaslandia

Penguania And Antarctica wrote:

- 0475 – Byzantine Emperor Basiliscus issues a circular letter (Enkyklikon) to the bishops of his empire, supporting the Monophysite christological position.

'Circular letter'? So, like an 'O'? Just an 'O' doesn't seem like it would convey much information. So it's probably referring to this:

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Circular_letter

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Encyclical

Penguania And Antarctica wrote:Ah okay. Seems odd to me but whatever.

How so? Do German universities not have RAs?

Chernarus State wrote:At least it's not Liberty University and their convocations

True. Stuff like that is why I'm skeptical of a lot of religious universities. Some, like Georgetown, have managed to mostly break free from their religious basis and operate on a secular basis. But others (like Liberty and evidently Duquesne) are still too steeped in religion for my tastes, and I don't see much use for them unless you're a member of the same religion as the college is, AND you're willing to embrace whatever dogma they profess (like with Liberty University, they often profess conservative politics and use their convocations to host conservative figures like Ted Cruz, so even if you're a Baptist like Liberty University is, if you're a liberal you're likely going to feel out of place at Liberty).

Axeldonia, Penguania And Antarctica, Percyton

Jaslandia wrote:evidently Duquesne

Duquesne is really a mix bag. In some ways they're progressive and have become more secular (Don't prohibit condoms or sexual activities, various classes from gender studies to Islam, a GSA and Gender Forum are on campus, has a wing of staff dedicated to Student Life and Inclusion, ect) but in other ways they're pretty traditional (Required religious courses, no opposite-sex overnight stays [same sex is fine because "There are no gays at Duquesne," real quote by a former President of the school], apparently required mass for RA's, and the newspaper can't publish anything about abortion, ect).

I love Duquesne, but you have to be willing to get a mixed bag when you come here of religious tradition and progress.

Alruniea, Jaslandia, Vista Major

https://www.strawpoll.me/15470217

Plz help me decide

EDIT: To clarify, this will be a full on-retcon and will most likely take the form of a constitutional monarchy.

Ludania, Penguania And Antarctica

Sulania wrote:Duquesne is really a mix bag. In some ways they're progressive and have become more secular (Don't prohibit condoms or sexual activities, various classes from gender studies to Islam, a GSA and Gender Forum are on campus, has a wing of staff dedicated to Student Life and Inclusion, ect) but in other ways they're pretty traditional (Required religious courses, no opposite-sex overnight stays [same sex is fine because "There are no gays at Duquesne," real quote by a former President of the school], apparently required mass for RA's, and the newspaper can't publish anything about abortion, ect).

I love Duquesne, but you have to be willing to get a mixed bag when you come here of religious tradition and progress.

I see. Fair enough. Like Tex said, at least it's not Liberty.

Sulania wrote:Duquesne is really a mix bag. In some ways they're progressive and have become more secular (Don't prohibit condoms or sexual activities, various classes from gender studies to Islam, a GSA and Gender Forum are on campus, has a wing of staff dedicated to Student Life and Inclusion, ect) but in other ways they're pretty traditional (Required religious courses, no opposite-sex overnight stays [same sex is fine because "There are no gays at Duquesne," real quote by a former President of the school], apparently required mass for RA's, and the newspaper can't publish anything about abortion, ect).

I love Duquesne, but you have to be willing to get a mixed bag when you come here of religious tradition and progress.

Duquesne is a myth.

Vista Major, Penguania And Antarctica

I do so love all these journos in the newspapers calling for military intervention in Syria. I assume they have signed themselves up to the army? Or their children?

Nah. Of course not. Other people's children will die so the journos can moralise from the safety and comfort of their offices and homes.

Alruniea, Axeldonia, Penguania And Antarctica, Mercunova, Gualimole

Nuremgard wrote:I do so love all these journos in the newspapers calling for military intervention in Syria. I assume they have signed themselves up to the army? Or their children?

Nah. Of course not. Other people's children will die so the journos can moralise from the safety and comfort of their offices and homes.

Get ready to have Kal write three paragraphs about why military intervention in Syria is needed and about how the US and its NATO allies need to stay in the country indefinitely.

Nuremgard, Axeldonia, Penguania And Antarctica, Yukona

Sulania wrote:"There are no gays at Duquesne,"

Wait till I get there

Oh boi

Jaslandia wrote:at least it's not Liberty.

You dare insult a proud Virginian college?!

I'll let this one slide

Penguania And Antarctica

Gualimole wrote:Get ready to have Kal write three paragraphs about why military intervention in Syria is needed and about how the US and its NATO allies need to stay in the country indefinitely.

Not our war. There is no direct danger to us. I don't want our troops dying in yet another Arab country tearing itself apart.

Axeldonia, Penguania And Antarctica

Erm, hi there.

Also we should stay the hell out of Syria.

Russkov Soviet, Nuremgard, Axeldonia, Penguania And Antarctica, Yukona

Deimosan wrote:Erm, hi there.

Also we should stay the hell out of Syria.

Hear bloody hear.

Axeldonia, Penguania And Antarctica

Oh, I'm new too.

Russkov Soviet, Nuremgard, Axeldonia, Penguania And Antarctica, Percyton

Deimosan wrote:Oh, I'm new too.

Welcome to the region. Cool flag.

Axeldonia, Penguania And Antarctica, Percyton, Deimosan

Nuremgard wrote:Not our war. There is no direct danger to us. I don't want our troops dying in yet another Arab country tearing itself apart.

But don't you understand that Assad is a Russian puppet? If we don't have the CIA and the Pentagon funding different Syrian rebels that then fight against one another, then Putin's Russia will simply become more powerful, which is bad because Putin has always been an aggressor and we always been defenders if you ignore NATO's expansion into Eastern Europe in the 2000s. Troops need to die for complex geopolitical reasons that they likely don't even understand. And the US needs to spend hundreds of billions of dollars on defense while 45,000 Americans die each year from a lack of access to basic health care because the US will be weak and undefended if we don't spend more on defense than the next thirteen nations combined. I also like posting pictures of shiny guns on Discord.

Alruniea, Nuremgard, Axeldonia

Gualimole wrote:But don't you understand that Assad is a Russian puppet? If we don't have the CIA and the Pentagon funding different Syrian rebels that then fight against one another, then Putin's Russia will simply become more powerful, which is bad because Putin has always been an aggressor and we always been defenders if you ignore NATO's expansion into Eastern Europe in the 2000s. Troops need to die for complex geopolitical reasons that they likely don't even understand. And the US needs to spend hundreds of billions of dollars on defense while 45,000 Americans die each year from a lack of access to basic health care because the US will be weak and undefended if we don't spend more on defense than the next thirteen nations combined. I also like posting pictures of shiny guns on Discord.

You're talking too much sense, mate. We need more blind jingoism and imperialism!

Axeldonia, Penguania And Antarctica

Nuremgard wrote:You're talking too much sense, mate. We need more blind jingoism and imperialism!

Only the enemy engages in such tactics. Anyone who says otherwise is a Russian puppet.

Nuremgard, Axeldonia

[spoiler=Another Update from Parliament]Four Proposal Moved to Debate

Four proposals have been brought before Parliament and moved to a debate, all of which will conclude on Thursday, April 12. They are as follows:

An amendment to an existing piece of legislation entitled the Amendment to the Court of International Law and Justice Act, accessible here:

http://thecoffincofn.boards.net/thread/77/amendment-court-international-law-justice

A bill entitled the Codification of Internal Affairs Act, accessible here:

http://thecoffincofn.boards.net/thread/82/codification-internal-affairs-act

A bill entitled the Mentorship Act, accessible here:

http://thecoffincofn.boards.net/thread/81/mentorship-act

A proposed amendment to the Constitution entitled the Citizen Confidentiality Amendment, accessible here:

http://thecoffincofn.boards.net/thread/80/citizen-confidentiality-amendment

As always, everyone is encouraged to read the proposals and, should they feel so inclined, provide feedback to the author.

Thanks,

[nation=short]Continental Commonwealths[/nation]

Speaker of Parliament[/spoiler]

Vista Major, Penguania And Antarctica, Lex Caledonia, Percyton

Gualimole wrote:Only the enemy engages in such tactics. Anyone who says otherwise is a Russian puppet.

I've been seeing that argument a lot. If you dare disagree with the official narrative, you're a Putin bot. And of course, when the West drops bombs in Syria and kills children, that's "collateral damage" but when Russia does it, they do it deliberately.

And even though Asaad has no feasible reason to use poison gas against his own people, he just does it anyway because he's a Bond villain.

Axeldonia, Gualimole

Nuremgard wrote:I've been seeing that argument a lot. If you dare disagree with the official narrative, you're a Putin bot. And of course, when the West drops bombs in Syria and kills children, that's "collateral damage" but when Russia does it, they do it deliberately.

And even though Asaad has no feasible reason to use poison gas against his own people, he just does it anyway because he's a Bond villain.

https://www.hrw.org/news/2009/03/25/israel-white-phosphorus-use-evidence-war-crimes

https://www.investigaction.net/en/yemen-a-western-sponsored-genocide/

Nuremgard, Axeldonia

Gualimole wrote:https://www.hrw.org/news/2009/03/25/israel-white-phosphorus-use-evidence-war-crimes

https://www.investigaction.net/en/yemen-a-western-sponsored-genocide/

Ah, yes, yes. Selling bombs to Saudis so they can blow Yemenis to bits is just good business. And let's just ignore the recent killings by Israel again. They're our allies so when they do bad stuff, that doesn't count. Only those states which do not serve our geopolitical aims for the region are capable of carrying out atrocities against civilians. Funny that, eh?

Axeldonia, Gualimole

Nuremgard wrote:Ah, yes, yes. Selling bombs to Saudis so they can blow Yemenis to bits is just good business. And let's just ignore the recent killings by Israel again. They're our allies so when they do bad stuff, that doesn't count. Only those states which do not serve our geopolitical aims for the region are capable of carrying out atrocities against civilians. Funny that, eh?

https://twitter.com/Liz_Cheney/status/974011713187205121

"Opposing torturers in government means that you support terrorism."

Nuremgard, Axeldonia

Gualimole wrote:https://twitter.com/Liz_Cheney/status/974011713187205121

"Opposing torturers in government means that you support terrorism."

Maybe somebody ought to waterboard Gina and Liz. We'll see how pro-torture they are then.

Axeldonia

Deimosan wrote:Oh, I'm new too.

Welcome to the CoFN! My name is Aleksander D Coltsov and I am the current Premier of the Equestrian Union. Sorry for the late introduction and welcome, for we are busy over here dealing with a recent terrorist attack. The timing is a bit odd on it, coming just two days after our 97th Anniversary of our nation (My 5th Year in this game). If there's anything we can do to help, let us know. I also extend an olive branch towards you, in the hopes of continuing my nations equine-human relations. (Yes... I am a nation of anthropomorphic equine warriors.. friendly ones mind you xD)

Nuremgard, Penguania And Antarctica, Percyton

Russkov Soviet wrote:Welcome to the CoFN! My name is Aleksander D Coltsov and I am the current Premier of the Equestrian Union. Sorry for the late introduction and welcome, for we are busy over here dealing with a recent terrorist attack. The timing is a bit odd on it, coming just two days after our 97th Anniversary of our nation (My 5th Year in this game). If there's anything we can do to help, let us know. I also extend an olive branch towards you, in the hopes of continuing my nations equine-human relations. (Yes... I am a nation of anthropomorphic equine warriors.. friendly ones mind you xD)

Have you discovered who was behind the attack?

Russkov Soviet, Penguania And Antarctica

Nuremgard wrote:Maybe somebody ought to waterboard Gina and Liz. We'll see how pro-torture they are then.

Torture only makes you a terrorist if you are against us and the US. If you're throwing dissidents off of helicopters in Chile, then you're fine. If you're using mustard gas against civilians while you're in a war against our common enemy, then you're fine.

Nuremgard, Axeldonia

Gualimole wrote:Torture only makes you a terrorist if you are against us and the US. If you're throwing dissidents off of helicopters in Chile, then you're fine. If you're using mustard gas against civilians while you're in a war against our common enemy, then you're fine.

I f*cking loathe Western foreign policy.

Axeldonia

Nuremgard wrote:Have you discovered who was behind the attack?

We have three potential leads. (Rebel groups from Maxtopia, the remains of the Scandinavian privateers, and apparently Neo-Nazis? Well then...)

Nuremgard, Penguania And Antarctica

Russkov Soviet wrote:We have three potential leads. (Rebel groups from Maxtopia, the remains of the Scandinavian privateers, and apparently Neo-Nazis? Well then...)

Oh, sorry. Those neo-Nazis might be sympathisers of my new fascist country the Aryanlands.

Russkov Soviet, Penguania And Antarctica

Nuremgard wrote:I f*cking loathe Western foreign policy.

Get ready for a certain someone to specify that its American, not Western, foreign policy that you loathe.

Axeldonia

Gualimole wrote:Get ready for a certain someone to specify that its American, not Western, foreign policy that you loathe.

NATO foreign policy is basically American foreign policy. So I still say Western. Especially since the UK just loves following the US down the rabbit hole.

Axeldonia

Nuremgard wrote:Oh, sorry. Those neo-Nazis might be sympathisers of my new fascist country the Aryanlands.

Hmm... The privateers are still kicking, but I didn't expect them to hit this far in. Maxtopia seems unlikely as the bodies were ID positive from Blackacre. Any your Aryanlanders have been active, but mostly holding rallies... watched by armored vehicles and soldiers, but peaceful nonetheless. I do have semi-free speech xD.

Nuremgard, Percyton

Russkov Soviet wrote:Hmm... The privateers are still kicking, but I didn't expect them to hit this far in. Maxtopia seems unlikely as the bodies were ID positive from Blackacre. Any your Aryanlanders have been active, but mostly holding rallies... watched by armored vehicles and soldiers, but peaceful nonetheless. I do have semi-free speech xD.

If they are Aryan sympathisers, the Reich wont apologise for that because...well...to them, you are communist pigs. :P

Russkov Soviet

Nuremgard wrote:If they are Aryan sympathisers, the Reich wont apologise for that because...well...to them, you are communist pigs. :P

We honestly would expect such... especially from the Reich and their bastard children. Unfortunately, Its looking like Blackacre more and more, but you never know.

Nuremgard

Russkov Soviet wrote:We honestly would expect such... especially from the Reich and their bastard children. Unfortunately, Its looking like Blackacre more and more, but you never know.

Which real life country would Russov be? Russia I'm assuming?

Russkov Soviet, Percyton

Gualimole wrote:https://twitter.com/Liz_Cheney/status/974011713187205121

"Opposing torturers in government means that you support terrorism."

Torture is a moral issue that should be opposed in all its forms.

Axeldonia, Gualimole

Nuremgard wrote:Which real life country would Russov be? Russia I'm assuming?

You assume correctly.

Nuremgard, Percyton

Russkov Soviet wrote:You assume correctly.

Then in real life it would share a border with the Aryanlands which is basically Europe excluding Britain and Ireland.

Russkov Soviet

Nuremgard wrote:Then in real life it would share a border with the Aryanlands which is basically Europe excluding Britain and Ireland.

That puts your Aryanlands on par with the Third Reich around 1941, just before Operation Barbarossa. Nice.

Nuremgard

Sulania wrote:Torture is a moral issue that should be opposed in all its forms.

Get ready to have an argument with Kal. He believes that torture is justified in some cases.

Axeldonia

Russkov Soviet wrote:That puts your Aryanlands on par with the Third Reich around 1941, just before Operation Barbarossa. Nice.

The Aryanlands are like the Third Reich but not as brutal.

Russkov Soviet

Nuremgard wrote:Not our war. There is no direct danger to us. I don't want our troops dying in yet another Arab country tearing itself apart.

That's fine, but the alternative is Assad gassing kids and terrorizing his subjects while Russia and China put a powerful authoritarian boot down on the world and terror organizations continue to build in strength and number across the globe. Disconnecting from conflicts is a bad way to deal with it if you really want to end the problem.

Gualimole wrote:Get ready to have Kal write three paragraphs about why military intervention in Syria is needed and about how the US and its NATO allies need to stay in the country indefinitely.

To fix the situation? No, I guess we should just get used to terror attacks and the fall of nations because "Job was done, they left the nation". Ah the glory of letting it be someone else's problem until it comes back again because we decided to think three seconds ahead.

Gualimole wrote:But don't you understand that Assad is a Russian puppet? If we don't have the CIA and the Pentagon funding different Syrian rebels that then fight against one another, then Putin's Russia will simply become more powerful, which is bad because Putin has always been an aggressor and we always been defenders if you ignore NATO's expansion into Eastern Europe in the 2000s. Troops need to die for complex geopolitical reasons that they likely don't even understand. And the US needs to spend hundreds of billions of dollars on defense while 45,000 Americans die each year from a lack of access to basic health care because the US will be weak and undefended if we don't spend more on defense than the next thirteen nations combined. I also like posting pictures of shiny guns on Discord.

Ah yes, that NATO expanded into willing countries that neighbor Russia is so bad that they should invade Ukraine. What's next? Georgia 2: electric boogaloo?

I wont even bother trying to explain it to you though, it's clear that from our past conversations that you just get overly emotional to the point of being outright insulting, so it's pretty moot to even try. Congrats, explaining my points to you is actually beyond me by this point since I'm honestly P-tired of going over the same thing with you endlessly.

Nuremgard wrote:Ah, yes, yes. Selling bombs to Saudis so they can blow Yemenis to bits is just good business. And let's just ignore the recent killings by Israel again. They're our allies so when they do bad stuff, that doesn't count. Only those states which do not serve our geopolitical aims for the region are capable of carrying out atrocities against civilians. Funny that, eh?

Israel is a complex situation, yes. That's why most neutral answers don't ride the "Down with Israel" train, Nur. The situation only gets more complex when you don't view them as an abnormal monolith but rather as a nation shaped by it's events, bud. No one credible is saying "Israel did nothing wrong" bruv, but that "Israel is literally the worst country ever because they overreact to things because of prior events that shape their political viewpoints". It's neither realistic, fair or actually reasonable to to boil the situation down to "Israel bombed kids because Israel is the worst" just like how it's not reasonable to say "Palestine did nothing wrong/Palestine are all wide-eyed bambis" I've been down that road and it leads to an inevitable informed neutrality on the situation since you gradually become aware of the fact that the Israeli people have a completely different lexicon for the world than a westerner. But hey, what do I know; I only talk to an Israeli who lives close enough to the boarder to have nearly been killed by missiles >.>

Of course, regardless, when Israel kills some people it's not them going specifically out of their way to kill innocent folks because they said "I mildly dislike the choices made by the establishment" tbh so y'know.

Nuremgard wrote:I've been seeing that argument a lot. If you dare disagree with the official narrative, you're a Putin bot. And of course, when the West drops bombs in Syria and kills children, that's "collateral damage" but when Russia does it, they do it deliberately.

And even though Asaad has no feasible reason to use poison gas against his own people, he just does it anyway because he's a Bond villain.

Assad is literally dropping barrel bombs -let me define that for you, Nurem. He's dropping unguided ordinance in his cities and streets from heights where, if he's lucky, they might have a massive CEP of maybe 70+Meters- While the US is dropping guided weapons that are massively more accurate. The difference is less than staggering on paper, but it sure matters a lot when we're discussing attacks on civilians. And Assad does attack civilians? His dad did it extensively since that's literally how he handled the revolts last time they flared up. Assad might as well be a Russian puppet by this point as well since he literally works hand in hand with Putin's actual military and Putin's PMCs tho so it is functionally the same thing when we discuss Russia openly supplying a man who's whole legacy will probably be built on "Killed the most civilians ever in Syria", honestly.

Assad totally does have a reason? It's the same as Russia as well.

The United States and the West itself -as I've pointed out a million times before- is becoming more insular with age. Putin knows that all it really takes to dishearten the rebels is a sign that true support that isn't in a broken and piecemeal fashion isn't coming. Each time he uses chemical weapons and gets away with literally nothing more than a slap on the wrist is a reason to use the weapon, and the US doesn't even have a good track record for responding since the first time he crossed the Red-Line we literally did nothing whatsoever against him.

War is a stage, Nur. And applying the "He can't be that dumb" shotck doesn't work when you realize that -Trump's TLAM attack outstanding- he really has gotten away before.

Assad and Putin have a foreign policy based in being "Tough" so that people play ball with them or get dead. Why would this be different -without using the Western Lexicon of "The US would stop them" that's been complained about a billion times before- from before?

Sorry if the above sounded annoyed, I'm just exasperated by the bait that Const clearly can't help but lay down.

Gualimole wrote:Get ready to have an argument with Kal. He believes that torture is justified in some cases.

Considering I have a NRCAT bumper sticker on my car that says quite plainly "Torture is a Moral Issue," I'm pretty set in that opinion.

Kalaron wrote:That's fine, but the alternative is Assad gassing kids and terrorizing his subjects while Russia and China put a powerful authoritarian boot down on the world and terror organizations continue to build in strength and number across the globe. Disconnecting from conflicts is a bad way to deal with it if you really want to end the problem.

To fix the situation? No, I guess we should just get used to terror attacks and the fall of nations because "Job was done, they left the nation". Ah the glory of letting it be someone else's problem until it comes back again because we decided to think three seconds ahead.

Ah yes, that NATO expanded into willing countries that neighbor Russia is so bad that they should invade Ukraine. What's next? Georgia 2: electric boogaloo?

I wont even bother trying to explain it to you though, it's clear that from our past conversations that you just get overly emotional to the point of being outright insulting, so it's pretty moot to even try. Congrats, explaining my points to you is actually beyond me by this point since I'm honestly P-tired of going over the same thing with you endlessly.

Israel is a complex situation, yes. That's why most neutral answers don't ride the "Down with Israel" train, Nur. The situation only gets more complex when you don't view them as an abnormal monolith but rather as a nation shaped by it's events, bud. No one credible is saying "Israel did nothing wrong" bruv, but that "Israel is literally the worst country ever because they overreact to things because of prior events that shape their political viewpoints". It's neither realistic, fair or actually reasonable to to boil the situation down to "Israel bombed kids because Israel is the worst" just like how it's not reasonable to say "Palestine did nothing wrong/Palestine are all wide-eyed bambis" I've been down that road and it leads to an inevitable informed neutrality on the situation since you gradually become aware of the fact that the Israeli people have a completely different lexicon for the world than a westerner. But hey, what do I know; I only talk to an Israeli who lives close enough to the boarder to have nearly been killed by missiles >.>

Of course, regardless, when Israel kills some people it's not them going specifically out of their way to kill innocent folks because they said "I mildly dislike the choices made by the establishment" tbh so y'know.

Assad is literally dropping barrel bombs -let me define that for you, Nurem. He's dropping unguided ordinance in his cities and streets from heights where, if he's lucky, they might have a massive CEP of maybe 70+Meters- While the US is dropping guided weapons that are massively more accurate. The difference is less than staggering on paper, but it sure matters a lot when we're discussing attacks on civilians. And Assad does attack civilians? His dad did it extensively since that's literally how he handled the revolts last time they flared up. Assad might as well be a Russian puppet by this point as well since he literally works hand in hand with Putin's actual military and Putin's PMCs tho so it is functionally the same thing when we discuss Russia openly supplying a man who's whole legacy will probably be built on "Killed the most civilians ever in Syria", honestly.

Assad totally does have a reason? It's the same as Russia as well.

The United States and the West itself -as I've pointed out a million times before- is becoming more insular with age. Putin knows that all it really takes to dishearten the rebels is a sign that true support that isn't in a broken and piecemeal fashion isn't coming. Each time he uses chemical weapons and gets away with literally nothing more than a slap on the wrist is a reason to use the weapon, and the US doesn't even have a good track record for responding since the first time he crossed the Red-Line we literally did nothing whatsoever against him.

War is a stage, Nur. And applying the "He can't be that dumb" shotck doesn't work when you realize that -Trump's TLAM attack outstanding- he really has gotten away before.

Assad and Putin have a foreign policy based in being "Tough" so that people play ball with them or get dead. Why would this be different -without using the Western Lexicon of "The US would stop them" that's been complained about a billion times before- from before?

Sorry if the above sounded annoyed, I'm just exasperated by the bait that Const clearly can't help but lay down.

Do you have proof that Asaad is using gas against children? And if he's killing political dissidents, so what? Saudi Arabia and other Gulf monarchies do that. Why you not moralising for invading them? Or is Syria special just because Russia has influence there?

Kalaron wrote:Assad is literally dropping barrel bombs -let me define that for you, Nurem. He's dropping unguided ordinance in his cities and streets from heights where, if he's lucky, they might have a massive CEP of maybe 70+Meters- While the US is dropping guided weapons that are massively more accurate.

Nurem probably very well did not know the definition of a barrel bomb, but you coulda just defined it instead of dropping the pretentious 'let me define that for you, Nurem' that implies that you're talking down to him instead of having a discussion with him on an equal footing.

Nuremgard, Penguania And Antarctica, Yukona

Gualimole wrote:Get ready to have Kal write three paragraphs about why military intervention in Syria is needed and about how the US and its NATO allies need to stay in the country indefinitely.

🤔

Yukona

Nuremgard wrote:Do you have proof that Asaad is using gas against children? And if he's killing political dissidents, so what? Saudi Arabia and other Gulf monarchies do that. Why you not moralising for invading them? Or is Syria special just because Russia has influence there?

Assad isn't using chemical weapons to kill children specifically, that's a moral device used by interventionists to justify intervention into conflicts such as this. What is known is that his regime has used chemical weapons in cities in order to combat rebels. Civilians have been amongst those impacted by these attacks and have been injured and killed as a result. Chemical weapons fall under weapons of mass destruction legally, and interventionists profess that it is their moral responsibility to combat the use of WMDs whenever and wherever they are used.

Of course, it doesn't take a genius to see that the real reason Syria is becoming the next interventionist vacation spot is that it's an easy opportunity for the US to topple a regime that has been supporting Russia for a while. Chemical weapons are just the latest excuse used to justify this sphering competition.

So yeah Nurem, you're pretty much right. It's because Russia is there.

Nuremgard, Axeldonia, Yukona

Unfallious wrote:Assad isn't using chemical weapons to kill children specifically, that's a moral device used by interventionists to justify intervention into conflicts such as this. What is known is that his regime has used chemical weapons in cities in order to combat rebels. Civilians have been amongst those impacted by these attacks and have been injured and killed as a result. Chemical weapons fall under weapons of mass destruction legally, and interventionists profess that it is their moral responsibility to combat the use of WMDs whenever and wherever they are used.

Of course, it doesn't take a genius to see that the real reason Syria is becoming the next interventionist vacation spot is that it's an easy opportunity for the US to topple a regime that has been supporting Russia for a while. Chemical weapons are just the latest excuse used to justify this sphering competition.

So yeah Nurem, you're pretty much right. It's because Russia is there.

If intervention in Syria goes to a vote in Parliament, I hope to God they veto it just like how they vetoed Cameron's desire to intervene in Libya. But I have a horrible feeling that the Labour right will back May just to give Corbyn a bloody nose. They will literally have blood on their hands - the blood of Syrians and British troops - just so they can undermine their own leader. That's how psychotic they are.

Axeldonia

Nuremgard wrote:Do you have proof that Asaad is using gas against children? And if he's killing political dissidents, so what? Saudi Arabia and other Gulf monarchies do that. Why you not moralising for invading them? Or is Syria special just because Russia has influence there?

It's been used by the Assad government with the full knowledge that it would affect children, and it's a WMD as well so there's that.

Israel, the origin of that statement, isn't Saudi Arabia. I've said nothing yet on the Saudis or the other gulf monarchies.

Unfallious wrote:Nurem probably very well did not know the definition of a barrel bomb, but you coulda just defined it instead of dropping the pretentious 'let me define that for you, Nurem' that implies that you're talking down to him instead of having a discussion with him on an equal footing.

You're correct there. I was a bit heated after seeing multiple baiting posts with thinly veiled insults go whizzing by Nurem so I really wasn't thinking about a gentle response. I was too rough with what I said there, quite honestly.

Kalaron wrote:It's been used by the Assad government with the full knowledge that it would affect children, and it's a WMD as well so there's that.

Israel, the origin of that statement, isn't Saudi Arabia. I've said nothing yet on the Saudis or the other gulf monarchies.

You're correct there. I was a bit heated after seeing multiple baiting posts with thinly veiled insults go whizzing by Nurem so I really wasn't thinking about a gentle response. I was too rough with what I said there, quite honestly.

So since you're for intervention in Syria, Kal, when you going over there?

Axeldonia, Yukona, Gualimole

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