3 ms·
The idea of licensure for pirates or piracy is somewhat laughable.
by wavefunction 9y ago
The idea of licensure for pirates or piracy is somewhat laughable.
- gaius 9y agoThe idea of licensure for pirates or piracy is somewhat laughable Don't they teach history at MIT? https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Letter_of_marque https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Letter_of_marque
- wavefunction 9y agoI knew someone would bring up letters of marque but that's not really piracy is it? Especially not in the popular conception of pirates and piracy. And Google defines a letter of marque as: "a license to fit out an armed vessel and use it in the capture of enemy merchant shipping and to commit acts that would otherwise have constituted piracy." Sounds like actions taken with letters of marque are perhaps specifically not piracy.
- gaius 9y agoare perhaps specifically not piracy Well you'd still get to do all the pirate stuff, buckling your swash and splicing the mainbrace and all that. And there would be pieces of eight aplenty. You just wouldn't get hanged afterwards. Win-win situation!
- dghf 9y agoThere was some overlap, e.g. William Kidd and possibly Edward Teach (Blackbeard).
- deleted 9y ago[deleted]
- PeterisP 9y agoWhile these acts are authorized by one country (through this letter of marque) it would still be considered piracy by other nations, especially the victims.