The Oppressed People Of Varrag

[Nugog]

Varaag's tics: Going The Way Of The Dodo?
The Issue

The tic is on the brink of extinction, largely due to people hunting them down for tasty tic-kahbobs and ticburgers, and as ecological disaster looms, various factions are all calling for what they feel should be done about the tic.
The Debate

1. "This is an outrage!" shouts Al King, outspoken member of the Varaag Wilderness Protection Movement. "The government has to put a stop to the out of control hunting of our beloved tics. Do you want our children and grandchildren to miss witnessing the spectacle of wild tics prancing freely in our forests?"

This is the position your government is preparing to adopt.

2. "Who cares what happens to some dumb wild pest?", scoffs Melbourne Clinton, employee of Varaag National Lumber, "If they're endangered it's 'cause they were too weak to adapt. They probably deserve to be killed off. With them out of the way, we could clear-cut the forests tics like to hide in, which would really boost the economy through the timber industry!"
[Accept]

3. "Nature is hardly a black and white issue," Billy-Bob Johnson, a respected scholar, notes. "We should start a breeding program to help these creatures recover their numbers. We can display them in captivity, and gradually release them into the wild. Couple it with limiting, but not abolishing tic hunting, and everyone benefits. Of course, tics raised in captivity don't generally survive in the wild, but I'm sure we can find a way!"
[Accept]

The Government Position

The government has indicated its intention to follow the recommendations of Option 1.

[Nugog]

The Oppressed Peoples of Varaag
"Doing what we are told is good for our health"

UN Category: Father Knows Best State
Civil Rights:
Below Average Economy:
Thriving Political Freedoms:
Unheard Of
Location: Apolyton

Regional Influence: Envoy
Varaag is a UN Member

The Oppressed Peoples of Varaag is a huge, economically powerful nation, notable for its compulsory military service. Its hard-nosed, hard-working, cynical population of 294 million are ruled by a mostly-benevolent dictator, who grants the populace the freedom to live their own lives but watches carefully for anyone to slip up.

It is difficult to tell where the omnipresent, corrupt government stops and the rest of society begins, but it concentrates mainly on Law & Order, although Defence and Commerce are secondary priorities. Citizens pay a flat income tax of 46%. Private enterprise is illegal, but for those in the know there is a slick and highly efficient black market in Arms Manufacturing.

X-Files ratings have hit an all-time low, the nation refuses to provide international aid, the government snoops on private internet connections, and the tic is protected from hunting and slowly coming back from the brink of extinction. Crime is moderate. Varaag's national animal is the tic, which teeters on the brink of extinction due to widespread deforestation, and its currency is the varaag chip.

[Nugog]

Software Giant Stomps on Competition
The Issue

The CEO of Varaag software, hardware, and electronic headwear giant Microcosm, Inc. has been brought before the Supreme Court for violation of antitrust laws.
The Debate

1. "These allegations are absolutely ludicrous!" shouts Microcosm CEO May Frederickson from out the window of his 90-foot stretch limo. "Just because rival companies are incapable of producing products as brilliant as mine is no reason to punish ME! I say it's high time we abolish these idiotic antitrust laws and give big business the freedom to serve the public better. After all, I'm in this business for the people!"

This is the position your government is preparing to adopt.

2. "Microcosm must be shut down immediately," argues CEO of Computers, Computers, Computers! Lars Utopia from out the window of his clunky, exhaust-choked used car. "I can't get a foothold to compete in the market because those bigwigs in Microcosm have that foothold by the throat! It's high time the government stepped in and helped out the little man, and the best way to do that is to shut down the big, oppressive, corporate gurus in Microcosm and beyond."
[Accept]

3. "Verily, I say unto thee, none of this would have happened wouldst thou not have stopped the problem before thou didst start it," argues Brother Freddy Gutenberg of the Varaag Amish community from out the window of his horse-drawn carriage. "We must doest as the Lord commandeth and abolishest the evils of computers and the Internet entirely. Only whenst we harken unto the Lord's commandments mayeth we truly be spiritually blessed."
[Accept]

The Government Position

The government has indicated its intention to follow the recommendations of Option 1.

[Nugog]

The Oppressed Peoples of Varaag
"Doing what we are told is good for our health"

UN Category: Compulsory Consumerist State
Civil Rights:
Below Average Economy:
Thriving Political Freedoms:
Unheard Of
Location: Apolyton

Regional Influence: Envoy
Varaag is a UN Member

The Oppressed Peoples of Varaag is a huge, economically powerful nation, remarkable for its compulsory military service. Its hard-nosed, hard-working, cynical population of 304 million are rabid consumers, partly through choice and partly because the government tells them to and dissenters tend to vanish from their homes at night.

It is difficult to tell where the omnipresent, corrupt government stops and the rest of society begins, but it concentrates mainly on Law & Order, although Defence and Public Transport are secondary priorities. Citizens pay a flat income tax of 45%. Private enterprise is illegal, but for those in the know there is a slick and highly efficient black market in Arms Manufacturing.

The nation refuses to provide international aid, the government snoops on private internet connections, the tic is protected from hunting and slowly coming back from the brink of extinction, and small businesses are gobbled up almost daily by corporate giants. Crime is moderate. Varaag's national animal is the tic, which teeters on the brink of extinction due to widespread deforestation, and its currency is the varaag chip.

[Nugog]

No Pain, No Gain!
The Issue

Due to the recent capture of a foreign terrorist in Varaag, high-level military officials want the government to authorize torture to extract information about other terrorist activities.
The Debate

1. "Torture is the only way that we can get these idiots to tell us anything," says General Billy-Bob Steele of Varaag's special forces division. "After all, violence is the only shared language we have with these scum."

This is the position your government is preparing to adopt.

2. "Are you kidding?" states political activist Buy Gutenberg. "Torture never works. If anything, it should be outlawed. What do we want to become, genocidal maniacs?
[Accept]

3. "There's nothing wrong with torture, but we can't make it too obvious," says Secretary of Defense Jazz Thiesen. "How about we simply ask them nicely, and then, if they don't tell us, we kill them? That's better just from the intimidation."
[Accept]

The Government Position

The government has indicated its intention to follow the recommendations of Option 1.

[Nugog]

The Oppressed Peoples of Varaag
"Doing what we are told is good for our health"

UN Category: Compulsory Consumerist State
Civil Rights:
Below Average Economy:
Thriving Political Freedoms:
Unheard Of
Location: Apolyton

Regional Influence: Envoy
Varaag is a UN Member

The Oppressed Peoples of Varaag is a huge, economically powerful nation, remarkable for its barren, inhospitable landscape. Its hard-nosed, hard-working, cynical population of 309 million are rabid consumers, partly through choice and partly because the government tells them to and dissenters tend to vanish from their homes at night.

It is difficult to tell where the omnipresent, corrupt government stops and the rest of society begins, but it juggles the competing demands of Law & Order, Defence, and Public Transport. Citizens pay a flat income tax of 53%. Private enterprise is illegal, but for those in the know there is a slick and highly efficient black market in Arms Manufacturing.

The government snoops on private internet connections, the tic is protected from hunting and slowly coming back from the brink of extinction, small businesses are gobbled up almost daily by corporate giants, and torture is commonly used to extract information from suspected criminals. Crime is moderate. Varaag's national animal is the tic, which teeters on the brink of extinction due to widespread deforestation, and its currency is the varaag chip.

[Nugog]

Need For Speed?
The Issue

After watching the movie 'The Fast and the Belligerent', boyracers from all over Varaag have been petitioning for the abolition of speed limits.
The Debate

1. "Today's cars are safer at high speeds than ever before," argues Max Dodinas, editor of Sports Car Monthly. "And long-distance commuters are tired of spending hours on the road just to get to the next city. Abolishing the speed limit would be great for the economy too! People would be more likely to go out and buy cars if they thought they'd be able to use them properly. It seems like such a shame to be puttering along at the speed limit in a magnificent car like the 450HP twin-turbo Tic SX/T-7700 you know."
[Accept]

2. "Are you crazy?" cries Max Washington, a road-accident victim. "We need lower speed limits on automobiles, not higher. You might as well enforce mandatory blindfolds on the road too, it'll come to the same conclusion! People's lives are at stake here! If people were made to drive at, say, no faster than fifty kilometres per hour, I would feel a lot happier walking the streets. Besides, if it takes a long time to get places via car then people might begin using mass transit for once."
[Accept]

3. "I think the current speed limits are fine, but we need better enforcement," says Roxanne Longfellow, the most feared traffic warden in Varaag. "If we required GPS tracking devices in all vehicles, we'd ticket every single speeder, no problem. In addition, we could monitor the movements of criminals and other suspicious individuals, and vastly reduce the risk of crime, terrorism, and other subversive activity. Some say that's an invasion of privacy, but if you've done nothing wrong what's there to fear?"

This is the position your government is preparing to adopt.

The Government Position

The government has indicated its intention to follow the recommendations of Option 3.

[Nugog]

Sergeants Are Too Nasty, Say New Recruits
The Issue

A haggard group of new recruits in Varaag's army have spoken out against the brutal conditions experienced in their military training.
The Debate

1. "It's atrocious!" wails Private Jennifer Johnson, from amidst the cacophony of a parade cadence. "We're forced to sleep in crowded barracks, on hard cots, and do the most inhumane exercises when we wake up! Just today I've had to crawl through a muddy minefield, climb a grease-coated wall, and to top it all off, get mangled by an angry drill sergeant! All we want is a little respect from the officers - maybe to sleep in until noon, and not have to get all sweaty and tired doing stupid things like marching and climbing ropes. Oh, and private bedrooms too - we're risking our lives for the country, after all."
[Accept]

2. "THEY WANT WHAT?!" screams Sgt. Burkz, while pressing back a rising vein on her neck. "This is WAR, not DAYCARE! If anything, the training standards should be tougher! If I want to whip some pasty-faced, beer-gutted greenhorn because he can't climb over a razor-wire fence then I should be be given the permission to do so right away! The cry-babies won't like it, but they can run home back to their rich daddies if that's the way they're having it. War isn't a walk in the park, and training shouldn't be either. For all our sakes."
[Accept]

3. "Training, what a load of old hooey," says renowned spendophobe and radio announcer, Chastity Chicago. "The only thing it teaches our soldiers is how to shine boots and fight plastic dummies. We'd be better off if we just dropped them into the fight so they could learn to shoot for themselves. There might be a few accidents, but it'll be worth it for all the varaag chips we'll save."
[Accept]

4. "There is another way, you know..." whispers Max Wong, the Chief of Secret Projects and Shiny Things in Varaag's military research department. "What if we started taking children and raising them from birth to fight? We'd be able to make them completely immune to propaganda, psychological warfare, and demoralisation. Not only would that stop the crying new recruits, it'd also give us a powerful military edge. People may not like giving up their kids, but that's why we run the country. We know better."

This is the position your government is preparing to adopt.

The Government Position

The government has indicated its intention to follow the recommendations of Option 4.

[Nugog]

The Oppressed Peoples of Varaag
"Doing what we are told is good for our health"

UN Category: Compulsory Consumerist State
Civil Rights:
Below Average Economy:
Thriving Political Freedoms:
Unheard Of
Location: Apolyton

Regional Influence: Envoy
Varaag is a UN Member

The Oppressed Peoples of Varaag is a huge, economically powerful nation, notable for its compulsory military service. Its hard-nosed, hard-working, cynical population of 315 million are rabid consumers, partly through choice and partly because the government tells them to and dissenters tend to vanish from their homes at night.

It is difficult to tell where the omnipresent, corrupt government stops and the rest of society begins, but it juggles the competing demands of Law & Order, Defence, and Public Transport. Citizens pay a flat income tax of 56%. Private enterprise is illegal, but for those in the know there is a slick and highly efficient black market in Arms Manufacturing.

Small businesses are gobbled up almost daily by corporate giants, torture is commonly used to extract information from suspected criminals, newborns are being raised as mindless killing machines, and motorists' locations are constantly tracked by intelligence and law enforcement agencies. Crime -- especially youth-related -- is relatively low, thanks to the all-pervasive police force. Varaag's national animal is the tic, which teeters on the brink of extinction due to widespread deforestation, and its currency is the varaag chip.

[Nugog]

Bigtopian Protesters Cry For Full Integration
The Issue

Bigtopian activists have staged a sit-in at the largest primary school in Varaag bringing education to a halt in a bid for integration and tolerance.
The Debate

1. "You know... it's not that we don't let them in... it's that they don't apply," murmurs Principal Akira Gutenberg, nervously tugging at his shirt collar. "I mean, yeah, sure, if these Bigtopians lived around here... uh... we'd let them into the school. But... you know... this isn't exactly a Bigtopian community, you know? So... uh... could you please put a stop to these protestors? Oh, and, uh..." Here he leans forward and whispers. "... make sure those creepy Bigtopian protestors don't show up at my school again, okay?"

This is the position your government is preparing to adopt.

2. "The time has come for the dream of equality to be realized!" shouts noted Bigtopian rights activist Dave Steele, slamming his fist against your desk. "I see Lilliputians, Tasmanians, and Lord knows how many East Lebatuckese keeping my Bigtopian brothers holed away in their prisons of blindness and ethnic apartheid! The time has come for full integration! If these schools are going to keep us out, I say it's time we were bussed in!"
[Accept]

3. "Well, that's all well and good, but it ain't well and good enough!" screams George W. Chicago, leader of Bigtopians Rising Against Totalitarianist Scum, slamming his black-gloved fist against his podium during a recent pep rally. "We ain't just bein' kept out of their schools; we're bein' kept out of their neighborhoods! The oppressive majority fears us, but they can't hold us back any longer! The government needs to integrate the community as a whole by pushing out the majority and making way for a very loud, very angry minority!"
[Accept]

The Government Position

The government has indicated its intention to follow the recommendations of Option 1.

[Nugog]

Compulsory Military Service Under Attack
The Issue

Concerned mothers and nervous school-leavers are petitioning the government to abolish compulsory military service.
The Debate

1. "Our children are forced to be trained to murder!" protests Jennifer King, chairman of the Parents Against All Things Violent organisation. "For too long now the government has been snatching away our children and training them to become killing machines. This arcane practice must be banned at once! Sure, some of them could end up breaking into cars or terrorising old people, but hey, kids will be kids, right?"
[Accept]

2. "What a preposterous idea!" scoffs Drill Sergeant Fleur Clinton. "The youth of Varaag has never needed the discipline provided by the armed forces more than it does today, and with all those rogue states out there we need all the recruits we can get! If anything, the government should lengthen the required service and drop the minimum age to something more reasonable."

This is the position your government is preparing to adopt.

The Government Position

The government has indicated its intention to follow the recommendations of Option 2.

[Nugog]

The Oppressed Peoples of Varaag
"Doing what we are told is good for our health"

UN Category: Compulsory Consumerist State
Civil Rights:
Below Average Economy:
Thriving Political Freedoms:
Unheard Of
Location: Apolyton

Regional Influence: Envoy
Varaag is a UN Member

The Oppressed Peoples of Varaag is a huge, safe nation, renowned for its compulsory military service. Its hard-nosed, hard-working, cynical population of 321 million are rabid consumers, partly through choice and partly because the government tells them to and dissenters tend to vanish from their homes at night.

It is difficult to tell where the omnipresent, corrupt government stops and the rest of society begins, but it juggles the competing demands of Law & Order, Defence, and Public Transport. Citizens pay a flat income tax of 57%. Private enterprise is illegal, but for those in the know there is a slick and highly efficient black market in Arms Manufacturing.

Newborns are being raised as mindless killing machines, motorists' locations are constantly tracked by intelligence and law enforcement agencies, government police forces protect public schools from the threat of protest, and children as young as twelve are conscripted into the armed forces. Crime -- especially youth-related -- is relatively low, thanks to the all-pervasive police force. Varaag's national animal is the tic, which teeters on the brink of extinction due to widespread deforestation, and its currency is the varaag chip.

[Nugog]

"Give Us Money!" Quoth the Poet
The Issue

The National Poetry Society of Varaag is demanding government-funded programs to promote the arts, especially poetry.
The Debate

1. "We need government help to promote culture." says Naki McAlpin, chairperson of the National Poetry Society of Varaag. "Poetry is the soul of our nation, the very pulse of humanity! We will ultimately be judged according to our contribution to artistic enlightenment. In other words, please provide funding for our humble mission to bring the beauty of poetry to the masses!"
[Accept]

2. "Artists and poets should support themselves, like everyone else," replies Thomas Rubin, spokesperson for the Capitalism Now Party. "The suffering taxpayers should be given a break. In fact, we should abolish all government subsidies for special interest groups."

This is the position your government is preparing to adopt.

3. "Poets--who needs them?!" scoffs Beth Clinton, Chairperson Emeritus of the Troglodyte Coalition. "These long-haired troublemakers should all be lined up against the wall and shot! That would be far more entertaining than reading some dumb poems!"
[Accept]

The Government Position

The government has indicated its intention to follow the recommendations of Option 2.

[Nugog]

Minority Group Demands Language Recognition
The Issue

A group several thousands strong hailing from a remote, isolated corner of Varaag is staging a massive demonstration on the front steps of your capitol. They demand that their local dialect be recognized as an official language.
The Debate

1. Billy-Bob McGuffin, your Minister of Culture, has nothing but disdain for the demonstrators. "The language of Varaag is as important to our national identity as our history is. A truly erudite individual uses perfect grammar and refuses to speak as those ruffians do." Your Finance Minister is quick to chime in as well, "If business is required to print every road sign, instruction manual, and fast-food wrapper in two languages, it would increase everybody's overhead. That means higher prices for the person in the street."

This is the position your government is preparing to adopt.

2. "Smarker, but ee's gone blongie 'round the clonger! Trandy in the blang warked a newtie on the Cheebers, quaff me a duggle if it's brine. Sorky, hang our trandy high!" says Randy Li, speaking for the demonstrators, in an apparently rousing response that draws a cascade of cheers. After a few uncomfortable minutes with a professional translator, you find the speaker said, "I respectfully disagree with the Minister. Multilingualism has brought stability to richly-cultured nations such as Brancaland; indeed, I challenge you to provide a single counterexample. I encourage this government to adopt a policy of multilingualism throughout Varaag!"
[Accept]

3. Charles Steele, a radical opposition member who seems to tag along to every demonstration she can find, has her own proposal. "The language barrier is keeping us all apart. What Varaag needs is a new identity defined by a new language that we can all agree on. That's unity without favoritism."
[Accept]

The Government Position

The government has indicated its intention to follow the recommendations of Option 1.

[Nugog]

The Oppressed Peoples of Varaag
"Doing what we are told is good for our health"

UN Category: Compulsory Consumerist State
Civil Rights:
Below Average Economy:
Thriving Political Freedoms:
Unheard Of
Location: Apolyton

Regional Influence: Envoy
Varaag is a UN Member

The Oppressed Peoples of Varaag is a huge, safe nation, renowned for its compulsory military service. Its hard-nosed, hard-working, cynical population of 326 million are rabid consumers, partly through choice and partly because the government tells them to and dissenters tend to vanish from their homes at night.

It is difficult to tell where the omnipresent, corrupt government stops and the rest of society begins, but it juggles the competing demands of Law & Order, Defence, and Public Transport. Citizens pay a flat income tax of 48%. Private enterprise is illegal, but for those in the know there is a slick and highly efficient black market in Arms Manufacturing.

Government police forces protect public schools from the threat of protest, children as young as twelve are conscripted into the armed forces, a National Academy regulates grammar and usage, and the government has cut its subsidies for all special interest groups. Crime -- especially youth-related -- is relatively low, thanks to the all-pervasive police force. Varaag's national animal is the tic, which teeters on the brink of extinction due to widespread deforestation, and its currency is the varaag chip.