Antarctica is much closer, has oxygen and water and a wealth of metals and minerals to exploit. Only problem it has is heat and food. The heat could be supplied by thorium reactors and food can be imported if the mines are rich enough to support the expense.
You know thats interesting that you mention Antarctica. So many times mars was mentioned, I thought "what about here on earth? What about the ocean floor or antarctica?"
I'd fund a private colony there. I bet a lot of people would.
Of course we'd need a power source, fuel and food. Also a decent habitat that could house maybe several hundred guys comfortably so they won't drag up and demand to leave. I'm betting there's also coal on Antarctica.
A conglomerate of multinational corporations can lead the way, hire their own security force and tell UN to fuck off with those bullshit rules about not exploiting the wealth of that continent.
The best bet would be to act as meatshields/forward for the other nations that would soon land-rush Antarctica if they saw a viable colony on Antarctica. You still end serving the u.s. but the u.s. or other would want you to effectively appear neutral.
The same way north korea is nominally separate from china, or japan is distinct from the u.s. regime.
You get to be free for a generation or three, and live your life in a sane world, before globohomo take over there too.
Or you go hard, elon musk style, with a fuckton of money, and you roll the dice by telling everyone to fuck off, big-stick style. But no one on the right, except maybe two people, has that kind of money or clout. One of them would definitely surprise you if you knew the name.
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