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GREETING FELLOW TRAVELERS.


The Loose Cannon, has fired his final shot.

Let’s take a few moments now, with fists proudly raised, to remember our own Saint Jimmy. Please click over there to rev up an adequate sound track for this oration.

Those who partake may also want to pour one out for Jimmy (and one for themselves too, of course) and to light up a cigarette then flick it away like James Dean, in hizzoner.


OFFICIAL NOTICE

According to the sub-revolutionary “Forest in the City” working group of the art-farts-for-anarchy committee of the Revolutionary Committee extraordinario of the Socialist Freedom Party , all anarchist, communist, socialist, Ohioan, and freak flags are to be lowered to half-staff at 4:20 PM on April 20th, for 4 hours and 20 minutes, in recognition of the e-life and times of our anti-heroic comrade, super-friend and leader.

Other commemorations and rituals may be observed as well at that time.


SOME REMARKS

Along with being an admirer of the horrid folderol often spewed up by that notorious , long-forgotten and, frankly, smelly, hippie-commie windbag Phoenix Quinn, who for some reason Jimmy liked to hang with, Jimmy Cincinnati, the comrade formerly known as The Ghost of Tom Joad and before that, a long long time ago, also known as comrade Civil Unrest, is well-remembered for having lovingly nursed the Socialist Freedom Party, like a phoenix from ashes, back to health, that I seem to recall, not once but twice.



Fairly recently, as some will recall, he brought the Party of the People back to life following some unpleasantness regarding a certain attempted coup de poulet against the revolutionary vanguard.

Much earlier in its life, when the SFP, which, let’s face it, has a bit of a manic-depressive histoire, was going through one of its periodic moribund crise de sens periods, following the departure of its great comrade-leader theoretician and all-round swell guy Vincent Nolan, if my atavistic former-life repressed memories are serving me well today, when a young energetic comrade rode into town and re-energized the batteries of the eUSA’s revolutionary anarcho-socialist bunnies youth brigade.




A PRAYER

Speaking as one who has himself endured a harrowing journey through the e-bardo, I would first like to offer up a humble prayer to the Inevitable Materialist Dialectic of History that Jimmy’s revolutionary spirit will once again some day haunt the halls of eRepublik, perhaps with a different name…. I dunno…. Freida Slaves? Penny Tentiary?

Well, who can say for sure what the future holds? Even if JC never returns, it doesn’t really matter, does it? His presence in this e-life has touched us all deeply and profoundly and has made our play that much better for hist having incarnated here at least once or twice or maybe 3 times already.

May we be quadruply-blessed by his e-return, should it be in the cards.


A REMEMBRANCE

Jimmy exhibited the best qualities of a proletarian player. He didn’t always get everything right. But he never gave up. He suffered fools pretty well, which is pretty much a key survival skill in this game, but he always had a peachy retort to the more inane ramblings and/or insults of both friends and foes. He hewed to a revolutionary political line, while recognizing the utter futility and nonsense inherent in the game.

He kept an eye on shenanigans and opposed them calmly and in a principled manner. He pursued genuine merit, always encouraging the SFP to not fall into the trap of easy gains by multi-farming, raiding other parties and so on but rather to stick to the high road of community building, mutual aid, (Tanks for Tots, Government Cheese, and more), raising emergency funds for resistance efforts, generally being persistent as hell in the face of adversity, defending Harambe against the Dioist heresies, tweaking Pfeiffer’s nose, and having a bit of fun.

In real life, he’s an ex-con, a tradesman whose had to struggle to find work, and a family guy. He loves music and hates television.

I’ve heard he drinks, but not to excess.

He was President of the SFP and Chair of its Revolutionary Committee an astounding 10 times, putting him into the ranks of Great Leaders of Genuine Revolutionary Forces, along with illustrious names in the socialist freedom pantheon like Osmany Ramon, Mark Valshannar, Jude Connors, Vincent Nolan, Shiloh13, Franklin Stone, Ilene Dover and, wait, who was that other crazy bird? Damn… Anyway. There were several.

During his e-lifetime Jimmy Cincinnati dedicated himself to the struggle of the proletarian players. He fought against capitalistic and authoritarian domination. He cherished the ideal of a democratic and free e-society in which all players play together in harmony and with equal opportunities. It is an ideal which he played for and it is an ideal which he carried with him back into the Real.

The sense of a “man in the arena” was tailored for Jimmy. He strove, he dared to do great things. Sometimes he won. Sometimes he came up short but always relished a good, honest fight. A contrast to those cold, timid souls who know neither victory nor defeat. Isn’t that the spirit we have always celebrated in the SFP? That striving to be better, to do better, to be worthy of the great inheritance that our revolutionary founders bestowed.

So much of our politics, our play-public life, our play-public discourse can seem small and mean and petty. Trafficking in bombastic manufactured outrage, it’s often a politics that pretends to be brave and tough, but in fact is born of fear. Jimmy Cincinnati called on us to be bigger than that. He called on us to be better than that.

Jimmy rocked the SFP tradition like no one else. It’s possible that he was the greatest freedom-socialist rocker of them all.



I hope that others will add their remembrances of Jimmy Cincinnati in the comments.


THE ORATION

I should prefer that, when a player’s deeds have been brave, they should be honored in deed. Then the reputation of the e-dead would not be imperiled by the eloquence or want of eloquence of one who gabs, and their virtues believed or not as the gabber spake well or ill.

However, since our e-ancestors have set the seal of their approval upon the practice, I must obey, and to the utmost of my power shall endeavor to satisfy the wishes and beliefs of all who hear me.

When we are lamenting the E-dead, a tribute should be paid to the memory of all of our revolutionary and kick-ass ancestors. There has never been a time when they did not inhabit this land, which by their valor they will have handed down from generation to generation, and we have received from them, at long last, a free state.

But before I praise the dead, I should like to point out by what principles of action we rose ~ to power, and under what institutions and through what manner of life our socialist-led republic became great. For I conceive that such thoughts are not unsuited to the occasion, and that this numerous assembly of citizens and strangers may profitably listen to them.

We can rightly be called a democracy, for the administration is in the hands of the many and not of the few. When a citizen is in any way distinguished, they are preferred to the public service, not as a matter of privilege, but as the reward of merit. We rely not upon management or trickery, but upon our own hearts and hands.

I have dwelt upon the greatness of our quest to arrive at this moment because I want to show you that we are contending for a higher prize than those who enjoy none of these privileges, and to establish by manifest proof the merit of these players whom I am now commemorating. When the moment came they were minded to resist and suffer, rather than to fly and save their lives; they ran away from the word of dishonor.

They were worthy of the game. The e-living need not desire to have a more heroic spirit.

I do not now pity the friends, comrades and remembers of the e-dead; I would rather comfort them. Our dead have passed away amid manifold vicissitudes; and that they may be deemed fortunate who have gained their utmost honor, whether an honorable passing like theirs, or an honorable sorrow like ours, and whose share of happiness has been so ordered that the term of our mutual happiness is likewise the term of their e-life.

To you who are the sisters and brothers of the departed, I see that the struggle to emulate them will be an arduous one.

I have paid the required wordy tribute, in obedience to the ancient tradition, making use of such fitting words as I had available (mostly from Wikipedia). But the tribute of deeds has been paid only in part. This call to deeds is the solid prize with which, as with a garland, the Revolution crowns her sons and daughters, living and dead, after a struggle like ours. For where the rewards of virtue are greatest, there the noblest citizens are enlisted in the service of the state.

And now, when you have duly lamented, every one his own dead, and ours this day, you may depart to pursue those deeds.