Special to L. Neil Smith’s The Libertarian Enterprise

"When you start living the life of your dreams, there will always be obstacles, doubters, mistakes and setbacks along the way. But with hard work, perseverance and self-belief there is no limit to what you can achieve.”
― Roy T. Bennett, The Light in the Heart

The afternoon of 31 January 2021, our team in Oklahoma met with people from Tulsa, Okahoma and Fayetteville, Arkansas several of whom expressed great enthusiasm about the property we had found. We received an additional verbal commitment of funds, bringing the total to roughy $155,000. Also that afternoon we hit a major setback.

The property we visited is no longer available for purchase. We did find the listing on Zillow and we did first contact the real estate agent about visiting the property who confirmed that we could look it over in person, and we’ve been back many times since then. However, it is now off the market.

As Mike Swatek, our chief engineer, expressed it, we learned a great deal from this experience and we know a lot more about what to look for in a property and how to plan its uses. So we move forward.

You Getting Involved

Suppose you want to get involved? How would you go about that? Well, the simplest and fastest and most effective way to get in touch is to email me at the address at the top of this essay, [email protected]

Doing so would get you in touch with me directly and I’m one of the people knowledgeable about this project as you can see. We have a Telegram broadcast channel on which we have posted the current version of the business plan. We also have a Telegram chat discussion for people who want to share ideas or discuss the ideas of the project. There are also many people in different parts of the world working on projects of this sort, and I am eager to make, for free, introductions to any of them.

In my last essay, I also profiled some of the other people involved in our Oklahoma project in particular, and in the broader FreedomLandDAO.com project. Also in that essay you’ll find some media links to interviews I’ve done.

Although the videos of the particular property we are no longer able to purchase are no longer relevant, we do have this channel: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCI4EWtTtCOoDnzc2VUW2KAQ and we plan to add other video sites on LBRY and Bitchute etc. So you should be able to get some audiovisual information as time goes on.

We are still accepting commitments from prospective lot users and prospective investors, although we do not currently have a property under contract. We do have funds for a down payment, and in at least one case of a property that may be suitable, the full purchase price, based on previous verbal commitments. Thus, although we are not ready to accept your money, we would love to hear from you about your interest. And if the Ozarks are not for you, we are working with people in many other places you might like to locate. Also, we can help you start your own VALIANT project on your land or on land you identify. Everything we do is open source.

What Ideas Though?

One of the ideas we have is that we don’t want the state involved, at all, or to a very minimal extent given that there are states nearly everywhere one might choose to locate. So we have arranged some aspects of our plan to:

• Avoid dispute resolution through their court systems
• Avoid being regarded as a leasing or subdividing enterprise
• Avoid creating a home-owners association of the traditional sort
• Encourage free market activities both within and around the VALIANT project sites
• Build with off-grid technologies and show people how to use those

Although our "lot user agreement" goes into some detail about these ideas, there is plenty of room for improvement. Naturally, not everyone is on Telegram, so other channels of discussion are welcome.

One thought that seems worth discussing in particular is: the people who locate in these VALIANT communities will share a common belief in zero aggression. It is part of the lot user agreement and it is intended to be a requirement for guests and visitors, even those coming to any one of the properties for buying and selling at the market places. So, are we a religious community? I think we can make a sound case that we are, because of the shared belief in zero aggression.

Being a religious community, like in some ways and unlike in others, the Amish or the Mennonite or the Hutterite communities one finds in various places, may bring certain advantages. It may increase the extent to which we would be left alone. Of course, it might not, and it may have other effects that would be deleterious. It might go well in some places and not in others. So when I say it is a though that seems worth discussing, I mean very specifically: I have formed no fixed opinion on this idea, it is simply an idea, and it is not meant to be imposed in any way.

That phrase "not imposed" seems like a good one to be a watchword for our communities. Imposing on each other, on our neighbours, on the future we have in mind, on people near or far, should be anathema. We should avoid being jerks or nuisances.

Scoping It Out

One place to be in April to learn more MidFest which is discussed at MidFest.info and on a number of Telegram channels.

The basics: MidFest will be 17-18 April 2021 at Copperhead Rally Grounds in Spavinaw, OK

You’d be very welcome to come visit, or stay and build.

Free the slaves. Stop the wars. End the state. You’ll be glad you did.

 

Jim Davidson is an author, entrepreneur, actor, and director. He is the vision director of HoustonSpaceSociety.net You can find him on Twitter.com/planetaryjim as well as Pocket.app and Flote.app also as planetaryjim. He appreciates any support you can provide as times are very difficult. See the Paypal link on this page. Or email your humble author to offer other choices. This week Jim learned that SubscribeStar.com/planetaryjim is working, so he’ll be adding new things there soon. Visit IglooLuau.com for more information. Those seeking a multi-jurisdiction multi-hop VPN for communications privacy please visit https://secure.cryptohippie.com/houstonspacesociety.php For those seeking colloidal silver try ppmSilver.com/Jim Ask Jim about CryptoWealth. Coming soon: FreedomLandDAO.com - under construction. Just arrived: FreedomDeFiSoftware.com