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If I were a Mandarin

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Re: If I were a Mandarin
Post by Dauntless   » Fri Feb 23, 2018 9:18 am

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I belie only the OFS mandarin is actively taking money. mainly from interstellers so they can pillage verge planets.

now all the rest of them (women included) are too in love with their power and are willing to do just about anything to keep it.

hence why they went along with rammpajets stupid idea to hit the manty home system.
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Re: If I were a Mandarin
Post by cthia   » Fri Feb 23, 2018 10:17 am

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Text message from my niece...

The Mandarins are a "heavy metal" band playing lousy music. They won't be caught if they do a stage dive out into the audience.

:lol:

Son, your mother says I have to hang you. Personally I don't think this is a capital offense. But if I don't hang you, she's gonna hang me and frankly, I'm not the one in trouble. —cthia's father. Incident in ? Axiom of Common Sense
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Re: If I were a Mandarin
Post by ldwechsler   » Fri Feb 23, 2018 5:38 pm

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cthia wrote:Text message from my niece...

The Mandarins are a "heavy metal" band playing lousy music. They won't be caught if they do a stage dive out into the audience.

:lol:



I don't know that they were directly corrupt. More likely they were corrupt on the way up. Usually at the top, you do focus more on actual issues. It's now the power that grabs you.

They will fight to stay on and play as many games as they can. Remember they control a real lot of the media who continues to pretend that somehow they are simply bureaucrats. That has been breaking down, however.

They have choices ahead. The best case would, of course, be to win the war but that is unlikely. But they could get away with things if the counter-intel people can show them that they were penetrated. That would set off some nice witch hunts and distract the public.

And, of course, there will always be the "it was not my department" spiel from Treasury, Commerce and "Education." Even Kolkolsov (don't know if I spelled the name right) could claim he was "Foreign Relations." That way MacCartney gets the blame and a nice pension somewhere off planet.
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Re: If I were a Mandarin
Post by cthia   » Fri Feb 23, 2018 6:11 pm

cthia
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ldwechsler wrote:
cthia wrote:Text message from my niece...

The Mandarins are a "heavy metal" band playing lousy music. They won't be caught if they do a stage dive out into the audience.

:lol:



I don't know that they were directly corrupt. More likely they were corrupt on the way up. Usually at the top, you do focus more on actual issues. It's now the power that grabs you.

They will fight to stay on and play as many games as they can. Remember they control a real lot of the media who continues to pretend that somehow they are simply bureaucrats. That has been breaking down, however.

They have choices ahead. The best case would, of course, be to win the war but that is unlikely. But they could get away with things if the counter-intel people can show them that they were penetrated. That would set off some nice witch hunts and distract the public.

And, of course, there will always be the "it was not my department" spiel from Treasury, Commerce and "Education." Even Kolkolsov (don't know if I spelled the name right) could claim he was "Foreign Relations." That way MacCartney gets the blame and a nice pension somewhere off planet.


Interesting post. Especially the idea of them realizing they've been penetrated. :D

Now that you mention it, I can't believe they haven't considered it. Or someone, other than the agent, has considered it. Interesting to also consider whether the agent is responsible for steering the ramifications and conversation away from those musings as well, just as much as he is responsible for the lack of other intel.

Son, your mother says I have to hang you. Personally I don't think this is a capital offense. But if I don't hang you, she's gonna hang me and frankly, I'm not the one in trouble. —cthia's father. Incident in ? Axiom of Common Sense
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Re: If I were a Mandarin
Post by ldwechsler   » Sat Feb 24, 2018 12:38 am

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cthia wrote:
ldwechsler wrote:Text message from my niece...



I don't know that they were directly corrupt. More likely they were corrupt on the way up. Usually at the top, you do focus more on actual issues. It's now the power that grabs you.

They will fight to stay on and play as many games as they can. Remember they control a real lot of the media who continues to pretend that somehow they are simply bureaucrats. That has been breaking down, however.

They have choices ahead. The best case would, of course, be to win the war but that is unlikely. But they could get away with things if the counter-intel people can show them that they were penetrated. That would set off some nice witch hunts and distract the public.

And, of course, there will always be the "it was not my department" spiel from Treasury, Commerce and "Education." Even Kolkolsov (don't know if I spelled the name right) could claim he was "Foreign Relations." That way MacCartney gets the blame and a nice pension somewhere off planet.


Interesting post. Especially the idea of them realizing they've been penetrated. :D

Now that you mention it, I can't believe they haven't considered it. Or someone, other than the agent, has considered it. Interesting to also consider whether the agent is responsible for steering the ramifications and conversation away from those musings as well, just as much as he is responsible for the lack of other intel.


We KNOW they have been maneuvered. I'm more interested if once they find out about it, they use it as a way of squirming out of trouble. Think of how Russians were constantly purging people. Why not arrest a few key people, claim they were enemy agents, and get really outraged? It could be a survival tactic.
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Re: If I were a Mandarin
Post by pappilon   » Sun Feb 25, 2018 8:24 am

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ldwechsler wrote: We KNOW they have been maneuvered. I'm more interested if once they find out about it, they use it as a way of squirming out of trouble. Think of how Russians were constantly purging people. Why not arrest a few key people, claim they were enemy agents, and get really outraged? It could be a survival tactic.


We know it, the GA knows it. All they will ever see is "We didn't set that fire, its the way the game is played. Has been for centuries." Everybody knows Mesa is a bunch of corrupt trans-stellar corporations, they don't need no absurd invisible government to pull their strings. And even if they did, they could never sell it to the Soly public. And I don't really believe She-who-has-her-grudges-stuffed-and-hung-on-the-wall is going to let them off with that, either.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
The imagination has to be trained into foresight and empathy.
Ursula K. LeGuinn

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Re: If I were a Mandarin
Post by Brigade XO   » Sun Feb 25, 2018 12:38 pm

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They all came up through a system that is several centuries old. They know exactly how to play the game and when to either cover their asses or mess with opponents. That includes keeping tabs on those under (or over) them plus the players and usefull people in other departments.

And who is to say that the Alignment doesn't have moles planted in all of these departments whom or feeding in misinformation, adjusting the spin internally or simply reporting back what is going on?
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Re: If I were a Mandarin
Post by aairfccha   » Sun Feb 25, 2018 1:55 pm

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Brigade XO wrote:And who is to say that the Alignment doesn't have moles planted in all of these departments whom or feeding in misinformation, adjusting the spin internally or simply reporting back what is going on?


Well, we already saw one.
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Re: If I were a Mandarin
Post by cthia   » Sun Feb 25, 2018 2:02 pm

cthia
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Could there be one good Mandarin?

What if one of them is just as sick of the idiocy as Eloise was about her Republic? What if one of them, has always had the real spirit of the League at heart. What if one of them, is just as passionate about their Solarian League as Eloise and Rose are about their Republic?

What could he, or she, still make of the League? If Eloise had someone just like her amongst the Mandarins.* There is still a lot of potential in the League. One of the Mandarins could salvage a good part of it if they were as honest, sincere and passionate about it as others have been. Someone did say that the women were about to usurp their power. What if a woman righted the Solarian ship? Possibly even showing up in Manticoran space in Sol One.

* Who would it be? Agatá Wodoslawski or Omusupe Quartermain?

.
Last edited by cthia on Sun Feb 25, 2018 3:55 pm, edited 2 times in total.

Son, your mother says I have to hang you. Personally I don't think this is a capital offense. But if I don't hang you, she's gonna hang me and frankly, I'm not the one in trouble. —cthia's father. Incident in ? Axiom of Common Sense
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Re: If I were a Mandarin
Post by cthia   » Sun Feb 25, 2018 2:19 pm

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The Spirit of Eloise


That would really screw up the Detweiler Plan. Three of the Major Super Powers would then be headed by women, who are sipping tea together.

And what a curve ball by the author. Didn't see that one coming, did ya?

I stick by the notion that the League has emergency war powers somewhere within the spirit of the Constitution. Even if unspoken. What if one of the Mandarins took charge under the emergency war powers, but used it to right the ship and burn the corruption? Make the League out of what it was intended to be. Together they can all fight what's coming.

Son, your mother says I have to hang you. Personally I don't think this is a capital offense. But if I don't hang you, she's gonna hang me and frankly, I'm not the one in trouble. —cthia's father. Incident in ? Axiom of Common Sense
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