Jeon News Network Op-Ed: Moreau Can't Go It Alone

Fiction Portal Intergalactic Summit
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The President-Elect Might Have Been So Preoccupied with Whether or Not They Could, They Didn’t Stop to Think if They Should.

Can we still find balance and social security with a Moreau presidency? Maybe, if they are willing to let someone focus on the people while they’re in the lab.

Written By Kiriona Rhodes, CMO, Clockwork Angels, for the Amane 11th Telegram.

It’s no surprise that the recent Gallente elections ended up in a near three-way tie. Given that our electoral process is apparently open season for every faction in the galaxy to leverage their influence, it only makes sense that the law of large numbers would lead to a split decision. I was dismayed, but not surprised, to see Roden leading for so much of the campaign, partially because I heard that some capsuleers (Gallente and otherwise) were putting support behind her thinking that was the only way to obtain the special little trinket that she’s been hawking at her election HQ. Misinformation is a hell of a drug.

At the end of the day, I am glad to see that we decided Seek Forbidden Knowledge was a more palatable message than Corporations Are People Too, but I have some serious concerns. President-elect Moreau has a keen intellect and a desire to go beyond the bounds of what we are told is possible; I will not try to dispute that this is both true and admirable. I even see some similarities between the two of us, which is something that actually encouraged me to throw my support behind Senator Tenzin instead. One of the things Alix Moreau and I share is a tendency to find a special interest, hone in on it relentlessly, and deal with whatever fell to the wayside after. For me, this usually means I lose a ship and a body because I was distracted while working on one of my design projects, but for a head of state, the stakes are much higher.

The other problem here is that our election system led to a situation where nearly ⅔ of our people voted against the victor. That is not unity nor cohesion of identity. That is “Well we can deal with you slightly better than the other ones.” I don’t know how much faith I’m going to put into a system that allows a less than 1% margin of non-majority victory to stand, without so much as a runoff or ranked choice alternative to let us have a say in what was becoming a more likely outcome as the weeks of the campaign season wore on.

All that said, the race is run, the votes are done. So what do we do next? Well, an obvious way to increase the overall leadership approval rating would be by encouraging our incoming president to reach out to at least one of their former opponents and perhaps offer them a Cabinet position. Surely, someone as bright as Moreau can recognize the gaps in their skillset? Progress is impossible without collaboration and humility, after all.

But who to bring to the inner circle?

I think we’ve seen from the concession speeches that one of the two defeated candidates had less of a…let’s say…gracious mentality about the outcome. Clearly, Soraya Roden feels that power is her birthright, to the point that she refused to consider any alternative. And for a while, that worked for her, but only as long as people were willing to wait and see where the chips fell. As soon as they saw the clear direction the election was taking, the undecided voters and donors mobilized and realized that standing to the side was just as bad as casting in their lot with someone who values domination over mutual welfare. And if her public tantrum has been any indicator, the scion took that personally. I worry about what would happen were she offered a seat at the table, both because I don’t feel that sort of egocentricity should be rewarded, but also because I don’t think she’d be able to get out of her own way.

Senator Tenzin, however, remained consistent in his displays of humility, hope, and value-driven messaging throughout the process. I truly feel he lost because he didn’t have anything shiny and sexy to bring to the table apart from a belief in shared humanity (and that doesn’t fetch a high price nowadays). I have heard Roden supporters call him a traitor, but those people often seem to turn a blind eye to Roden’s decree that “[p]ragmatic controls are needed to ensure sane limits [to government authority], and we should empower private companies to set those limits.” Apparently, her idea of national loyalty means letting those with the money and privilege decide how the rest of us should be governed.

Meanwhile, I think Lucas Tenzin could be a powerful foil to President Moreau’s upward and onward approach to governance, a tether and counterpoint that can help keep their feet on the ground while their head remains in the stars. I am in no way against being led by a scientific trailblazer, but I also recognize what happens when the logical mind deems itself superior and allows the feeling mind to collect dust in the corner. Tenzin could help ensure the executive branch is run by a wise mind, bringing innovation and compassion into better focus as we move into this next era. He recognizes the importance of pushing academic boundaries - he has outwardly stated that he owes his life to the biotechnical researchers and engineers that dared to merge man and machine - but I think he has a better finger on the pulse of the many people for whom daily life is less drones and wormholes and more dirt and sweat.

And just for the sake of balance, let’s consider the Rodenites’ supposition that Tenzin is a turncoat. Let’s say he’s been playing us for a fool this whole time and if he’s given an inch he’ll take a lightyear, and all this collectivistic talk is for show. Even if that were the case, I think he would find himself struggling to carve out a niche for himself as a shadow government given how much he would have to stay on his toes lest Moreau decide he is too stuck in the mud (perhaps literally) to follow their agenda of rampant advancement. I have a lot less concern about the fomenting of a proletariat uprising from within than about a corporate takeover.

So I suppose the next move is up to the president-elect. I hope they take this opportunity to think strategically about the system as a whole, and not just hyperfocus on which pieces of this new project can be leveraged for single-minded gain. While I have faith that they will be a step up from what we just left behind, I think this is an enby who has to be willing to accept that there are some things in life you can’t optimize through calculation. At least, not without the heart to back it up.

News In Brief from the Jeon News Aggregate, collected on 128.04.20

  • Alix Moreau Elected President of Gallente Federation
  • Jeon election results show majority districts in constellation voting Tenzin, Moreau close second.
  • Aideron Robotics celebrates 17 years of operations. Fireworks displays planned off of their home station of Fliet-III.
  • Aideron Robotics, Clockwork Angels, Of Essence alliances seen leading anti-rogue drone fleets in Jeon.
  • Reports of mining fleets welcoming strangers in for compression and links leads to new friendships.
  • Awoxing accusations and arguments spill into public channels on Gallente Militia communications platforms.
  • Spike in searches for ‘■■■■ Soraya Roden’ on GalNet sites across Federation leads to sudden boom in lookalike videos by enterprising filmmakers.
  • Serthoulde constellation pressured by Caldari forces while progress is made in Isoma by Gallente.
  • Second weekend of Anger Games sees elimination of many fan favorite teams across Jeon.
  • Heydieles-III Station security called to sports bar to break up brawl over Anger Games betting outcome.
  • Roden supporters vocal about rigged election despite original result being confirmed with a 2-vote margin of error after recount.
  • Moreau and Tenzin supporters not surprised at Roden supporter ‘crash out’. “I mean, look at the temper tantrum Roden had. Like attracts like,” quoted one Moreau supporter.

The Jeon News Aggregate sources from multiple news agencies across the cluster, specifically focusing on reports in the Jeon constellation, the Federal militia warzone, and the Gallente Federation.

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I will happily accept a cabinet position if one is offered to me. Minister of Foreign Affairs would be the obvious one, but I’m open for whichever role the President-Elect feels suits me most.

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There was no huge win for Moreau – I hope she realizes that during her time in office. And Roden could have just as easily lost to Tenzin as she lost to Moreau. All three candidates received pretty equal support and not one stood out from the others in terms of popular backing. Maybe Tenzin would have stood out if he’d had a more ‘‘shiny’’ or ‘‘forceful’’ premise, but we’ll never know. This was as good as a coin flip between the three.

I feel like I didn’t do enough. I should have done some basic education on Tenzin’s pros in local, and showed stronger support for him than I actually did. I wouldn’t have convinced everyone, but even a few here and there might have helped.

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Agreed, this seemed to be a bit of a free for all with no one candidate being able to present enough of a favorable general appeal to overcome the election influence from outside forces and good old voter apathy.

Gentle correction: President Moreau uses they/them pronouns. For all we know, they’re just three rogue drones in a trenchcoat.

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Thats incredibly insensitive. What was your point of stating President-to-be Moreau’s pronouns?

Clarification: And alleging them to be three drones in a trenchcoat? Are you insinuating they are inhuman?

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Because Meridan misgendered them. I was giving a gentle correction (edited the post to clarify that).

The drones in a trenchcoat comment is a reference to a joke among the queer and gender expansive community that I am a part of but it’s possible that is central to my little circle and other folks don’t get the reference.

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Something about three lizard gremlins pretending to be a person, yes?

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Lauralite knows what’s what.

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Thank you for clarifying and I retract my earlier accusations of wrong doing.

With Moreau’s candidacy announcement early this cycle and presidency win, alot of whackos have come out of the wood works from Hawks, Vultures and Magpies alike and even foreign political investors making some of the foulest attacks and claims.

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Agreed, I’ve heard some wild stories. Apparently every candidate is owned by another faction and some of them are actually sleeper agents. I think people don’t like an upset to the status quo, or someone who cares less about the hegemony and more about an ideal, so Moreau has become an easy target for people who don’t want to make the money sad.

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I wish I had done more for Tenzin. I did not appreciate the Caldari light approach of Roden, But I am lukewarm about this tech must be forefront idea too. Yeah I am post human and a capsuleer. Still I think any advancement needs to be looked at and unintended consequences need to be understood. I do not think Moreau understands that necessity or seemingly pretends not to. I hope to be proven happily wrong.

While I grant you the Gallente military is not as large as as the Amarrian navy. That we have always relied on tech more than warm bodies. I am going to be cautious in my support of the newly elected president. We shall see how they do in the coming weeks and months. I hope that i can be gladly proven wrong and that they have understand that ethics and standards means more than paying lip service.

That a rush is not a matter of rushing things out the door. But taking the time to understand the tech. How it can be both good and deleterious. That takes years sometimes decades. Yeah I know not what anyone wants to hear. Still as a capsuleer I sometimes wonder at the barely understood drifter tech I use to keep myself alive and damn near immortal. And why it still remains barely understood even after a good hundred? years..

Please forgive an old man ruminations. i came to all this late and perhaps think a little to much.

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Actually, I think you make very salient points. Technology in and of itself is morally neutral, but is shaped heavily by the expectations we set for and the faith we put in it. I agree with the idea of “Know thine enemy,” which Moreau seemed to be trying to preach in their campaign, but I think underneath this, there is an admiration for the technology that, if unchecked, can lead down a very dark path.

My ultimate hope is that someone with authority maybe sees this or comes to a reasonable conclusion that a humanist counterbalance would at the very least keep the impact of progress in mind. I would love to see a Tenzin nomination and appointment for reasons I stated in the article but also just because I think it shows strength in leadership when seemingly opposing ideals are able to collaborate rather than fight for dominance.

Even moreso now, after with this new declaration by the Caldari that we must clearly be behind the Jita explosions. I feel like Moreau is going to be subjected to a trial by fire in regards to flexing their diplomatic muscles, and It’s going to be very telling how they choose to navigate the situation. I truly hope they build up a support system around them that encourages a balance between temperance and decisiveness.

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Yeah, I hear that Caldari have been losing in the war (FW). Whether it was president Augard herself or supporters, would it make any real difference, that orchestrated this. The one thing is for certain. If the newly elected President can not find a diplomatic means to avoid a war.

It will shape Moreau entire presidency and most probable legacy. But regardless as to who and more importantly how it was done. That needs to be investigated. I do not care who perpetrated this. There needs to be justice done. For the families that lost loved ones if nothing else. This is what an intelligence failure looks like. Someone dropped the ball somewhere along the line.

Not just in the Caldaria government and corps. But across the board. Someone with the ability to wreck jump gates. Is not just a garden variety terrorist. We are talking someone that has either found a hole in the security or has ability to keep an op like this quiet. Not stirring anyone’s counterintelligence radar.

Outside of a government I can not think of any of the pirates doing this. At least not without someone opening their mouths at some point. And hitting Jita 'Gates. Is not not something an amateur(s) could have pulled off.

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Agreed, a third party warmonger is more dangerous than an actual escalation of our current conflict. We’ve seen examples of strange phenomena messing with what have generally been stable systems (such as the Drifter crisis last year) and these sorts of events just drive home how much larger than us these mechanisms truly are.

I feel like historically, we learn very little about the Cabinet and major players within the government, as the media is often centralized around the president as a figurehead. Aguard obviously took up all the airwaves the past few months, but even before then I haven’t seen relatively as much (though admittedly I never tuned in much before I joined the Capsuleer program). I want to see more visible collaboration and putting forward joint efforts to help advance efforts outside of the war arena as well. That’s part of why I like Tenzin; he brought a lot of humanitarian concerns to the forefront.

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Then… May I suggest we as sympathetic capsuleers to Gallente and Baseliners alike. Form up, whether aligned officially or unofficially, a humanitarian and humanist force.

Tenzin and Moreau’s campaigns have resonated with me and for a long time I have frustration with my government.

I have had the idea of a Capsuleer sponsored Gallente political bloc, adopting the moniker of the Woodpecker. We must work as a community and uplift one another from the dredges of poverty and illiteracy.

I have been soley running my own corporation as well to promote humanitarian efforts, like the Sister of Eves, across capsuleer efforts.

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I like this discussion. It resonates with my past and present. :victory_hand:

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Any such efforts would have to be done with an caution. Yes, we have an outsize influence on the political landscape. I am not saying that is a bad thing. But it does cause resentment from many of our Gallente, Jin Mie, Mannar, and Intaki fellow citizens. Sometimes with good reasons.

I think your idea has merit as it would have the plausible potential in sharing some of that outsize influence in politics. As capsuleers we control a lot of wealth. Though not as much as some might think. Still greater than some, but the ultra wealthy. Even then a significant portion of their wealth is derived from having a capsuleer family member.

If there is a way to bring our more planet bound and baseline fellow federation friends and family into a more healthy relationship. One that hopefully in part demystifies a capsuleer as a near god. Can at least bring a more level playing field in the political arena.

I am willing to look over your plan and proposal. And see what you have to say. From such things a mighty force can grow and if nurtured correctly. Something wonderful can transform a nation. (If you would. send me a message in game with your proposal and plan. I am on most days in the late afternoon my time being US EST)

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Hey dont call us out like that

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I must concur with M. Gicquet, and as the CEO of an organization focused on aid, exploration, and growth rather than any sort of nationalist platitudes, I am intrigued as well. This may interest more parties than just the few of us that have indicated so thus far.

Please include either myself, or Mylenara Dumande, in any such informational outreach. While we may primarily operate in the State, we have a long-term vested interest in de-escalation efforts between it and the Federation, and would be willing to aid such no matter how long the road is.

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I’m glad to see this conversation popping up in my absence. I love a grassroots approach and I would add that I want to consider the impacts of creating such an organization given that we are technically under military purview, but still hold corporate sovereignty in many other areas. I do wonder if these two ideas: creating a national humanitarian relief effort and installing socially minded experts into Moreau’s council, could work together.

I will admit, I am not one to fully parse the ins and outs of leadership hierarchy; I came to the Capsuleer program from the private sector and this is a more complex structure than I am accustomed to. My thought here is that having supports and advocates at all strata of the government could provide us easier access, visibility, and reach as we work to start something with real impact for the Baseline population.

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