Agreed. There's a bit of an authentication problem; and some practicalities: which pond?

Well, we should probably defer to local ponds for local leadership. Perhaps larger bodies of water could be used for higher positions. To be President you have to collect swords from both Atlantic and Pacific oceans. Vice President could be chosen by the Great Lakes.

How do we authenticate the swords? And who has the root of trust?

Something something blockchain.

No, that's more "sword in a rock" which was the previous generation of the technology