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December 5th, a significant day for eCanada: CP elections, Quebec invasion, 1111 - the day of The Highlander…say wha?

That’s right, today there can be only 1s:
1 President elected
1 Winner of the battle for Quebec
1 Person to click the buttons that will advance us through the next month
1 Thing to gain from every CP that has come before us

So on this Day of the Highlander, I see one candidate poised to become Canada’s next President. Luckily, he doesn’t have to go it alone running the nation and taking back lost territories. No doubt, his cabinet ‘trifectas’ will be there to advise; the ghost of Adam Sutler will likely be there to lend a han😛


“I applaud your ingenuity in the face of overwhelming difficulty”
(yeah, we could use a little of that right about now)


Yet, as with every election, there are those who do not make it into the seat of power. Nevertheless, each hopeful presents his own platform of ideas that the President elect could well benefit from adopting. So, imagine if you will, what benefit TemujinBC should take from each of the current CP candidates, and then imagine what he might inherit from all the Canadian Presidents that preceded him: “The whole past is the procession of the present." No leader starts with a clean slate. He is only there to interpret the writing on the wall and make his own annotations. Few have the luxury to write whole chapters into the nation’s history -- those such as Adam Sutler or Jacobi. Whether the term(s) TemujinBC serves produce only a paragraph or add an entire chapter into eCanada’s history, what is sure is that the lines he writes come at a very crucial time.

The great strength of the Highlander is that he absorbed all the strengths of those who came before him. Now, I’m not suggesting there is need for decapitation, just consider a metaphorical conceit: “What strengths should TemujinBC take from the CP candidates he has beaten and from the Presidents of yore?”

TemujinBC is set to 'catalyze' the nation. I’m not sure what his mysterious Step 2 will be, so let’s suppose that head’s will roll, sparks will fly, and the nation will be hit with 1.21 Jigawatts of pure electro-boogaloo as Tem takes his place, for “in the end there can be only one.”


Let’s get ready to be CATALYZED, eCanada!!!

Chamrajnagar: His community platform was original and the Truth and Reconciliation Commission was a novel concept worth pursuing.

Nea milosu: Aside from adopting one helluva long plank for a platform, his military reforms and TCO funding are worthy considerations.

Aeriala: Knowing what you won’t do may just as important as knowing what you will do, perhaps a hidden gem to glean from Aeriala’s anti-platform.

LeWorl😛 No idea who this guy is or what he stands for – the quintessential unknown little guy occupying the empty 5th spot on the ballot. Tem can learn that he shouldn’t forget the little guys in the little parties that have little power.

This Christmas will mark my second year here, so I can’t comment on what Tem should take from Presidents before then. But here are the powers he should embody from all Presidents that have followed since December 2008:

December ’08 -- Tom Hagen: I arrived as a newbie with little knowledge of current events, except that something called an impeachment was going on. A month later, I was particularly impressed by Hagen’s apologetic naure.

Inherited Power: Certainly Hagen accomplished much more yet all I can recommend is that Temujin remember it is never too late to say “I’m sorry.”

January and February’09 -- Zanalan: Again, I had limited understanding of politics in eRepublik as I focused my efforts on the media module, so what impressed me most about Zanalan was his writing – from his excellent Canada Prize entries to his appeals for sound reason vs party polemics.

Inherited Power: Temujin should take on Zanalan’s willpower to never give up when caught up in the mud-slinging of politics, even when everyone thinks your long gone and dead.


March to May ’09 -- Bruck:
Bruck set a 3-month record for serving consecutive terms, only to be soundly broken by the next sitting President. Nonetheless, Bruck has arguably left a deeper legacy with eCanada, more so with war than politics, as the founder of Bruck’s Canucks/The Crimson Order and former General of the CAF.

Inherited Power: The strengths of Bruck’s Presidency that Tem should absorb is the balance of military might with political heft, and the persistence to make it through crisis after crisis after crisis. And despite the irony that Bruck was a "War President" who served during an extended time of peace, Temujin will certainly get a chance to work the balance in both spheres.

June to September ’09 / December to January ’10 -- Jacobi:
A pithy paragraph cannot do justice in summarizing any President’s term – even more so true for Jacobi’s time in office. Bruck dealt with short-term crisis; Jacobi steered eCanada through chaos. Beginning with AB’s COBRA antics to the complete invasion of our territories, Jacobi maintained this composure, built on the infrastructure even though it was laid to waste.

Inherited Power: In the current state of war, TemujinBC should embody Jacobi’s experience of seeing the nation through invasion towards liberation, the light at the other end of a long, dark tunnel.

October – November ’09 – William Duncan: WD had style, plus a lot of sass. He had his foes and made a splash in the media with his well-constructed articles. WD brought Canada out of occupation in the final battles vs PEACE. However, military strategy (nor fiscal policy) is not what Temujin should take from WD.

Inherited Power: Take from him the powers of the media module, the crafting of words and images to inspire the masses.

February ’10 – jbdivinus: Here marks a shift away from the persistent pace of presidential terms, toward the ambiguities of today. Others before jb brought the strengths in the four pillars of power: economy, military, human resources, and media. I cannot comment on any jb’s pillars, since I was in zombie-mode at that time, yet I suppose I should appreciate his necromantic powers of bringing a citizen back from the dead.

Inherited Power: Labeled a magician, a mystery, a menace, and a monster of manipulation, jb should invest Temujin with the powers of manipulation: the ability to tweak game mechanics, the backroom, the front pages, party politics, and one’s appearance. Being President is not always pretty, so it may be prudent to have an Ace up one’s sleeve.

March ’10 – Chucky Norris: When one thinks of steadfast and certain, Chuck Norris ain’t a bad choice. The monicker is aptly chosen, since Chucky is a solid plank in the foundation of what eCanada stands on. As a time of relative inactivity, I cannot comment on the Presidency other than to say he did what was needed with a git’er done attitude that kept eCanadians in check.

Inherited Power: The ability to tell people what’s what, a moral authority that goes so far as to spank anyone, including allies.

April ’10 – Derek Harland: I always new Derek as ‘the nice guy’ – like the kid brother you’d like to have around because he reminds you what it’s like to be earnest and heartfelt, without irony or malice. Harland takes a different page from the four pillars of power, one that I doubt others would follow today.

Inherited Power: TemujinBC would get in touch with the inner-child, and I don’t mean the selfish, whiny kind that wants a new X-Box every time some newfangled gadget gets added. I mean the one that keeps it simple yet serious, with wholesome fun.

May ’10 – Nea Milosu/Fram: Call it bad luck or a case of good intentions never allowed to come to fruition. Fram mysteriously disappeared part way into his presidency and was thought to never return again. But he came back and eventually everything else did, too, and maybe that’s all that really matters because he made a good bid to return to it all this December.

Inherited Power: Call Fram the comeback kid – doesn’t matter whether or not he wins the election, it’s still a comeback considering he’s back in action with strong support. TemujinBC can learn that there’s always a second chance so long as we’re always moving forward with no turning back.

June and July ’10 – Dade Pendwyn: The All-Seeing Eye of Pendwyn gazed deep into eCanada’s unsolved mysteries. What it found was a culprit at the heart of the country’s central network for communication: the eCan Forums. The moment of the big reveal was the defining mark of Dade’s presidency, the fortunate result of a series of guesswork and record sleuthing worthy of earning him the title of eCanada’s Sherluck Holmes.

Inherited Power: “And on the Seventh Day the Admins finished Bonte’s work which he had made; and they rested on the Seventh Day from the V2 which they had made” TemjuninBC can take a lesson from the captain that sailed us into the launch of V2: laurels laid to rest are laurels never to be rested on. The Eye saw everything that he had made, and behold, it was very good but then the Eye looked upon the Garden, and, behold, it was corrupt. The powers to see the good from the bad and separate the fruit from the chaff are to be reckoned with by those that have created the New World and those that reside within it.

August ’10 – Acacia Mason: Here is a man of many facets that brought to his Presidency a flair akin to that of William Duncan, a fitting old rival. To be remembered for his countless updates that kept eCanadians in the loop as we advanced on the UK, Acacia Mason burned bright for the length of his presidency before the gloomy times set in.

Inherited Power: Pressing the button – yes, it’s as short and sweet as that. Does it matter how many times we march on London if each time we do it with Glee? Temunjin should ask himself what the power of pushing the button often and wisely will yield.

September ’10 – Rolo Tahmasee: For every maxim written, there comes a possible exception. Fram’s showed us that there exists the potential to recoup what was lost, and so we may well wonder if the same applies here. Great potential cut short prematurely ~~ whether done unjustly or not, what matters more is the manner of return.

Inherited Power: “Rolo Tomasi is the reason I became a cop. I wanted to catch the guys who thought they could get away with it. It's supposed to be about justice. Then somewhere along the way, I lost sight of that.” TemunjinBC should gain the power of seeing from Pendwyn and the power of recovery from Fram to make it possible to recover the potential strength of critical reason found in Rolo. (or at least he could pick up Karsten’s graphic skills)

October ’10– Alias Vision: From the rocky seas of V2 to the shoals of Project Mayhem, eCanada weathered its fair share of storms. With the arrival of AV into the president’s chair came a moment of calm. Not doldrums as many have complained of others, but genuine steadiness that gave us respite and recovery.

Inherited Power: Alias Vision demonstrated there is no need to rock the boat; we’re not on a loop-de-loop pirate ship at an amusement park. As TemujinBC takes the helm, let him be invested with the ability to steer it steady and true.

November ’10 – Fox Blutch: The first President to rise from the Union Nationale left Canada wondering what this new shift in power would mean, if anything at all. The steady seas of October turned to an EDEN pleasure cruise as we sailed through battle after battle, right up to the Thames into the well fortified harbour of London. The rest, as they say, will be history.

Inherited Power: A quiet leader, Fox did his bit to unite the two solitudes. There was none of the language division we might have expected, though other divides did grow. So it seems appropriate that TemujinBC should carry on this Union by taking the Fox’s unexhausted power of bilingualism, the ability to unite as a soon-to-be former leader of the TCO joins with the head of CAF to bring this country into serious war - united.

There you have it – a smorgasbord of powers ready for the taking. What strengths will TemujinBC add to the tradition of the CP? Perhaps he will jolt the nation into a babyboom of unexpected proportions or perhaps he will repel the invaders with unending pot to reclaim the useless territories they have no need of.

All I can say is, “There can be only one – united and ready. Is it time for us to get catalyzed?”



(ps. You’ll be back at #1 spot soon, Tem – CroCarlito will head back to Croatia someday – you’re still the only one whose number one in our hearts *sigh😉