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A most auspicious occasion


Moridin

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[center] [img]http://images.wikia.com/cybernations/images/f/f7/Vox7-2.png[/img]

[left]

Today marks the second anniversary of the disbandment of an alliance unique in the history of CyberNations. Vox Populi entered the world stage as a suicide pact between eleven disaffected has-beens, and left it triumphant beyond our wildest expectations. We have not seen its like again, and may never. This is not to claim it is the greatest or most influential alliance - or indeed any other superlative - but unique.

In typical Doitzel fashion, our favorite wordsmith has abrubtly disappeared, and given the similar absence of other more notables names, it has been requested that I post this in their place. I am sure it will not be difficult to identify the author of this anniversary piece.

[quote]
[size="5"][b]In Your Own Words[/b][/size]
[i]Or why you're all stupid[/i]

No, really. It's hard to believe you're not [i]trying[/i] to be so dense.

There were 250 people in Vox Populi in the opening days. That's a lot relative to the active participants around here both now and then. A lot of you are still around. Some of you are even in places of influence. Yet you've forgotten everything that was exciting and inspiring in those few days and the revolution more broadly. [i](No, I don't mean Bob Sanders's comedically poor grammar.)[/i] We broke free and stood up to say "no" to all the established conventions that were the pillars of the Continuum and all blocs of power that seek to dominate.

Yet here everyone is, comfortably settled back into their cozy niches, contented to jump and dance to the same old tunes. Wars are still nearly indefinite. Treaty webs grow more complex even as populations dwindle. Harsh surrenders are still enforced on those attacked on the flimsiest of bases the moment one side of the endless staring contest decides he has the upper hand. Political discourse has again degenerated to tired internet memes and toilet humour because nobody else can find anything else to talk about. This couldn't be farther from the truth.

There are so many of you who are not from the first and second generations, who were [i]not[/i] here when the bricks were laid to suit the political interests of the NPO and its lackeys. Yet you follow those leads unquestioningly. Has anyone ever stopped to ask, "why?" Why do you need a treaty to fight for or against an alliance you are willing to defend? Why is joining in such a manner so frowned-upon? [i](Hint: it's because it throws a wrench in the plans of those setting up curbstomps.)[/i] Why are entire alliances held responsible for the unsanctioned actions of individual members? Why is it so reprehensible to fire the first shot?

There are so many questions unasked and thus unanswered. The only way these ingrained doctrines of the past are going to be challenged is if someone stands up and challenges them, not just with action, but with reason, with courage, and with determination. Don't underestimate what you can accomplish by these virtues. To borrow a phrase of the day, someone has to put a weasel in the shorts of the man: if not you, who? And if not now, when? It's in plain sight to all, at this point: if someone doesn't do something then these ruins will just continue to crumble. Don't wait for someone else to put their foot out first, because if they never do then all hope is lost.

Communities are only self-sustaining for so long. A loss of uniting purpose and interest is inevitable with the same routine day-in and day-out. [i](Fun fact: this is why divorce rates are so high.)[/i] Action and interaction is the only way to preserve the bonds you cherish. Two years ago Vox Populi passed the torch along to those who cheered us on. I confess myself disappointed. The disbanding of Vox Populi was -- and [b]is[/b] -- a day to be remembered. So, let's remember.

[quote name='neneko' timestamp='1242859608' post='1543315']
I'd be sad to see you disband but I know this is a begining not an end.
[/quote]

[quote name='Dajobo' timestamp='1242859670' post='1543321']
Farewell Vox and thankyou.
The world needs people who fight for what they believe in.
[/quote]

[quote name='Logan' timestamp='1242861119' post='1543394']
Vox, despite the haters, I was one of those people who you helped give a voice to. For without you, we would all still be lost in the dark. And now the worms in the gutter are blowing up the elitists in the stars.
[/quote]

[quote name='President Obama' timestamp='1242861778' post='1543423']
You guys changed the game for the better.

That is more than most can say.
[/quote]

[quote name='Matthew Conrad' timestamp='1242862026' post='1543435']
Whether you believed in their methods or not; whether you like them at all or not, these people did something with more guts than a vast majority could stomach.
[/quote]

[quote name='PorkPotPie' timestamp='1242870563' post='1543895']
How depressing, one of the major stories ending. I suppose a new one will start...
[/quote]

[quote name='Shodemofi' timestamp='1242873360' post='1544108']
Vox, you truly were a one of a kind alliance. You've changed Planet Bob, and shown once and for all that you don't have to be a 900 member alliance to change the game. Thank you.
[/quote]

[quote name='Roadie' timestamp='1242875262' post='1544238']
I certianly hope this does not mean Doitzels martyrdom will stop. I've rather enjoyed reading 'LOOK AT ME! LOOK AT ME!'
[/quote]

[quote name='Sal Paradise' timestamp='1242878931' post='1544514']
Every person that spied for Vox is a hero. They were able to transcend the morality of the hegemony slave masters and risked their futures in this world for its greater good.

Don't let the house slaves of Pacifica judge what you've done. Hold your heads high. We are forever in your debt.
[/quote]

Well, there's a lot more, but you get the idea. All of the above are recently active.

I remember the days when enemies challenged us to "do something about it", when we did something about it, and how immensely fun it was. Let go of the conventions and, for want of better phrasing, live a little. You might be surprised at how little you actually have to lose.[/quote]

And now, let the traditional claims of irrelevance begin!
[/left][/center]

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The hundreds of alumni of Vox Populi have spread across the world in the two years since the charter was suspended. At certain times of the year, we graying revolutionaries dust off our traveling boots, and gather to remember the time we were needed most and stood up not for our sakes, but those around us. I am proud of what we did and who we are, and proud to have known each of you regardless of where time has carried us.
Wherever home is today, never forget where you were in the months before May 20, and never forget that the fight did not end that day.

Pro populo!

Edited by Schattenmann
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[color="#0000FF"]Doitzel warned people to keep vigilant. They should have known well enough that they ought to heed his words, but instead we have all been greeted with choruses of "but MK and SF are different." It is a fool's wish, but maybe now people will come to their senses. Here's to hoping that we do not again remember what many of us fought for, and what we pray to keep.[/color]

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Vox will certainly go down as one of the most important alliances and movements in CN. Fun days. All sides can agree on that. Glad I got to see it since it was definitly one of the best political times to see in CN. Congrats to all who fought in Vox.

o/ Vox

Edited by Ryan Greenberg
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I would do it all again, and I thank my compatriots. To borrow a phrase, we were the backyard schemers and rainbow dreamers, the vagabonds and the beautiful people. The revolution continues, the cause lives on and the dream can never die.

Edited by New Frontier
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I was going to post this but was unable to since I was at work all night. Just going to add my own little bit to this thread.

I joined Vox Populi at what was probably my lowest point in my CN career. I was on several PZI lists, with no real chance at getting off of them (the reasons why were never really explained to me, I suspect I am just hated that much). It was at this point that I turned to a band of revolutionaries, fighting for freedom, not just for themselves, but for all nations of Bob. Free from the tyrannical rule of those who feared that the masses would eventually learn of the strings they used to control them. Free from the curbstomping jackboots of those who deemed us "unfit" for thier world order. Free from those who sought to remain in power at all costs. It was at this time that I realized that the situation I was in was not misfortune but opportunity. The opportunity to make a difference, to fight for what I believed to be true, to fight against the evils that corrupted the leaders of the ruling class. I took this opportunity and ran with it, doing as much as I could to further the cause of Vox.

In my time in Vox I rose from a simple recruit, to a prominent member, to a two term senator. All this time my only goal, and our goal as a whole, was to show the world that they way things were was not the only way things could be. That things could be better, and that, no matter what, we would stand for that betterment, and that we would fight for it to our dying breaths. Even as our goals came closer to reality, as our own personal freedoms were realized, I knew that what we did was not enough, would never be enough, without people to listen to us and follow our lead. While some follow that lead today, most still do not, and things have shifted back towards what they once were. While I do not forsee a reformation of Vox Populi in the near future, I believe that some kind of changing force will be needed evetually to counteract these forces once again. I know that when that time comes I will join this force, and hopefully fulfill the initial vision of Vox Populi.

Ave, Vox Populi!

Edited by Chunk Monkey
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I can remember not trusting Vox Pop when it kicked off, I had just got rolled in the GATO-1V war and remembered seeing many names whom I saw as part of Pax Pacifica and the crimes it imposed, and I just thought there is no way in hell these guys could be a benevolent and positive force for change. But as time went on I saw that these guys did indeed want to change things for the better and one of my regrets in CN is not joining/helping VP.

Vox Populi, I salute thee.

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This was a nice read. I want to say though even if this is off topic, that We are all united in some way. Whether Friend or Foe, we are all what makes or breaks the planet of bob and its community. We all have our own visions, our own beliefs. While one alliance might believe one thing and another alliance may believe something else. We all work hard to make our alliance prosper. Some just do it better than others. In the end however without the efforts many in the past and even today. The world of planet bob would cease to exist.

as the saying goes the world is what we make of it

Edited by jereish1
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What I’m about to publish dates from an earlier time when I actually gave a damn, so you’ll have to forgive the melodrama. Remember, pre-Karma we actually believed that our fight was a matter of good and evil. Or at least I did. For various reasons I could not publish it until now. I think it captures the spirit of our world post-WotC.

[quote]
Spirit. It cannot be broken and it cannot be stolen away. Those on EZI lists and near deletion may feel otherwise, and certainly Pacifica would have us believe it so. But in truth, the spirit remains, sometimes buried but never fully removed.

That is the false assumption of the Francoists and the danger of such reductionist materialism. The Imperial Officers, I have come to learn, claim to have a ‘scientific’ understanding of human psychology. Francoism is supposedly their most important contribution to our world. I think not. Better to call Francoism Vladimir’s greatest lie.

The physical powers of the body cannot be separated from the rationale of the mind and the emotions of the heart. They are one and the same, a compilation of a singular being. It is in the harmony of these three – body, mind, and heart – that we find spirit.

How many tyrants have tried? How many rulers have sought to reduce their subjects to simple, unthinking instruments of profit and gain? They steal the loves, the beliefs of their people; they seek to steal the spirit.

Ultimately and inevitably, they fail. This I must believe. If the flame of the spirit’s candle is extinguished, there is only death, and the tyrant finds no gain in a kingdom littered with corpses.

But it is a resilient thing, this flame of spirit, indomitable and ever-striving. In some, at least, it will survive, to the tyrant’s demise.

Spirit. In every language, in every nation, in every time and place, the word has a ring of strength and determination. It is the hero’s strength, the mother’s resilience, and the poor man’s armour. It cannot be broken, and it cannot be taken away.

This I must believe.
[/quote]

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While Vox succeeded in it's short term objective, failed in the long term one and here we are back in the same routine. Many will argue, mostly those who are in power nowadays, that the PZI/EZI/Viceroys are no longer enforced but this isn't enough.

Cyberverse really miss Vox Populi.

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[quote name='D34th' timestamp='1306021148' post='2716282']
While Vox succeeded in it's short term objective, failed in the long term one and here we are back in the same routine. Many will argue, mostly those who are in power nowadays, that the PZI/EZI/Viceroys are no longer enforced but this isn't enough.

Cyberverse really miss Vox Populi.
[/quote]
Vox Populi didn't wage its war so that everyone could sit in a circle and sing Kumbaya. I know many of my comrades felt that terms, or at least terms they felt to be exceptionally punitive, were an evil to be destroyed. Just so that we're clear, that was not a universally accepted truth among our ranks.

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[quote name='Moridin' timestamp='1305946918' post='2715858']
And now, let the traditional claims of irrelevance begin!
[/quote]

I liked you even when you were in Vox, Moridin. That said, though Vox was certainly not irrelevant, it was far less relevant to events than many of its former members insist.

Edited by Crymson
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[quote name='Crymson' timestamp='1306032899' post='2716367']
I liked you even when you were in Vox, Moridin. That said, though Vox was certainly not irrelevant, it was far less relevant to events than many of its former members insist.
[/quote]
And far more so than some of its former victims insist.

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