Pirates off the coast of Somalia are far from the mischievous Pirates of the Caribbean. While Captain Jack Sparrow and his mates were the heroes of the Disney high-seas adventure films, the real pirates now pose a serious threat to the USA as they capture ships and hold hostages for ransom.
Right now it is up to the US Navy ships and other international vessels to fight the pirates.
This real life drama got Rep. Ron Paul (R-TX), who you might remember from his campaign for president last year, to dig up a long-forgotten American law. His solution to the pirate problem: hire our own privateers.
The United States' constitution allows for a marque and reprisal law, where the government can hire private citizens to seize and destroy pirates, pirate ships, and pirate loot in exchange for a bounty.
This solution is an alternative to using Navy ships as a first-response to pirate ships, which cost the Navy millions in the last rescue of a US cargo ship.
In these times, I can think of a lot of people who would gladly hunt for pirates to the tune of $1 million. But are we then any different from these pirates?
I say, give me a boat, I'll gladly swab the deck or climb to the crow's nest. And I don't get sea sick either! (And right or wrong, it's not piracy if the government is on your side.)
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