It's being done: The Pirate Bay plans to buy island http://www.thelocal.se/6076/20070112/ I'd bet dollars to donuts that time warner,sony,disney, etc ... purchase an adjacent island, establish a sovereign nation, form a military and blow his island into kingdom come. As for establishing your little libertarian utopia, if hard-drugs and teenage hookers have made it necessay for one people to dissolve the political bands which have connected them with another, and to assume, among the powers of the earth, the separate and equal station to which the Laws of Nature and of Nature's God entitle them, a decent respect to the opinions of mankind requires that they should declare the causes which impel them to the separation, Good luck with that. You may run into problems with criminal activity and public services, with everyone concentrated on doing teenagers and bongs. http://answers.yahoo.com/question/index?qid=20060820032322AAdtBy2
A libertarian country does exist, SOMALIA - a libertarian paradise: "I actually found a place where the government has already been "drowned in a bathtubâ"a tax-free paradise awaiting any libertarian who cares to travel a little: Somalia! That's right! Located in picturesque East Africa, caressed by the warm waters of the Indian Ocean, Somalia has no functioning government, so there's no one to steal your hard-earned dollars. ... ...there you are: a country about the size of Texas where you can roam free. Free from the Nanny-State, un-mined highways, laws, police, paramedics, telephones, museums, schools, clean water, libraries, hospitals, sanitation, old-age and most of allâfree from taxes! Bon voyage, you lucky libertarians, and don't forget to write. Oops! I forgotâthere are no post offices there, either." http://www.mindfully.org/Reform/2005/Democracy-For-$ale20feb05.htm
You're certainly right about hard drugs and teenage hookers on the island. But if you had a medical condition due to drug abuse or a sexually transmitted disease you caught from a hooker, you'd prefer to be treated by american board-certified doctors and take FDA approved drugs as opposed to island doctors and medicine. You'd prefer to fly United Airlines knowing that their planes are subject to rigorous government safety regulations rather than completely unregulated Libertarian Airlines. You'd drink water bottled in the US, you'd eat food approved by FDA and if you happen to make a couple of bucks you'd prefer to open an account with an FDIC insured american bank than totally unregulated flight by night Libertarian Bank.
The professional trolls who work these boards are fully capable of handling their job without your amateurish attempts at assisting them. Please leave all future trolling efforts to the professionals. ___________________ http://www.breitbart.com/news/2006/06/11/060611162437.7450zyd1.html <b>Somalia: Two die as hardline Islamists ban World Cup</b> Hardline Islamic courts shut cinema halls and barred residents from watching the World Cup, prompting scores of civilians to protest the ban in which two people were killed, court officials and residents have said. The gunmen loyal to the Joint Islamic Courts (JIC), cut electricity, cleared cinema halls and warned residents against watching the football tournament in areas they control, forcing a violent protest late on Saturday in which two people were killed, residents said Sunday. The JIC deputy chairman AbdulKadir Ali Omar said the Islamic tribunals would crackdown on halls that defy the order to show western films and video, including the World Cup. "This is war against all people who show films that promote pornography, drug dealing and all forms of evil," Omar told AFP. "We shall not even allow the showing of the World Cup because they corrupt the morals of our children whom we endeavour to teach the Islamic way of life," he added. Islamic courts officials said they were against some elements of World Cup, notably the advertisements for alcohol. On Sunday, residents said Islamic gunmen were roaming in Sukahola and Huriwa neighbourhoods in northern Mogadishu to ensure that the ban was enforced. A strict interpretation of Islamic taechings often bans Western films and television as immoral. "The Islamic courts have ordered the closure of three cinema halls," said Sukahola resident Abdulaziz Hanad told AFP. "They want to make sure that nobody in Mogadishu watches the World Cup." "Since the Islamic courts took control of Mogadishu, we knew they would not allow us to watch football," said a dejected Dahir Abubakar Hassan, a resident of northern Mogadishu. Last year, the courts started to forcefully close cinema halls, arguing that they were showing steamy Bollywood and Hollywood films, which have been translated into the Somali language, to children, which is an apparent violation of the Islamic teachings. Last Monday, the Islamists defeated the warlords and seized control of most of Mogadishu, sparking fears of a Taliban-like takeover, with the forcible imposition of Sharia law, but the court's leader Sheikh Sharif Sheikh Ahmed said he would not impose the laws unless civilians called for them. Somalia pulled out of international sporting events after the country plunged into anarchy following the violent ouster of dictator Mohamed Siad Barre in 1991. But residents in other pockets of Mogadishu still under control of the warlords gathered in makeshift cinema halls and watched the tournament that was being relayed from Germany through satellite dishes. In the remaining warlords' stronghold of Jowhar, about 90 kilometres (55 miles) north of Mogadishu, residents gathered in public cinema halls to watch the 32-nation tournament, an AFP correspondent said. "If only they can hold the peace for one month and allow us to watch football," Hassan Omar, a teenager in Jowhar told AFP. In the seat of the impotent and fractured Somali government in Baidoa, about 250 kilometres (155) miles northwest of the capital, residents were not allowed to watch the 10.00 pm (1900 GMT) World Cup match because of a curfew. Information Minister Mohamed Abdi Hayir said anybody who violates the curfew -- which runs from 9:00 PM (1800 GMT) to 5:00 am (0200 GMT), shall be sentenced to one to three months in jail with a fine of between 1,500,000 Somali shillings (1,080 dollars) and 3,000,000 shillings (2,160 dollars).
There was nothing trollish about my comment, Somailia for more than a decade did not have a central government, taxes etc. The Islamic courts you are talking about started as "private initiatives" "After the collapse of the Somali government in 1991, a system of sharia-based Islamic courts became the main judicial system, funded through fees paid by litigants. Over time the courts began to offer other services such as education and health care. The courts also acted as local police forces, being paid by local businesses to reduce crime. The Islamic courts took on the responsibility for halting robberies and drug-dealing, as well as stopping the showing of what it claims to be pornographic films in local movie houses." http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Islamic_Courts_Union If this is not a libertarian approach to the government (i.e. no government, you pay for the services you want) I don't know what is. And we know how well that worked out. A libertarian think tank also agrees about Somalia: "There is one African nation of particular interest, the Somali nation. It is the only African nation thus far, which has abolished statehood after its decolonization. It's the first African nation that returned to its indigenous political tradition. There are, of course, many former politicians among the Somalis who try to revive the state. They are often plotting with foreign states, including the USA. When, in 1993, America tried to re-impose statehood on the Somali tribes, they successfully defended their newly won freedom with every tooth and nail. Thus, the Somalis bore out a pet libertarian theory that free nations need not fear foreign armies unless their soldiers are prepared to kill the entire population." http://libertariannation.org/a/f42n1.html
very interesting commentary, somalia under islamic fundamentalism seems to have practised the more purer form of libertarianism. I'm not a fanatical believer in Libertarianism, which is nothing more than an eventual biggest bully takes all form of society.
The main problem in creating a libertarian state is that where social and economic freedom are at their apex, there is no means of enforcing the remaining laws which make that social and economic freedom possible. Take for example, Mexico. In the real Mexico, i.e., the Mexico wherein most of the population functions, there is virtually no police or judicial authority. Every person is effectively free to do what he/she wants as long as he/she "don't get caught!" Employers pay employees cash, hide their profits, and avoid law enforcement via morditas (bribes), which are happily accepted (and expected) from just about anyone in any position of power. Similarly, if you want law enforcement to investigate a problem, you better bring a mordita with you, or the police will just laugh at you. Mexico is a civil law jurisdiction. This means that there is no tort law, and judges are not allowed to make law to fill the gaps in a dispute where no legislated law exists -- thus plaintiffs rarely have a remedy, except where there is a written contract stating the parties' respective responsibilities. And where one party has an overwhelming negotiating advantage, that party can effectively disclaim all liability for everything, so that the contract becomes merely a means of legally forcing someone else to do something. There are three economies operating in Mexico, one for the rich, one for the poor, and one for the "gringos." The exchange rate of USD for Pesos, and the price of merchandise/services are entirely different between Mexicans, vis-a-vis tourists. And, it's entirely different again between rich and poor Mexicans. Mexico is a perfect demonstrating of libertarianism in action. It doesn't work -- not because it's not a great idea for a way to run a society, but simply because the one thing that any libertarian government requires is the same that that the citizens under such a government would most forcefully resist -- a credible enforcement mechanism to maintain a level socio-economic playing field. I have no solution for this dilemma. I just recognize the problem.
"too many conservatives " what the hell are you talking about ? The Libertarian Party is far to the right of the Republicans.
Are you refering to me? If so, I didn't intend to troll, (although your reference to teenage hookers was a little bit shocking). In fact, that was the first post I ever responded of yours. dddoo is a big government type, his comments were sincere. Pirate Bay just announced its intentions to purchase an island for the sole purpose of circumententing existing laws, seemed relevant, if not an exact match to your plans. As for my comment on potential crime, To make it workable, you'd probably have to put net worth requirements on the citizens and tourists. Last night, a local off-duty cop got car-jacked by three crack heads and shot point blank, drugs ain't all fun and games. In this day and age, massive public infrastructures are required of larger countries to be successful, Libertarians are fundementally against this, which might explain why it was difficult to find a truly libertarian country.
On second thought, I was technically trolling. The mantra of the libertarian is that there are no victimless crimes. Apparently, our opinions would differ as to the victimization of early-teen whores, if indeed by teenage you meant 13+ year olds. There are international laws regarding trafficking human sex slaves that might apply anyhow. In any event, character assasinations from the morally bancrupt ring hollow.