Tuesday, August 16, 2011

Billionaire Funding Creation of Artificial Libertarian Islands

Pay Pal founder and early Facebook investor Peter Thiel has given $1.25 million to the project to create floating libertarian countries in international waters, according to a profile of the billionaire in Details magazine, reports the Lookout.

According to Lookout, Thiel has been a big backer of the Seasteading Institute, which seeks to build sovereign nations on oil rig-like platforms to occupy waters beyond the reach of law-of-the-sea treaties...The Seasteading Institute's Patri Friedman says the group plans to launch an office park off the San Francisco coast next year, with the first full-time settlements following seven years later.

(ViaDrudge)

Update: Viresh Amin sends this note:
According to Wiki, "Thiel is listed as a member of the Steering Committee of The Bilderberg Group, a controversial group of influential business and government leaders who meet annually behind closed doors under a media blackout to discuss world issues"

6 comments:

  1. I know. How about giving a hundred million or so to the Revolution PAC?

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  2. While the idea sounds interesting, do you really think its possible for these communities to exist among the dominate warfare states? They'll band together and starve you out. You'll find your self having to make alliances with rough states which will then be enough for the warfare states to send in the military. They'll accuse you of funding terrorists and the media will then take over the PR from there.

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  3. Off the San Francisco coast? Over chilly, choppy water, foggy most of the year, at least, what, 12 miles out? 50 miles out? How will anyone make that commute? If this were April 1...

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  4. Thiel a member of Bilderberg?
    Libertarian? Yeah right.
    And i haven't heard too many positive things about the relationship between Pay Pal and governments either.

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  5. He donated thousands to Meg Whitman's 2010 campaign. Interesting.

    Either way, I'd be in the line of boats trying to get on that island. I need on there. Just knowing Barack couldn't rifle through my purse any longer would be good enough for me.

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  6. The Seasteading Institute actually has an interesting approach. The basic thesis: oil platforms are essentially floating RVs, so why not re-purpose them for domestic living? They also think flags of convenience could negate most aggression from the UN or nation states, which was certainly happened with the Quixotic Principality of Sealand; after they got a flag of convenience from Sierra Leone the U.K. backed off. This idea is in its crude baby steps stage -- and the choice of San Fran Bay is strange -- but I hope a similar project finds success in my lifetime.

    Regarding Thiel, I know little about him other than his notoriety as PayPal founder and first investor in Facebook. I do know that he endorsed Ron Paul in 2008, which you might add to the Bilderberg blurb for balance.

    On that note, I'm sensing excessive Ad Hominem Circumstantial dismissals from Austro-libertarians these days. Sure, Bildergerg sounds like a Boy's Club from Dante's Ninth Circle, but does one become eeeeeevil by simply attending? I know a CIA spook who happens to be an anti-war, Ron Paul supporter. I certainly wish they'd quit the CIA (if that's possible) but I don't think he's evil for working there.

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