Office of Fmr. Governor Simfan34

[MASHED POTATOES. VOTE!]

A crisis without me actually starting it?

Pacific

[Simfan34]

No problem... now this bill surely must take a bite out of our unemployment rate.

[MASHED POTATOES. VOTE!]

It appears you are now under arrest:

https://uselectionatlas.org/FORUM/index.php?topic=207581.msg4637917#msg4637917

[MyRescueKittehRocks]

It appears you are now under arrest:

https://uselectionatlas.org/FORUM/index.php?topic=207581.msg4637917#msg4637917

Ebowed was removed by SimFan. This arrest is invalid and SimFan is to be set at his liberty with due compensation for being held under false pretense.

[Blair]

It appears you are now under arrest:

https://uselectionatlas.org/FORUM/index.php?topic=207581.msg4637917#msg4637917

Ebowed was removed by SimFan. This arrest is invalid and SimFan is to be set at his liberty with due compensation for being held under false pretense.

Your facts, and timeline is the wrong way round. Ebowed assumed control this morning, and took over with the powers granted for an emergency.

Once again your not the GM

[MASHED POTATOES. VOTE!]

It appears you are now under arrest:

https://uselectionatlas.org/FORUM/index.php?topic=207581.msg4637917#msg4637917

Ebowed was removed by SimFan.

First of all, it's Simfan. At least get the names right before posting another laughable thing.

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No.

[The Other Castro]

This is looking like a Pacific Egyptian Coup, and that doesn't really bode well for Simfan/Mohamed Morsi.

[MASHED POTATOES. VOTE!]

This is looking like a Pacific Egyptian Coup, and that doesn't really bode well for Simfan/Mohamed Morsi.

If so he may be facing a necktie.

[Adam Griffin]

Thank you. A comprehensive plan forward will be announced later today, but first let me announce that CJO Ebowed is immediately relieved of his duties and not reappointed, as per the constitution, which places the reappointment window as the 10 days following the scheduled June election. A replacement shall be announced forthwith.

OK, first of all: you cannot "relieve" a sitting Justice of his duties. You can decide - per the constitution - not to allow him to serve another one-year term, but you do not have the authority to fire the Chief Judicial Officer of your region. We obviously have checks and balances for a reason.

The process works as such:

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You must be logged in to read this quote.

So the reality is that Ebowed will be CJO until "ten days of the June elections" unless any action by the AG and the Supreme Court resolve the matter against the CJO prior to that time; whether that count begins at the start of the election or at its commencement can be debated, but usually any provisions measured in this context begin at the conclusion of the election, which would be June 23 @ 11:09:37 PM ET. This means Ebowed will remain CJO until July 3 @ 11:09:37 PM - or, if we go with the commencement of the election at the initiating point, June 30 @ 11:09:37 PM.

At that point, the office would presumably fall vacant and you would need to nominate a new CJO, who must be approved by a majority of the Pacific Council.

[MyRescueKittehRocks]

It appears you are now under arrest:

https://uselectionatlas.org/FORUM/index.php?topic=207581.msg4637917#msg4637917

Ebowed was removed by SimFan.

First of all, it's Simfan. At least get the names right before posting another laughable thing.

You must be logged in to read this quote.

No.

I don't like political persecution and what is being conducted in contravention of the law against Simfan is such political persecution. The GM is supposed to be above such and you have demonstrated that you failed to be above engaging in political persecution. So yes Simfan should be freed with compensation and his decision regarding the CJO are revalidated.

[MASHED POTATOES. VOTE!]

It appears you are now under arrest:

https://uselectionatlas.org/FORUM/index.php?topic=207581.msg4637917#msg4637917

Ebowed was removed by SimFan.

First of all, it's Simfan. At least get the names right before posting another laughable thing.

You must be logged in to read this quote.

No.

I don't like political persecution and what is being conducted in contravention of the law against Simfan is such political persecution. The GM is supposed to be above such and you have demonstrated that you failed to be above engaging in political persecution.

You obviously don't understand how the things works. I'm not engaging in prosecuting anybody. Ebowed ordered Simfan being arrested so I had to react to his actions. I have literally flipped the coin to determine whether arrest would be successful or not. It's called a chance element in the game and that's what the GM should be providing.

Everybody but you seems to understand that. Simfan himself knows how such simulation works and just asked the Supreme Court to intervene in case of his imprisonment.

[Simfan34]

A note found:

Boy, would I love to do something... if only I still wasn't being kept in jail on the orders of an authority wanted for treason by the federal government!

[Simfan34]

I am going to "smuggle some more messages out of prison" because I think continued silence, even if for the sake of plot continuity, does not do me any favors, nor is it helpful for the region.

Let me express my feelings on what has happened in a (hopefully comprehensible) metaphor.

Imagine a great big sailing ship (a windjammer, if you would ) with many masts and many sails, and which needs a large crew. This ship has been in the doldrums for an extended period, and with such little wind has not moved much. Much of the crew has taken off on dinghies, hoping to find ships with better fortunes. Many of the remaining crew tend to sit around all day grumbling about the captain's failures, rather than working to get out of the doldrums. As a result, the captain has become inured to this state of affairs, ignoring their griping and rarely scolding the crew for their unhelpfulness, and has become somewhat complacent himself.

None of these crew members have ever gone to the captain and offered their advice, taken their complaints out into the open, made the case that they might be better at sailing the ship than he has been, or even just tried to work harder to change things. When the ship finds itself in an unpleasant squall, however, these crew members mutiny against the captain and throw him in the ship's brig,  blaming him for the ship's predicament and lack of progress, while ignoring completely the role their own prior inaction played in the ship's present listlessness.

Now maybe this nautical metaphor is just a way of showing you all that I read The Republic sophmore year and am taking the "ship of state" analogy too far. But the point I am trying to make here is decidedly not that of Plato- that I am some philosopher-king who is alone fit to govern (though I suspect some of you imagine I would be given over to making such a claim!). Rather, it's that one person can't sail a ship on his own- he needs a crew.

Likewise, I cannot govern alone; as Oakvale said (although I think I might have been the one who came up with it), I cannot be a "one-man region". In order for any meaningful progress to be made there has to be a functional government comprising motivated or at least active participants who do more than complain and scheme on the IRC or in PMs- they can, at the very least, complain in the open. I've tried and tried again to induce more activity in the Pacific, but ultimately I cannot make people do things they are unwilling to do. They have to do those things themselves.

The "sensible" thing at such a juncture probably might be to give up and leave office, but, as the clear lack of prior electoral competition showed me, I don't possibly see whom I would even hand over office to. Even now, if I were to resign now, I don't think I would actually have anyone to resign in favour of. Again, is there some responsibility I must take for this sorry state of affairs? Absolutely. Am I doing the best job I possibly could? I honestly cannot say I am. But is my "failure to lead" the sole thing responsible for the "the horrible status quo", or even most responsible? Absolutely not, and I believe anyone saying such is being dishonest with themselves. I am still willing as ever, despite past experience, to take charge of the situation and try yet again to help steer the Pacific out of its semi-permanent doldrums. One can only lead by example if people are willing to follow.

And let me add just one more thing. It appears that the events that the would-be putschists claim as their justification- the failure to hold an election- have played out in an almost identical manner in the Midwest:

The recent months of inactivity in the Althing constitute nothing less than a crisis of epic proportions in the Most Serene Republic of the Midwest. Constitutional reform, pushed by our outgoing Governor, Gass3268, hasn't been given a line in two months by the members of the Althing, who have neglected their duty as legislators for our fair region, all the while some of them continue to be active on other parts of the site and refuse to respond to personal messages from either the Governor or Archduke Dereich.

This is unacceptable. We cannot have democracy in a society wherein the legislators refuse to show up for work and fail to bring the issues of the public up for a public debate. We risk withering on the vine in the same manner of the old Pacific if something drastic is not done to correct this imbalance.

There have not been legislative elections in the Midwest since the month of March. This includes the election of an Archduke, which was supposed to likewise happen in May following the election of Dereich in a special election in early April 2015. Therefore, it would seem that there is, at present, no legally constituted legislative authority in the Midwest.

Now I too am unwilling to see the region "withering on the vine"-- but the difference here, apparently, is that those who "neglected their duty as legislators" are the ones crying bloody murder. Identical events have taken place in two regions- but only one has fallen into "crisis". One might ask why. Hopefully this puts things into a bit more perspective than they've been getting.

Now let me stop giving one of my typically over-written speeches and go back to jail.

[Simfan34]

I hereby appoint Bacon King to the Legislative Council.

[Bacon King]

I hereby appoint Bacon King to the Legislative Council.

Thank you Mr Governor for this opportunity to serve our region. I accept your appointment and have sworn in.

[Simfan34]

Thank you, Bacon King. You may act as Speaker on an acting basis until formally elected--I would like to see the bills I proposed see the floor, once the other people I reached out to swear in.

My "Democratic Action Plan" remains a work in progress, and its introduction is admittedly not certain-- it seems events beyond the Pacific have run ahead of things. As fundamental questions about the future of Atlasia have been raised, and broader systemic issues affecting activity are unresolved, I feel that regional reform of this kind, implemented before the larger problems have been dealt with, runs the risk of being ineffective, if not superfluous. Uncertainty at the center tends to induce paralysis down the line, and I think it best if we focused our efforts on fixing fundamentals before tackling regional concerns.

Executive Order 07-16

Bacon King is hereby appointed to serve as Director of the Office of the Recovery, as provided for in the Patriation of the Pacific Recovery Act.

[Bacon King]

I accept the appointment as acting speaker and as director of the office of the recovery

[Simfan34]

Yay, now we have a Senate vacancy...

[Simfan34]

I hereby declare a leave of absence until August 1st. Critical gubernatorial activities will continue to be carried out.

[Simfan34]

Executive Order 07-17

The Pacific Defence Force and the Pacific National Guard are hereby mobilised. All units are to be placed under the Special Anti-terrorism Operations Command, which is charged with defending the Region against the impending invasion by the People's Self Defense Forces of the Midwest.

A curfew is imposed from 11:30pm to 4:30am, local time, for all but essential personnel. People are advised to stay in their homes until further notice.

Organised or politically-motivated gatherings of 5 or more persons in public areas are prohibited until further notice.

All sporting, musical, social, and other large events with more than 100 spectators are hereby ordered postponed until further notice and the lifting of this order.

No other gubernatorial statement or speech on this matter will be forthcoming unless otherwise necessary.

[Simfan34]

Executive Order 07-18

500,000 unemployed persons are to be employed in auxiliary functions for the defence of the region.

[Classic Conservative]

Governor Simfan,
The Southern Shotgun Society and Militia is yours if wanted.
Thank You and Long Live Atlasia,
Chief Marksman Classic Conservative

[Classic Conservative]

Governor what will you do about the takeover in New Mexico by the Red Army?

[Simfan34]

Governor what will you do about the takeover in New Mexico by the Red Army?

What takeover? I have heard of no takeover from the GM. Just propaganda. The SAOC informs me they are carrying out a policy of armed and massive resistance.

[Southern Senator North Carolina Yankee]

So whats it feel like to be at the center of the response to not one, but two revolutions?