X-Message-Number: 21185 Date: Sun, 16 Feb 2003 12:16:41 -0800 (PST) From: "D. den Otter" <> Subject: Re: Is Cryonics Safe In America? From: Peter Merel <> >>Phil Rhoades' post, while admittedly off topic, prompts some good questions...all the cryonics orgs are in America...if the US slides any further toward Orwellian dictatorship, should the orgs consider relocating some place where common law and parliamentary democracy, at least, remain intact?<< Well, if the situation really does become unbearable, the answer is (obviously) "yes, they should". It would certainly be a good thing if, say, Europe and Australia could both set up viable "local" cryonics organizations (ideally in friendly cooperation with the existing orgs) which could, in an emergency, temporarily of permanently maintain US cryonauts -- or vice versa. One shouldn't put all his frozen heads in one dewar, and all that. >>Places like: Britain & Australia: ...historically the governments there follow US trends, and both have experienced governmental excesses in recent times.<< ...On the other hand, Australia is nicely remote and not likely to be targeted by terrorists/nukes (it does have some nasty spiders & such, though - ack!), while the UK has the largest concentration of cryonicists outside the USA. >>Switzerland: might be ideal as far as stability, wealth, and tolerance go.<< Yep, not a bad choice. >>But it's not exactly open to immigration.<< If you bring some cash, you're welcome just about anywhere. >>Holland: politically and culturally an ideal.<< Not really. It has its fair share of problems: a bloated, restrictive bureaucracy, crushing taxes, relatively high crime rates (partially caused by irresponsible immigration policies), a failing healthcare and social security system etc. In other words, a typical West(ern) European country. >>Physically it's in danger of inundation on a regular basis.<< Hardly an issue, unless the above problems cause a total socio-economic breakdown, which of course is always a possibility. >>Other places worth considering?<< How about New Zealand, for example? Very isolated and low-profile, therefore unlikely to be targeted by, well, *anyone*, really. Even WWIII might not affect it *too* much. The local government isn't particularly enlightened, but not too bad either by world standards. It's a pretty laid-back and stable country. There's some volcanic activity on the North Island, but not on the South Island (afaik), which has a pretty European/British climate & vibe. The latter would, IMO, be an almost ideal place for a cryonics facility if long-term safety is your primary concern. From: http://www.purenz.com/?F2227EC9-DC8F-4C09-811E-D8D80CA10BBF "New Zealand's spectacularly beautiful landscape includes vast mountain chains, steaming volcanoes, sweeping coastlines, deeply indented fiords and lush rainforests. Comparable in size and/or shape to Great Britain, Colorado or Japan, New Zealand has a population of only 3.8 million - making it one of the world's least crowded countries. It is a haven for those seeking peace, rejuvenation and relaxation as well as a playground for thrill seekers and adventurers. A temperate climate with relatively small seasonal variation makes it an ideal year-round holiday destination." See also: http://www.govt.nz/en/home/ __________________________________________________ Do you Yahoo!? Yahoo! Shopping - Send Flowers for Valentine's Day http://shopping.yahoo.com Rate This Message: http://www.cryonet.org/cgi-bin/rate.cgi?msg=21185