by Frederick Mann and Taansen Fairmont Sumeru
© Copyright 1995 Build Freedom Holdings ALL RIGHTS RESERVED
OCEANIA:
FLOATING SEA CITY AND FREE COUNTRY
Copyright Exception
New country activists are invited to make copies of this report and distribute
them among their friends and associates. We also welcome any comments,
questions, criticisms, and suggestions from anyone interested in the vital
area of New Free Country Creation.
Introduction
Towards the end of May, 1993, I (Frederick Mann) was paging through Reason
magazine. A two-page spread advertisement on "Oceania" caught
my attention. As I studied the ad, it was as if a strong, insistent, persistent
thought pushed itself into my brain: "There must be a better way of
doing this!" In a flash it came to me: "A worldwide, borderless
free country." Jim Robertson was with me at the time. We immediately
started brainstorming the idea. Within a few minutes we came up with the
name: "Build Freedom."
During that same session we also came up with the notion of an "information-based" (as opposed to territorial) country. Within a week we sent out a two-page flyer on Build Freedom to about 20 individuals and 30 newsletters. Our starting capital was $250. The flyer invited people to buy a few reports (we still had to write) and sign on as Distributors. The newsletters were invited to also become Distributors and publish our flyer as an advertisement (at their expense). Three of them did. This beginning resulted in people quickly joining from the U.S., England, France, Israel, and Australia.
So, Eric Klien, co-founder of the Atlantis Project provided the spark that inspired Build Freedom!
An Atlantis Advertisement
"CAPITALIST PARADISE
BREAK THE CHAINS THAT BIND US ...
SPONSOR A COUNTRY!
"Two chain breakers, Mike Oliver and Eric Klien, have decided to create a new country. Not only will it break the chains that bind us to a corrupt system of government but it will break the chains that bind us to land as well.
Appropriately named Oceania, this new country is expected to be built off the coast of Panama, 50 miles due east. Oceania will utilize ocean pontoon floating technology, similar to that used by the Saigon Floating Hotel, off the coast of Saigon, Vietnam, which was designed by Sten Sjostrand. Its parent company, The Atlantis Project, will cause this country to come to fruition.
This new country is being formed with you in mind. You've seen enough of the tax collector; you're tired of business and investment regulations. In our country - OCEANIA - you are able to practice genuine free enterprise - in the grand tradition envisioned by Von Mises, Hayek, and Rand. Keep the rewards of your labor - all of it!
We'll help you take back control of your life, liberty, and property, and bring a new era to humankind! Be the first to show you're fed up with the current system and are willing to do something about it. Sign up as a sponsor of Oceania ...
Elections in the U.S. are not open and fair. Elections in major cities are fixed regularly and on a large scale. This problem has existed for decades and it's not getting better. Even worse, the world is following the collectivist example of the U.S. Across the planet, privacy is being destroyed and regulations are multiplying like rabbits in heat.
Examples: Andorra, formally the 'ultimate tax free paradise' has signed a trade accord with the European Community which will force Andorra to impose the first significant taxes this virtually tax-free nation has imposed since it was founded in 1278 ... Switzerland recently ended its practice of allowing numbered bank accounts ... Beginning Jan 1, 1993, anyone wanting to deposit more than ECU 15,000 ($17,250) in the bank of a member country of the EC will have to identify himself and the source of his money to the bank's officials ... Japan imposed its first capital gains tax in history, causing a 50% drop in its stock market ... Austria will join the EC in 1995 which will end its bank secrecy laws ... Costa Rica has ended its pensioñado program. Retroactively.
Soon there will be no place to hide. Here is a recent appalling example:
Dave Simpson from Torrence, California made a lot of money brokering Taiwanese
electronic equipment in the U.S. He decided to put much of his profits
into a Cayman Island bank. All these transactions were duly reported to
the IRS.
The bank that he used ended up being involved in a drug-money laundering scandal. All of Mr. Simpson's bank assets were frozen at this bank by the U.S. government, even though he was not a suspect in the case. These assets will remain frozen until the investigation is over, which may be another four to five years. In the meantime, Mr. Simpson has lost his house and his business because he was unable to make payments. Yet, on paper, Dave Simpson is technically a millionaire. The U.S. government is unconcerned about Mr. Simpson's private property, even though he did nothing wrong.
The world is falling apart. Japan's economy is in shambles. Germany's economy is now 52% directly controlled by its government, and the U.S. is about to nationalize healthcare. Oceania will be your only haven from this growing global disaster...
You are tired of:
A) Oppressive taxation
B) A failing educational system
C) Hillary's socialized medicine scheme
D) The alphabet soup of government agencies regulating every facet of your
life.
E) All of the above.
If you can identify with our multiple choice test, you will appreciate what the Atlantis Project is creating.
Welcome to Oceania. A floating sea-city is being designed by our architect, Sten Sjostrand, the model of which will be ready very soon. This futuristic construction will take place in the Caribbean, in international waters outside the hurricane belt. Join with us as we make our dream of a free country become reality.
A Capitalist Paradise. Come live in Oceania ... or just visit. Either way, there will be no better place on earth to do business. Upon habitation, a stock market, banking, import/export - the whole spectrum of completely free, private enterprise - will commence. Imagine investing or running your business without the interference of government bureaucrats and tax extortionists. The only people you need to answer to will be your customers and contractors. The only person who may touch your earnings is you. Imagine the wealth that becomes available when the non-productive and their government agents are kept out of your bank account!
A Haven for Free Thought. Are you ready to begin living your life like an adult? You don't need the government being your nanny. Oceanians will be expected to make their own lifestyle choices. Government will be prohibited from 'sin-taxing,' 'zoning,' 'warning,' and 'censoring' what you listen to, watch, read or write! Any regulation will be done privately. You can do what you want on your own property. You can think and pray as you like in your house of worship. In Oceania, 'Big Brother' won't even be a little cousin!
A New Land of Justice. America began with the intent of seeing that criminals who violated the rights to property and privacy were dealt with swiftly and punished accordingly. A fair trial was promised for the accused. Something happened along the way: The laws became more complicated and intrusive because lawyers and legislators were able to tamper with your sanctity. Things will be different in Oceania. For a crime to be so in our new country, there must be a victim. For a conviction, jurors who understand their proper rights and duties will be in charge."
The Safety and Security Question
Because Build Freedom is also a new country, with a similar purpose, it was
natural to take a close look at the Atlantis Project. The main difference
with Build Freedom, of course, is that its territory is global, even universal
- not limited to any one location. Build Freedom has no borders.
One of the main things the governments of the nation-states, with all their armies, like to do, is conquer and defend geographic territories. To create a new country anywhere on Earth that has borders to defend against other nation-states, is a difficult and expensive proposition fraught with constant problems.
Some people in Build Freedom recognize that so-called "borders" are basically mental concepts. A so-called "border" is usually not an actual physical phenomenon in nature. It's just an idea, with a line drawn on a map. That's all. And based on that little idea, trillions of dollars in finances have been poured down the drain in wars to defend that little line on the map. This is sheer stupidity.
Seeing this, and looking for a more intelligent arrangement, Build Freedom's Founder, Frederick Mann, conceived a country that rises to a higher, more rarefied level - a mental nation. This raises the issue of so-called "borders" entirely above the level where militaries can invade. We operate on a higher frequency, beyond the reach of armies. Since we have no so-called "borders," we actually encompass all the lands that claim to have "borders."
It's possible that as more and more people become Build Freedomns, lands owned by them will be declared Build Freedom territories. Some small areas have already been so declared. This, then, may potentially need defending, but such defense will be decentralized. In any case, generally when people declare their land or location a Build Freedom territory, they don't announce to the world where their territory is. If any defense became necessary it would be the responsibility of the owners of each area, not Build Freedom as a whole. Build Freedom as a whole will still remain borderless.
It's interesting, then, to observe the advent of the Atlantis Project, whose organizers do in fact propose to create a physical, geographic territory. Albeit on the ocean, it will nevertheless have definite borders, complete with strong military defense capabilities. Oceania would float in international waters in the Caribbean Sea, and would clearly expect to be a "sitting duck" - an easy target and an open invitation for the militaries of nation-states to try and conquer.
For this reason, Frederick Mann posed the following questions to Mr. Lee Daniel Crocker, former Secretary of the Atlantis Project:
Lee Daniel Crocker responded:
Many questions remain, but these answers are sufficient to leave consideration open, and let you draw your own conclusions.
Government in Oceania
Two books, The Constitution of Oceania and The Law of Oceania,
each 26 pages, explain how government and laws function. They revolve around
the theme of maximizing individual liberties and minimizing government.
They show a good deal of wisdom in basically creating the open market for
genuine free enterprise, with the absolute minimum enforcement of laws
necessary to allow protection from crime.
The Constitution is quite explicit about NO TAXES, in Article Three, "Powers Specifically Forbidden to the Government". It specifically forbids a list of 35 different types of taxes typical of other governments, "as well as any mandatory collection under any other name." This is, very fortunately, a very strong display of the wisdom of a tax-free haven for free enterprise. The small government would be funded exclusively through voluntary donations to specific departments and functions. The court system would operate by voluntary subscription of all participants, and receive user fees from the losing party.
Other things forbidden to the Government of Oceania include engaging in business in any way, appointing ambassadors, running embassies, owning real property, owning streets or waterways, borrowing or lending money, minting money or stamps, restricting emigration or immigration, giving itself eminent domain, declaring emergency, engaging in religion, entering multinational treaties that would compromise Oceania's Sovereignty or Constitution, rationing, funding or running schools, funding welfare programs, or funding scientific research, police, firemen, garbage disposal, public transportation, insurance, art, or prisons.
The things government doesn't fund will be provided by the free market.
While Oceania plans to provide for some of the same blemishes of society that ordinary countries do, such as a military, punishments for crimes, and prisons, these are nevertheless arranged like free-market businesses, in which all Citizens can voluntarily choose if they wish to support them or not, rather than being taxed by the old hierarchy of government. Thus, anyone who has a better idea is welcome to offer it on the open market. When all the aspects of the country are considered, Oceania is actually quite radically and vastly different from any other existing national design.
It is most likely to attract only people of like mind, who are mature and expect to be treated maturely. The freedom-oriented design of the laws and social structure of Oceania will mainly attract producers - creative and productive people. When all or most of a society is healthy, intelligent, self-reliant, and productive, then the legal remedies for social ills will be needed far less frequently than with ordinary countries.
Therefore government as such in Oceania is very limited. The country could more be likened to a collection of companies, each of which has its own rules and enforcement procedures. This would apply to housing developments as well, where the overall government has no say in zoning and so forth, but each community can agree on whatever rules it wants, and enforce them. Then residents are free to leave if they don't like it, and move to another community within Oceania that they prefer.
The overall tone of the laws creates an atmosphere which is as conducive as possible for the production and enjoyment of affluence. Business and trade would be in paradise - a place where creativity and productivity could boom, unrestricted by any form of government interference, socialist parasitism, or other collectivist fingers-in-the-pie.
While even the most free society in the world, with the least government and no taxation, still cannot necessarily solve all the social problems of human beings and create a utopia, nevertheless it certainly can create a far more conducive atmosphere in which the solutions to those problems can be tried. Successful experiments in the improvement of life have already proven many solutions to exist in every area of living, but because most countries are so frozen in their old laws and structures, implementing them has proven almost impossible.
In Oceania, the design of government and laws is such that the people will be far freer to try anything they like, as long as it doesn't violate the freedom or property of others.
Publicity
There has been a tremendous amount of publicity about the Atlantis Project.
In the summer of 1993, Atlantis Project spokesman Eric Klien was interviewed
on several major radio talk shows in America and New Zealand. In America
he was interviewed on July 9 on Coast to Coast AM radio show with
Art Bell, which has estimated listeners of over 750,000. His interview
was scheduled for one hour, but it was so exciting that it ended up going
for three hours. The phone lines to Art Bell "burned up." Art
Bell was most impressed with the level of detail that had gone into designing
Oceania, from the court system to the location to satellite phones to underwater
hotels. "If you don't think out the details, there's no reason anyone
should take you seriously. We are very serious about this," said Eric
Klien.
The September '93 issue of Details magazine, with a circulation of 400,000, featured color photos of the English Pilkington Glass Sea City idea, along with a report on the Atlantis Project. Even a brief mention in Elliot Wave Theorist generated a large response from readers. Articles in Life Extension Update, Boating, WISE, PC Techniques, Mouse Monitor, Loving More, The Miami Herald, and other publications, Dave Barry's nationally syndicated column, and ads in Human Events, The Affiliate, Reason, South China Morning Post, Usenet BBS, and Liberty magazines generated large numbers of responses. Television commercials were also created and aired, generating more response.
The PC Techniques article was an editorial by their Editor-in-Chief, Jeff Duntemann, and appeared in their Feb/March '94 issue. An excerpt reads:
"Imagine a 10-mile diameter carpet of floating hexagonal tiles, joined flexibly at their edges. Each tile is 300 feet across. Some support low-rise buildings, some are parks. Some are left out, to provide 'lakes' for swimming, sport boating, and scuba diving. One would presume that others would support farms; you could put a fishery in the 'basement' of any single tile. Surrounding the whole is wide, flat floating breakwater that could support more than enough solar panels to power the whole shebang. Park this creation in a tropical latitude where there are no hurricanes (these do exist) and people would pay dearly to live there. Think of it as a Hawaii that you could build more of if you needed it.
Such a place, like my fictional Zhilchistan (see END. for Dec/Jan '94) could have a great future as a banking center operating through our ever-better satellite network. Given the direction virtually all traditional governments are taking, Oceania could support itself handily by doing nothing more than exporting electronic privacy (which will become mighty rare by the year 2000), and not tax its citizens at all. The big trick is to build it in the first place. Even an initial core with all the necessary infrastructure would cost hundreds of millions of dollars.
Then again, if you start with a floating bank and offer a retirement community in a tropical paradise, there are any number of very rich people around the world who might move there and bring their money with them to avoid estate taxes that begin (in the U.S.) at 65 percent or so and go up from there to 90 percent or more. By 2010, America's Baby Boomers will own virtually everything of value in this country, and will begin to realize that when they go, the government will simply swoop down and take everything they have. Never forget that computers and electronic banking have made wealth extremely transportable, and that the very existence of our economic system depends on it remaining that transportable.
Atlantis may well rise after all ..."
Epilogue
On May 24, 1994, I (Taansen Fairmont Sumeru) called to find out the current
status of the Atlantis Project. A recording said, "Hi, you have reached
the Atlantis Project. Unfortunately, we have closed our doors, and are
out of operation. You can leave a message if you wish. It may be a little
while before we get back to you, but we have closed our doors. Bye-bye."
Absorbing this mild shock and surprise with a feeling of perplexity, I made a few more phone calls. I called Eric Klien, the founder, at his home number, reached his answering machine, and he later reached mine, confirming that the project is definitely terminated for the time being. I spoke at length with Chuck Geshlider, one of the early co-founders, who advertised his Gold Standard Printing company in the Chain Breaker newsletter. I spoke with Julie Guichebarou, the girlfriend of Eric Klien, also at length.
They served me with a variety of conflicting stories, the details of which are unnecessary to go into here. Suffice it to say that there is substantial dissension among them, serious accusations of wrongdoing, and pending lawsuits. Donors and lenders have lost their money, and the project has no more operating funds. It effectively came to an end in March '94.
Upon reflection, though, I was not all that surprised, unfortunately. The one hint I have had all along, is that the newsletters and solicitations for donations all appeared fear-based. Every mailing painted a picture of how the whole world is going to hell, and our only hope for escape is Oceania. While it is true that there are forces moving the world towards a police state, and freedoms are becoming less, it appeared immature to me that The Atlantis Project mailings always flagrantly played upon these fears to try to scare people into getting involved. That approach indicated bad omens.
It clearly revealed that the core directors lacked the maturity, personal power, integrity, and virtue needed to hold such a big idea together and guide it smoothly through to fruition. That's why I personally never got involved.
The world also has many positive things happening. The mushrooming publicity on exposés is unprecedented in history. Millions more people are waking up now than ever before. Thousands more freedom organizations exist now than ever before. People are learning how to use the Information Age and high-tech communication methods to exponentially magnify the freedom message faster than ever before. The so-called growing power of the police state is counterbalanced by an equal or greater power of the masses getting wise to it. Why not attract participants with a focus on these positive aspects?
It was unnecessary and counterproductive for The Atlantis Project to use fear as its primary motive for people to get involved. Using phrases like "the chains that bind us" and Chain Breaker assumes that we have all somehow subjected ourselves to the growing police-state conditions, which is just simply not true. Millions of Sovereigns have quietly lived almost completely free lives for years, many for decades, and many times more have lived semi-free, with little or no problems. Using the assumption that we are all bound is inaccurate, but even if it were accurate, it is still a weak premise for motivation.
Nevertheless, Oceania was a great idea. There are many positive reasons why it might or should still happen. If people are attracted to it because of its positive advantages and benefits, it could still become a great success. If new leaders with sufficient integrity and harmony come along who could revive it and still make it work, it could become a priceless and historic addition to the freedom assets of the world.
Letter from Eric Klien (11/2/94)
"Dear Frederick:
It's been over four months since my last mailing and things have almost
settled to the point that I can begin mailing regular announcements again.
One thing you could do right away to help get things going again would
be to read the enclosed flyer and consider purchasing The Atlantis Papers.
It provides a good explanation of why we designed our Constitution
and Law the way we did. The price of the book, which includes the Constitution
and Law as appendices, is well worth the detailed discussions on personal
liberty set forth within. Naturally, the Atlantis Project benefits from
the sale of this book, which will help us pay our debts and get going again.
The Atlantis Project will eventually restart, although it will take many months before a start date can even be guessed. I learned a lot from my first attempt to start a new country and my next start will be done correctly. It will be approached from an investment standpoint instead of trying to live off donations. In addition, I have learned that a completed model is the key to getting the publicity needed to launch such a project, so the currently completed model will be paid for before the Atlantis Project is restarted. And, of course, all Atlantis Project debts will be paid before the project is restarted. The list of lessons learned was a long one, and I will go into the soap opera of what happened in future postings. (Eventually, I will write a book that covers the events in detail.) I will make sure that this knowledge is not wasted and that eventually a free country will be born.
What am I doing now? My main occupation at the moment is to rebuild my finances. Before I got into the political world, I was a retired computer programmer. Now I am worse than broke, I am deeply in debt. To solve my financial situation, I have become half owner in a software company that produces artificial intelligence programs that run on IBM compatibles and produce employee schedules. So if you know of any companies that spend at least one hour a month producing employee schedules, give me a contact at the company and you'll earn a 25% commission. My company has already placed two systems and is in full sales mode. I have been working night and day for the past few months getting the program up to spec. (In addition to handling Atlantis Project related crises.) Now that the program is good enough to sell, I finally have time to handle other aspects of my life including The Atlantis Project.
Anyway, I have learned a lot of lessons and expect my coming year to be a lot more joyful than my past year. I plan on regaining my wealth plus more, repaying my debts, plus I will attempt again to start a new country. And this time, I will make sure that I don't overspend in the attempt nor attempt such an undertaking without a business plan that has been approved by the financiers that I will need for such a project. And most importantly, I have learned that it is much better to work smart than hard. I nearly killed myself working long hours on The Atlantis Project and have little to show for my efforts.
Enclosed is information on the new book, The Atlantis Papers. Expect a new issue of our newsletter shortly. It will include the latest information about The Atlantis Project plus other new country projects." [Information on The Atlantis Papers at the end of this report.
New Country Report (Newsletter)
During November, 1994 I (Frederick Mann) received a copy of Issue 1 of
New Country Report (quarterly, $12 per year - PO Box 849,
West New York, NJ 07093 - e-mail: c/o Marc Joffe, 7104.142@compuserve.com).
I read it with great interest and excitement. In his article "Atlantis
Project Lessons," Eric Klien shares some of the lessons he had learned
from his attempt to launch Oceania:
"Lesson 1: People do not want to invest in a venture unless they are shown that they will get a profit under most conceivable circumstances. Therefore the future Atlantis Project will ask investors to put money into already profit-generating marine ventures which will then use part of their resources to generate prototypes of the hexagons that Oceania will be composed of. Even if Oceania fails, the investors will still own shares in a profitable marine company.
Lesson 2: You should always look for ways to do things free or if not free, on a commission basis only. Paying lots of people three-figure weekly salaries is a good way to go broke. Even if you can afford their salaries it is still taking a risk to shell out that much money. I have taken this lesson to heart. My employee scheduling company has three programmers. Total salary cost: ZERO.
Lesson 3: You should not allow your overhead to exceed your income. The Atlantis Project was spending thousands more per week than it was taking in. I learned from this experience so my software company has extremely little overhead. In fact, the only overhead it had, a cellular phone, was recently cancelled because I currently can't afford it.
Lesson 4: You don't need to spend large sums on publicity if you are engaged in actions that are worth publicizing. I was contacted by many media sources including a big network and was told that if the model was completed they would cover the unveiling. So this time instead of directing money into ads, I will direct that money into paying for the model." [One of the early phases of the project was to build a model of Atlantis, costing between $50,000 and $100,000.
Open Letter to New Country Activists
New Country Report inspired me (Frederick Mann) to write the following
Open Letter:
New Country Report will make for easier cooperation between new
country projects from which we'll all benefit. With just a modest degree
of cooperation we can bring about the "freedom race" described
by Marc Joffe before the turn of the century. Actually, within Build Freedom,
the "freedom race" has already started and is rapidly gaining
pace. But I'm running ahead!
Consider three economic sectors: public, private, and free. The public sector is the government or coercive sector - the master sector. The private sector consists of economic enterprises that obey and finance the masters and obtain "privileges" from them, like monopoly licenses, subsidies, tariff protection, government contracts, tax concessions, etc. This is the slave sector. Enterprises in the slave sector use "corporations" and other slave-structures. Consider a U.S. Supreme Court ruling still in effect:
"There is a clear distinction in this particular case between an individual and a corporation, and that the latter has no right to refuse to submit its books and papers for an examination at the suit of the State. The individual may stand upon his constitutional rights as a citizen. He is entitled to carry on his private business in his own way. His power to contract is unlimited. He owes no such duty to the State, since he receives nothing therefrom, beyond the protection of his life and property. His rights are such as existed by the law of the land long antecedent to the organization of the State, and can only be taken from him by due process of law, and in accordance with the constitution. Among his rights are a refusal to incriminate himself, and the immunity of himself and his property from arrest or seizure except under a warrant of the law. He owes nothing to the public so long as he does not trespass upon their rights.
Upon the other hand, the corporation is a creature of the State. It is presumed to be incorporated for the benefit of the public. It receives certain special privileges and franchises, and holds them subject to the laws of the State and the limitations of its charter. Its powers are limited by law. It can make no contract not authorized by its charter. Its rights to act as a corporation are only preserved to it so long as it obeys the laws of its charter." Hale v. Henkel, 201 U.S. 43 at 47 (1905).
People who conduct their economic affairs in accordance with Hale v. Henkel operate in the free sector - the real free-enterprise sector. Build Freedom is the free-enterprise sector of the world. We operate on the principles of property rights, voluntary exchange, and the sanctity of contract. A major purpose of Build Freedom is to bring about a massive shift of people, resources, and economic activities from the master and slave sectors into the free sector. We call this the Build Freedom Shift.
The 14th Amendment to the U.S. Constitution created a creature called a "U.S. citizen" - euphemism for slave. U.S. citizens are subject to federal and other statutory jurisdiction. The feds operate on the basis that they own their slaves - therefore: (a) They have the right to draft their slaves into the military and send them off to foreign lands to kill strangers and be killed; (b) They own slave-children and have the right to force them into concentration campuses for mind destruction; (c) They own the fruits of slave-labor and may take whatever portion they desire; (d) They own the bodies of their slaves and have the right to tell them what they may and may not put into their bodies; (e) they own the businesses of their slaves and have the right to regulate them as they wish.
Now, the masters took many other steps to turn individuals into slaves. Practically all these steps have been flagrantly fraudulent. We need a better term than "masters." I propose "terrocrats" - (short for terrorist bureaucrats) people who use misrepresentation, fraud, coercion, violence, and terror to claim "jurisdiction" so-called over their victims, in order to control and dominate them, and to live off them and their labor like parasites or cannibals.
If you look up entries like "14th Amendment," "U.S. citizen," and "person" in Black's Law Dictionary, and do some further research, you'll find that "person" - which includes a "corporation" - is a synonym for slave. You'll also find that one can have the status of "sovereign American," "state citizen," or "sovereign individual" - all more or less synonymous with the "individual" referred to in Hale v. Henkel.
If you read the tax code, you'll find the terrocrats use the word "person" (slave). Nowhere will you find them saying that a "sovereign individual" is liable for income taxes. You'll find statutes, regulations, and court rulings saying the "taxpayer" must do this and that, but these don't apply to the "sovereign individual." (Though the tax code frequently uses the words "person" and "individual" interchangeably, this does not change the fact that the federal income tax applies only to certain people - see Build Freedom tax reports.)
If you research common law, you'll find that there's been a centuries-old tradition of two classes of people: "freemen" and "slaves." The American Revolution broke the tradition and created a society of free and sovereign people - free individuals. However, since then the terrocrats have been spectacularly successful in gradually re-establishing the master-slave tradition.
If you examine freedom movements, you'll find that much of what they do consists of asking the terrocrat masters to please treat us less like slaves. And they've done a superb job in educating other slaves to ask the same. This is reflected by the spectacular gains of freedom-oriented Republicans in the recent U.S. elections. Libertarian candidates also received a great deal of publicity and their powerful freedom principles have helped shift everyone more towards freedom. The time has now come to take the next step.
The legal means have been developed whereby you can change your status from "slave" to "sovereign individual" - and live your life and conduct your business in accordance with Hale v. Henkel, or nearly so. Example: In 1993 a gang of terrocrats from the IRS and Post Office raided the sovereign business (free-enterprise gold bank) of Anthony Hargis in Orange County, California. They seized records, files, computers, and money. Hargis indicated to them, essentially, that he was a state citizen (sovereign individual) and that they had no jurisdiction over him and his business. They backed down completely and returned everything they had seized. There are senior terrocrats who know that even in their own courts they would face a tough and very embarrassing ordeal, if confronted with a knowledgeable sovereign individual like Anthony Hargis.
In Build Freedom we advocate that people correct their status so as to become sovereign individuals, and that they reorganize their businesses as sovereign businesses, or create new sovereign businesses. Obviously, a sovereign business - not subject to most regulation and taxation - has huge competitive advantages over slave-structures (corporations) in the slave sector.
The creation of World Trade Clearinghouse (WTC) - a worldwide system that makes possible transacting using gold as currency in complete privacy - provides further enormous advantages to sovereign businesses in the free sector. WTC allows clients worldwide to transact with each other 24 hours a day, 365 days a year - completing transactions within minutes - via computer, modem, and encryption in perfect privacy.
The Build Freedom Shift is accelerating. At this time (November, 1994) capital is moving into the Build Freedomn economy (at least, the small portion I know about) at a rate of over $100,000 a month - some months over $200,000. During next year it will become $1,000,000 a month; during 1996, $10,000,000 per month. All the capital to launch WTC came from Build Freedomns.
Build Freedom applies the economic means to build freedom. The momentum has already become unstoppable. During the next few years there will be an explosion of individuals shifting their economic resources and activities into the real free-enterprise sector that is Build Freedom. Business in Build Freedom will enjoy huge competitive advantages over companies that remain in the slave sector. I predict that even companies like IBM will either shift into the free sector, or go out of business.
The power of the terrocrats is tenuous - flimsy, easily dislodged - as demonstrated by Gandhi defeating the British Empire, the collapse of the Berlin Wall, and the overnight evaporation of the Soviet Union. Power is shifting into the hands of those with the best information and the most competent at applying it; i.e., those who apply the most effective strategies.
All this should be of great interest to those involved in creating new territorial countries. From Build Freedom they can acquire Freedom Technology: the practical knowledge, methods, and skills to life free - the street-smart know-how to outwit the terrocrats at every turn. In their personal lives they can correct their status to sovereign individual and shift from the slave sector into the free sector. If it's appropriate for them to retain their U.S. citizen-status, they can still shift from using slave-structures such as corporations to using free-structures such as trusts that operate in accordance with Hale v. Henkel.
They can think in terms of what businesses and industries need to be created as precursors to building floating-city free countries For example, radio stations and hydroponic agriculture. The creators of floating-city free countries could think in terms of creating such businesses on land and making them highly profitable. When they have a large enough industrial base, they build several floating-city free countries and move their business empires there.
One of the factors that enables you to make a business highly profitable is to operate in accordance with Hale v. Henkel - and/or to provide products and services to enable others to shift into the free sector. WTC is an example of a service that makes this easier for people around the world.
In order to shift into the free sector, some people need more knowledge. Build Freedom and our associates already provide most of the necessary knowledge. Certain real free-enterprises institutions are also necessary - like WTC, enabling people to transact freely, safely, and securely. Hopefully, many more free-sector institutions will be created during the next year or so in areas such as energy, utilities, communication and transport, health, education, etc.
Free-sector pioneers in these areas will become millionaires and billionaires during the next decade. To appreciate the mind-boggling potential, consider the size of the terrocrat and slave sectors. Imagine that most of what's being usefully done in these sectors will be replaced by free-sector enterprises. We're talking about multi-billion-gram-gold business empires! We're talking about moving into a vacuum. We're talking about outcompeting the terrocrat and slave sectors.
Some people need to overcome their fear and develop their personal power before they would consider shifting from the ostensible "safety" and "security" of the slave sector into the perceived risk of the free sector. To this end, Build Freedom will be establishing Personal Power Institutes around the world, where people can learn to overcome their fear and become vastly more powerful as sovereign individuals. The first Personal Power Institute will start operating early in 1995.
Personal Power Spreads to New Zealand
Fax just received from Ian Fraser in New Zealand:
"Dear Frederick,
I'm writing to you with, what I hope you'll agree is, an exciting proposition.
I've been an avid reader of your material and subscribe to your newsletter.
I have also just returned from Colorado where I have completed my training
as an Idenics [explained below] Practitioner (thanks to you!) I also met
Paine's Torch while over there, who was full of enthusiasm for what you're
doing.
Anyway, to get to the point. I think I've come up with a way to maximize exposure for Build Freedom here in New Zealand.
Two good friends of mine (one a leading broadcaster and one a successful entrepreneur) are launching a new nationwide radio network at the end of February - The Liberty Radio Network. It's a hugely exciting concept and programming is nearly complete. What follows is quoted from their statement of intent:
"RADIO LIBERTY
I've already spoken to my friends and what I have in mind is a regular "Build Freedom" report on air! This could consist of "news" style bulletins gleaned from various Build Freedom sources and the re-broadcasting of selected recorded material from your seminars. Listeners would be given the opportunity to order Build Freedom materials and "declare" themselves Build Freedomns!
New Zealand is in a unique position to move toward a truly free society. We're small and adaptable and there is not the inertia that one finds in much larger countries. I think you'd find considerable interest from this part of the world - as a result of some effective airtime.
Anyway, let me know your thoughts. I envisage myself as hosting the program and acting as an Agent for Build Freedom."
Idenics
Idenics is one of the most effective technologies I know of to increase
your personal power. (Ian Fraser, incidentally, calls his company "Personal
Power Ltd.") Idenics enables you to remove "unwanted conditions"
from your life. Such "unwanted conditions" can dramatically reduce
your personal power. Comparing Idenics to other practices (like psychoanalysis,
hypnotism, est, Scientology, Neo-Tech, etc.), I estimate that Idenics is
of the order of 100 times as effective in increasing personal power.
The fact that Ian Fraser has treated himself to Idenics greatly increases
the probability that he'll be spectacularly successful! (See end of this
report for contact information.)
THE HARRY PLOTT SAGA
Introduction
Just over a year ago Build Freedom made contact with Harry for the first
time. He risked $49.00 to order the first batch of our materials. As a
former "Federal Employee," he was amazed to discover (from The
Economic Rape of America: What You Can Do About It) the extent
to which Americans were being economically raped. He was even more amazed
to find out (from Wake Up America! The Dynamics of Human Power)
that there were practical things he could do immediately to increase his
personal power and freedom. The people from Build Freedom said it was possible
to actually live as a Free Sovereign Individual. It sounded almost too
good to be true!
They also went a step further and said that he could operate his business as a "Sovereign Business" free from practically all taxes and government regulations. They said his business could become vastly more profitable if he implemented Build Freedom principles. Well, during the past year he's been implementing Build Freedom principles in both his personal life and his business. His freedom and personal power have indeed increased phenomenally. And so have his profits!
During the past year the assets of his business have increased by several million dollars. Over a million dollars of that increase is directly due to implementing Build Freedom principles and the support from other Build Freedomns.
In '91 the terrocrats (terrorist bureaucrats) started "investigating" Harry's business. He successfully handled their "questions" over a two-year period. Here's the rest of the story in Harry's own words (extracted with permission from his Dec., 1994 "Confidential Report"):
"Preparation
I hope you can understand that even though for a number of years, I had
been developing my basic concepts of freedom, individual rights, the true
nature of government, and so on, putting these concepts into practice,
while confronting the enemy "face to face" is extremely difficult.
The basic intimidation and fear created by years of brainwashing creates
an almost overwhelming urge to acquiesce and take the easy way out.
All of these little skirmishes helped me prepare for what was about to come. The seeds of my discontent had already begun to sprout.
Freedom Technology
In the Fall of '93, I ordered everything available from an outfit in Arizona
called "Build Freedom." Their material confirmed, explained
and expanded on my basic belief system. Their "Build Freedom Trust"
package was the exact structure needed for my idea for a business co-op.
With little delay, I got a few of my friends together, completed and recorded
the Trust documents. WNH [World Network Holdings] was born - a Sovereign
Entity.
The "System" Attacks
In May, '94, I got a phone call from a reporter for the Harrisburg "Patriot
News." (A misnomer if I ever heard one.) He wanted my comments on
the "Cease & Desist Order" issued against me and WNH
by the PA [Pennsylvania] Securities Commission. I had no such Order! The
reporter had a copy of this Order even before I did! The next day I received
the Order. This was just the start of similar attacks by the so-called
free press...
The so-called article was a public indictment of my activities and beliefs. Wait a minute! Wasn't WNH outside of the STATES's jurisdiction? Wasn't a Pure Contract Trust a "Legal Entity?" Not according to "them."
What am I going to do? I've got everything "on the line." I'm not going down without a fight! I called Build Freedom and got Frederick Mann on the phone. I explained what was happening. He told me he would make a few calls and get back to me. Within a few minutes he called me back. This is the person you want to talk to, he told me.
In a matter of minutes, I was in contact with one of the best legal minds in the country. Of course, I didn't know this at the time. I discovered his distinguished qualifications later.
Within a few weeks, I was completing a series of documents that would change my life. We then prepared our legal ammunition and fired our first shot. We returned the PA [Securities Commission]'s Cease and Desist Order with a "Refusal for Cause." We demanded a "Judicial Notice of Foreign Law." Yes that's right, common law is foreign to the STATE's legislative law.
This was in Aug., but we are still in business. I was served with a subpoena for our records, and I refused. I was subpoenaed for my appearance and I refused. In Sept. I was told that a warrant would be issued for my arrest for criminal and contempt charges. I said, do it! And we are still in business.
Could the STATE be in error? In Nov., after [our] "Due Process of Law" [motion], our Default Judgment against any further action by these people became final. [Because the PA Securities Commission did not respond to the "Due Process of Law" motion, they automatically subjected themselves to a Default Judgment that prohibits them from taking further action.]
I hate to do this to you, but I am out of space. I will continue this saga with our Jan. end of year report. HWP."
Conclusion
If you have all your ducks in a row and you know what you're doing, you
can sometimes stop the terrocrats dead in their tracks. Anthony Hargis
successfully followed a similar procedure with his free-enterprise bank
in Orange County, California. However, not all of us are as brave as Harry
Plott and Anthony Hargis. We can operate in ways that are pretty well invisible
to the terrocrats. This is an essential aspect of Freedom Technology. Keep
tuned for the rest of the Harry Plott saga!
The monthly Build Freedom earnings from promoting WNH have been:
Month Earnings
March $4.50
April $12.06
May $896.67
June $1,317.44
July $2,345.44
Aug. $3,437.49
Sep. $4,745.10
Oct. $5,362.40
Nov. $6,642.06
Dec. $8,300.00 (estimate)
Total Over $32,000!
The above figures are for illustration only.
Comparing Build Freedom to Atlantis
Atlantis promises that if they can gather the many hundreds of millions
of dollars necessary to build their floating city, then their inhabitants
will enjoy many freedoms.
Build Freedom says that practically anyone, in many parts of the world (particularly America) can enjoy practically all these freedoms to a considerable extent right now. In order to enjoy these freedoms, you need to acquire Freedom Technology: the practical knowledge, methods, and skills to live free; the street-smart know-how to outwit the terrocrats at every turn; the means to protect your income and assets from terrocrats and other marauders; the means to counter-attack and stop terrocrats dead in their tracks; ultimately, the means to evaporate the bogus power of terrocrats. Freedom Technology also includes the means to self-actualization - covered below in more detail.
In order to implement Freedom Technology, you may need to increase your personal power - maybe not quite to the level that Harry Plott has; one-half of his level might be quite sufficient! You may also need to increase your competence.
Build Freedom also says that, not only can freedom be sold for a profit, but that pioneers like Harry Plott and the principals of World Trade Clearinghouse will become millionaires and billionaires selling freedom.
The Commercialization of Freedom
In order to understand the enormous power of Build Freedom it's helpful to
compare it to Bill Gates and Microsoft. Bill Gates was the first person
to successfully commercialize personal computer (PC) software. Before Gates,
most PC software was shared among hobbyists and other PC users. Nobody
really thought of this software as products to be marketed and sold commercially.
Gates was the first to challenge the "freebie-software" ethic,
an idea that did not sit well with the PC hobbyists and users of the time.
The first company to successfully commercialize freedom on a worldwide scale is I & O Publishing Co., publisher of Neo-Tech [contact information on last page of this report]. Build Freedom goes a long way beyond I & O Publishing in that it has a much stronger focus on personal power and freedom, and the practical means for anyone to enjoy extensive freedom, to laugh at terrocrats, and to make a fortune selling freedom. Build Freedom further plays an active role in creating and promoting real free-enterprise institutions such as WTC and WNH.
Like PC software, the commercialization process will quickly spread freedom throughout the world - maybe within a decade. Every few months we'll find a "Harry Plott" or an "Ian Fraser" who will study the Build Freedom materials, integrate them, and apply them - and become spectacularly successful!
By commercializing PC software, Bill Gates and Microsoft have transformed a relatively obscure machine into something (a device) which can now be used by practically everyone to make their lives and businesses much more productive. Today, it's difficult to imagine running any business without one or more PCs.
By commercializing freedom, Build Freedom is transforming the relatively obscure idea of freedom into something (Freedom Technology) which can now be used by practically anybody to become more powerful, free, competent, and wealthy.
Prior to the founding of Build Freedom, freedom was seen as a noble cause, for which you donated your time, money, and energy. Whereas the methods Build Freedom uses to spread freedom are highly effective and successful, many freedom-activists continue to spend their time, money, and energy using conventional or archaic approaches with minimal results.
Both Microsoft and Build Freedom sell information products: one sells computer software to make PCs more successful; the other sells human software to empower individuals to become more successful.
Freedom-activists who haven't acquired Freedom Technology are like the PC hobbyists of 20 years ago, playing with the early versions of the Basic programming language, punched into paper tape. Build Freedomns who apply Freedom Technology are like Bill Gates in his own office, using the latest and greatest PC software, not only Microsoft's, but also that of all his best competitors!
[Acknowledgment to Mark Lindsay for this Build Freedom-Microsoft analogy and insights related to the commercialization of freedom.]
Build Freedom as an Open-Ended Framework
Build Freedom is also an open-ended framework or context that inspires people
to do their own "Build Freedom thing." For example, David Dreas
(see page 1) decides he's going to mint Build Freedom coins. Fine! He doesn't
need any "permission." He just goes ahead and does it. If he
structures his business so we can profit from promoting it, and we think
it's worthwhile, we'll promote it at our expense. If he wants to rent our
mailing list, we'll rent it to him (subject to approving his mailpiece).
If he runs into difficulties with terrocrats (as in the case of Harry Plott), we'll do our best to provide assistance, or to connect him with the best legal expertise available.
Similarly, Harold Porter issues Build Freedom passports and vehicle operator certificates. It's his business. He makes the rules. He gives us a percentage, so we help promote his business. Anybody else who wants to start a business in competition with Harold, issuing Build Freedom passports, etc., is welcome to do so.
In the open-ended Build Freedom framework or context, anybody can do anything. We only ask that they follow the Build Freedom Code. This highlights another important difference between Build Freedom and Atlantis. The Build Freedom Code has 12 clauses, 485 words, half a page. Atlantis has about 70 pages of Constitution and Law (see The Atlantis Papers, order information on last page of this report). Sometimes there is more power in simplicity.
Objections to New Country Projects Answered
[Reprinted from New Country Report (quarterly, $12 per year
- PO Box 849, West New York, NJ 07093 - e-mail: c/o Marc Joffe, 7104.142@compuserve.com).]
"Objection: States, perceiving the new country as a threat,
would quickly invade.
Answer: Let's not overestimate ourselves. The flyspeck country we
create would be nothing more than a tiny blip on the world's foreign policy
radar screens. It simply wouldn't be worth invading. Certainly, American
public opinion would not support a U.S. invasion of a tiny, non-belligerent,
non-communist nation. As our new country becomes more prosperous and thus
more prominent, it will be possible to acquire means of defense to deter
potential aggressors.
Objection: All previous new country ventures have failed. Why
do you think you can do any better?
Answer: If the Wright brothers had used this kind of reasoning they
wouldn't have invented the airplane! And, indeed, what we propose is significantly
less ambitious than human flight.
There is no scientific reason why an artificial island offering comfortable living and working facilities cannot be constructed, nor is there any political reason why a parcel of land cannot be leased for the creation of a free-enterprise zone. Either objective can be achieved if we raise sufficient funds, devise a practical plan and employ qualified managers.
With each failure, we learn additional lessons that can be employed in the next project. One of the objectives of New Country Report is to disseminate these lessons for the benefit of everyone engaging in new country activity.
Objection: I wouldn't to move there. After all, there's more
to life than freedom. The people I care about and the things I want to
do are all here in America.
Answer: You may not want to move to the new country at first, but
perhaps you might like to take your vacation there or invest some of your
money in it. And, as the new country's economy and culture develop, it
will offer amenities rivaling those we have in America. At that point,
perhaps you and your loved ones will want to join us.
Objection: New country people are a bunch of crackpots.
Answer: Certainly the idea of starting a new country attracts many
unusual people. But it is also attracting a number of highly successful,
competent individuals, many of whom have substantial financial resources.
The editors of this newsletter recognize that for an ambitious project
like this one to succeed, it must be managed by capable, business-oriented
individuals. Ineffective or overly contentious people, like those who frequently
hamstring the LP [Libertarian Party] and other activist groups, cannot
be permitted to obstruct our progress.
Right now, the idea of starting a new libertarian country sounds odd because it has not been successfully tried before. But this is true of any great, entrepreneurial idea. Remember that 12 years ago, the concept of an overnight delivery service that routed all packages through Memphis, Tennessee was seen as so foolish that it rated only a "C" from a business school professor. Of course, today this idea has become Federal Express, and no one is laughing any more.
Objection: Activism of any type is a waste of time and emotional
resources. Better to concentrate on my own happiness than try to change
the world.
Answer: Many of us derive satisfaction precisely by trying to change
the world! Psychologist Abraham Maslow identified self-actualization, the
desire to do something worthwhile, as the highest human need. Of course,
how one achieves self-actualization is a subjective matter, but we believe
that starting a new, free country is a pretty good method!"
Self-Actualization
After reading both Maslow and Nietzsche, I (Frederick Mann) concluded that
Maslow's "self-actualizer" is a reformulation of Nietzsche's
"Übermensch" or "Superman." Maslow's "hierarchy
of needs" was lifted from Nietzsche's book The Will to Power.
To me, self-actualization involves becoming all you can be - ultimate personal growth and self-development. I contend that most of us operate at a level that represents a very small percentage of what we could be - maybe around 2% or 3%. Through current Freedom Technology (including Idenics) we can quickly raise our level to maybe 5% or even 10%.
Many of the things we need to do in order to self-actualize are covered in Build Freedom reports. In the near future we'll expand this area tremendously.
Self-actualization involves improving the software in your brain. As in the PC, software is senior to and drives hardware. Build Freedom has a tremendous emphasis on developing and improving human software. All the other new country projects I know of seem to focus exclusively on hardware - creating a physical territorial country.
Self-actualization includes (but isn't limited to) the following:
Much of the information on how to do all this is covered in the Build Freedom materials. Contact us for a free Catalog.
Conscious Decision-Making
Bill Gates is a brilliant, superb decision-maker. That's the single factor
most responsible for his spectacular success. The Atlantis Project came
to a grinding halt as a result of the decisions of its principals.
Most of us make practically all our decisions unconsciously and automatically. Just ask yourself what thought processes or mental steps you go through in making your decisions. Ask your friends how they make their decisions. Listen to their answers. Then ask yourself how many of their decisions they really make that way.
In my opinion, the most important difference between Eric Klien and Bill Gates lies in their respective decision-making abilities. Build Freedom personnel are currently writing a manual on conscious decision-making.
Why Atlantis (or a Similar Project) Will Succeed
Sooner or later, one or more "Harry Plotts" or equivalent entrepreneurs
in the free territorial country movement will emerge. They will be considerably
self-actualized individuals, working on constant self-improvement and self-liberation.
They will also learn as much as possible about previous and current complementary
initiatives - including Build Freedom. This will virtually guarantee their
chances of success.
As soon as this success becomes manifest, many new free territorial countries will be created all over the world. Terrocrats around the world will quickly lose their support and their bogus power will be laughed away
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