Kenneth K. Thacker
Kenneth K. Thacker was a prominent member of the old Virtual Commonwealth of Cyberia, He served as ,Deputy of Belar, Minister of Defense, Senator of Corli, and Fleet Admiral of the Cyberian Navy. His daring in the First War of Cyberian Liberation and the Second War for Cyberian Liberation brought admiration from friend and foe alike.
Becoming disenchanted with the course of the Virtual Commonwealth of Cyberia, he co-founded the original Free Republic of Rocentia. In Rocentia, he served as President of Rocentia, Minister of Defense,and as Grand Admiral of the Rocentian Navy.
He founded Thacker Defense Industries, later moving it to Rocentia.
Today he is a RL writer and storyteller, as well as a proud Dad.
Thacker's resignation speech (December 2000) from the VCC follows:
(Quote) Statement and Resignation...
My, my my......
It's been nearly four years since I originally became involved in Cyberia. Four Years! Wow! I remember the days before we had a constitution, being appointed as Belar's first representative, and becoming director of Cyberia's Conservative party. I remember butting heads with Peter Hickey, Jack Santucci and even Ken Kerns. I remember our first elections and my first victory over a Liberal Party opponent to become the first elected Deputy of Belar. I remember being the first Cyberia Politician to have the dubious honor of having an assassination attempt made against him. I remember my friend Peter Hickey's real life accident that hospitalized him for some weeks and remember his cousin Terry bawling me out for asking about him, when she thought I was actually an opponent gloating over his accident. *Bet you don't remember that Terry!* I remember our first revolution and my being appointed commander-in-chief of the Cyberian armed forces and defeating the Cyberlandian instigated secession of Corli. I remember receiving Cyberia's highest military honor and a promotion to Fleet Admiral of her Navy. I remember building Thacker Defense Industries into the most powerful and influential corporation in Cyberia.
If someone would have told me four years ago that I would have become involved in something like this and gained as much enjoyment as I have and made such close friends, many of whom I've never met in real life, I would have laughed at them. And here we are now years later and I'm turning my back on something that I used to get a lot of enjoyment out of. Now I'm sure there are a few out there who will be thinking that, "this is not the first time" and you're right. There will be those out there thinking that I really have not been all that involved in the last year or so. Well, you're right. Cyberia somewhere along the line became something I no longer enjoyed. I stayed on this long due to the fact that I did not want to give her up to those Johnny-come-lately-assholes who seemed bent on taking over and tearing down all that those of us who had been here from the beginning had built. I've outlasted McNamara, Layne, Rosario and Graham. So what? What real victory did I win in doing so? Cyberia is fundamentally flawed. I have believed this for going on two years now and to be honest the only fix that I could come up with was a revolution. Take over the nation, eject all of the punks and scum and rewrite our laws and constitution in order to protect both the nation and it's citizens from these odious individuals who move from micronation to micronation, looking for one to dominate or destroy. To be honest however there are just to many of those types in Cyberia now for her to be saved. If I tried that I would have no more legitimacy or respectability than Rosario or Jacobass. Three years ago I tried to start my own micronation and then let it fall apart due to time constraints. I'm going to restart that nation and this time I am going to put every moment of free time into it in order to make it work. I'm going to do my damndest to make it everything that Cyberia should have been and failed to achieve. Now I'm sure there are those here who will do your best to make fun of, attack and otherwise demonize us for what we are attempting to build and do. That is certainly your prerogative. Just remember however, while you are all ripping and tearing at each other here, I and those who choose to join me, will be building and enjoying elsewhere, and we will be doing it without you. This new nation will have strict immigration laws and harsh penalties for the violation of our laws. This nation will not be open to outside immigration until it's founding citizens have enacted and agreed upon an initial legal code and immigration laws. These will be used to protect us, and the nation, from any future despot wannabe's. I'm sure there are many who will step forward and immediately start spewing forth with their verbal sewage about this idea. Go ahead. Your opinions don't interest me in the slightest.
Like Ken Kerns did four years ago, I have an idea and an experiment that I wish to try out, it may succeed it may fail but I have to try. Regardless of however it turns out I will not become an Alan Grieve or one of his predecessors and attempt to steal another micronation or another person or group of peoples concept and make it over into what I want it to be. I will have the decency to go out and attempt to build my own micronation with the help of my friends and colleagues.
With that end in mind I, Kenneth Karl Thacker do on this tenth day of December in the two thousandth year of the Common Era, renounce my Cyberian citizenship and all rights and privileges pertaining thereunto. I also announce that it is my firm intent to no longer entertain any further loyalties to this nation and to remain in firm opposition to the Virtual Commonwealth of Cyberia for as long as it remains under the domination of Alan Grieve or any other demagogue that may eventually overthrow him. I am no longer subject to Commonwealth law or it's dictates. By my authority, all lawsuits and legal actions pending against me are hereby dissolved and rendered impotent. The Commonwealth, her legal system, and any litigants are herby warned to not attempt to abscond with or interfere with any of my personal assets; or properties; or that of Thacker Defense Industries. Any attempts to do so will be met with lethal force and/or armed retaliation. To that end I further state the following (In Character):
Back when I was originally forced to abandon my attempt to liberate Sementia from its communist oppressors I made the decision that I would not disband that force. For the last two and a half years that force has remained hidden and has been rebuilding on a small island in the Cyber-Island Chain, code-named Tyrant's Fear. This force is now five times the size of the beaten and demoralized force that originally arrived there and has been fully equipped with state of the art TDI equipment. I'm sure many of you remember about a year ago the exodus of thousands Cyberian veterans that left the nation for "parts unknown." It was I who instigated that exodus and a majority of those vets who formally served under me in the Commonwealth Armed Forces are now part of the F.R.E.F. that will be embarking very shortly to finish the job they started three years ago. At this time a Naval Task Force under my command is now resting 25 miles off the coast of Menet with empty troop transports and warships and we are offering asylum to any Cyberian who wishes to escape from the coming Grieveite Reich. I will point out to both the Cyberian government and it's military that we are well outside of international waters and patrol aircraft launched by my flagship, the Carrier Indefatigable, will remain well outside of Cyberian territorial airspace. Our purpose is to provide transportation for refugees only and we will remain on station for one week only. The federal government and military forces of Cyberia are warned to not make or take any hostile actions toward my task force. I will not initiate any hostilities but I will not hesitate to retaliate using all of the firepower at my disposal.
Good-bye and good luck. You people are going to need it.
Kenneth K. Thacker. Commanding Officer: F.R.E.F. (close quote)
Recently, the Federal Republic of Cyberia honored Thacker by launching the aircraft carrier FCS "Kenneth K. Thacker", the first of the newest Thacker-class carriers. As appropriate for its namesake, the "Thacker" was immediately sent into action.