PiT for Southern Governor

[Associate Justice PiT]

     Hi all,

     I am running for Governor of the newer, larger South. While I know that we are not quite at that point yet, the time will come soon for us to elect a Governor for our region. I have been encouraged to put my name in the hat, and I have chosen to do so.

     Why was I asked, you might wonder? I've served capably in the executive of the old IDS and South for almost three years across two separate stints. I led in times of plenty and in times of lean, managing the region when its activity was flagging. I familiarized myself with its body of law and enacted free-market policies in a pragmatic fashion. In charge of our region, I was able to eliminate our personal and corporate income taxes while making sure we could keep paying our bills and keep serving our citizens.

     Now that our region is in a time of transition, we need somebody who will lead us into the future. Based on my experience in the executive, I believe that I am that person to lead us.

[Associate Justice PiT]

     Thanks for the endorsements!

[Associate Justice PiT]

     Thanks again for endorsements. I would like to echo my fellow civil servants in the South Representative NeverAgain and Senator Pingvin in condemning the vicious crimes perpetrated against peaceful people in Orlando. I will make a more complete statement on the issue later.

[Associate Justice PiT]

     I am someone who long has had a live and let live attitude towards the LGBTQ+ community. I believe that they should be free to express themselves as anyone else is. Unfortunately, it seems that one fellow disagreed. He subscribed to a radical version of Islam that found violence against people on the basis of their sexual orientation to be acceptable, and taught us a lesson about the dangers of radical ideologies.

     What's more is, we need to have a dialogue on this issue and demonstrate that there is a reason why an individualist philosophy of letting people be as they want to be is one that succeeds in the open marketplace of ideas. I believe that dangerous ideologies only continue to cause problems when shuttered away; the best antidote for these sorts of violent tendencies is an open discussion, a collaboration of ideas on what this means for us.

     Ideas cannot be killed, but they can be ridiculed and discredited. We need to emphasize that the rule of law applies and that unprovoked violence against other rational beings will not be tolerated. Peaceful discussion and opposition is a foundational principle of our modern democracy, and violence against people based on their beliefs or characteristics is antithetical to that democracy. The killer in this case was investigated by the FBI after he frightened his coworkers with his words, yet they were not able to deal with the threat properly. We had a chance to stop this, and we need to be sure that law enforcement is empowered to deal with those who would break the law.

     Ideological violence is a threat to everyone. This incident directly affects those killed, but the implications for free society affect us all. We cannot and should not live in fear based on what we think and what we are.

[Associate Justice PiT]

Sorry PiT. I really wanted to vote for you, but I can't punish TM right now because he is in office. Actions and lies hurt and the fallout means that innocent people get caught up in the crossfire.

     While I differ from your rationale, it's your vote and your right to do with it as you please. I am glad to hear that you are enjoying Atlasia now; we all need to remember that this is a game and we should be enjoying ourselves here.

[Associate Justice PiT]

     I see that I won election as governor of the South. I would like to thank all my supporters for making this possible. I would also like to thank my opponent, NeverAgain, for making this a contested it an interesting election. Contested elections are the lifeblood of Atlasia, and we always need people with the courage to contested elections in regions where it is not such a cakewalk for them or their party.