World Domination - It's not just for Tyrannical Dictators Anymore
Wednesday, September 10, 2008 by Palmer Attaway
Have you ever looked at our government (The USA that is) or any government for that matter and thought, "If only I were in charge...". How would you do things differently? How would you improve upon the system?
Recently some friends got me interested in a website called Nation States. It’s a site that incorporates legislation into a game and it's based on a book called Jennifer Government by Max 
Barry. One creates one’s country, gives it a flag, a national animal, and a currency and then it’s placed among other nations to fend for it’s self in a world market situation. Your nation is then ranked and reported on like an actual country. During the game, you vote on national legislation like union strikes and trade tariffs to build up your nation in the world arena. Once established, you can join a united nations of sorts, the World Assembly, to vote on other world wide issues ranging from human rights to hydrogen cars. It’s a fascinating game, even if you don’t like politics. I personally hate the political feuds we tend to have in this country, but I never the less have a Nation State of my very own, the Borderlands of Boomocratic Poecia (get it?). I have built up my nation on the basis of personal freedoms that don’t infringe on others and fiercely protected human rights as well as passing laws to strengthen the economy and education. It’s been fun for the most part, and a little silly.
I applied for membership in the World Assembly and can now vote on issues. The first issue I voted on was child pornography. Without reading the proposal, of course I was against child
porn! What sane individual wouldn’t be against exploitation of children in any form (accept sweat shops I mean... kidding). I read through the forums and I noticed that the majority of the states were voting against the proposal and I was appauled. I read the proposal and the wording left quite a bit to the imagination as well as adding some rights infringing speach in reguards to other issues. The purpose of the game is to inform, provoke thought, and mimic actual legislation. This piece didn’t fully live up to what it was supposed to embody so I voted it down. It will be re-written and re-submitted, but I now understand why some politicians vote against pieces of legislation that, at first glance, seem like good ideas. There is something attached that isn’t what the politician stands for or goes against his / her beliefs.
During this upcoming election, take into consideration the details when a particular candidate voted for or against something… you don’t know why they made that decision without reading the resolution. Don’t take the media’s word that a candidate is a flip flopper because they voted against something, then later voted for it. There is a lot more involved. I have always known this info, but I’ve never really thought about it much, until I became the politician. Take a look at Nation States, it's a thought provoking alternative to Myspace or Face book and you might learn something.
Barry. One creates one’s country, gives it a flag, a national animal, and a currency and then it’s placed among other nations to fend for it’s self in a world market situation. Your nation is then ranked and reported on like an actual country. During the game, you vote on national legislation like union strikes and trade tariffs to build up your nation in the world arena. Once established, you can join a united nations of sorts, the World Assembly, to vote on other world wide issues ranging from human rights to hydrogen cars. It’s a fascinating game, even if you don’t like politics. I personally hate the political feuds we tend to have in this country, but I never the less have a Nation State of my very own, the Borderlands of Boomocratic Poecia (get it?). I have built up my nation on the basis of personal freedoms that don’t infringe on others and fiercely protected human rights as well as passing laws to strengthen the economy and education. It’s been fun for the most part, and a little silly.I applied for membership in the World Assembly and can now vote on issues. The first issue I voted on was child pornography. Without reading the proposal, of course I was against child
porn! What sane individual wouldn’t be against exploitation of children in any form (accept sweat shops I mean... kidding). I read through the forums and I noticed that the majority of the states were voting against the proposal and I was appauled. I read the proposal and the wording left quite a bit to the imagination as well as adding some rights infringing speach in reguards to other issues. The purpose of the game is to inform, provoke thought, and mimic actual legislation. This piece didn’t fully live up to what it was supposed to embody so I voted it down. It will be re-written and re-submitted, but I now understand why some politicians vote against pieces of legislation that, at first glance, seem like good ideas. There is something attached that isn’t what the politician stands for or goes against his / her beliefs.During this upcoming election, take into consideration the details when a particular candidate voted for or against something… you don’t know why they made that decision without reading the resolution. Don’t take the media’s word that a candidate is a flip flopper because they voted against something, then later voted for it. There is a lot more involved. I have always known this info, but I’ve never really thought about it much, until I became the politician. Take a look at Nation States, it's a thought provoking alternative to Myspace or Face book and you might learn something.
