---------------------------------
From: "Ryan"
To: <freedonia@freedonia.org>
Subject: Question
Date: Thu, Oct 21, 1999, 8:39 PM
Hello,
My name is Ryan, and I live in Austin. I've been looking into
becoming a
soverign citizen of the United States, or at least learning how to
declare
to be one. While looking around for this, I stumbled across your
webpage,
and I am very impressed by what you guys have lined out. I had
an idea to
try and do the same thing a few years ago. I finally realized
that I was
too young, 19. How old are y'all, because your pictures look
young. I have
an idea of how the country could become very rich once it becomes free.
The key is to legalize the growth and selling, and not to mention government
taxing of Marijuana. Look up some things about the Netherlands.
They are
a very rich country, and also have very little violent crime.
This would be
a hell of a way to increase tourism, and at the same time great tax
money.
I feel that guns, at least pistols should be outlawed, because they
can lead
to violence. Rifles and shotguns, I believe are okay, because
you can't
hide them, and they are very visible. Please write me back and
tell me
how you feel about these things. If I get a signed document from
the leaders
of Freedonia stating that marijuana will be legal once the country
finds an
actual land home, I will purchase a hundred and fifty dollars worth
of
silver freedonian coinage.
Ryan
-----Original Message-----
From: John Kyle [mailto:JohnI@Freedonia.org]
Sent: Friday, October 22, 1999 1:07 AM
To: Ryan
Subject: Re: Question
Mr. _______,
As a nation founded on libertarianism, our views
can be summed up by
the following statement, that all citizens should be free to do as
they wish,
so long as no ones person or property comes to physical harm.
Based on this belief, we fully intend for all drugs
to be legal in our
country. This is because if you choose to use these drugs in your home
or
elsewhere, and no one comes to harm and no ones property is harmed,
you
should be free to do so. This definitely applies to Marijuana as well.
However, the moment any person or property is harmed,
justice will be
swift and unyielding.
But, these same criteria which enable legalized drugs
also lead to
things you may not find desirable. Take handguns for instance. Handguns
can
have a positive role in providing personal protection for people and
their
property. However, as you point out, guns can be used for ill purposes.
However, the right of law abiding citizens to own guns or use drugs
should
not be restrained due to the acts of the few. The ownership of guns
will be
permitted in Freedonia, however, anyone who uses a gun to cause physical
harm to people or property will face very stiff penalties.
It is my solemn duty, as the Prince of Freedonia,
to protect the
freedoms of our citizens, regardless of my personal opinions. My role
as
Prince enables me to be impartial, as I am above owing anything to
anyone,
and I have no need to compromise my positions for material gain.
I would like to reiterate that freedom for us is
wide-reaching, from
social freedoms, to financial freedoms. We also believe in a very limited
government. I feel that government is the least efficient and effective
way
to solve almost any problem.
A government should only exist for a few specific
purposes. A
government should ensure the freedom of its citizens, maintain order,
provide for the
national defense, and perhaps maintain local infrastructure like roads.
A
government with only these objectives needs very little tax revenue.
There
is strong reason to believe that taxation in Freedonia could easily
be
about 1/10 that currently paid by US citizens and corporations. In
Freedonia,
there might well be no tax on Marijuana whatsoever.
I would also like to list here a few positions of
mine and the
Freedonian government.
Legalization of all drugs
The freedom to have an abortion will not be infringed
Absolute freedom of speech, no censorship of any kind will be permitted
The right for the people to own guns and other arms shall not be infringed
The smallest, least intrusive government possible
The lowest taxation possible
Equal freedoms and rights under the law to all individuals regardless
of
race, sex, beliefs, or income level.
Also, again keep in mind, that you are free to do anything until someone
or
someone's property comes to physical harm. Also, other facts about
our
government can be found in our constitution.
In closing, I would like to address some people's desire to ban guns,
drugs,
pornography, violent films/games, or anything else people wish to ban
in
the interest of safety. Benjamin Franklin once stated that, "Those
who would
give up freedom for safety, get neither freedom, nor safety". I believe
strongly in that statement.
I hope this has been beneficial in explaining what Freedonia is all
about.
Feel free to email me if you have additional questions. I would also
be
happy to discuss the issue of gun control and why I feel current attempts
at controlling gun violence are ineffective and counter-productive.
Best Regards,
John I
---------------
From: "Ryan"
To: "John Kyle" <JohnI@Freedonia.org>
Subject: RE: Question
Date: Fri, Oct 22, 1999, 1:19 PM
John I,
I am very impressed by your reply. How old are you, and
how old are the
other people involved. I am curious, because if you are too old
then this
can't work, but if you're still young, then all is possible.
How do you
have these ties with the Sultan ? What is an approximate guess
of when
Freedonia will control it's own soverign land ?? Is their any
position in
the government for a person like me. I will be a Mechanical Engineering
major in 4 years, and then I hope to attend law school. I share
many
beliefs with you, and am very interested in all of this. What
is going to
be the policy in order to live there ? Can anyone come and live,
and what
is the national language, religion, etc. or will there be any
of that,
because that's not true freedom ? Thank you for taking time to
answer all
of my questions.
Ryan
-----Original Message-----
From: John Kyle [mailto:JohnI@Freedonia.org]
Sent: Saturday, October 23, 1999 3:26 AM
To: Ryan
Subject: Re: Question
Mr. ______,
I am 20 years old. Our Secretary of Treasury is also
20. Our Prime
Minister is 18. Our citizens vary widely in ages, from 14-65. Most
citizens
are in the 25-40 range. We have citizens living in about 15 other countries
besides the USA, and most of our consulate people are in their mid
thirties.
My ties to the Sultan are as follows: While attending the International
Space Development Conference in Houston this past May, I met a man
named Jim
Davidson. Mr. Davidson is a fellow libertarian and has been involved
in many
libertarian efforts. When I told him about Freedonia and what we were
trying
to do, he told me about a friend of his named Michael Van Notten. Mr.
Van
Notten is a former Dutch diplomat and currently living in Awdal. He
is
married into the Sultan of Awdal's family. Michael has been trying
to bring
foreign investment and development to the area for some time. Mr. Davidson
told Mr. Van Notten about Freedonia, and through subsequent discussions
we
learned Sultan Ibrahim was willing to go along with what we proposed
because
the existence of Freedonia would bring significant economic benefit
to his
country. In August Mr. Van Notten flew from Africa to Houston, where
I met
with him and discussed things further. The Sultan was also supposed
to come
but was not able to do so. Mr. Davidson is in his early forties I believe,
and Mr. Van Notten is in his late fifties. The Sultan is in his mid-thirties
I think, but I am not absolutely certain.
It is very hard to say when Freedonia might have
sovereign territory and
if we will be able to make it happen. The sultan is willing to grant
us the
land, but not right away. He will not do so until a certain amount
of
infrastructure, namely the seaport, is built. I can not blame him,
for until
we show a definite ability to get things done it is not in his best
interest
to give the land and his control away.
The next step is to form an expedition to the area
and meet with Sultan
Ibrahim. There we can engage in talks and get some sort of signed agreement.
Hopefully we will also be able to bring an engineer so that we can
know what
is necessary to make the seaport and rail-line a reality, and get some
estimate as to the costs.
Once that is done, we will then write a business
plan and try to raise
capital from investors. Raising capital from traditional investors
may not
be easy, however raising capital from libertarians should not be so
difficult. Libertarians are itching to get something done, the libertarian
party has not fared well in the US, and the creation of a new nation
is
ideal for them. In fact, Mr. Davidson was involved with another country
project a few years ago named "Oceania", which sought to construct
an
artificial island in international waters for the home of a new nation.
Oceania was able to raise $500,000 for a conference on the subject
in New
York City. However, due to mismanagement the conference was never held
and
subsequently the Oceania project died out. However, the lesson to be
learned
from this is that raising money should not be all that difficult. After
all,
they were able to raise half a million dollars for a CONFERENCE, with
no
guarantees. If we come forth with a signed agreement with Sultan Ibrahim
it
should be able to raise money. Also, the Seaport and rail projects
could
easily fall between 1-2 million dollars. Of course additional costs
will
also be incurred, additional buildings will have to be constructed
and
mercenaries, probably from India, will have to be hired for security.
However, I see no reason the whole business could not be pulled off
for 3-4
million dollars. Labor in the area is extremely cheap as the median
income
per year for most people is extremely low.
The policy to live in Freedonia will be a completely
open policy.
Everyone will be free to live there as long as they agree to abide
by the
laws, which of course should not be many. I am not sure if only citizens
will be able to live there, but I tend to lean more towards the affirmative
on that issue. There will be no official language and no official religion.
English will probably be the dominant language of the government, but
no
official language will be declared. Also, while everyone will have
complete
freedom to pursue whatever religion they wish, no religious beliefs
or rules
will be imposed on anyone.
I am glad you have expressed interest in helping
our efforts. In
response to a government position, I would be happy to have your help.
However, there really isn't much going on day to day in Freedonia.
Right now
we are just trying to pursue this possible opportunity in NE africa.
Our
consulate people are standing by, but right now there isn't much for
them to
do. The same goes for our Prime Minister and Secretary of Defense.
Our next
major goal will be to raise money for the expedition to Awdal and hopefully
there will be significant opportunity for involvement for everyone
then.
Also, Mr. _____, I was wondering if I could have
your permission to
post our discussion to our Forum. I think it would give the public
a better
idea of what Freedonia is and what we stand for. I would of course
leave
your name out, if you so desire.
I hope I have been able to adequately answer your
questions. In the
future, I plan to start posting some essays and commentary on news
and world
events so that people will get a better idea of how we relate to these
issues,
and perhaps spawn healthy debate. These should appear on the forum
soon.
Best Regards,
John I
----------
From: "Ryan"
To: "John Kyle" <JohnI@Freedonia.org>
Subject: RE: Question
Date: Sat, Oct 23, 1999, 7:00 AM
John I,
Thanks for the very detailed answers. I don't mind if you
post these to
the forum, but I would like to be called Ryan, minus my last name.
If you
ever want someone to help raise money in the Austin area, just give
me an
E-mail. Also, if there are any big things that come up, please
send me a
message. As a fellow liberatarian, I hope that Freedonia becomes
a true
land, because I would love to start a nice coffee shop, where I can
smoke my
legal pot, and let others smoke as well.
If I fill out the form for citizenship, then that won't affect
my current
standing as a US citizen, will it ?? I know that that sounds
funny, but I
know that there are very strict rules about bi-citizenship in the US.
When do you think that the first expedition is going to go, because
if
there is a spot available, I would really like to go.
Thanks again,
Ryan
-----Original Message-----
From: John Kyle [mailto:JohnI@Freedonia.org]
Sent: Saturday, October 24, 1999 12:15 AM
To: Ryan
Subject: Re: Question
Mr. _______,
I am glad that we have your support. I see absolutely
no problem with
whatever you wish to do, so long as no one else comes to physical harm
and
no one else's property comes to harm. To be honest, I am not a fan
of
Marijuana or other drugs. But, no one, and no government, has the right
to
tell you what you can and can not do with your life. I sincerely hope
that
Freedonia will succeed and serve as a beacon for freedom in this world.
Filling out the citizenship form should in no way
affect your standing
as a US citizen because the US does not recognize us as a nation. However,
if and when Freedonia is established there are ways to pursue dual
citizenship with the US government. Ultimately though, whether other
nations
decide to recognize us or not is irrelevant. The main purposes of the
form
are for us to know who is willing to support us and to enter contact
information into our database.
I can not say when the first expedition will go,
but I would think it
would be in May at the earliest. The main factor will be if the necessary
funds can be raised. If you would like to come as well, feel free.
All
citizens of Freedonia are welcome to come along.
Best Regards,
John I