There was a time pirates were hanged when caught. A few months ago a Portugese warship caught a bunch of pirates on the open sea with a boat full of grenade launchers, AK-47s and an aluminum ladder for climbing aboard a passing merchant ship. They caught them, but let them go, because there was nothing in Portugese law that dealt with piracy. Lawyers in Britain have advised the Royal Navy not to capture any pirates lest they seek asylum in Britain. In today’s West, pirates have rights just like every one else.

 

 

I say we take them at their word

Though some word combos sound absurd

Somali is a word that sings

Trips off your tongue like bluebird wings

But trouble comes when e’re I hear

The word Somali placed too near

A word that sounds like government

It’s then I sniff a certain scent

That tells me something is not right

And caution forms afore I bite

The simplest thing I guess to do

Is arm the willing merchant crew

Then when the pirate grapnel flies

The first man up the ladder dies

 

But we no longer hang pirates, we interview them. Scott Carney of Wired has interviewed a Somali pirate, asking when do they decide to kill hostages, who gets to go free, how do they set the ransom price and so on. It turns out the pirates have financiers, just like any other business. Read the whole thing.

 

 

So now the guys have financiers

Who plot out the hijacking

Arranging everything in tiers

And see that nothing’s lacking

And hostages are graded for

Ethnicity and value

A white man can be traded for

Whatever they can cow you

Into giving them what they

Think you by george are good for

And so because you always pay

They know what you have stood for

They raise the price in many ways

And we have always paid her

We need to get back to the days

Of old Stephen Decatur