Posts from Actaea

"I know of a cheaper option," says your intern, lifelessly scrolling through whistleblowing site KwikiLeaks. "Why bother spending so much on the intelligence services here, when whistleblowers from others are posting all their information online? You could just set up some 'game rooms' for bored, tech-savvy kids. Make a game out of finding useful electronic intelligence and reward them with pizza or something."

Why not, I have cars.

Why, I have cars and planes, ships, maybe even trains. There should be, even though there hasn't been a single issue about them.

What issue resolves this and allows them to be reintroduced?

But how do they pass through the great Arcondian Wall? And your neighbors are dangerous; it's better not to travel through their territory.
And the underwater submarines of Rex Ventorum sink ships.

A spectacular but failed attempt on your life made national news today. Interrogation of captured suspects has pinned the blame on agents of the nation of ***, with which Rex Ventorum has notoriously chilly relations. Your cabinet is divided as to how to respond.

"Assassins, huh? Well, two can play at that game!" says Argus Caetronianus, Secretary of Homeland Security. "An eye for an eye! A tooth for a tooth! An assassination for a... missed shot, I suppose. Never mind that, think of the possibilities! Not only can we strike back at the scumbags who sent this assassin after you, we can turn our attention to... 'manipulating' the positions of foreign leaders and political rivals that stand in the way of Rex Ventorum's glory." He then points two fingers at the wall and mouths 'bang bang' noises.

"Sending assassins to avenge you isn't enough!" argues Quintus Acilius, Secretary of Defense. "The fact that *** is this bold means we haven't made them fear us yet - and a nation that isn't feared isn't respected. We need to do the only thing we CAN do: bomb their cities! Raise a revolution! Salt their fields! It may cost money, but our nation's honor is priceless."

"I can't believe what I'm hearing!" says the muffled voice of Daniel Yeats, an anti-violence protestor who was, until now, hiding in your air vents. "By building up our military-industrial complex, WE have become the aggressor. WE are giving nations like *** good reasons to hate us! No wonder they tried to kill you - we aren't giving them enough breathing room. If we cut back our military a bit and sent them a fruit basket now and then these problems would never happen."

Following recent elections in Rex Ventorum where the Equality for Vilified Inmates League won a noticeable percentage of seats, the media have jumped on the issue of whether or not prisoners should be allowed to vote.

"You're not going to listen to that clap-trap I hope", says noted liberal commentator Stefanie du Pont. "Voting is a right that everyone should enjoy, regardless of whether or not they have committed a crime. We already punish those who break our law; restricting one's ability to vote is a punishment totally disproportionate to any crime!"
This is the position your government is preparing to adopt.

On the other hand, why would they need money? Alcohol and cigarettes are already prohibited for me, and cars were also prohibited until recently; everything I need (and even more) is provided to me for free.

Me too. It's good that I'm striving to increase taxes.

The economy is growing, taxes are rising, health is improving, and obesity is decreasing.
The fourth one clearly increases crime and decreases the economy.

We stand in line for forty years to get an apartment or a car.

Or twenty-five years just to get a phone line.

By the way, where can I see all the banner images? Or is there no such option?

...uh... crime because of intellectual games?