Greetings, loyal minions. Your Maximum Leader remembers a great class he took as an undergraduate. The course was “American National Security Issues 1989 - on.” It was taught by Lt-Gen. Samuel Vaughan Wilson (US Army Retired). (NB: Upon more reflection, General Wilson’s class was easily the single best class your Maximum Leader took as an undergraduate or graduate student.) It was in General Wilson’s class that your Maximum Leader learned what a seriousl global problem piracy still was. Until that point your Maximum Leader had assumed that the British Navy had eliminated piracy (for all intent and purposes) at the beginning of the 18th Century.

How wrong your Maximum Leader was.

Just look at the headlines today: Indian navy sinks suspected pirate mother ship. or Saudi Foreign Minister says tanker owners in talks with pirates.

Your Maximum Leader agrees with Robbo and FLG and believes that the Congress should start issuing Letters of Marque & Reprisal to private firms or individuals to combat piracy on the high seas. We (that is the United States) might have to modify or even opt-out of the Declaration of Paris of 1856. Given the rash of pirates in the Indian Ocean a revisitation of the 1856 agreement might be in order.

BTW, your Maximum Leader was all for issuance of Letters of Marque to help fight terrorists around the world back in 2003. It was a good idea then… It is a good idea now…

Carry on.