Ananta

but one of my favorite parts is the president, Mark Max. the little bird that sits on Joe Birden Conrad Jackson's shoulder. because we hear about vice-presidential elections in Lone Trail; and while it's unclear at first the implication becomes clear as time goes on that the position of president DOESN'T change. the actual leader of Columbia has never changed. it has been this same figure for all of Columbia's history and the vice president, the bushes and bidens, are subservient to the true ruler of columbia.

and in a literal sense mark max is a precursor AI that seems to have a somewhat omnipresent perspective and you can read that as AK arguing for the the ruler of the US literally being its surveillance system. BUT there are two other key aspects. the first one is that mark max is viewed as a revolutionary war hero and was elected president then. the second is that the capital of columbia is Max DC. and like when i first played lone trail i thought it was just being cute with typical american access - maximum district of columbia - but then i realized. no. it's named for the first president. just like washington DC.

And what is the purpose of placing a flag on a foreign planet? It’s a way to say “we were here.” And the one, immediate symbol that any other human who came to the same spot any number of years later would be able to recognize a human hand. Even if governments change and collapse, we all understand a handprint.