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[Hanslanda]

What we're trying to say is... We're sorry Corai. 

[SirAaronIII]

Nobody burns people on crosses, you're supposed to bury them alive. Under spikes. At the gallows.

_{I'm not sure what I'm talking about anymore}

[lemon10]

I doubt Puerto Rico will become a state right now, because as a territory we get to tax them without representing them in congress. I'm unsure why they put up with that; maybe they just want protection. Say what you will about the rest of the world, but the U.S could likely curbstomp any other country on this side of the world, although maybe not a full alliance. I think Brazil is the strongest State (Capital S) in the hemisphere, although I've heard Canada is surprisingly badass for having a population measured on one hand.

Spoiler: Very large Wikipedia quote (click to show/hide)

In 1950, the U.S. Congress gave Puerto Ricans the right to organize a constitutional convention, contingent on the results of a referendum, where the electorate would determine if they wished to organize their own government pursuant to a constitution of their own choosing. Puerto Ricans expressed their support for this measure in a 1951 referendum, which gave voters a yes-or-no choice for the commonwealth status, defined as a 'permanent association with a federal union' but not choice for independence or statehood. A second referendum was held to ratify the constitution, which was adopted in 1952.

Before approving the new constitution, the Constitutional Convention specified the name by which the body politic would be known. On February 4, 1952, the convention approved Resolution 22 which chose in English the word "Commonwealth", meaning a "politically organized community"[citation needed] or "state"[citation needed], which is simultaneously connected by a compact or treaty to another political system[citation needed]. The convention adopted a translation into Spanish of the term, inspired by the Irish saorstát (Free State) of "Estado Libre Asociado" (ELA) to represent the agreement adopted "in the nature of a compact" between the people of Puerto Rico and the U.S. literally translated into English, the phrase means "Associated Free State."

In 1967, the Legislative Assembly tested political interests of the Puerto Rican people by passing a plebiscite Act that allowed a vote on the status of Puerto Rico. This constituted the first plebiscite by the Legislature for a choice on three political status options. Puerto Rican leaders had lobbied for such an opportunity repeatedly, in 1898, 1912, 1914, 1919, 1923, 1929, 1932, 1939, 1943, 1944, 1948, 1956, and 1960[citation needed]. The Commonwealth option, represented by the PDP, won with an overwhelming majority of 60.4% of the votes. The Statehood Republican Party and the Puerto Rican Independence Party boycotted the plebiscite.

After the plebiscite, efforts in the 1970s to enact legislation to address the status issue died in Congressional committees. In the 1993 plebiscite, in which Congress played a more substantial role, Commonwealth status was again upheld.[14] In the 1998 plebiscite, all the options were rejected when 50.3% of voters chose the "none of the above" option, favoring the commonwealth status quo by default.[15]

In May 2009, Resident Commissioner Pedro Pierluisi sponsored a new version of the Puerto Rico Democracy Act bill (H.R. 2499) now titled The Puerto Rico Democracy Act of 2009,[122] aimed at providing for "a federally sanctioned self-determination process for the people of Puerto Rico." The bill, if enacted, would provide for referenda to be held in Puerto Rico to determine the Island's ultimate political status.

The bill would provide for a referendum giving Puerto Ricans the choice between the options of (1) retaining their present political status, or (2) choosing a new status.[123] If the latter option (2) were to win, then a separate referendum would be held where Puerto Ricans would be given the option of being admitted as a US State "on equal footing with the other states", or becoming a "sovereign nation, either fully independent from or in free association with the United States." If the first option garnished the most votes, a new referendum would be held again every 8 years.

The bill enjoyed bi-partisan support in the House of Representatives, with 182 co-sponsors.[124] On June 24, 2009, the U.S. House Committee on Natural Resources held a hearing on the bill with the participation of the Governor of Puerto Rico, and others like Jennifer Gonzalez, speaker of the Puerto Rico House of Representatives, Thomas Rivera Schatz, president of the Senate of Puerto Rico.[125] The House Natural Resources Committee, approved the bill and referred it to the United States House of Representatives floor with a 30 in favor 8 against vote.[126] The bill was passed by the House on April 29, 2010.[127]

The U.S. Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee Chair Senator Jeff Bingaman (D-NM) and Ranking Member Senator Lisa Murkowski (R-AK) formally requested the White House to share President's position regarding The Puerto Rico Democracy Act of 2010 (H.R. 2499) and constitutionally viable status alternatives in a letter dated May 27 following a hearing on the legislation. The Senators requested the President's Task Force on Puerto Rico's Status clarify the White House position on the issue. According to the Senate Energy & Natural Resources Committee leadership, the four options are the continuation of the current commonwealth status, subject to the territorial clause (under Article IV of the Constitution), statehood, independence, and free association. “Efforts to address Puerto Rico’s political status have been hampered by a failure of the federal government to clearly define these status options and that failure has undermined Puerto Rico’s efforts to accurately assess the views of the voters,” the letter stated. “In recent years, however, a consistent administration and congressional view has emerged that only four status options are available for Puerto Rico’s future relations with the United States.” Bingaman and Murkowski wrote that “this analysis of the status options favored by the principal political parties in Puerto Rico concludes that a fifth option, ‘New Commonwealth,’ is incompatible with the Constitution and basic laws of the United States in several respects,” according to the analysis and conclusion of the U.S. Department of Justice under the administrations of Presidents Bill Clinton and George W. Bush.[128][129][130] Absent a White House response to the Senate’s request, the Senate did not act on H.R. 2499.

The infrastructure is already there for getting them accepted, and as recently as 2009 (and actually getting bi-partisan support, something crazy unlikely for any bill in the past 4 years). Right now they are holding some votes over what Puerto Ricans want, and assuming the vote succeeds then it is almost sure that they will become a state. It is entirely possible that they will say no, but given the trend over the past few decades (40% vs 60% 50 years ago, 46% vs 48% 20 years ago, and 45.5% vs 50% 15 years ago), I think there is a better then even chance that they will become a state (even though the trend between 20 and 15 years ago didn't get any better).

[Bdthemag]

Kobolds are actually one of the few things that I'd consider "cute", oddly enough.

[Corai]

Well, what made me go WTF today is:

What we're trying to say is... We're sorry Corai. 

Nobody burns people on crosses, you're supposed to bury them alive. Under spikes. At the gallows.

_{I'm not sure what I'm talking about anymore}

And the fact I was eating a cookie while I typed this.

-EDIT-

Kobolds are actually one of the few things that I'd consider "cute", oddly enough.

Now now boy, don't make me have to come to your home and butcher you. I am not cute.

I'm adorable. :3

[Hanslanda]

Mission accomplished, get the ropes!

[Jopax]

Something big, somewhere nearby is burning. The entire city is clouded with this thick white smoke, you can barely see the surrounding hills, which makes determining the source of the smoke rather impossible.

The WTF came this morning when I loked out the window and saw only white, freaked me out a bit before I realized that it's not me dreaming and it's not a problem with my eyes.

[ChairmanPoo]

Something big, somewhere nearby is burning. The entire city is clouded with this thick white smoke, you can barely see the surrounding hills, which makes determining the source of the smoke rather impossible.

The WTF came this morning when I loked out the window and saw only white, freaked me out a bit before I realized that it's not me dreaming and it's not a problem with my eyes.

Smooooooooke on the waaaaater.....

[Frumple]

... hopefully it's not the sky that's burning.

Though it could be some lighter than air gasses or... something. Don't occasional, wuzzat word, extrusions or summat? Ignite and stay burning for a while? Something something coal gas burning for weeks. I'unno, just woke up and chemistry's n'exactly m'strong point.

[Jopax]

The surrounding hills and mountains have some big brush and forest covered areas, stuff that's been without any real water for weeks now, it's dry and ignites easily. And that's about it, a bunch of forests around are burning and I don't think anyone is doing anything unless it's dangerously close to populated areas. Both because of lack of shit given and because of lack of equipment and technical expertise on the firemen's part.

[Zaerosz]

When the fog smoke clears make sure there aren't any corpses strung up in the power lines.

[Simmura McCrea]

When the fog smoke clears make sure there aren't any corpses strung up in the power lines.

The first one was on a TV antenna.

[Darvi]

You could always just watch TV first...

[Karnewarrior]

I think you need to be comforable with yourself for the Midnight Channel to do its thing, though, or have someone along who is. I got the impression the protagonist had already somehow unlocked his Persona and that was why he could jump in the TV.

[Darvi]

The TV thing was all

Spoiler (click to show/hide)

Izanami

, but I guess you're right since he had access to Izanagi unlike

Spoiler (click to show/hide)

Namatame

.