Union for Talossan Progress :: The Official Website

The Illusions That History Hath Wrought

by Txec Ereufighleu, [Gr] 22 January 2007

There are two specific artifacts of Talossan history that the Kingdom and the Republic hold onto that are quite controversial to which I will expound upon in my traditional pot-stirring progressive fashion. The two artifacts to which I am referring to (and are inherited very strongly by the Republic) are the 'secession of the Kingdom from the United States' ⁽¹⁾ and the 'land claims to specific parts of Milwaukee and other parts of the world' ⁽²⁾. Both of these issues are integral to each other and are really one. In order to have land claims we need to have a secession. I will address this singular issue in this document. I do not think that many will ascribe to my Progressive belief as most will hold on to, and find dear, the Illusions of the History of Talossa.

Secession?

What does it really mean to secede? To delve deeper into to this topic let us really get a feeling for how the word is defined - secede and secession. What follows is an aggregated definition as found in various sources throughout the internet:

secede: To withdraw formally from membership in an organization, association, or alliance
secession: Secession is the act of withdrawing from an organization, union, or political entity. Typically there is a strong issue difference that drives the withdrawal. The word is derived from the Latin term secessio.

Some of the key points to this definition for our purposes is that a secession is a formal withdrawal from a political organization with justification,. Formal and Justification are what I am going to key on here. It is also possible to justify secession based on cultural grounds which usually results in some form of the previous problems as is in the case of Quebec secessionist movement, but this does not apply to our case.

When King Robert I formed the Kingdom of Talossa its lands only consisted of his bedroom ⁽³⁾ ⁽⁴⁾, and it was not until following 17 March 1982 or so that the Kingdom truly started to annex parts of Milwaukee and the rest of the world (which can be gleaned from the histories of Vuode and Ataturk provinces). During either of these moments was there a formal announcement to the US government (or the other affected governments or their peoples) to let them know that this was happening? I do not mean just a post on a website or a speech that was read to your family and friends at your home, especially when there was not a government official present in an official capacity to witness said event. Did Robert Madison make a reasonable attempt to inform the US government of this movement and his intent? Did he file paperwork, write letters, complaints or grievances to the US government, which finally ended up with no alternative but to secede?

Was there a real reason for secession or was it just cool to claim to do so? Was there an injustice, discrimination or human rights violation that occurred that spurred on a secessionist movement - a cultural movement or need that could not be met? If so, was that detailed and was there an attempt to allow the government to rectify it or was it just out-of-the-blue and 'Oh and by the way I am now the king of a new micronation and here is my cool website and stuff associated with it'?

I am pretty sure that no reasonable attempt was made to notify the US government and no real justification for ‘secession’. I am pretty sure that documents were not filed and sent to the governments so that they could rectify the problems that the young King had (if any)? I am pretty sure that the US government has never received a copy of the declaration of independence or an intent to secede. If someone could prove me wrong, please do.

Another key factor in a secession of a territory is that it would require the notification and agreement of at least a majority of the residents of the involved territories. I am pretty sure that none of the residents of the areas that Talossa has land claims to had, at any time, any notification or involvement with the aspiring King's intentions for their homes and their up an coming fealty to their self proclaimed king. The only people that received word most likely would have been his parents and a few friends and they would have thought of him as a funny, eccentric, and a brilliant young man.

The Republic, the Kingdom, and a Mad King. Does that a Secession Make?

Did the founders of the Republic make a formal announcement of their intent and justifications to secede? ⁽⁵⁾ Yes. Were there perceived injustices, descriminations or harm wrought and did they try to get them corrected? Yes. Was there a agreement amongst the majority of those that the secession would affect. Yes. We have the making of a true secession ladies and gentleman.

Where Do We go From Here?

With all of the above points not supporting a valid secession from the United States it makes you wonder why this is held on to so tightly. If we consider ourselves a serious micronation with definite intent to sovereignty would we not want to base our futures on the truths that the rest of the world, as well as ourselves, could accept and not base it on the illusions and imaginings of a young brilliant mind? How could a macronation take us seriously when we make land claims to a macronational super-powers' territory and do nothing about it? Why do we hold tightly to this self-deception? What is it about this that is so necessary for our existence? Why is letting go of this glamer so difficult? Perhaps a little bit of it might be that it is an intimate part of our collective past, and part of the ‘truths’ that we are used to so strongly believing? Perhaps it is out of a sense of belonging that we cling so tightly? Other micronations have land claims so why don't we?

Where do we go from here? The Kingdom's secession from the US is not valid and therefore the land claims are not as well. That puts us in the realm of a non-territorial sovereign - an Ephemeral State as all micronations are until that fabled moment when they obtain land, with the possible exception of the former Sealand. We are in the same boat as pretty much all other micronations out there, except once we accept this and its ramifications we can move on free of the illusions of the past, unfettered by traditions that hold us back. I want us to be able to pierce through the veil of this brilliant illusionists magic. We can truly move forward in a progressive fashion by throwing down the fettered shackles of the illusions that history hath wrought.

Accepting that we are an ephemeral state wil allow us to move forward as one. The Republic of Talossa is a micronation that is composed of citizens whose macronational residence are from countries all over the world. We can look forward and make decisions based on what would be best for us as an ephemeral state and not worry about land claims and historical ties to the US. I am not saying that these traditions are not important. They are, but they are an important part of our past and should remain there.

If we want to truly have land claims to US lands and to validate our historical claims, then we will have to make a concerted drive to convert most of residents of Milwaukee areas that we lay claim (as well as other parts of the world) to the Republic and then collectively declare our intent to secede and see what happens. If not, the other option we have is to generate a million dollars or more and buy some land and then let the true nation building begin.

References

Definitions of Secession and Secede

Secession Topic

Txec's Posts

References to the Secession from the United States from the Kingdom's Sources

ÁrPäts

“Independence Day was 26 December 1979. At 7:00 PM, the King’s family assembled at his Prospect Avenue home, where the Talossan flag was draped across the coffee table. Ben’s friend Gary L. Cone, whom Talossa recognized as the US Ambassador, entered the room. Next came Robert Ben Madison, in the blue suit he wore to debate meets, done up with paper medals and ribbons. For a crown, he carried an ancient blue Milwaukee fire department dress hat he bought at a used bookstore for $3.00. A friend called it the “Romanian train conductor’s hat.” Madison read a brief speech (since lost) about his new nation. Then, in his first official act, this High School sophomore read a Declaration of Independence officially proclaiming Talossa’s secession from the United States. Fastening the blue hat upon his head, he was transformed into His Royal Majesty, King Robert I of the Kingdom of Talossa, and a bedroom on the second floor of an American house became a free, sovereign, and independent nation, as champagne toasts were enjoyed downstairs.”

ÁrPäts, The Rise and Fall of the Kingdom of Talossa, 1979-2005 : page 9, first paragraph

Kingdom of Talossa's Official Website

“I, Robert I, His Royal Me, proclaim the Kingdom of Talossa to be an independent unit in the master plan of World Singular Secession. In doing so, I am seceding from the United States of America. (Promulgated 26th December 1979) ”

Article I: Declaration of Independence - Talossan Organic Law

“The metropolitan territory of Talossa consists of all land on the Talossan Peninsula south of a line drawn from east to west through points lying equidistant from the north and south curbs of Edgewood Avenue, i.e. the former border between the City of Milwaukee and the Village of Shorewood. The territorial waters of the Kingdom extend half-way out into the Milwaukee River, south and west of the national territory. The territorial waters extend into the Talossan Sea (Lake Michigan), a distance of three kilometres eastward. The metropolitan territory also includes the island of Cézembre, off the coast of France. The territory of the Kingdom extends into the atmosphere above the land and water territory. This territory is sacred and inviolable. It shall not be ceded, reduced or broken up. This territory is claimed, occupied and administered by right of history and shall never be abandoned.”

Article II Section 3: Declaration of Independence - Talossan Organic Law

“WHEREAS Talossa's secession from the United States of America on 26 December 1979 was a formal declaration of personal autonomy and the basis of a successful community, and not a Republic of Texas / Montana Freeman / Kurdistan -style declaration of intent to use violent means to establish a “truly sovereign” (if such is possible in globalized world characterized by the IMF, Citibank, Mitsubishi, etc.) nation-state, free of any and all external jurisdictional control; and”

RZ51: The "Padlock the Foreign Ministry" Act

“The Kingdom of Talossa is an independent, sovereign nation in North America, which seceded peacefully from the United States in 1979 (but we're not sure the United States noticed). Our Kingdom is located on the western shore of La Már Talossán (Lake Michigan), surrounded by the U.S. city of Milwaukee, Wisconsin, but today most of our active citizens live in other parts of the United States and Canada, Europe, South America, Asia, and Africa.”

Kingdom of Talossa : Home Page

“On 26 December 1979 Robert Ben Madison, a 13-year old high school student in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, declared his bedroom to be an independent sovereign state: the Kingdom of Talossa. He took the Throne as King Robert I. Beginning in 1981, other people were admitted to the RT (Regipäts Talossán; Kingdom of Talossa) as citizens. Democratic elections began in 1981 and the nation became a constitutional monarchy in 1985.”

Kingdom of Talossa : History of the Monarchy

“The Kingdom is bounded on the west, north and south by the United States of America (specifically the City of Milwaukee and its suburbs) and on the east by Lake Michigan, having grown considerably from the original bedroom in 1982-3 to encompass the East Side of Milwaukee (formal territorial claim). These claims have never been officially disputed by the U.S. Government, so obviously they have no complaints.”

Kingdom of Talossa : The Talossan Realm

“Independence Day was 26 December 1979. Jimmy Carter was U.S. President, and under his leadership the USA was to suffer yet another foreign relations crisis. Distracted by the hostage crisis in Iran, Carter's State Department failed to notice the secession of a small but vital part of the State of Wisconsin. In a turn-of-the-century Tudor house on a tree-lined street near the campus of the University of Wisconsin at Milwaukee, the independent Kingdom of Talossa had been born.”

Kingdom of Talossa : Talossan History