Conflict has inertia. While this is the sort of thing you would assume is going on everywhere, it's provided a neat and convenient place for the Caldari and Gallente to reinforce their negative opinions of each other. I assume there's a thread about slavery and/or senseless violence going on somewhere that provides that for the Amarrians and Matari. In the end, your average capsuleer is the same as your average baseliner; they follow the path of least resistance.

The truth is, it's easier to touch off a fight even with a piece of news as boring as this than to just ignore it. When this goes away, we'll have this argument moved to another thread to maintain the volume of castigation. Which may happen sooner rather than later, as it's hard to fake indignation about something so droll and maintain one's credibility for intelligent thought.

One of the problems is that independent press organizations can inform everyone of everything at once, or they can slowly release their information over the course of months or years to stretch out the sales from that particular line of inquiry. You can't blame them for opting for the latter. It's hard to come across a high volume of newsworthy stories for an interstellar readership.

Oh, believe me, I know enough about the politics and patterns involved to know that you speak the truth. And I have to say, you have a gift for clear, concise presentation that I find refreshing.

I'm curious, what offer of "meaningful dialogue" is it that you perceive Roden to have stonewalled?

in order to display his Hawkish and strong-man credentials to a Federal electorate apparently more than satisfied with continuing the current conflict at any cost.

I was there and I say that nobody won the Third battle of Caldari Prime. Nobody.

Judging by this statement, I seem to have become a State citizen. Good heavens. How awkward.

I hope one of my Caldari friends can help clear this confusion up.

I'm curious, what offer of "meaningful dialogue" is it that you perceive Roden to have stonewalled?

So the Federation have just lost all of Placid to the State. Including Intaki.

Since the Caldari hold all that space right now, yes ?

I play devils advocate here.

I would like to pose the thought that while many of our own IGS members concur in the summation that such means of modern intelligence gathering activities frequently could be described as both unlawful and ultimately 'common'; the activity in question nonetheless, was 'discovered'.

Are we to dismiss all observed crime simply because other identical crimes go unaddressed due to the fact that those others are not 'caught'? Surely this precedent would never be upheld, the chance of being prosecuted for an unlawful action is abysmal as is. To deny the express consequence for being discovered engaging in such activities is a blow to any attempt at justice.

I agree that there are no clean hands in this particular topic, but I would engage each of us to consider how poor a choice it would be for the discovery of a crime to go completely unaddressed. I am neither pristine in my criminal record nor would I expect to 'get away' with the crimes I may or may not have committed. I do however expect that if I'm witnessed in a crime that the punishment for such would be swift and without question.

Such is the koan of Justice. I feel profoundly sorry for the individuals who must ultimately mete out some sort of consequence without turning the fiasco into a mudslinging match on an Empire wide level.

The front remains highly fluid, as it has done for the last year at least.

Literally any attempt to enumerate systems held and lost is out of date within 24 hours of writing. I don't know why anyone bothers.

Some things are relatively fixed. Nennamaila, Vlillirier, Nisuwa have been in Federation hands for as long as anybody can remember. Eha has been in Federation hands for almost a year.

[Interesting conjecture based on recent events]

Although I do admit it can be enjoyable watching the little marionette show Roden and Blaque are putting on. It really is quite marvellous.

Are we to dismiss all observed crime simply because other identical crimes go unaddressed due to the fact that those others are not 'caught'? To deny the express consequence for being discovered engaging in such activities is a blow to any attempt at justice.