An interesting week with more interest in Citadel-styled communities than I ever expected.
Requests are coming in from small groups and individuals all over the country asking for advice on how to begin their own project, or if there are plans for communities in other states.
The project at IIICitadel.com is singular. The people involved are working to evolve one community at this time, hopefully in Idaho, but surely in the Redoubt. I am certain many of the people currently involved with this project would prefer a different climate or geographical paradigm other than Idaho. That happens to be one of the more frequent comments, even within the project: "If only there wasn't so much winter up there!" and comments to that effect. Let's face it, a lifelong Texan simply may not want to deal with several feet of snow each winter.
For the groups and individuals interested in undertaking a smiliar project in your AO, we all invite you to look at the answers we have come up with for ourselves at IIICitadel.com and use them all, or use none, and craft a community that fits your location, your people, your goals. The Citadel as we have very aggressively envisioned is a large community. But there is no reason any similar community needs to be that large. In fact, it would be much easier to shoot for a smaller scale.
That is exactly how the Citadel intends to proceed. It will start small with a small footprint, and grow to whatever size it will support based on interest of people who choose to participate. The Citadel may never reach 2,000 acres, or it may grow beyond 4,000. There are many answers that remain unknown.
What we do know is that there is tremendous interest in the concept.
So, all of you folks who have written and asked for guidance: Begin at the Citadel site. Consider what we have come up with, and what may be best for your local realities. Then feel free to contact us again and I'll be happy to share whatever I can to help you. I may even be available for limited travel, though 2013 will be very busy. Sharing this concept would make all of us very proud, and if other groups adopt the idea and build a safe community for themselves, we will consider that a great compliment. We'll help any way we can, and of course, free.
Developing your project will not be without cost, of course. But it doesn't need to cost millions, either. A few acres and a few families is a good start, and build from there.
Here are the basics, boiled down: Defensible ground and thoughtfully placed buildings. A common trait among the people who will live in the community. And most importantly: Means of revenue. If people are going to move from their current home and hearth, they will need jobs. Consider what revenue streams may be open to you.
How did the Citadel answer these basic questions? Defensible ground is well-removed from major metro areas. Common trait is Liberty, specifically Rightful Liberty as defined by Jefferson. Revenue: The Citadel chose a cornerstone in the firearms industry, and deliberately is seeking entreprenurial Patriots who will bring small business opportunities with them, followed up with (hopefully) a revenue stream based on tourism.
Your mileage may vary - but don't hesitate to ask our members questions.
Good luck!
Kerodin
III
Looks like you've gone viral. Good. Because even were this government to turn its act around entirely and start acting within the bounds of the constitution, the model of autonomous communities of like-minded folks is still a more scalable one than our current model. Indeed, the crux of the problem is that a faraway government has too much power. Everything flows from there.
ReplyDeleteThat said, I hope you are ready. Your inbox was probably getting hurt before, but if this really flies off like it might, you're gonna be getting some serious quantities of email. Have you considered setting up a group on a server somewhere (not Yahoo or google or facebook, somewhere that isn't as subject to subpoena, maybe even off-shore) for discussing general concepts of such a thing? Granted, nobody should put anything there that is bad for their own opsec, but it might be easier to manage than doing everything over email. And considering how easily people give over email servers to government agents without a warrant, it might just be safer (it's still very unsafe like all other online interactions, but still...).
WIII