Article I Section 8: To define and punish Piracies and Felonies committed on the high Seas,

[ddeclue]

To define and punish Piracies and Felonies committed on the high Seas, and Offenses against the Law of Nations;

To provide and maintain a Navy;

To make Rules for the Government and Regulation of the land and naval Forces;

To provide for calling forth the Militia to execute the Laws of the Union, suppress Insurrections and repel Invasions;

The Navy was acting in accordance with one of its most primary missions given to it by Congress and in accordance with one of the explicitly enumerated powers of the Congress in the United States Constitution.

http://www.usconstitution.net/const.html

Civilian U.S. flagged vessels are NOT required to pay either pirates ransom money OR the U.S. government "protection" money beyond the normal taxes they ordinarily pay. People need to STOP trying to make Maersk out to be some corporate bad guy here - they aren't.

[Aragorn]

1. thanks

for posting.

[A HERETIC I AM]

2. Well stated.

For an engineer, you're alright.

[depakid]

3. Missed a couple:

To... grant letters of marque and reprisal, and make rules concerning captures on land and water;

Actually, I'm unsure as to what purpose of the post was....

[Crabby Appleton]

4. As a response to posts like this I imagine

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=389x5441958

[depakid]

5. That was strange, too