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    StenchofaburnerHamilton Nolan
    4/14/15 6:03pm

    Libertarians should be all over this opportunity. What better way to put their ideas into practice than acquiring land and moving into a State with no government services to speak of?

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      ManchuCandidateStenchofaburner
      4/14/15 6:07pm

      Galt Gulch East Africa Subdivision

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      TRUMP DELENDUS EST (fka Chatham Harrison)Stenchofaburner
      4/14/15 6:31pm

      Libertarians have been long on Somalia for a decade.

      Stateless in Somalia, and Loving It

      Eventually, Somalia will inevitably prosper, unburdened by the state, and we will all look like fools. Eventually.

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    BaggyTrousers3Hamilton Nolan
    4/14/15 6:03pm

    This does look like a pretty sweet location for a Starbucks.

    #jihadtogether

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      Burndy Burndy BurnBaggyTrousers3
      4/14/15 6:11pm
      GIF

      Look at me...look at me- latte wet or dry?

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      Medieval KnievelBaggyTrousers3
      4/14/15 6:22pm

      Venti Mochadishu with 2%, please.

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    alohahomerHamilton Nolan
    4/14/15 11:16pm

    The thing I remember most about Mogadishu was the sickly sweet smell of shit and diesel being burned every morning. That and kids running along side our vehicles and trying to steal the ray bans off my face.

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      RB103alohahomer
      4/15/15 1:03pm

      they were burning shit? Or am I reading your post wrong... just "shit" and "burning diesel"?

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      alohahomerRB103
      4/15/15 1:30pm

      No it's actually burning shit. Every morning someone had to pour diesel into the cut off 55 gallon drums we used for toilets and burn it off. It's a long standing military practice.

      Watch Platoon or Jarhead.

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    Mary MaryHamilton Nolan
    4/14/15 6:11pm

    The same could have been said about Vietnam, a country my mom fled from as a refugee during the war, but 30 years later it's now a big tourism destination...she regularly wonders why anyone would want to visit "that shithole" when she hears of friends of mine going there, but hey, things can change in the blink of an eye and three decades is a long time.

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      Medieval KnievelMary Mary
      4/14/15 6:23pm

      That sounds exactly like my mother, except she's from Brooklyn.

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    Negative, I'm a Meat PopsicleHamilton Nolan
    4/14/15 6:38pm

    [H]olidaying territory for the Asian middle classes, several decades hence.

    Which Asians is this dude talking about? Being half Asian and living several years in Southeast Asia, I'll tell you what, most Asians aren't flying a quarter of the way around the world to sit on some desert beach. That's what white folk do. It baffles us. Most of us hate getting in the sun. There better be a giant goddam casino there, several decades hence. Or a well-appointed shopping mall at the very least. Maybe a just a bar with unlimited soju.

    Unless Mogadishu becomes some sorta urban mecca, featured in Bollywood films (you should see how many Indians visit Switzerland because of this) or Cantonese love song music videos, this isn't happening, even several decades hence.

    ETA: So apparently "this dude" is Hans Rosling, an awesome guy who made this awesome presentation. As someone who also does visualizations and infographics for a living, it breaks my heart having to question him.

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      TumsHamilton Nolan
      4/14/15 7:29pm

      It's only a matter of time before the Chinese come in an "Invest" in Somalia, like they have in a few other places in Africa.

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        GlenjaminHamilton Nolan
        4/14/15 6:11pm

        "While Somalia might not look like much of a destination right now, due to the two decade-long civil war between government forces helped by African Union units and Islamic militant Al Shabab that seek to install sharia laws in the country, its prospect could rise in the long term once the conflict is diffused"

        And I might be a homeowner one day once my student debt is paid off.

        Both seem equally likely at this point in time.

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          goldgoldergoldestHamilton Nolan
          4/14/15 6:19pm

          NOPE.

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            Frenemy of the stateHamilton Nolan
            4/14/15 6:23pm

            you know your country sucks when ethiopia looks over the fence and thinks "at least we aren't them."

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              Medieval KnievelHamilton Nolan
              4/14/15 6:19pm

              I think this presents a great opportunity to capitalize on the sentimentality of confused, aging fans from the Pittsburgh Pirates' golden era by selling beachfront, senior-living timeshares.

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