ROAD READS
Road Reads
"Micro Nations," by John Ryan et al.
|
TOOLBOX
   Resize
COMMENT
 Discussion Policy
 CLOSE
Comments that include profanity or personal attacks or other inappropriate comments or material will be removed from the site. Additionally, entries that are unsigned or contain "signatures" by someone other than the actual author will be removed. Finally, we will take steps to block users who violate any of our posting standards, terms of use or privacy policies or any other policies governing this site. Please review the full rules governing commentaries and discussions. You are fully responsible for the content that you post.
Who's Blogging  |
BOOK: "Micro Nations," by John Ryan et al. (Lonely Planet, $14.99)
TARGET AUDIENCE: Tongue-in-cheek rebels and patriots
It sounds like an idea hatched late Saturday night in the freshman dorm by perpetually dateless guys: "Let's start our own country, man, with our own flag and postage stamps . . . " But some really have done it (with varying degrees of seriousness).
Like when the feds blocked U.S. 1 in Florida City, causing citizens of the Keys to secede and declare themselves the Conch Republic. The Maritime Republic of Eastport was an Annapolis neighborhood until a bridge closure threatened local businesses. (Its Declaration of Independence states: "All men and women are created equal, as evidenced by the fact that . . . they all wear the same beat-up deck shoes.") Segway scooter inventor Dean Kamen simply bought his country, an island off Connecticut, and called it the Kingdom of North Dumpling Island (official currency: the dumpling).
There are dozens of such stories here, wryly presented in a guidebook format. (Incidentally, as a revenue venture, issuing postage stamps rarely works.) -- Jerry V. Haines
![[slate.com logo]](http://media.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/graphic/2007/09/27/GR2007092701096.GIF)
