I want to make a quick update – we’ve been busy here, but things have been well. 🙂
我想很快的说一下，我们这边这段时间特别忙，但总体来讲，一切都很好啦。:)
总书记网络大本营，SandersForPresident的网络数据。
”The world is grey, the mountains old,
The forge’s fire is ashen-cold;
No harp is wrung, no hammer falls:
The darkness dwells in Durin’s halls;“
（托尔金作品指环王的诗词。找到的是网友solaris_a的翻译，被我稍微魔改了一下）
群山苍苍 岁月已过
熔炉冷寂 灰烬凄清
琴瑟喑哑 锤砧无声
暗影盘桓 杜林殿中
We’ve been trying this thing out basically as soon as Bernie actually decided to endorse Hillary for president. That girl is Mahan. She’s a character from our main line of work. As you can see from her profile in vol. 1, she’s a bit of a scholarly mind. Helping out with an archaeological dig sounds like something she’d do. x)
I will make no further comment on the matter, other than it is too soon to gauge any potential impacts from the event. I have plenty of opinions, but in an unusual show of restraint, I’m going to keep them to myself for now. 🙂
For a lot of folks today, the 4th of July is really a day of celebration. It’s a day of fireworks and BBQ and family and friends and (for most of us) a respite from our daily grind.
I myself will be relaxing as well, but I want to talk a little about what exactly makes this particular day special for me. For lack of a better term, I see today as a celebration of the principle of sovereignty. It’s America’s birthday, of course, but at the same time? It’s also a celebration of the fact that us former colonials decided, on this day, to rule and govern ourselves.
Even though we’d be breaking away from one of the greatest powers of its time, my ancestors took a look at the odds and decided that it was worth it to try to make sure that we’re able to make our own laws and be responsible for our own actions.
Why is sovereignty important? Well, to explain the obvious, I think it is obvious that we need government. Society needs structure for it to function, and government is the best way to provide that structure in our lives. Given that by nature a government need to well, govern, I think to be governed by one’s own people is the best way to go about things. No matter how benevolent and well meaning an outsider’s intervention may be, I think it is best that individual peoples govern themselves. It’s simple logic. Nothing fancy, and nothing extra special.
It is from this position of sovereignty that I now write Pacific’s America. Readers of Action Reports, our forums, or those that follow our work closely will have noticed many things about how Pacific’s America is a lot less interventionist. This is not an accident. While I’m not going to say too much about who’s president in our timeline (hint: Ike’s definitely still around), what is important is that America is far less willing to intercede and intervene in the world’s affairs. Perhaps the Abyssals and what they do really struck a cord with those that sit in positions of power in America. Perhaps it is simply due to random chance that America decides to be more “isolationist.” Perhaps it is because a far less aggressive Soviet Union is also playing a role in maintaining world stability. Or perhaps it is because Britain did not fade as it did in real life.
Whatever it may be, Pacific’s world is a lot less tense than the equivalent times of our world today. As you will learn, there are instances in this world where – in hindsight – America should have done something. What happened in East Asia in the 80s is an excellent example of that. But above all else is perhaps America’s image around the world in Pacific. Consider how other countries would view America if it wasn’t busy poking into other countries’ affairs. Consider how much more attractive democratic values would be if it’s not forced onto peoples that hold a different view. Consider all this, and consider the value of national sovereignty, and you now understand a little more about how America is turning out.
Make no mistake. The spirit of the 4th of July is alive and well. America is different in Pacific, yes, but that difference isn’t so different as to make her alien. She may not be as active as around the world as she might be today, but she still stands for life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness. A less interventionist America could only result in greater conviction in the righteousness of her cause, saved for those instances where intervention is absolutely necessary.
The history of free men is never really written by chance. No. It is, and always has been, written by choice. It just so happens that the same choice that resulted in July 4th, 1776 is now writing her next chapter.
First of all, it’s summer. It’s California. What were you expecting if not a beach episode? The things are like, obligatory in this particular “field” of work!
首先，这是夏天。其次，这是加州。如果我们不弄点海滩狂欢的话，我们肯定没脸在这个动漫界里混了（笑）
Secondly, my apologies for those who would have hoped to see a counterbalance “op-ed.” Unfortunately, whether it’s our team, our extended network, or even our friends, nobody had the time, the willingness, or the energy to write a piece in support of Madam Secretary (who is currently the presumptive Democratic nominee.) This is not a critique of her policies or her positions, but simply pointing out that in our small team that ranges from a reforming Japanese ultranationalist (what? How else do you think we do our research for our main storyline on the other side? x) to an actual practicing communist (the type you see in Great Patriotic War posters, as in, the actual idealists) to our resident tree-hugging liberal to our self-described patriot to our ardent pacifist to folks like myself, you get the idea, and, well, just nobody got it done.
So instead, I’d simply point you to her own website, and the many media outlets there that’s speaking in support of her. As I said many, many times over, we don’t believe in being unbiased or neutral. We simply believe in being fair, because to be unbiased would imply that you don’t actually care.
Like with any election, about half the people who cared enough to vote will be supporting one candidate over the other. There are plenty of people who believe that this country is doing fine, and they’re just as entitled to sending it off to the direction they believe will be best. Madam Secretary, for what’s it worth, represents that particular viewpoint.
As for the other perspective? Well, I’ve been catching up with a few old friends. A lot of people are afraid – on both sides of the isle – that if the other candidate gets elected, it’ll be all doom and gloom from that point on. I disagree. For me, the outcome is less important than what we do in hope that we can achieve that outcome.
The Khala, designed to bring unity, ultimately only aided those divisions. Its hope was a lie.
我们的信仰，卡拉，本来是为我们统一而产生的，然而她却最终只加强了那些分裂。她的承诺最终只是谎言。
Today, that lie must come to its end, And with it, our prejudice and arrogance must become a thing of the past.
今天我们必须要让这谎言结束。让我们的偏见与无知，随着她成为过去一部分吧。
For we now fight in the belief that our kind has not seen its end.
我们今天奋斗的原因，是我们可以相信，我们并没有盲目走向灭亡。
That we Protoss can stand bound by a belief in unity. And that we Protoss can forge a mighty new civilization.
我们星灵可以凭着信心而相信统一，可以再次建立起一个伟大，崭新的文明！
Trust each other in the fight ahead. Strike as one will!
在目前我们要面对的冲突中中，相信你身边的战友，让我们为同一个梦想而战斗吧。
Let our last stand burn a memory so bright that we will be known throughout eternity.
让我们把这最后一战的熊熊燃烧的亮光，刻在宇宙永恒的记忆里吧！
This one was meant to compliment the New Jersey piece from last week, and quite aptly is titled Daybreak. Yet if the New Jersey piece is one where there may be a spark of hope in the darkness, this one is depicting the opposite, where fractures are appearing in both the Republican and the Democratic machines.
Trump is a magnet of controversy. The most recent spat, Orlando shooting notwithstanding, was one over whether or not Judge Curiel was biased against him (and/or he’s racist). You can easily google it on your own if you’d like to find out more, but you probably have heard something about it. x)
Yes, I’m aware that being associated with the La Raza lawyer association isn’t at all the same with the La Raza, but I find the defense offered by the anti-Trump side to be not particularly convincing, either. Here’s why. You can call it a Latino-empowering group (which it is true), but what is empowerment? Isn’t it to make someone or something stronger? No matter how you spin it, it would be an organization designed to generate more power for members of that specific group, no different than say, STEM programs trying to boost the representation of women in science and medicine.
So why is it unreasonable to suggest that a judge belonging to a group pledging to advance Latino interests might be biased against someone who wants to curb immigration (literally building a wall), which are probably not the same interests as those who want to advance Latino interests?
See, I reached that conclusion on my own, based on some very simple five-minute long google searches about what the controversy is, what the organizations are, and some basic logic and reasoning.
But this fracturing goes far beyond just the Republicans, which are embroiled over bitter contests about whether or how right Trump is on the issue. The internet, such as the various Trump-related reddit communities, remain split over ideological differences and matters of censorship.
None of it is anything close, however, to what the Democrats are experiencing today. First, AP and major media sources call a Clinton victory the day before California, New Jersey, and the rest gets to vote. What came after was accusations flying everywhere as Sander’s campaign – which banked their last hopes on California – came crashing down.
In a deliciously ironic twist, a leak today – if it’s true – communicated what all of us had suspected a long time ago. Sanders never had a chance to begin with, and that from the start, the DNC was going to coronate Clinton as its nominee.
Now it remains to see: will Sanders bow, and if so, will his supporters follow?
现在总书记要怎么办？跪下认熊？他的追随者会跟着他一起跪吗？
Whether or not this was a real leak or an intentional leak designed to actually hurt Trump is irrelevant. What’s particularly relevant to my interests is that at least the other documents originate from democratic sources, and that it more or less confirms both the objectives of our country’s foreign policy, as well as what foreign policy under a Clinton presidency might look like.
As always, we shall see. As one chapter ends, the next is just beginning.
咱们慢慢来，慢慢来看吧。这一章结束了，然而，下一章刚刚开始呢。
Five months ago, in January, when I first started with 2016, I had thought simply to play reporter. Now, five months later? I find myself on the frontlines of ideological contentions. I find myself agreeing with people I never thought I would agree with, and questioning things that I didn’t think I’d ever question.
This whole experience has been one of the most exhilarating experiences of my life. Sima and I, and by extension the entire team, has encountered so many different people, with their own unique backgrounds and perspectives, that we wouldn’t trade it for anything else in the world. It is our pleasure and honor that we were able to interact with many of you – some superficially, some deeply – over the last few months.
This isn’t goodbye. Not by a long shot. Pacific will continue as we have been. But for now? I think it’s safe to say that at least the primary portions of our illustration series is now over. 🙂
Dear readers. As the U.S. presidential election primaries draw to a close, what we’re actually going to do is do a two-parter instead, focusing on NJ (for personal reasons) and California (for obvious reasons).
Since we’re waiting for California’s results to come in, I thought I’ll post NJ instead.
毕竟加州还没出结果，所以我想把NJ贴出来。
My reasons for this particular piece is rather personal in nature. It’s definitely not required reading, and in fact, is quite boring. If you’d like to read on, please click here. Otherwise have a great day.
