WEBVTT - How do I start my own country? 0:00:00.280 --> 0:00:02.920 Brought to you by the reinvented two thousand twelve Camray. 0:00:03.160 --> 0:00:07.560 It's ready. Are you welcome to stuff you should know 0:00:08.160 --> 0:00:17.319 from house Stuff Works dot com? Hey, and welcome to 0:00:17.400 --> 0:00:20.800 the podcast. I haven't said that in a long time, 0:00:20.880 --> 0:00:23.160 and I said it just like PF. Tompkins for some reason. 0:00:23.920 --> 0:00:26.720 Oh yeah, yeah, that's kind of how he would say it. 0:00:26.800 --> 0:00:29.440 But you're not wearing a vest in bowtie. No, and 0:00:29.640 --> 0:00:33.880 my mustask is non existent too, port by hat. I've 0:00:33.920 --> 0:00:36.640 got nothing except for that one inflection. Okay, that's the 0:00:36.680 --> 0:00:40.360 only similarity. So Josh is in a great mood because 0:00:40.400 --> 0:00:44.479 it's Friday and we're actually not like we aren't usually 0:00:44.479 --> 0:00:46.640 pleased to be here, but we haven't done this in 0:00:46.640 --> 0:00:48.519 two weeks because we've been doing other stuff and we 0:00:48.640 --> 0:00:51.400 stacked up, you know, recordings, and it's like it's a 0:00:51.400 --> 0:00:53.280 genuine pleasure to be back in here doing this. Is 0:00:53.680 --> 0:00:55.200 I can feel like I could do this with my 0:00:55.240 --> 0:00:59.280 eyes closed. Try it Star podcast. I can't see my notes. 0:01:00.520 --> 0:01:02.480 It was still pretty good, Chuck, you got a joke 0:01:02.520 --> 0:01:06.440 in there anyway. Um. Yeah, I'm happy to be here 0:01:06.480 --> 0:01:09.880 because I know I can do this right. You know, 0:01:10.000 --> 0:01:14.200 there's not a camera in front of its inferior. You 0:01:14.240 --> 0:01:17.319 feel good. I feel good to Chuck. So I'm going 0:01:17.360 --> 0:01:22.000 to uh use that good feeling to give you an introduction. Okay, 0:01:22.280 --> 0:01:26.080 let's say, chuckers that you did not have a very 0:01:26.080 --> 0:01:28.680 good time in high school, but I did. But I'll 0:01:28.800 --> 0:01:33.600 imagine that you're suspending disbelief here. Um, you were one 0:01:33.640 --> 0:01:37.120 of the less popular kids, perhaps because of that one 0:01:37.160 --> 0:01:40.160 time you wore that cape to school. It didn't go 0:01:40.280 --> 0:01:42.520 nearly as well as you had expected it would. I 0:01:42.560 --> 0:01:46.360 thought I would be uh lauded as a superhero among 0:01:46.400 --> 0:01:50.280 my beers, but they made fun of me. Okay, Um, 0:01:50.320 --> 0:01:52.560 and that pretty much set the timber for the rest 0:01:52.640 --> 0:01:55.960 of your high school experience. And it really stuck with you. 0:01:55.960 --> 0:01:59.480 You know, it really got in your craw that that 0:01:59.680 --> 0:02:02.520 you were so mistreated in high school. And you had 0:02:02.560 --> 0:02:05.920 a couple of friends, Kevin and Jim, and um, they 0:02:05.960 --> 0:02:08.480 had similar experiences. And you guys are now in your 0:02:08.480 --> 0:02:11.200 thirties or forties, You've got a little money, and you 0:02:11.240 --> 0:02:15.080 still are driven by bitter anger. You want vengeance, right right, 0:02:15.960 --> 0:02:21.480 You're not exactly the type to um kill somebody, and um, 0:02:21.560 --> 0:02:25.280 your idea of revenge is pretty grand. So what you 0:02:25.360 --> 0:02:29.240 decide to do is to start your own country. Hey, 0:02:29.280 --> 0:02:31.000 that's a good way to get back at the jerks 0:02:31.040 --> 0:02:33.960 in high school. Exactly. This is the legal way to 0:02:34.000 --> 0:02:38.600 do it, right, Okay, all you do start your own country, um, 0:02:38.680 --> 0:02:42.000 and you invite these guys to come visit and then 0:02:42.000 --> 0:02:45.360 throw them in prison the moment they get there. Okay, 0:02:45.360 --> 0:02:47.760 maybe even put them on a terrorist watch list before 0:02:47.800 --> 0:02:51.080 they get there, and not alert your authorities of what's 0:02:51.080 --> 0:02:53.920 going on, and then just sit back and wait for 0:02:54.040 --> 0:02:57.760 the good times to roll. Right, Okay, all right, done. 0:02:58.560 --> 0:03:01.480 There's a couple of problems here. Okay. One, you have 0:03:01.560 --> 0:03:05.080 no idea how to start your own country? Well do 0:03:05.120 --> 0:03:07.440 you in real life? Because I've read your article. But yeah, 0:03:07.480 --> 0:03:09.320 well that's what I was gonna say. We're here to 0:03:09.360 --> 0:03:12.920 tell you that's right. So everyone who here's this podcast 0:03:12.960 --> 0:03:15.840 will know how to start their own country pretty much. 0:03:16.400 --> 0:03:20.320 And it's easier than you think in theory. Sure, well, 0:03:20.440 --> 0:03:24.320 let's let's talk about it, Chuck. All right, Okay, Well, 0:03:24.480 --> 0:03:27.040 one way Josh, that you can do so, and history 0:03:27.040 --> 0:03:31.480 has shown that it's it's works. Is uh a larger nation, 0:03:31.560 --> 0:03:34.359 let's say Great Britain. They used to be into colonizing 0:03:34.400 --> 0:03:37.720 places all over the world, the lovely places that they 0:03:37.760 --> 0:03:41.800 like to relax on the beach, and um, they did 0:03:41.840 --> 0:03:43.960 so well. Rhodesia is not exactly on the beach, but 0:03:44.000 --> 0:03:47.360 I was speaking of like the Virgin Islands. But they 0:03:47.400 --> 0:03:50.840 did that a larger nation, uh, colonized a smaller one 0:03:50.880 --> 0:03:53.400 and change the name to Rhodesian, said this is a 0:03:53.400 --> 0:03:56.680 new country. Yes, you are now Rhodesian's yep. And if 0:03:56.680 --> 0:03:58.960 you don't like it, we've got guns here. And that 0:03:59.080 --> 0:04:00.960 is one way to do it. And then there's the 0:04:01.040 --> 0:04:03.960 opposite way to do it. You could be a Rhodesian 0:04:03.960 --> 0:04:06.200 and be like, you know what, we have guns now too, 0:04:06.800 --> 0:04:09.960 or Zimbabwe and now this place is called Zimbabwe. Yeah, 0:04:10.520 --> 0:04:14.640 Zulu Zulu Zulu yeah. Um. And then there's uh, let's 0:04:14.680 --> 0:04:18.800 see the kind of succession that where you go buy 0:04:18.800 --> 0:04:22.760 an island and basically say, okay, this island is now 0:04:22.760 --> 0:04:25.320 its own thing. Yeah. I think didn't Marlon Brando own 0:04:25.400 --> 0:04:28.159 his own island? Yeah? I don't think he tried to 0:04:28.240 --> 0:04:30.080 make it his own country, although he may have. There 0:04:30.120 --> 0:04:33.920 are a significant number of islands for sale in the world. Really, yeah, 0:04:34.200 --> 0:04:36.560 they're they're pretty small though, Huh. I guess they range. 0:04:36.640 --> 0:04:39.320 I mean they're small enough or they're big enough. Right. 0:04:39.520 --> 0:04:44.120 The problem is the getting electricity. That's the that's the 0:04:44.120 --> 0:04:46.800 big problem. I think. Although if I was going to 0:04:46.920 --> 0:04:49.440 buy an island, I would try and keep it off grid, 0:04:49.600 --> 0:04:53.080 you know, or or you know, do the solar thing 0:04:53.200 --> 0:04:57.560 or sure, yeah I can't, man, I'd deck my island out. Well, 0:04:57.600 --> 0:04:59.320 I'd want mine decked out, though you can still deck 0:04:59.360 --> 0:05:02.400 it out with solar panels and like the the Swiss 0:05:02.440 --> 0:05:06.720 family Robinson or something, that's that's just how I roll. 0:05:07.360 --> 0:05:10.320 But the more the more customary way of starting your 0:05:10.320 --> 0:05:13.600 own country is like we were saying, um, say Zimbabwe 0:05:13.800 --> 0:05:17.680 or something like that is called the land based secession. Yeah, 0:05:17.720 --> 0:05:21.279 not as easy, No, it really isn't. Because, um, whereas 0:05:21.320 --> 0:05:24.400 if you were to buy a deserted tropical island that 0:05:24.640 --> 0:05:27.719 no country, that a country technically own but wasn't doing 0:05:27.760 --> 0:05:30.840 anything with, they probably wouldn't put up too much of 0:05:30.839 --> 0:05:34.840 a fight. If you own property in a country and 0:05:34.920 --> 0:05:37.760 say this is no longer part of this country, you're 0:05:37.800 --> 0:05:41.200 going to get some sort of resistance, absolutely, right, Like 0:05:41.360 --> 0:05:45.800 Russia Soviet Union obviously dissolved, and uh, they're still doing 0:05:45.800 --> 0:05:50.480 battle with Georgians you know today they definitely they didn't 0:05:50.480 --> 0:05:52.800 just forget and say it's no big deal. Right, Yeah, 0:05:52.880 --> 0:05:56.839 relations among the former Soviet states with Russia are definitely strained. 0:05:57.080 --> 0:06:01.440 Where yeah, Chester and rebels are, um, not the most 0:06:03.560 --> 0:06:07.520 happy people around, and they will kill children. They've shown 0:06:07.960 --> 0:06:12.600 two succeed Yeah, successions are bloody and horrible. Or were 0:06:12.640 --> 0:06:15.680 they the school? Oh yeah, okay, what was that the 0:06:15.720 --> 0:06:23.159 swap podcast? Yeah? I think so. Um, let's see what else. Oh, Yugoslavia. Yeah, 0:06:23.240 --> 0:06:26.520 that's another really good example too. Um. There was a 0:06:26.600 --> 0:06:32.679 guy named Joseph Tito, right, not Tito Jackson or Tito's 0:06:32.720 --> 0:06:36.719 handmade vodka. Uh. Tito. Um, was this guy who was 0:06:36.760 --> 0:06:40.680 a brutal, iron fisted dictator, but there was a he 0:06:40.720 --> 0:06:44.279 had a reputation where people would say, Tito is a brutal, 0:06:44.400 --> 0:06:47.480 iron fisted dictator. But you gotta hand it to him. 0:06:47.520 --> 0:06:53.080 He's keeping Yugoslavia together. And this is amazing. This Yugoslavia 0:06:53.720 --> 0:06:57.279 before Tito and then after Tito, we're a bunch of 0:06:57.320 --> 0:07:03.080 ethnic people, um groups living together that it hated each 0:07:03.120 --> 0:07:06.120 other for a thousand years, like the I think the 0:07:06.480 --> 0:07:08.840 problem between the Albanians and the Serbs went back to 0:07:09.440 --> 0:07:13.200 um a massacre or the murder of a martyr in 0:07:13.280 --> 0:07:17.800 like twelve something century. So Tito comes along and it's like, no, 0:07:18.000 --> 0:07:22.000 you all live together in my country. After Tito dies, 0:07:22.200 --> 0:07:25.200 Yugoslavia falls apart, and all of a sudden you have Albania, Serbia, 0:07:25.240 --> 0:07:28.880 all that stuff. But these were huge, enormous problems for 0:07:28.920 --> 0:07:31.320 the world. The Balkans are a big match or a 0:07:31.400 --> 0:07:35.120 big flash point, right, But ultimately what happened was a 0:07:35.160 --> 0:07:37.400 bunch of ethnic Albanians said, you know what, we're no 0:07:37.440 --> 0:07:39.800 longer part of Serbia. Have our own we have our 0:07:39.800 --> 0:07:42.880 own nations. Now. Uh, that's one way to do it. 0:07:42.920 --> 0:07:45.520 That's land based session. And like we said, it's usually 0:07:45.600 --> 0:07:49.520 kind of bloody, right, But there are a few steps 0:07:49.760 --> 0:07:54.440 that Albanians took that Serbs eventually took um and that 0:07:54.520 --> 0:07:57.400 other people have taken. They are basically like a four 0:07:58.080 --> 0:08:03.840 part means of becoming an independent nation. So so also 0:08:03.880 --> 0:08:05.560 I should I have to give a huge shout out 0:08:05.600 --> 0:08:09.920 to UM Joshua Keating who wrote a really cool article 0:08:10.480 --> 0:08:16.360 UM on Foreign Policy Foreign Policy Magazine about this um 0:08:16.400 --> 0:08:19.400 that formed the basis of this article. It's just way better. 0:08:20.160 --> 0:08:22.880 This is way better. Yeah, fine, it's way better than 0:08:22.880 --> 0:08:28.119 the editor at Foreign Policy Magazine. Well, so three things, Josh, 0:08:28.160 --> 0:08:29.920 and there we're gonna talk about the four steps. But 0:08:29.960 --> 0:08:33.440 three things that generally give you a leg up if 0:08:33.440 --> 0:08:36.080 you want to form a new country is a population 0:08:36.520 --> 0:08:39.920 of I guess like minded folks, not just a population, 0:08:40.000 --> 0:08:43.560 a permanent population like this, these people's homeland or this 0:08:43.600 --> 0:08:45.960 is where they live, this is where they farm, not 0:08:46.120 --> 0:08:49.120 they're on vacation. Here. Let's get a country going exactly 0:08:49.800 --> 0:08:52.240 government and land. Those that that will really give you 0:08:52.280 --> 0:08:53.800 a leg up. If you've got those three things, it's 0:08:53.840 --> 0:08:56.120 a good starter kit. And there's a fourth one that's 0:08:56.160 --> 0:09:01.080 not necessarily those three are internationally recognized as yes, if 0:09:01.120 --> 0:09:04.120 you can. If you have those three things, then you're 0:09:04.200 --> 0:09:07.240 on your way to to forming a country with fourth currency. 0:09:07.400 --> 0:09:10.360 The fourth. Now, the fourth is that that government has 0:09:10.400 --> 0:09:14.240 to be able to communicate with the outside world. Um. 0:09:14.320 --> 0:09:16.800 And then that that came out of a treaty in 0:09:18.120 --> 0:09:20.439 three in Monto Video where the US said, Okay, we'll 0:09:20.480 --> 0:09:23.680 leave Latin America alone. You guys are your own sovereign nations. 0:09:23.720 --> 0:09:28.280 Now we'll just undermine you covertly rather than overtly. Um. 0:09:28.360 --> 0:09:32.280 And uh, that's kind of disputed. I think the United 0:09:32.320 --> 0:09:35.280 States recognizes it's still but other countries don't necessarily see 0:09:35.320 --> 0:09:38.199 that as criteria for nationhood. Well, it's tricky and we'll 0:09:38.200 --> 0:09:40.600 see here in a minute when we start talking about 0:09:40.600 --> 0:09:45.520 the awesomely funny and wacky sealand I can't wait. Being recognized. 0:09:45.600 --> 0:09:48.520 It's it's some people recognize certain things, and some people 0:09:48.559 --> 0:09:51.800 say your sovereign nation and then or an independent Uh. 0:09:52.440 --> 0:09:55.880 It's it's very formal and informal whether or not you're 0:09:55.880 --> 0:09:59.400 recognized or not. And I can't really tell when you're 0:09:59.400 --> 0:10:05.079 a legitimate country anymore. Really, the only way there isn't 0:10:05.400 --> 0:10:09.120 there's another recognized country recognizes you. Even even that doesn't 0:10:09.160 --> 0:10:13.280 necessarily mean anything, because take Taiwan. Taiwan used to be 0:10:13.440 --> 0:10:17.480 a recognized country part of the u N and then 0:10:17.600 --> 0:10:22.360 in ninete Nixon through to the dogs as a in 0:10:22.480 --> 0:10:25.880 alive branch to China and Taiwan hasn't been part of 0:10:25.880 --> 0:10:31.520 the u N since then. Yes, Tetician to come back 0:10:31.720 --> 0:10:34.200 into the UN not even come in the first time 0:10:34.440 --> 0:10:38.080 to come back. They got booted out because Nixon was like, yeah, 0:10:38.080 --> 0:10:39.920 the U S isn't backing you, and we got our 0:10:39.960 --> 0:10:42.720 little anty chair there with our little placard. I see 0:10:42.720 --> 0:10:45.600 it right there with the microphone exactly. There's a little earpiece. 0:10:45.640 --> 0:10:51.280 Interpreter's like a cob But yeah, so Taiwan is a 0:10:51.320 --> 0:10:53.880 sovereign nation as far as it's concerned, as far as 0:10:54.040 --> 0:10:57.880 many other nations are concerned, but it's not officially recognized 0:10:57.920 --> 0:11:01.000 by other countries. Well, you know a big important one. Yeah, 0:11:01.040 --> 0:11:03.320 and you and protection. That's big because that means that 0:11:03.720 --> 0:11:07.000 your former country, if you're all of a sudden recognized 0:11:07.040 --> 0:11:09.240 by the UN, can't roll in there and take you 0:11:09.280 --> 0:11:12.640 back by force, at least per the UN's rules. They can't. 0:11:12.679 --> 0:11:15.320 They're not supposed to know, because once you do that, 0:11:15.320 --> 0:11:20.080 that's war. And there's first I should say, once you've 0:11:20.240 --> 0:11:23.800 completed step two, which is declare independence, right, you gotta 0:11:23.800 --> 0:11:27.439 write your own declaration of independence. And then once you 0:11:27.559 --> 0:11:30.800 write your own declaration of independent to the important people 0:11:30.840 --> 0:11:32.680 that need to see that. I guess right, well, the 0:11:32.679 --> 0:11:35.160 the country that you're succeeding from, they'd be first on 0:11:35.160 --> 0:11:38.120 the list. And then and then if you can get recognized, 0:11:38.520 --> 0:11:41.600 then you're a sovereign nation basically on the international stage. 0:11:41.960 --> 0:11:45.520 And that's an act of war, an unprovoked active aggression 0:11:45.720 --> 0:11:50.080 on par with um Pearl Harbor or nine eleven or whatever. 0:11:50.880 --> 0:11:53.679 And I think that would you mentioned Kosovo and Montenegro 0:11:53.880 --> 0:11:58.000 is being on the winning side of that, those laws 0:11:58.559 --> 0:12:02.880 that kept them protected from Serbia. Yeah. So, um, that's 0:12:02.920 --> 0:12:07.840 because the US recognized Kosovo on the day it on 0:12:07.880 --> 0:12:12.520 the day it declared independence. George Bush was like, hey, yeah, yeah, 0:12:12.720 --> 0:12:14.720 we're going to recognize you as a sovereign nation, and 0:12:14.760 --> 0:12:19.360 they were like, what, we recognize you right? Um. And 0:12:19.400 --> 0:12:21.800 the reason why Keating points out that back in the day, 0:12:21.880 --> 0:12:26.080 during the Cold War, Um, it used to be that, uh, 0:12:26.160 --> 0:12:28.560 all you had to do is say I'm anti Soviet 0:12:28.920 --> 0:12:32.440 and the US would recognize you immediately. Or you could 0:12:32.480 --> 0:12:35.839 be like you know, American capitalist pig dogs in the 0:12:35.920 --> 0:12:37.920 USSR would be like, hey, you're on our team, you're 0:12:37.920 --> 0:12:41.440 a country. But um, and they both start printing stamps. Right. 0:12:41.720 --> 0:12:46.360 But with Kosovo in particular declaring independence, it was kind 0:12:46.400 --> 0:12:48.560 of like a thumb in the eye to Russia because 0:12:48.559 --> 0:12:52.640 you know, former Soviet Soviet state satellite um, and so 0:12:53.040 --> 0:12:58.120 Bush recognizing it was kind of like a to the Russians, 0:12:57.679 --> 0:13:02.400 what was that? You know? What it was? Yes, Josh, 0:13:02.400 --> 0:13:04.280 and those rules that we're talking about. The U N 0:13:04.360 --> 0:13:07.439 rules are a remnant of the Cold War to protect 0:13:07.440 --> 0:13:10.720 new states that were not yet recognized by one side 0:13:10.720 --> 0:13:12.839 of the block or the other. Right, they hadn't they 0:13:12.840 --> 0:13:18.680 hadn't declared, there's the LC not new kids on the 0:13:18.679 --> 0:13:22.920 block with a K? Did they spellers with a K? Yeah, 0:13:22.960 --> 0:13:24.720 that wouldn't be two kids on the block. That would 0:13:24.720 --> 0:13:28.720 have been a different bind. So, um, that was the 0:13:28.800 --> 0:13:32.880 first three steps. I believe. Right, you have criteria declare independence, 0:13:32.920 --> 0:13:36.520 you petition for um U N recognition. And I should 0:13:36.559 --> 0:13:41.880 also say it's incredibly easy to petition for UN recognition. 0:13:41.880 --> 0:13:45.000 It's almost cute how easy it is. It's almost adorable 0:13:45.080 --> 0:13:47.240 that you can just write a letter and tell him Chuck, Well, 0:13:47.240 --> 0:13:49.520 you just write a letter to the Secretary General and 0:13:49.559 --> 0:13:52.280 say I would like to be a country. I don't 0:13:52.320 --> 0:13:54.439 even that was a mix of like eight accents. So 0:13:55.320 --> 0:13:59.839 don't call me out like, um, yes, that's exactly who 0:13:59.840 --> 0:14:03.480 it's to, thank you very much. So, um, yeah, you 0:14:03.520 --> 0:14:06.199 just write a letter and getting in I mean the 0:14:06.320 --> 0:14:08.880 letter writing part is easy. That's that's the big part. 0:14:08.920 --> 0:14:10.480 And as a matter of fact, as a p s A, 0:14:10.559 --> 0:14:13.800 we're gonna give you the address send your letter to. 0:14:13.960 --> 0:14:17.560 If you are going to um declare your independence, you 0:14:17.600 --> 0:14:22.400 want to address your letter to Bond ky Moon, Secretary 0:14:22.480 --> 0:14:26.680 General the United Nations, First Avenue at forty six Street, 0:14:26.840 --> 0:14:29.840 New York, New York, one zero zero one seven. And 0:14:29.880 --> 0:14:34.240 all you have to do is say, Mr Bond, Um, 0:14:34.320 --> 0:14:37.760 we would like to be a nation. We have a 0:14:38.480 --> 0:14:41.960 we have a sedentary population. We have a government. Our 0:14:42.000 --> 0:14:44.000 government can even talk to people if you're into that 0:14:44.080 --> 0:14:48.200 kind of thing. Yeah, and um, we have a we 0:14:48.280 --> 0:14:52.360 have a geography, so let us send huh chuck. Also, Um, 0:14:52.400 --> 0:14:56.239 to be accepted into the u N, you need recognition 0:14:56.280 --> 0:15:00.000 by a two thirds vote, and a two thirds majority 0:15:00.080 --> 0:15:02.920 is that you're a quote peace loving state that can 0:15:02.960 --> 0:15:06.080 carry out the duties of the u N Charter. That 0:15:06.160 --> 0:15:08.520 means you are in yes, but that can be easily 0:15:08.640 --> 0:15:14.440 vetoed by member nations. And um, like you point on 0:15:14.480 --> 0:15:16.600 the article, I guess it's it's you want to make 0:15:16.600 --> 0:15:19.880 friends with the big players in the u N and 0:15:19.960 --> 0:15:22.800 get them on your side. That that would definitely help. Yeah, Um, 0:15:22.840 --> 0:15:25.760 there's a you know, neutral countries are always like sure, 0:15:26.040 --> 0:15:29.640 well neutral, whatever you want to do. Um, they don't 0:15:29.640 --> 0:15:32.840 care much weight though, no not not nearly as much 0:15:33.000 --> 0:15:36.920 as you know the the you could basically call them 0:15:36.960 --> 0:15:42.000 bully countries, countries that have the economic and military might 0:15:42.120 --> 0:15:45.720 to push everybody else around make decisions for the rest 0:15:45.720 --> 0:15:49.320 of the world. Um So, if you can get recognized 0:15:49.920 --> 0:15:53.160 and get in bed with one of those guys, you're 0:15:53.160 --> 0:15:57.080 gonna your nation is going to start to thrive. Another 0:15:57.440 --> 0:15:59.720 um way to get your nation to thrive is to 0:16:00.040 --> 0:16:04.400 tracked foreign investors. Yeah, he pointed out natural resources. If 0:16:04.440 --> 0:16:06.560 you happen to have an island like the one let's 0:16:06.600 --> 0:16:11.560 say the Wappony Wooves had Booboo. If you remember, I 0:16:11.600 --> 0:16:15.880 don't remember that Boobaroo was this uh mineral. I believe 0:16:16.160 --> 0:16:18.840 that the will Ponies had. I remember he was. He 0:16:18.880 --> 0:16:21.120 wanted their island. That was the whole point. He wanted 0:16:21.120 --> 0:16:24.280 it for Boobooroo because it helped out with whatever his 0:16:24.320 --> 0:16:27.200 business was. Lloyd Bridges, of course we're talking about the 0:16:27.280 --> 0:16:30.760 late great boyd Bridge. I liked his little stint on Seinfeld. 0:16:30.800 --> 0:16:33.760 Towards the end of his life, he just came out 0:16:34.440 --> 0:16:38.880 because he had He was the father of the Old Trainer, right, 0:16:39.920 --> 0:16:41.840 he know, he was the old Trainer and then his 0:16:41.880 --> 0:16:44.560 son would like drive the car while he was turned 0:16:44.560 --> 0:16:47.440 around like shouting at a out of a bullhorn at Jerry. 0:16:47.600 --> 0:16:52.080 But wasn't. Wasn't. His father's son was an old man, 0:16:52.760 --> 0:16:55.840 and he was like the older man. Anyway, we were 0:16:55.840 --> 0:16:58.200 talking about Joe versus the Bolcano obviously, which we've mentioned 0:16:58.200 --> 0:17:02.040 before and in that movie. Um, he wanted the mineral 0:17:02.120 --> 0:17:06.200 rights to this imaginary element or mineral and um, that's 0:17:06.200 --> 0:17:10.800 a good way to get soverenity is to attract I 0:17:10.840 --> 0:17:13.040 guess a wealthy entrepreneur and say, hey, I've got some 0:17:13.480 --> 0:17:17.480 awesome sand on this island. Right. Um, you've got that, 0:17:17.520 --> 0:17:20.960 you can Um, you can also create currency and back 0:17:21.040 --> 0:17:24.840 it with said mineral or natural resource, Like this is 0:17:24.880 --> 0:17:28.520 an eight gas bucks if you have natural gas. Let's 0:17:28.520 --> 0:17:32.960 just Nevada thing. There's a guy, um who what's the 0:17:33.000 --> 0:17:37.760 name of the place, The Republic of uh Molasia. Okay, 0:17:38.040 --> 0:17:41.240 there's a guy in Nevada who owns like a a 0:17:41.280 --> 0:17:45.040 parcel of arid land that no one else wants in Nevada, 0:17:45.480 --> 0:17:48.680 and he has declared it in a republic. It will 0:17:48.720 --> 0:17:53.280 never ever get recognized internationally because it's in the United States, right, 0:17:54.760 --> 0:17:58.760 And that that's a perfect example, Chuck of what what 0:17:59.560 --> 0:18:04.359 Internet national recognition is? Like, imagine if China recognized the 0:18:04.400 --> 0:18:08.840 Republic of Milasia as an independent nation within Nevada. Can 0:18:08.880 --> 0:18:10.520 you imagine when a thumb in the eye of the 0:18:10.600 --> 0:18:13.159 United States, it would go nowhere. There would be nothing 0:18:13.560 --> 0:18:16.880 whe are the Chinese aren't gonna arm this guy? Right, 0:18:17.200 --> 0:18:21.040 So like that's what is going on. I mean, think 0:18:21.040 --> 0:18:25.199 about this, like American Indian tribes, Native American tribes have 0:18:25.280 --> 0:18:27.800 petitioned for independence and they can't get it. This guy 0:18:27.840 --> 0:18:30.120 in Milasie is never gonna get it. Then they were 0:18:30.119 --> 0:18:34.040 here long before that guy. Now imagine if this were 0:18:34.080 --> 0:18:37.639 serious and there there, you know, there were really huge 0:18:37.680 --> 0:18:41.159 like mineral rights at stake. These people were accepting arms, 0:18:41.400 --> 0:18:43.879 they were warring with somebody that could pull you into 0:18:43.880 --> 0:18:47.000 a war. Then it starts to get like a little 0:18:47.040 --> 0:18:50.359 more nerve racking. But the things the exact same. People 0:18:50.400 --> 0:18:54.160 recognize nations just to take off other nations, to embroil 0:18:54.240 --> 0:18:58.360 other nations and war problems, or to show to scoff at. 0:18:58.560 --> 0:19:03.560 It's basically like another popular kid into a locker. That's 0:19:03.560 --> 0:19:08.040 like recognizing a new nation that's that's often a company 0:19:08.080 --> 0:19:10.600 to it and then shutting a locker. Yeah, what is 0:19:10.600 --> 0:19:12.920 the guy Nevada back his currency? Does he have currency 0:19:13.040 --> 0:19:15.480 or just he backed it with chocolate chip cookie? Go, 0:19:16.480 --> 0:19:19.199 And you pointed out that that's not very valid, But 0:19:19.320 --> 0:19:22.680 I point out I countered that, sir, and say that 0:19:22.800 --> 0:19:24.960 I would love for things to be backed with chocolate 0:19:25.000 --> 0:19:29.879 chip cookie though. Well, yeah, I mean I guess I 0:19:29.920 --> 0:19:31.720 would too, But after a while I'd be like, I 0:19:31.760 --> 0:19:33.720 don't want any more money. Yeah, that's true. You eat 0:19:33.800 --> 0:19:35.440 enough cookie done, You're gonna get sick to your stomach. 0:19:35.480 --> 0:19:39.640 I would strongly recommend reading that Chicago Tribune UM story 0:19:39.920 --> 0:19:43.920 on that guy, because it is extremely interesting. It's called 0:19:43.920 --> 0:19:47.520 One Nation Under Me by Colleen Mustoni. Came out in 0:19:47.520 --> 0:19:50.520 two thousand and eight on the Republic of Malassia. Awesome. 0:19:50.840 --> 0:19:54.960 He is not the only wacky guy running around UM 0:19:55.080 --> 0:19:59.920 with UH saying like I'm an independent nation. Um, he's 0:20:00.119 --> 0:20:04.240 actually not. I mean he's kind of serious, but not really. 0:20:04.640 --> 0:20:08.080 I get the impression he's half performance artists. There's a 0:20:08.119 --> 0:20:13.399 guy who founded his own nation in the sixties UM 0:20:13.440 --> 0:20:17.200 off the coast of Great Britain, and um it's still 0:20:17.240 --> 0:20:21.600 around today. Seland it's an amazing story. It is. I 0:20:21.600 --> 0:20:23.320 think they're making it, or they talked about making a 0:20:23.320 --> 0:20:25.760 movie and this has been requested. In fact, I didn't 0:20:25.800 --> 0:20:28.159 hear about this at all until someone had requested it 0:20:28.280 --> 0:20:31.119 um a while ago, about six months ago. So whoever 0:20:31.200 --> 0:20:34.120 that was, thank you, so chuck. Apparently a World War two, 0:20:34.200 --> 0:20:38.760 the British um made a bunch of military outposts that 0:20:38.840 --> 0:20:44.080 were basically like um oil derricks or oil platforms that 0:20:44.160 --> 0:20:47.960 weren't pumping oil. They're just stationary out in the North 0:20:48.040 --> 0:20:50.960 Sea off the British coast to basically shoot down German 0:20:51.000 --> 0:20:53.480 airplanes in case of attack. Yeah, just big almost like 0:20:53.560 --> 0:20:56.600 stationary aircraft carriers, right, And they tore most of them 0:20:56.640 --> 0:21:00.119 down after the war, except they left one up. And 0:21:00.359 --> 0:21:03.040 apparently no one has any idea why this one particular 0:21:03.080 --> 0:21:06.320 one has left up. But it was about seven miles 0:21:06.400 --> 0:21:09.560 seven nautical miles, which is like one point one something 0:21:10.440 --> 0:21:12.960 land miles. I don't even know why they have those 0:21:13.080 --> 0:21:15.639 what nautical miles? Yeah, he's different in the water, buddy. 0:21:15.720 --> 0:21:18.600 But we hear about it um off of the coast 0:21:18.680 --> 0:21:23.480 of England, right, which puts it outside of the three 0:21:24.280 --> 0:21:28.520 mile range of territorial waters. Remember who owns the ocean? Right? Okay, 0:21:28.680 --> 0:21:31.560 So this thing is in international waters, even though the 0:21:31.600 --> 0:21:33.919 British built it. Roughs Tower was the name of this 0:21:34.000 --> 0:21:36.560 particular one. And like you said, it stayed there or 0:21:36.560 --> 0:21:38.359 the rest of them were abandoned and then torn down, 0:21:38.760 --> 0:21:42.000 and this one was just it was abandoned and left up. Yeah, 0:21:42.000 --> 0:21:45.320 abandon left up. So a guy a pirate radio broadcaster, 0:21:45.440 --> 0:21:49.320 which at the time England was lousy with pirate radio 0:21:49.359 --> 0:21:52.840 broadcasters that weren't allowed to broadcast certain things, uh in England, 0:21:52.880 --> 0:21:55.720 so they'd go outside to international waters. And what Christians 0:21:55.760 --> 0:21:57.840 later did, it's right. And there was a movie philipsy 0:21:57.920 --> 0:22:01.359 Moore Hoffman was just then about pirate radio. Okay, I 0:22:01.400 --> 0:22:04.479 believe called pirate radio. Yeah, it sounds familiar. But anyway, 0:22:04.520 --> 0:22:08.840 this guy, English Major Patty Roy Bates was a pirate 0:22:08.920 --> 0:22:13.680 radio broadcaster who took up residents September nineteen sixty seven 0:22:14.720 --> 0:22:19.879 about six thousand square feet this platform is and said, 0:22:19.960 --> 0:22:24.040 you know what, I'm the Prince of Sea Land. And 0:22:24.119 --> 0:22:26.360 his wife just shook her head and he said, but oh, 0:22:26.560 --> 0:22:29.920 you're the Princess of Sea Land, so don't shake your yeah, 0:22:30.000 --> 0:22:31.679 and then she was down with it. And this is 0:22:31.680 --> 0:22:34.800 the Principality of Sea Land, and we are our own 0:22:34.960 --> 0:22:37.520 nation and we are not a part of England, so 0:22:37.680 --> 0:22:40.960 be it. Yeah, and that was pretty much how it started. 0:22:41.760 --> 0:22:46.440 So this guy, I guess the story would probably end there. 0:22:47.200 --> 0:22:50.200 But this guy was bound and determined. He was dead 0:22:50.240 --> 0:22:53.000 serious to get call him a crack pot or whatever, 0:22:53.040 --> 0:22:55.879 but this guy made this place right. One of the 0:22:55.920 --> 0:22:59.160 great crack pots though. So, uh, I guess what was that? 0:22:59.160 --> 0:23:03.000 That was the nineteen sixty seven. The next year, the 0:23:03.000 --> 0:23:06.639 British Navy sailed into this guy's waters. They were aware 0:23:06.680 --> 0:23:08.720 of them. Yeah, they went to fix a buoy. Is 0:23:08.760 --> 0:23:11.119 that what happened? Yeah, there was uh some sort of 0:23:11.119 --> 0:23:14.359 buoy out there that needed maintenance, so they entered his 0:23:14.520 --> 0:23:20.119 waters air quotes and he son son Michael Actually I think, um, 0:23:20.160 --> 0:23:22.080 this was wrong. I think his son Michaels, who fired 0:23:22.119 --> 0:23:25.000 warning shots in the air and got in trouble. Well, 0:23:25.040 --> 0:23:27.080 you you get the attention of the navy when you 0:23:27.119 --> 0:23:31.840 start firing shots, like for their attention, you know. Um, 0:23:32.040 --> 0:23:34.600