The Crusader (Public Service Announcement)

[Former President tack50]

I remember someone once described Griffin as Atlasia's Donald Trump, so this seems really fitting

[Unconditional Surrender Truman]

I remember someone once described Griffin as Atlasia's Donald Trump, so this seems really fitting

That would be Adam himself.

[Adam Griffin]

Very flattering! These women NEED TO GO

[Deep Dixieland Senator, Muad'dib (OSR MSR)]

Very flattering!

Indeed!
MAGA 2020!

[Pericles]

Very flattering!

Indeed!
MAGA 2020!

Good to see you've already conceded the October 2019 election

[Deep Dixieland Senator, Muad'dib (OSR MSR)]

Good to see you've already conceded the October 2019 election

How so? Are you saying that the President isn't a man of his word and is running?

[S019]

Very flattering!

Indeed!
MAGA 2020!

But America was already great, I'm sorry I just have to insert my Never Trump commentary.

[Lumine]

Centristlocks

An Atlasian Fable

Once upon a time, there was a young
girl named Centristlocks, who lived at
the edge of the Fantasy board.

She was called Centristlocks because
her heroic moderation shined in the sun,
though voters oft did not appreciate her looks.

Centristlocks was curious by nature, and
often looked for parties to join. One bright
and shiny morning she set out for a stroll on
the dangerous Government board.

She came upon an empty Congress, looked
at the windows, and couldn’t find a soul.
Lacking partisan manners and an actual way
to get elected, she went right in just for fun.

It was the first thing she saw, three hammocks
of different height, size and color, all aptly titled
“Estate Tax”. “This looks fun!”, thought Centristlocks,
and instantly jumped into the orange one at the right.

“Oh!” she complained “this one is absurdly low!”
She placed the orange hammock higher and higher,
but it was never comfy enough. “Feels like Trumpism!”
Tired of it, she jumped into the maroon one at the left.

“Oh!” she complained “this is stupidly high!”
She placed the red hammock lower and lower,
but it was never comfy enough. “Feels like Socialism!”
Tired of it, she jumped into the blue one at the center.

“Oh” she uttered in a moderate tone “This is alright.”
She dozed off to sleep on the balanced hammock,
it felt properly stable, and something to be maintained.
“Which idiot would want it lower? Or Dave forbid, higher?”

As Centristlocks slept, the owners of Congress returned home.
Labor Bear carried a red basket of crippling taxes.
Fed Bear carried an orange basket of deregulation.
There wasn’t a third bear because the others
really, really hated Parliamentarism.

They were not prepared for what they found at home.
“Someone lowered my estate tax!”, growled Labor Bear
“Someone raised my estate tax!”, growled Fed Bear
There was some silence before they remembered
Centrist Bear no longer existed. “Silly us”, they laughed.

“Quiet! You’re both wrong!”, whined Centristlocks
“Your hammocks are too high or too low! Only this one
is balanced enough to be good!”, she concluded.
Labor Bear and Fed Bear looked at Centristlocks,
promptly devoured her and began to set their
hammocks just the way they were before.

“You know”, said Fed Bear, “Your hammock is too high.”
“You know”, replied Labor Bear, “Yours is too low.”
“You Marxist!”
“Trump lover!”

And peace was missing in Congress for long.

[Peanut]

This is a masterpiece.

[Unconditional Surrender Truman]

There wasn’t a third bear because the others
really, really hated Parliamentarism.

Literally laughed out loud.

[Kingpoleon]

Shhh! You’ll expose Goldilocks, which is a fairy tale told throughout the world, as ((((centrist)))) propaganda!

Do you have any idea how long it took the Five Families (of the centrist mob) to agree to that? And then spread it across the planet?

[Lumine]

The Resurrection of Peace by the Messiah Razze

Miracle performed as Peace Party is apparently defeating death
Crowds flock to Jerusalem Florida in search for the Messiah
Labor officials react: "He's not the messiah! He's a very naughty leftist."

₁

_____________________________
^{1.) Original Image:
The Resurrection of Lazarus or The Raising of Lazarus, Leon Bonnat, 1857, Wikimedia Commons, modified for arguably unfunny Atlasia satire.}

[P. Clodius Pulcher did nothing wrong]

It never died to begin with!

[Southern Senator North Carolina Yankee]

The concept of a very hipsterish, anti-war Jesus is rather fitting considering Atlasian history.

[Lumine]

August 5th, 2019

Miracle at the Census Bureau

Party affiliation remains stable for a whole week
11 different parties continue to exist, only half are troll or zombie-based
Professional moderates and serial switchers go days without changing parties
(The Crusader's Director included)

"Save Yankee" campaign in place

Atlasians join forces to save old institution
Duke comes out swinging in support of the Senator
Unopposed race a possibility?

An Activity Paradox?

Congress, Regions appear reasonably active
Administration signs bills, but is there a narrative or a vision?
Things kind of slow on Elections board?

[Lumine]

The Confederate Flag should Go

And citizen action should be praised

Editorial, by Lumine

It must be said that he situation in the South is one of absurdity.

By following absolute notions of incontrovertible electoral will in matters of regional symbols, through tolerating pointless edginess and a disregard towards a few historical lessons when it comes to the Confederacy, and by either trolling or abdicating responsibility at the crucial moments, a number of representatives – many of them esteemed, respected players – have allowed themselves to be put in a truly absurd position. That is to say, the position of willingly allowing a Confederate flag to stand as a new symbol of the South and repeating the mantra that, as this was the result of a non-binding referendum, it must and will be implemented blindly, though a heavy heart.

There’s very little point in choosing a symbol of secession, slavery and treason as a hill to die on, which is what some elected representatives have ended up doing almost by omission. Their reasons have a logic of their own, one that in most situations would indeed be sensible. Any democratic system must aspire to represent the people, and yet when it comes to a non-binding referendum with a result which is at least questionable in terms of the message it sends, it appears there are players who will not flinch when it comes to implementing the non-binding result through law, delegates willing to vote it unanimously with no debate, and officeholders prepared to sign it or to do something childish about the issue.

Among the greatest of the principles espoused by Burke during his career is the notion that elected representatives owe their constituents the outmost respect, communication and attention; but also their actual and honest judgement, and the sacrifice of such a judgement – and indeed, of one’s actual beliefs – for the sake of public opinion to be an error, a breach of trust, and a fundamental betrayal of the voter when the representative fails to be who he is, and fight for what he believes in. It is not a perfect notion, and it is something many of us have breached at least once with good reasons, but it is an important principle to be taken into account.

I think this is one of such instances in which the judgement of elected representatives should have prevailed, particularly when it is an issue of symbols. Representatives should have the courage to say no to something that goes against their ethics, and it is disappointing that in this day and age the use of the Confederate flag as a symbol of a region and its people should still be encouraged, for the sake of an odd belief on its power to be representative, which does not appear to be the case whenever serious discussion is involved. I am not a citizen of the South, and yet I can’t believe a flag that stood for secession, war and slavery could ever be an appropriate symbol of the South and its citizens.

This issue is now to go to another referendum, a process in which thanks to the initiative of citizens this problem may be corrected. But it is a worrying notion for the future, that regardless of what is voted on or polled in binding or non-binding fashion we will have players who will implement such outcomes uncritically, something which bodes badly for a game in which at times debate has been lacking on very relevant issues.

[Southern Senator North Carolina Yankee]

It makes no sense to me why any self-described nationalist would want to embrace neo-confederacy. If lets say after Brexit, a group of wealthy people wanted to continue trading with the EU in a manner detrimental to the British interests and also were importing cheap third world labor, you can bet hell would be raised by nationalists over this occurring.

And yet no one seems to realize that the Southern Planter class were not nationalists, they were a financial elite, whose profits necessitated free trade with our former colonial oppressor and the cheapest of all foreign labor one could have.

If you were an economic nationalist in 1860, the only the candidate who represented your views was Lincoln.

I will never understand why any libertarian would embrace neo-confederacy. If say we had discussion of a place like the Soviet Union, which was built likewise by slave labor and the detriment of the free market that inevitably arises from such and also including the rampant violations of free speech and other natural liberties necessitated to enable such a system, you be assured that they would be among the first to criticize such a crime against the human condition existing any such Communist or totalitarian regime.

And yet it is forgotten that that the South and its slave economy were preventing economic growth and preventing market competition from occurring in the labor market. It should also be noted that slavery could not have existed without massive government intervention to prop it up, and preserve it. And of course there was a massive infringement on freedoms of speech, press, religion and assembly, not to mention associate when it came to those who sought to oppose this system. Furthermore you could be compelled to join in its preservation via the fugitive slave act, which meant that your rights to your own conscience were tossed aside to enable the governments forceful intervention to preserve what had become in effect a labor monopoly at the expense of a free labor market.

If you were a libertarian in 1860, the candidate who best matches your views would probably have been Douglas, but I would make a strong pre-administration case for Lincoln as well though obviously his economic nationalism would be hostile to a libertarian view as well.

Lastly, I will never understand why any constitutionalists (including any believe in State's Rights) would be favorable towards the Confederacy. If we had any other situation where someone was espousing a set of beliefs while routinely deviating and violating those beliefs, any such true constitutionalists would call out their hypocrisy if this is happening today.

And yet it is forgotten that in the run up to the conflict, it was the South that crowed about State's Rights only to insist on the introduction of a Fugitive Slave Law, which in effect denied state's rights to the Northern States. It was the South that insisted upon slavery being expanded to the territories even if they themselves did not want it (Rush to Kansas), and it was of course the Southern Justices and their partisan allies that wrote the horrendous Dred Scott decision overturning decades of precedent and obvious constitutional history to arrive at a ruling that again crapped all over the state's rights of the North, not to mention human deceny.

Historically when one looks back at antebellum Southern Politicians one finds a level of hypocrisy demanding constitutionalism for me, but not for thee; state's rights for me and not for thee. This grows over time, certainly as a direct result in the growth of the enslaved population relative to the free population and the fears of slave revolt causing a Haitian style blood bath (an event just a few decades prior). The economic factor must be noted as well as preserving profit via subverting national economic interest (remaining dependent on British trade dominance) and also using massive government interventions and violations of civil liberties to prop up a labor market monopoly to maximize the profits of a few.

Simply put, whether you are a nationalist, whether you are a libertarian, whether you are a constitutionalist, there is no redeeming aspect to the Confederacy that should warrant its embrace or defense. While it is fair to discuss the preservation of things like the statues, it must be said that there is no defense for the confederacy itself or the Southern Politicians who brought it about. They are for the most part, dishonest and hypocritical oppressors who had no qualms about taking a dump all over the Constitution, the free market, or national economic interests, all in the name of preserving planter profits. We would not condone that anywhere else or any other place in time, and we should not do so here nor rewrite history to make it more justifiable.

[Unconditional Surrender Truman]

It's almost as if the "Lost Cause" is a massive fraud authored by traitors and perpetuated by useful idiots and the historically illiterate to mask the rising drumbeat of racism!

[Adam Griffin]

*dumb rant incoming*

[Deep Dixieland Senator, Muad'dib (OSR MSR)]

*dumb rant incoming*

I'm glad you've decided to preface your posts Mr President.

[Devout Centrist]

*dumb rant incoming*

Hell yes, I'll be checking my phone at the drag show tonight

[Adam Griffin]

*dumb rant incoming*

I'm glad you've decided to preface your posts Mr President.

Source: ImgFlip

[Lumine]

U. S. Truman on the warpath!

Fremont hero embraces Great Expansionist persona
Threatens bimetallist neoconfederates with martial law
Rallies against Douglas-style popular sovereignity in Congress and the Press

₁

He's still our Hero, but...

Is it right to shove statehood down
the throats of the people without consent?

As proud, disloyal, out of touch Tories,
we in the Crusader say NO!

_____________________________
^{1.) Original Image:
"Trying it on: Aut Caesar aut nullus.", Joseph Ferdinand Keppler, 1875, Wikimedia Commons, modified for arguably unfunny Atlasia satire.}

[Lumine]

Betting Challenge: YE is the winner!

44 days.

We have a winner for our betting challenge! YE came the closest, only beating MB in proximity to the actual date by a single day. The Crusader will soon get in contact with the triumphant victor to discuss the reward.

[Lumine]

Battle of the Atlasiantic!

USS Griffin makes surprise entry to the battlefield
Slams two torpedoes at the side of SS Jimmy
Admiral Jimmy thought to be confident of the situation

₁

SS Jimmy reported safe and sound

Admiral Jimmy and Captain Thumb rally the sailors

This battle is not over, they defiantly proclaim

Grand Admiral Griffin's defeat is certain

₂

_____________________________
<sup>1.) Original Image:
Battle of the Falkland Islands, William Lionel Wyllie, 1918, Wikimedia Commons, modified for arguably unfunny Atlasia satire.

2.) Original Image:
The Track of the Lusitania, William Lionel Wyllie, 1915-1918, Wikimedia Commons, modified for arguably unfunny Atlasia satire.</sup>