- Joined
- Jul 19, 2004
- Messages
- 29,622
- Location
- Out of Bounds
This lengthy SLATE article tells the story of the failed 1970s attempt to create a libertarian paradise within the territory of Tonga.
FULL STORY: https://slate.com/news-and-politics...a-history-libertarian-micronations-tonga.htmlThe Brief Life and Watery Death of a ’70s Libertarian Micronation
A wealthy American wanted to build an island republic. The king of Tonga had other ideas. ...
Once upon a time, a wealthy man set out to establish his own country. He found a shallow reef over which the waters of a vast ocean had lapped since time immemorial. He hired a company to dredge the ocean floor and deposit the sand on the reef. An island would be born, upon which the man had a concrete platform built, a flag planted, and the birth of the Republic of Minerva declared. The monarch of a nearby island kingdom was not impressed. He opened the doors of his kingdom’s one jail and assembled a small army of prisoners. The monarch, his convicts, and a four-piece brass band boarded the royal yacht and descended upon the reef, where they promptly removed the flag, destroyed the platform, and deposed, in absentia, the man who would be king. And Minerva returned to the ocean. ...
The story of Michael Oliver, his short-lived 1972 Republic of Minerva, and the response of the king of Tonga is not the stuff of fairy tales. Nor is it an uncommon story, an isolated event ripe for consumption as a chronicle of crazy rich Caucasians. ...