Comments on: The Last American Pirate Trial?

By: First Norfolk Piracy Sentence in 150 Years | techyum ::

First Norfolk Piracy Sentence in 150 Years | techyum :: — Tue, 30 Nov 2010 03:26:11 +0000

[...] no trial. The last actual trial for privacy was the 1861 case of a Confederate privateer vessel Savannah which, similarly, tried to pirate a Union warship. The question in that case hinged on whether the [...]

By: Eagle1

Eagle1 — Wed, 22 Apr 2009 13:04:22 +0000

Thanks, Sterling. Interesting man. But I agree with the guy who said it wasn’t piracy – except perhaps under Massachusetts laws.

Not on the high seas, etc.

But you get credit for finding it.

A couple of other cases of note:

http://www.eaglespeak.us/2008/04/9th-circuit-upholds-piracy-conviction.html though it was really not about piracy in the end

and The Ambrose Light case 25 F. 408, 415–16 (D.C.N.Y. 1885) was a “prize” case, not a true piracy trial, as I understand it.

By: Sterling Johnson

Sterling Johnson — Wed, 22 Apr 2009 00:33:44 +0000

http://summerhome.com/shipwreck/dennison.htm

Above is a URL for a report on a twentieth-century piracy trial.

By: RickWilmes

RickWilmes — Tue, 21 Apr 2009 01:08:40 +0000

The MSP is a subsidy and should be eliminated along with all other government funded subsidies. Statism once again rears it’s ugly head.

By: Jay

Jay — Tue, 21 Apr 2009 00:57:17 +0000

Since this is the most recent topic re: piracy — while not O/T, here is an idea. Many US flag ships get MSP payments ($2M+ annually). MSP is the Maritime Security Program. (You can google the program details — believe it is MARAD’s baby)

How about — making mandatory private security part of the MSP?

As far as I recall — the MSP money was to offset the higher cost of keeping a ship US flag (vice being foreign flagged). Mainly, crew costs, but other are probably in there as well.

By: Yankee Sailor

Yankee Sailor — Tue, 21 Apr 2009 00:18:32 +0000

URR,

I’ve got a quick question for you. Shoot me an e-mail at sailor(at)yankeesailor(dot)us.

Yank

By: Byron

Byron — Mon, 20 Apr 2009 22:36:56 +0000

Hayball, I understand about holding the moral high ground, I truly do. But…I suspect you’ll hear many more people in the near future quietely wish that there hadn’t been a trial.

Just sayin’

By: UltimaRatioReg

UltimaRatioReg — Mon, 20 Apr 2009 19:37:35 +0000

You gotta admit, Hayball.

Whacking the survivor notwithstanding, Byron has probably called it when he says the pirate will be a sympathetic media darling and a bleeding-heart anti-US cause du jour if he goes to trial. Residue of the US refusing to play the propaganda game at all, let alone play it well.

By: Hayball

Hayball — Mon, 20 Apr 2009 19:33:11 +0000

Byron:

I have found very important when working really hard at bringing lowlifes to justice that you take great care to stay spotless and professionally detached.

Friends and/or allies of lowlifes (or enemies of you) love to change the focus from the lowlife’s evil deeds to your peccadillos. Then while all eyes are on you, the lowlifes get to slither away unnoticed. Then the friends and allies of lowlifes benefit greatly by your loss of reputation and credibility, enhancing their sales pitch as highminded heroes of high principle.

Kind of a Sith Mind Trick. But it really does happen.

On the other hand, more than one bad guy found out “Catch you later” was more the Marshal’s promise to himself than just an expression.

By: UltimaRatioReg

UltimaRatioReg — Mon, 20 Apr 2009 19:32:32 +0000

Michael,

I had heard inklings of that. Growing concern that those calling the shots did not and do not have a realistic understanding of the issues at hand.

As someone said here recently, such dithering will make piracy and kidnapping a super growth industry.