den Otter wrote:
>
> 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.
At which point they call in their treaty obligations with some major power who come over and blow the shit out of you.
> Unlike in any regular country, you can use
> virtually any means you want to defend yourself successfully, and *not*
> be arrested afterwards.
What you are saying is that your new country will declare war on any other country which bothers it. This is what treaties are for. You'd last a week.
> 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...
Oh sure, that'll keep them off your back.....
Dwayne
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