A geographical monopoly with *guns*, and a mandate from the masses to use them. I can't say that I've ever seen a Niagara-Mohawk or NYNEX tank.

The government does not have a monopoly on military force. In fact, the 2nd amendment explicitly prohibits such a monopoly, however much it has become eroded in recent decades. However, I will agree with you that a certain amount of corporate coercion goes on with government collusion (not all, however: look at Westlaw or Equifax for examples). Amanda Walker InterCon Systems Corporation