Interviews

Here you can find the divulged portions of every single interview that has been posted in the Kongregate Civil Headquarters.

-------------------------Interview the First-------------------------

Basementees has been a member of this region for quite a long time and has been quite an active part of it. He's often chatting, and has infamously missed the "Head of Regional Management" position in each Regional Election that Kongregate has had. As is characteristic of his energy, he was the first to return the interview to me, and to my surprise, he completed it almost in its entirety. As such, I have not posted every single question that he answered down below, in order to preserve the apparent variety of the answers that other nations will give, rather, I'm putting down there those unedited (except for capitalization) answers that I feel either characterize Basementees, are best answered, stir up a little discussion, or spark interest. Feel free to contact me if you want to be interviewed yourself, and feel free to discuss Basementees' answers here. If Basementees feels that I left out any answers that he wishes to have posted, he should feel free to contact me, and I will post any answers he wishes to have posted that I originally edited out for the aforementioned reasons.

You've lost the last two elections in very close races for Head of Regional Management. Comment on this experience.
I feel as if I should have tried harder, but it does not matter, as NS is just a game.

Having not gotten into office, how do you plan on improving your image for the next election? Which position will you run for?
I plan on getting myself more known around Kongregate, and I shall continue to run for Head of Regional Management.

Who are you?
I am a student of English Origin.

What are those things you could do without in life? What about the things you absolutely feel are essential?
I could do without Coursework. I feel that my computer and my music are essential.

How important is education to you, institutionalized and otherwise?
Education is the most important time of your life, it helps you prepare for the worst.

What trait do you most deplore in others?
Ignorance.

What are the most important principles/values to have?
Charity.

What makes you unique?
My eccentricity.

How much stress is in your life? Why?
A fair bit, History has taken over my life.. SO MANY BLOODY ESSAYS.

What is your motto?
F**k this, I’m going out for a curry.

How would you improve the region? What's the worst part of it? The best?
I would improve it by ensuring that everyone can do a check up in the Regional forum.

Is your nation where you want it to be economically, politically, and otherwise?
Politically, yes; Economically, no.

Do you try to, in your decisions about your nation, adhere to your real life beliefs or do something else?
I just aim for a dictatorship, but right now I’m aiming to make it seem as if there are political reforms.

You encounter a man wearing nothing but a plaid shirt and boxers out in a field of red poppies, and you're dressed in business attire and carrying the cutest snail ever to roam the earth. What do you do?
Give him my jacket, tie, waist coat, socks and snail.

Why are you responding to this stupid interview, anyway?
I’m bored.

Do you and I have free will?
Good question, I mean, whatever I say could potentially be right. or then again, it could be wrong.

What is the meaning of your life?
Be born, breed, die.

Define truth.
Not a lie.

Is God dead?
How can a fictional being be dead if it was never alive?

Is Islam dominated by radicals? Explain.
All religion is dominated by radicals who refuse to comment on whether other religions are right or wrong. (Religion is a means to control the masses)

Who has been the worst leader of your country? The best?
Worst: Margaret Thatcher and David Cameron. Best – Sir Robert Peel (1788–1850)

Must freedom of expression/speech include the right to offend?
It should, but it is not necessary.

Should drugs be legalized? Which ones, if any? Why?
Weed, it’s healthier than tobacco.

What is the role of your country in the world?
America’s Bitch. (unfortunately)

What should be the extent of gun laws?
Illegal.


INTERVIEW FOLLOWUP: This section exists to stir up a little discussion and put the individual who has been interviewed on the hot seat by pointing out notable/apparent hypocrisies, or questioning, for various reasons, points of view that have been raised in order to clarify the issues or spark thought and dialogue. Please note that the opinions I express aren't necessarily (and often won't be) mine, rather, I am simply providing them, whether I agree with them or not, to cause discussion. I would hope that [nation=short]Basementees[/nation] responds to this section, and I encourage other nations to ask similar questions.

You say that the most important principle to have is "charity" and yet you say that the meaning of your life is, quite simply, to "Be born, breed, [and] die." Since charity appears to have virtually nothing to do with the meaning of your life, there appears to be a disconnect. Could you comment on this?

You say that weed should be legalized because it's healthier than tobacco. How does this justify legalization? Should we legalize littering because it's less harmful to society than rape?

Why should guns be illegal? Currently, "there is an English common law right to keep and bear arms for self protection but the possession of certain arms is controlled for the common good." What is wrong with keeping it this way? And don't you think that making guns illegal might generate a black market for them that, say, exists for marijuana because it's illegal, and ends up making sure guns only show up in the hands of the wrongdoers?

What, specifically, did Margaret Thatcher do that was bad, and what were the results that those actions caused?

If I'm interpreting "coursework" correctly (as being work done in class), than why could you "do without" it, if education is, according to you, "the most important time of your life."?

-------------------------Interview the Second-------------------------

[nation=short]Turq[/nation] is a regionally important fellow who's been here for an above-average amount of time and in that time has contributed some significant things to the region. His participation and victory in the issue contest was quite remarkable, as is his participation in the regional dialogue, contributed to this time, of course, with a very thoroughly and well thought out interview. Enjoy!

Comment on your experiences regarding the recently held issue contest.
I really enjoyed writing the issue. I feared that the issue itself - a road lane exclusively for politicians - was a little boring when compared to an issue regarding what to do with criminals, but people seemed to like it. I tried to keep it concise yet mildly funny. One of these days I'll pester Quinquex for the message he sent where he commented on my issue so I can improve it and then send it off.

How would your country react if El Presidente Morrrrgabe were assassinated?
Government-wise, not much would change - within the party a new leader would be elected, but national elections would still take place whenever they were going to prior to my death. In the media my death would be heralded as a miracle: "flamboyant leftie Morrrrgabe dead!" and most of the country's people would probably be quite pleased. A minority of lovers, though, would be so devastated as to consider moving.

How would your best friend describe you to someone who has never met you before?
A strong-minded guy with a passionate view on pretty much everything. Has no real issues and is proud of it, but is too critical of other people and would love it if the world had similar views to him. His sense of humour is predictable but effective, and he is by and large a nice person.

Who do you idolize?
I don't idolize anyone. I'm me, and I can't base myself on a single person, for that would render me insignificant.

What are your music/movie/media tastes? List some favorites.
The music I like is usually either cheerful or passionate, such as Vampire Weekend (cheerful) and The Cribs (passionate). I tend to like individual songs more than artists. I'm into books based on concepts and culture around the world, be they fiction or non-fiction, more than sci-fi and fantasy books.

What are those things you could do without in life? What about the things you absolutely feel are essential?
Video games are unnecessary, as is the latest technology and social networking sites. Music is paramount, as is football, and to be honest, aside from the things I mentioned, I'm pretty materialistic, so I need quite a few things.

How important is education to you, institutionalized and otherwise?
The happiest people in life are the airheads, but if you aren't one you cannot make yourself become one. You see people in Africa who are so happy, but a lot of them don't know much about the world and don't question their beliefs. I couldn't be like that. We do need to stop caring about little things and learn to be more jovial like they are, but we need to retain our drive to know everything.

Tell me about the best book ever.
1984 is a mind-blowing book about a totalitarian world with no freedom, and the plight of two people struggling through it.

What are you afraid of?
Crocs.

What's attractive in a guy/gal?
Partly the mystery. It's great when you find someone who is harder to read than your average Joe. But, in contrast, you don't want someone laden with issues, you want someone who is a nice, funny, compassionate person. You become in love with someone whose beauty is just as amazing as their personality, and you almost can't understand why they are so nice.

What's the strangest thing you've ever done?
I had a cheese and chocolate spread sandwich when I was feeling sick once.

What trait do you most deplore in others?
Sheer malice, of course.

Would you ever want to be famous?
Yea, why not? As long as I was happy doing whatever I'd be doing.

What's wrong with your country? What's right with your country?
The UK is run by right-wing private-schooled aristotwats who know nothing about what life is like on the wrong side of the tracks. The Islamic ethnic groups have not really integrated well either. However, the black minority groups have, and the liberal attitude and politics mean that the UK is one of only about 10 countries I respect.

Is Islam dominated by radicals? Explain.
Yes. Islam in its past and present form is radical. In the beginning, when Islam, Christianity and Judaism first came about, all three of them were similarly oppressive, stupid and backward. Parts of old Christianity, such as Catholicism, remain, but liberal Christianity, and to a lesser extent, liberal Judaism are, in the present day, quite nice. However, even liberal Muslims still put themselves through an unnecessary ordeal fasting, thinking that homosexuality is sinful, pressure their women to wear headscarves and attend the mosque without fail. That doesn't sound like a respectable religion. I talked to a Muslim, admittedly quite a strong one, who said that men cannot dye their hair because 'you are pretending to be a woman'. Sounds fun.

Who has been the worst leader of your country? The best?
I agree with Basementees - Margaret Thatcher. She crushed the rights of the workers by flinging everything she had at the unions, and let many important companies close down, rendering the economy... crap. The poll tax, where she wanted the working-class to pay just as much as the aristocracy, was the last straw. Of course, I could go back much further and comment on a few kings and queens, but I want something more relevant. The best leader, I'm not sure, probably Clement Attlee. I'm no expert on him but he was quite left-wing and under the National Health Service, a wonderful creation, started up.


What's the most pressing political issue/current event in your country or abroad? How should it be fixed?
How to drag the country out of a financial crisis. I think that taxes should be raised to avoid big cuts. If taxes are raised, the general standard of life for everyone is maintained, and can even be improved. I certainly don't think that we should be selling off our public land. Once it's gone, it's gone.

More taxes or less taxes? Why?
More taxes. As I have said, money from taxes can be invested in things that benefit everyone, not just the elite. Low taxes mean that infrastructure gets worse, but the rich can find ways round that by paying for their child to go to private school, etc.

What's the best energy source for your country?
I think that what we should do is build two big wind farms, one in the Kazakh desert and one in the Sahara. That, I think, would be enough to power Eurasia.

What should be the extent of gun laws?
Guns should be banned. Even if people in the right places could get hold of them, at least your petty criminal with a grudge against someone wouldn't be able to get one. Or psychos with no social skills, for that matter.

How far should society go to eradicate racism, sexism, and other prejudices from its psyche? How, if they should, ought a society go about this?
Society should try and eliminate every type of major prejudice that is to do with things that one cannot help, such as race, gender and sexuality. People should just try and lead by example, and not be afraid to make casual jokes about prejudice, so as not to appear too straight-laced, as that will have bad consequences.

Should your country use the death penalty? For what crimes, and how frequently?
No. Whilst I do think that murderers deserve to die, I believe that whenever the death penalty comes into place there will always be some injustice somewhere along the line where someone who doesn't deserve to die is killed. An example of this is the time when Derek Bentley, a friend who was with a man who shot a policeman, was hung because the guy who fired the shot was too young to be executed.

INTERVIEW FOLLOWUP: This section exists to stir up a little discussion and put the individual who has been interviewed on the hot seat by pointing out notable/apparent hypocrisies, or questioning, for various reasons, points of view that have been raised in order to clarify the issues or spark thought and dialogue. Please note that the opinions I express aren't necessarily (and often won't be) mine, rather, I am simply providing them, whether I agree with them or not, to cause discussion. I would hope that [nation=short]Turq[/nation] responds to this section, and I encourage other nations to ask similar questions.

Why so damn liberal, eh?

What makes music so important to you, or, in your words, "paramount"? Do you feel that the majority of modern music is packaged/passionless/mediocre, or do you feel otherwise?

Don't you think fame might get in the way of your life? The more famous you get, the more you're known, in general, for a manufactured persona portrayed by the media and completely subject to the fickle nature of the masses. Wouldn't you rather be you than 'that guy who _____'?

You seem to express concern regarding Muslim liberal-orthodox religion, noting some traditions as "unnecessary ordeal[s]" that cause the religion not to appear "respectable." That having been said, why do you lose respect for a tradition that might encourage fasting or a certain uniform?

One might say that strict gun control or a complete gun ban would increase the black market demand for guns - and increased sales make the black market a very profitable business for criminals. Plus, gun bans disadvantage citizens from armed criminals, especially when most armed criminals use guns that aren't acquired legally or registered in the first place. Given your position on gun laws, comment on these assertions.

-------------------------Interview the Third-------------------------

[nation=short]SgtAwesome16[/nation] is one of the most active and influential users in the entire region. Having been in office twice - once as Head of Recruitment and once (currently) as Head of Regional Management - he's had leadership experience and some relative success as a regional servant. He also has the second-most endorsements of all nations, and is second on the charts only behind [nation=short]Poorleland[/nation] for length of residency. Thus, having appreciated his dedication and having recognized his success, I bring you yet another snazzarific interview:

Comment on your experience as Head of Recruitment.
It just wasn’t for me. I didn’t have enough time to sit there on my computer and try to recruit people.

What were the best and worst tactics that you utilized as Head of Recruitment?
Creating new threads in the forums on Kongregate only worked once, after that, it was just old news for people.

How would you feel if caped crusaders launched a campaign against the Karl Klux Klan?
I wouldn’t really be surprised. Mainly because its a reference to the Klu Klux Klan.

How would your best friend describe you to someone who has never met you before?
Me and my friends love to screw each other over, so it would probably be something weird

What are your music/movie/media tastes? List some favorites.
I’m a comedy man manly. If its pretty funny, i usually like it. I also like 90’s Rock like Nirvana or The Smashing Pumpkins.

What's the strangest thing you've ever done?
I do too many strange things. I daily do things like put gullible on the ceiling or hurdle desks just for the heck of it.

What are the most important principles/values to have?
Kindness and manners are very important. With out those, people are just going to hate you.

Which sports/activities, if any, do you like to watch or play/partake in?
I have yet to find a sport i actually find fun to watch and follow, but I do like to play football (American). I will play other sports as long as its with friends and its really an actual competition. I also really like skiing.

How original are you?
Depends on the day. Some days I can think of something totally random and originally, while other days I can't come up with something to save my life.

You encounter a man wearing nothing but a plaid shirt and boxers out in a field of red poppies, and you're dressed in business attire and carrying the cutest snail ever to roam the earth. What do you do?
Put on sunglasses and look like a bad a**

What is?
Everything.

Respond to the following quote: "The life of man is solitary, poor, nasty, brutish, and short."
Compared to other animals, we have a dang long life and its pretty good.

Do we know, or do we believe?
Some things we know, others, we can only believe. Some we believe so strongly it seems like we know, but it is still only belief.

Is God dead?
Depends on what you mean by that. The idea of him is not dead, many people, including myself, still believe in him, its really only the internet that doesn’t. Some say that he was killed by science, but I find it easy to fit him with science. Others say that he has stopped helping man, stopped communicating with us, while really he still is, he’s just already said most everything thats really important. When it comes to performing great things like parting the red sea or stuff like that, he’s stopped doing such things because if he does it would just cause chaos in today’s society, so he just does little miracles to compensate.

What's wrong with your country? What's right with your country?
The U.S. has a good government system, but like the rest of the world, it is torn apart by greed and selfishness.

What should be the role of government in your country?
To lead the people of the country in a right and good way. To protect us, and to make those hard decisions.

Is Affirmative Action good or bad?
Depends on the situation. If its not necessary, then don’t do it, but there are times where it is necessary.

Must freedom of expression/speech include the right to offend?
I hate people who can’t take a couple insults. So really, as long as you don’t go overboard, go ahead!

Should drugs be legalized? Which ones, if any? Why?
NO! If anything, we should make alcohol and tobacco illegal too. The affects all drugs (except drugs prescribed by a doctor and used responsibly) have on your body with are just to bad.

More taxes or less taxes? Why?
I don’t know, maybe just more simpler taxes, like ones you don't have to sit there for days trying to get it all sorted out.

What should be the extent of gun laws?
There really just needs to be better gun education. Where I live, most grow up with guns around them (mainly because of hunting) and they learn at an early age to not abuse them so most don’t, while big cities where there’s not that many good uses for guns besides protection, most kids wont really learn how dangerous they are.

How far should society go to eradicate racism, sexism, and other prejudices from its psyche? How, if they should, ought a society go about this?
A good joke about those are good every now and then (everyone’s a little bit racist) so really as long as you don’t go overboard, you're good.

INTERVIEW FOLLOWUP: This section exists to stir up a little discussion and put the individual who has been interviewed on the hot seat by pointing out notable/apparent hypocrisies, or questioning, for various reasons, points of view that have been raised in order to clarify the issues or spark thought and dialogue. Please note that the opinions I express aren't necessarily (and often won't be) mine, rather, I am simply providing them, whether I agree with them or not, to cause discussion. I would hope that [nation=short]SgtAwesome16[/nation] responds to this section, and I encourage other nations to ask similar questions.

What, specifically, are some of the comedy shows/programs/books/movies etc. that you really like?

How can we know something? Everything that we learn and experience is marred by our limited perception, and things that have been 'facts' in the past have been disproven and have ceased to be facts. We have faith in the rationality of science, we believe that we know what is happening around us and that it makes sense. Would you not say that we only believe we know, and can't know because we only believe. After all, knowledge implies complete certainty, and how is it possible to have that?

"Isn't it a remarkable coincidence, almost everyone has the same religion as their parents? And it always just happens to be the right religion...If we'd been brought up in ancient Greece, we would all be worshiping Zeus and Apollo. If we were born Vikings we would be worshiping Wotan and Thor." "When you understand why you dismiss all the other possible gods, you will understand why I dismiss yours." "We must question the story logic of having an all-knowing all-powerful God, who creates faulty humans, and then blames them for his own mistakes." "Christianity: The belief that some cosmic Jewish Zombie can make you live forever if you symbolically eat his flesh and telepathically tell him that you accept him as your master, so he can remove an evil force from your soul that is present in humanity because a rib-woman was convinced by a talking snake to eat from a magical tree." "If we go back to the beginning, we shall find that ignorance and fear created the gods; that fancy, enthusiasm, or deceit adorned them; that weakness worships them; that credulity preserves them and that custom, respect and tyranny support them in order to make the blindness of men serve their own interests.""God is a creation of man, not the other way around." Do you have responses to these various 'atheist quotes' that contradict your 'God is dead' stance?

In what circumstances is affirmative action necessary? Why should any person be punished for ancestral wrongs they have had no say in? Why should the government endorse 'positive' racial discrimination? Given its mismatching of unqualified kids with difficult classes and its restriction of a more qualified student without preferred racial qualities, what benefits does it give, especially when, by focusing on race, it assumes that race dictates economic status and education status when it doesn't necessarily? Considering the constitution's guarantee of equal protection under the law, which was passed for race-based reasons, why should the US turn back on it?

How would you expect to outlaw cigarettes and alcohol nationally? Yes, they are dangerous, but wouldn't you say that far too many people use both of those substances at the moment in order to ban them? Do you not fear that this would not only have a terribly negative impact on the economy (considering the numerous alcohol and tobacco giants as well as farmers/others who supply them), but also create a dangerous black market as it did during the prohibition era, and that exists now for most illegal drugs?

-------------------------Interview the Fourth-------------------------

[nation=short]Tropicostan[/nation], one of the newer oldies in the region, is quite an active fellow who contributes here and there to the regional dialogue and tends closely to his quite socialist nation. So, without further ado, I bring you the interview.

Who are you?
I am a 18 year old guy who has way too much responsibilities and needs sleep badly.

How would your best friend describe you to someone who has never met you before?
A hot blooded giant with an explosive temper.

What do you miss about childhood?
Even though my childhood was horrible and I'd never go back to it again, I still miss the lack of worries.

What are those things you could do without in life? What about the things you absolutely feel are essential?
I could do with almost all material things, while I think that love is a thing that is absolutely essential.

How important is education to you, institutionalized and otherwise?
Education is one of the most important things in life in my opinion. Private schools seem useless, though.

What's your most marked characteristic?
My selflessness... or alcoholism.

What trait do you most deplore in others?
Ignorance.

Which sports/activities, if any, do you like to watch or play/partake in?
Association football, best sport out there. I also like to play badminton, chess and belote.

Would you ever want to be famous?
Nah, I'm too paranoid for that.

What is your motto?
Use friendliness but do not use your friends.

Describe your experience on Nationstates and in the Kongregate region.
Quite a pleasant experience, it's an interesting game and the Kongregate region is great.

Do you plan on running for a position in regional government? Why/Why not? If so, which one?
Nah, I already have too much stuff in my life to keep track of, but if I'd find time I might run for a position, doesn't matter which one.

What do you think of Nationstates as a political simulation game? What are it's inherent pros and cons?
It is an interesting game, watching how your nation changes and all.
Pros: Well, you can make almost any kind of country you want, which leads me to the problem...
Cons: ...there is no "Communist state" category (at least not that I know of) and sometimes the issues aren't explained clearly enough, which may lead to unexpected consequences.

What is success?
A song made by Giorgio Moroder, it's the OST of Scarface.

What is love?
Baby don't hurt me, don't hurt me, no more...

Is God dead?
No, he just doesn't exist.

What's wrong with your country? What's right with your country?
It's a corrupt right wing mess which tries to make a capitalist state but fails miserably. The heads of state are mostly imbeciles with no real education, I'd like to quote a really important person in Croatia responding to the question of a news reporter: "YOU DON'T KNOW HOW TO WASH YOURSELF, YOU'RE DIRTY, YOU STINK, YOU'RE UNEDUCATED (Oh, the irony) AND YOU LIE!"
The only thing right about it is it's government. (geddit?)

Is Islam dominated by radicals? Explain.
I wouldn't say that it's dominated by radicals. People mostly believe that they are dominated by radicals because they can't see the bad things a certain fascist country which I hate from the bottom of my heart (hint: Not USA) is ruthlessly starving off and murdering their people.

Who has been the worst leader of your country? The best?
I'd say that the worst leader was Ivo Sanader (I know that he's not been a president, but the president in Croatia is just representing Croatia and nothing else) and the best leader was king Petar Krešimir IV the Great.

What countries are the most powerful? Which ones would you like to reside in other than yours? Why?
Canada, Japan, Italy, France, Germany, USA, Russia and the UK are the most powerful.
I'd like to live in Cuba, because communist and in Hungary, because most of my family is from there.

More taxes or less taxes? Why?
High taxes, because taxes=greater good (well, most of the time)

What's the best energy source for your country? Are there energy sources that should be avoided?
Nuclear Power Plant Krško, made near the Slovenian-Croatian border for both countries to use.

What should be the extent of gun laws?
Guns with serial numbers for people with licenses only, and boy, would it be tough to get a gun license if I'd be leader of a country.

What is your opinion on war? Is there such a thing as a good war? Comment on the wars occurring today and those in the past.
Armed conflict is the worst thing that happens in history, especially with all those nuclear weapons we have today.

What is the role of your country in the world?
We're that useless country nobody cares (or even knows) about. It has potential to be a prosperous country if it could just realize how much potential for tourism it has.

INTERVIEW FOLLOWUP: This section exists to stir up a little discussion and put the individual who has been interviewed on the hot seat by pointing out notable/apparent hypocrisies, or questioning, for various reasons, points of view that have been raised in order to clarify the issues or spark thought and dialogue. Please note that the opinions I express aren't necessarily (and often won't be) mine, rather, I am simply providing them, whether I agree with them or not, to cause discussion. I would hope that [nation=short]Tropicostan[/nation] responds to this section, and I encourage other nations to ask similar questions.

According to the Inter-American Commission for Human Rights, the Cuban government has violated “their [people's] rights to life, liberty, and personal security; equality before the law; freedom of opinion, expression, and dissemination; a fair trial; assembly and association; and due process of law, among others.” Anything that is ‘antisocial behavior’ (the cuban government finds being unemployed to be antisocial) is a target for beating, torture, and imprisonment. “Cuban government denies legal status to local human rights groups. The government also employs harassment, beatings, and imprisonment to punish human rights defenders who attempt to document abuses” (Human Rights Watch) “The government controls all media outlets in Cuba and access to outside information is highly restricted, ensuring that freedom of expression is virtually nonexistent” (Human Rights Watch). At least 13,000 Cuban citizens have been executed since 1959, and over 100,000 have been jailed for opposing the Castro regime, including at least 28,000 still in prison today. Still want to live in Cuba?

What's so great about communism, anyway? Why should the individual be sacrificed for the whole, shouldn't society exist for the individual instead of the other way around? How can human society function without economic/power hierarchy, and how can people achieve complete equality? How can it function with natural human greed, ego, and the underlying desire to succeed? If we took away money, our desires wouldn't go away, would they? Wouldn't they just shift to something else, even more basic in human nature, like sexuality? How in the world would we even go about achieving communism in the first place, in your opinion, given that communists differ so much?

What's that fascist country you hate from the bottom of your heart?

What makes ignorance so deplorable in an individual, even more-so than excessive greed or vindictiveness or apathy?

-------------------------Interview the Fifth-------------------------

[nation=short]Lord Behemoth[/nation] is an active fellow that currently works in the not-so-eventful appointed position of Ambassador to Trav Khar. Known, by me at least, for his humor and interesting grammatical structures, he's the 11th oldest nation of this region. So without further ado~

Comment on your experience as Ambassador to Trav Khar.
I quite enjoy it. I get to hang out with some cool people, and I don't have to recruit a pre-designated amount of people every month or so, like the HoR does. He's a hard job.

What have you accomplished as Ambassador to Trav Khar?
Uhm...I...made peace with them? I've really been trying to help them out with recruitment, but, there's not really much you can accomplish. We're already set. Why is I've a sudden feeling I'm going to get fired for saying that?

How would your nation react if the last Platypus went extinct?
Prepare the test tubes and break out the DNA!

Who are you?
Just another guy from North Carolina.

How would your best friend describe you to someone who has never met you before?
"He's pretty cool, tall, long, brown hair, sometimes he's pretty funny."

Who do you idolize?
People who say,"whom", naw. Seriously, I don't really have any idols. Other than the Idol of Fertility. Got it in a Mayan yardsale.

What are your music/movie/media tastes? List some favorites.
The Agonist, Whitechapel, Kataklysm, Arch Enemy. I like any movie that can keep me on the edge of my seat, make me laugh, or any movie that has lot,and lots of explosions...Tee-hee.

What are those things you could do without in life? What about the things you absolutely feel are essential?
I could do without my computer, TV, most of my useless gadgets, my MP3, etc. I couldn't go very long without food, air, water, or tacos.

How important is education to you, institutionalized and otherwise?
Education is one of the most important things this nation can offer, and capitalism and education just don't mix.

Tell me about the best book ever.
It had words in it! Can you guess the name of it? No, I loved,"To Kill A Mockingbird", as a child.

What do you look for in a friend?
A friend? All they have to be is not an a-hole or be really, really, stupid.

What's attractive in a guy/gal?
I find most everything attractive about gals, including their eyes, hair, chest area, their...ears.

What's the strangest thing you've ever done?
Wow. That's a really hard one. Last week I hung out with these guys while I was playing pool with them. I don't even want to describe some of the weird sh!t that went on. Although, one time I spied on the neighbors while I was dressed as a bit of undergrowth.

Which talent out of all those out there would you most like to have? Why?
Blacksmithing. It's a good skill to have. I wouldn't mind having experience with a mill, either.

What are the most important principles/values to have?
Kindness, manners, wisdom, and the understanding that violence is natural.

Which sports/activities, if any, do you like to watch or play/partake in?
Football, basketball, rally racing, motorcross, supercross, enduro racing.

What are your passions?
Long walks on the beach, shooting guns, making weapons for the hell of it, doing anything that will make the ones I care about laugh.

What are the best fashions?
Uhmm...Ones that aren't really expensive, designer, or skinned alive in China. However, if you go kill an elk and take his meat and eat it, then, make a coat or something out of hide, you've my respect.

How much stress is in your life? Why?
Not too much. I take it easy and I don't have a very high stress job. More physical stress than any desk jockey could handle, but, still not much stress.

How would you improve the region? What's the worst part of it? The best?
The worst part...hmm...I guess that it has a big government. I like to mix socialism and capitalism together. They're both pretty good, but, easily corrupted.

Comment on the Kongregate Region's alliance with Trav Khar.
It's a good idea.

What's the best Nationstates issue that you've ever been presented with?
Hmm...I guess the one about the Order of Violet demanding human babies for sacrifices. Groups like that give me a good laugh.

What do you think of Nationstates as a political simulation game? What are it's inherent pros and cons?
I hate all the griefers (or whatever you want to call them), I love that it lets you make the decisions.

Do you try to, in your decisions about your nation, adhere to your real life beliefs or do something else?
I try to adhere to my beliefs.

If you were responsible for creating another regional government position, what would it be?
Minister of doughnuts and foreign communications.

You encounter a man wearing nothing but a plaid shirt and boxers out in a field of red poppies, and you're dressed in business attire and carrying the cutest snail ever to roam the earth. What do you do?
Trade pants and jacket with him,and allow him to hold my snail.

What are the best internet memes?
Pedo Bear and Antoine Dodson.

What is?
All.

Respond to the following quote: "The life of man is solitary, poor, nasty, brutish, and short."
It's really quite wrong...we live a pretty long life.

What's wrong with your country? What's right with your country?
We're a tad bit too careless about who gets into the government.

What should be the role of government in your country?
Providers of education and Military Control.

Is Islam dominated by radicals? Explain.
No,the few radicals that do populate the Islam peoples are just given more attention than they should have.

Is it wrong to pay for sex? Comment on the sex industry.
You can't get laid so you go out and pay someone for sex...what the hell? :\

Who has been the worst leader of your country? The best?
That's a hard one. I guess George W. Bush, for getting us in this mess of crap we call a bad economy and a war on terror.

Is Affirmative Action good or bad?
Good.

Should drugs be legalized? Which ones, if any? Why?
None, I don't believe cigarettes should be legal.

Is 'Obamacare' good or bad? Explain.
Eh.It's alright.

What's the best energy source for your country? Are there energy sources that should be avoided?
Best energy source...hmmm...solar power and nuclear. Worst? Coal.

What is your opinion on war? Is there such a thing as a good war? Comment on the wars occurring today and those in the past.
War is natural,we can't help our selves,we're dangerous creatures.

What is the role of your country in the world?
Just another country.

Should your country use the death penalty? For what crimes, and how frequently?
Yes. For most cases of rape and murder. As often as a sick f**k rapes someone in some bar parking lot at 3:00AM, in other words, most everytime someone is found guilty of murder or rape.

INTERVIEW FOLLOWUP: This section exists to stir up a little discussion and put the individual who has been interviewed on the hot seat by pointing out notable/apparent hypocrisies, or questioning, for various reasons, points of view that have been raised in order to clarify the issues or spark thought and dialogue. Please note that the opinions I express aren't necessarily (and often won't be) mine, rather, I am simply providing them, whether I agree with them or not, to cause discussion. I would hope that [nation=short]Lord Behemoth[/nation] responds to this section, and I encourage other nations to ask similar questions.

How doesn't capitalism mix with education? With capitalism, we both have public and private schools (my school's technically "incorporated") as well as most of the super-awesome colleges that have been developed over the years - and all of the private institutions at the lower, middle, secondary (highschool), and college levels have varying cultures as a result of the school's varying purpose and tradition. If we adopted a non-privatized system, much of this variation would be gone - there would be more standardization, as it's the effect of government - as would the ability to decide from such a wide variety of institutions. It appears that education is actually able to thrive to the best of its ability with our mixed capitalist/socialist education system, one with private institutions that make their own selections and public ones that assure everyone else receives an education of at least minimal standards. Schools have in the past and will continue to fail, but that isn't just a side effect of our nation's economic system, and just because a school's government owned doesn't mean that it's inherently better, or vice versa for that matter.

How does the region have a big government? It appears to be streamlined as a matter of fact, with the responsibilities of leadership split between three nations and the responsibility to a foreign region belonging to you. We don't have oppressive, conformist regional policies, and frankly, the leadership isn't very activist - it's primary roles are to provide regional security, dispense information, provide something to participate in, responsibly manage itself, manage our foreign tie, and maintain regional population - all of these are done by four people. You also state "I like to mix socialism and capitalism together. They're both pretty good, but, easily corrupted." Is this an implication that the region's leadership is either pro-capitalist, pro-socialist, or corrupted (In other words, I'm not sure what you're trying to say here). If you're implying any of these conclusions, could you explain why you think this?

One could agree that as a democracy, the general population is somewhat careless about who gets into office - as Churchill said, "The best argument against democracy is a five minute conversation with the average voter." At the same time, isn't the country's political leadership and corporate world extremely careful about and heavily involved in who gets into office? All that campaign management, cash-flow, public image, and other hoo-ha is quite intense.

Just because there are relatively few radicals does not mean that they don't dominate the religion. I quote from Paul Marshall, "it is the radicals who have their hands on the levers of power. They are, to pick a word, the hegemonic. They’re the most powerful driving force...they are extremely focused in what they want. They are often well organized. They’re often very well funded, often by Saudi Arabia and they are very, very committed, being quite willing to often kill themselves and to kill other people, especially Muslims...if you travel throughout Africa, you will find Saudi-funded mosques, Imams, lectures, sermons, students, books, videos, fatwas propagating its own reactionary version of Islam. The Iranians seek to do the same...In Sudan, the government has instituted laws and propagated genocidal wars against the south in Darfur, killing some two million and two hundred and fifty...thousand, respectively. In Nigeria, some fifty thousand people have died in conflict over the introduction of radical Islam...One result is that in Freedom House’s rankings of the world’s twenty un-free countries, the majority now are Muslim."

While I understand that you believe cigarettes should not be legal, does that mean that you would support making them illegal through legislation in today's world? If so, how do you think the county would be able to do it while dealing with the resulting economic, social, and critical problems?

Is coal really the worst energy source for our country? It generates almost 45% of the nation's power. Natural gas gives us about 24%, nuclear about 19%, hydroelectric about 6.2%, and all of the other forms of energy combined, from wind power to solar power to geothermal power to biomass power all together generate only 4.5% of the nation's energy, which is quite minimal. Even if we were to make an energy transition, economically we must consider that coal is cheap, already established, and very important to the nation in terms of supplying it with energy - far and away it's the most significant one for the nation. As for solar power, a very generous estimate suggests that if we put our government's and country's heart and soul into the creation of more solar energy, we'd perhaps get it to supply about 10% of our nation's power in 14 years. That doesn't seem to be a very realistic approach, and given that solar isn't particularly reliable in the first place, and that it would take up a huge amount of space to produce enough energy to actually power a town/city, it doesn't appear to be a good way to go. And guess what would have to provide the back-up energy that solar can't create, for example, at night? Something like coal. It's large spread would kill ecosystems, the solar panels would be produced with fossil fuels, and chemicals used to make them would be harmful to the environment, while repairing them from bad storms and creating the batteries for storing solar energy would be costly.

Should society really be as pervasive at administering the death penalty as you advocate? Isn't it somewhat odd for society to kill a gigantic number of people that they're condemning because they killed someone? As Freud said, civilization "hopes to prevent the crudest excesses of brutal violence by itself assuming the right to use violence against criminals."

-------------------------Interview the Sixth-------------------------

[nation=short]Mostly Armless[/nation] is a fellow who I can't quite say that I know much about outside of what he explains below. I can however vouch for his politeness and ability to run an awesome campaign, coming quite close to having enough support to beat me in the Regional Election for the World Assembly Delegate position. So without further ado...

What are your music/movie/media tastes? List some favorites.
My music tastes are wide and varied; I don’t mind pretty much anything but the rubbish in the charts these days.
I’m not a particular fan of movies, although I don't mind going to the cinema.

Describe an accomplishment or an achievement that you're especially proud of.
I recently took part in the European Maths Grey Kangaroo.
I was in my school's production of James and the Giant Peach.
I was crowned Bard in my primary school Eisteddfod.

What's the strangest thing you've ever done?
I tried to leapfrog over a bollard and ended up in hospital with a broken elbow.

What's your most marked characteristic?
My brains.

Would you ever want to be famous?
I’d like to be somewhat famous so people in my field of work would know who I was. Other than that, not really.

How much stress is in your life? Why?
Very little actually. I don't feel stressed at all. Maybe that's because I don't have anything to stress over.

What's the best Nationstates issue that you've ever been presented with?
The Easter egg one about the lever. The line for my option is something I like: thousands of cute furry kittens are trampling everything in their path

What do you think of Nationstates as a political simulation game? What are it's inherent pros and cons?
I think NS is a pretty good political simulation game. It was set up in a way that provided for those interested in most things to do with a nation. RPing, raiding, general debate NS has it all.

Is your nation where you want it to be economically, politically, and otherwise?
Not really but I don’t mind.

How would you improve the region? What's the worst part of it? The best?
Hmmm... More members would be nice, but other than that, the region is great.

You encounter a man wearing nothing but a plaid shirt and boxers out in a field of red poppies, and you're dressed in business attire and carrying the cutest snail ever to roam the earth. What do you do?
1. Pick the poppies
2. Swap them for the shirt
3. ????
4. Profit!

Why do we park on driveways and drive on parkways?
We’re odd creatures, what do you expect?

Why are you responding to this stupid interview, anyway?
Because strange men in blue suits threatened to kill me if I didn't.

Comment on perspective. How does it factor into life?
Well, perspective is one of the most important things around. You will never understand others if you cannot see things from their perspective.

Respond to the following quote: "The life of man is solitary, poor, nasty, brutish, and short."
A little bit grim but ultimately true.

What is?
What was?

What's wrong with your country? What's right with your country?
Wrong? Budget deficit, failing education, splintering society.
Right? Most of the other things.

What are the most important rights that an individual can have?
Freedom of speech and religion.

Is it wrong to pay for sex? Comment on the sex industry.
No, if you can be paid to be filmed doing it, then why can't you be paid directly for doing it?

Must freedom of expression/speech include the right to offend?
Yes. Only those that are extremely offensive (death threats, slander etc...) should be banned. Those that belive freedom of speech means freedom to not have your views challenged or disagreed with (especially on a debate forum) really annoy me.

What should be the role of government in your country?
*cough*Governing*cough*. Everything else is somebody else's responsibility.

Should drugs be legalized? Which ones, if any? Why?
Some of the less dangerous/addictive ones should probably be legalized.

What's the best energy source for your country? Are there energy sources that should be avoided?
Nuclear, probably. The disaster in Fukoshima has reinforced my belief in the safety of nuclear reactors. I mean, a 40 year old reactor is hit by a 9.0 magnitude earthquake, 10 metre tsunami and still hasn't completely failed? That is a testament to the engineers who built it. Sure, it has design flaws, but what doesn't?

What is your opinion on war? Is there such a thing as a good war? Comment on the wars occurring today and those in the past.
War is an inherently bad thing; however it does bring technical, logistical and scientific discoveries and advances with it. It depends on who you are as to whether war is good or not. From my perspective war is bad, but I don’t know everything.

Comment on social programs in your country? Where should there be more involvement and funding? Where should there be less?
I'm not sure; I haven't been around for long enough to experience many of the things in the world.

-------------------------Interview the Seventh-------------------------

[nation=short]Fnaropolis[/nation] is a very friendly fellow who I have a snazzy rapport with. I must say that he ran a pretty good campaign against me two elections ago, and I hope that he still has the drive to get involved in the Regional Leadership. So, without further ado, I give you our featured interviewee.

Who are you?
Fnar3221 on Kong! And... That's about it.

How would your best friend describe you to someone who has never met you before?
Slightly neurotic, chronically late, smells kind of like blue cheese and rotten bagels and oh yeah, he stands on only 1 foot for ridiculous amounts of time... In other words? A pretty cool guy.

Who do you idolize?
Margaret Thatcher, of course! I feel that her absolutely hardcore and brutal political 'tactics' should be adopted by dictators everywhere.

What are your music/movie/media tastes? List some favorites.
May I be an elitist musical snob here? Ambient Techno, Ambient House, and of course... Ambient Ambient! Along with Dubstep, Drum N Bass, Thrash Metal, Intelligent Dance Music, Psychedelic Trance... Oh gosh, I could fill up this entire interview with random music favorites. I'll go top 3... Uh... Infected Mushroom - Dracul! Metallica - For Whom The Bell Tolls! And... Uh... Oh yeah, Aphex Twin - Afx237 V7!

What do you miss about childhood?
What do I miss about childhood eh? Well, probably the innocence. That's... About it. Oh yeah, recess too.

How important is education to you, institutionalized and otherwise?
Education used to be an over-riding feature of my life! I feel that I've learned more outside of school than inside though. It's still important... Just needs a bit more humanity to it I guess. A little personal touch here and there wouldn't hurt!

What are you afraid of?
The only thing to fear is fear itself! Also zombie George Carlins. Those would be a fear of mine.

What do you look for in a friend?
It helps if you've got a pretty smile... Oh yeah, passive-aggressiveness, a bit of emotional bluntness and a good dose of sardonic wit!

What's the strangest thing you've ever done?
Dumping a whole bucket of yogurt into a shallow pool and rolling around in it.

What's your most marked characteristic?
Marked characteristics eh? I think my annoying habit of avoiding serious questions with a bit of off-beat humor and a smile.

Which sports/activities, if any, do you like to watch or play/partake in?
I like to watch and play tennis! It makes me feel posh!

How original are you?
On a scale of 1 to 10? Probably a 4. I tend to "borrow" jokes from comedians (of course, I give credit where credit is due!) and a lot of the antics I do have repeated themselves over the years.

What are your passions?
Other than carnal human passions? Probably music, calligraphy and a good dose of cooking to average it all out!

What do you do?
What a delightfully vague question!

Would you ever want to be famous?
Psh! The day I become famous is the day Pomeranian poodles talk. But yeah, I'd like to be famous. I like smiling for the cameras and the fame is cool! And... Oh yeah, I guess famous people leave legacies and I do enjoy legacies!

How much stress is in your life? Why?
Stress? Bah! I keep it on a minimum because my very NATURE is relaxed and mellow! I don't get called a filthy hippy for nothing you know!

Describe your experience on Nationstates and in the Kongregate region.
It's been a lot of fun! A lot of nice people! A lot of intelligent people! I tend to lack any substantial 'oomph' to my efforts but that's alright!

Comment on the Kongregate Region's alliance with Trav Khar.
I think it's a nice gesture and it obviously works or else we would've dumped them a long time ago!

What's the best Nationstates issue that you've ever been presented with?
I liked the BDSM issue! It would be refreshing, to say the least, to see Masters and their Subs walking around in full attire!

Is your nation where you want it to be economically, politically, and otherwise?
Not yet! I want my nation to be a psychotic dictatorship... I guess Father Knows Best State is second best. Economically? Oh, we still got some private enterprise. I'll be stamping that out soon. Politically? The average joe still has power and that needs to go! Human rights? Bah! Humbug!

Do you try to, in your decisions about your nation, adhere to your real life beliefs or do something else?
I tend to try new things when I am confronted with issues! Case in point with the psychotic dictatorship mind-set.

What is love?
[insert song lyrics here]

What is the meaning of your life?
Other than posting very silly answers to very serious interviews? I feel that my life is only meaningful if I'm able to achieve something that will result in a lot of progress for humanity of course!

Can you or I achieve perfect happiness? How?
Perfect happiness is very subjective! Your perfect isn't my perfect! But yes, I suppose so! All we have to do is achieve all of our goals, aspirations, ideal moods, etc etc!

Comment on perspective. How does it factor into life?
I think it's powerful enough to re-define and shape our life!

Great interviews! Keep up the good work!

And interview me!

smackaine wrote:And interview me!

I'd be happy to be an interviewee as well.

-------------------------Interview the Eighth-------------------------

[nation=short]Smackaine[/nation] can be thanked for your entire experience here in the Kongregate Region, because without him it wouldn't be here! He may have left us on a couple of hiatuses, but for all the time that he's been around he's certainly been a cogent voice in the region, one of sensibility and activity - and believe it or not, he's the first user to answer every single interview question (I think)! I look forward to his continued contribution and wise words, but without further ado...

Who are you?
I'm Smackaine aka Caleb, region founder and all-round great guy.

How would your best friend describe you to someone who has never met you before?
This is Caleb, he's a sanctimonious argumentative turd but he's pretty sound other than that.

Who do you idolize?
People who work for what they achieve. I hate people that are given fame, Justin Bieber type success stories. I guess I'm a little bitter about working so hard up to this point in life to see people younger than me as smug millionaires set for life.

What are your music/movie/media tastes? List some favorites.
I love classical music (I'm a pianist), rock, dance, pop. Basically anything with a good tune, a good beat and something that I can sing along to. I love thoughtful movies (i.e. The Matrix, Crash) but I hate pretentious movies, especially Donnie Darko. Big fan of R-Rated cartoons.

What do you miss about childhood?
The fact I could make a big mistake and have someone to sort it all out for me. I'm completely responsible for my own actions now.

What are those things you could do without in life? What about the things you absolutely feel are essential?
I could do without alcohol. Cigarettes and the Internet are essential!

Describe an accomplishment or an achievement that you're especially proud of.
Performed for HM the Queen, and several other royals on the piano.

How important is education to you, institutionalized and otherwise?
Extremely. There are success stories of brilliance without education, but 999/1000 world-leaders, scientific and engineering pioneers are highly educated. I hope to become one of those pioneers.

Tell me about the best book ever.
The seventh Harry Potter (issue alert) is a masterpiece. So is the fourth. I've read many, many 'classic' books and I can safely say I've enjoyed no other more than these two.

What are you afraid of?
Snakes. My girlfriend being attacked or raped, something like that.

What do you look for in a friend?
Someone who can put up with me. I'm not easy to get along with for many people- some mistake extreme confidence in my views for arrogance

What's attractive in a guy/gal?
Buxomness. I love an hourglass figure- a few extra pounds can never go amiss.

What's the strangest thing you've ever done?
A chick in a graveyard? (Alive) Can I say that?

What's your most marked characteristic?
Intelligence. I'm a quizzer- top up my income by winning the local pub quiz with my housemates every Tuesday!

Which talent out of all those out there would you most like to have? Why?
I'd love to be able to yo-yo. I've thought it was cool since I was an infant.

What trait do you most deplore in others?
Childishness. If someone has a problem with me, I expect them to let me know and we can sort it. I hate people who play mind games and refuse to talk about stuff because off some immaturity.

What are the most important principles/values to have?
There's many, but IMO other than the standard ones (honesty, generosity, etc) I'm a big equality advocate. Racism and homophobia aren't deplorable traits for me, they just stem from a basic lack of rational thought.

What do you like to do in your free time?
Play music, play video games, spend time with my missus.

Which sports/activities, if any, do you like to watch or play/partake in?
I play (assoc.) football, at centre-back. My team won the league this season! I also play badminton and squash occasionally.

What makes you unique?
There's this wonderful thing called DNA, nobodies got any like mine

How original are you?
I don't think there are many people like me. I refuse to get an iPhone or Blackberry, I'm a bit of a rebel!

What are your passions?
Music, sport, the mighty Sheffield United and classic video games. Not retro (70s-80s) but classics, anything from '90-'00. Starting with Super Mario World, A Link to the Past, Sonic, OoT, Half-Life and Deus Ex!

What are the best fashions?
Anything not including- tight polos, done up to the top, plimsolls without socks, large boots that jeans are tucked into, snoods.

Would you ever want to be famous?
I would, but for brilliance in an academic field or for bravery, something along those lines.

How much stress is in your life? Why?
Lots. A law degree and a fairly serious girlfriend do not good bed partners make!

What is your motto?
Stop f*cking about and get on with it.

Describe your experience on Nationstates and in the Kongregate region.
I started up with Shamoley in around 2004. I would be one of the 15bil+ regions had I not had a couple year gap in between! I'm incredibly impressed at the growth of the Kong region- and am slightly embarrassed that it was absolutely nothing to do with me!

How would you improve the region? What's the worst part of it? The best?
The worst part is virtually nothing. I wish the forums were more widely used, but I think that will come in time. The best part is the incredible 'parliament' and especially the almighty Quinquex! (thanks for the interview honey
Note from the interviewer: You're welcome babe ;D

Comment on the Kongregate Region's alliance with Trav Khar.
It doesn't affect me, I was AFK when the alliance was formed. A good principle, but not one I was particularly involved in!

Do you plan on running for a position in regional government? Why/Why not? If so, which one?
I was planning on recruitment, but Turq seems to have it locked down. I was also thinking of WA delegate, but I'm not sure I have the time to keep it up.

What's the best Nationstates issue that you've ever been presented with?
I love the nudity one. It was my worst world top 10- Shamoley in 'nudest'.

What do you think of Nationstates as a political simulation game? What are it's inherent pros and cons?
Inherent pros- very intelligent, makes you appreciate the very delicate checks and balances that need to be taken into account when in government. Obvious con is the lack of 'gameplay' per se- especially coming from somewhere as 'instant gratification' as Kong!

Is your nation where you want it to be economically, politically, and otherwise?
No. I want absolute top level civil rights and political freedoms and a nothing economy. More fun.

Do you try to, in your decisions about your nation, adhere to your real life beliefs or do something else?
Not really, it always depresses me that my decisions are nearly always the bad one.

If you were responsible for creating another regional government position, what would it be?
I don't think we need one to be perfectly honest!

You encounter a man wearing nothing but a plaid shirt and boxers out in a field of red poppies, and you're dressed in business attire and carrying the cutest snail ever to roam the earth. What do you do?
Sit down and have a chat. What else is there to do?

What are the best internet memes?
I find almost all of them extremely annoying. But I like Millhouse, he's a pretty cool guy. Eh is not a meme and doesn't afraid of anything. Also, Candlejack is pret

Why do we park on driveways and drive on parkways?
You just blew my mind. Even though in England, there's no such thing as a parkway, really.

Why are you responding to this stupid interview, anyway?
Why not? I've nothing else to do on a Tuesday afternoon!

What is?
It's a punctuation mark, indicating a question.

What is success?
Satisfaction in pursuing your own goals. The ability to at least die doing some of the things you always planned to do.

What is love?
Baby don't hurt me! (Am I the first?) I'd say- the ability to unlock an extreme spectrum of emotions. If someone can make you happier than you've been before and they can also make you sadder than ever before, I'd say you're in love.

What is the meaning of your life?
I do believe in an afterlife, so I'm content with living mine as it comes and finding out why I lived it later.

Can you or I achieve perfect happiness? How?
Why not? Marry a nice girl, retire a rich man, have kids, read a good book now and again, drink a glass of wine with dinner. The simple things make for the purest happiness.

Respond to the following quote: "The life of man is solitary, poor, nasty, brutish, and short."
The life of a woman involves pushing a 10-pound lump of flesh and bone through a hole you'd have trouble getting three fingers in. I know which one I'd choose.

Do you and I have free will?
I believe so. An omniscient, omnipresent God would get bored with a bunch of mindless drones. Of course, if there is no God, there's little semi-rational explanation for something other than free will.

Define truth.
The opposite of falsehood? I'm not good at these super-philosophical question. I don't play the guitar in my flip-flops revising for my liberal arts exams.

Do we know, or do we believe?
I know, and believe, we do both.

Is God dead?
I hope not. I've got lots of questions that need answers!

What's wrong with your country? What's right with your country?
People are too keen to avoid any sort of litigation or offense. Both political correctness and health and safety regulations are practically overbearing. Having lived in a third-world country, I appreciate that the odd nail out of place is probably not going to kill me. Good- it's better than Zimbabwe, I suppose.

What should be the role of government in your country?
Provide for the people. Something the current con-dem coalition is failing spectacularly to do.

Is Islam dominated by radicals? Explain.
No. I've lived in an Islamic country - by numbers, the religion is dominated by fine, friendly, law-abiding citizens. They may not be keen on certain contentious issues, but they wouldn't shoot gays on sight like the Western media seems to believe.

What are the most important rights that an individual can have?
Various in the ECHR- Right to privacy, freedom of expression, freedom of religion, etc.

Is it wrong to pay for sex? Comment on the sex industry.
Certainly not. It's a service that makes you feel good. I'd pay for a massage even if I didn't need it as a therapeutic treatment. What difference does the part of my body that they rub make in my eyes? It should be decriminalized, to protect the girls, push out the pimps and madams. Prostitution will always exist- why fight it?

Who has been the worst leader of your country? The best?
Worst- Margaret Thatcher, deliberately kept the poor poor and the rich rich. Best- I don't know really, I've only been alive for 5 or 6. Tony Blair wasn't so bad, Iraq war aside.

What countries are the most powerful? Which ones would you like to reside in other than yours? Why?
The USA for obvious reasons holds a lot of weight. China and India are becoming the world's next big superpowers, so who knows where we'll be in 10 years time? I'd love to live abroad, and have before. I've lived over Europe and the Middle East- I'd like to sample the States and the far east.

Is Affirmative Action good or bad?
I'm a believer that discrimination needs to be attacked as part of a wider societal pandemic rather than fighting discrimination issues as they occur.

Must freedom of expression/speech include the right to offend?
Yes. Without question. We have libel and slander laws to protect privacy and untruths. If you're a c*nt and I want to call you one I will do so.

What's the most pressing political issue/current event in your country or abroad? How should it be fixed?
Student fees are big news at the moment. I leave the fixing to the government.

Should drugs be legalized? Which ones, if any? Why?
Yes. Marijuana in particular, not for any personal love, but because of the relative damage the drug does in comparison to tobacco and alcohol and the holier than thou attitude the detractors exude every time they talk about it.

Is 'Obamacare' good or bad? Explain.
Is that the State's national health plan? Good. Expensive, but brings basic rights to the poorest that need it the most.

How intertwined should the government be in religion?
It shouldn't be. I've no problem with a national religion, but religion and government are two completely different bodies. The pope wouldn't consider the president when making a decision about the Vatican, why should it be the other way round?

More taxes or less taxes? Why?
More. Social progression is quickest through socialism. The industrial age is over. Look at the countries on the HDI- Scandinavian countries all chart very highly and all have some of the highest tax-rates in the world.

What's the best energy source for your country? Are there energy sources that should be avoided?
Nuclear. Safe, clean, efficient and relatively long-lasting. I'm not a big fan of fossil fuel burning- not on environmental grounds, just because petrol is so damn expensive, might be nice if we could get some price cuts!

What should be the extent of gun laws?
No guns. Guns are not needed. Take a tazer, take pepper spray, take a baton.

What is your opinion on war? Is there such a thing as a good war? Comment on the wars occurring today and those in the past.
No such thing as a good war. Diplomacy does not include the right to interfere in another country's affairs. If the country requests military aid (in order to fight insurgent forces) I could accept it.

How far should society go to eradicate racism, sexism, and other prejudices from its psyche? How, if they should, ought a society go about this?
Very, very far. I really don't know how to go about it, it seems Britain still tries really hard to no avail.

What is the role of your country in the world?
Former colonial power, still seen as the home of manners, etiquette, tea and scones!

Should your country use the death penalty? For what crimes, and how frequently?
Yes. For serial murderers. And those almost certain to offend. It costs too much to keep a tortured soul safe, alive and apart from the people.

Comment on social programs in your country? Where should there be more involvement and funding? Where should there be less?
"There's not enough schemes" -David Mitchell.

INTERVIEW FOLLOWUP: This section exists to stir up a little discussion and put the individual who has been interviewed on the hot seat by pointing out notable/apparent hypocrisies, or questioning, for various reasons, points of view that have been raised in order to clarify the issues or spark thought and dialogue. Please note that the opinions I express aren't necessarily (and often won't be) mine, rather, I am simply providing them, whether I agree with them or not, to cause discussion. I would hope that [nation=short]Smackaine[/nation] responds to this section, and I encourage other nations to ask similar questions.

Congrats on performing for the Queen and the other royals! I've always been curious - what exactly would you call the average British opinion of a royal leader. I got a couple opinions from the British exchange students that came to my school this year, but haven't really found anything consistent - if you can't think of any consistencies, then I guess I have to ask what exactly you think of having a royalty in your country.

You say that we know and we believe. I think I'll play the role of the kid in flip flops playing guitar and studying for his liberal arts exams. How can we possibly know anything? All we can say that we 'know' is what we experience, empirically or otherwise. This provides us with evidence. But evidence is not proof. It can seem that proof exists, but does that make it proven? No. Nothing can be proven, therefore nothing can be known, because to know (in the context of 'know' versus 'believe') something is to have complete certainty. Some might even argue that observation is not proof because our senses filter what actual reality is and distort it so that we actually do not know what is even out there in its pure form, we can only see it with a distorted interpretation that, as humans, we share. If you want to say that science/math provides proof, scientific reasoning itself will tell you that a theory can be disproved by a single evidential counter-example, but no amount of confirming evidence can ever certainly demonstrate a theory, only cause us to believe in its consistency and thus its verifiability. Thus, it makes sense that we believe - that we can think things are true or assume they are true, but we cannot know that they are true.

Are people really that "keen to avoid any sort of litigation or offense" in Britain? In America many call our society one that is overly litigious, perhaps you might like it more here

You say that the sex industry "should be decriminalized, to protect the girls, push out the pimps and madams." How is it that decriminalization pushes out the bad guys. Lets keep in mind that first, the pimps and madams are the ones already in place with their industries, which means that they have an establishment. Since its illegal business at the moment, we'll call it an organized crime establishment. We also know that when things are legalized, generally speaking, consumption of that thing increases because the taboo and the iron fist of the law and the other things of that nature are removed from play and the service becomes more open (look at marijuana consumption rates in Alaska, for example, or the Just Say No program's initiation and correlation with reduced drug consumption). So what would happen, then, is that the organized criminals would have an expanded market that they would move into having already been established - therefore they will be the dominant force at the initiation of legality. While they may all of the sudden become subject to greater regulation, there is nothing to say that they will abide by it - they skirted prosecution when the crime was illegal, so what's to say they won't skirt regulation when prostitution is indeed legal. On top of all that, a great deal of organizations dealing in human trafficking only have a part of their investment in prostitution - they get plenty of other revenue from the illegal drug trade and stuff like that, so even if, somehow, their prostituting profits went down, they wouldn't sink. You also ask "Prostitution will always exist- why fight it?" To that I provide you with the classic example given by prohibition advocates of speeding. Prohibition will not stop prostituting, but law enforcement of speed limits won’t end speeding either. Law enforcement, rather, reduces and contains speeding, as with policing of prostitution. Failure to police speeding drivers simply allows greater harm - the same with prostitution. And speeding is not legalized simply because it can never be eradicated, just like most of the other crimes out there - the same should be the case with prostitution.

What exactly was it that Margaret Thatcher did so incorrectly during her administration that made her the worst - its a curious question given that everyone interviewed from Britain has given this answer. In real money terms, under her administration, GDP skyrocketed 23%, and many social progressives would be happy to know that welfare spending, in direct contradiction to her rhetoric, jumped a phenomenally huge 32%, which might make one question how she deliberately kept the poor poor. Government spending on trade and industry also fell a gigantic 38%, which might make one question how she kept the rich rich. The "Thatcherism" policy of privatization was accompanied by increased labor productivity and profits for the government since it sold nationalized industry for money and no longer had to pay to run it. On top of that, even while she made herself out to be the enemy of unions, that didn't necessarily make her the enemy of union workers - among other things she instituted private voting/secret ballots in union procedures to reduce coercion and democratize the union voting process.

Can I have some tea and scones please, good sir? ;D

--------------------Interview the Ninth--------------------

[nation=short]Sargesteve[/nation] is a quite down-to-earth fellow whom I've known for a fairly long while now. Friendly, frank, and helpful as a person, his nation also seems to be run sensibly enough, and his contributions to the region are not to be denied either. After all, he's one of the top fifteen longest residents in the region, and though his commentary may only be speckled through our regional dialogue, what he says is always worth listening to. So instead of reading my ramblings, I give you the sensibly snazztastical musings of Sarge (though I must say that it would be good for us to have a debate some time, we appear to agree on some things but we've got a lot to have fun disagreeing about, it would make for a pretty good time ).

Who are you?
I thought that was the point of the interview. With all the names I’ve acquired over the years, it’s hard to pin down just exactly who I am. If anything, I’m me.

How would your best friend describe you to someone who has never met you before?
Why exactly am I marring my friendships with a rating system?

Who do you idolize?
I can’t say that I do, really. There’s no sense in going out and putting someone on a pedestal. I’ll let you know if I ever find someone to take inspiration from, though.

What are your music/movie/media tastes? List some favorites.
I’m an old fart at heart, always have been. Classical, opera, jazz, and blues. Beyond that it’s a song by song basis. Films have been kind of boring for me, as there’s just no suspense. So, I watch what I do and there’s not really a type to it. Media? I just don’t keep up with the media, it’s not worth my time.

What do you miss about childhood?
The entire concept, I suppose. It was my own fault, but childhood was still cut short for me. Another shot would be nice.

What are those things you could do without in life? What about the things you absolutely feel are essential?
Food, water, and air would be the only real essentials. Air being the most important, as food and water can be found most anywhere. I can’t think of anything else I couldn’t do without.

Describe an accomplishment or an achievement that you're especially proud of.
I’m my own worst critic. No matter what I do, it’s absolute crap and I could do better. There’s nothing I’m really proud of.

How important is education to you, institutionalized and otherwise?
Education is certainly very important to me. You can’t really get far without it. I don’t believe in traditional education, though. Schools have never done me any good outside of providing the books. What works for each individual is different, of course. The average person will get a lot out of traditional education, since that’s who it’s made for. The others, above or below, will get next to nothing.

Tell me about the best book ever.
I’ll let you know when I publish it.

What are you afraid of?
Not being able to abide by all the promises I’ve made and finding myself failing on all fronts.

What do you look for in a friend?
Limbs, usually. I honestly don’t look for anything. When I get to know someone, I either like them or I don’t.

What's attractive in a guy/gal?
Although I don’t anticipate rooting around in anyone, I can’t imagine finding organs and the sort all that attractive. It’s the same thing with a friend. You’re attractive to me or you’re not. I really couldn’t tell you anything specific that I like, or I’d go off and find someone attractive that contradicts it all. Beards for men. I’m not entirely sure when hairy men went out of style, but I get so tired of women disliking beards these days.

What's the strangest thing you've ever done?
Anyone unfortunate enough to spend a day with me will tell you that the strangest thing I’ve ever done is anything most would consider normal.

What's your most marked characteristic?
Freckles. Scars are up there, as well. This really depends on who you ask, because my views are so skewed in regards to it. Plenty will tell you I’m an ass, nearly all will tell you I’m a smartass, and others still will tell you I’m compassionate or any number of other random adjectives. I do what needs to be done simply because it needs to be done, I can’t actually care how everyone chooses to view me for what I do or don’t do.

Which talent out of all those out there would you most like to have? Why?
I’ve got what I need. What I desire will come in due time, so I’m not really lacking in that department.

What trait do you most deplore in others?
Existing, more often than not. I’m afraid I have almost no patience for stupidity, and certainly have a distaste for those who beat around the bush. If you’re not one to be straightforward with things, I’m unlikely to keep you around.

What are the most important principles/values to have?
All of them, I’d say. I live by my own honour code. This rarely agrees with what society views as right or wrong, but the law is easy enough to avoid. At the top is generally honesty above all else. I haven’t seen a need to lie.

What do you like to do in your free time?
I really tend to spend all my time working in some manner. Thankfully, video games are part of work. I do have a whole house full of books to catch up on when I find breaks, though.

Which sports/activities, if any, do you like to watch or play/partake in?
I’ve done a lot of things over the years, but nothing currently. Gymnastics was the most enjoyable, but I certainly still enjoy to bowl. Soccer, baseball, and golf have kind of fallen out of practice. I watch some football, baseball, and basketball. That’s about it.

What makes you unique?
DNA

How original are you?
When nothing that exists is original, how could I claim to be?

What are your passions?
I’m potentially beginning to rediscover some, but generally speaking I’m not passionate about anything.

What are the best fashions?
Anything that is comfortable to the individual wearing them.

Would you ever want to be famous?
I certainly can’t say that I would ever want to be famous, but I’ve accepted the fact that it will happen. I really prefer to do what needs to be done from the shadows.

How much stress is in your life? Why?
What part of my life isn’t stress? I hate sob stories, so we won’t go there. Let’s just say this past year has been enough to shave a few decades off my life.

What is your motto?
I tend to have several, but there are two I’m quite fond of. The only impossibility is impossibility itself. Be who you are, not who you think you should be.

Describe your experience on Nationstates and in the Kongregate region.
It’s been fairly short, thus far. If Quin hadn’t come to me about joining up, I probably wouldn’t have started back with Nationstates and I’ve been enjoying being back. I thank him for that. My time tends to be short more often than not, so I’m usually unable to actually participate in regional activities. I’m glad you don’t mind harbouring mostly dead weight, though.

How would you improve the region? What's the worst part of it? The best?
Free Taco Tuesday is really the only improvement I could make at this time.

Comment on the Kongregate Region's alliance with Trav Khar.
Being so sparingly involved in regional activities, I can’t say it really is terribly pertinent to me right now.

Do you plan on running for a position in regional government? Why/Why not? If so, which one?
What part of low on time aren’t you getting here? I always enjoy taking charge, but I wouldn’t want to be part of the World Assembly even if I had the time. Quin is doing such a lovely job, anywho.

What's the best Nationstates issue that you've ever been presented with?
Compulsory veganism. Although the results are not what I would see actually happening, I stand by it.

What do you think of Nationstates as a political simulation game? What are it's inherent pros and cons?
As I’ve mentioned a couple of times, the real problem are the options. You’ve got results based on assumption, rather than real experience. Such is the case with simulations to begin with, but it still really puts a wall up for you. As well, the limited options available. Roughly everything else is a pro. It’s a very well-made game, and certainly enjoyable no matter the outcome.

Is your nation where you want it to be economically, politically, and otherwise?
Well, it was certainly far from my intention to cause an implosion with the economy. I started this way back when, and clearly wasn’t a good leader as a child, but am slowly working on it now that I’m back. Politically, it’s fairly sound. Not getting any new legislation is rather annoying, of course. Good weather, great landscapes, happy enough people…things are going all right over at Sargesteve.

Do you try to, in your decisions about your nation, adhere to your real life beliefs or do something else?
I adhere to what I would do as a leader. Of course, such limited options often make that difficult and the outcome isn’t necessarily what would really happen. It’s a difficult balancing act, and I find myself completely dismissing options often enough when no proper solution is available.

If you were responsible for creating another regional government position, what would it be?
That goes back to Free Taco Tuesday. I’d put someone in charge of it, of course.

You encounter a man wearing nothing but a plaid shirt and boxers out in a field of red poppies, and you're dressed in business attire and carrying the cutest snail ever to roam the earth. What do you do?
I would introduce him to my snail, as only seems appropriate. Depending on the circumstances surrounding his being there, I imagine we’d hit it off pretty well and have a pretty damn splendid afternoon. Screw whatever I was headed to, it can wait.

What are the best internet memes?
Memes, much like Anon, are the retarded cousin of the internet. You take note because you fair it may injure itself. Some can be amusing once or twice, but too many dead horses wind up beaten to an even bloodier pulp. We would fair much better without the lot of them.

Why do we park on driveways and drive on parkways?
Well, that’s fairly simple. English is still a growing language, and is well-known for contradicting itself. On a grander scale, verbal communication itself is a folly. There’s not just room for error, but to speak is to err.

Why are you responding to this stupid interview, anyway?
I had a bit of spare time built up and requested it. Why did you make this stupid interview?

What is?
Everything, although it both is and isn’t. To is is to be, and to be is to is. The same goes for not being or is-ing.

What is success?
A personal concept based on your goals. Nobody can tell you you’re unsuccessful, but is there such a thing to begin with?

What is love?
Various chemical reactions.

What is the meaning of your life?
That would take more time than people would spend reading.

Can you or I achieve perfect happiness? How?
Learn to find happiness in what already occurs and better things will follow.

Comment on perspective. How does it factor into life?
Absolutely everything is perspective. Reality is a dream, and you form it at every interval. Perspective is a large part of the folly of duality. Good and bad, light and dark, etc. are all based purely in perspective. It’s far more problematic than it’s worth.

Respond to the following quote: "The life of man is solitary, poor, nasty, brutish, and short."
The quoted individual was certainly cynical, wasn’t he? The life of a man is what he makes of it.

Do you and I have free will?
A fickle concept. I believe in destiny based off my own choices. I’m following what I chose to have as an experience this time, so I’m just following my own script. It leaves you with and without free will.

Define truth.
Popular opinion.

Do we know, or do we believe?
That comes down to the individual. To know is to understand what is, and few do. Even just to know above believing is absolute certainty, and very few achieve that, whether what they know is actually what is or not.

Is God dead?
Am I?

What's wrong with your country? What's right with your country?
See perspective. Right and wrong are fairly unimportant to me. I rarely adhere to laws and don’t have stake in the big issues like education and healthcare. It’s a piss-poor country and I’ll get out when I can, but it’s not all that important as to why.

What should be the role of government in your country?
I’m big on dictatorship, because it’s the closest concept to a form of government that works (assuming you have the right person in power). The role of this government should be to start over at least try to be a democracy for once.

Is Islam dominated by radicals? Explain.
Is America full of ignorants, is the south full of hicks, is Japan full of honour-bound suicides? Come on, really?

What are the most important rights that an individual can have?
Never really looked at inhibited freedoms, so I couldn’t say. I think rights are really a silly thing when it comes right down to it. Not sure why you’d let someone stop you from something.

Is it wrong to pay for sex? Comment on the sex industry.
For whatever reason, the one being paid has landed themselves in this situation. It’s a job like anything else, and to not be paid would simply be insulting. I would hardly consider prostitution wrong, and I agree with Smack that it should simply be legalised. Making a variety of things, such as that, unlawful truly does do more harm than good.

Who has been the worst leader of your country? The best?
The worst is really hard to say. Both Bush legacies certainly have put us in quite a bind, but it’s been a long time since we had an intelligent President to begin with. There have been some good parts along the way, like Nixon’s foreign policy, but the “best” would have to go back to the beginning. You can pick and choose most of the originals for that title, although I don’t believe any ONE deserves it.

What countries are the most powerful? Which ones would you like to reside in other than yours? Why?
Is power honestly important? How do you define the power? Military is certainly all but useless, and money has done little good. I’d say each individual out there is the most powerful. I can’t get a very concrete list of countries without travelling to at least the majority of them. I can say that I would much prefer somewhere that has some untouched land left, like New Zealand.

Is Affirmative Action good or bad?
Depends on which law or executive order you’re looking at. Certainly the originals paved the way and did some good. There comes a point when it’s just overkill, though. Caucasian is becoming the minority, and we still treat everyone else as if they’re such. A realization needs to be made and things turned around before it’s just too late. A lot can be done away with.

Must freedom of expression/speech include the right to offend?
Nobody can offend you. You have to actively choose to take it as offensive, and that’s nobody’s fault but your own. Considering someone will be offended by everything said, it clearly must include that right.

What's the most pressing political issue/current event in your country or abroad? How should it be fixed?
Freedom of the internet is becoming a more and more pressing issue. The only way to fix it is to make it the norm. This is particularly true in the states where the current administration has criticized other countries for doing what we’re working towards. The government has provided a study that shows piracy is actually good for the economy. If the film and music industry could get over themselves, things would be so much more peaceful in that regard.

Should drugs be legalized? Which ones, if any? Why?
There are some drugs that just aren’t harmful if appropriate moderation is used. Legalize those and start worrying more about the hard stuff.

Is 'Obamacare' good or bad? Explain.
I’m against healthcare, period. The only thing it really does is allow people to stop taking care of themselves. If people made the effort to be healthy themselves, you wouldn’t have a need for it anyway. To that point, I don’t appreciate the forcing of insurance, as I would never purchase any form.

How intertwined should the government be in religion?
Separation of church and state ring any bells? Religion controls the government, that’s hardly up for debate. Why it’s allowed, I don’t know. It’s one of those kinds of things you can’t really fix without a complete reboot.

More taxes or less taxes? Why?
Abolish money. It’s done no good, and there’s really no point in a monetary value.

What's the best energy source for your country? Are there energy sources that should be avoided?
The best would be what hasn’t been released for use as of yet, but I’ll leave that to future riots. I’m big on environment, despite not actually really caring. Nuclear is something to avoid for obvious reasons, and of course the various dirty energies like coal.

What should be the extent of gun laws?
Why do we have guns, exactly? We use them to murder, go to war, and hunt for “sport”. Is this supposed to be doing anyone some good? Remove the technology completely, it’s wholly unnecessary.

What is your opinion on war? Is there such a thing as a good war? Comment on the wars occurring today and those in the past.
I think that’s been made somewhat clear throughout the course of this. War is just silly. I could watch a group of people doing a silly little dance and honestly not be able to tell the difference. You’re fighting someone about land? Maybe just free it up in the first place. You’re fighting because they retaliated? It’s called a war on terror now? Hmm, maybe we should just hand you over and settle things. War is a bully tactic and there’s not even honour amongst soldiers any more. You get the psychopaths who live to kill and people cheering because they blew up a truck.

How far should society go to eradicate racism, sexism, and other prejudices from its psyche? How, if they should, ought a society go about this?
Society really shouldn’t go anywhere about it. I’m openly racist, and probably a little sexist. I discriminate against the stereotypes, though. If you try to order fried chicken in a Chinese restaurant, you’re a nigger. If you’re a black fellow, I’d like to get to know you and see what you have to offer. Until the stereotypes stop being true, there’s no sense in attempting to eradicate the idea. It’s self-perpetuated, and hardly anyone’s fault but their own.

What is the role of your country in the world?
To be a spoiled drunk fifteen year old waving a gun in their face.

Should your country use the death penalty? For what crimes, and how frequently?
What is it with death being a preferred punishment? I was very shocked, and proud, at the uproar amongst people regarding Osama’s death and how people were happy about it. Death does not equate death, and certainly there’s no sense for a lesser crime.

Comment on social programs in your country? Where should there be more involvement and funding? Where should there be less?
Honestly, just stop and get your noses out of it. The government really hasn’t managed to do any good in social policies, or much of anywhere else for that matter. Don’t try to fix what isn’t really broken.

----------Interview the Tenth---------

[nation=short]Agritum[/nation] has been quite the active nation, and has been with us for quite some time now. Currently he's serving as the Ambassador to Trav Khar (I'm currently curious as to what he actually plans on doing with his position), and outside of that has been a regular contributor who, I must say, I've had the opportunity to learn a lot about through this interview. I also have to say that he speaks pretty darn good English for a secondary school student in a non-English speaking country! So, without further ado~

Who are you?
an Italian student

Who do you idolize?
I don't idolize anyone,but I admire certain figures like Gandhi or Mandela.

What are your music/movie/media tastes? List some favorites.
I'm an addict of progressive rock,but I usually break out in tears when hearing sad piano ballads or soundtracks.Yep,i'm a pretty sentimental guy

What do you miss about childhood?
the toughtlessness,since now I spend my day thinking and sighing of the disgraces fo the world

What are those things you could do without in life? What about the things you absolutely feel are essential?
haha,I think i would fare well without washing myself!Music and jokes are essential for me

Describe an accomplishment or an achievement that you're especially proud of.
Writing a Chivalrous-themed goodbye letter to my teachers (I'm in last year of secondary school)

How important is education to you, institutionalized and otherwise?
Very much,since "Ignorance is the most powerful weapon of Tyrants and Warmongers"

Tell me about the best book ever.
Three men in a Boat.It makes me die of laughs.!

What are you afraid of?
becoming asocial or failing in finding work or planning my life

What do you look for in a friend?
Humour and general knowledge.I love making funny citations

What's attractive in a guy/gal?
Humbleness and refinement,along with cultural-awareness.Can i add blonde hair or its too much elitist?

What's the strangest thing you've ever done?
enter my class talking in Pseudo-Japanese and bowing to the professor.

What's your most marked characteristic?
I'm creative as hell,sometimes too much but I learned to sublimate that in Arts,hahaha

Which talent out of all those out there would you most like to have? Why?
being good in drawing,the memories of my schoolmates laughing at my depiction of the Mona Lisa still haunt me after years.

What trait do you most deplore in others?
hypocrisy

What are the most important principles/values to have?
Respect and Honor

What do you like to do in your free time?
play computer games or watching documentaries on Discovery Channel

Which sports/activities, if any, do you like to watch or play/partake in?
I like to watch racing competitions.Always dreamed to be chased by the police in the streets of London,while driving a red Mini Cooper.

What makes you unique?
Always having a joke for everything

How original are you?
to the level that I don't follow any trend

What are your passions?
Writing poems and short love stories,and also play the bass

What are the best fashions?
I'm not an expert,but I like school uniforms (especially if there's a girl wearing it...)

Would you ever want to be famous?
Yes,but become that for good things

How much stress is in your life? Why?
Medium,since recently school is a little more hard cause the exams are near.

What is your motto?
"Fight the good fight"

Describe your experience on Nationstates and in the Kongregate region.
Very entertaining.Only negative note:those annoying individual that say that Iran is a democracy...

How would you improve the region? What's the worst part of it? The best?
I would add an Anthem!Obviously the best part is the activeness of the community and the democratical system that runs the region

Comment on the Kongregate Region's alliance with Trav Khar.
They seem to be pretty much active and Neo Nibu is a pretty friendly person.His artworks are amazing!

What's the best Nationstates issue that you've ever been presented with?
the Military Funding one,the Space Force part was hilarious!

What do you think of Nationstates as a political simulation game? What are it's inherent pros and cons?
Its very fun to write in the forums or roleplay,but the game lacks a little in gameplay

Is your nation where you want it to be economically, politically, and otherwise?
No,my Political Freedom is too much low and I'm planning to raise it substancially

Do you try to, in your decisions about your nation, adhere to your real life beliefs or do something else?
Yes,they mostly adhere to my beliefs except the most weird or extreme ones!

If you were responsible for creating another regional government position, what would it be?
Publical Relations Head

You encounter a man wearing nothing but a plaid shirt and boxers out in a field of red poppies, and you're dressed in business attire and carrying the cutest snail ever to roam the earth. What do you do?
I cut a little on the LSD...

What are the best internet memes?
WTF boom and Dramatic Prairie Dog

Why do we park on driveways and drive on parkways?
the Worlds goes in reverse

Why are you responding to this stupid interview, anyway?
Wanted to do something funny and to make other region members know me better


What is?
its the kick that makes us wonder on everything

What is success?
Its accomplishing what you planned to do and feel good.

What is love?
Its the thing that still makes me believe in Hope

What is the meaning of your life?
the same meaning of everyone

Can you or I achieve perfect happiness? How?
Yes,doing what you want and achieving it

Comment on perspective. How does it factor into life?
It helps you analyze your choices and choosing the right one

Respond to the following quote: "The life of man is solitary, poor, nasty, brutish, and short."
that guy doesn't know of the existance of beer

Do you and I have free will?
Yes,even if someone tells us "No you haven't"

Define truth.
Its like faeces.In the end,it will still go afloat

Do we know, or do we believe?
either.

Is God dead?
Who knows?Hope he isn't

What's wrong with your country? What's right with your country?
The government is corrupt,public infrastructures get little funding.The Prime Minister is the signal of the sad status of my Country.Atleast we've got young people that want to make this nation rise again in all his beauty,we have free healthcare and we have a great Cultural Heritage,other than the best food in the world.

What should be the role of government in your country?
To guide the country in a secure path and listen to the citizen's needs.

Is Islam dominated by radicals? Explain.
No,but sadly many eastern countries are under the control of fanatical fundamentalists.I think its unjust to think that Islam isn't capable of evolving and adopt progressive stances in comparison to other religions.

What are the most important rights that an individual can have?
the Right of Living and Free Will

Is it wrong to pay for sex? Comment on the sex industry.
I don't find anything of immoral,if its a consesual act,but speaking clearly,sex without love doesn't appeal to me

Who has been the worst leader of your country? The best?
The worst leaders?Two bald,short and pretentious men,and one of them is the incumbent prime minister.The best?Alcide De Gasperi wasn't a bad one,since his treaties with the Americans helped Italy to recover after WW2.Camillo Benso was another great leader,too sad he couldn't live enough to see an united Italian state.

What countries are the most powerful? Which ones would you like to reside in other than yours? Why?
China,Brazil and India are modern powerhouses,gaining terrain while the USA are slowly losing clout on the world.Also Japan and Holland are becoming leaders in Technology and Civil Rights.I would opt for the island of Nippon,since i'm very fascinated with Japanese Culture.

Must freedom of expression/speech include the right to offend?
Yes,I have the full right of call someone a jerk if he acts against the good of the citizen's

What's the most pressing political issue/current event in your country or abroad? How should it be fixed?
Illegal Immigration.War Refugees should be immediately admitted in the country and sorted into accomodation centers.Sadly,illegal immigrants should be rejected,given the unsustainability of the situation

Should drugs be legalized? Which ones, if any? Why?
I'm for legalizing light drugs like Cannabis.They can handle psychical problems and calm down people,but they should be carefully regulated in Pharmacies

Is 'Obamacare' good or bad? Explain.
Its good,Obama is taking the steps to make America a country were citizens can get healtcare regardless of their economic situation

How intertwined should the government be in religion?
The government should have a respect for believers or non-believers of any religion,but the Church shouldn't meddle in state affairs.

More taxes or less taxes? Why?
More taxes,but regulated to not put a strain on economy.If the taxmoney is carefully adminstered,the public structures of a country can service citizens better and improve their educational and health status

What's the best energy source for your country? Are there energy sources that should be avoided?
Geothermal energy.Nuclear energy should be avoided,given the high seismic activity in the Country and the inefficience of the government in disposing nuclear waste

What should be the extent of gun laws?
Legal,but Regulated

What is your opinion on war? Is there such a thing as a good war? Comment on the wars occurring today and those in the past.
War is a waste of people and resources.The only one that really benefit in the long term from them are those who win.

How far should society go to eradicate racism, sexism, and other prejudices from its psyche? How, if they should, ought a society go about this?
a Government can and should eliminate all of those from his mentality,but sadly there are some people who still believe in this stupid prejudices

What is the role of your country in the world?
Italy is a member of the G8 and one of the important countries of Europe,but thanks to Mr.Berlusconi,We have lost almost all of our credibility in the eyes of the world

Should your country use the death penalty? For what crimes, and how frequently?
No,death penalty is an horrible method of punishment

Comment on social programs in your country? Where should there be more involvement and funding? Where should there be less?
Education and Welfare should get very much funding,insted to all the useless departments of the Parliament that only eat euros and do nothing of note

INTERVIEW FOLLOWUP: This section exists to stir up a little discussion and put the individual who has been interviewed on the hot seat by pointing out notable/apparent hypocrisies, or questioning, for various reasons, points of view that have been raised in order to clarify the issues or spark thought and dialogue. Please note that the opinions I express aren't necessarily mine, rather, I am simply providing them, whether I agree with them or not, to cause discussion. I would hope that [nation=short]Agritum[/nation] responds to this section, and I encourage other nations to ask similar questions.

You say that you "admire certain figures like Gandhi." I question why you admire him, especially when you later state how much you deplore things like racism, because he was highly racist against blacks in Africa (evidence can be found at http://www.trinicenter.com/WorldNews/ghandi4.htm), and sexism, when he stated that he thought women were better than men because of his assumption that they did not enjoy sex. Second, I personally would be a tad put off by someone so obsessed by bodily functions that he constantly re-read "Constipation and our Civilization" and asked his servants "did you have a good bowel movement this morning, sisters?" every morning as well as someone who, in his 70s, has 'nightly cuddles' with his 17 year old great niece. But that's not important, really, it's only one of many things that seem to reveal that he was not a liberator, as individuals such as Martin Luther King portrayed him as, but rather was a political exotic. On top of that, he (Mr. Non-Violence, the same fellow who spoke extensively of the virtues of pacifism and said he would not endorse the taking of life under any circumstance) not only failed to oppose the Boer war or the Zulu war of 1906, couldn't control the mass movement that he inspired with his firm grasp of publicity, and yet still tried to while the casualty toll reached the tens of thousands and risks bubbled of gigantic racial-sectarian violence, which eventually turned into an anarchy that caused 5-6 million people to flee their homes while allowing the problems of Kashmir, the Punjab, and Sind to fix themselves, a fixing process that didn't take place in a very humanitarian fashion. Funny thing is that he also frustrated India's unification attempts by constantly frustrating Muhammad Ali Jinnah and his cadres, the leaders, more or less, of India's 90 million or so Muslims, and B.R. Ambedkar, the spokesman for many of India's untouchables. On top of all that, you said that hypocrisy is a trait you most deplore in others, and yet Gandhi, outside of his hypocrisies about nonviolence, was also hypocritical in the sense that, in Hind Swaraj, he denounced lawyers, railways, and parliamentary politics, even though as a professional lawyer he constantly cited railways favorable in his arguments to get India its own Parliament. But that's enough about Gandhi for now.

When asked about the importance of education (institutionalized and otherwise) you responded that "Ignorance is the most powerful weapon of Tyrants and Warmongers." But it is important to keep in mind that institutionalized education is almost a more powerful force for tyrants and warmongers, because while ignorance can breed just as much apathy as it can sheepishness, institutionalized indoctrination controlled and dictated by a central party can create wild activism and political force or at the least a form of leader worship. I'll give you two primary examples of this. The first is Napoleonic France, in which Napoleon's regime created countless lessons educating kids to worship their leader. A couple of actual excepts from a widely taught lesson of a widely used french textbook of the time period read as follows: "Q. Are there not particular reasons which ought to attach usmore strongly to Napoleon I, our emperor? A. Yes; for it is he whom God has raised up under difficult circumstances to re-establish the public worship of the holy religion of our fathers and to be the protector of it. He has restored and preserved public orfer by his profound and active wisdom; he defends the state by his powerful arm; he has become the anointed of the Lord...Q. What ought to be thought of those who may be lacking in their duty towards our Emperor? A. According to the apostle Saint Paul, they would be resisting the order established by God himself and would render themselves worthy of eternal damnation." The second example I have comes from Maoist China. While his cultural revolution was in practice a revolution of the illiterates against the intellectuals, his actions encouraged the formation of many private armies at universities, such as the Chingkanshang regiment of Tsinghua University, the Five-One-Six, the 'East is Red' commune of the Geological Insitutue, and the Aeronautical Institute's Sky faction. On top of that, the red guard was formed, and its first members were middle schoolers (12-15 or so years old in China's education system at the time), and the CCP Youth League, made mostly of students, took to the street in gangs and brought about immense violence and vandalism along with the rest of these armies and guards. While there were bonfires in the street with piles and piles of 'forbidden goods,' weddings and funerals were violently broken up and 'forbidden,' while hand-holding and kite-flying were specifically denounced by gang leaders, libraries were destroyed, books were burned, girls had their hair seized and cut off, anyone wearing clothing that seemed foreign had it torn off, hundreds of thousands of private homes were ransacked, the Foreign Ministry was taken over, etc. the authorities stood back. In August, 1966, in fact, a piece was published by the Central Committee of the Party which declared that "the only method is for the masses to liberate thsmelves...trust the masses, rely on them, and respect their initiative...don't be afraid of disturbances...no measures should be taken against students at universities, colleges, middle, and primary schools."

Why is saying that you find blond hair attractive in any way elitist? I don't understand that. Liking certain physical characteristics in a person seems to me to have absolutely nothing to do with social classes, especially something as basic as hair color. Then again, I'm not part of Italian culture, and don't know if there's anything in it that shuns blonds as elitist or something - is there? If there is, it sounds pretty silly to me.

You state that you "don't follow any trend." Do you choose that path just for the sake of not following a trend? Because if you do, then you're following a trend, something known in the U.S. as hipsterism, if I'm interpreting what you're saying correctly. Plus, while there's plenty of silly trends out there (e.g. tweens ferociously worshiping the latest pop stars, jeggings) there's also some pretty awesome ones out there. I'd also like to point out that from your other statements you're following trends whether you realize it or not: for example, in the modern world, it's become very fashionable to denounce racism and sexism in all of its forms, which you have done.

An Anthem? That sounds like a wonderful idea, as you might have noticed from my statements above.

What exactly would be the job of the Head of Public Relations if that position were to be made a reality? Who would we have to publicly relate to that our ambassadors don't already? How would we publicly relate to them?

I have more observations to make, but all of this typing has made my fingers hurt, and I think I've given everyone enough reading material to bring about a few eyesores, so I'll leave it at that. Thanks for doing the interview

----------Interview The Eleventh----------
The only thing that I really know to say about [nation=short]DB23ania[/nation] that isn't given away in the interview is that he's quite a patient fellow. He's waited a very long time to have this interview published on his behalf, and now is about that time. I'd also like he'll be offered many cakes if he chooses to run for office. So without further ado:

Who are you?
I am me, I play games and read books.

How would your best friend describe you to someone who has never met you before?
He's funny and bites people..

Who do you idolize?
I don't really Idolize so to speak, I have people I respect, and those I admire but I do not wish to become a brainless fan who reads tabloids for any scrap of information about my idol.

What do you miss about childhood?
I am legally still a child, but of my younger childhood I miss the innocence and fascination with Dinosaurs.

Describe an accomplishment or an achievement that you're especially proud of.
I recently managed to be promoted to Moderator on a website I use.

How important is education to you, institutionalized and otherwise?
Without Education we cannot grow, nor can we advance, I believe that Education is the key to success, after all, Brain beats Brawn.

Tell me about the best book ever.
It's awesome, i've read it, it's the best book ever.

What are you afraid of?
You have nothing to fear but Fear itself

What do you look for in a friend?
Easy-going, willing to put up with eccentrities and not "Cool"

What's attractive in a guy/gal?
A good personality, the prettiest girls are often the Bitchiest.

Which talent out of all those out there would you most like to have? Why?
I'd love to be able to sing, as I sound like a broken piano, although that isn't imperative.

What trait do you most deplore in others?
Thinking that they are better than everyone else and that no-one else matters

What are the most important principles/values to have?
A good heart and the intelligence to distinguish between right and wrong.

What do you like to do in your free time?
Play on the computer, read.

Which sports/activities, if any, do you like to watch or play/partake in?
I'm a good runner but am not exactly what you would call Sporty.

What makes you unique?
My existance, we are all unique.

How original are you?
I have ideas which I haven't copied, some that i've adapted, and some that i've stolen, a mix between the three I suppose.

What are your passions?
I don't have Passions, but things I enjoy doing.

What are the best fashions?
Those which you chose yourself.

Would you ever want to be famous?
I would not want to be Famous for being Famous, merely someone whom you would see and say, that's so and so.

How much stress is in your life? Why?
I lead a very much Stress free life, things will always work out in the end.

What is your motto?
Life is the most valuable commodity.

Describe your experience on Nationstates and in the Kongregate region.
I enjoy NS and have been playing for a while now, my experience has been mixed, with some highs and some lows with my Nations, I have had a very good experience in Kongregate region though.

How would you improve the region? What's the worst part of it? The best?
The region as a whole is something I would not change, however the attitude of some nations can lower this. The best part is the non-dictatorial elections although not many people get to vote.

Comment on the Kongregate Region's alliance with Trav Khar.
I am confused as to why we are allied with Trav khar and not with any other regions who have porposed embassies.

Do you plan on running for a position in regional government? Why/Why not? If so, which one?
I would fail in any election so for the time being I shall stay quiet, if there were a post for handing out free cakes I would apply.

What's the best Nationstates issue that you've ever been presented with?
The issue of Gays in the army.

What do you think of Nationstates as a political simulation game? What are it's inherent pros and cons?
It is an interesting simulation of real politics, the Pros would be the Region system and the WA and the cons the annoying results of legislation and Region invaders

Is your nation where you want it to be economically, politically, and otherwise?
Hell no! All 3 of my regions have failed, even though my second was supposed to take the most oppresive legislation all 3 have sunk into Penniless dictatorships.

Do you try to, in your decisions about your nation, adhere to your real life beliefs or do something else?
In my first nation I adhered to my real life beliefs, the second, Dowebbania, was supposed to take the most oppresive measures until the lemonade sellers on sidewalks sprung up and I tried to revitalise my economy, and my third Nation I took the most amusing options.

If you were responsible for creating another regional government position, what would it be?
Distribution of free cake.

You encounter a man wearing nothing but a plaid shirt and boxers out in a field of red poppies, and you're dressed in business attire and carrying the cutest snail ever to roam the earth. What do you do?
Sit with him and discuss the meaning of life.

Why do we park on driveways and drive on parkways?
Because we drive on the driveway to park and park on the sides of the Parkways.

Why are you responding to this stupid interview, anyway?
I have no Idea, I just felt like filling it in.

What is?
Is what?

What is success?
The lack of failure

What is love?
The lack of Hate and Indifference

What is the meaning of your life?
To live

Can you or I achieve perfect happiness? How?
Be happy with what you have and don't strive to be above your limits.

Comment on perspective. How does it factor into life?
The way things are viewed can have a big impact, yet your personal alliegances can form that perspective and make it not for the better.

Respond to the following quote: "The life of man is solitary, poor, nasty, brutish, and short."
Only if that man strives to make it so.

Do you and I have free will?
Or are we just puppets of the sky?

Define truth.
What you believe to be correct, or is correct.

Do we know, or do we believe?
We believe we know.

Is God dead?
No.

What's wrong with your country? What's right with your country?
The economy, the people.

What should be the role of government in your country?
To help the people and to represent them in the world.

Is Islam dominated by radicals? Explain.
Wherever you go, there are radicals, you get Radical Christians, such as the Amish, and Radical Atheists, such as fat men sitting in chairs. Islam in itself is not, but they are numerous and can give the impression that there are many more, even the smallest stone can make large ripples.

What are the most important rights that an individual can have?
Freedom to live their life as they wish to.

Is it wrong to pay for sex? Comment on the sex industry.
I believe that paying for sex is wrong, we should be helping the prostitutes, for who would choose to have sex with old, fat, white men, not screwing them.

Who has been the worst leader of your country? The best?
The worst I believe was the Roman emporers of old who extracted enormous taxes from the Britons and oppressed them, the best was WInston Churchill, motivational speeches and the resilience to last out the war.

What countries are the most powerful? Which ones would you like to reside in other than yours? Why?
But what is power? Is it having the most soldiers or tanks or Nuclear missiles? Or is it the best Economy? Or the people? I would like to reside in One of the central european countries for they are not too far from home and have a large English community.

Must freedom of expression/speech include the right to offend?
You offend people every day, so long as you do not seek to offend then you may speak Freely

What's the most pressing political issue/current event in your country or abroad? How should it be fixed?
Afganistan, Try and negotiate with the Taliban, not Eradicate them, not Bin-laden is dead is that not the main objective completed?

Should drugs be legalized? Which ones, if any? Why?
Medicinal drugs should be available via Prescription, Narcotics should be banned.

Is 'Obamacare' good or bad? Explain.
I wouldn't know, I like the NHS though.

How intertwined should the government be in religion?
The government should be separate but there should be people of all Religions in Parliament.

More taxes or less taxes? Why?
Enough tax to help the economy, not to expand it.

What's the best energy source for your country? Are there energy sources that should be avoided?
Wind power, Britain is naturally windy. We should avoid Nuclear power as the risks and side effects outweigh the benefits.

What should be the extent of gun laws?
Tighter in America, The safety of life is more vauable than a day out clay pigeon shooting.

What is your opinion on war? Is there such a thing as a good war? Comment on the wars occurring today and those in the past.
War does not decide who is Right, but who is left, sometimes it is nessecary to do bad things to stop worse ocurring. A reasonable war would be one in which all were treated fairly and no Attrocities were comitted, the lack of any Death whatsoever would make it a Good war.
Wars:
Afghanistan: Un-needed
Iraq: To stop worse things happening an invasion was called for.
The Falklands: Argentina's fault, they attacked Britain
WWII: Germany started it, and Hitler was committing Atrocities.
WWI: Germany attacked France.

How far should society go to eradicate racism, sexism, and other prejudices from its psyche? How, if they should, ought a society go about this?
They should go however far they can go without oppression, it is already a crime in Britain to be racist, but everybody is a little bit racist, sexism is a tricky matter.

What is the role of your country in the world?
To exist, and to be that little Island with such big Ideas.

Should your country use the death penalty? For what crimes, and how frequently?
No, to enact the Death penalty for Murder is to become a Murder in yourself, so you must in turn be executed and as must your executioner, until there is no-one left.

Comment on social programs in your country? Where should there be more involvement and funding? Where should there be less?
I believe there to be good social programs, inculding Benefits, but an even balance would be a good Idea.