Libertarians vs Tongans

[Cramulus]

(this post shamelessly quotes wikipedia)



Minerva
An attempt to build an artificial island and form a new libertarian country.

The new land was located on Minerva Reef, south of Fiji, but the island was seized and annexed by Tonga shortly afterwards.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Republic_of_Minerva





The Republic of Minerva was one of the few modern attempts at creating a sovereign micronation on the reclaimed land of an artificial island in 1972. ... They anticipated a libertarian society with "no taxation, welfare, subsidies, or any form of economic interventionism." ... According to Glen Raphael, "The chief reason that the Minerva project failed was that the libertarians who were involved did not want to fight for their territory."

They started their little utopia, minted some currency, and then the shit hit the fan.

In 1972, the king of Tonga issued the following proclamation:

On 15 June 1972, the following Tongan government gazette was published:
PROCLAMATION
His Majesty King Taufaʻahau Tupou IV in Council DOES HEREBY PROCLAIM:-

WHEREAS the Reefs known as North Minerva Reef and South Minerva Reef have long served as fishing grounds for the Tongan people and have long been regarded as belonging to the Kingdom of Tonga has now created on these Reefs islands known as Teleki Tokelau and Teleki Tonga; AND WHEREAS it is expedient that we should now confirm the rights of the Kingdom of Tonga to these islands; THEREFORE we do hereby AFFIRM and PROCLAIM that the islands, rocks, reefs, foreshores and waters lying within a radius of twelve miles [19.31 km] thereof are part of our Kingdom of Tonga.

So the tongans showed up on the island, and the minervans, not wanting a fight, lowered their flag.

Ten years later, a group of Americans led again by Morris C. "Bud" Davis tried to occupy the reefs, but were forced off by Tongan troops after three weeks.

By 2005, Fiji, Tonga, and the Minervans all say they own the territory, but nobody cares enough to actually fight over it.

[Requia ☣]

How's that no standing army working out 

[East Coast Hustle]

They got off easy. Tonga only sent troops. They could have sent a dozen of their women.

[Requia ☣]

They got off easy. Tonga only sent troops. They could have sent a dozen of their women.

Having met dozens of Tongan women at the same time, I can only say 

[the last yatto]

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/How_to_Start_Your_Own_Country_%28TV_series%29