Talk:Wikinews holds a follow-up interview with Kevin Baugh, president of the Republic of Molossia
Here is a complete email transcript of the interview:
molossia@molossia.orgMr. Ford, Greetings. I am quite pleased to hear that the interview went so we...
Apr 28 (2 days ago)
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molossia@molossia.org to me show details Apr 28 (2 days ago) Reply
Mr. Ford, Greetings.
I am quite pleased to hear that the interview went so well!
Of course, I would quite happy to do a follow-up interview. Just send your questions on, and I'll do my best to answer.
It was good to hear from you.
Warmest regards, His Excellency President Kevin Baugh, Republic of Molossia
Original Message:
From: Joseph Ford homevideopictures@gmail.com Date: Mon, 28 Apr 2008 22:12:39 -0400 To: president@molossia.org Subject: Follow-up Wikinews Interview
President Baugh,
Back in early March, I interviewed you on your country. The article garnered more interest than I expected, both online and off. Several people began to ask me, "So there's a country inside the United States?" "Are they for real?" "What are the laws there?" "Can I visit?" "Where is this place?" People really wanted to know about this little nation out in the desert.
I would like to conduct a follow-up interview with you. It would be an excellent opportunity to spread the word even further about Molossia, as a higher number of questions will be asked and I'll see to it that it gets featured on the Wikinews front page, which millions see every day. If you are interested, please reply with a "yes" or "no" within 24 hours.
Thanks for your time, Joe Ford (WNewsReporter on Wikinews)
myhosting.com - Premium Microsoft® Windows® and Linux web and application hosting - http://link.myhosting.com/myhosting
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Joseph FordHere are the questions: Q: Tell us about your country's history. Q: Where is ...
Apr 29 (1 day ago)
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Here are the questions:
Q: Tell us about your country's history.
Q: Where is Molossia located?
Q: How large is Molossia?
Q: Does Molossia have its own flag, currency or national anthem?
Q: Does Molossia have its own military?
Q: What is the official language of Molossia?
Q: Tell us about the Molossian culture.
Q: How are Molossia's relations with other micronations?
Q: Under international law, can Molossia be considered legally independent?
Q: Can one become a citizen of Molossia? Can one be granted an honorary citizenship?
Q: Besides the League of Small Nations, a nearly defunct association devoted to the prosperity of all land-claiming micronations, does Molossia belong to any international organizations?
Q: The land claimed by Molossia is also claimed by the United States. How are relations between your country and the U.S.? Have there been any altercations? Or do you generally leave each other alone?
Q: Are Molossians dual U.S. citizens? Do you pay U.S. taxes?
Q: Molossia has its own systems of measurement and dates. Tell us about them.
Q: Molossia also has its own time zone. Tell us about it.
Q: Can people visit Molossia?
Q: Are there any tourist attractions in Molossia? What can a visitor see and do while in your nation?
Q: Are you planning on expanding Molossia's borders in the near future?
Q: Molossia is one of the world's most serious and well known micronations. In under ten years, it has gained the attention of the media and respect of thousands. Where do you see your country in another ten years?
Q: There are thousands reading this right now. Is there anything else you would like us to know about your nation?
Thanks again for all your time.
- Show quoted text -
On Mon, Apr 28, 2008 at 10:34 PM, molossia@molossia.org <molossia@molossia.org> wrote:
Mr. Ford, Greetings.
I am quite pleased to hear that the interview went so well!
Of course, I would quite happy to do a follow-up interview. Just send your questions on, and I'll do my best to answer.
It was good to hear from you.
Warmest regards, His Excellency President Kevin Baugh, Republic of Molossia
Original Message:
From: Joseph Ford homevideopictures@gmail.com Date: Mon, 28 Apr 2008 22:12:39 -0400 To: president@molossia.org Subject: Follow-up Wikinews Interview
President Baugh,
Back in early March, I interviewed you on your country. The article garnered more interest than I expected, both online and off. Several people began to ask me, "So there's a country inside the United States?" "Are they for real?" "What are the laws there?" "Can I visit?" "Where is this place?" People really wanted to know about this little nation out in the desert.
I would like to conduct a follow-up interview with you. It would be an excellent opportunity to spread the word even further about Molossia, as a higher number of questions will be asked and I'll see to it that it gets featured on the Wikinews front page, which millions see every day. If you are interested, please reply with a "yes" or "no" within 24 hours.
Thanks for your time, Joe Ford (WNewsReporter on Wikinews)
myhosting.com - Premium Microsoft® Windows® and Linux web and application hosting - http://link.myhosting.com/myhosting
Reply Forward
Joseph FordSorry, President Baugh, I forgot three other questions: Q: What is the govern...
Apr 29 (1 day ago)
Joseph FordLoading...Apr 29 (1 day ago)
Joseph Ford to president show details Apr 29 (1 day ago) Reply
Sorry, President Baugh, I forgot three other questions:
Q: What is the governmental structure of Molossia?
Q: What are your duties as president? What is it like to run your own country?
Q: The Molossian Navy has their own online academy, which is open for all to join online. Tell us about that. - Show quoted text -
On Tue, Apr 29, 2008 at 5:31 PM, Joseph Ford <homevideopictures@gmail.com> wrote:
Here are the questions:
Q: Tell us about your country's history.
Q: Where is Molossia located?
Q: How large is Molossia?
Q: Does Molossia have its own flag, currency or national anthem?
Q: Does Molossia have its own military?
Q: What is the official language of Molossia?
Q: Tell us about the Molossian culture.
Q: How are Molossia's relations with other micronations?
Q: Under international law, can Molossia be considered legally independent?
Q: Can one become a citizen of Molossia? Can one be granted an honorary citizenship?
Q: Besides the League of Small Nations, a nearly defunct association devoted to the prosperity of all land-claiming micronations, does Molossia belong to any international organizations?
Q: The land claimed by Molossia is also claimed by the United States. How are relations between your country and the U.S.? Have there been any altercations? Or do you generally leave each other alone?
Q: Are Molossians dual U.S. citizens? Do you pay U.S. taxes?
Q: Molossia has its own systems of measurement and dates. Tell us about them.
Q: Molossia also has its own time zone. Tell us about it.
Q: Can people visit Molossia?
Q: Are there any tourist attractions in Molossia? What can a visitor see and do while in your nation?
Q: Are you planning on expanding Molossia's borders in the near future?
Q: Molossia is one of the world's most serious and well known micronations. In under ten years, it has gained the attention of the media and respect of thousands. Where do you see your country in another ten years?
Q: There are thousands reading this right now. Is there anything else you would like us to know about your nation?
Thanks again for all your time.
On Mon, Apr 28, 2008 at 10:34 PM, molossia@molossia.org <molossia@molossia.org> wrote:
Mr. Ford, Greetings.
I am quite pleased to hear that the interview went so well!
Of course, I would quite happy to do a follow-up interview. Just send your questions on, and I'll do my best to answer.
It was good to hear from you.
Warmest regards, His Excellency President Kevin Baugh, Republic of Molossia
Original Message:
From: Joseph Ford homevideopictures@gmail.com Date: Mon, 28 Apr 2008 22:12:39 -0400 To: president@molossia.org Subject: Follow-up Wikinews Interview
President Baugh,
Back in early March, I interviewed you on your country. The article garnered more interest than I expected, both online and off. Several people began to ask me, "So there's a country inside the United States?" "Are they for real?" "What are the laws there?" "Can I visit?" "Where is this place?" People really wanted to know about this little nation out in the desert.
I would like to conduct a follow-up interview with you. It would be an excellent opportunity to spread the word even further about Molossia, as a higher number of questions will be asked and I'll see to it that it gets featured on the Wikinews front page, which millions see every day. If you are interested, please reply with a "yes" or "no" within 24 hours.
Thanks for your time, Joe Ford (WNewsReporter on Wikinews)
myhosting.com - Premium Microsoft® Windows® and Linux web and application hosting - http://link.myhosting.com/myhosting
Reply Forward
PresidentMr. Ford, Greetings. The answers follow. Regards, A: Molossia was founded in ...
Apr 29 (1 day ago)
PresidentLoading...Apr 29 (1 day ago)
President to me show details Apr 29 (1 day ago) Reply
Mr. Ford, Greetings.
The answers follow.
Regards, President Kevin Baugh, Republic of Molossia
Original Message -----
From: Joseph Ford To: president@molossia.org Sent: Tuesday, April 29, 2008 2:31 PM Subject: Re: Follow-up Wikinews Interview
Here are the questions:
Q: Tell us about your country's history.
A: Molossia was founded in 1977, when my best friend James and I saw the movie, The Mouse that Roared. We were quite taken by the idea of a tiny country accomplishing such amazing and amusing things, and decided to start our own nation. James was the King,and I was the Prime Minister. Time passed and James moved on, but I stayed with the idea, and carried it along with me everywhere I went until we settled here in Nevada. Having actual land really made the dream come alive, and ten years ago I raised the Molossian flag for the first time over our sovereign territory. Since then we have worked to build a great, albeit tiny, nation here in the desert. We founded the Intermicronational Olympic Games in 2000, a tradition that has carried on since. We started the first Intermicronational Exposition, and also created the Norton Awards for Excellence in Micronationalism. We gained territory in Southern California, and even had a brief war with the neighboring nation of Mustachistan. That's just a snap shot of what has been a very interesting decade.
Q: Where is Molossia located?
A: Molossia is located in Western Nevada, about 35 miles southeast of Reno, Nevada.
Q: How large is Molossia?
A: The portion of Molossia in Western Nevada is about 1.3 acres in size, with another five acres in our other province, Desert Homestead, in Southern California. In both cases, the terrain is desert, high desert with sagebrush and pinion trees in Nevada, and low desert with creosote and yucca in California.
Q: Does Molossia have its own flag, currency or national anthem?
A: Absolutely, what would a country be without those things? Our flag has three horizontal stripes, blue, white and green (from the top). The blue stands for the Molossian sky, almost always blue, the white stands for the nearby mountains, white with snow much of the year, and the green stands for the green of the desert foliage in the spring. It flies every day in front of Government House.
Our currency is the Valora, and comes in both paper and coin formats, the latter being poker chips, instead of traditional coins. The currency is based on Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough, which is an element of our nation's culture.
Our national anthem is "Molossia, Nation in the Desert", with lyrics written by me and set to the Albanian national anthem. I'm sure they don't mind.
Q: Does Molossia have its own military?
A: Yes, we do, the mighty Molossian Navy. Yes, we have a Navy in the desert. Our Navy has been involved in several exploration expeditions during its three years of existence, as well as playing a large part in the War with Mustachistan, two years ago. We are quite proud of our Navy.
Q: What is the official language of Molossia?
A: Our official language is English, but we borrow from Esperanto sometimes, such as for the name of our capital, "Espera" and our money the Valora. We have no problem borrowing from other languages, as well, and we also use the Deseret Alphabet as an alternate writing script.
Q: Tell us about the Molossian culture.
A: Well, Molossian culture is a mix of several sources. Above all, we value the lifestyle of the western U.S., especially as it pertains to living in a wide-open place such as we do. Life here is fairly relaxed and easygoing, and we do most things together as a nation and as a family. In addition, we have absorbed elements of other cultures. The town of Steinsdorf on the Molossia Railroad is, of course, German. Our National Hero, Emperor Norton, comes from San Francisco. Cookie Dough, our National Treat and base for our money, is adopted from the United Provinces of Utopia, a micronation with whom we once associated.
Q: How are Molossia's relations with other micronations?
A: We maintain friendly, informal relations with just about every micronation. Our hand is always outstretched in friendship. With some nations we are particularly close, such as with TorHavn and Vikesland, due to the long and positive relationship that we have had. We count ourselves lucky to have good friends among many other micronations and micronationalists, from all over the world.
Q: Under international law, can Molossia be considered legally independent?
A: No, actually, it can't. International law generally prohibits one nation recognizing a portion of another nation as independent. That is why it seems to be such a laborious and convoluted process for a new nation to be recognized, as in the case of East Timor. It's complicated.
Q: Can one become a citizen of Molossia? Can one be granted an honorary citizenship?
A: Well, Molossian citizenship is only extended to actual, physical residents of Molossia, and we are not accepting any immigrants at this time. There just isn't room. Honorary citizenship is indeed granted, generally to those individuals that have performed some special service to Molossia, and have thus earned our gratitude.
Q: Besides the League of Small Nations, a nearly defunct association devoted to the prosperity of all land-claiming micronations, does Molossia belong to any international organizations?
A: Actually, no we don't, although we certainly have over the years, especially league of Secessionist States (LoSS), although we withdrew from that organization years ago. Incidentally, the League of Small nations is in the process of being resurrected, with an eye toward increased intermicronational activities, to possibly include supporting a charity.
Q: The land claimed by Molossia is also claimed by the United States. How are relations between your country and the U.S.? Have there been any altercations? Or do you generally leave each other alone?
A; No, there haven't been any altercations between Molossia and the US. We generally ignore each other. We can't really live without the US, though, since they provide a significant amount of our consumer goods, Molossia being rather resource-poor. And as long as we don't do anything objectionable, they leave us alone.
Q: Are Molossians dual U.S. citizens? Do you pay U.S. taxes?
A: Yes, all Molossians are dual US citizens. Most Molossians actually work in the US and live in Molossia, largely due to our small size and lack of resources. And no, as a sovereign nation, we do not pay taxes to the US. However, we contribute an equivalent amount to the US in Foreign Aid, in the hopes that they will someday fix their roads!
Q: Molossia has its own systems of measurement and dates. Tell us about them.
A: Our dates are based from the year that Molossia was founded, back in 1977, thus today is 29 April 2008 XXXI. Founder's Day, the day Molossia was founded, was 26 May 1977.
Our measurement system is called the Kokintz System, named for Professor Kokintz of Grand Fenwick. All of the units of measurement are based of things unique to Molossia. The basic unit of length, the Norton, is based on the length of my hand. The basic unit of volume, the Simms, is equal to a can of Diet Pepsi, my favorite drink. The basic unit of weight, the Fenwick, is based on a tube of Cookie Dough, and the basic unit of temperature, the Zenda, is based on the height of the First Lady. We like to keep things interesting.
Q: Molossia also has its own time zone. Tell us about it.
A: Again, to keep things interesting, we devised our own time zone, Molossian Standard Time. It is 39 minutes ahead of Pacific Standard Time and 21 minutes behind Mountain Standard Time.
Q: Can people visit Molossia?
A: Yes, absolutely! We love have tourists visit. We have thus far had 14 non-family visit Molossia in the past year, our first ever arriving in spring 2007 XXX. A visit to Molossia takes about an hour, during which I take all visitors on a tour of our country and tell them about Molossia and micronations in general. Cookie dough is served, too, of course, and I stamp passports. It is very important, though, that all visitors contact our government, to arrange a date and time for the visit. Please do not show up unannounced!
Q: Are there any tourist attractions in Molossia? What can a visitor see and do while in your nation?
A: Yes, we do have a few sights to see. Visitors can see Republic Square, the Peace Pole, the micronation direction sign, Norton Park, the Molossia Railroad, and the Tower of the Winds. A visit to Molossia is always interesting, if for no other reason than it's "the country just up the street on the right".
Q: Are you planning on expanding Molossia's borders in the near future?
A: We would love to do so, but I think we are about as big as we can be right now. Of course, should our country ever had a large economic windfall, then we will certainly expand.
Q: Molossia is one of the world's most serious and well known micronations. In under ten years, it has gained the attention of the media and respect of thousands. Where do you see your country in another ten years?
A: I think the future is bright for Molossia. Each day brings new challenges and new rewards. I am certain that, with all we have done over the past 31 years, the best is yet to come!
Q: What is the governmental structure of Molossia?
A: Well, officially, Molossia is a republic, complete with a constitution. Sadly, things are in such disarray over the border from us, that I had no choice but to suspend the constitution and declare martial law. It's unfortunate, but the security of my nation is paramount, and the best way to ensure that is to rule by decree. So far, no one has complained, and anyway, I'm a rather benevolent dictator.
Q: What are your duties as president? What is it like to run your own country?
A: Molossia is a fairly easygoing place to live and thus an easy place to run. As President, I am, of course the steward of my nation, and my principle duties involve taking care of my people and ensuring that they are fed, healthy and happy. Literally, actually. Beyond that, my responsibilities include making Molossia a positive and interesting place to live, a task I enjoy immensely. I love my country, and I love being the leader of Molossia.
Q: The Molossian Navy has their own online academy, which is open for all to join online. Tell us about that.
A: Indeed, I opened the Naval Academy several years ago as the Molossian Military Academy, taking advantage of my strong military background. When I founded the Molossian Navy, it was natural to turn the Military Academy into and Naval Academy. In the years before and since, the Academy has produced dozens of graduates. The Academy is free to all applicants, and includes lessons and tests on military leadership, tactics, seamanship and naval battles. Once an individual has taken all four tests successfully, he or she can purchase a certificate of completion, and can then purchase on honorary commission in the Molossian Navy. We offer honorary commissions in the rank of captain, commodore and admiral.
Q: There are thousands reading this right now. Is there anything else you would like us to know about your nation?
A: I would just like to thank you for this interview, and thank everyone reading this for taking the time to read and learn about Molossia. I am very proud of my little country and of what we have accomplished here. I look forward to only greater things ahead for Molossia and Molossians, and the world of small nations. - Show quoted text -
Thanks again for all your time.
On Mon, Apr 28, 2008 at 10:34 PM, molossia@molossia.org <molossia@molossia.org> wrote:
Mr. Ford, Greetings.
I am quite pleased to hear that the interview went so well!
Of course, I would quite happy to do a follow-up interview. Just send your questions on, and I'll do my best to answer.
It was good to hear from you.
Warmest regards, His Excellency President Kevin Baugh, Republic of Molossia
Original Message:
From: Joseph Ford homevideopictures@gmail.com Date: Mon, 28 Apr 2008 22:12:39 -0400 To: president@molossia.org Subject: Follow-up Wikinews Interview
President Baugh,
Back in early March, I interviewed you on your country. The article garnered more interest than I expected, both online and off. Several people began to ask me, "So there's a country inside the United States?" "Are they for real?" "What are the laws there?" "Can I visit?" "Where is this place?" People really wanted to know about this little nation out in the desert.
I would like to conduct a follow-up interview with you. It would be an excellent opportunity to spread the word even further about Molossia, as a higher number of questions will be asked and I'll see to it that it gets featured on the Wikinews front page, which millions see every day. If you are interested, please reply with a "yes" or "no" within 24 hours.
Thanks for your time, Joe Ford (WNewsReporter on Wikinews)
myhosting.com - Premium Microsoft® Windows® and Linux web and application hosting - http://link.myhosting.com/myhosting
Category[edit]
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This page should be in Category:Micronations. --Micronational Geographic (talk) 00:29, 25 February 2009 (UTC)
