Pirates....now with tanks!

[TheStinger]

Originally posted by Alinestra Covelia
The other thing that I recall carried the death penalty in Britain was "high treason", which was a vague crime that could potentially include having a sexual relationship with a woman who was in line for producing an heir.

I recall that this was particularly relevant in the allegations of marital infidelity for Princess Diana. She couldn't have been charged but anybody apart from Prince Charles who had an affair with her could conceivably have been.

I don't know how seriously the law was taken though. I imagine it might be one of those centuries-old laws that live on because nobody overturned them.

There used to be a law about shagging the wife of the king or his heirs but that was abolished years ago, Piracy, Treason and setting fire to her majesty's dockyards where the last offences that carried the death penalty and these were got rid of in the 90's (the death penalty bit anyway) I assume it's still against the law to be a pirate

[Alinestra Covelia]

I believe that international normative laws hold piracy to be illegal and gives pretty much any power carte blanche to prosecute them without needing extradition and other procedural considerations.

I do recall that piracy was one of the earliest things to comprise international soft law.

[Guynemer]

I, for one, welcome our new pirates-with-tanks overlords.

[Dis]

I'll have to read up on what the U.S. did with piracy in the early 19th century, but I remembered they involved the Marines (shores of Tripoli and all that). The biggest difference I can think of is those cases involved american merchant shipping specifically. But I can't wonder why the U.S. and nations more directly affected by piracy don't do more about this.

[Felch]

Originally posted by Asher
There's a thread on this, it's disguised as a Patty birthday thread

WTF? Come on people! DESCRIPTIVE THREAD TITLES, PLEASE!!! I don't have the time or patience to read through every last thread. So I do a search for "somalia pirate" in the Poly search feature, and this was the most recent thread.

Thanks for the heads up, Asher. NYE is my new nemesis.

[Asher]

[Alinestra Covelia]

^ Truth. If somebody's doing a Birthday thread and they intentionally make the thread title obscure, don't jump down somebody else's throat just because they post the same thing later with a more sensible thread title.

[Felch]

Financial Times is reporting another seized ship.

New ship seized in Gulf of Aden

I seriously regret all that kindness we showed the people of Somalia. It's a cancer on the planet. Luckily, we don't need to do anything for them to die. Just leave them alone and let them murder each other and starve to death. The world will be better off without them.

Next time somebody asks you to donate to Oxfam or one of those "do-gooder" groups, just tell them to **** off. And be proud of yourself for doing so.

[UnOrthOdOx]

Originally posted by Felch
NYE is my new nemesis.

Bah. That old cat isn't worth it. Just toss him a ball of yarn and move on.

[CrONoS]

Is there any updated infos about the arms cargo?

[Whoha]

Re: Send in the Russians

Originally posted by pchang
US forces are too namby pamby. We lack the will to go "Medieval" on their asses.

well we also don't want them to scuttle the Iranian mystery death ship.

[Patroklos]

Still sitting in port waiting for the ransom payment. So much for the Russians going in there and ****ing **** up.

[Winston]

Don't despair. Barack Obama will surely make things right.

[Alinestra Covelia]

Wouldn't the Russians just gas people like they did in the theater stick up in 2002?

Which reminds me: what's the difference between a stick up and a hold up?

Spoiler:

Age.

[BeBMan]

Them pirates have a new toy now, a Saudi oil tanker full of nice stuff. I think they're getting bored with the tanks now...

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/africa/7735507.stm