maskofblue

Everyone knows that Oddjob is the leader of Ronin

This is why you are only Regent, it is clearly Soylent Greemlins.

[quote name='LittleRena' timestamp='1301030091' post='2675789'] It's okay, I'm transgender, unless you where planning on raising a family, I don't see why it couldn't work [/quote] Can always adopt... or have glitter butt babies

This should be over soon, good luck NADC

[quote name='SpoiL' timestamp='1300002113' post='2662673'] What is wrong with any of that? They shouldn't exist because they play to win? The only thing NPO needed to ever have changed is the [s]game[/s]world-killing tactics and terms. If you expect otherwise than perhaps [url="http://pbskids.org/teletubbies/teletubbyland.html"]you have entered[/url] the wrong URL. [/quote] My post stands without any need for a built in moral judgment. The point was not that it is immoral to, in your words, play to win, but rather that when everything you do is a calculated political maneuver to expand your power base to destroy your opposition, firstly, future actions are likely going to be operating under the same MO, and, secondly, your conciliatory actions are going to be seen in the same light as your past ones, that is to say, insincere political scheming because that is, in all probability, precisely what they are.

[quote name='hawk_11' timestamp='1300001927' post='2662666'] I'm going to plug the radio show which has been linked numerous times: Cortath did try to reach out to FAN. We did try for actual change. [/quote] He gave some appearance of it sometimes, yes. However, firstly, it is worth noting, all he sent FAN were words. Words cost the NPO nothing but are an easy way to try to build political capital and demonstrate change. If the NPO were really interested in change, why not create the apology then? Second, the appearance of change counts for little when the expressed policy is to fake the appearance of change to gain breathing room to rebuild, rearm, and regain the dominant position in the world.

[quote name='hawk_11' timestamp='1300001404' post='2662652'] Well yeah, nothing in this thread changes how the NPO operates, but time and experience does. How long have you been removed from our alliance again? I mean, sure you were a long standing member back during the days where these things happened, but you were removed quite some time ago. As far as I'm concerned, you're not really a great judge of our actions when you weren't even around under the current emperor. [/quote] Two points of historical correction. Firstly, I was never removed, I quit after a demonstration of how the NPO is willing to treat its own members. Secondly, I did in fact serve under Emperor Cortath for a time before I quit. More to the point, however, Cortath was an active IO when all of these discussions took place and I don't recall any dissent from him on the same planning floated by Moo and Dilber that has been mentioned here. He had ample opportunity to express a desire for actual change as opposed to mere political repositioning by the most expedient means available in order to take another stab at it. He did not.

[quote name='Schattenmann' timestamp='1300000639' post='2662635'] Spoken like a true participant. The simple fact of the matter is that FAN was made an example of, and it worked so well that no one dared cross Pacifica again, and took the [i]greatest delight[/i] in doing NPO's dirty work for them for a long time. Does that mean that now NPO has no ability to look back ad say, [i]hm, you know what, that was a dick move, and maybe [u]we[/u] thought that our getting an ass-whipping and then letting the FAN thing lay would be satisfactory, it seems it wasn't and we should re-examine the issue.[/i] No, it doesn't. [/quote] I don't deny my part in it. I did a lot of things back then and many of them are things I am not proud of. Personally, I have little to nothing to do with what happened with FAN being a leader of the Media department, I may have created a graphic or a propaganda post at some point though I cannot recall any specific examples of such. Nothing I say or do now will change any of it. What I did have, however, was a good deal of exposure to information. Regardless, none of this is particularly relevant to the facts of the matter here. You and others are welcome to keep trying to refocus the topic on myself and others who were involved at one level or another and maybe there is some blame to go around. However, none of that changes how the NPO operates. When their back is against the wall they deal in what they feel is most advantageous to them, when at all possible, that being to issue words at problem to try and better their position. Words are abundant and free, something an alliance on the losing end of a war can afford to give away in bulk. It is also something they can take back later should they feel the need to, all they have to say is they were under duress when they made it. A bid for political capital and sympathy is the logical thing to do in their position, it is what they have always done. It is why they can't be trusted now to be sincere and nothing of any personal involvement I had with them in the past changes how they work.

[quote name='Gandroff' timestamp='1300000226' post='2662625'] You say that like you weren't around for all of it. [/quote] Certainly I was. I was one step below an IO for much of it. All the question about how I know, the answer is I had an advanced level of access. Even had I not been IAC at the time, enough former IOs are more than willing to talk about how the NPO was run and provide documentation. I was, however, never in a position to change policy.

[quote name='Charles Stuart' timestamp='1299995283' post='2662498'] We told you we had changed. Of course, you don't want your own members to believe we have changed so you keep continuing this farce of an evil Pacifican bogeyman who is out for revenge. Nothing motivates a person better than fear after all. [/quote] Yes, and behind closed doors the leadership of NPO said that they needed to pretend to change so the world would leave them alone long enough for bloody retribution. At no point in history has NPO expressed any sympathy, remorse, or regret for what happened with FAN. In the beginning it was a calculated move for their own power. In the months and years that followed, they continued to do everything in their power to strangle the life out of them. It wasn't until the majority of the world united against them and through overwhelming force of arms hauled them off of FAN that they even stopped. Now, in the middle of a bad situation, one they need political capital and peace desperately, they issue an apology? How can any of you sit there with a straight face and pretend this is anything other than a contrived political maneuver made for reasons more related to self-preservation than sincere contrition? Let's be real here, the NPO advanced in the game by ruthlessly maneuvering themselves into positions of power using anyone and anything at their disposal to do so. Each time they were forced to make a concession, the moment they regained the upper hand, they either took it back ten times over or rewrote history to claim it never happened. Look no further than their last apology, which they retracted as soon as they had the force behind them to do so. This policy has served them well, historically, until Karma. However, the net result is that they are never sorry for anything they do, only the consequences of it. Their only sincerity lies in their drive to conquest and to destroy their enemies. The only thing more vacuous than an NPO apology is one who accepts it as genuine.

[quote name='Van Hoo III' timestamp='1299808060' post='2659320'] GOD are damned if they do and damned if they don't. If they keep pushing for disbandment, they are monsters ... if they back down and decide to grant peace, it is due to "pressure" ... [/quote] Poor Xippy Mm ba ba de Um bum ba de Um bu bu bum da de Pressure pushing down on me Pressing down on you no man ask for Under pressure - that burns a building down Splits a family in two Puts people on streets Um ba ba be Um ba ba be De day da Ee day da - that's o.k. It's the terror of knowing What this world is about Watching some good friends Screaming 'Let me out' Pray tomorrow - gets me higher Pressure on people - people on streets Day day de mm hm Da da da ba ba O.k. Chippin' around - kick my brains around the floor These are the days it never rains but it pours Ee do ba be Ee da ba ba ba Um bo bo Be lap People on streets - ee da de da de People on streets - ee da de da de da de da It's the terror of knowing What this world is about Watching some good friends Screaming 'Let me out' Pray tomorrow - gets me higher high high Pressure on people - people on streets Turned away from it all like a blind man Sat on a fence but it don't work Keep coming up with love but it's so slashed and torn Why - why - why ? Love love love love love Insanity laughs under pressure we're cracking Can't we give ourselves one more chance Why can't we give love that one more chance Why can't we give love give love give love give love give love give love give love give love give love 'Cause love's such an old fashioned word And love dares you to care for The people on the edge of the night And love dares you to change our way of Caring about ourselves This is our last dance This is ourselves Under pressure Under pressure Pressure

Not many people can survive the Peanut Butter and Jelly sandwich Master Xippy, congrats UPN on not completely falling apart.

[quote name='The MVP' timestamp='1299044746' post='2649310'] Criticism is pointless, got it. [/quote] Criticism is great, go and criticize. The problem is you don't do criticism. What you do is musically equivalent to high pitched static, white noise aimed at whoever happens to be doing well at any given time. If you actually stood for something, actually presented some kind of cogent, coherent, useful thought process, then there might be a point to what you say. What we get instead is a consistent pattern of general hostility pointed at the largest audience you can find essentially every time you speak and I would be hard pressed, I think, to find someone who doesn't know it. The worst part of it all is that you are so convinced of your own wit and cleverness when you've yet to display either. I'm done with you. You've derailed this enough with behavior reminiscent of a baboon frat boy and as a community we have better things to do than give you more time in the spotlight and more time on the podium.

[quote name='The MVP' timestamp='1299044377' post='2649299'] First off that made no sense, secondly I'm saying you're pathetic and this decision should come as no surprise to most if they knew who you were. That's all. In a way it's like I'm defending you all. You're all angry at me but instead... y-y-you can thank me now and oh my goodness you're welcome, you're welcome! [/quote] You could have saved us all time by just saying there was no point to your posts instead of going to length to demonstrate it.

[quote name='Maelstrom Vortex' timestamp='1299043634' post='2649278'] Pacifica has changed. You're imbibing our old vomit.. you know.. the things that the world hated that were part of us that were making us ill. I hope you enjoy rancid meat. Then again, it's not new to you.. is it, exile? [/quote] Whether Pacifica has changed or not, the world will never know. The expressed strategy of Pacifica after Karma was to feign change, to skip the next few wars if possible, to make hollow token gestures to other red sphere alliances, to avoid public aggression until they had rebuilt their machine enough to do otherwise. Because your entire strategy centered around faking that you had changed, if you really have, well, you shot yourself in the foot in a grand way. Also, you aren't anywhere near as deep and poetic as you think you are. Just stop.