Seasteading project revived in Panama

This libertarian Bitcoin trader wants to build a city on the sea | Decrypt - Adriana Hamacher:

Jun 25, 2020 - "Chad Elwartowski, an American software engineer turned Bitcoin trader, is one of the leading lights of the 'seasteading' movement — a libertarian drive to build independent floating cities on the high seas. Right now,  he's constructing a prototype for 'the world’s first 3D-printed, smart, floating home,' off the Caribbean coast of Panama. A prior effort, in Thailand, was towed off by the Thai navy in 2019.

"Interest in seasteading is enjoying a renaissance among libertarian tech millionaires, keen to escape the threat of increasing government surveillance. The movement has come a long way since entrepreneurs Peter Thiel and Patri Friedman (grandson of eminent economist Milton) launched the Seasteading Institute in 2008.....

"But Elwartowski’s vision has changed since his first attempt at seasteading in Thailand, when he and his Thai partner Supranee Thepdet were forced to flee, dodging Thai patrol boats. He was tipped off that the authorities had determined that the fiberglass cabin, on top of a floating pole, posed a threat to the country's sovereignty — punishable by death.

"Now, they’ve settled in Panama and joined a local business called Ocean Builders, which is creating 30 'seapods,' and selling them on the open market for between $200,000 to $800,000 each. The pods will be registered as boats under the Panama flag for legal purposes....

"In 2017, the French Polynesian government approved the Seasteading Institute’s plans for an autonomous community near the French Polynesian coast, using a cryptocurrency called Varyon. However, the authorities rescinded ... approval a year later, in response to objections of 'tech colonialism' by the residents of Tahiti....

"Friedman is now involved in the Marshall Islands’ scheme to introduce a sovereign digital currency.... He and Thiel have moved on to self-governed 'charter cities' in developing countries, allowing international firms to set up shop in the semi-autonomous zones. The project takes the form of a venture fund, bolstered by $9 million in funding from Thiel, as well as investors and Bitcoin heavyweights Marc Andreessen, Roger Ver, and Balaji Srinivasan."

Read more: https://decrypt.co/33468/this-libertarian-bitcoin-trader-wants-to-build-a-city-on-the-sea

Thai seasteaders charged with capital crime

Bitcoin couple fears death penalty for ‘seasteading’ off Thailand - National | Globalnews.ca - Josh K. Elliott:

April 18, 2019 - "An American investor and his girlfriend have gone into hiding after Thailand declared their floating ocean home in violation of its sovereign territory — a crime punishable by death or life in prison.

"Bitcoin entrepreneurs Chad Elwartowski and Nadia Supranee Thepdet say they’ve fled the floating concrete home where they’d been living as part of a libertarian-inspired movement known as 'seasteading.' 'We lived on a floating houseboat for a few weeks, and now Thailand wants us killed,' Elwartowski wrote in a Facebook post on April 15. He deleted the post and a followup post on Thursday morning.

"Thailand’s government says the two seasteaders were living as a micro-nation inside its sovereign territory in violation of the country’s criminal code. Thai officials are also concerned the seastead might obstruct international shipping lanes and put cargo ships at risk.

"The Third Thai Naval Area Command has filed a police complaint against the couple, the Bangkok Post reports. The Navy says the ocean home is 12 nautical miles off the coast of Phuket and therefore still within Thai territory.

"Elwartowski argues the home is more than 13 nautical miles offshore and therefore in international waters.... He says he’s gone into hiding with Thepdet and that they now fear for their lives. They’re also worried about losing all of their possessions if the Thai navy decides to destroy the tiny structure.

"Thailand has not publicly threatened to execute the couple.

"Seasteaders seek to live free of government interference on international waters, according to Ocean Builders, the company that built Elwartowski’s home.... Ocean Builders says it designed and paid for the seastead and it’s concerned for the safety of the building’s first occupants....

"Ocean Builders had planned to start collecting money for 20 new seasteads on April 15, according to its website. However, the company has postponed the collection process until it gets 'everything straightened out' with the Thai government."

Read more: https://globalnews.ca/news/5180644/seasteading-thailand-american-death-penalty/
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World's 1st seastead home launched in Thailand

Couple Uses Bitcoin Wealth to Build World's First "Seastead" | NewsBTC - Rick D.:

March 1, 2019 - "An early Bitcoin investor and self-confessed libertarian has built the first 'seastead' with his BTC profits. For those who do not know, a seastead is a floating home designed to stay in international waters, thus allowing its inhabitants to live outside of the laws of any nation....

"Chad Elwartowski and Nadia Summergirl have become the first two reported individuals to permanently cast of the shackles of land and the laws enforced on it in favour of a life on the open sea. The pair have built the first seastead with help from Ocean Builders, a start-up dedicated to helping individuals move their lives to the ocean.

"The couple have financed the building of their floating home using money made from early Bitcoin investments. The structure cost them around $150,000, ... $30,000 more than they originally budgeted for. It measures six metres square and is octagonal in shape. The pair’s new home is spread across two floors.

"According to a report in Reason, Elwartowski had previously explored other avenues to satisfy his cravings for a truly free life. These included ​'Free State Project, Libertarian Party elections, and the Ron Paul campaign'....

"Summergirl is equally passionate about the idea. She says she was sick of hearing people talking about the concept of building floating communities whilst no one was actually going through with it. The Thai-born woman was also happy that the first project of its kind was happening close to where she grew up....

"Elwartowski and Summergirl’s new home has been out at sea since early February. The pair say they are continuing to commute back and forth to land for now though. They still have various commitments that need tying up before they hit the open waves for good. A recently purchased commuter boat should help them speed up their permanent relocation, however.

"Elwartowski states that the couple has made no effort to seek approval from the Thai government for their new home. He commented:

“'We have been keeping under the radar so far, but we follow all the laws of Thailand so it’s as if we’re just living on a boat in the water as far as they’re concerned.... All we expect from the Thai government is that they follow international law. We will be doing the same. But Nadia and I aren’t doing anything we can’t do on land.'”

Read more: https://www.newsbtc.com/2019/03/01/bitcoin-seastead/
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Cryptocurrency community founded in Puerto Rico

Puerto Rico: Future Blockchain Utopia? | NewsBTC - Rick D.:

February 14, 2018 - "A group of cryptocurrency entrepreneurs have moved to Puerto Rico with the goal of setting up a libertarian utopia. The settlement was originally named Puertopia but now is known as Sol.... Lured by the promise of freedom, waves of cryptocurrency entrepreneurs have been moving to Puerto Rico ... following Hurricane Maria which desecrated the infrastructure there.... They’re led by Brock Pierce, the director of the Bitcoin Foundation and founder of Block.One.

"The entrepreneurs are hoping to transform the island of Puerto Rico along libertarian principles. The desperation created by ... the natural disaster ... has prompted some to welcome the early cryptocurrency advocates (or the money they bring with them). With few other influxes of outside capital, it’s hoped that the idea of a crypto utopia will allow for much-needed infrastructure improvements and repairs.

"According to the New York Times, the government of Puerto Rico is receptive to the influx of new money that the crypto entrepreneurs are bringing with them. [T]he governor ... agreed to speak at the group’s blockchain summit conference called Puerto Crypto... scheduled for ... March [2018].... Erika Medina-Vecchini, the chief business development officer for the Department of Economic Development and Commerce espoused further positive sentiment about the idea of new money coming to Puerto Rico courtesy of Sol....

"One of the first tasks for the community will be to restore the electricity infrastructure.... Not only will it make living on the island far more comfortable for those used to First World luxuries but it will allow for cryptocurrency mining, an endeavour many inhabitants have made their fortunes from. Naturally, this will benefit those native to the island too....

"There are certainly clear incentives for the libertarian-minded entrepreneurs to flash some cash to set up a community there. For one, citizens of the island do not need to pay Federal personal income taxes or capital gains. They will also benefit from hugely favourable business taxation too. Possibly the most alluring prospect about the site they’ve decided to call home is the fact that they don’t even need to renounce their US citizenship to relocate there."

Read more: https://www.newsbtc.com/2018/02/14/puerto-rico-future-blockchain-utopia/
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Libertarian commune founded in Norway

The libertarian commune made cryptocurrency the official means of payment - The Cryptocurrency Post:

February 17, 2019 - "The inhabitants of the libertarian commune of Liberstad made the City Coin coin the official currency of their town. Libertarians believe that digital money perfectly matches their values and allows them to become independent of the state.

"Liberstad municipality was founded in 2015 in Norway. The founders of the project want to gain independence from the state and to waive taxes in favor of the services of private companies.

"'We want to create a society in which people decide everything themselves and can live together without state authorities. We want to create a society without government coercion, blackmail, surveillance or unnecessary violence,' said the founder of the commune, John Toralf Holmsland.

"At the moment, the population of Liberstad has more than 120 inhabitants. Anyone can join the commune – for this you need to buy land for bitcoins.

"City Coin cryptocurrency was developed by the City Chain Foundation project.... City Chain has created a platform for a 'smart' city, which contains a number of functions for developing cities, such as Liberstad. Chief among these features is City Hub, an intuitive and easy-to-use control panel for smart city dwellers. Citizens can interact with the community, manage their virtual identity, create city-wide initiatives or vote for existing ones, register property, insure contracts and much more,' the project description says."


Read more: https://thecryptocurrencypost.net/the-libertarian-commune-made-cryptocurrency-the-official-means-of-payment/
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French Polynesia repudiates Seasteading deal

French Polynesia sinks floating island project | Radio New Zealand News:

February 28, 2018 - "The French Polynesian government says its deal with the US institute planning to build floating islands is now void.

"The suggestion to build a floating platform in the lagoon in the south of Tahiti was resisted by some local residents, with opposition politician Valentina Cross asking the government last week to pull out of the agreement.

"The Atimaono lagoon was being considered because of its depth and proximity to Tahiti.

"As criticism grew, the ruling Tapura Huiraatira party said nothing had been signed.

"Now it says that its deal with the US-based Seasteading Institute was not a legal document and that it expired at the end of 2017.

"It also said it hoped that this would end the debate about the floating islands.

The Seasteading Institute approached French Polynesia because it found that its links to France, its autonomy and calm waters offered a suitable environment for the project."

https://www.radionz.co.nz/international/pacific-news/351420/french-polynesia-sinks-floating-island-project
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The original libertarian New Country project

The Libertarian Dream Was Tried Here | History News Network - Harry Blutstein:

October 15, 2017 - "A Nevada-based real estate developer and coin dealer, Michael Oliver, had a dream.  A libertarian, he wanted to escape the overbearing clutches of governments. The only way to do so, he decided, was to create his own country, where there would be few or no rules.  In 1968, he published A New Constitution for a New Country, a practical guide on how to construct a new nation in which 'people will be free to do as they damn well please.  Nothing will be illegal so long it does not infringe on the rights of others.  If a citizen wishes to open a tavern, set up gambling or make pornographic films, the government will not interfere.'  Income would be generated from fees from ... banks wishing to establish offshore services ... and ...transnational corporations ... to establish their headquarters without bothersome rules or taxation.  It would even issue its own currency.

"Pulling together around 2,000 investors, Oliver established the Ocean Life Research Foundation.  With funds raised, Oliver’s first idea was to find a country that would be willing to sell his foundation one of its islands.... When he couldn’t find any takers, Oliver looked around for an unclaimed island....

"The best Oliver could do was Minerva Reef, in the middle of the Pacific, 500 km (260 miles) southeast of Tonga.  It had never been claimed, despite being discovered as far back as 1854.  There were, however, serious problems ... not the least being that the reef lies ... about four feet under water at high tide.

"Undaunted, in January 1971, Oliver and a small party went to Fiji, where they chartered a 54-foot motor sailer and purchased the materials to create artificial islands on the reef.  On their arrival at Minerva, the party unloaded large hunks of coral wrapped in chicken wire, concrete blocks, sand and other rubble, which allowed them to build two micro-islands on the reef.  On one of these islands, they built a small stone tower and hoisted its flag: a yellow torch of freedom on a solid blue background.  The founding fathers of Minerva hoped to expand the reclaimed land until it would eventually support a city of 30,000 citizens....

"Unfortunately for Oliver, Australia ... pressured Tonga, being the closest country to Minerva, to act.

"Taking up the challenge was King Tāufa’āhau Tupou IV.... On June 21, 1972, he led an expeditionary force to invade the Principality of Minerva. Without an army or navy to call on, the king recruited a five-man convict work detail to undertake the invasion and ... a four-piece brass band played the Tongan national anthem from on-board the royal yacht Olovaba to inspire the troops. Taking courage, when he saw that Minerva was unoccupied, the king decided to personally lead his force. Once the tide was out, the king went ashore. After tearing down [the] Minervan flag, he read aloud a proclamation of sovereignty. The reef now belonged to ... Tonga.

"When the king was safely back on board the royal yacht, his ragtag troops were left to dismantle the stone tower....  What up until now had been a bloodless war turned nasty, as a fight broke out between two of the convicts, and one was killed. So, while the Principality of Minerva never had a live population, it was left with a single gravesite, which was all that remained of the shortest and smallest war in the history of the world, and even that grave soon disappeared, as did the Principality of Minerva when successive storms washed away its artificial islands."

Read more: http://historynewsnetwork.org/article/166946
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Seasteading community may be reality by 2020

Seasteaders to bring a libertarian floating community to the South Pacific - Archpaper.com - Audrey Wachs, The Architect's Newspaper:

October 27, 2017 - "Right now, engineers, scientists, and officials from one country in the South Pacific are hashing out ... an ambitious experiment in aquatic living that’s shaped by libertarian dreams, a pragmatic response to climate change, and a novel architectural experiment.

"'Seasteaders want voluntary societies based on choice, not force,' said Joe Quirk, Seasteading Institute communications director and author, in a YouTube video on the subject. The San Francisco-based organization is on the front lines of the seasteading movement, a Libertarian-influenced crusade that borrows from the language of the American frontier to frame its freewheeling settlement at sea. Decentralized dwelling, the thinking goes, permits members to join or leave the autonomous association at will by simply detaching their dwellings and floating off,... If this sounds far-fetched, well, the first seasteaders may hit the water in just a few years.

"The community could be afloat soon — like, 2020 soon. The Floating Islands Project, as it is officially known, ... found a partner in French Polynesia, an island country in the South Pacific. This January, French Polynesia signed a memorandum of understanding with the Seasteading Institute in San Francisco to build a floating island prototype. The project, off the coast of Tahiti, has to demonstrate it won’t adversely impact the environment, and show what it will contribute to the island’s economy, and then the nation will establish an offshore economic zone for the seasteaders.

"Although seasteading’s libertarian ideals perhaps make French Polynesia — well, any nation — an unlikely partner, ... the country’s thousands of islands are flat and narrow, a topographic combination that is particularly susceptible to climate change. Floating islands could be a vital survival strategy if (but really, when) the seas rise. In turn, the area’s shallow water and ocean conditions that don’t include high waves make the current technology — which has been pioneered on flat water — more adaptable to ocean conditions.

"By the end of this year, the Institute, which was founded in 2008 by libertarian activist Patri Friedman, is working with French Polynesian officials to pass a seazone act. If the rules pass, the group will head to Tahiti to develop a pilot program....

"Dutch firm DeltaSync has built a prototype on a lake in Rotterdam. The Floating Pavilion Research suggests that buildings up to 164 feet (15 stories) tall can be built on the seas and are able to withstand storms and choppy waters. Four years ago, DeltaSync debuted a preliminary plan which estimated that a series of platforms for 20 to 30 people would cost around $15 million. With one-fifth of the space reserved for open greenery, the firm estimates living space would cost about $500 per square foot, which is just over half as much as the average price per square foot in New York City....

"It’s no surprise that the project has — or had — high-profile fans in Silicon Valley. Gawker shutter-downer and Trump supporter Peter Thiel funneled a cool 1.7 million dollars into the initiative, but has since dismissed the concept as 'not quite feasible.' Quirk and others at the Institute have a new company, Blue Frontiers, whose mission is to develop and build the floating seabeds."

Read more: https://archpaper.com/2017/10/seasteading-institute-floating-libertarian-ocean-cities/#gallery-0-slide-0
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Roger Ver backing new country project

Roger Ver Joins Other Libertarians In Announcing a New Nation - Jon Buck, Cointelegraph:

September 22, 2017 -" Olivier Janssens, founder of Freedom Investments, and Roger Ver, of Bitcoin Foundation fame ... [are] seeking to establish [an] independent nation, governed by libertarian values, and invites anyone who shares their political views or are just ‘free thinkers’ to join them....

"However, the team has yet to disclose the location, nor has indicated what entry standards would be required.

"The locations being evaluated include areas with safe, conflict-free areas, proximity to economic centers in the US, Europe, and Asia, and accessibility by water. The team is hoping to offer a stable government with substantial national debt a way to eliminate some of that debt with a land lease to FreeSociety.

"Roger Ver, in his announcement ... was quick to point out that participants could join. Legally, the country will have a constitution, but only after final negotiations are complete. The team hopes to establish a precedent for future sovereign nations, stating:

It is important to establish a proper rule of law, as our project will set an example for the industry and create an important precedent with governments and the world. We want to make sure the constitution is solid but avoid the inefficiencies of existing government structures."

Read more: https://cointelegraph.com/news/roger-ver-joins-other-libertarians-in-announcing-a-new-nation
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Seasteaders, French Polynesia sign agreement

A Floating Libertarian City Is a Step Closer to Reality - David Roos, Seeker:

January 20, 2017 -  "When Peter Thiel, the billionaire co-founder of PayPal, helped launch the Seasteading Institute in 2008, it sounded like a libertarian pipe dream — floating cities free from government meddling (no regulation, no taxes) that would be testing grounds for technological, social and political innovation.

"But this past January 13, the dream came one step closer to reality when the Seastead Institute signed a deal with French Polynesia that lays the legal groundwork for the world's first semi-autonomous floating city-state.

"French Polynesia is a cluster of more than 100 islands in the South Pacific, the biggest and best-known being Tahiti.... French Polynesia is courting investment in the so-called 'blue economy,' the sustainable development of offshore energy production, wild-catch fisheries, aquaculture and tourism....

"Joe Quirk is the Seasteading Institute's staff 'Seavangelist' and author of the forthcoming Seasteading: How Ocean Cities Will Change the World, written with Seasteading Institute co-founder Patri Friedman. Quirk was part of a 10-person team who visited French Polynesia back in September.

"'This was a Polynesian-initiated project,' Quirk told Seeker. "They reached out to us. It's an ideal country for seasteading, and they think we're the perfect industry for what they want to do with regard to the blue economy'....' [F]or this first, proof-of-concept project, the Seasteading Institute was searching for an island partner with protected shallow waters and an openness to new type of economic model called a SeaZone.

"Over the next year, the Seasteading Institute will be negotiating the legal terms of the SeaZone with the government of French Polynesia, which may include not only economic incentives, but a certain measure of political autonomy.

"The deal signed last week was just a memorandum of understanding between the Polynesian government and the Seasteading Institute. Before construction can begin on the pentagonal concrete platforms that would support the floating city, the Seasteading Institute and its Dutch engineering partner Blue21 must conduct economic and environmental impact studies....

"If all goes smoothly with the Polynesian negotiations, Quirk said that construction could start as early as 2018 and the first units could be sold starting in 2019."

Read more: http://www.seeker.com/a-floating-libertarian-city-is-a-step-closer-to-reality-2203456955.html
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Seasteaders negotiating with French Polynesia

Seasteaders Plan to Build a Libertarian Utopia on the High Seas | Big Think - Philip Perry:

December 22, 2016 - "Looking at the world today ... one might easily dream of escaping to their own small, well-designed utopia.... Usually, religious persecution was the push factor. For a group of modern day libertarians, it's government overreach. But today, with almost all the land on Earth accounted for, this group has set their eyes on a different kind of real estate, the high seas.

"The idea is to build a floating city at least 200 miles off of a country’s coastline. This is international waters by UN treaty, out of the reach of the world’s governments. But creating a seafaring utopia isn’t so simple. The Seasteading Institute is now in friendly talks with French Polynesia. Among the movements bigwigs is PayPal co-founder Peter Thiel, who is currently helping the Trump campaign in their transition into the White House. Jim O’Neil, who worked for the second Bush administration and is a possible Trump FDA appointee, is another.

"Thiel is a co-founder of the Seasteading Institute, along with Patri Friedman, a former Google software engineer and grandson of famed economist Milton Freedman. Thiel and Friedman announced their plan in 2008. Should the president of the French territory sign off, the project could begin as early as 2017. It is slated for completion in 2020. Thiel, who invested $1.7 million in the project, has spoken of the settlement as a libertarian utopia. Though no longer on the board, he continues to support the project financially.

"Originally, the plan was to be completely independent. But the estimated cost of such a project was $225 million, with an annual operating cost of $8 million. Soon, seasteaders were starting to see the benefits of having a nation to partner up with. French Polynesia was chosen because it has a fiber cable run from Hawaii which allows for the same kind of bandwidth would-be residents are used to, and it’s only an eight hour flight from Los Angeles. For French Polynesians, whose land is being threatened from sea level rise due to global warming, the idea of a floating city has tremendous appeal. Though for a period there, it looked as if the project may never see fruition, the plans are now awaiting the signature of the French Polynesian president....

"The plan entails building two or three platforms off the island chain, each about half a football field long. These will have on their surface communities housing around 30 people each. One model displays streamlined buildings reminiscent of a tech campus, along with a beachfront area, and a full size swimming pool....

"As it stands now, construction alone is projected at $30 million. Each platform will cost $15 million. A small group of anonymous investors are said to be footing the bill, all of whom will become residents. In 2013, the project raised $27,000 via a crowdfunding campaign. But according to the institute’s director, those funds have already been paid to Norwegian design company DeltaSync, seemingly to engineer models for the platforms....

"It was former software engineer Wayne Gramlich’s 1998 book, SeaSteading: Homesteading on the High Seas, that inspired this current venture. Gramlich and Friedman together developed the initiative, which Thiel initially funded. Though a long and strenuous process awaits, one with an unknown outcome, seasteaders are in it for the long haul."

Read more: http://bigthink.com/philip-perry/seasteaders-plan-to-build-a-libertarian-utopia-on-the-high-seas
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NH Libertarian Executive votes for secession

LPNH EC adopts resolution in support of peaceful secession | Free Keene:

November 20, 2016 - "With a vote of 4 in favor and 1 abstention, the LPNH Executive Committee on November 20, adopted a resolution in support of self-determination.

"LPNH Vice Chair Rodger Paxton, who is the Rochester Regional Captain for the Foundation for NH Independence, says, “Recognizing that libertarianism is defined as self-ownership, and recognizing that both our federal and state founding documents make it clear that we have the right of peaceful secession. I’m pleased that the Libertarian Party of New Hampshire has resolved its support.'

"The resolution was drafted after a vote by the EC was passed 3 to 1 with 1 abstention, requesting the Chair, Darryl W. Perry, draft a resolution in support for the NH Secession Movement."

http://freekeene.com/2016/11/20/lpnh-ec-adopts-resolution-in-support-of-peaceful-secession/
'via Blog this'

Whereas the National Libertarian Party platform states, “Whenever any form of government becomes destructive of individual liberty, it is the right of the people to alter or to abolish it, and to agree to such new governance as to them shall seem most likely to protect their liberty.”; AND
Whereas the federal government became destructive of individual liberty many years ago; AND
Whereas recent polls indicate nearly 1 in 5 Americans support secession; AND
Whereas there is a growing secessionist movement in New Hampshire; AND
Whereas Part 1 Article 10 of the NH Constitution states, “whenever the ends of government are perverted, and public liberty manifestly endangered, and all other means of redress are ineffectual, the people may, and of right ought to reform the old, or establish a new government.”; AND
Whereas Part 1 Article 10 of the NH Constitution also states, “The doctrine of nonresistance against arbitrary power, and oppression, is absurd, slavish, and destructive of the good and happiness of mankind.
"Be it therefore resolved, the Executive Committee of the Libertarian Party of New Hampshire supports all peaceful efforts to alter or abolish any government that is destructive of individual liberty; AND
Be it therefore resolved, the Executive Committee of the Libertarian Party of New Hampshire supports all peaceful efforts to alter or abolish any government that endangers public liberty; AND
Be it therefore resolved, the Executive Committee of the Libertarian Party of New Hampshire specifically supports peaceful activities of the NH Secession movement.

https://www.lpnh.org/lpnh-ec-adopts-resolution-in-support-of-peaceful-secession/

Plurality want cannabis legalized in Denmark

Danes want legal cannabis, but govt vows crackdown - The Local.dk:

June 27, 2016 -  "Amidst a new debate on cannabis, spurred by a massive police action at Christiania, a [plurality] of Danes are in favour of legalization.

"Berlingske newspaper published a Gallup poll on Monday showing that 45 percent of Danes think it should be legal to use cannabis, while 41 percent think it should continue to be forbidden.

"Additionally, a full 88 percent of respondents supported legalizing cannabis for medical use and of those who support legalization, 72 percent said the state should control the sales.

"The poll results come after police have cleared Christiania’s open-air cannabis market, Pusher Street, three times since June 17th. Each time, stalls are rebuilt and sales continue after officers leave the area.

"A number of prominent law enforcement officials have also spoken out in recent days about the 'hopeless' strategy currently embraced by the government.

"'I personally believe we should legalize the sale of cannabis because this is a fight we cannot win,' senior prosecutor Anne Birgitte Stürup from the Copenhagen Public Prosecutor Office (Statsadvokaten) told Jyllands-Posten. 'We’ve tried fighting this for so many years and have gotten nowhere. We cannot stop the use of cannabis by outlawing it. It is expensive and is of very little use.'

"Cannabis has been sold in Christiania’s Pusher Street ever since radical Danes squatted a former military barracks in 1971.... Pusher Street sales are estimated to total one billion kroner a year, money that legalization proponents argue currently ends up in the hands of organized criminals but could be redirected to state coffers if Denmark followed the likes of Portugal, Uruguay and several US states and opted to legalize cannabis....

"The Danish government, however, has chosen to not only continue its strict prohibition approach but is also suggesting new measures to further the crackdown. Justice Minister Søren Pind said that the government plans to introduce so-called ‘zone bans’, that would prohibit anyone convicted of being involved in the illegal cannabis trade of coming within 500 to 1,000 metres of certain areas, including Christiana."

Read more: http://www.thelocal.dk/20160627/majority-of-danes-want-legal-cannabis-but-govt-vows-crackdown
'via Blog this'

Liberland founder planning festival near border

Liberland: How one man plans to build a new libertarian paradise in Europe | Europe | News | The Independent - Adam Withnall:

April 17, 2016 - "When he plunged a flag into the banks of the Danube and declared the birth of the Free Republic of Liberland, Vit Jedlicka was dismissed by governments and media organisations as a joke.

"Yet one year and many diplomatic missions later, his vision of a libertarian paradise born on a patch of unwanted land has 400,000 would-be citizens, the backing of a range of political movements around the world and even its own national beer.

"Thanks to the efforts of the Croatian border police, Liberland has still technically not got a single inhabitant, and its 7 sq km of boggy wetlands boast just one dilapidated building, an abandoned hunting lodge.

"But speaking in an exclusive interview with The Independent, 'President' Jedlicka reveals that plans are nearly in place for a group of Liberlanders to break through that police blockade in such numbers 'there is nothing they can do to stop it'....

"Liberland lies on the Croatia-Serbia border, roughly halfway between Zagreb and Belgrade. A product of a border dispute between the two countries lasting a quarter of a century, it lies on a portion of territory which neither country is willing to claim."

"In the year since Liberland was founded – on 13 April, Thomas Jefferson’s birthday – Croatia has set up police patrols and arrested dozens of people for attempting to access the unexpectedly hotly-disputed territory....

 "That’s all about to change, however. This weekend Mr Liberland and his volunteer ministers held a conference to discuss Liberland’s future at a Croatian hotel just 5km from the border.

"And in the summer, he plans to stage a 'state celebration' in a field next to the disputed territory which, if all goes to plan, could snowball into something much more. 'It’s going to be a big media event,' he says. 'We would like to invite 5,000 people, with the best artists who support Liberland [attending], and we already have two or three major festival organisers in the area helping us.

"'That could be the time when we actually take over control of this territory,' he says, with a clear sense of anticipation. 'We are not pushing for it yet, but there is no way you can stop 5,000 people taking over control of Liberland'....

"Liberland will have just five laws, he says, with the state’s only responsibilities surrounding justice, security and diplomacy. Tax would be paid on a 'voluntary' basis, with people free to smoke marijuana, drive as fast as they like and own guns – all as long as they don’t hurt anyone else."

Read more: http://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/europe/the-libertarian-about-to-launch-a-hostile-takeover-of-europes-newest-country-a6988741.html
'via Blog this'

Seasteading Institute's floating cities of the future (video)

Designs For the Floating Libertarian Cities of the Seasteading Movement - Kelsey Campbell-Dollaghan, Gizmodo:

August 18, 2015 - "Seasteading, the concept of building floating cities that are independent of the government, is a big, expensive idea that would require billions of dollars and decades to see to completion. It’s hard to even imagine what these communities would look like. But a design competition for architects has done some imagining for us....

The Seasteading Institute, a group founded by Peter Thiel in 2008, views seasteading as the ideal solution to the government’s inability to 'innovate sufficiently.' It’s a movement that has grown up in the tech world, attracting interest from libertarians and techies alike (it was famously parodied in the second season of Silicon Valley, too). In a seminal story on seasteading that Wired published in 2009, the concept is described as the urban planning equivalent of Linux: 'a base upon which people can build their own innovative forms of governance.'

"This spring, the institute announced a competition that invited designers and architects to visualize these floating cities. It’s not so much that the group is ready to build them (lol) — rather, it seems like the competition was designed to drum up public interest. A picture of a floating city, replete with pools, yachts, gardens, and luxury housing, is worth a thousand words. Judged by architects, scientists, engineers, and seasteaders themselves, the competition wrapped up this month — and the results were recently posted online."

See designs here: http://gizmodo.com/designing-the-floating-libertarian-cities-of-the-seaste-1724827820

Standoff in Liberland

Inside ‘Liberland,’ the Place of No Taxes Where Crowdfunding Rules - Bloomberg Business - Ed Kiernan:

July 21, 2015 - "Liberland, or the Free Republic of Liberland to give it its full title, is a would-be sovereign state founded April 13 by Vit Jedlicka and two fellow libertarians. Its total area of approximately seven square kilometers would make it the third smallest sovereign state in the world, after the Vatican and Monaco.

"It's sandwiched between Croatia and Serbia on the western bank of the Danube River. On some maps, this area is referred to as “Gornja Siga'.... When the former Yugoslavia was split into new countries this small patch of land was forgotten about. Neither Croatia nor Serbia claimed it, making it a terra nullius or no man’s land.....

”According to the founders the objective is to build a country where honest people can prosper with minimal interference from a centralized government. 'We need more countries like Hong Kong, Singapore and Monaco, especially in Europe,' Jedlicka says. 'We really needed another tax heaven, not tax haven'.... All taxes will be voluntary, and the nation’s services - such as power, healthcare and waste disposal - will be run either by private enterprises or through crowdfunding campaigns....

"According to Jedlicka, Liberland has established embassies in several countries including the U.S., the U.K., France and the Czech Republic. He plans to open embassies in 'a hundred more countries by the end of the year.'

"Liberland is attempting to use the homestead principle, which states that unclaimed and undeveloped land can be legally claimed by any group willing to develop it. But some legal experts have stated that even though the land may appear unclaimed, it is most probably already part of Serbia....

"Croatian border police are arresting anyone who sets foot in Liberland. However, this has not deterred members of the Liberland Settlers Association, which attempts to reach it on a daily basis and often clashes with local police in the process.

"The Liberland Settlement Association (LSA) is an NGO based in Serbia, funded by the Liberland Settlement Corp. It is made up primarily of volunteers who attempt to maintain an active presence on Liberland to help it become a recognized country.... According to CEO Niklas Nikolassen, the Liberland Settlement Corp. (LSC) “is a group of liberty-minded investors who are funding the LSA.” The corporation, based in Switzerland, has a claim on 80,000 square meters of Liberland and is hoping that the actions of the LSA will help Liberland achieve recognition as a sovereign state and thus make the land valuable."

"Liberland has already received almost 400,000 applications for citizenship, however only around 45,000 of these are considered to be serious. According to Jedlicka there will probably be a total of 30,000-40,000 Liberlandians, not all of whom will actually live in Liberland."

Read more: http://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2015-07-21/inside-liberland-the-place-of-no-taxes-where-crowdfunding-rules
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Reason interviews Liberland founder

Interview with the Founder of Liberland, a Possible Libertarian Paradise - Reason.com - Jack Davies:

May 12, 2015 - "Like a lot of people in Europe, Czech activist Vit Jedlicka was dissatisfied with the state of affairs in his country.

"'You know, it was rising taxes every single year, rising number of regulations every single year,' he said. 'So I felt like I had to do something about it'....

"'Everybody told me, "You should start your own country to prove that your ideas of liberty work,"' he said in a phone interview. 'So I did.'

"There’s something charmingly maniacal about Liberland’s self-proclaimed president. Despite giving more than 200 interviews in the last fortnight, he’s chatty and his voice trills with a ha ha ha when something pleases him. But underneath this quaint exterior lies a Napoleonic self-assurance that he will build a second Dubai on a seven square kilometer patch of land on the west bank of the River Danube as it runs between Croatia and Serbia....

"On April 13, Jedlicka and his compatriots planted a yellow and black flag in the Serbo-Croatian no-man’s land and gave birth to Liberland. A little over two weeks later they have already received more than 300,000 applications for citizenship. Impressive, considering the only permanent residents for the last thirty years have been wild pigs; doubly so, given that the Croatian border police are refusing to let anybody into Liberland.

"Publicly, the Croatian government is dismissing Liberland as a bad joke — a 'virtual quip' unworthy of comment, is the foreign ministry’s official line. In private, however, Jedlicka insisted Zagreb is taking the issue very seriously indeed. Jedlicka claimed to have insider knowledge regarding an extraordinary meeting held last Sunday in the Croation government to discuss options for dealing with the country’s tiny new neighbor. His insider source? Wannabe citizens present at the meeting, he said.

"Whether the meetings are real or not, Croatia has been remarkably reluctant to claim Liberland for itself. Jedlicka claimed his presidential assistant is thrashing the issue out with an assistant to the Croatian president. Despite Zagreb’s frostiness, Liberland’s president is confident that 'we will be able to set up good relations no matter what they do.'

The Serbian foreign ministry was less equivocal. Its stance is that Liberland's formation was 'a frivolous act which needs no further comment.'

"But that is apparently not a position shared across the Serbian government. When I spoke with Jedlicka, he had just come out of a meeting with the Deputy Speaker of the Serbian National Assembly, Vladimir Marinkovic. In this meeting, Jedlicka claimed, Marinkovic endorsed Liberland’s sovereignty."

Read more: http://reason.com/archives/2015/05/12/interview-with-the-founder-of-liberland
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250,000 applications for Liberland citizenship

250,000 people have requested citizenship in a country that might not exist - Washington Post - Adam Taylor:

April 22, 2015 - "About 250,000 people have applied for citizenship in Liberland in less than two weeks, Vit Jedlicka, president of Liberland, told the Czech news agency CTK on Tuesday.

"However, some of these potential Liberlanders may be in for a shock. For one thing, it's unclear at the time of writing whether the country they are applying for citizenship in really exists at all.

"If it does, it would be Europe's newest nation. Jedlicka proclaimed the Free Republic of Liberland a sovereign state April 13. The Czech politician – known for his Eurosceptic, libertarian views – claimed a disputed area between Croatia and Serbia to make up the state.

"Realizing that the land was claimed by no one, Jedlicka claimed the approximately 3 square miles by the Danube river. He set up a Web site, created a flag, a coat of arms, a motto ('To live and let live') and drew up laws and a constitution....

"The proposed country would be a libertarian paradise. Taxes would be optional in Liberland and government power severely restricted, Jedlicka told the international press. On the Web site, anyone could apply to be a citizen – providing they do not have a criminal record or a 'communist, Nazi or other extremist past'.

"This idea seems to have captured people's imagination. Liberland and Jedlicka have become an international news story and 110,000 people have liked a Facebook page devoted to the new country....

"Exactly how serious Liberland is is unclear right now. When one group of journalists tried to visit the new country last week, they were turned away by Croatian border police. They were told that a Liberland flag that had been planted at the site has been removed.

"And so far, no other state has recognized Liberland. Croatia and Serbia have made no public announcements about their new neighbor. Politicians from further afield don't seem to be taking it seriously."

Read more: http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/worldviews/wp/2015/04/22/250000-people-have-requested-citizenship-in-a-country-that-might-not-exist/ 'via Blog this'

Libertarian microstate founded in Europe

Meet the Man Who Claims He Just Founded a New Country in Europe | TIME - Noah Rayman:

April 16, 2015 - "Vit Jedlicka, a member of the conservative Party of Free Citizens in the Czech Republic, is the self-appointed president of Liberland, which he says sits on unclaimed terra nullius territory wedged between Serbia and Croatia. The 3 sq. mi. 'country,' where taxes are optional and a military is nonexistent, does not “interfere with the territory' of the two states, according to Liberland’s website.

"'The objective of the founders of the new state is to build a country where honest people can prosper without being oppressed by governments making their lives unpleasant through the burden of unnecessary restrictions and taxes,' reads a statement announcing the creation of the new country this week. The country’s motto is: 'To live and let live'....

"The project has already received roughly 20,000 applications for citizenship, according to Jedlicka, who estimated that the country will receive as many as 100,000 applications by the end of next week (Liberland’s website has details of how to apply for citizenship, including sending an email of introduction—a C.V. is optional). Jedlicka added that some people already have plans to relocate....

"Liberland is a 'peaceful' country and will have no standing army. If neighbors Croatia or Serbia were to oppose, he said he would put up only 'passive defense.'

"'We will move, but we will keep our claim to the country,' he said. So far he’s still awaiting a diplomatic response from the country’s neighbors."

Read more: http://time.com/3825100/man-claims-new-country-europe/
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Microstates with own governments goal of Seasteading Institute

US seasteading group plans floating 'microcountries' with 'start-up governments' | ABC Radio Australia:

June 10, 2014 - "A US organisation is hoping a plan to create cities which float on the ocean will see them not only produce their own food but establish their own governments.

"The Seasteading Institute says it hopes the floating microcountries will allow for experimentation with new ideas which current governments are too large to try.

"Seasteading communication director Joe Quirk says the floating cities create room for 'start-up governments'.

"'When you consider that nearly half the world's surface is a blank slate, unclaimed by existing governments, you see the potential in creating a thousand start-up governments in the sea,' he said....

"'We're creating, literally, a platform for anyone to try whatever kind of nation they want.'

"The Seasteading Institute says the first prototype city, made up of modular square or pentagon shaped platforms, could be built by 2020 and house about 225 people.

"Mr Quirk says they are looking for a nation to host the city in its shallow territorial waters and provide it with substantial political autonomy.

"'We hope that if we can set an example, provide some jobs and create some eco-cities that float in the shallow territorial waters, we'll set an example and show people that seasteads can be of benefit to the world,' he said."

Read more: http://www.radioaustralia.net.au/international/2014-06-10/us-seasteading-group-plans-floating-microcountries-with-startup-governments/1324298
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