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official state media for a secessionist republic of one

Gogulski becomes stateless

Here's a pretty old post from the blog archives of Geekery Today; it was written about 16 years ago, in 2008, on the World Wide Web.

From Mike Gogulski @ NoState.com (2008-12-10) — Mike Gogulski has declared himself stateless. A new secessionist republic of one is born.

PRESS RELEASE
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Bratislava resident renounces American citizenship, becomes stateless person

BRATISLAVA, SLOVAKIA, 10 December 2008 –- Citing US war, human rights abuses, rapacious state capitalism and hypocrisy, Bratislava resident Michael Gogulski announced today that he has renounced his United States citizenship and become a stateless person as a means of political divorce.

Gogulski, 36, renounced his citizenship on 8 December 2008 at the American embassy in Bratislava, surrendering his US passport and culminating a two-week process and months of personal preparations. He currently awaits a Certificate of Loss of Nationality of the United States confirming his loss of American citizenship. As Gogulski has no other citizenship, he is now a stateless person.

I was disgusted to be associated through citizenship with the most dangerous gang of criminals in the world, the United States government. Renouncing my citizenship is a means of achieving a political divorce with that vile institution, Gogulski said. American politicians extol their state in terms of liberty, human rights, free markets and the rule of law. Examination of the country's history and present actions reveals nothing but lies and hypocrisy. The genocide of Native Americans, slavery, nuclear slaughter at Hiroshima and Nagasaki, support for brutal dictators, the torture of innocents at places like Guantánamo and Abu Ghraib, the massive robberies for the benefit of big business in the name of rescuing the economy, the world's biggest prison population, the growth of a domestic police state and the brutal wars of oppression underway in Iraq, Afghanistan and Somalia paint a rather different picture. America, via its government agents, is truly exceptional – exceptionally evil, he stated.

Gogulski says that when he receives the Certificate of Loss of Nationality he will apply to the Slovak Interior Ministry for a Travel Document — similar to a passport — under the 1954 Convention on the Status of Stateless Persons, which Slovakia signed in 2000. He says that he has no plans to leave Bratislava until then, and that he recognizes that his life without citizenship will be more difficult, especially with respect to travel. But, if the Schengen Zone is to be my cage, Gogulski states, I think it's large enough for me. There's enough to explore within Europe to last a lifetime.

On his personal blog, Gogulski indicates that he works as a freelance translator and editor. He also writes about anarchism and supports the revolutionary theory called agorism, which posits that free-market service providers will compete with and eventually supplant states, giving rise to a voluntary society. Governments pride themselves on notions of equality and rule of law, but fail to apply the same standards to themselves that their subjects must endure, he says, explaining his political philosophy. The foundation of state power, taxation, is robbery. That the robbers have fancy uniforms, impressive titles and the sanction of law does not in the slightest way change the basic formula for extortion: pay us, or we will kill you.

Michael Gogulski's blog can be found at http://www.nostate.com.

— Mike Gogulski, NoState.com (2008-12-10): Press release

I don’t know if the choice of dates was deliberate or accidental, but for what it’s worth, Mike’s new Independence Day — if you clock it by when he issued the declaration on the blog, rather than by when he announced it at the Embassy — happens to coincide with International Human Rights Day.

33 replies to Gogulski becomes stateless Use a feed to Follow replies to this article · TrackBack URI

  1. Aster

    And so now the United States of America, too, has its political defectors.

    By the waters of Babylon, we wept for Zion.

  2. Mike Gogulski

    s/himself statelessness/himself stateless/

    A republic? I thought I was an autonomous collective…

  3. Soviet Onion

    Clearly this republic is nothing more than a rogue state, and will inevitably become a training ground for terrorists without intervention. Mike, my friend, I’m afraid I’m going to have a occupy your couch and start eating your food until an international peacekeeping force can be mobilized to replace me.

  4. Nick Manley

    I am going to have fund local warlords and call it supporting freedom. Then I’ll promote an invasion in support of them to oust Soviet Onion for colluding with a rogue nation.

  5. Mike Gogulski

    All you jokers had best be aware, though, that whenever you’re talking about invading, occupying and eating my place, you’re going to have to deal with Henry, my 17-year-old cat, first. And he is an utterly spook-free Stirnerite, so watch out!

  6. Soviet Onion

    Nick Manley has always been at war with Soviet Onion.

  7. Rad Geek

    Mike,

    Thanks. Fixed.

    Why, how can you ask such a question? You are a republican.

    A republican! Yes; but that word specifies nothing. Res publica; that is, the public thing. Now, whoever is interested in public affairs — no matter under what form of government — may call himself a republican. Even kings are republicans.

    –P.-J. Proudhon, What is Property?

    But, sure, you can be an autonomous collective of one if you want. It’s been done.

    I must warn Nick Manley and Soviet Onion that any violation international treaty obligations with allied states such as the Mike Gogulski Autonomous Zone will provoke an overwhelming defensive response from the People’s Democratic Republic of Charles W. Johnson. I have one of the world’s largest stockpiles of Inter-Continental Blog-based Mockery, which can be, and will be, unleashed in the defense of the free world, if that awful day should ever come.

  8. Soviet Onion

    In the words of a famous and distinguished statesman: Bring it on.

  9. Mike Gogulski

    Given that the conflict here seems to be between Soviet Onion and several others who are not me, may I suggest that you all fight it out to the death, first, and then bring any further proceedings which might still be desirable to you against me once these scores are settled? It would certainly save me a lot of bother, not to mention Henry (he sleeps a lot).

    As for Charles’s ICBM stockpile, well… the trust is there, but the verification is an ongoing matter :)

  10. Nick Manley

    Looks like Charles is the Saddam Hussien of the web. It’s time for someone to dismantle his WMD stockpile, before he gives it to those at war with the U.S. government.

  11. Aster

    Nah. Charles is an indispensable nation. Charles, and only Charles, is permitted to stockpile weapons of mass derision.

    Even if Peoples’ Republics are invariably tacky.

  12. Marja Erwin

    The rest of us must be rendered incapable of sarcasm.

  13. Nick Manley

    And the indispensable nation has just imposed sanctions on Marja for speaking out of turn.

    Life, Love, and Liberty is currently calling for peace talks.

  14. Mike Gogulski

    Can’t we all just get along? Or at least do a multilateral treaty?

  15. Nick Manley

    Free trade agreement or else

  16. Mike Gogulski

    Okay, free trade with Manley. Anyone else with us? Don’t make Charles use that thing…

  17. Aster

    Mike-

    Ooooo… just wait ’til you see the structural adjustment program that comes with that free trade deal. Say goodbye to all that nice food in the frig. Oh, and Henry will have to work 28 hour shifts catching mice in a sweatshop.

  18. Marja Erwin

    Due to treaty obligations, I will refrain from discussing structural adjustment.

  19. Nick Manley

    I will now freely flood your rogue nation with subsidized firearms. This has nothing to do with encouraging revolt.

  20. Aster

    Tsk. tsk.

    Our commercial republic issues a formal proclamation condemning you all for your unenlightened mercantilism.

  21. Mike Gogulski

    Aster: Rest assured that Henry would never approve of such a thing. Besides, he requires the refrigerator — if I serve him his daily ration of wet cat food unrefrigerated he scarfs it down so quickly that it inevitably leads to vomiting.

    None of you shall drive a wedge between me and my feline master!

  22. Aster

    No nation on earth and no force known to physics is powerful enough to prevent a cat from doing precisely what she or he wants.

  23. Nick Manley

    I am for commercial freedom at gunpoint, and a Christian helping hand to the struggling tycoons of industry.

  24. Mike Gogulski

    Lady Aster, your insightful comment has made you eligible to become my Minister for Feline Affairs.

  25. Aster

    Mike-

    Our Royal Ministry of Foreign Affairs expresses most gracious appreciation for your kind offer. Unfortunately, the Commercial Republic of Aster is currently under contract as a client state to Her Imperial Majesty, Scats, She-Who-Must-Be-Obeyed-Even-Though-She Declines-To-Catch-The-Mouse-In-My-Room. We convey our deepest regrets.

    P.S., I’ve dropped the ‘Lady’. Classist. Please just ‘Aster’.

  26. Mike Gogulski

    Many apologies, Aster, both for the classist appellation and for any suggestion of disloyalty on your part toward your sovereign, Empress Scats.

    I do understand.

  27. Shawn

    how long were you living in Slovakia before you, renounced your citizenship?

  28. Mike Gogulski

    My period of legal residency began in early 2006.

  29. Mike Gogulski

    And I’m officially official, retroactive to 8 December 2008.

    Let the coups-d’etat begin!

— 2009 —

  1. Nick Manley -- Classical Liberal Nightmare

    Maybe, I should renounce my citizenship. I don’t ever use it…much

  2. Mike Gogulski

    Step 1: leave country.

  3. Aster

    Nick-

    As long as you’re in America, I very much don’t recommend it. Please don’t make yourself a target for a gesture whose seriousness few will understand or appreciate.

    Citixenship is like white privilege. One hardly notices it, but without it suddenly the world is filled with walls which were previously invisible- and those barriers can easily cost you your future or your freedom. And this is especially true for American citizenship- a prize of privilege which millions of people sacrifice large portions of their lives to obtain. I really, really think that you don’t want to do this. And believe me, I understand the need for a radical gesture that proves to oneself and the world that one’s alienation and rejection of an irrational society is serious. But it can get very cold out there.

    I consider Gogulski’s gesture to be extremely honourable and I respect it a great deal, but please don’t martyr yourself. America just isn’t that kind of place any longer.

  4. Nick Manley -- Classical Liberal Nightmare

    Mike and Aster,

    You should know I will leave this country. I refuse to spend my life as a sheeple in a banana republic extolling a crony version of “economic freedom” and individual self-realization. Let me tell you both that despite fear-anxiety created by certain news stories, I continue to push forward.

    A wise girl once told me Dylan Thomas’s poem:

    Rage rage against the dying of the light. Until the day I die, I will never let the neo-fascists in spirit and matter claim me as their victim.

    Incidentlly, I have thought of Mike’s action as honorable, but I cannot replicate it myself. My current college is a state funded one. And I won’t give the police statists another reason to consign me to the jail cell.

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