Statehood for Iceland

Everyone's been thinking about Iceland the last week or so, but why hasn't the news media been reporting on proposals to make Iceland a U.S. state? Well, um, maybe because the idea was only considered briefly--60 years ago. The main proponent was Rep. Bud Gearhart of California, who figured that owning the strategically-positioned island would help keep America safe from the Soviets. Gearhardt actually wanted to buy up a whole bunch of Atlantic islands to buffer the U.S. from foreign threats. As mad as the idea was, less than 2 decades after Gearhart's proposal was dismissed, the Soviets set up nuclear missiles in Cuba and pointed them right at Washington D.C. Maybe Bud was onto something. (More in the book)