Todays news is a farce

A Reply to the Question of Neutrals
10 December, 2002


Often misunderstood and misrepresented, the place of neutrals in today's present situation seems to be an unsure one at best. Many questions have been raised regarding the motivation and intention of neutrals and their actions over the passage of Rubi-Ka's history.

The present situation of Tir, and arguments brought up by Caryn Chini Sherill are good examples of the current situation.

As someone who classifies himself as neutral, I must say that things are never as simple as people seem to believe. The life of a neutral is hard - we have no major financial or military backing, a lack of natural resources, and have to often share our cities with the very people who shun us. To believe that neutrals withstand these downfalls without any good reason would be naïve... Unfortunately, I cannot give you a singular reason why neutrals decide to stay out of the conflict, as it is a very personal and individual thing for each and every neutral citizen. Some wish to simply be left alone to support their family, others simply do not believe in the conflict at all. Some wish to be traders, merchants, or hired guns, while others wish to be political negotiators working toward peace. There are many other reasons, and one must usually ask the person in question directly to completely understand their point of view.

At any rate, the topic of notum mining came up in President Chini's article, and I must respond to this issue with much attention. In my opinion, this is a very misrepresented issue. Why is notum mining associated with conflict in the mind of the clans? Did not the clans proclaim their intention to wrench notum mining from the clutches of Omni-Tek years ago? Do they now simply want the same iron grip on it as Omni-Tek held before?

Now that the ICC has opened up notum mining to all, why shouldn't neutrals be able to make a decent living for their families and communities? Many from both the clans and Omni-Tek regularly use neutral cities such as Newland City and Borealis, yet their respective bureaucracies do not pay for the upkeep of those cities.

It may be true that our mining posts are armed, but only to protect our livelihood and claim. Notum mining facilities are not ushers of war or aggression, and the weapons on those facilities are only used upon the attack of said facilities. While being neutral may mean staying out of the conflict, if one brings the conflict to us, do not expect even a neutral to be complacent. While I would prefer being able to build mining facilities without the use of heavy weapons, the harsh reality is that there exists far too many greedy people on Rubi-Ka for this to be practical. Certainly, it would be an act of neutral aggression if a neutral launched an unprovoked raid on an Omni-Tek or clan facility, but I, personally, would never condone such an action, nor am I aware of such an action happening to date.

The associating with mining as an act of aggression seems like an odd assumption to make. While I may expect that stance from Omni-Tek, as they are losing something by the recent ICC mandate, it is a surprising reaction from the clans, who have traditionally fought for the freedom of Rubi-Ka.

It becomes troubling to me, then, that the clans - now under the influence of the Sentinals - seem to be becoming more like the organisation they are allied against than they would like to believe. Let's not forget that this war was mostly a war of ideology and freedom, not of greed.

neutrals can co-exist with the factions rather practically, and have done so since the first ones appeared in 29250. Notum mining need not be viewed as an act of war, as the recent ICC declaration - which grants the clans one of the key items they have always strived for - makes it perfectly legal for anyone to mine notum: clan, Omni, and neutral alike.

As a neutral, I sincerely hope that those on either side would come to a more informed understanding of what it is that we often stand for. Until then, we will be there... almost always willing to lend a helping hand.

Devin Kojiyama Augustyn
President, Shattered Dreams

Allow me to say this one more time. As a matter of fact I dont even feel like typing it so I am just going to paste it from the other thread:

"It becomes troubling to me, then, that the Clans--now under the influence of the Sentinals--seem to be becoming more like the organization they are allied against than they would like to believe. Let’s not forget that this war was mostly a war of ideology and freedom, not of greed. "

Where in the world do you get off saying I am like a Sentinel? We propose nonagression pacts so that "''''''*ALL*"'''''' factions may conduct mining operations free from harassment. Not just for the Clans. Have you not read anything about what we are trying to do? And if you havent, why do you speak about people which you do not know.

I hope you were not talking about any of the people that have been posting here.

Let me give you a perfect example. I am in no guild. I have no towers. There is no profit in this for me, yet I am still one of the loudest advocates of peace on this planet. How dare you accuse me of acting like a Sentinel, when I fight against them for the rights of ALL the people of Rubi-Ka.

Please if you were not referring to me, say so, otherwise you are sorely mistaken.

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Why would you submit that to the public, when you know half of it just plain isnt true. I will have nothing further to do with the guild "Shattered Dreams".

The sooner everyone realises there is 'good' and 'bad' in all three 'factions' (for want of a better word) the better. The actions of one group should NOT be used to paint the actions off all groups sharing that 'alignment'.

While I do generally agree, I also think there's a certain irony in refusing to deal with an entire guild because one member (even it's president) characterizes all clanners as holding opinions similar to those of one of the most powerful clans (in this case, the Sentinels).

A Guild leader is supposed to be a representative of his guild, so in conducting political relations its most likely I would be speaking to him. Otherwise Iwould be glad to welcome the guild peacefully.