Siren's Senate Office (Virginia City, NV): Thanks for all the Fish

[Anna Komnene]

Hola and welcome to my new campaign office in the beautiful town of Arecibo, Puerto Rico.  With beautiful forests and vistas, cathedrals, and the largest radio telescope in the world, it is fondly known as El Diamante Del Norte.  With your help, it will soon also be the diamond of the south!  Help yourself to fruit punch and sweet potato cakes with coconut while your here.  Thanks for stopping by.  I hope you'll consider me when it comes time for the election.

As you probably guessed, I'm writing this to announce my candidacy for the upcoming Southern Senate race!

Some of you might remember be from my time in Atlasia a few years ago, especially in the Mideast region.  For others, we don't know each other yet, but I hope we can get to know each other real soon.  Here's a bit about me.  I spent two terms in a very interesting and active Mideast Assembly and defended voting rights as counsel for a regional court case, Inks.LWC v. Mideast Region.  I also ran for Senate and Governor, was briefly Chair of a party called the Progressive Union, and I helped pass a constitution for the Pacific region.  It's been a while since I've been active here, and a lot has changed.  I've changed too, though most of my core values are the same: love and respect for all people, recognizing and cherishing cultural differences, while at the same time respecting universal human rights and dignity.

This is a new and exciting time for Atlasia.  With the new constitution and legislation wipe, it opens up the opportunity for all kinds of policies, but it also makes it all the more important that we have legislators that come at things from unique perspectives.  I think I can do that.  Here are some things I'd like to do if you elect me your Senator.

• Give a voice to vulnerable communities:  Helping people that have experienced hardship is very important to me.  Everyone deserves love and respect and a chance to reach their dreams.  Did you know there are 38 Native American tribes in Oklahoma, including the Cherokee and Choctaw?  Their story has been a sad one for too long in Atlasian history.  I want to change that with policies that keep their struggles in mind.  Immigrant families need protection too, whether it's helping good people come out of the shadows with a humane immigration policy or fighting against cultural relativism in domestic violence and police conduct.  Lastly, as a lesbian, I understand many of the issues that the LGBT community faces all too well.  Marriage equality is great, but it's not enough.  We need laws that ensure all people are treated with dignity and respect and help us live happy and productive lives without fear of bullying.
• Protect the Environment:  It's clear that without strong regulation, capitalism will run roughshod over our environment.  We need to protect our national parks, forests, and wildlife, so that everyone can continue enjoying what a wonderful place the Earth can be for centuries to come.  We also need to develop green energy to ensure that we don't continue polluting the Earth with unsustainable and dirty energy practices.
• Preserve our Culture:  Whether it's art, science, or history museums, protecting and preserving our heritage is very important to me (and something that I find people tend not to legislate on enough!)  We need more museums and they need more funding.  I think this goes hand in hand with my first point.  How will anyone be equal if people don't understand each other?
• Always be Open to Pragmatic Solutions:  Nobody likes the gridlock in the US Congress, so why should we bring that kind of politics to Atlasia?  I'm not going to compromise my core principles, but I also understand how much effort people put into proposing new bills.  Nothing is more frustrating than spending hours on a bill only to have it shot down by petty partisanship or blatant trolling.  I will try to do my best to find a way to support legislation, if at all possible!

[SUSAN CRUSHBONE]

endorsed!

[NeverAgain]

ENDORSED!

[President of the great nation of 🏳️‍⚧️]

Endorsed! You'll make a fine voice for the South.

[Unconditional Surrender Truman]

Endorsed!

[This account no longer in use.]

Endorsed.

[Pragmatic Conservative]

Endorsed!

[MASHED POTATOES. VOTE!]

Endorsed!

[MyRescueKittehRocks]

Good to see you return. While we may disagree on many issues I believe we can find common ground to secure and maintain the rights of all Atlasians. As someone who has a degree of Cherokee blood (so does my soon to be bride) I also want to see Native Atlasians treated with the dignity deserved by all of mankind.

[Lumine]

It's really great to see you back and active in Atlasia, Siren, I sincerely hope your return proves both productive and enjoyable. Good luck!

[Anna Komnene]

Thanks for the warm welcome and endorsements everyone!  It's not going to be easy, but with all your help, I know we can do it.

Good to see you return. While we may disagree on many issues I believe we can find common ground to secure and maintain the rights of all Atlasians. As someone who has a degree of Cherokee blood (so does my soon to be bride) I also want to see Native Atlasians treated with the dignity deserved by all of mankind.

It's good to see you again too JCL.  Congrats on your engagement!  You must be really excited.  Thanks for reminding me that I should call them Native Atlasians.    I think one of the things that's great about this game for anyone that's ever elected to office is you really learn that you have more in common with people than you might think.  Just have to think outside the box.

[MyRescueKittehRocks]

Thanks for the warm welcome and endorsements everyone!  It's not going to be easy, but with all your help, I know we can do it.

Good to see you return. While we may disagree on many issues I believe we can find common ground to secure and maintain the rights of all Atlasians. As someone who has a degree of Cherokee blood (so does my soon to be bride) I also want to see Native Atlasians treated with the dignity deserved by all of mankind.

It's good to see you again too JCL.  Congrats on your engagement!  You must be really excited.  Thanks for reminding me that I should call them Native Atlasians.    I think one of the things that's great about this game for anyone that's ever elected to office is you really learn that you have more in common with people than you might think.  Just have to think outside the box.

Immigration is something I really want to work on as well. We can have both security and liberty.

[tmthforu94]

Best of luck to you!

[Leinad]

Good luck, Siren!

[Anna Komnene]

I wanted to say a few words about the terrible tragedy that happened in Orlando.  My heart goes out to the victims, all of their family and friends, and the people that might be feeling less safe after the incident.  It's awful that things like this still happen in our society.  

While there might be legislation that the Senate wants to take up in response to this tragedy, that's not what I want to talk about today.  I believe that the best way we can respond to this tragedy and to honor the victims, is to do everything we can to make sure the world is a more loving and friendly place for all people.  It's on us to make that happen.  Sometimes that means thinking about the feelings of others before we speak.  Sometimes it means standing up when you see someone being bullied or belittled for their sexuality, gender, or the color of their skin.  It can be scary to take a stand against hatred and discrimination, but as more and more people stand up, the safer and happier we will be.  If enough of us choose love and stand up against the hate, one day we might be lucky enough to live in a world without fear - or at least come as close to that ideal as we can.

I also wanted to say that if anyone is feeling bad about what happened and want to talk about it, my PM box is open.  I'm definitely not a trained counselor or anything, but I'm always willing to listen.

[Anna Komnene]

Hey everyone,

I just wanted to thank everyone who voted for me and supported me during the campaign and also to congratulate Senator Pingvin on his win. 

We didn't win this time, but at least we had a competitive and interesting election.  I focused on the issues that are most important to me, and have no regrets about that!  Atlasia is always best when we love and respect all of the people that live here, no matter what background they have.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0g9poWKKpbU   

[Wisconsin+17]

Thank you for running, Siren!

[MASHED POTATOES. VOTE!]

Next Time Will Be A Charm!

Count my support in.

[Anna Komnene]

Hey y'all.  As you might've noticed, I'm running for Southern Legislature.  I just ran for Senate a week ago, so I think you all know what I stand for.  We'll have a break from all these elections soon, I promise.  

If you feel like going out to vote for someone, have at it.  We've got ferries, bikes, busses, and hiking trails to the voting booth.

Meanwhile, enjoy a live performance from my favorite band The Pretty Reckless, who's joined me here in Puerto Rico!  Beware, clicking this link may cause you to want to rock out.

I just have one more thing to add.  Be whoever the f[inks] you want, and never let anyone tell you otherwise.

[Unconditional Surrender Truman]

Endorsed for Legislature!

[President of the great nation of 🏳️‍⚧️]

Endorsed and second preferenced!

[Anna Komnene]

Hey all,

I thought I'd give a quick update on how things are going.  Earlier this session, I was happy to introduce and help pass a bill to create a comprehensive, multidisciplinary task force to combat human trafficking in the South and in the world.  This issue is very important to me.  I campaigned on helping the voiceless.  Well, victims of forced labor and sexual slavery are some of the most voiceless people you can imagine.  I was proud to do what little I can to help eradicate this practice from the world by both punishing people that support it, educating people that don't know, and most importantly, assisting victims.

Today, I was proud to introduce my next bill, the Respecting and Preserving Native Atlasian Culture Act.  I campaigned on this for the Senate, so I thought why not try it here in the South.  We have a strong Native Atlasian heritage throughout many places here, after all.  In the past, I think our approach this issue has been too symbolic, which is why I designed my bill around some of the things that I know are very important to many Native Atlasian tribes.  Respecting and honoring Native Atlasian spiritual traditions, ensuring we remember history by completing a museum that has been under construction for over 20 years, and taking steps to save languages that are rapidly disappearing before our eyes.

As always, if you have any questions or concerns or have any issues that are really important to you, feel free to let me know.  My office here in Arecibo is always open.  Just remember to take a coconut pastry on your way out.  My staff and I don't want to eat them all!

[MASHED POTATOES. VOTE!]

Congratulations on your promotion of speakership

[Anna Komnene]

Congratulations on your promotion of speakership

Thanks!  It's a lot of work, but someone has to do it. 

[Kingpoleon]

Siren:

Recently, it has come to my attention that native tribes have special privileges compared to other extended families of children in foster care and adoptive services. Besides problems with such human services, any member of a tribe can receive one ruling from a tribal judge. If they dislike it, the tribe/Native Atlasian can turn around and, instead of appealing it, send the case to the appropriate judge of the area.