In this edition, I’ll share an opinion piece on a case for outlawing spanking, our MP will give an update to the region, we will cover the story of the important events related to the ongoing Conference of Deccann, co-written by Mongehai, and finish with a recap of our Minister of Engagement(Fenteu)'s regional polls.

With all these negatives, why do parents continue to use corporal punishment? It may be due to stress or how they were disciplined as a child. Whatever reason, it should be stopped immediately. A quote from "The Effect of Spanking on the Brain" by Jill Anderson, statistics from “Corporal Punishment and Elevated Neural Response to Threat in Children,” published in Child Development, "Additionally, nearly one-third of parents in the United States report spanking their children every week, often to detrimental effects and implications." To restate the quote in my own words, ONE THIRD of parents in the UNITED STATES increase the risk of DEPRESSION AND ANXIETY in their children EVERY WEEK.

The point of this entire piece is to make an argument to outlaw this barbaric practice. It's already not allowed for adults, who are generally more reasonable and tolerate pain more easily, to hurt one another, so why do we do this to the most impressionable and weak of our societies? I would already advocate not to hurt your own children if mental health risks were not proven, but to gamble someone's emotional wellbeing because of a relatively small mistake? That is another thing entirely, a worse thing.

So what do you do, then? What do you take away? If you are an upcoming parent, considering parent, or are already a parent, please, for the love of all that is good on this big blue marble, don't hurt your kids. That's all spanking really is, hurting your kids when you have other options, like timeouts or banning things they enjoy temporarily or permanently. If you aren't, then the next time you hear someone suggest physical punishment on kids, politely mention the points I raised. Tell them the risks, maybe then you could help a kid out. Anyone with depression or anxiety can understand that kind of risk isn't something you should be taking. Also, advocate for the banning of corporal punishment on children. Protest, vote, get your voice out there, the whole sha-bang!

Thanks for reading, see you later, and vive Carcassonne !

This second edition of Voice of the People sees Carcassonne much changed since its first edition was released in Cielidor (July). Since then, our region has continued to grow and mature. We have strengthened old friendships and made new ones. The frontier community at large has also changed. Regions that recently were only nascent newborns are now turning into well-developed, bustling communities with increasing gameplay and WA influence. Carcassonne stands now at the cusp of six months as a going concern. I am at the end of my second term as Minister-President, and the next edition of Voice of the People will be published under a new administration for our region. I would like to take this moment to cover some of the foreign policy developments of the Crowned Republic since our last issue.

In my second term, Carcassonne concluded a few different treaty negotiations. The Frontier Organization for Cooperation, Unity, and Security (FOCUS) added the Wellspring as a member, affirming our commitment to forge new friendships with like-minded regions. The Wellspring, being one of the earliest frontiers and one of the largest by population, is a valuable addition to the treaty organization that Carcassonne helped found, which promotes frontier cooperation and solidarity. Carcassonne also concluded a treaty with Lone Wolves United named the Gévauden Pact. LWU was instrumental in the early development of the Grand Army of the Crowned Republic, helping train our new members and bring myself and His Imperial Majesty up to speed on the changes to NationStates since we last played a half-decade ago.

The last treaty that the Senate passed this term was the Aude Alliance between ourselves and The North Pacific. This alliance renews and expands a very long friendship with roots going back to Taijitu, the region that the founders of Carcassonne came from back in April. With new allies like these, I am confident that the Crowned Republic will remain on firm footing for years to come.

Over the past few months, Carcassonne has continued to strengthen its friendship with Community. Our armies first collaborated officially on a mission in the wasteland region The International UN. Though opposing forces successfully sieged the region after three days, what our militaries learned here proved useful in two succeeding anti-fascist operations to clear the regions of Grosland Ebenen and Freienvolker Republik. I also collaborated with the Prime Secretary of Community, Marim Grunzy, to elaborate on our regions’ shared philosophy regarding wastelands in the appropriately-titled “On Wastelands”.

Our clearing of wastelands is just one prong of Carcassonne’s ideology, however. The other, of course, is frontier solidarity and defense. Just as we did in the invasion of Greater Sahara before the revelations about that region, Carcassonne collaborated with defenders on the early liberation attempts of Magna Aurea. This Aquaire (end of September), we officially opened embassies with that region, as well as the quickly-growing frontier Vibonia. These two priorities - frontier solidarity and wasteland management - must be maintained to ensure a successful frontier community at-large, and it has been my privilege to direct the Foreign Service of Carcassonne to make gains towards that end.

As I said in my introduction, after the elections beginning 27 Aquaire (October 21), we will have a new Minister-President. It has been my honor to serve Carcassonne through these early months of its existence, but I am looking forward to being able to enjoy the game as a private citizen. I feel that Carcassonne is in a place of great strength, and I am confident that it will prove to be a long-lived and successful region as a result of these foreign policy achievements over the past months. All the best,

Pauline Bonaparte
Minister-President of Carcassonne

A few days ago, Ladratian officials requested a meeting between the Apollinian Union and Carcaso Royalist Community. The offer was accepted and almost every notable nation on planet, from Qigezhou to Roighelm showed up, short of the cartographers of Ytupuera. Here is an important moment from it, quoted straight from broadcasts of the meet:

Deccann Palace

Stelmund: "The true threat to Apollina, not democracy, not monarchy, not freedom but to Apollina and entire Carcaso is Pyronesian republic. They will try to get peace treaty with Femcia, but they'll come back pretty soon. Mongehai is a democratic monarchy, Stelmund is a changing democratic monarchy and Femcia is democratic monarchy. What makes us different?"

Femcia: Kiara smiled to the Stelmundian Emperor, "We dare, I guess."

Ladratia: "I hate to suggest this, -the Minister of Defense says,- but what if we authorized sending troops to fight off Pyronesians?"

Mongehai: "Sires, more than democratic. We're Apollinians."

Femcia: "Guess you wanna include a continent thing only when it turns in your favor," Emily said

Ladratia: "We are Ladratians first. We do not have the same historical connections as you all do."

Stelmund: "While we - CRC, spread collaboration, monarchist and democratic values, AU spreads ochlocracy. We should unite and start arming against Pyronesians."

Ladratia: "What are monarchist values, may I ask? Centralized power?"

Mongehai: "Femcian, we had the same idea when we helped you guys to expel the fascists from your lands. It's time to do it again, (in response to Femcia.")

Mongehai: "Cultural expression, palaces, monuments, many things we eat now. It's not only rule of a royalty, (in response to Ladratia.")

Fenteu's Poll Results

Beginning about a month ago, Minister of Engagement Fenteu began conducting regular polls about a variety of topics to promote engagement on Carcassonne's regional page and engage with people outside of Discord. Responses to these polls have steadily increased, from a low of 14 votes on the first poll to a high of 28 on the most recently completed one. The first poll, which garnered a unanimous "yes" from the respondents, asked if residents were enjoying it in Carcassonne - a good sign for the future of our region.

The poll "Favorite Season?", which began on September 8, garnered 25 respondents in the three days it was open. Summer won with nine votes, followed by autumn with seven, winter with six, and spring with three. Summer in Carcassonne is famously decadent, with bountiful harvests and cool winds coming north off the Riviera encouraging outdoor activity. Perhaps this may have contributed to the great success of the "summer" option, and anyone who bet on that choice winning should contact their bookie forthwith.

Possibly the most controversial poll came on September 12. Titled simply "Question of All Time", this presented deceptively straightforward choice to the residents of Carcassonne: is it pronounced "gif", or "jif?". The "gif" party won this battle 11-4, but not without substantial controversy. Ladratia maintained that "jif" is the correct pronunciation, in opposition to His Imperial Majesty Ysengrim, who maintained that His Imperial Majesty would be "cold in the grave" before saying "jif". A possible compromise position was put forward by Femcia, who pointed out that in their native language of French "j" and "g" are pronounced the same and therefore the entire point should be considered moot. Nevertheless, scientists continue to dissect this question and we assure the people of Carcassonne that we are working hard to find those lost in this battle.

The most responded-to poll opened on September 27. This one, titled "Gaming Platform?", sought to determine which method Carcassonnaise used to play their favorite games. Of this one, the clear winner was "PC", with 15 votes, with "PlayStation" coming in second with 5. Four respondents, including the Minister-President Pauline Bonaparte, answered that their favorite gaming platform was their own lucid dream. A peculiar method, to be sure, but one that surely gets results.

Fenteu's diligent pollstering has already gotten to the bottom of many questions that have nagged at the human condition for millennia, and we hope to see more conundrums resolved through the cold, hard, but fair prism of mob rule. The Voice of the People will continue to be your source for all poll results in Carcassonne.