Turns out that building a nation requires sacrifice and the willingness to put the needs of your country before your own. Go figure.

The Republic of Minerva fell at the hands of the Tongan Navy. The Minervans didn't put up a fight and the atoll was later reclaimed by the ocean.

Peter Thiel and his ilk think they are this generations oil barons or railroad tycoons.

The biggest difference I think is that they are complete pussies. Like, I feel like Leland Stanford would put up a fight. I might kick JP Morgan's ass but he would get some good shots in. If Thiel or any of these other tech millionaire loudmouths got into a fist fight with a Girl Scout they would end up weeping and bleeding, every time.

I have a wonderful little book, published by the now extinct press Loompanics, called "How to start your own country' by Erwin Strauss. It has a comprehensive list of these sorts of experiments, up to about 1984. Well worth reading for those who, like Mr. Thiel, seem to have been born yesterday.

Yeah, freedom is hard. Better to stay put on the plantation.

I, for one, welcome a world where all the libertarians have gone out to sea to die.

Because being a tech billionaire in the US is like being a slave. Homer, the absurdity of these libertarian micronations is all the trouble these dorks go through just to make statement about hating taxes. They're willing to go through tons of trouble and expense to live on a barge, rather than have the benefits of our society and have to pay taxes.
When their barge nation fails sinks who do you think they're gonna call?

And to further Cena's point: he's paying 15% tax on his investment income, whereas you and I pay 30% tax on our wages and personal income. And does he fight to keep these freedoms, or do you? Plantation? Frankly, those slaveholders actually took care of their slaves, they were valuable assets. We aren't even that. But I know, you're just Evilhomering us. Frankly, I like EvilHolden much more than Homer: more of that cat please.

I remember an episode of Forensics Files where there was this sort of libertarian island paradise baby boomers would sail yachts to. This couple staying at the island had a top of the line yacht and apparently one hand gun to defend themselves with. It didn't take long until a drug dealer from Hawaii stole a beat up boat and drifted over to this island. Long story short, the drug dealer got the fancy yacht and the remains of the couple washed up on the island months later in a steamer chest.

Holy cow.

They still make actual deck cannons for boats that just snap in place and are ready to go.

If I had a 30' sailboat it would be armed like a bergantina, Star Trek didn't raise no freighter captain.

I could see pirates being a threat to these micronations if they ever got off the ground. Soon enough they'd come crawling to the very nation's they shrugged off for help.