----------
>From: "**"
>To: JohnI@freedonia.org
>Subject: a new nation
>Date: Thu, Dec 28, 2000, 9:48 AM
>

>Prince John,
>
>I have spent the last hour reading your website.  I am, frankly, blown away
>by the level of work and planning that has gone into your young nation so
>far.  As part of me rushes to fill out the citizenship form, another part
>stays my hand and advises against a rush borne from a burning desire to
>take part in the birth of a new common sense nation.
>
>I won't offend you with questions of the "are you serious" type.  You
>obviously are.
>
>I do, however, have a few questions that would help me in my decision as to
>whether or not I will join your noble experiment.
>1.  While not opposed to a constitutional monarchy in principal, I'm a
>little hazy as to how it will work in practice.  Movements of this type
>with a strong inital leader often fall apart once that leader is gone.  How
>will your successor be chosen?  The constitution states that "Upon
>relinquishing the Crown, the Prince shall establish his successor without
>interference from any group or body."  I'm sorry, but I'm going to need a
>little more than that.  In some of your writings, you state that you're
>monarchy isn't concerned about "bloodlines" and "birthrights".  This seems
>in contradiction to the fact that you alone will be able to declare your
>successor.  Is there some sort of check to this power in place, de facto or
>otherwise?
 

Thank you for your letter, and I am glad that you see some value in what we
are attempting.

Regarding our system of government, indeed I have made comments against the
traditional concepts of monarchy, including nobility, bloodlines, divine
right, birthright, etc. In my view, these things have no value in government
of the 21st century. However, certain aspects of Constitutional Monarchy are
ideal for the creation and maintenance of liberty. I am sure you read some
of our material on the subject. I will be the first to admit, though, that
the benefits of the system are clearer in my mind than I have been able to
make them on paper.

Freedom and Liberty have suffered around the world at the hands of
democracies and republics, albeit granted that some democratic and
republican systems have been better than others. However, all democracies
and republics have flaws which make the existence of liberty, as we see it,
implausible. These flaws are numerous, and our system of government was
designed to address these.

One major problem with traditional constitutional governments is that a lot
of effort goes into writing "thou shalt not" onto a piece of paper. In
practice, though, simply writing these things onto paper is far from any
guarantee. What our system provides is, if you will, a curator of liberty.
Someone whose solemn duty is the preservation of our freedom. In essence,
there is an actual dynamic, unpoliticized person to "back up" the words of
the constitution.

The successor for this role is chosen without interference, for to introduce
political or democratic influences into this process will wreck the whole
system. It will introduce all kinds of demagoguery and politics into a
position that should have neither. It is my contention that the current
monarch will know vastly more about the possible candidates and will be
better suited than anyone else, especially the public, to make a wise
decision.

As an aside, a good point about our system of monarchy is that the monarch
has very little "active" power, in other words he has little power "to do"
but great powers "to stop". The monarch makes no law, but has a strong power
of veto. He also appoints the majority of the Grand Council, which can
strike down unconstitutional law.

>
>2.  From a practical standpoint, what duties and responsiblities still need
>taking care of in the government?  To join such an experiement as yours
>simply as "a hobby" or on a lark is not in my nature.  If I petition to
>become a citizen of Freedoina it will be out of the strong sense of
>obligation I feel to my future generations to make the world a better
>place.  Obviously, I would only feel that I was doing that if I were taking
>an active part in the governmental process.  Is there still room for
>substantive input and collaboration in this nation or has the "good new
>boy" network already been established?

There are two large issues that we still need to address. One is increasing
awareness and increasing our number of citizens/supporters. The other is
negotiating a sovereignty agreement, with the first step being locating
suitable/available locations.

We made comments about joining as a "hobby" because we didn't want to paint
the picture that to be involved you must be willing to relocate to Africa
immediately, or that you must advocate liberty to the point of being a
zealot. We of course wish for every citizen to be especially committed, but
we also welcome any support we can get.

There is substantial room for input and collaboration, and I only wish more
of our citizens would provide more ideas and opinions to me or on our forum.
There is definitely no kind of "good new boy" network in place.

Again, I do appreciate your letter and I'm happy to hear your thoughts. I
hope my responses have been adequate. If you have additional or follow up
questions, please feel free to contact me.
 

Yours in Liberty,
 

John I