New Mars Forums

Well I hesitate to use the term 'unguarded' but thanks anyway.

The point I would make, in relation to governance issues, is that the first generation of mars settlers will not be 'independent' in the true sense - so they will NOT be forming their own government etc.

If they are part of a corporate mission then they will govern themselves accordingly (with orders from HQ), if they are a religious group they wil govern themselves accordingly - if military then ditto ... they aren't suddenly going to sit round the breakfast table and say 'hey! let's form the Mars Council and declare independence.'

On the other hand ... i would prefer NOT to be ruled by some planetary government ... I want the space and freedom to choose to be 'different' within the acceptable parameters of whichever group I'm in (that airlock is uncomfortably close). The whole point of space is that it's pretty big .. there is room up there for every kind of political/social persuasion.  If I WANT to find a place in the cosmos where I can wear a full set of medieval plate armor and/or marry several of my first cousins then I should be able to do so ... and not immediately run into some hierarchy telling me that it is illegal/immoral and/or antisocial.

'People' head for new frontiers looking to get away from the status quo - new challenges, new opportunities ... not just to experience an identical paradigm but with a different climate

Let people form their own colonies dependent upon their own dominant world view - and let them trade with each other where they want - talk to and/or cooperate with each other when they want - and ignore each other when they want.