"Governments of the Industrial World, you weary giants of flesh and steel … I declare the global social space we are building to be naturally independent of the tyrannies you seek to impose," declaimed the Declaration of the Independence of Cyberspace, 21 years ago.
In a business culture that imposes the oppressive rule of mandatory replies, that kind ostentatious declaration may seem sacrilegious, rude or professionally suicidal.
Along with the question of recognition is the problem of international economic sanc tions imposed by Britain after the declaration of independence.
Sometimes the law supersedes your declaration, and in other circumstances, such as the time limit for distribution of the annual financial report, the state law requires that the association comply with stricter time limits imposed by the association's declaration.
"What happens, literally, there are two declaration forms," said Douglas Greenhaus, director of environment, health and safety for the National Automobile Dealers Association, referring to the requirements imposed by the Transportation Department and the Environmental Protection Agency.
In the joint declaration, France, Germany and Russia said the weapons inspections process imposed by the Security Council under Resolution 1441 in November was still working and could be concluded soon.
He accused the two oil giants of violating the sanctions imposed on the white minority Government of Rhodesia after its unilateral declaration of independence from Britain in 1965.
The military said last week that it planned to impose its own "declaration of basic principles" to guide the drafting of a constitution, apparently yielding to liberals' requests for some binding statement of rights to protect them against the possibility of an Islamist takeover.
The declaration does not impose water restrictions on the region that draws water from the river, which includes New Jersey.
Because the restrictions had been imposed by parliamentary statute, Sancroft alleged that the declaration was unconstitutional.
