Legalized piracy

People cordon off a piece of land and arbitrarily announce that it is henceforth a "sovereign nation." Ruffians and schemers soon grab the posts of government, and by the power they vest in themselves set about plundering the individuals who live there. This has been going on for thousands of years, until today the entire earth (other than a portion of the oceans) is divided among different gangs, who wear pinstripe suit[s], and run their plunder under the flag of governments. -Albert Keuls, The Offshore Game, From John Pugsley's Journal, Private Conversations with the Money Masters

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