Deputy Prognosticator Henry Wasserbrick told us that he could not respond to our question because “the Office of the Chief Prognosticator’s data collection and analysis methodologies have always been, and remain, confidential.”
Staff of the Office of the Chief Prognosticator. From left to right: Deputy Prognosticator Henry Wasserbrick; Chief Prognosticator David Bricks; and Assistant Prognosticator Andrew Tiler Sørensen. Credit: Bricklyn Eagle staff photographer Ann Tiler Anderson, with assistance from DALLE-3 AI.
As Wasserbrick noted: “The integrity of the Chief Prognosticator’s role is vital. Ever since the position of Chief Prognosticator was established it has relied on a data-driven, but intuitive and iterative processes known only to the Chief Prognosticator, the Deputy, and the Assistant to the Chief.”
“But it should be kept in mind,” Wasserbrick added, “that any report we provide to the Council will be just one of a number of pieces of information the Federal Council will have before them. I cannot stress enough that they are the decision makers, not the Chief Prognosticator.”
Was AI Used in the Chief Prognosticator’s Report on the Value of Mediation in Bricklyn?
The Bricklyn Eagle asked Miles Smartbrick, Associate Professor of Data Sciences at Bricklyn University, to examine the most recent report prepared by the Office of the Chief Prognosticator, titled An Evaluation of the Value of Mediation to Resolve Disputes in Bricklyn, to determine whether any of that report was generated using artificial intelligence.
As Professor Smartbrick told us, “I read the report and then analyzed its text using three well-reputed AI text detection programs. The programs respectively found that between two and four percent of the report may have been generated by AI. Those low percentages make it very likely, but not conclusive, that AI was NOT used in preparing the report on the value of mediation.”
Professor Miles Smartbrick (on left) and Bricklyn Eagle reporter Mark Tiler Richmond (on right) in Smartbrick’s Bricklyn University office. Credit: Eagle staff photographer Ann Tiler Anderson, with assistance of DallE-3 AI.
Smartbrick added two cautionary notes:
“Unfortunately, there appears to be a sort of ‘arms race’ in terms of detecting AI. I say that because there is now anti-detection software which ‘reprocesses’ AI-generated text to avoid detection of its origins as Ai. One writer has called this ‘AI fighting against Ai.’
“What’s more,” continued Smartbrick, “even if it is highly probable that the report was not AI-generated, this tells us next to nothing about whether the Office of the Chief Prognosticator used AI as a research tool or for general brainstorming on how they might focus their research into the value of mediation.”
“Finally, I need to add,” said Smartbrick, “I have no idea how the Office of the Chief Prognosticator melds data analysis with its own supposedly ‘intuitive’ insights. That’s why a number of us consider the Realm’s use of a prognosticator a form of ‘magical thinking’ that makes little scientific sense.”
Deputy Prognosticator Wasserbrick responded to Professor Smartbrick’s comments by indicating that he could not reveal the Chief Prognosticator’s methodology in preparing the report on the value of mediation, or any other report. Wasserbrick acknowledged that the Chief Prognosticator’s approach might seem to be “opaque,” but noted that this very opaqueness serves to shield the Office of the Chief Prognosticator from political influences and other outside pressure. As Wasserbrick explained:
“The Chief Prognosticator has a proven track record of providing useful advice to the Federal Council. Having said that, I must again stress that final decisions remain in the hands of the Council; we do not push for the adoption of any actions we might recommend, though, of course, we will explain to members of the Federal Council anything that is not clear from our written comments or reports.” ✥
Saul Burntbrick. Credit: Eagle staff photographer Ann Tiler Anderson, with assistance from DALLE-3 AI.
To the Editor: We want to thank The Bricklyn Eagle for looking into the culture of secrecy that seems to pervade the Office of the Chief Prognosticator. As Director of ROB-PIRG (the Realm of Bricklyn Public Interest Research Group) I can plainly say that our members were taken aback in hearing that our Chief Prognosticator cannot even tell your reporter whether his Office makes use of AI such as ChatGPT.
Instead, he sends out his Deputy to tell us that the Office of the Chief Prognosticator sees being “opaque” in refusing to talk about its methodology as a virtue!
ROB-PIRG is asking the Federal Council to immediately withdraw its request for advice from the Chief Prognosticator on the data center moratorium resolution. Let the public speak on this important resolution, not the Office of the Chief Prognosticator which may well find itself the beneficiary of the rapid growth of AI and data centers. — Saul Burntbrick, Bricklyn Jct., VT.
Tom Brickorti. photo from The Bricklyn Eagle archives.
To the Editor: What a kerfuffle! While the business community has not always agreed with the advice the Chief Prognosticator has given the Federal Council, we have always found the Chief and his staff to be intelligent, perceptive individuals who put aside any bias they might personally have on any particular issue. Whether or not they use AI in their work is of no relevance to how they will assess the moratorium resolution.
Clearly we oppose this resolution (for a number of reasons that we will present to the Federal Council), but just as clearly we honor, not impugn, the decades of valued advice the Office of the Chief Prognosticator has provided our Realm. — Tom Brickorti, CEO of the Bricklyn Chamber of Commerce.
One of the most puzzling aspects of Bricklyn to Outlanders (i.e.,humans) is the fact that only about one-quarter of the Realm of Bricklyn can be seen by them when they visit Bricklyn. The remainder is blocked from view by the Great Wall of Bricklyn.
What the Great Wall Means for Outlanders
The historic Stansbury Hotel, once threatend with demolition by Dunk Them Donuts, is at the heart of downtown Bricklyn Jct. While the Great Wall prevents Outland visitors from seeing any of Bricklyn Jct., Outlanders can view photos provided by Bricklynites of these otherwise off-limits parts of The Realm. Photo by Ann Tiler Anderson. for The Bricklyn Eagle, with assistance from Dall E-3 AI.
What is hidden by the Great Wall?
Most significantly, most of South Bricklyn (including the airport; the regional high school; and the medical center) and all of Bricklyn Junction, including its historic downtown.
A substantial portion of the city of Bricklyn itself — including most residential districts — is also shielded by the Wall from the view of Outland visitors.
What is NOT hidden by the Great Wall and visible to Outlanders?
Bricklyn Harbor, and part of downtown. Also visible is the Brick Rail bridge connecting Bricklyn to South Bricklyn and beyond. Photo by Ann Tiler Anderson for The Bricklyn Eagle, taken from NewsChopper5.
Downtown Bricklyn (including government offices; the courthouse; city hall; the theater; the natural history museum; the arboretum; and the central railroad station);
Photo by Walt Brickman (with assistance from Dall E-3) of a portion of the south side of The Great Wall of Bricklyn with its strange patterns. Different sections of the Wall have different patterns on the face of the Wall.
Portions of the Great Wall of Bricklyn have strange, intricate patterns and designs.
The Great Wall’s Origins
No one in Bricklyn, including historians and scientists, can fully explain the origins of these patterns and designs, or how the Great Wall acts to block Outlanders’ view of those portions of the Realm outside the Great Wall.
According to Bricklyn’s Chief Historian, Winifred Tiler Jackson:
“The Great Wall was constructed, according to plastic residue dating, in the first half of the fifth century BCE by some ancient people, perhaps castaways in the ‘New World,’ but with remarkable skills that we are only now beginning to understand.
Illustration of possible ancient peoples living at the site of present-day Bricklyn. Image prepared by Dall E-3 AI, with input from historian W.T. Jackson.
“Hidden in a corner of present day Vermont, The Great Wall ‘s presence kept the area now known as Bricklyn unseen by humans — undoubtedly a protective blessing. These ancient peoples, for reasons not yet known to historians, disappeared from the area by the second century BCE.
“It was not until the early 18th century that a shipload of LEGO people voyaged to colonial America in search of the remarkable wall that they had heard about from long-time legends.
Visualization of Colonial-era Bricklynites alongside a section of The Great Wall. Prepared by Dall E-3 AI. based on informational prompts from Bricklyn Chief Historian W.T. Jackson.
“At least a dozen of these Bricklynites (then called ‘Little Vermonters’) served with distinction as spies with Ethan Allen and the Green Mountain Boys. The Bricklynites’ extremely small size — and their courage — proved to be invaluable assets to the American cause.
“Remarkably, within two years of arriving they had found The Great Wall, and began building the settlement they called Bricklyn, largely within the protective confines of the Wall. This was, of course, three centuries before the great emigration of LEGO peoples from Denmark in the 1970s and ’80s, including a wave of migrants who sought a new home in the cities of Bricklyn, South Bricklyn, and Bricklyn, Junction, Vermont.”
Walled Villages & Cities in Medieval Times
Historian Jackson has also researched walled villages in other Inland realms, and considers it likely that ancestors of many Bricklyn families would have lived in walled realms like those shown in the renderings below during Europe’s “Middle Ages.”
Visualizations above of walled cities ancestors of today’s LEGO people might have looked like.Images generated by Dall E-3 AI, based on data inputs from Bricklyn Historian W.T. Jackson.
Historian Jackson also asked us to link to the following two videos. The first briefly explores Europe’s heritage of defensive city walls, and how they helped define the shape of cities. The second video provides quite fascinating aerial views of 15 walled cities — though Jackson recommends watching the second video with the sound off, as she found the narrator’s “voice” quite irritating!
Tunnels through the Great Wall of Bricklyn
Even though the Great Wall of Bricklyn remains hidden from Outlanders, Bricklynites easily navigate through the Wall using any of eighteen short tunnels. Eleven are solely for pedestrians and cyclists, while three serve Brick Rail freight and passenger trains. and the final four are for cars, buses, and trucks..
Most of the these passages connect areas in downtown Bricklyn and its near downtown neighborhoods with adjoining parts of South Bricklyn or Bricklyn Junction. Two of the bike/ped tunnels and one of the rail tunnels are shown below. Photos by Bricklyn Eagle staff photographer Ann Tiler Anderson, with assistance from Dall E-3 AI.
Drawing Inspiration from The Great Wall to Help Meet Bricklyn’s Housing Needs
Bricklyn’s Great Wall Street — which runs along portions of the Great Wall — is the focus of new zoning provisions which will allow for dense new high-rise buildings on a number of lots facing the Great Wall.
The Bricklyn Planning Commission felt that allowing taller buildings along the east side of Great Wall Street would better match the height and scale of the Great Wall (which parallels the west side of the street) while also helping address housing shortages within the Realm.
Bricklyn Planning Director Tim Brickedy and his staff drafted the necessary zoning changes and then shepherded them through the Federal Council, which adopted them just this past September.
Portions of the Great Wall of Bricklyn (on left) bordering Great Wall Street. On the right, facing the Great Wall, would be new housing.
Two residential projects are already on the drawing board, once again teaming Dunk Them Donuts CEO Dave Broffman with Bricklyn architect Moshi Saftbrick.
See several of Saftbrick’s initial renderings.
“The new buildings,” Saftbrick told The Bricklyn Eagle, “would respond to the chiseled, layered look of the ancient Great Wall, while bringing to Bricklyn a cleaner, contemporary design.”
Historian W.T. Jackson adds this historical footnote: “In the above photo rendering, note the ‘Star of David’ motif on the section of the ancient Wall located at the corner of Lower North Street and Great Wall Street. I’m not alone in wondering whether this could reflect the presence in ancient Bricklyn of one of the ‘lost tribes’ of Israel. Plastic residue dating of this part of the Wall has proven inconclusive.” Illustrations by Dall E-3 AI based on prompts by Moshi Saftbrick and his team.
Edited in Prisma app with TokyoEdited in Prisma app with Tokyo
Renderings by Dall E-3 AI based on prompts provided by architect Moshi Saftbrick and his team.
Additional Resources for Understanding The Great Wall
Below: nighttime view of portion of Bricklyn Jct., on a snowy, Winter night. The fact that there’s snow on the ground makes clear that the we are OUTSIDE the Great Wall of Bricklyn. Portions of the Realm of Bricklyn OUTSIDE the Wall are subject to the same weather as in Burlington, Vermont.
In contrast, those areas INSIDE the Wall are located in the basement of an Outlander, where it never snows or rains! For more on weather phenomena in Bricklyn, see the interview with meteorologist Tiler Brickoski linked to above. — Photo by Bricklyn Eagle photographer Ann Tiler Anderson, with assistance from Dall E-3 AI.
The Bricklyn Eagle has just obtained a draft copy of the “Report on the Potential Threats to the Realm of Bricklyn From the United States Government.”
The Bricklyn Eagle has sought comment from all of the key individuals involved in preparing this draft Report. None were willing to speak with us pending public release of the Report, expected by the end of the week.
The Report was prepared jointly, at the request of the Federal Council, by the Office of the Federal Chancellor and the Office of the Chief Prognosticator. The highly anticipated report focuses on how Bricklyn can best respond to these potential threats, and includes what is likely to be a controversial recommendation.
Part 1 – Background on The Great Wall of Bricklyn
Central to the report is the stunning recommendation that Bricklyn examine the cost and mechanics of extending the Great Wall of Bricklyn so that it could enclose the entire Realm of Bricklyn — a staggering undertaking.
As Bricklyn Eagle readers may know, The Great Wall of Bricklyn currently serves to hide / protect about 65 percent of the of the Tripartite Realm. All of Bricklyn Junction is currently hidden from human eyes by The Great Wall, along with about 75 percent of South Bricklyn, and some 50 percent of the City of Bricklyn.
Imagined view of ancient predecessors of the Bricklynites. Created with input of Bricklyn Chief Historian, with assistance of Dall E-# AI.
The following information was provided us by email from Bricklyn’s Chief Historian, Winifred Tiler Jackson:
“The Great Wall was constructed, according to plastic residue dating, in the first half of the fifth century B.C.E. by some ancient people, perhaps castaways in the “New World,” but with remarkable skills that we are only now beginning to understand.
Photo by Walt Brickman (with assistance from Dall E-3) of a portion of the south side of The Great Wall, with its strangely beautiful patterns — different from most other portions of The Great Wall. How the Great Wall was constructed millennia ago still remains a mystery, along with its powers in keeping much of Bricklyn invisible to humans.
“Hidden in a corner of present day Vermont, The Great Wall ‘s presence kept Bricklyn unseen by humans — undoubtedly a protective blessing. These ancient peoples, for reasons not yet known to historians, disappeared from the area by the second century B.C.E.
Imagined view of American Colonial-era Bricklynites. Created with input of Bricklyn Chief Historian, with assistance of Dall E-# AI.
“It was not until the late 17th century that a shipload of LEGO people voyaged to colonial America in search of the remarkable wall that they had heard about from long-time legends.📍
📍”At least a dozen of these Bricklynites served with distinction as spies with Ethan Allen and the Green Mountain Boys. The Bricklynites’ extremely small size — and their courage — proved to be invaluable assets to the American cause.
“Remarkably, within two years of arriving they had found The Great Wall, and began building the settlement they called Bricklyn, largely within the protective confines of the Wall. This was, of course, three centuries before the great emigration of LEGO peoples from Denmark in the 1970s and ’80s📍, including a wave of migrants who sought a new home in the cities of Bricklyn, South Bricklyn, and Bricklyn, Junction, Vermont.”
Bricklyn Chief Historian, and high school history teacher, Winifred Tiler Jackson. Photo by Paul B. Macro, with assistance from Dall E-3 AI.
📍This migration was triggered by disputes between the Danish government and several LEGO sects, including the Bricklynites. Its ramifications still remain felt to this day.
“In talking about The Great Wall of Bricklyn, historians must tread carefully between truth and legend. The Great Wall is an actual structure — even though it cannot be seen by human eyes. Does that make it some sort of hallucination of Bricklynites? I’ll leave that to psychologists and scientists to determine.
“But I’m also drawn to stories of the hidden Himalayan village of Shangri-La. Was it a real place? Tibetans think so.
A vision of Shangri-La? Watercolor by Bricklyn artist Penelope Tiler Marshall, with assistance from Dall E-3 AI.
“The Outland resource Wikipedia points out that: ‘Ancient Tibetan scriptures mention the existence of seven such places as Nghe-Beyul Khembalung. Khembalung is one of several Utopia beyuls (hidden lands similar to Shangri-La) which Tibetan Buddhists believe that Padmasambhava established in the 9th century CE as idyllic, sacred places of refuge for Buddhists during times of strife.’
“As Chief Historian for Bricklyn, I have no doubt of the protective value of The Great Wall, as for Outlanders it remains invisible, and does not appear to exist.”
Part 2 – Extending The Great Wall of Bricklyn
The recommendation contained in today’s Draft Report to the Federal Council would involve a major extension of the Great Wall, as well as the possible addition of an accompanying dome to enclose all land within the Tripartite Realm.
Imagined view of the entire Realm of Bricklyn within The Great Wall. Rendering created with input from Bricklyn Chief Prognosticator’s Office, with assistance of Dall E-3 AI
Research has not yet determined if a dome would be necessary, or even feasible. But we have learned that the nearby Outland city Winooski, Vermont, once sought a federal grant to build a dome over the city. See The Winooski Dome: How this mill town was almost sealed in a bubble (by Jenny Koppang (Vermont Digger, April 24, 2022).
➤ From Koppang’s article: “Mark Tigan, Winooski’s director of community development and planning at the time was a key figure in this proposal. ‘(The Dome Proposal) really put Winooski on the map. We weren’t afraid to think outside of the box and use our imaginations,’ he said … [HUD] assigned three people from the Tennessee Valley Authority to come up to Winooski and do a feasibility study. One was an economist, one was an engineer and one was a sociologist, … In the report, the economist confirmed that the dome would indeed be financially feasible if home heating fuel hit $1 per gallon. The engineer said it was feasible to cover the whole city in a dome, but recommended restricting it to a smaller area such as the downtown. The sociologist was not as enthusiastic as the economist and engineer … “
As humans cannot see into, or visit, areas of the Realm of Bricklyn on the “far side” of the Great Wall, this feature of the Wall would prevent scenarios such as U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) personnel entering into any portions of Bricklyn, or even visually surveilling the Realm.
📍 As many readers are aware, The Bricklyn Eagle has been authorized to print photos, and interview Bricklynites, who live behind The Great Wall. But, again, Outlanders cannot see or visit those portions of the Realm of Bricklyn hidden from human sight by The Great Wall, including such places as the two high schools; the airport; the Realm’s hospital; and most residential areas.
Excerpts from the draft Report on Potential Threats to the Realm of Bricklyn from the Unite States Government, prepared by the Office of the Federal Chancellor & the Office of the Chief Prognosticator.
“Preliminary discussions with Bricklyn Chief Engineer Steve Goodbrick and his staff; along with analysis by the Office of the Chief Prognosticator David Bricks, indicate that the technology and ‘mind power’ exists to extend the Great Wall and its accompanying dome.
Bricklyn Chief Engineer Steve Goodbricks on the job. Photo by The Bricklyn Eagle, with assistance from Dall E-3 AI.Bricklyn Chief Prognosticator David Bricks. Photo by The Bricklyn Eagle, with assistance from Dall E-3 AI.
“The new sections of The Great Wall might resemble, in some ways, the retractable domes / roofs found in some American sports stadiums.
“This open/close capability would enable protection against imminent threats (when closed), while otherwise (when open) maintaining links between large portions of the Realm and our Outland Vermont neighbors.”
Part 3 – “Shared Dreaming”
The draft Report continues with a lengthy section on what is termed “shared” or “group” dreaming. Several excerpts from this part of the Report are set out below.
‘The Achuar people, who live in Ecuador’s Rainforest, share dreams as a way of shaping their waking lives. The people gather in small groups hours before sunrise to share both sweet tea (Wayús) and their dreams. This custom (Wayusa) reflects the conviction that people dream both for themselves and for the entire community By the 1980s, Achuar elders began dreaming of peril to their lands and culture due to the incursion of the oil, lumber and rubber industries. Motivated by these foreboding visions and their ancient prophecy of “The Eagle and the Condor,” the Achuar have formed alliances with formerly hostile neighboring tribes and with individuals from the industrialized world.’
“Rabbi Addison adds: ‘I have become ever more convinced that we dream both for ourselves and for others, for the dreamer personally as well as for the collective.’
“Research and simulations conducted by the Office of the Chief Prognosticator have also indicated the strong likelihood that collective dream power was the mechanism used by ancient Bricklynites to construct a protective wall around their village that could not be seen by human eyes. …
“The Chief Prognosticator believes there is an approximately 50 percent probability that large-scale shared dreaming — involving a total of at least 350 dreamers — could act to bring into existence new portions of The Great Wall enclosing all of the Realm. …
Could active group dreaming actually help extend the Great Wall, or is this just a crazy sci-fi fantasy? Today’s draft Report gives credence to the “power of dreamers” concept. Image envisions one of the hundreds of dream circles that would be needed. Photo prepared with assistance from Dall E-3 AI.
“Needless to say, if the Federal Council were to preliminarily endorse this approach, testing of the ‘dream power’ needed for effective shared dreaming would need to be conducted.
“It should also be made plain that training 350 Bricklynites in the skill of active, shared dreaming would be a challenging undertaking. However, staff of the Office of the Chief Prognosticator are already skilled in shared group dreaming techniques (albeit at a much smaller scale) and have advised that they could ramp up the training of such a large number of Bricklynites within three months’ time. …
“When needed, the dream sharing Bricklynites will have to be positioned in outdoor settings (conducive to such shared dreaming) in linked groups of six to ten people. All 350 Bricklynites would then simultaneously dream of extending The Great Wall to encircle all of Bricklyn.
“The result, according to projections from the Office of the Chief Prognosticator, should be the instantaneous translation of the shared dream vision of the new Wall sections into reality.
Group dreamers photos prepared with assistance of Dall E-3 AI.
Part 4 – Alternative Ways to Respond to the Threat of Mass Deportations
The draft Report includes the following comments about alternative ways by which Bricklyn could respond to potential mass deportation threats:
“The alternative we have focused on so far may well be beyond the capacity of Bricklyn at this time. As a result, our Offices have also done preliminary investigation of two other alternatives. The first would involve the association of Bricklyn with its historic homeland of Denmark, remaining in its current Vermont location, but as a Danish enclave. Some Bricklynites have already come out in support of this option.
Some Bricklynites have rallied in support of association with the Danish Realm.
“The principal roadblock is both the amount of time it would take to negotiate such an agreement, and the anger some Danes still feel about Bricklyn after the controversial departure of over 20,000 Lego Bricklynites from Denmark back in 1981. …
“In addition, the incoming U.S. President has previously indicated an interest in acquiring Greenland, which is a part of the Danish Realm. Would this interest also extend to Bricklyn if it were to become an overseas part of the Kingdom of Denmark? 📍
📍Update: Dec. 24, 2024. From the NY Times “Trump’s Wish to Control Greenland and Panama Canal: Not a Joke This Time,” by David E. Sanger and Lisa Friedman: “[Trump] appears to covet Greenland both for its strategic location at a time when the melting of Arctic ice is opening new commercial and naval competition and for its reserves of rare earth minerals needed for advanced technology. … Not surprisingly, the government of Greenland immediately rejected Mr. Trump’s demands, as it did in 2019, when he first floated the idea. … Arctic experts did not dismiss Mr. Trump’s Greenland bid as a joke. ‘Not that many people are laughing about it now,’ said Marc Jacobsen, an associate professor at the Royal Danish Defense College in Denmark who focuses on Arctic security.
As the draft Report continues: “The second, and more realistic, alternative for the Realm of Bricklyn is to do nothing at this time, but engage in ‘watchful waiting.’
“This alternative would be based on a belief that Bricklyn is unlikely to be a priority target for the new U.S. administration in dealing with deporting illegal immigrants.
“Indeed, LEGO people, such as Bricklynites, being so tiny in size compared to humans, would not seem to pose much of a threat to the United States. What’s more, Bricklynites only have a very limited ability to visit the United States in traveling to Vermont’s Outerlands. …
Bricklynites entered Vermont’s Outerlands to view this year’s solar eclipse.Photos by The Bricklyn Eagle, with assistance from Dall E-3 AIRelative size of Bricklyn police officers to a U.S. ICE agent.
“The Office of the Chief Prognosticator has examined this alternative through hundreds of computer simulations, and finds the risk of mass deportations of Bricklynites at some time over the next two years to stand at about 45 percent, a number that several on the Chief Prognosticator’s staff found surprisingly high.
Could Bricklynites be deported out of the State of Vermont? Brick Air already has two large freighter planes that could be made available for such use. Image provided with assistance from Dall E-3 AI.
“The reason for this relatively high risk is primarily due to the fact that deporting LEGO people would not require much U.S. military force, as Bricklyn’s population and size are quite small.
“Also of significance is the likelihood that Bricklyn deportees would likely be sent back to Denmark — the original home of most Bricklyn families. It is our assessment that the U.S. government would portray this as a humane and desirable outcome, justifying deportation. …
“Finally, we are aware of reports that the incoming President does not appreciate the ‘values’ LEGO represent. As the LEGO group notes: ‘We strive to play our part in helping build a sustainable future and make a positive impact on society and the planet, which children will inherit.’
“These LEGO values, which are also honored in Bricklyn, could make Bricklynites a tempting ‘symbolic target’ for the new U.S. administration.“
From the Editor of The Bricklyn Eagle: we will continue our coverage of the Federal Council’s reaction to the Report, and seek reactions as soon as the final version of the Report is released.
To the Editor: I’ve got to start reading The Bricklyn Eagle more. I didn’t know the Great Wall went so far back in time. In fact, I had no idea ancient LEGO peoples’ lived in this area so long ago. Wonder if they were friends of any Native tribes, though our ancestors probably kept out of sight! You should have our Bricklyn historian write more often for your paper, she’s got lots of good information.
I guess I should add, I don’t want to move or be deported from here. Bricklyn is my home. Our Federal Council should whatever is needed so we can stay here peacefully. — Jossie B. Meyers, South Bricklyn, VT.
Reply from the Editor: Dear Jossie Meyers. Thank you for your suggestion to have Bricklyn’s Chief Historian, Winifred Tiler Jackson contribute more of her knowledge to our readers. You might be interested in learning that Gloria Vanderbrick, our People in the News correspondent, will be interviewing historian Jackson in early 2025. She was one of nine past Brickardy champions we’re talking with to give our readers a better feel for life in Bricklyn.
To the Editor: Must say I am so impressed with the Bricklynites foresight in understanding that our Chief Grifter-Elect, aka The President-Elect, is bound and determined to preserve the white, Christian, Anglo-Saxon dreamland that he and others desire. I am particularly taken by the work of the Chief Prognosticator, who is peacefully preparing Bricklyn for the next four years, if that’s even possible.
I find that since realizing that the Orange One was likely to be our next President, I’ve been indulging in shows about Vikings and reading books with heroic deeds of the past (Beowulf) and the magic of King Arthur’s realm (Lev Grossman’s The Bright Sword.) Reality, at this point, is a bit too much to counter. Can we hire the Chief Prognosticator to build a wall around Vermont? We can let in Red State refugees if the Prognosticator can make them invisible when we open the gates. — Pat D., Vermont
To the Editor: In this moment seemingly full of peril, we need to put aside our fears. As is written in Deuteronomy 20:1 “When you go out to war against your enemies, and you see … a people more numerous than you, you shall not be afraid of them, for the Lord, your God is with you.”
In a d’var Torah on this, Rabbi Yael Splansky writes that “God can contain our fears, absorb the shock of them, until we feel ourselves strong enough to carry on.” — Rabbi Rachel B. Weinstein, Temple Beth-Shalom, Bricklyn Jct., VT.
To the Editor: What kind of crazy talk is our Chief Prognosticator putting out. I guess he has no concerns about the costs of quadrupling the length of our Great Wall. Doesn’t anyone in our Realm’s leadership care about what ordinary folks here are paying in taxes? We don’t need to build more Wall. We can defend ourselves if need be, like our Colonial predecessors. Why isn’t there a recommendation in that federal report that we form a militia since we don’t have any army or navy? Now that might actually be helpful! — Steve B. Goetz, Bricklyn Jct., VT.
