Seven Paths to Liberty
The Las Portadas Strategy
Protests are erupting in streets throughout the world. Everyone has been touched by the financial mayhem that has been unleashed on the planet. While most people do not understand why it is happening, it is becoming increasingly clear that politics is the source of the problem. The intellectual elite would have us believe that it is because of lax regulation of the marketplace – while they continue to add new regulations by the thousand to protect their cronies. They would like us to support a more forceful redistribution of wealth from the productive citizenry to the dependent political class – which they breed in increasing numbers. While the most heavily indoctrinated societies and other intellectually captive groups continue to believe them, we know better. The politicians – who tend to break even their own rules – are the ones who are most in need of regulation. Only through the discipline and accountability of a free and naturally competitive market for valuable goods and services can the ills of society be resolved – and greed be kept in check. Services that have no value can not survive in the real world. Tyrants can not survive without subsidy. Civilization will advance where tyranny is in chains, and thrive where it is abolished.
The founders began to understand these fundamental principles when they designed a Constitution for the United States. They knew that politicians without a tight leash quickly develop into tyrants. They had the right idea, but they didn’t go far enough in substituting market mechanisms for the state. Their social contract has failed in many respects - even to the point that the most fundamental directives specified in the document are flagrantly disregarded. Today Washington has broken out of its Constitutional chains and crossed the line into a dictatorship where the executive bypasses the legislature and writes his own laws. So it is being demonstrated that even a severely limited republic that specifies exactly what political powers are permissible can develop into a monster. Contrary to what we have been taught, it is much more difficult to keep tyrants in check than rogue tycoons. The tyrants have been given license to build immunities around themselves and their cronies that allow them to monopolize any industry they choose. It is a difficult lesson that there is an infinite number of ways for the beast to outsmart its captors. If a society must resort to politics, it had better put a clear and enforceable date on its expiration.
In the last four years, there has been an interesting turn of events. It has been refreshing to see what appear to be genuine attempts at true Constitutional restoration – particularly the Ron Paul presidential campaign. It is a rare sight when someone can survive in Washington for twelve terms without being corrupted by politics and special interests – particularly during the climax of collectivism. It will be interesting to see how far the grassroots libertarianism that has powered his revolution will be able to advance, and, if successful, how long the newly attached Constitutional chains will last. Unfortunately, the price of freedom in a democracy is eternal vigilance. Once the apathy returns, so will the tyranny. Even if the strength of the chains is increased sevenfold, the slithery beast will surely find another means of escape. Every system of political restraint is inherently precarious. Fortunately, in the long term, politics itself is entirely unnecessary – as I have clearly and thoroughly demonstrated in my life’s work, “Instead of Politics (Civilization 101) .” One day – unless statist biological engineers entirely breed out individualism and creativity - the almighty state will go the way of the Pharaohs. It is only a question of time.
Rather than watch and wait, however, I have taken the initiative to develop a strategy to accelerate the development of modular enclaves of freedom that overcome the imperfections of majoritarian democracy and other political systems. Based on the guiding principles outlined in my book, Las Portadas capitalizes fully on natural market mechanisms that allow the growth of natural government - which is vastly superior to any political system. While my method does rely to some extent on voting and politicking to speed the transition from political to free societies, any political role in their development is explicitly external and temporary, and any development of politics in any official capacity is explicitly forbidden in the communities themselves. They remain legally polycentric, and must rely on natural legal tort and contract remedies for every flavor of aggression. The modern proven subrogation mechanisms that will be employed are in many ways similar to the Medieval Icelandic empowerment of sovereign individuals to select their own chieftain. Fortunately, in the autonomous communities underwritten by Las Portadas, the number of defenders will not be limited by law as it was in Iceland, so they will not be vulnerable to the cartelization that brought down the Icelandic Commonwealth. The extent of competition for security and law will be unlimited. Further, the direct financial interest of competing insurers in the security of those they protect ensures even stronger incentives for their protection.
Las Portadas will consist of three functional bodies; the Board of Insurance, the House of Legal Review, and the Council of Government Interface. The Board is made up of those who initially underwrite the security of the autonomous communities. The House is made up of those who promote market-based legal remedies explicitly based on individual sovereignty. The Council is made up of those who contribute to the development of these autonomous communities by promoting their establishment and negotiating with existing political entities for their transfer. Any action by any one of these three bodies can be vetoed by either of the other bodies or by the Director. Every activity of Las Portadas must be explicitly authorized by its Constitution. In order to prevent monopolization, the role of Las Portadas in these communities is explicitly limited to services provided on a voluntary basis. Associates may choose alternative legal and defense services at their own discretion, as long as they do not aggress. Residents must abide by the principles of nonaggression in their personal and business transactions. Proprietors must publicly affirm the banishment of political aggression within their realms and in dealings with foreigners.
There are many different ways for businesses and individuals to capitalize on the development of these autonomous communities – and to reap the benefits of associating with them. Las Portadas is designed to provide both direct and indirect financial incentives for their creation and maintenance. Following are seven paths through which sovereign individuals can capitalize on the Las Portadas strategy – while spreading liberty around the world:
1. Become an Associate by signing the Civil Order Pact. After your signature is archived, you can begin to enjoy many of the security and legal services offered by Las Portadas – even if you are not a resident of an autonomous community. COP is a formalization of the nonaggression axiom, and provides the basis for the transformation of wards of the state into peaceful communities. COP bans official and unofficial aggressors from contaminating the community. Gaining the signature of a public official is an especially significant victory for liberty. The more signatures you generate, the more you increase your status as an arbitrator for Las Portadas in every community associated with Las Portadas. The House of Legal Review is structured with a seniority that gives a greater voice to early participants.
2. Become a Resident of an autonomous community by subscribing to the Constitution of Aquia. Residency is available on multiple levels. If you reside on a vessel of any size in international waters, you can maintain your autonomy while receiving the protections and legal services of Las Portadas. If you own shares in a vessel, stead, or CitSOP (Citizen Stock Ownership Plan), you can be either an Associate or a Resident – depending on the level you choose. If you rent property on a MTIP (multiple tenant income property) under Aquia that is in international waters or in an autonomous free trade zone, you can enjoy the full benefits of a world without politics. A US or foreign citizen must formally expatriate from his fatherland in order to fully enjoy tax-free and regulation-free status.
3. Develop a new business or move an existing business to an autonomous community that is underwritten by Las Portadas. There are many restrictions on businesses that operate within the legal jurisdictions of the nation states that envelope the planet. Free trade zones on land and sea will provide havens in which these businesses will be able to thrive. Las Portadas will provide an environment in which unconventional businesses are protected from hostile forces, and in which autonomous business communities and markets can develop freely. The success of existing free trade zones – even on a limited scale - has clearly demonstrated the tremendous benefits of establishing a business in such zones. Autonomous zones expand these benefits exponentially.
4. Register your MTIP (cruise ship, platform, or other property). If you own a MTIP that is compatible with the Constitution of Aquia, Las Portadas can offer you unparalleled guidance and the ultimate level of security, arbitration services, and financial/legal assistance to develop a truly civilized community of any size. If your MTIP has more than 100 residents, the potential financial opportunities are staggering under the Clubstead Master Lease. And as a satellite of the Autonomous Freezone of Aquia, the opportunities to create your own civilization are as limitless as the heavens.
5. Become an underwriter for Las Portadas. Real innovation in the insurance industry has been severely hampered by unnecessary regulation and bureaucracy in the political world. Las Portadas will provide many opportunities for experimentation and investment in a variety of areas – including subrogation. Quantitative statistics, rather than politics, will be the driving force. As a result, there will be no limit to the variety of offerings and the bases for pricing – as long as they are in compliance with the Civil Order Pact. Each underwriter will have a voice in the Board of Insurance based on the extent of coverage provided.
6. Become an arbitrator for Las Portadas. The nonaggression axiom is enshrined in the Civil Order Pact. This principle will provide the legal foundation for all communities underwritten by Las Portadas. For this reason, the highest positions in the House of Legal Review will be given to those who generate the greatest number of signatures of the document, and the earliest members will have a proportionately greater voice than those who become involved at a later date. The House of Legal Review will be the court of final appeal regarding matters concerning the interpretation and enforcement of the Civil Order Pact, the Constitution of the Autonomous Freezone of Aquia, and the Constitution of Las Portadas, and will be authorized to revise the ClubStead Master Lease if necessary.
7. Become a paid ambassador for Las Portadas. Do you have the gift of salesmanship? If you can convince politicians and their constituencies of the merits of free trade zones and privatization, you will be handsomely rewarded. Each Referrer will have representation in the Council of Government Interface, and generate income in proportion to the volume of funds generated toward the purchase or lease of territory. All that is required is the ability to translate the benefits into a message that is simple to understand. Hong Kong, Panama City, and many other free trade zones were created on otherwise useless land. Imagine how much more capital could be generated in a zone that is entirely liberated from politics.
In summary, the Las Portadas strategy has many advantages over those currently used by most individuals who seek to roll back the state. Constitutional reform is prohibitively costly in terms of time and energy – even counterproductive. Where successful, any gains will likely be temporary and illusory, because of the persistent nature of the political beast. Las Portadas combines all of the positive aspects of seasteading, free trade zone creation, libertarian community building, privatization, localization, decentralization, alternative dispute resolution, prison reform, and the underwriting of security and arbitration in one package. Furthermore, by creating strong incentives for the formation of such alliances, Las Portadas has the capacity to become a force for the civilization of the planet, and the eventual elimination of politics itself.
Join with me in my quest to not just bring libertarianism to the forefront of legal and moral intercourse, but to engineer a smooth and peaceful selloff of the tyrannical state in increasingly large chunks, and to translate its elimination into steady streams of income for an army of thoughtful individuals.
You can participate here.