From: den Otter (neosapient@geocities.com)
Date: Mon Jun 29 1998 - 08:18:45 MDT
mark@unicorn.com wrote:
>
> Bryan Moss [bryan.moss@dial.pipex.com] wrote:
> > Actually, while I'm out on a
> >less-than-ethical whim, how about a chemical
> >weapons factory? That could bring in some serious
> >money.
>
> You'd better invest in a whole bunch of nukes and other serious weapons,
> because no new free country is going to survive without them, regardless
> of what international law may say. Read "How To Start Your Own Country"
> (Erwin Strauss, Loompanics Unlimited) sometime to see how previous new
> country organisers have been treated...
As a matter of fact, I've ordered that book a week or so ago (from
http://www.altbookstore.com btw; loompanics didn't seem to
have it anymore). Right now, I only know about the Minerva
reef settlers being kicked off by the king of Tonga (or something
like that). You don't need any nukes to defend yourself from suckers
like that, for example an old diesel sub with a couple of torpedoes
would blow them out of the water in no-time. Or what about a remotely
controlled plane with a couple of rockets and machine guns? Or a
remotely controlled gunboat? Quite doable for the robotics guys in the
transhuman community, I reckon. Then you can intercept the enemy as
soon as they violate the 20 mile zone without being in direct physical
danger. Nerds with joysticks kick ass. ;-) The most common threat are
probably pirates, which are relatively lightly armed. They rather attack
undefended freigters or pleasure jachts instead of islands with
gun-toting pioneers. Unlike in any regular country, you can use
virtually any means you want to defend yourself successfully, and *not*
be arrested afterwards.
Last but not least: because you're *at least* 200 miles from anywhere,
it is quite unlikely that anyone will take the trouble to go over there,
and kick your ass. Small countries simply don't have the means to do
it, and big ones likely won't be interested And *should* they cause
trouble after all, they're as vulnerable as anyone to retaliatory
attacks (with for example the plague, anthrax, nerve gas or something
more subtle) by the surviving islanders/their comrades in other
countries. Only one needs to get trough...
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