The Seasteading Concept Is All Fun And Games Until Reality Intrudes

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by Smitty (via Althouse)

The idea is for these countries to start from scratch–free from the laws, regulations, and moral codes of any existing place.

Ocean Engineering ain’t beanbag, but it can be done. The only way this has much of a chance is if it goes Swiss, and does a lot of very discreet wealth handling for people who need such services. Also, it has to support port calls from pretty much every navy afloat.

Why? Security is the chief concern. Past natural disasters, the main predator for this idea will be other countries which are envious of the prosperity. Are you a petty megalomaniac who was snubbed by a Seasteading leader? Get yourself a diesel-electric boat and slide a torpedo into it. Cheap, anonymous retribution. Even the mere threat of such will trigger the clanging sound of sphincters slamming shut.

17 comments

  1. I  believe you’d have to be a little unhinged to want to live in a place like that.  They, and the people who want to live in outer space, are pretty much in the same boat (no pun intended).   If only he’d put that money into exploration of the ocean instead – or there are many good causes that are in desperate need of money.  

  4. After reading that, I’m thinking of changing the name of the blog to “Cheap Anonymous Retribution.”

  5. Hey, c’mon.  With a 1.25 MILLION (Doctor Evil reading) budget, this idea is obviously a world-beater…

  6. Or just want to force you to do something. Diesel-electric sub, OTH cruise missile (I still remember some writer in the tank for RIAA suggesting that if pirate servers went somewhere like the Caymans that was the solution), speedboat loaded with explosives, it’s all good.

    “Nice little Seasteading you’ve got there. Shame if something were to happen to it…”

  8. Tsk.  Come come, now lads!  Doctor Ron Paul says that all an intrepid country has to do is play nicely and no-one would dare harm them.  For instance, if we would just stop making matzoh with the blood of Palestinian children . . .

  11. I  believe you’d have to be a little unhinged to want to live in a place like that.

    Then Ron Paul would love live on that.

  12. Ron Paul’s foreign policy concepts haven’t been valid since the Age of Sail. In an era where anyone can make a cruise missile out of a jetliner and an autopilot, we are always going to need a presence globally.

  15. Not even in the age of sail, as I recall the “shores of Tripoli” were reached by ships that sailed.

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