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A place to discuss topics/games with other webDiplomacy players.
Page 1048 of 1419
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goldfinger0303 (3157 DMod)
20 Apr 13 UTC
Masters Poll
To those who are in the Masters, I'd like to put up to a vote whether we should keep phases for future rounds at 48 hours, or move to 36 hour phases. There are five rounds to play, and Round 3 will be launching in the next two weeks.
20 replies
Open
jimgov (219 D(B))
21 Apr 13 UTC
Blankflag - Spammer or Troll
I have seen him described both ways on this forum. We have to come up with one, simple way to describe that which is blank. Spammer or Troll? Who ya got?
23 replies
Open
mendax (321 D)
21 Apr 13 UTC
Computer Diplo
Is there any good diplomacy software with playable AIs? I haven't been able to find any worth playing, but maybe y'all know a good one.
14 replies
Open
MKECharlie (2074 D(G))
21 Apr 13 UTC
Drinking & Diploming
What's the best press you've sent or received while drinking and checking your messages on this site?
10 replies
Open
blankflag (0 DX)
20 Apr 13 UTC
(+1)
the blank rule
i guess my block is over now - so how about the blank rule? i am not allowed to post new threads yet other users are. what are peoples thoughts of this?
35 replies
Open
Al Swearengen (0 DX)
20 Apr 13 UTC
Game Question - cheating vs. not cheating
As per below
43 replies
Open
Yonni (136 D(S))
21 Apr 13 UTC
Chess Online
I've taken up playing chess online at gameknot.com. I'm sure there are some chess players here. Send a 2 or 3 day challenge to yonnif if you're interested in playing.
6 replies
Open
kamikaze0214 (204 D)
21 Apr 13 UTC
ReBrock, idiot or asshole?
Baseless accusations of cheating, told how to report his "allegations", comes to forums instead! Wahh wahhh wahh.
God I wish I was good at this game.-Turkey
http://webdiplomacy.net/board.php?gameID=114705&msgCountryID=0
4 replies
Open
ReBrock (189 D)
21 Apr 13 UTC
Cheating suspect!
Please investigate this game:
http://webdiplomacy.net/board.php?gameID=114705&msgCountryID=0
Apart from the fact that the turk should have been out 2 years ago and he still is in the game, there a very strange behaveour of england who is hitting all other players left, part from the italian who is winning. I refuse to belive that someone is so dumb as to do that! I would really love to know if they are or aren't in connection?! Ty
18 replies
Open
krellin (80 DX)
18 Apr 13 UTC
Obama's Anger
http://www.usnews.com/news/blogs/Ken-Walshs-Washington/2013/04/18/obamas-anger-over-senate-gun-control-vote-reflects-sting-of-defeat
136 replies
Open
blankflag (0 DX)
21 Apr 13 UTC
live takeover
due to unforeseen circumstances (although arguably foreseeable) russia will have to abandon the following game. http://webdiplomacy.net/board.php?gameID=115695&nocache=813
although he sucks a bit and appears to be getting destroyed. so it may not dramatically affect the outcome.
7 replies
Open
trip (696 D(B))
19 Apr 13 UTC
Gunboat Means Never Having to Say You're Sorry
101pt/Semi-Anon/36hr/WTA. Taking first 6 with CD%<5.
14 replies
Open
steephie22 (182 D(S))
17 Apr 13 UTC
So many people know me, I don't even recognise them.
I just walked the dog. Came by a few kids, Morrocan roots I think. I'm white, not a racist, just noticed it usually happens with people with foreign roots, Morrocan most of the time. So any way, one of them said my name, asked about my dog blabla. Turns out they all knew me. I didn't answer. Just walked on. I don't get it. Anyone recognises this or anything?
82 replies
Open
josunice (3702 D(S))
19 Apr 13 UTC
Bring Back American Democracy
Filibusters should not be commonplace requiring a super majority for legislation and fellow Americans in sparsely populated states (with insignifant economies) should not have greater representation through the sae 2 senators as CA, NY or TX.
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semck83 (229 D(B))
20 Apr 13 UTC
(+2)
Gunfighter, I think you're conflating jimgov and josunice.

In any case, Vive La Senate!

And I say that as a resident of the second largest state. I used to live in a small one, and I understand all too well the important role the Senate plays in preserving small-state and rural interests against large-state domination.

Another important point is that the Senate functions as a *negative.* Nothing can be forced on the country that a majority of the people does not (at least through their representative) approve, because there's the House. But the Senate aligns interests differently and keeps the country from becoming forcibly over-homogeneous and disallowing minority-type states (places where a minority can go and have the type of state they want to have without being constantly over-ruled by the loudmouths in New York, California, and OK fine, Texas). Much of the structure of the Constitution was to make it easier to *keep* the Federal government from doing things too easily. The Senate contributes to that by, as others have said, respecting states' individual interests in addition to popular ones.

It was certainly born of necessary compromise, but I've always regarded it as one of the most brilliant single aspects of the Constitutional system.
josunice (3702 D(S))
20 Apr 13 UTC
@Gunfighter - though I don't agree with all you suggested on gun reform, that was very well considered, and I agree on liscencing and tests as befitting a deadly weapon like we do for cars. Would you consider taking that post and starting a thread entitled something like Gun Reform That Would Work. This website is a strange place for practical political discourse, but that post was impressive...
josunice (3702 D(S))
20 Apr 13 UTC
Two issues: What's up with the filibuster and do we need to reform the senate. I would like to split the thread to those two...
Gunfighter06 (224 D)
20 Apr 13 UTC
@ josunice

Don't worry, threads get "hijacked" all the time on here. The Senate structure/filibuster debate has been played out.

Why do you not agree with my suggested reform? The problem with guns isn't silly cosmetic things like flash suppressors, bayonet lugs, and folding stocks. The problem is unqualified individuals getting them and qualified individuals being discouraged from carrying.
Invictus (240 D)
20 Apr 13 UTC
(+1)
All these arguments about the Senate being undemocratic miss a central feature of American politics: that the states are popular and legitimate units of government in their own right. If we apply one-man-one-vote, then of course the Senate is wildly undemocratic. But if we look at the instutition in the context of the United States as a federal entitiy and that is not really the case.

Since states are "sovereign" in the sense that they are not merely departments made by Washington and command a democratic legitimacy of their own (by being older than the current governement and having their own elections), it is only proper that they have a separate and powerful voice in Congress. If America were a unitary state and there were just a unicameral parliament in DC then the MP from Delmarva would have no real influence, while the MPs from the metropolis centered on Manhattan and from other cities would have near total control. Maybe that's not too bad an idea. It certainly works well enough for some countries. But America, being a federal entity even before independence, cannot and will not ever operate that way.

Basically, the Senate represents the people through their states, while the House represents them en masse. But even in the House the inherent legitimacy of states as popular units of government is apparent. Congressional districts cannot cross state lines, even when it would seen to make more sense to do so (like around New York and New Jersey, or Chicago and Gary, Indiana).

Obviously, this could all be reformed away with a single constitutional amendment. But keep in mind you'd be going against hundreds of years of political culture. Not exactly a recipie for success in a world where we can't ever get Chained CPI to happen.
Puddle (428 D)
21 Apr 13 UTC
(+1)
@Invictus, in theory you are absolutely correct, but in most states the state legislature is highly undemocratic. In that gerrymandering by one party or the other turns them into near permanent holdings of one party or the other. Florida being a great example of this with a population that is about equally split between Republicans and Democrats, with Democrats having either very recently become the larger group, or are about to (I can't remember which), but the House, Senate, and Governor are all Republicans, with a nearly 2 to 1 ratio in the legislature. And given the increasing trend of the State parties and the National Parties pursuing more or less the same legislative agenda, the distribution in the Senate becomes troubling.
semck83 (229 D(B))
21 Apr 13 UTC
"Obviously, this could all be reformed away with a single constitutional amendment."

That's actually not clear. From Article V, on Amendments:

"... provided that no amendment which may be made prior to the year one thousand eight hundred and eight shall in any manner affect the first and fourth clauses in the ninth section of the first article; and that no state, without its consent, shall be deprived of its equal suffrage in the Senate."

I've seen clever ways proposed to try to get around this, but I think they only have a 50% chance of working really. So the amendment would essentially have to be unanimous.
Invictus (240 D)
21 Apr 13 UTC
The one amendment could turn the Senate into a House of Lords with no power but equal representation. Or one amendment could repeal that part of Article V, and another does Senate reform. If there's political will to have this sort of constitutional overhaul there isn't too much in the way of it happening. It's getting the political will together that's virtually impossible.


As for the idea that state legislatures are undemocratic, that's patently ludicrous. I live in Illinois, so I'm well aware of the effects of one-part rule in the state capital and blatant gerrymandering. That's a political failing though, not a systematic failing of democracy. Speaker Madigan may rule Springfield like a Byzantine emperor sometimes, but that does not mean that the legislature is illegitimate or that Illinois isn't a democracy. I really don't see how your post counters anything I said in mine.
Draugnar (0 DX)
21 Apr 13 UTC
While it may be true that the amendments could supersede existing ones, getting them ratified would be nigh on impossible because the smaller states would.never go for it. You need that first one ratified according to the Constitution as it resides today and states like AK and IN and NH and RI would never ever go for it.
Invictus (240 D)
21 Apr 13 UTC
So what I said in the last two sentences of the second paragraph in my 9:17 post.
Invictus (240 D)
21 Apr 13 UTC
first
semck83 (229 D(B))
21 Apr 13 UTC
Invictus,

"The one amendment could turn the Senate into a House of Lords with no power but equal representation."

If this happened, it's obvious that some state would sue and argue that this was a clear violation in spirit of the text of article V, and should be disallowed. I would give them better than even odds of winning their suit.
Draugnar (0 DX)
21 Apr 13 UTC
Yes, just clarifying why that political will woild never ever happen.
Invictus (240 D)
21 Apr 13 UTC
I don't know about that, semck83. If the amendment passed, how could it be challenged? A part of the Constitution can't be unconstitutional, by definition. And since the clause just refers to equal suffrage and not what powers the Senate has I don't see how they COULD win if they sued. Especially in the political environment that allowed such a radical reform to even occur.
semck83 (229 D(B))
21 Apr 13 UTC
Invictus,

"If the amendment passed, how could it be challenged? A part of the Constitution can't be unconstitutional, by definition."

Certainly it can. If an amendment were passed that just straight-up removed Rhode Island's senators without permission, then it's clear it would not be constitutionally part of the Constitution, so it could indeed be challenged.

"And since the clause just refers to equal suffrage and not what powers the Senate has I don't see how they COULD win if they sued."

And I suppose you don't see how the first amendment applies to forum posts when it only refers to speech and the press?

The state would have to come up with a clever argument, surely, but at the same time, it's obvious that the language was put there to prevent a certain substantive power-redistribution from happening, and the Supreme Court takes an exceptionally dim view of form-before-substance arguments that deprive minorities of political rights.

"Especially in the political environment that allowed such a radical reform to even occur. "

That is a better argument, and the reason the odds would just be around 50%. (I still say a little higher, though).
Invictus (240 D)
21 Apr 13 UTC
If you were talking about a law I'd agree with you completely. But since we're talking about an amendment I can't see how it this could be challenged once it's passed. That would effectively make the Supreme Court gods. Could they then also nullify an amendment abolishing the court? Could it have stopped the 13th Amendment since there was loads of precedent defending slavery? Perhaps, perhaps, a Senate reform amendement could be stopped in the procedural stage, but even that strikes me as unlikely and indeed defeats the entire purpose of havin an amendment process in the first place
semck83 (229 D(B))
21 Apr 13 UTC
Invictus,

This is a very clear point, but I presumably am not making it clearly. It doesn't at all make the Supreme Court gods for them to enforce the fifth article just as they do any other. The point is, an illegally passed amendment *never is part of the Constitution at all*.

In fact, it would be plainly illegal for them NOT to refuse to enforce an illegally passed amendment. Imagine if an amendment received ratification from only 60% of the states, but the government decided to proceed as if it had been passed anyway. Are you really going to tell me you think it wouldn't be in the Supreme Court's power to refuse to enforce that because it wasn't legally passed? (Please don't respond without answering this question).

"Could it have stopped the 13th Amendment since there was loads of precedent defending slavery?"

No, but the question is irrelevant. Nothing in the Constitution prohibits an amendment "contrary to loads of precedent." It does prohibit an amendment removing a state's equal suffrage in the Senate.
Invictus (240 D)
21 Apr 13 UTC
I am talking about an amendment repealing that entrenched clause or removing the Senate's powers but keeping equal suffrage. You are talking about a totally different scenario involving illegally passed amendments. I don't think any of these scenarios are likely or even desirable, but I am totally confident that in bizarro world were such a reform happened the amendment would not be successfully challenged for the reasons I said above.
semck83 (229 D(B))
21 Apr 13 UTC
"I am talking about an amendment repealing that entrenched clause or removing the Senate's powers but keeping equal suffrage. You are talking about a totally different scenario involving illegally passed amendments."

Nope. I am saying precisely that the Supreme Court would interpret THIS amendment to be illegally passed, so the structure would be precisely analogous.

So if the Court were convinced that the clause did, in fact prohibit the type of change we're talking about (and I think it might very well), then it would be in precisely the same position as confronting an amendment that had only 60% of states, or that straight-up stripped a state of its senators. And it would then refuse to recognize it.
Draugnar (0 DX)
21 Apr 13 UTC
(+1)
Do you honestly think 38 states would vote to disenfranchise the little guys? Hell, at 11.5 million, Ohio is less than a third of California and less than half of Texas, yet it ranks 7th on the population list and is the last state on that list with more than 10 million people as of July 2012. You'd have to get states as small as Nebraska and West Virginia (under 2 million residents) to vote for something that would in effect make California more powerful than the bottom 20 states in the union combined. Be real. You'd never get 3/4ths of the states to ratify it anyhow.


80 replies
blankflag (0 DX)
17 Apr 13 UTC
(+4)
BREAKING exclusive video of secret korean technology released by pentagon
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8MzzLsJEzR8

on a completely unrellated note, i have been threatened with a forum-silence for posting threads. so if i stop posting dont think that i got a life and stopped spending all my time on here. that is impossible. it was a silence!
10 replies
Open
NigeeBaby (100 D(G))
19 Apr 13 UTC
EOG - Another poor quality gunboat
gameID=115506

Can't wait to see the EOG from some of players here.
153 replies
Open
Strauss (1872 D)
20 Apr 13 UTC
CDs in Gunboat live games
This is so annoying! In the last games we have at least 2-3 CDs per game. Of course, everthing can happen, what you don't can scheduling, but currently, it is strengthened according to my observation. Isn't it?
12 replies
Open
Partysane (10754 D(B))
20 Apr 13 UTC
Time Counter Malfunction
My timer in the games is off by some seconds. It is MOST anoying. I had several instances where i failed to change orders in time because the couter was wrong. Anyone else have that?
6 replies
Open
strideknight (100 D)
17 Apr 13 UTC
(+1)
Just in case you're wondering why there aren't more users?
Because of shit like this, is why you don't have more registered users. I'm not going to be playing my games anymore, my wife isn't going to be playing hers, and I highly doubt myself or my friends will play on here ever again. Here's the email I just got from the admin:
161 replies
Open
SYnapse (0 DX)
19 Apr 13 UTC
Boston bomber profiles
Unconfirmed reports that they are brothers from Chechnya, surname Tsarnaev.

72 replies
Open
Yonni (136 D(S))
19 Apr 13 UTC
Do any if you own a smoker?
So, I'm thinking of getting a smoker. Leaning towards and electric one like this:http://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/B00104WRCY
Anyone out there having smoking experience?
23 replies
Open
Draugnar (0 DX)
18 Apr 13 UTC
(+1)
I declare MeepMeep to be a poser.
I don't normally do this, but he presented some bullshit about a project he worked on in another threed but prior to that and ever since has demonstrated that he has *no* IT knowledge or experience and just found that on someone's CV and copy/pasted it here.
128 replies
Open
krellin (80 DX)
19 Apr 13 UTC
Obama Said Terrorism was Over....
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/barackobama/10007190/Boston-bombs-Obama-lulled-America-into-false-confidence-over-terror-threat.html

At first the boy President wouldn't even say the word. Then he told us he had solved the problem...there was nothing to be worried about...
7 replies
Open
Omagunagitya (426 D)
20 Apr 13 UTC
READY! READY ! hold... World Games
Why do ppl ready up and have all hold orders, how is that effective?
0 replies
Open
Live game on now!
http://webdiplomacy.net/board.php?gameID=115553 password is brhs
0 replies
Open
Join our game!!
Password is brhs, join usss!!!!!!! http://webdiplomacy.net/board.php?gameID=115553
0 replies
Open
hecks (164 D)
16 Apr 13 UTC
BitCoin
Is anyone around here using BitCoin? I'm listening to a podcast about it and puzzling over how this works. Has anyone tried it?
47 replies
Open
yebellz (729 D(G))
19 Apr 13 UTC
(+1)
Boston area residents: Stay at home today!
There's a developing and dangerous situation in Watertown, Cambridge, Belmont, Waltham, Boston. Authorities have shut down the MBTA and asked for businesses to close, and people to stay at home.
See the news for more details (one of the bombing suspects is apparently dead, the other is on the run).
Just in case some people check this website more often than their news.
1 reply
Open
jmbostwick (2308 D)
16 Apr 13 UTC
Need a replacement for an early-game multi
gameID=113683 -- South Africa, good position
Large-pot world game, full press, game is in Fall 2001

5 replies
Open
krellin (80 DX)
18 Apr 13 UTC
SAD Story
http://www.dallasnews.com/news/local-news/20130417-5-to-15-people-confirmed-killed-in-west-fertilizer-plant-explosion-but-officials-fear-dozens-may-have-died.ece
20 replies
Open
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