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To: SunkenCiv

I’ll pass.

Pirates truly deserved killing back in the day. They still do.


16 posted on 09/19/2023 2:22:30 AM PDT by Bullish (...And just like that, I was dropped from the ping-list)
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To: Bullish

Yes - pirates were nasty.

But they also had similar ideas of democratic governance as our founding fathers (from the web):

Like the American revolutionaries, pirates developed three branches of government with checks and balances. The ship captain was elected, just as the U.S. president; the pirate assembly was comparable to Congress; and the quartermaster resembled a judge in settling shipmate disputes and preventing the captain from overstepping his authority, he said.

Colonists and pirates also were alike in emphasizing written laws, democratic representation and due process, Acosta said. All crew members were allowed to vote, ship charters had to be signed by every man on board, and anyone who lost an eye or a leg was compensated financially, he said.

These ideals grew out of both groups’ frustration at being mistreated by their leaders; the British forced the colonists to quarter troops and pay taxes, and captains on merchant ships beat their shipmen, starved them and paid less than promised, Acosta said.

“It’s no wonder that many sailors seized the opportunity to jump ship and search for a better way of life, namely piracy, which offered better food, shorter work shifts and the power of the crew in decision-making,” he said.


18 posted on 09/19/2023 2:54:13 AM PDT by 21twelve (Ever Vigilant. Never Fearful.)
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