Why do we never hear about American pirates in the same way we do about their militia?

Question

The American constitution gives all Americans the legal right to become pitates.
Article I, Section 8:
"The Congress shall have Power... to declare War, grant Letters of Marque and Reprisal, and make Rules concerning Captures on Land and Water."
Effectively all this means is you apply for a letter of marque and off you sail to plunder foreign ships. The last time it was issued was to the Resolute in WW2 but I think or could easily be obtained so people can capture Chinese cargo ships or Russian oil tankers.

So given it's the constitutional right for every American to don an eyepatch, pop a parrot on the shoulder and sail the seven seas to the tune of a good shanty, Why do we never hear of modern day American pirates,

OlderAndWiser · Accepted Answer

Are you serious?

1. Just because you say that it would be easy to obtain a Letter of Marque and Reprisal des not mean that it would actually be easy.

2. The last time this device was used was in the American Civil War. I checked several sources and found no instances of Letter of Marque and Reprisal being issued at any time thereafter.

3. Two hundred years ago, it was not too expensive to arm a private ship so that it could engage in battle with a warship on an equal footing. The same is clearly not true today. The moat aignidicant example of current day piracy is the attacks of Somali pirates on merchant vessels. Have you seen any of the videos showing what happens when a Somali pirate attempts to engage a military ship or just a well-armed commercial vessel?

Anonymous · Accepted Answer

Licenced piracy isn't piracy, only non licenced piracy is piracy.

Though as far as i am aware there is nothing preventing a licenced 'pirate' from wearing eye patches or exploiting the clear advantages of a good parrot and or a rousing shanty.

Sadly though it is not a constutional right for every American to engage in piracy, as you correctly quoted it clearly states that it is congress who hold the power to issue licences to would be pirates and determine exceptions to ownership rights in war time with regard to enemy property, i. e. boarding and capturing an enemy ship.

FreyaRed · Accepted Answer

Ara parrots are too expensive. A thug called militia doesn't need such fancy accessories.

andreasderjuengere · Answer

Pirates are sea criminals. I think, you mean 'privateers' or 'buccaneers'
Now... the U. S. are better at cow herding, cotton farming or thinking out harmful fast food and such - that's all landlubber stuff.
At least in the Pacific, the U. S. Navy is responsible for a number of -recent- avoidable collisions with civilian ships. These guys are just not made to ''rule the waves''. Giant steel constructions that serve to launch nukes or carry aircraft still does not make 'you' a ''naval'' authority. And having a ''U. S. S. Constitution'' which is based on European ship building skills will not change it either.
Where we do hear about ''American'' ''Pirates'': the drug smuggling from South ''America''; using overhyped powerboats or stolen Yachts or even purpose -made semi-submarines.

Lliam · Answer

Maybe because there are now radar, satellites, aircraft, rockets and missiles.

Privateers wouldn't take those risks out of patriotism. They would be more like bank robbers who are after great personal gain. Then again, the CIA and State Department pay a lot of money to mercenaries.

Twalli · Answer

Actually. piracy is one of the three crimes that any county can arrest and punish you for, regardless of what right or privileged you claim to have. In other words if any other country was to arrest Americans of piracy, the Americans would be punished by that country's legal system even if they'd usually be extradited to the US.

exitseven · Answer

I would imagine that a Russian tanker would take a very dim view of a bunch of yahoos in a cabin cruiser trying to plunder their booty. I doubt it would end well for them.

WhiteSteve · Answer

Holy shit…. I want to be a pirate, how do I start? Also, is it cultural appropriation to adopt that UK West Country accent?🤔

ODC2112 · Answer

Poppy's trollesque questions. No, it does not give the possibility to be pirates or to plunder anything, nor to be pirates. Then the robbers are famously you English or rather you British, if you think you are different as a Welsh.

OnTheLevel · Answer

Being a pirate is hard and dangerous work. We Americans are pretty lazy in general.

OddBeMe · Answer

I highly doubt pirate licenses would be given.  I have to go through flight school to fly my drone.

Anonymous · Answer

Why pirate? Most countries are willing to sell what they got cheaply to continue to pursue their petty squabbles and infighting.

driven159 · Answer

because it would not be a job to have very long your boat would be blown out of the water

jimmy2 · Answer

Lol that mean only Congress can declare war on another country

Luopio27 · Answer

Ask Captain Jack Sparrow.

Baylayy · Answer

How do you know about these things being in UK?

USLegionary · Answer

International law bans piracy.

KrakenAttackin · Answer

Poppy, that is an excellent idea!

Alex8736 · Answer

Someone does their homework 🌹🌹

Debbie14217 · Answer

No interest? I don't know

Anonymous · Answer

Johnny Depp you mean?

Andres77 · Answer

Happy birthday!

Anonymous · Answer

They really don't exist anymore.

Why do we never hear about American pirates in the same way we do about their militia?

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