Highly Placed Sources

Later this year a “garage band” of Massachusetts programmers and webmasters who have become disillusioned with America’s policies, both foreign and domestic, will apply to the United Nations for recognition of the first “unlanded” country.

Much like the web-based role-playing game Second Life, the new principality, named “Mu.2” after the mythical lost continent of Mu, will exist entirely on its own forthcoming website. “Mu.2 will have its own Constitution, its own government, its own laws and a very liberal immigration policy,” one of the unlikely set of nation-builders explained.

The group expects to cover their country’s ongoing costs by charging people to become a citizens, with greater legal rights granted to those willing and able to pay more. “The idea,” the group leader explained, “is to do openly, honestly and de jure what is done de facto in America today. For example, the Mu2 Constitution lays out varying rights attached to Fifth, Fourth, Third, Second and First Class citizenship, with the higher classes costing more per year the lower.” This system of collecting government revenue, he explained, they considered fairer than any currently existing method. Other sources will include on-line gambling and off-the-grid banking fees.

That this proposed new cyber-country would not be a democracy shows the intensity of disdain its founders have for the actions of the American government has taken over the last few years.. Instead of elections where the people choose between candidates, the choice of legislators and chief executive up to chance – a random selection will be made every five years from all classes of citizenry. It is the group’s feeling that “Random choice can’t create a worse government than America has now.” A random system also keeps money and incumbency from giving an advantage to one candidate over another, and frees the politicians-by-surprise from having to concern themselves with reelection.

The founders themselves will take lifetime positions in the Mu.2 government equivalent to a seat our on Supreme Court, leaving no doubt as to what those who framed their constitution intended.

The burning question for what its founders call a “pseudoutopian society” is whether a country that exists only in cyberspace can, for example, print its own currency, issue its own passports, sign treaties and be generally accepted as a real entity by the nations of the world.

The website of the Da Vinci Institute says in an article on virtual countries that “once a new country emerges, the issue of recognition comes into play. Recognition is a primary factor in an emerging country’s credibility and often determines the stability of the new government and the role the country will play in the international arena” and goes on to discuss ways that an unlanded nation could argue for and perhaps achieve recognition.

So don’t start packing to go nowhere just yet. Only time will tell whether a country that does not exist on any map will ever be viable.