Thrasymachus

I guess nuclear weaponry is close enough to dousing them with gasoline and tossing a match. However, I find the infestation here to be most unworthy of destruction and I wish them no harm whatsoever. While their forms of communication are seemingly foreign to conventional practices, their many-legged methods of self-contemplation also contribute to the exploration of our selfsame universal questions of production, power, war and peace.

Sad but necessary. Also, epic

Free your mind from those received conceptual chains and you will see that perpendicular action is always a possibility. With your six legs and enormous antennae, the world is your picnic.

You sound like a great leader who has earned some genuine allies. All the best in keeping your chin up and continuing to make a difference for the better on Planet Bob.

Curses! I have to google this every time!

Your enthusiasm is contagious. The marketplace and team parliament ideas sound especially entertaining. Here's to a few more traffic jams ending like this one

Corrected

Links should all work now. Thanks again for catching the errors!

Feel free to add your blog in the comments or correct me if I have it classified incorrectly. Staff Admin's Blog Vivi's Blogotorium by Vivi A Day In The Life of a Sith Lord by Darth Revan, Philotheos' Blog by Philotheos Assassination Protocols by HK47 Alliances: Aurora Borealis by PumpkinKing IRON, The Republican News Network, by Sithis Knights Of Aragon by Cool3atool Individuals: NOVA and HM by HM4A1 Bama's Blog by BamaBuc The Boris Blog of Bacon by Lord Boris Best Blog Ever by Blacky BROG by bros2 The Life and Times of Cheyenne by Cheyenne The Syzygian Hall of Ages by (DAC)Syzygy Dandy Diatribes by Doitzel (added 11/17) destro's Blog by thedestro Insert Clever Name Here by Duncan King Gopherbashi's Blog by Gopherbashi Philosophic Rage by Xiphosis Nintenderek's Blog by Nintenderek Serian New Corporation by Bob Janova The Predictive Pastry by Delta1212 Thrasymachus' Blog by Thrasymachus The Blog of Shens by Zikawe Turkeybowl Fun Times by Goose I am bigwoody. by bigwoody Vladimir Stukov II's Blog by Vladimir Stukov II The State of Maligore by Maligore Haflinger's Blog by Haflinger Zoomzoomzoom's Blog by Zoomzoomzoom Experience The AUT by The AUT President Obama's Blog by President Obama Fark Worker Ant Blogs, A Bee Blog and One by a Spider: Antbarican_Idol #224 by Ackbarican_Idol Hill Highlights by Emperor Norton I Ramblings of #17 by chewy milk #1208, the Poet of the Hill by treygreen13 #440's Blog by SupremeCourtJudge Subterranean Homesick Blues by Captain V #239 is fight by Arturus Jefferson #2345 by urger The Life of 5729 by Ruler with Plan X Webutt's assassination blog (By a Spider, not an Ant) by Moose Hole Random Thoughts by #699 by nuke me Oh, what my compound eyes have seen by #1655's Blag by Flragnararch Lostintheanthill by Lostindenver Worker #260 Blog by RomeroLand #2345's Blog by urger #312 by Sir Loin of Beef #384242 by Danielg42 Bite Bite Bite Chew by Mattistan Deep Thoughts with #1480 (The Bee) by Karsh TunnelVision by RavingMainyYak CaptainImpavid's Blog by CaptainImpavid Just another Number by GypsyFire1 Confessions of #604 by squidflakes Blogs coming soon: Kumquats and Crabsticks By Dirk Farkly LOLBLOG by RedvsBlue999 Waianae Times by Mobius 1 Dandy Diatribes by Doitzel Jungle Boy Times by Edward Curella OneThousandSixHundredSixtyTwo by Persephone3 =LOST= in a Haze of Blog by Mandellav Ro's Blog by Princess Aurora Soup Assassin Bug's Creed by Billy-Bob Kenobi

I foresee great things here

So long as the conflict-linking treaties are MADPs and not treaties with optional defensive or aggression clauses, it seems preemptive wars do stand on pretty firm "legal" ground, insofar as taking them literally is concerned. An MADP is a public announcement that the alliance will attack or defend on behalf of its treaty partner no matter what. Of course we have seen that it rarely works that way, which is why I can see your concern. One solution here seems to already be occurring with some second tier alliances: there seems to be an increase in the number of optional aggression/defensive clause treaties. If a trend develops where alliances are attacked preemptively for possessing treaties with optional aggression/defense clauses, then I would see a strong case for condemnation. Preemptive war is an interesting development, but I see it somewhat positively since it forces alliance leaders to consider very closely what a treaty with and without optional clauses means.

Maybe ants and spiders are part of some larger Fark secret code? They are pretty clever over there... Also, look forward to more of your writings, since you are one of Planet Bob's most unpredictable commentators. Cheers

Superb analysis, looking forward to reading more.

What else is there but self-preservation in a game like this? I have been trying to figure that out for some time now and still not sure how to answer. As for real friendship as the basis for a treaty, especially if you mean real life friendship....that is extremely dangerous and has created a lot of problems in alliance and international politics. If you have not been betrayed yet by someone you think is a "friend," it's just a matter of time if your alliance and leadership presence keeps growing. In a roleplaying game like this, not all friends here are the friends or even the enemies you think they are and people find lying to be much more acceptable than they would in real life since they are just players and this is just a game. As for having treaties based on the merits of a conflict, that is a rare luxury, such as when we are building coalitions preparing for a war. Oftentimes, you will find yourself bound to participate in a war by treaties you believe in, but not how the wars started. That whole damned treaty web thing, like when some itty bitty protectorate one of your friends has screws up and another alliance or coalition uses that as a reason to destroy your friend..and then you by extension. Yeah, it sucks, but no one is safe, which I suppose is part of what keeps the text-game adrenaline junkies coming back for more. Just don't get frustrated and remember to keep this all in the perspective of a game. In other words, lying and deceit is a huge part of planet bob politics, and it's what keeps so many active in upper level politics. The best ones just don't get caught or pinned down.

The most effective alliance leaders keep their closest allies in private, with or without treaties. They keep tabs on their potential enemies through the formality of publicly announced treaties. The complexity of the treaty web is more about keeping track of where everyone will fall in any given scenario. It has little at all to do with friendship. I do, however, agree with your sense of morality, even if it is mostly irrelevant in defensive and offensive treaty commitments. edit: also, cheers

It was nice to see those here, when almost every other forum/discussion board I visit was an echo chamber for Obama, just as they were for Kerry in '04. Conservative and Libertarian types have a long, long way to go in building communities like the left has on the internet.

You should make this a regular column! So many abused words in CN, so little time.

Which view of compromise most closely resembles yours?

edit - different ring now

PM Sent

Just pm'd you as interested.

PM me in game if this is an offer of 3m for 50 tech. I can send the 50 tech upon receipt of payment to a middleman immediately or to you in 10 days.