Introducing Nicholas Richard Burman [P] [G]

[NRB]

anyway I should have a photo of that and I will share if I can find it.

SO I GUESS the takeaway here is if nothing else I am close enough to DC to work in the Talossan embassy, and should intelligence or commando actions be required against the US government I would be in a unique position to assist in those activities.

[NRB]

I have since lost the grubby ugly beard.

[Eðo Grischun]

Do you have a YouTube channel and do those public building (photography is not a crime) 1st Amendment Audits?

I feel like I've seen that exact scene from your photo before and your face looks familiar.

[NRB]

No, I don't make YouTube videos.

[NRB]

Honestly I hate going into federal government buildings and avoid it when I can because they all have the metal detectors and doing that is always a pain in the ass, I don't think I would do "1st Amendment Audits" and to be honest I think the idea is silly.

I am all for photography in public and wouldn't think this guy needs to be shut down or anything but somehow I don't think the bodies will be buried in the DOI building - at least not the parts which are publicly accessible.

[Baron Alexandreu Davinescu]

The Seneschal asked a while ago, "Do you really want to overthrow not only the monarchy, but the whole system of government?"  I would really be interested in an answer, as well as an answer about whether you mean this in the general sense of persuading others to join you in democratic dissolution of the system, or something else.  I know that Etho has suggested you were essentially just trolling when you have declined to answer, and maybe that's true?  Please be candid with us.

[NRB]

The Seneschal asked a while ago, "Do you really want to overthrow not only the monarchy, but the whole system of government?"  I would really be interested in an answer, as well as an answer about whether you mean this in the general sense of persuading others to join you in democratic dissolution of the system, or something else.  I know that Etho has suggested you were essentially just trolling when you have declined to answer, and maybe that's true?  Please be candid with us.

My attorney has advised me to not answer questions related to this topic.

[Açafat del Val]

use our real names (often not on Wittenberg, for obvious reasons)

Our Talossan names are our real names in a sense as they are our names in Talossan. No one has to convert his or her name but that is part of the fun - having a slightly different persona. I only know some real life non-Talossan names thanks to Facebook and/or Immigration threads. I also think some of Talossa is role-playing in the sense that where else in the world can I, a humble teacher, have been Prime Minister, an Uppermost Court Justice, Secretary of State, etc. except for in a place like Talossa? Here I can live out my wilder desires that are not quite as possible in the "real world".

I did not mean to undermine the validity of our respective Talossan names, but rather to underscore and highlight that Talossa is not a game. Call me a derivatist (I am), but I find it a very, very dangerous path to walk down if we start saying that Talossa is the "wilder desires" or "the thing that makes things possible outside of the 'real world'". That line of thinking is what caused the ESB Affair, the Guy Incognito court case, and related issues.

A prospective citizen should understand and, more importantly, appreciate that Talossa is not a potential dumping ground for their worst instincts; there are people here, including myself, who work sincerely and genuinely, and whose efforts are insulted by an excessively or unreasonably laissez-faire attitude. I'm not suggesting, either, that we all need to be super stiff and wear bespoke suits or something silly... just that it's a bit off-putting to say or suggest that Talossa may be "just a game" or "just a fun internet thing".

We are a real nation with real laws, real citizens, a real government, and real elections.

SO I GUESS the takeaway here is if nothing else I am close enough to DC to work in the Talossan embassy, and should intelligence or commando actions be required against the US government I would be in a unique position to assist in those activities.

I support this endeavor. NRB, you may really enjoy Els Zuávs. If or when you naturalize, you could sign up here: https://wittenberg.talossa.com/index.php?topic=473.0

[Baron Alexandreu Davinescu]

The Seneschal asked a while ago, "Do you really want to overthrow not only the monarchy, but the whole system of government?"  I would really be interested in an answer, as well as an answer about whether you mean this in the general sense of persuading others to join you in democratic dissolution of the system, or something else.  I know that Etho has suggested you were essentially just trolling when you have declined to answer, and maybe that's true?  Please be candid with us.

My attorney has advised me to not answer questions related to this topic.

Well, I guess you've certainly staked out a position.  I'll be interested to see what the people in power decide to do.

[Éovart Andrinescù]

Our Talossan names are our real names in a sense as they are our names in Talossan. No one has to convert his or her name but that is part of the fun - having a slightly different persona.

I was this close to taking 'Zeucumpulseva Vürfiglheu' as my Talossan name in the beginning. I can't believe I let myself get talked out of that one.

[NRB]

use our real names (often not on Wittenberg, for obvious reasons)

Our Talossan names are our real names in a sense as they are our names in Talossan. No one has to convert his or her name but that is part of the fun - having a slightly different persona. I only know some real life non-Talossan names thanks to Facebook and/or Immigration threads. I also think some of Talossa is role-playing in the sense that where else in the world can I, a humble teacher, have been Prime Minister, an Uppermost Court Justice, Secretary of State, etc. except for in a place like Talossa? Here I can live out my wilder desires that are not quite as possible in the "real world".

I did not mean to undermine the validity of our respective Talossan names, but rather to underscore and highlight that Talossa is not a game. Call me a derivatist (I am), but I find it a very, very dangerous path to walk down if we start saying that Talossa is the "wilder desires" or "the thing that makes things possible outside of the 'real world'". That line of thinking is what caused the ESB Affair, the Guy Incognito court case, and related issues.

A prospective citizen should understand and, more importantly, appreciate that Talossa is not a potential dumping ground for their worst instincts; there are people here, including myself, who work sincerely and genuinely, and whose efforts are insulted by an excessively or unreasonably laissez-faire attitude. I'm not suggesting, either, that we all need to be super stiff and wear bespoke suits or something silly... just that it's a bit off-putting to say or suggest that Talossa may be "just a game" or "just a fun internet thing".

We are a real nation with real laws, real citizens, a real government, and real elections.

SO I GUESS the takeaway here is if nothing else I am close enough to DC to work in the Talossan embassy, and should intelligence or commando actions be required against the US government I would be in a unique position to assist in those activities.

I support this endeavor. NRB, you may really enjoy Els Zuávs. If or when you naturalize, you could sign up here: https://wittenberg.talossa.com/index.php?topic=473.0

I guess by definition i'd have to be a peculiarist and I would assume in practice so are most people. Talossan laws are not binding in any real way after all, and should someone try some wacky thing like raising the drinking age to 69 I would still have a beer in the evening, and I assume everyone puts their real-world duties above anything here. Which isn't bad. I'm joining a service organization next month (Civitan International) and should the demands of the local club overwhelm me I would drop it. So, you might be thinking, "Are you telling us your loyalty to your cat is higher than your loyalty to your nation?" Oh, wait. My immigration attorney is telling me not to answer that and to move on to another subject.

But, it sounds like nobody wants to pass silly laws for no reason, and I read the ESB Affair article you linked and I just find it silly. What is the point of registering fake individuals anyway?

I guess a person could get 17 extra votes that way but 1) too much effort and 2) i'm not too big on stuffing the ballot box anyway, even if it weren't a task that took too much effort

Anyway, I love everyone here and look forward to defecting from the United States of America.

Oh, and my lawyer is again telling me something. OK. So, I need to point out that I am not looking to defect from Talossa, and that I have never participated in seditious activities against any sovereign nation.

[NRB]

The Seneschal asked a while ago, "Do you really want to overthrow not only the monarchy, but the whole system of government?"  I would really be interested in an answer, as well as an answer about whether you mean this in the general sense of persuading others to join you in democratic dissolution of the system, or something else.  I know that Etho has suggested you were essentially just trolling when you have declined to answer, and maybe that's true?  Please be candid with us.

My attorney has advised me to not answer questions related to this topic.

Well, I guess you've certainly staked out a position.  I'll be interested to see what the people in power decide to do.

I apologize for the inconvenience.

[Miestră Schivă, UrN-GC]

Well, I guess you've certainly staked out a position.  I'll be interested to see what the people in power decide to do.

The conservative opposition, the LCC, have more than 1/3 of the Cosa and could enact the provisions of Lex E8, should they choose to. I will not do so myself because I oppose political tests in the immigration pipeline; but I don't speak for the other Government MCs on this issue. I really wish NRB would say "you're damn right I'm an anarchist!" and have the stones to make a passionate defence of his beliefs, but if he'd rather avoid the question, can't say I blame in him in the current climate.

(AD really thinks we don't see him trying to position himself as an impotent victim crying for justice over a wicked "power elite", so he can get this to seep into mainstream discourse if he says things like this often enough. Just making sure there's pushback.)

[King Txec]

use our real names (often not on Wittenberg, for obvious reasons)

Our Talossan names are our real names in a sense as they are our names in Talossan. No one has to convert his or her name but that is part of the fun - having a slightly different persona. I only know some real life non-Talossan names thanks to Facebook and/or Immigration threads. I also think some of Talossa is role-playing in the sense that where else in the world can I, a humble teacher, have been Prime Minister, an Uppermost Court Justice, Secretary of State, etc. except for in a place like Talossa? Here I can live out my wilder desires that are not quite as possible in the "real world".

I did not mean to undermine the validity of our respective Talossan names, but rather to underscore and highlight that Talossa is not a game. Call me a derivatist (I am), but I find it a very, very dangerous path to walk down if we start saying that Talossa is the "wilder desires" or "the thing that makes things possible outside of the 'real world'". That line of thinking is what caused the ESB Affair, the Guy Incognito court case, and related issues.

A prospective citizen should understand and, more importantly, appreciate that Talossa is not a potential dumping ground for their worst instincts; there are people here, including myself, who work sincerely and genuinely, and whose efforts are insulted by an excessively or unreasonably laissez-faire attitude. I'm not suggesting, either, that we all need to be super stiff and wear bespoke suits or something silly... just that it's a bit off-putting to say or suggest that Talossa may be "just a game" or "just a fun internet thing".

We are a real nation with real laws, real citizens, a real government, and real elections.

SO I GUESS the takeaway here is if nothing else I am close enough to DC to work in the Talossan embassy, and should intelligence or commando actions be required against the US government I would be in a unique position to assist in those activities.

I support this endeavor. NRB, you may really enjoy Els Zuávs. If or when you naturalize, you could sign up here: https://wittenberg.talossa.com/index.php?topic=473.0

I'm not denying we are a real nation with real laws etc. What I am saying is that odds that you, for example, could ever rise to the rank of Attorney General anywhere else is incredibly low. You'd have to become a lawyer, win a few state-wide elections, etc. What Talossa gives us is a chance to have an impact to a much larger degree than in our own macronational surroundings.

I doubt I would ever be able to become Prime Minister anywhere else (or any equivalent office in the United States). Here in Talossa, I actually WAS Prime Minister. We can do much more here than outside.

Also, if I wanted to be someone completely different, why would that be entirely wrong? Maybe I want to be a monarchist in Talossa and a communist in my macronational life? What makes that lead down the road to scandal and ruin?

Maybe Nicholas is doing something similar? What makes that wrong?

[Miestră Schivă, UrN-GC]

I read the ESB Affair article you linked and I just find it silly. What is the point of registering fake individuals anyway?

The point was - I believe - to protest against our overly lax immigration laws of the time. The sequel of that is that we now make sure that everyone who wants to join is a real person whom we can trace in the real world, even if they don't want to use their "street name" in Talossa. Anyway, that guy did his time and is now a party leader and Cabinet Minister, lol.

I have to back up Açafat on the fake/real thing as well. If we treat Talossa as fake (and if there are no possible consequences for our "real lives"), there's nothing to stop us being complete jackasses to one another or even veering into real psychological abuse. Talossa came very close to being an actual cult under King Robert I - even before then, the worst political villains we had were a pair of Right-wing Marines who rigged elections and justified it with "Talossa is a game, we play to win".

I guess that Talossa is a game in the same way soccer is a game. There are, and should be, real consequences if you decide that winning is the only thing that matters, and use tactics of abuse and intimidation to do so. Can't impose such consequences against an internet phantom; only a real human being with a fore name, a hind name and an address.

[NRB]

I really wish NRB would say "you're damn right I'm an anarchist!"

Fun fact.  Province of Vuode was Anarcho-syndicalist for a short while around about 2010.

oh rad - I'm a syndicalist and am active in the labor movement. I am sorry to hear it did not last.

[NRB]

I read the ESB Affair article you linked and I just find it silly. What is the point of registering fake individuals anyway?

The point was - I believe - to protest against our overly lax immigration laws of the time. The sequel of that is that we now make sure that everyone who wants to join is a real person whom we can trace in the real world, even if they don't want to use their "street name" in Talossa. Anyway, that guy did his time and is now a party leader and Cabinet Minister, lol.

I have to back up Açafat on the fake/real thing as well. If we treat Talossa as fake (and if there are no possible consequences for our "real lives"), there's nothing to stop us being complete jackasses to one another or even veering into real psychological abuse. Talossa came very close to being an actual cult under King Robert I - even before then, the worst political villains we had were a pair of Right-wing Marines who rigged elections and justified it with "Talossa is a game, we play to win".

I guess that Talossa is a game in the same way soccer is a game. There are, and should be, real consequences if you decide that winning is the only thing that matters, and use tactics of abuse and intimidation to do so. Can't impose such consequences against an internet phantom; only a real human being with a fore name, a hind name and an address.

look I'll be serious - I think your soccer analogy is pretty good. I can play for fun, sure. If I choose, I can play hard. I can play to win. Or if I want, I can kick you in the nuts, carry the ball with my hands, and flop around on the ground like I'm dying if anyone on the other team comes within a yard of me.

Although now that I think of it if you're talking about soccer there is a good chance you don't know what a yard is, so let's call it a meter. Or metre. whatever.

OK SO THAT SAID, those are all some of the choices I have. Some of those choices will get me tossed out on my ass.

the idea I'd try to take over the talossa.com domain is goddamn silly because 1) even if I did, somebody would just register something like kingdomoftalossa.com and restore the site from backups (you do have backups, right?) at the new domain, and because 2) fucking why lol that is dumb af.

if I play it would be for fun - let's say I do manage to fucking take over or whatever. who the hell would care, I can't tell my friends I'm benevolent dictator for life of some state that has zero recognition in the international community.

Anyway AGAIN SORRY FOR BREAKING.

[Miestră Schivă, UrN-GC]

I suppose what I'm trying to get across is that if you think that's "breaking character", you've got the wrong idea of this place because it's not a role-playing game. Everything you've said above is 100% cool. Just I think that if we think of what we do in Talossa as "playing a role", rather than a real org we're in with real people, we're more likely to get into the kind of destructive nonsense that both you and I are familiar with when people start LARPing within the movement. Talossa is "real people playing an acting-as-if game" rather than an RPG. If that makes sense?

Do you know, you've gotten more interest and engagement than any new citizen we've had in years? Well done!

[Açafat del Val]

the idea I'd try to take over the talossa.com domain is goddamn silly because 1) even if I did, somebody would just register something like kingdomoftalossa.com and restore the site from backups (you do have backups, right?) at the new domain, and because 2) fucking why lol that is dumb af.

It may be dumb as hell, but, uh, have you ever been on the internet? There are some sorry people out there who get their kicks by pissing in someone else's sandbox. Talossa has our laws not by happenstance, but by hard lessons learned in the past.

Which reminds me...

Anyway AGAIN SORRY FOR BREAKING.

What Miestra said: If you're trying to play a character, you're doing it wrong. Just be you. The literal you, rather than some special-made version designed specifically for Talossa.

Do you know, you've gotten more interest and engagement than any new citizen we've had in years? Well done!

I echo the sentiment. Please don't let any of this turn you away. It's part of the culture. Talossa wouldn't be Talossa without the occasional quibble or squawking. It happens because every person here actually cares about what's going on. I think you're going to fit in just fine :-)

Please feel free to PM me, Miestra, Txec, or anyone else who's spoken in this thread. Any one of us would be more than happy to start getting you integrated outside Wittenberg. There's an entire underground of Facebook groups, outside projects, and discussion areas that aren't seen here. The sooner you start, the more confidently you can get naturalized!

[Glüc]

The point was - I believe - to protest against our overly lax immigration laws of the time.