{ title: 'Dan's Papers - The Montauk pioneer. (Montauk, N.Y.) 1960-current, August 30, 1969, Page 11, Image 11', download_links: [ { link: 'http://www.loc.gov/rss/ndnp/ndnp.xml', label: 'application/rss+xml', meta: 'News about NYS Historic Newspapers - RSS Feed', }, { link: '/lccn/sn88074877/1969-08-30/ed-1/seq-11/png/', label: 'image/png', meta: '', }, { link: '/lccn/sn88074877/1969-08-30/ed-1/seq-11.pdf', label: 'application/pdf', meta: '', }, { link: '/lccn/sn88074877/1969-08-30/ed-1/seq-11/ocr.xml', label: 'application/xml', meta: '', }, { link: '/lccn/sn88074877/1969-08-30/ed-1/seq-11/ocr.txt', label: 'text/plain', meta: '', }, ] }
Image provided by: Dan Rattiner
THE MONTAUK PIONEER - August 30, 1969 - 11 STAND UP FOR THE RED WHITE AND YELLOW Many people out here on the eastern end of Long Island have great reservations about the way things have been going in the country, in the state, and even in the county. There have been proposals within the last few years to create a new county out of eastern Long Island, secede from the State of New York, or, even break away from the grand old United States of America, God Bless Us All. Perhaps its the way eastern Long Island kind of juts out into the ocean so far away from the main land that makes such proposals seem credible. Or perhaps its just good old Yankee ornryness that sees salvation only in revolutionary pro posals. In any case, local rebels can take heart. An attempt was made this winter to start a new country just off the coast of the United States and although it failed, there are object lessons to be learned. For if it weren’t for a few ob vious errors the country might very well exist today. The attempt occurred off the coast of Florida 25 miles south of Miami. This is outside the United States’ territorial limits and in Inter- tional waters. In theory, it should have worked. What happened was that a Louisiana inventor by the name of Robert M. Ray came upon a string of coral reefs there that were uninhabited and unclaimed. The reefs, as is, were uninhabitable, but Ray figured that by dumping enormous amounts of landfill on top of the coral, using a method he invented, he could create a small island suitable for habitation. Mr. Ray fully realized that by founding a new country he would have to give up his American citizenship. He went ahead and had a dignified looking flag made up, then went back out to the reef, where he planted the flag, amidst great ceremony on behalf of his new country, the ,lGrand Capri Republic.” Mr. Ray got a considerable d istance w ith the new country before the United States Govern ment stepped in. He got financial backing to the tune of $250-million from a Bahamian gambling organization. He formed a company together with the Bahamians, called the Atlantis Development Corporation, which was to create the government of the small island. And he had plans made up, and general site preparations begun by a Florida concern, the Acme General Contractors. But then the United States attorney’s office got wind of it. Mr. Ray was arrested and was charged, along with Acme General Contractors and Atlantis Development Corporation, with in surrection. A suit was filed to “prevent any new countries, from emerging in the Atlantic Qcean about 25 miles southeast of Miami. All w o rk stopped on G rand Capri Republic. And the m a tter came to trial in a F e d e ral court in Miami. Mr. Ray argued that he was the d iscoverer o f an island in international waters, and therefore was e n titled to colonize it. The G o v ernm en t argued that the reefs were p art of- the seabed and a natural resource defined by the O u te r C o n tinental S h e lf A c t, and therefore subject to U n ited S tates c o n trol. There was a lot o f talk about the C o m m u n ists already being just n in e ty miles o ff o u r coast, a lot of pledges of allegiances o n b e h a lf o f Mr. Ray, and finally his real show -stopper, that the island w o u ld only b e used for the creation o f gambling casinos in any case. That d id it. Judge Charles F u lton ruled against the founding o f th e Grand Capri Republic, saying it involved not only the p reservation o f n a tu ral resources “ b u t the preservation o f our very security as a nation.” He w as c o n c e rn e d that a n ew country so close to o u r shores could spawn u n p o liced ‘ gambling casinos and even alien m issile b a ses. It seems to me that b y going to F e d e ral court, R o b e rt M. Ray w as asking the fox,to m ak e a rul ing a b o u t the sheep. He would have b een w iser to have fled h is arrest, and to have ta k e n refuge in the em bassy o f, a c o u n try that h a s a slightly antagonistic a ttitude tow a rd the U n ited S tates. Perhaps the E g y p tian embassy. There h e could have, sought recognition o f his G rand Capri R e public, and o n ce having o b tained it, taken the m a tter to the International C o u rt o f L aw in the Hague. The U n ited States would n o t have p u t up w ith any o f this business, h o w ev er, and in spite o f the International em b a rrasm e n t it might cause them (a reason for E g y p t to h av e initially recognized the Republic,) the U.S. A rm y would no doubt invade the reefs and c o n q u e r them . Robert Ray could arrange to be on his reefs at the tim e the invasion o ccured. He could then surrender h is c o u n try to the o ccupying forces and apply for foreign aid. I’m not sure w h at the outcom e o f all this would be. But w ith foreign aid, an econom y based o n o c c u p a tion forces, and the sym p athy of the e n tire w o rld, Mr. Ray m ig h t b e in a very advantageous p o sition indeed. He m ight even tually find his reefs b u ilt u p w ith land fill a t public expense (for the convenience o f the o ccu pation forces), m ilitary bases and installations created, and then, a fter a lapse o f a certain am o u n t o f tim e, all this turned back over to him as A m erica renounced any im p erialistic te n dencies. He certainly would b e in a b e tter p o sition to day h ad h e followed this course. As even a Y an kee revolutionary on the end of eastern Long Island could see. Class dismissed. _ d r KARTS A GO-GO Eastern Long Island's only Go-Kart track ACTION! EXCITEMENT! ICE CREAMI CANDY! HOT DOGS! SODA I On Montauk Hwy. Hampton Bays East of Jones Road. Open 9 am -11 pm FUN FOR ALL AGES inittinumimiiiiiinmiiniiiuiiiiiiiiiimrinimiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiHUiiiiiiiuiDiiiJii Have you been introduced to chiropractic? Doctors o f chiropractic d o n o t accept all cases, but help nearly all they accept. 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