Insta-nation . . . just add to water

Why reform a nation when you can build one?

We're centuries away from feudalism, but sovereignty over human beings is still tied to ownership of land. (Even if "ownership" is hardly the correct term for the control that a modern state exercises over an area of territory.)

This has led a number of visionary (read: imaginative) libertarians to propose something radical: build land where there was none and declare it free. Among their ranks, Patri Friedman of . . . well, the Friedmans.

The "land" that sea-steaders dream of resembles a system of interlocking oil platforms over open ocean. They propose to build a whole lot of it. And then live there.

How much will one o' them thar seastead units run yuh? Costs are conservatively placed at $400-450,000 per platform. So Friedman must really want him som freedom.

(I, of course, dare not call him a dreamer, as I consistently vote Libertarian for Congress and President. The chances of my wishes ever being fulfilled make Walden-on-an-oil-derrick seem totally attainable.)