The Kingdon of Tycho

In the interest of developing the culture of The Kingdom of Tycho(TKoT) I have decided that we could do with a national dish.

Please note that this is the first recipe that I have written, also bare in mind that in my cooking I am not much given to following recipes. Where I do “follow” a recipe I tend to treat it more as inspirational guidelines than hard and fast rules and instructions to follow closely. So in this spirit feel free to modify and experiment with this recipe as much as you like.

Ingredients:

• 400-500g of cooked chicken
• 1 medium onion
• A few cloves of garlic (one, none or lots, according to taste)
• 1 each of small red, yellow and green peppers (Capsicums)
• A hand full of mushrooms.
• 1 cup of rice
• 1 block of noodles (fine, medium or tick according to taste)
• 1 lt. of stock.
• Herbs to taste (I usually use lots of Basil with some Oregano, Thyme and perhaps Bay Leaves)

Preparation:

• Cut the Chicken into bite size chunks
• Finely chop the onion, peppers and mushrooms.
• I usually finely chop the garlic, but you can use a garlic press if you prefer

Cooking:

• Heat some olive oil in the pan
• Once the oil is heated drop the onion into the pan. Let it soften for a few minutes.
• Next add the peppers and garlic (I find if you add the garlic with the onion it can sometimes burn). Let the peppers and garlic cook for another few minutes.
• Then pop in the mushrooms.
• Stir everything around, until the mushrooms start to brown.
• Add the chicken and rice.
• Give everything a good stir.
• Then add the stock.
• Bring to the boil and then turn the heat down to a simmer.
• Add freshly ground black pepper to taste (I usually do not add any salt but you can if you wish) and a couple of drops of Tabasco sauce
• Once everything is simmering drop the block of noodles on top, push it down a little to make sure it is covered by the liquid.
• Cover and leave to simmer for 15-20 min’s until all the liquid has boiled off.

When ready the dish should be moist, but with no liquid; the rice should still have a little bite, and the noodles will be soft.

Is The Kingdom of Tycho a real country?
The short answer is: Yes. The Kingdom of Tycho is a real country.

Of course the real question is what do we mean by “real country”?
If we mean a legal international recognised state such as France, or the USA, then there are two theories that define what a state is: the declarative theory of statehood and the constitutive theory of statehood.

The declarative theory of statehood basically says that as long as you meet certain structural criteria then you are a country.

In international law, the Montevideo Convention on the Rights and Duties of States sets down the criteria for statehood. In summary a state must possess the following attributions:

• A permanent population
• A defined territory
• A government
• The capacity to enter into relations with other states

The Kingdom of Tycho fulfills all the requirements of the Montevideo Convention:

• A permanent population
  The Sovereign and his immediate family permanently reside within the territory of The Kingdom of Tycho.
• A defined territory
  Article 1 of the constitution defines the territory of The Kingdom.
• A government
  All judicial, legislative and administration powers and duties rest with the Sovereign.
• The capacity to enter into relations with other states
  The Sovereign is able and willing to talk with anyone.

However most micronations also claim to satisfy the criteria of the Montevideo Convention and as they have all discovered every macro-nation (already existing “real countries”) works on the basis of the constitutive theory of statehood; which says that a country exists only if it is recognized as sovereign by other states.
In western democracies most people who declare new countries(micronations) are just ignored by existing states. As long as you pay your taxes and don’t use your new country to commit fraud they don’t care what you want to call yourself.
This is the position that The Kingdom of Tycho finds itself in. We have been ignored by existing countries until now. However this works both ways, as we have also ignored existing countries. We have made no effort to establish diplomatic relations with any country.

So from the point of view of the authorities in your country your dealings with The Kingdom of Tycho will most probably be legal defined as dealings with the natural person of Declan Stanley.

40 Years of The Outer Space Treaty

In January, 1967 the Treaty on Principles Governing the Activities of States in the Exploration and Use of Outer Space, including the Moon and Other Celestial Bodies(The Outer Space Treaty) was opened for signature. The Outer Space Treaty forms the basis of all international space law. And while is has stood the test of time (mainly because space activities have not advanced one iota in the past 40 years) and espouses many noble sentiments (as many international treaties do), The Kingdom of Tycho can not subscribe to this treaty, nor consider itself to be constrained by it.
Here is a summary of the main points in the Outer Space Treaty, and my response to those points:

1. the exploration and use of outer space shall be carried out for the benefit and in the interests of all countries and shall be the province of all mankind;
   A noble sentiment indeed, but one that I fundamentally disagree with. I believe that the exploration and use of outer space should be carried out for the benefit, and in the interests of, those people who want to go and live in outer space; that is those people who are prepared to go and do the exploring and make use of what they find. Those who want to stay on Earth are free to explore and use what they find there.
2. outer space shall be free for exploration and use by all States;
   From the point of view of the 1960’s cold war mind-set this makes sense. If all one is going to do is send a couple of guys up in a capsule to whiz around in circles for a few days, or weeks, then it makes sense that any country that wants a “space program” should be allowed to develop one.However remove yourself from that 40 year old mind-set and you realise that once celestial bodies become property it is up the owners of that property to decide who explores and what use is made of their property, not any Earth bound government.
3. outer space is not subject to national appropriation by claim of sovereignty, by means of use or occupation, or by any other means;
   I actually support this provision of the Treaty, as long as it is applied solely to earthly states, especially those that have signed the Outer Space Treaty. I do not believe that any country on Earth has the right to make any extraterrestrial claim of ownership or sovereignty. Those of us who go and live off Earth have the right to form our own governments and rule ourselves, free form any interference form Earthly powers.
   If you try to apply this provision to The Kingdom of Tycho you will see that it denies our right to exist. However we do exist and we are not going away, so the international community will have to get used to us.
   This provision, and its denial of our right to exist, could be the cause of conflict between The Kingdom of Tycho and Earthly governments. It could in some interpretations even be considered a declaration of war on The Kingdom of Tycho.
   However as The Kingdom of Tycho is not bound by The Outer Space Treaty we feel we are not in any conflict with any Earthly power over our “national appropriation” of our Sovereign Territory.
4. States shall not place nuclear weapons or other weapons of mass destruction in orbit or on celestial bodies or station them in outer space in any other manner;
   A very noble sentiment, but one that, in my opinion, does not far enough. I believe that no state should place nuclear weapons or other weapons of mass destruction anywhere, either in space or on Earth. I believe that all weapons of mass destruction should be destroyed. However I do not believe that this will ever happen. One can not close “Pandora’s Box”, once such weapons have been invented they can not be un-invented.
   The Kingdom of Tycho has no weapons of mass destruction, and has no plans to acquire or develop any such weapons.
5. the Moon and other celestial bodies shall be used exclusively for peaceful purposes;
   Another noble sentiment, but all of human history teaches us that where people go, strife, conflict and wars go as well.
   So while The Kingdom of Tycho is a peace loving country with no disputes or conflicts with any other country, we reserve the right to defend ourselves by all means necessary. And in the belief that the better prepared we are for war, the less likely it is to happen, we will develop our armed forces as we see fit.
6. astronauts shall be regarded as the envoys of mankind;
   A diplomatic clause meant to ensure that if, through accident or mishap, an astronaut from one country were to land in the territory of another they should be treated as visiting ambassadors, rather than being shot as spies.
   Again the mind-set has to change. The Kingdom of Tycho does not consist solely of Astronauts, or astronaut want-to-bes, competing for the nation prestige of cold war superpowers. We have citizens who are real normal people, with normal jobs and families, who want the challenge, and excitement, and satisfaction of making a new life on a new planet.
7. States shall be responsible for national space activities whether carried out by governmental or non-governmental activities;
   This once again reflects the mind-set of the superpowers during the cold war; all space programs are government space programs; and even if it is a private enterprise that owns the space object, its launch and operation is subject to government control. And until the present time this has been pretty much the case with either the rocket launcher or the space object, or both being owned by a government ; and the facilities used to launch objects into outer space are all government owned.
   How this provision can be continued in a era where private firms are preparing to launch privately owned space craft from private space ports is yet to be decided.
8. States shall be liable for damage caused by their space objects; and States shall avoid harmful contamination of space and celestial bodies.
   The first part I can almost agree with. If a State owns a “space object” that causes damage then it is liable for any damage to property. If, on the other hand, an object is owned by a private individual, or corporation, etc., then the owner(s) of the object should be held liable for damages.
   The second part I fundamentally disagree with. The “contamination of space” is the main reason for the existence of The Kingdom of Tycho. At the moment the surface of the moon is virtually untouched by the hand of man, it is in its natural state. We intend to change that. We will build towns and cities, space ports and railroads, factories and mines, and leave our mark on the face of the moon; just as mankind has left its mark on every square inch of the surface of planet Earth.

While the Outer Space Treaty was progressive and forward-looking for its time (when the cold war was at its height) the mind-set of those who negotiated and signed it could not even begin comprehend the concept of an entity such as The Kingdom of Tycho. And as such it is outdated and unenforceable in the modern world.

It is not every day that one discovers that they are famous. Or at least famous enough to be mentioned in the Lonely Planet guide to Micro Nations (1/2 Page entry on p.151).