To: WSFAlist at keithlynch.net
Date: Wed, 21 May 2003 08:59:25 -0400
Subject: [WSFA] remembering the age of piracy
From: ronkean at juno.com
Reply-To: WSFA members <WSFAlist at keithlynch.net>

On Wed, 21 May 2003 08:23:17 -0400 "Strong, Lee" <StrongL at MTMC.ARMY.MIL>
writes:
>         Piracy as a way of life is distinctly overrated by those
> with
> selective memories.  Real pirates had all the disadvantages of
> sailors in
> the Royal Navy with few of the compensating protections.

You speak of pirates in the past tense.  And of course sea piracy is rare
today, compared to the 1700s, when some pirates (privateers) were even
state-sanctioned.  Privateering was outlawed by international convention
in 1856 (Treaty of Paris of 1856), but the question remains why piracy is
rare today, given that fast boats, guns, and criminals are not in short
supply.

Ron Kean

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